The Hunted

Chapter 9

I relaxed against a stone, with Orchid leaning against my chassis. My arms were wrapped loosely around her waist and she held one of my servos gently in one of her own.
I looked down again at my Sparkmate. The moonlight turned her hair a shimmering silver and illuminated her soft features.
A rare gem, some may say, but Orchid was my angel, and I would gladly put my life down to protect her from harm.
Orchid shifted slightly in her sleep and turned her helm a little. I could now see her face-plates. Though relaxed, Orchid could sometimes look deadly still.
But tonight she looked peaceful...innocent...content. I could feel it radiating through our bond.
I smiled a little and pressed my lips to hers gently. She stirred a little and her lips seemed to curve into a smile under mine, however, she did not wake.
I leaned my helm back against the rock and stared at the stars, letting sleep take its toll.
Finally, after almost a year of little recharge, I slept better than I ever had...with my Sparkmate in my arms.
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Author's Note: Okay, a quick catch-up here...Kamicazii has been fiddling with some stuff and gotten interested in chemistry things, so she has a 'potion', that is going to...well, read and see.

I woke the next morning, as usual, before everyone else. Orchid stirred and woke a few seconds later.
She looked around, then up at me.
I sent her loving thoughts through our bond and she smiled.
"Good morning," she whispered and I kissed her.
"Good morning, love," I murmered onto her lips.
Orchid traced my jaw-line with her digits, which sent shivers down my back...unintentionally.
We stood up and walked back to where the others were still asleep.
I smiled when I saw everyone. There had definitely been things going on in our absence in Mexico. I could tell from the way they slept.
Aura slept with her back-plates to Crosshairs, but her one arm was stretched out behind her, digits just barely touching Crosshairs'.
Kamicazii and Bumblebee were cuddling, and Blue Moon was lying with Drift's arm wrapped around her waist.
Hound, he slept alone, but I knew that long ago, after his Sparkmate broke his bond and spark, he had vowed never to love again.
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
'"Boss?" Hound asked, walking into my office, twisting his helmet in his servos.
I looked up and smiled slightly at the gun-slinger,"Ah! Yes, Hound?"
Hound chewed on his bottom lip, and then I noticed the tears.
"Hound!" I exclaimed, standing up,"What's happened? Is it Scratchnight?"
Hound burst into tears immediately.
I shut the office door and gently sat the weeping mech on a chair.
"Hound, what is it?" I asked gently, as if speaking to a sparkling.
"Sh-she broke the bond," Hound wailed, and I was grateful for the sound-proof walls.
"What? Why?"
"Because I'm not mech enough for her, she said," Hound sobbed, burying his helm in his servos,"She said we could never have a family. She said I was useless because I was sterile. She said she would find a mech who would be able to give her what she wanted."
Hound trailed off into another bout of sobs.
I sat next to my friend and did my best to console him. It took a great amount of patience and understanding, but eventually, the mech calmed down.
"I am glad you came to me, Hound," I said gently,"But you need to know...that it doesn't matter how much Sharpnight loves you, it's how much you love her."
Hound sniffed and wiped his optics again. His face-plates became determined.
"Prime," he said, standing up,"I vow, that on this day, I will never bond with another femme, for my love and loyalty to Sharpnight, as long as I draw breath."

The flashback ended, and I realized my optics were stinging with tears.
Orchid noticed too, and swiftly brushed them away. She didn't know what upset me, but she sent me encouragement through the bond and I smiled at her.
Kamicazii suddenly yawned and sat up, waking Bumblebee.
"Good morning, sleepyhelms," Orchid teased, going to wake Blue Moon and Drift.
I woke my sister..by shaking her by the shoulder-plate.
"Optimuuuss!" she groaned, covering her helm with her arms,"Five more minutes."
I laughed a little and poked her. Again and again until she batted my servo away.
"You need to wake up, sister," I said, feeling less like a Prime and more like a teasing brother,"The sun doesn't shine for nothing."
"I hope it shines bright enough to blind my idiot brother," Aura grumbled, sitting up and glaring at me.
"Hey, ya shouldn't talk te yer brother like that, Aura," Crosshairs reprimanded her,"He's a Prime."
"Prime or no Prime,"Aura growled, but playfully,"I'm still gonna strangle him."
She leaped at me, but I was waiting. We had done this many times in the past, it felt good to do it again.
Aura shoved me and I crashed into Kamicazii, who was holding a bottle of purple liquid she was talking to Bee about.
The bottle went flying out her servos and she lunged to catch it, bumping over Blue Moon and Orchid as she did so.
The bottle hit the ground and shattered, just as Aura tripped over a rock and landed in the pile of femmes.
A purple smoke came out the bottle and engulfed the femmes. I could hear them coughing and giggling a little, but no signs of distress.
Then Kamicazii screamed.
"What the frag!"
The smoke cleared and instead of four femmes lying on the ground, there were four predacons. A blue and gold one, an orange and purpley-blue one, a pink, purple, and gold one, and a white, purple, blue, and green one.
"What. Just. Happened?" the ornage and purpely-blue one asked, looking at itself. I recognized the voice.
"Aura?"
"Whoa! What happened?" Shane asked, having just woken up.
"We're...Predacons," the white, blue, green, and purple one said...Orchid.
"I told you!" the pink, gold, and purple one complained...Kamicazii,"I told you it wasn't tested yet."
"Blue Moon?" Drift asked, approaching the blue and gold one warily.
The Predacon nodded.
"Thanks a lot, Optimus," Aura sighed, looking at her wings,"How are we going to get out of this one?"
Orchid laughed. This made everyone look at her.
"Well, if we're Predacons, then we should be able to transform back into our bi-ped modes," she explained once she had calmed down,"It's pretty simple."
Orchid transformed pretty quickly, though her bi-ped mode looked a little more different.
The others were quick to follow her example, and soon all four of our femmes were back to...normal?
"Soo, we're double-changers now?" Blue Moon asked, looking at her servos.
"I...guess so?" Kamicazii replied,"I don't know if this is temporary or permanent."
"Whatever," Aura snorted and gave me a murderous look,"now I'm really gonna strangle you."
She chased me, and I ran, having no other choice, but on the inside, I was dying of laughter.