Tinman

The Ultimate Scarecrow

A couple days later...

It was mid-afternoon and the Lennox family was out in their small corn patch, inspecting the rows for ripe ears. Will had baby Annabelle strapped to his chest in a soft baby sling. Every now and again when her father would stop the little girl would seize a corn leaf in her chubby fist and bring it to her mouth for inspection.

"No, Annabelle." Will smiled, removing the soggy leaf from his daughter's mouth, "We don't eat the green part."

She started a little fuss but was quickly distracted by the groaning mechanical whir of Ironhide as he shifted his feet nearby. Through the tassels and stalks Annabelle could see the humongous Autobot towering above, nearly blotting out the afternoon sun. Her blue eyes locked on him and wouldn't deviate.

Ironhide stood on the outskirts of the corn patch. He wasn't about to wreck anymore of Mrs. Lennox's plants. The weapon's specialist wasn't sure why humans valued the flowers but this "corn" he could somewhat get. It was used for their nourishment. Another oddity of their species—taking organic material into their bodies to be processed as chemical energy. It too seemed rather inefficient.

"Looks like someone is watching you." Captain Lennox mentioned.

In an instant, Ironhide's cannons spun over his forearms, whirring and glowing at the ready.

"WHERE?" he boomed, searching for a threat.

The Captain threw up his hands in shock, "Whoa! Whoa! Easy there! I meant Annabelle."

Ironhide hissed hollowly in his cannons and returned them to their passive position, "Oh. Why is she watching me?"

Seeing the guardian relax Will smiled, "Well for one, you're really big and make a lot of noise. That gets her attention."

"Hmm." he grunted.

Will touched his daughter's nose, procuring a small giggle, "Would you like to meet her?"

Ironhide shifted on his intricate feet, "Perhaps another time."

The man raised a skeptical brow at him, "You're not afraid of a baby are you?"

Instantly the black Autobot's optic shutters shadowed his eyes, "Absolutely not."

Will was about to insist further when—

"Oh no!" Sara exclaimed somewhere in the corn.

Ironhide's cannons whirred, clicking into place. A threat?

Will waved a hand at him, "Geez! Will you put those things away! What's wrong Sara?"

Her voice was frustrated, "Those raccoons! They're stealing us blind!"

The blonde woman appeared in the same row as Will showing him the bare ear of corn and the shredded stalks of other casualties further down.

Will shook his head, "Crap. Those things are eating it faster than we can pick it."

Tossing the devastated ear away Sara threw up her hands, "I guess we should buy some traps or start picking it earlier." She growled, "OH. Those things make me so mad."

Ironhide scanned for the word "raccoon" and produced several images of the mammalian. Scientific name Procyon lotor, about 60-90 cm long, range in weight from 3-16 kg, quadrapedal, stocky body, ringed tail, dark facial markings resembling a mask. He stored that in his memory for later.

Later that night...

Will spit the remainder of his mouthwash into the sink, giving his mouth a quick swipe with a towel. He peered out of the bathroom door seeing his wife hover over little Annie's cradle before settling into bed.