Beast Wars Anonymous:

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Blood Brothers
by Cybercat (cybercat@angelfire.com)

A storm lay across the valley, blotting out the sun so not even the tiniest bit of light got through. Small animals scurried towards their various hiding places. Even the larger ones took shelter in caves or dens of their own. But along the rocky path, halfway up the side of a cliff, a tiger and a cheetah were walking side by side. Seeming alert to their surroundings but still engaged in conversation as they walked.

“Looks like it’s going to rain, little cat,” the tiger remarked, seeming indifferent to the weather.

“Guess so,” the cheetah agreed, staring intently at the sky. They settled into a comfortable silence and kept walking at a steady pace, reaching the top of the cliff before the first drops of rain started. Slow at first, it began to increase rapidly as the minutes ticked by.

Cheetor shook some of the rain from his coat, getting it all over Tigertron. “Oh man, I hate the rain,” he breathed and trotted a few paces ahead of Tigertron. “Hey can we pick up the pace a little?” he asked, shaking off more water.

Tigertron smiled. “You can go on ahead if you like,” he told the younger Maximal.

With only one regretful look back, Cheetor raced on ahead, picking up speed in a short amount of time.

Tigertron chuckled, wishing he had the other cats’ energy and wondered for the tenth time that afternoon why Optimus had sent them to scout this sector. There was nothing interesting out here. A jungle a few parsecs ahead and down the cliff was only a bit of foliage, nothing special. The Predacons had only been here once, probably on patrol. Nothing but the usual signs of unstable energon. Other than that this sector was pretty much empty.

But Optimus was his leader, and even though he didn’t really want to be involved in the Beast Wars, scouting suited the tiger just fine. And this was a beautiful spot to scout, though he couldn’t really imagine a natural spot that wasn’t beautiful to him.

Cheetor came to a jungle and slowed his pace to a jog as not to run into any trees.

He stopped for a moment to admire a red and black frog on a tree. The frog shifted and leaped away. He let his beast instincts take over and immediately began to stalk the red frog, crouching low to the ground he crept quietly closer…one step…two steps…the frog leaped again.

He paused a moment before continuing to stalk. Three steps… suddenly he was uneasy. He glanced around but saw nothing. Funny, he was sure he was being watched. He glanced around again…nothing. Turning back to the frog he waited until whoever was watching was unprepared and spun around.

Sure enough a wild cheetah was sitting a few paces away, staring at him. It seemed ready to be found out though Cheetor was sure it wasn’t. And it didn’t seem scared or tense, like most wild animals. It seemed to want something from him.

But that was just silly…

He stepped closer; the cheetah didn’t move. A few more steps and the cheetah seemed as calm as ever. Taking a chance he walked until he was nose to nose with the other cat. It seemed to tense up a little then relax, giving him a curious sniff.

Greetings, a voice in his head piped up and it took Cheetor a moment to realize it came from the cheetah.

“By the matrix…” he said, a bit shocked to say the least.

What is a matrix? the voice said again. Too shocked to even think about what he was doing he was about to answer when…

“I thought you’d be back at base by now, little cat,” said a cheerful voice. Cheetor whipped around to see Tigertron walking towards him. He turned to where the cheetah had been standing, or more sitting, a moment ago.

It was gone.

Cheetor arrived back at the Axalon. He had said goodbye to Tigatron a few minutes ago, leaving the tiger to head back to the wild. Optimus was about to ask about his patrol when Rattrap butted in.

“Well, did you see anything out there?” he asked.

“Nope, no Preds, no energon, no nothing.” Cheetor answered.

“Are you sure? Nothing strange? Nothing unusual?” Rattrap insisted.

Everyone gave Rattrap an odd look. This wasn’t like him at all.

“Umm…no,” Cheetor answered carefully.

Rattrap let out a noise that wasn’t quite a snort but something pretty close and huffed out of the command center. Cheetor looked questioningly at Optimus; he shrugged back. He wondered what was going on himself. Yesterday Rattrap had come back from patrol in a daze, giving only the vaguest details about his patrol. Later he had practically ordered Optimus to send someone else to patrol the same sector he had been in.

And now he had totally weirded out on them. “I’ll go talk to him,” Rhinox said and left the room in search of Rattrap.

Optimus sighed. Some days he wondered what had ever possessed him to become a Maximal leader.

That night…

Cheetor tossed and turned in his bed, tired but not really able to get to sleep. Giving up he left his room and headed towards the command center. All was quiet; his footsteps echoed as he walked down the hall. Rattrap was asleep at his post; he was on night duty in the command center.

Cheetor walked over to the lifts and, activating them, he was lowered out of the Axalon. It was quiet outside, too. Trees rustled in the night air and a night bird of some sort was outlined against the moon. Speeding up into a jog he headed over to a rock and sat beside it.

Then it was like waking up from a dream. Shaking himself Cheetor wondered whatever possessed him to come out here to this rock. Bolder was actually a better word. It was about as tall as he was in battle mode, maybe taller. The air was cold against his fur; he shivered and turned to head back to base.

I’ve been expecting you. Cheetor whipped around to find a cheetah idly leaning against the rock. Somehow he knew it was he the one he had met earlier.

Yes, that was me, the cheetah said, picking up on his chain of thought. What could this cheetah possibly want from me, he wondered, and how can it talk? The cheetah seemed to laugh. You think that we are very different. In truth, you are my brother, it added as though Cheetor shouldn’t deny it. We are what we are and we are brothers. That is how you hear me and why I choose to talk to you.

The cheetah stared at him a moment longer then it was as if the world opened up to him, he realized the cheetah was showing him its memories, and he found himself doing the same to it.

He saw a den, deep in the jungle, under an old rotting log.

A mother who licked his fur and a brother who he play-fought with when the mother was out hunting.

A name, Nighteyes, the cheetahs’ name.

Then there was a sort of gap where Cheetor only picked up emotions of extreme content that lasted about a year.

Then the next image was an electrical storm. Ferocious winds shrieking through the trees, bolts of energy striking the earth, rain pouring down in buckets. A falling tree landing on the mother, killing her instantly. Nighteyes and his brother yowling in sorrow and the noise attracting a pack of hyenas.

Nighteyes’ brother being torn to shreds, his mother eaten as well. Nighteyes escaped into a burrow.

Hiding from all things larger and more dangerous than himself.

He had to teach himself how to hunt, most of the time he went hungry or ate grass and other vegetation.

A really sad existence. Cheetor felt sorry for Nighteyes but for animals, memories fade in time, the sorrow was forgotten. It was then Cheetor realized Nighteyes wasn’t as old as he first thought. Not that he had given it much thought but he figured Nighteyes was fully grown. In reality Nighteyes was only really a teenager, like him. More memories came to him.

The great bird that fell from the sky…the Axalon. Nighteyes had come close to investigate and been caught by the scanners, and Cheetor had picked this form.

Cheetor marveled at Nighteyes’ life. So free, no responsibilities, no wars, it was all so simple. And Nighteyes lived his life almost as he did, taking things as they came, forgetting all but the important things for survival.

Nighteyes didn’t remember what he had eaten a week ago or even what he had eaten yesterday. But he could remember things like where rivers were and where they ran the sweetest. Little things that counted towards his continued existence. Which plants were safe to eat when food was scarce and which could make you sick for weeks until you could no longer hunt and die slowly and painfully of starvation. Cheetor tried not to dwell on that last thought. But it seemed a better way to live then the endless wars of Cybertron.

Nighteyes seemed to smile. Then come brother, I will show this life to you. Nighteyes walked away and after a small hesitation, Cheetor followed.

Inside the Axalon, Rattrap stirred. Yawning loudly he stretched and regretfully returned his eyes to the scanners, silently scolding himself for sleeping on duty again. Shifting into a more comfortable position, his eyelids (Well you know what I mean anyway :P) began to droop again.

I won’t fall asleep, he promised himself. Won’t…fall…

The sun was just peeking over the horizon when Cheetor sneaked back into the Axalon. He was worried that the grinding noise the lift made would wake up Rattrap. Surprisingly, it didn’t. He made it back to his room without encountering anyone.

Not that he thought anyone else would be up this early.

He collapsed down on his bed, totally exhausted, thinking. He and Nighteyes had wandered the night in total freedom. He didn’t have any reason to trust the cat, even the thought of it made him want to laugh. Talking cheetahs, really, he thought, but strangely enough this all seemed pretty normal, which made him want to laugh even harder.

Following a talking cheetah through a jungle, in the early hours of the morning for no other reason than to see how the other cat lived…well it did seem kinda crazy but, what the heck.

He’d probably wake up later and find out it was all a dream.

But he didn’t think he was dreaming. No…dreams felt different, kind of blurry, but he remembered his time with Nighteyes very clearly. He could remember the cold wind, the smell of the jungle, The heard of Antelope they had spooked for fun. He was too tired to think about it now though.

He fell asleep, dreaming of jungle walks and wild cheetahs.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

“Eh Kiddo! Wake up already!!!” A voice that could only be Rattrap’s called through the door. Cheetor rolled over and put his paws over his ears to block out the noise.

“It’s too early!” He called back, still not opening his eyes. He hoped if he ignored Rattrap he would go away. Unfortunately he didn’t.

“Early?!? It’s lunchtime! You were supposta go on patrol an hour ago! Watchya do? Sleep through your alarm? Now get up!” Rattrap hit the door again for emphasis. Cheetor sighed; he was too tired to get up yet.

“Five more minutes,” he called and tried to get back to sleep.

Rattrap sighed. Optimus had told him to get the kid up, but apparently, to do that he’d hafta drag him out. And from what little experience he had with teenagers, five more minutes might as well be five more hours. Prying off a nearby panel he set to work re-wiring the door. Finally the door slid open. Walking into the room he went over to the bed and shook the cat.

“What did you do? Stay up all night? Dinobot’s already filled in for the patrol you missed. And he’s probably gonna kill ya when he gets back. Get UP!!!” Cheetor groaned but made no attempt to get up.

Suddenly Cheetor realized that he could only be this tired if he was awake all night. Specifically if he spent that time hiking round the jungle with a cheetah. He opened an eye.

Rattrap saw this. “Optimus wants you in the command center in five cycles,” and he left. Cheetor stood up and arched hid back in a cat stretch. Let’s say Nighteyes is real, he thought to himself, that means I can see him again, with the problem that he didn’t know how to find him.

You don’t need to find me, I am already here, Nighteyes announced smugly. Cheetor whipped his head around. No one there. Of course I’m not there, I am here. The cheetah showed him a lush grass land and Cheetor realized this is what Nighteyes saw; he was seeing through Nighteyes’s eyes.

Sensing Cheetor’s confusion he added, All you need to do is look with your mind and you can find me. You can always talk to me and I can always talk to you, no matter where we are. This is pack and pack is what we are, brother.

Well, that makes lots of sense, Cheetor thought dryly. He waited a moment but Nighteyes was silent. He headed off to the command center.

Optimus Primal turned his head at the sound of footsteps. Cheetor came in to the command center and was leaning against the door waiting for Optimus to speak. More accurately he dragged himself in, looking totally wrecked, and was leaning against the door for support before his legs gave out.

“So glad you decided to join us,” Optimus said dryly. Cheetor managed a weak smile but said nothing. Making a split second decision, Primal decided the young Maximal would be no use for patrolling. “I want you to scan for Predacons in the immediate vicinity,” he told Cheetor. Turning to Rattrap he said, “Rattrap I want you to scout sector 16. Call if either of you detect any Predacons.” Ignoring Rattrap’s protesting, he left the room to find Rhinox who had wanted to see him about something a few minutes ago.

Rattrap grumbled but left, leaving Cheetor to wonder whether to be happy or disappointed. He was glad not to be on patrol because he was much to tired to do it but disappointed because on patrol he could have used the time to look for Nighteyes.

You don’t have to look for me, I am here, Nighteyes piped up from a corner of his mind.

Have you been there the whole time? Cheetor asked back amused.

Yes, you are my brother and I watch over you. Should I not see your den and meet your pack? Nighteyes asked seriously.

I suppose so, Cheetor said, sitting down in front of the scanners. This was one of the more boring jobs but for once he was glad for it.

This is dull, much more exiting to hunt, Nighteyes spoke after a few minutes. Cheetor agreed with him, but was to tired to do anything else, and wondered where Nighteyes got the energy. Watching the scanners, Cheetor sat perfectly still. It was almost as good as sleeping, but not quite.

He decided since he had to be awake, he’d experiment. Nighteyes, He called, he sensed Nighteyes acknowledge his call. Can you teach me how to find you, like you find me? He asked.

I can teach you, Nighteyes said. Close your eyes, he ordered, Cheetor did this, Now, let go of your consciousness and search for my presence. Find me! And he felt Nighteyes retreat from his mind. Easier said than done. Trying to let go was hard, his breath was too loud so he willed it to hush, and it did. The sound of the pump that circled the mech fluid in his body (his heart) was very distracting as well. He managed to will that to hush too.

Now it was easier to reach out, but still he couldn’t quite do it, but he found if he didn’t think of it and concentrate hard, he could finally manage it easily.

He became in tune with everything around him. This is easy, he thought. Wandering round the ship he felt two presences and identified them as Optimus and Rhinox. They were in the science lab talking.

Feeling confident he reached out beyond the ships walls. Very carefully he reached out a little further…

And suddenly became of the many presences out there. He could feel a heard of gazelles grazing peacefully lift their heads as they sensed him too. He felt the leopard who was stalking the gazelles flick her ears as she picked up his presence as well. He knew there was a shrew trying to crack open a nut a few meters from them. He knew there was a fat snake up in the trees eyeing the shrew thoughtfully but was too full to eat it.

It was easy to get distracted by the sheer number of animals he sensed. Trying to focus his mind he searched for only one. After what seemed like an eternity he found what he was looking for. A lone cheetah was lying beside a rock about a parsec from the base, and feeling very pleased about itself too. He reached out for the cheetah’s mind.

See! It’s easy. Try do it faster this time, And he felt Nighteyes’s thoughts leave his again. Giving the cat a cycle or two to get to a different position he then reached out again. It was easier this time. He found Nighteyes shading under a tree. At Nighteyes insistence they practiced this for an hour, although to Cheetor it felt like only 20 cycles, until it became a second nature to him. Then Nighteyes taught him how to enter his mind and hear what the cheetah heard and see what he saw and what he thought. Also how to keep tabs on each other at all times. This created some sort of link between them, Cheetor no longer had to search for Nighteyes, only follow the link in his mind.

Wrapped up in the lessons he was learning, Cheetor forgot to watch what was happening in his own body. During this time Optimus had come in to check on him. Expecting to find him asleep, Primal was shocked to come in and find him staring straight ahead, eyes unfocused and breathing too shallowly for comfort.

“Cheetor?” He asked carefully. No response. He was really worried now.

“Rhinox!!” he called; Rhinox was more experienced in this sort of thing than him. Rhinox rushed in at Optimus’ panicked call. For a second he just stared at Cheetor’s condition the carefully inched closer.

“You found him like this?” Rhinox asked. Optimus nodded ever so slightly.

Cheetor felt a tingle on the edge on his consciousness but couldn’t be bothered checking it out. It was slowly getting harder to concentrate. His breathing was still too loud. He willed it to be quiet again.

Rhinox saw Cheetor stop breathing completely. The light in his optics went out and his body went slack. He heard Optimus gasp as their friend collapsed.

The world was a mass of bright colours. Everything was moving. Objects that resembled shooting stars danced and spiraled around his head. Bright lights flashed and twinkled, it was like living in a Christmas tree with the lights set up. What am I doing here? He asked himself. Ahead of him one light brighter than the rest, he knew if he reached the light everything would be fine.

Something pulled at him, Stop! Come back to me, it said. No, he told it. I must reach the light. No, come here! Away from the light, the light is bad! Again the voice called. I must reach it, he told the voice. And he started to head towards it. The closer he got the more he felt it pull at him.

No! the voice said, and it grabbed his soul, pulling him away from the light. I must reach the light, he told the voice and struggled. The voice was weakened. The pull of the light and the resistance in his soul was too much for it. He felt himself gaining on the light when suddenly the voice had a name…Nighteyes.

He remembered Nighteyes and suddenly remembered himself as well. No! he cried, Nighteyes, help me! Together Cheetor and Nighteyes pulled away from the light, it called to them but their willpower was stronger than its.

As soon as they were away from it Cheetor’s world dissolved into pain.

Cheetor sat up, disoriented. It was too bright in here, he thought. Shutting his optics he waited until the light dimmed a bit then opened them again. Standing around him were Rhinox, Optimus and Rattrap and Airazor who must have come in from patrol. They all looked worried.

“Um…hey BigBot,” he said weakly. Suddenly the world around he spun and he almost collapsed again.

Rhinox steadied him. “How are you feeling?” he asked. Cheetor groaned, “Like someone kicked me in the chest,” he said, “what happened anyway?”

“You stopped breathing, Technically, you were dead. We had to give you a large electric shock to bring you back,” Rhinox said.

“What were you doing anyway? We came into the command center and you acted like you were in a coma. Then you collapsed on us,” Optimus put in. They all looked expectantly at him but he offered no answer.

Instead he tried changing the subject. He didn’t want to tell them about Nighteyes, they’d probably think he was crazy anyway, “Do people dream when they die?” he asked innocently.

“I don’t know, I’ve never tried it have I!,” Optimus said suddenly angry and he stormed out of the room, followed by Rattrap. Sighing he talked to Rhinox and Airazor for a bit, saying he couldn’t remember what happened before retreating to his room. Sinking down on his bed he tried to contact Nighteyes.

You’re Back!!! , Nighteyes cried when he found him, he felt only affection and happiness from Nighteyes then he was serious, Never do that again, You scared me and you almost died. Be more careful next time brother.

How can I be careful when I don’t even know what I did?

Learn to be more careful, Nighteyes said, When you were distracted by your breathing you made it stop. Realize what you do in your mind is real. When you quiet your heart, you slow it down and when you quiet breathing, you make it shallow. You stopped yourself from breathing and died. Next time I may not be able to help pull you back.

Cheetor realised the dream he had, had been real. Nighteyes had pulled him back from death and the electric shock had awakened him. He was in Nighteyes debt as much as he was his friends.

Thank you, he told the cheetah.