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“Knight of the Wolf”
Disclaimer: 7Knight-Wolf claims no rights over Beast wars, its plot, or its characters. And 7Knight-Wolf claims no rights over the song “Flying Dreams” by Paul Williams.
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“You don’t know what he meant to me! You’ll never know!”
Optimus got Blackarachnia’s door slammed right in his face. He withdrew with a sigh, and turned to Rattrap with a look that said, “Don’t say a word.”
Rattrap and Optimus stood in silence for a moment until they heard a quiet, miserable sound coming from Blackarachnia’s quarters. “I don’t believe it,” Rattrap ventured. “Is she actually crying?”
Cheetor, tall and slim in his Transmetal 2 form, joined them from farther down the hallway. “Get real, rat-face,” he growled; “Blackarachnia doesn’t cry. She never ever cries.”
Optimus sighed again. “Well this time it’s different. The two of them had so much hope….”
Cheetor’s face fell suddenly in grief. “Yeah…she’s not used to the world yet. I learned about the world as soon as Tigatron and Air-razor were captured by the aliens.” His voice went slightly off balance as he mentioned his old friends’ names. “I learned that in the world, evil strikes the good the hardest. They disappear…the ones you love most. It’s not fair.”
Optimus glanced at Cheetor in surprise. The cat-bot often uttered “Tigatron” and “Air-razor” in sleep, but it had been long since he mentioned their names in waking life. A sad opinion like the one the Transmetal Cheetah had just voiced required constant heartache and grief. Optimus felt the guilt was his. If he had not let Cheetor board the Axalon with him in the first place, maybe the kid would not have had such bad experiences.
“Well, uh—is she gonna come out or not?” Rattrap asked. “I mean, can’t we just get this processor-racking ceremony thing over with?”
“Shut up!” Cheetor snapped suddenly. “If you had any respect for either of them you’d value this ceremony!”
“Hey, don’t go say’n I don’t care!” Rattrap retorted just as ferociously. “I ‘value’ both of them. But this stink’n ceremony thing is another story. Ya can’t just say ‘we’ll all respect him, and now we’ll forget ‘im and move on.’ It don’t work that way, for all the energon in Cybertron! So stop try’n to make us get over it!”
Optimus was again surprised. He had no idea that this would affect Rattrap, of all the maximals. Optimus turned and knocked on Blackarachnia’s door. “Blackarachnia?” his voice came, surprisingly soft. “We’re starting in a minute. Would you please come out?”
“Yeah; it wouldn’t be the same without you,” Cheetor implored.
***
The warrior lay on the ground. It was dark, it was cold, and it was empty. Or at least, he thought it was. Was it the sky that seemed empty, or was it the warrior’s mind? He sat up. The myriads of stars ######## around him. The warrior closed his eyes again. The only thing he felt was pain, and a great feeling of loss that he could not explain. Pain. Where was it coming from?
The warrior reopened his eyes, and found that he was a wolf. He had no tail and was dirty, but beneath that dirt his fur was sleek and silvery. There was a stinging pain on the warrior’s shoulders, and there seemed to be scars there too. Pain pulsated also from the warrior’s front feet—they felt odd and clumsy as if cut short. But there was a third ache, not so much a throbbing pain, but a heavy, oppressive soreness in the warrior’s chest.
Suddenly the warrior realized he was surrounded by eight or nine brawny wolves. He froze. A Black Wolf was there, fighting savagely. It was fighting against a second canine which was huge and muscular. This gigantic wolf was the leader of the pack, the alpha wolf. The Black Wolf was struggling to gain the upper paw in the battle.
The Black Wolf darted between the alpha wolf’s front legs and sank his teeth into his opponent’s chest. Jerking violently, the Black Wolf managed to flip the huge alpha wolf onto his side, where he snarled in pain. Making a come-back, the alpha wolf thrust out his back paws and tripped the Black Wolf. He then stood up and put both his claw-loaded front paws on top of the fallen Black Wolf. The black wolf clamped his jaws onto the alpha wolf’s paw, while kicking with his back paws to push his heavy enemy off him.
This plan worked, and the big alpha wolf fell to the ground again. The Black Wolf stood over his adversary, and waited to see what he would do. Obviously the phrase “the bigger they are, the harder they fall” was in the right, for the alpha wolf snarled his defeat. The Black Wolf was victorious.
“Darkstar,” the alpha wolf roared at the Black Wolf. “You won your battle, but I hope this doesn’t mean you’re fighting for my position in the pack!”
The warrior’s mouth dropped. He had been watching these wolves for a few minutes now, but he just realized that he could understand what they were saying! He could speak wolf! Somehow, this surprised him.
“I’m not after your position,” The Black Wolf snarled. “You know what I want.”
“Yes, but I can still hardly believe it.” The alpha wolf looked at the warrior for the first time, and it was a look of disgust. Then he turned again to the Black Wolf and asked, “Do you actually want to keep that thing alive?”
The Black Wolf smiled. “Would I have beaten you up like that if I didn’t?” He then walked gracefully over to the warrior and studied him. “You’re afraid,” said the Black Wolf, in wolf communication.
“Don’t I have a right to be afraid?” the warrior asked.
The Black Wolf smiled, showing his keen teeth which he had effectively used in the battle with the alpha wolf. They were still blood-stained. “Hmm, I really don’t know. What do you think?”
The warrior felt uncomfortable. “I think you should take a few steps back,” he said. “And yes, I admit to trepidation. How can I feel otherwise, when I am thus surrounded by unfamiliar faces?”
“Mm. So who are you?” the Black Wolf demanded.
“I don’t know,” replied the warrior. “I am unaware of who I am or where I’m from. All I have been able to certify is that I am a wolf, like you, and I am a warrior.”
“Oh, a warrior, are you?” asked the Black Wolf. “I’m Darkstar. You know, you’re in a pretty bad position for a warrior, lying on the ground like that. Say, I realize grand fighters like you don’t like to implore. But you may have to beg for mercy before the end. Oh, don’t get us wrong—we’re as fine a pack of wolves as any. We’re sociable carnivores who don’t mean the world any harm, and we try to avoid bloodshed.” The wolf’s face hardened. “Except when things like you come our way. We don’t like intruders of your kind.”
The Black Wolf looked at the leader of the wolves. He said, “This is the alpha wolf, Brent. He is, you see, putting a big glob on our spotless resume, by being so unfriendly and staring such…tst, tst, tst, bloody battles within the pack. What shameful conduct!” Darkstar, the black wolf, smiled condescendingly at the alpha wolf, Brent.
“I’ve had enough of this!” Brent snarled. “Tell me what is going on! Are you mistaken, Darkstar? If this is one of those filthy intruders, he sure doesn’t look like one! And how come he can speak wolf? Why is it he remembers nothing?”
“I’ve made some adjustments,” replied the Black Wolf coolly.
“ADJUSTMENTS?!” repeated the pack leader, still angry. “He can join the pack, but he’s your responsibility, Darkstar. If there’s any trouble I’m holding you accountable.”
Then the wolves all sat in a semi-circle, and made the warrior wolf join them. Brent, the pack’s leader, came and sniffed the warrior. He then nodded approvingly.
“You’re in,” Brent stated. “First, you need a name.”
The warrior wolf figured that this was a ceremony of welcome, but he wasn’t feeling very relaxed. Brent hated him. He could sense it. And when Brent was not violent, he was patronizing.
“Well,” the lead wolf went on, “we could call you Scar-Back. Or Cut-Toes. Then there’s always Filthy Coat or Tail-less One.” Brent smiled teasingly. “But since you in all your grandness are such a mighty warrior, we might call you Knight.”
Though the warrior knew Brent was making fun of him, he liked the sound of that name. “Knight,” said the warrior. “That will do.”
“Then Knight it is!” Brent exclaimed with sarcastic happiness. “Welcome to the pack.” He threw up his head and howled a deep and resounding howl that came from the depths of his chest. All the other wolves took up the chorus.
Knight howled as best he could. He was weak and still in pain, and he felt strangely uncomfortable under the watchful eyes of Darkstar the black wolf. But there was no need to feel unhappy, right? Knight was part of a pack now. That almost made up for having no memory and for the ache that plagued his heart.
No it didn’t, though. That ache and feeling of loss was almost unbearable.
***
Blackarachnia sobbed miserably and painfully in her bed. “He’s gone…he’s gone,” she cried, oblivious of the voices outside her door. She was half-unconscious from exhaustion, and half asleep, but she was still crying. In this half-conscious state, Blackarachnia was dreaming.
There they were, she and Silverbolt. Her dear love, Silverbolt. Then it all happened so quickly that it was a blur. Rocks falling, yells, flying through the air, then being knocked down again. She saw herself digging through the rocks, and then trying desperately to contact Optimus. Help! She needed help. Where was Silverbolt? She heard his internal computer, muffled somewhere beneath the rocks, saying: “Stasis lock must commence. Self repair circuitry damaged. Stasis lock must commence. Not commencing may result in loss of spark.”
Blackarachnia was digging frantically; she had to find him! It was indescribably horrible, that she could hear his computer but she couldn’t find him. She started screaming for him. Even now she mouthed the words. Silverbolt, I’m here! I can’t find you! Answer me! I can’t find you! What do I do? Help me! Silverbolt! Can’t you hear me? Where are you?! And all the time that awful computer was voice going: “Stasis lock circuitry severely damaged. Emergency repair circuitry offline. Spark loss inevitable.”
No! No! Not Silverbolt. Blackarachnia dug through the rocks, so desperate and even physically in pain. Then she found him beneath the rock. She screamed, too upset to move. That was not Silverbolt! That dead, contorted thing. Her love! She saw Silverbolt’s spark rising from his dead body, rising into the cliffs above. He couldn’t be gone. He couldn’t leave her.
“No!” Blackarachnia sat up in bed, hot tears streaming down her face. She sobbed and cried piteously, in the realization that her worst nightmare was true in waking life. How could this be? She cried out, no words in particular, just a miserable shout of nothingness choked with tears. And she didn’t care who knew. She didn’t care. Couldn’t care.
Dizzy and blinded with tears, Blackarachnia opened the door to her quarters and walked out into the hall. She saw nothing and felt nothing. Not till she was half-way down the hall and she realized why she had gotten out of bed. They were having a ceremony about Silverbolt, and she was late. Struggling to look normal, biting back tears, she straightened up and walked down the hallway.
When she saw all the maximals in the main room, gathered with sad faces, it made her want to go back in her room and hide from the world. But she had to be brave, for Silverbolt. Optimus was just finishing his speech.
“…and was surely the noblest maximal I have ever met. It seems infinitely unfair to lose him, but we will get through it together. He would want us to hold together.” Optimus gave Blackarachnia a hello smile, but she returned it with the most heartbroken look he had ever seen. “Now,” Optimus continued, somewhat disturbed, “let’s all say something that we loved about him. Some memory that each of us will cherish in our sparks. I, for one, appreciated his spirit of teamwork and honor; he seldom did anything harmful to of us, in speech or in act, and when he did he was always quick with regret and humble apologies. He was the knight in shining armor and a role model for all of us.”
Rhinox spoke up next. “That fuzore was always there to lend me a helping hand. He helped me with monitor duty and kept me cheery when I was always at the computers. He would come in from a scout mission and describe the rocks, fields, and trees he had flown over. It kept me going.”
Cheetor smiled faintly. “He was a pain sometimes. I didn’t understand him at first. Why did everybody like him so much? Why were they so kind to him? Then I realized it was because he was kind to them first. He was nice to me too, even when…even when he knew I was wrong about stuff. We used to have races in our spare time, see who could fly faster. It’s gonna be boring without him.”
Every one looked at Depth Charge, waiting for him to speak. Depth Charge remained silent. Optimus shot him a ferocious glance that looked like a death threat. “He was determined,” Depth Charge said gruffly. “You can’t get far without determination.”
Rattrap seemed to be struggling. “I—I—well, uh, he was just cool. There’s so much to say about him. He was annoying but, I liked be’n around him. ‘Silverbolt,’ I’d say, ‘I like be’n around ya.’”
Blackarachnia made a strange sound. She was stifling a sob as she burst into tears again. She had made it fine until they mentioned his name. Until Rattrap said Silverbolt.
“Blackarachnia, is there something you want to say about Silverbolt?” Optimus asked in a kind voice.
“I—I—” She broke off into miserable sobs again. She couldn’t handle it. It was too much. She couldn’t talk about him. “He was—Silverbolt—oh Silverbolt!” She couldn’t speak at all.
“There, there,” Cheetor soothed, putting his arm around her. She relaxed a little. “That’s right. We’re here. See? It’s not so bad.”
Blackarachnia grew furious. “YES IT IS BAD!” she screamed, hitting him in the gut with her elbow. “You’ll never understand! I can’t do it!” Blackarachnia took a last look at the maximals’ shocked faces and darted out of the base.
“Blackarachnia, wait!” Optimus shouted.
“What’s her problem?” Depth Charge muttered.
“Was it somethin’ I said?” Rattrap asked guiltily.
“No, it was somethin’ I said,” Cheetor answered, and ran out of the room.
***
Knight the wolf lay down, surrounded by warm, soft wolf bodies. He was comfortable, and he felt relaxed knowing Darkstar the black wolf was asleep. The wolves had all been nice to Knight, even though he was close to clueless about wolf hierarchy. Knight had learned he was a low-rank wolf, but that the other wolves had to be nice to him because he was a new-comer. This was courteous of them. Brent followed wolf protocol, but was insincere in his kind wishes for Knight’s health and happiness. Also, Knight knew he could never be at ease while this nameless ache troubled him.
Suddenly Knight started, noticing Darkstar’s keen blue eyes fixed intently on him. Darkstar was lying on his back, staring curiously at the newbie wolf from an upside-down angle.
Knight got another surprise, for when he looked into Darkstar’s eyes he discovered that he could understand the expression as clear as if Darkstar was speaking words. This must be part of wolf-communication, understanding expression to a point Knight had thought impossible.
“Do you like it here?” Darkstar’s eyes communicated.
Knight found he could talk through eye expressions just as well as Darkstar could. “It is too early to give a full opinion,” the dirty, silver wolf replied.
“What do think of me?”
Though taken aback by Darkstar’s openness, Knight saw no reason not to answer back just as frankly. “You frighten me,” he said.
Darkstar raised the corners of his wolf mouth in a smile of amusement. “That’s a compliment to me. It means you revere me. If you tell Brent you’re afraid of him, he might like you more. You see, when you’re a wolf, fear and respect of the leader means everything.”
“Fear gives away weakness,” observed Knight.
“Ah, but admission to weakness is a good, humble quality to have. It’ll get you far in a wolf pack. We’re not as bloodthirsty as we look.” Darkstar showed his fangs again. “You’ll grow to like most of the wolves in the pack. As for Brent, you just keep on being afraid.”
***
Blackarachnia was running. She did not feel the branches scratching her as she ran through them, or the giant thorns pricking her feet as she darted through the undergrowth. She tripped over roots and got back up again, not caring where she was going or what might be following her. She just had to escape the world and everyone in it.
Now the spider-lady was in a dense, dark jungle with foliage underfoot and overhead. She ran into a dark clearing with trees behind her, to her left, and on her right; in front of her rose cold, black cliffs which hid the moonlight. Panting and too exhausted to run any farther, Blackarachnia fell down on the ground and, frankly, cried her spark out.
***
Blackarachnia awoke. She was still in the woods and Silverbolt was still dead. The birds which sang in the trees sounded like a broken music box to her ears. The sun was mocking her sorrow with bright golden beams of light.
The spider gasped. Suddenly she realized some one was bending over her, blocking the sunlight. She sat up in fear, but realized it was only Depth Charge.
“Get away,” Blackarachnia hissed. “You’re not taking me back. I’ll never ever come back to the maximals again! You can’t make me!!!”
“Oh really?” Depth Charge muttered. “Anyway, why don’t you want to come back?”
“I can’t bear it,” Blackarachnia answered. “It makes me remember Silverbolt. You make me remember Silverbolt. Everything reminds me of him! And I can’t take that!”
“Look, he’s dead,” said Depth Charge coldly. “You can’t bring him back. Most people do die, you know. Get over it!”
“Oh you’re one to talk, you slagging fish!” Blackarachnia roared. “You won’t stop getting all over Rampage because you to avenge your stupid Omicron friends whose deaths you’re still mourning!”
Depth Charge’s flared up with a ferociousness Blackarachnia had never seen. “Don’t you dare talk like that!” he shouted. “I’ll rip out your processor!”
“I’ll dismember your spark!” Blackarachnia snapped back with nastiness she didn’t know she had. “It’s a pity Rampage didn’t do it earlier! Ha, I’d like to have seen you, Depth Charge, so big and tough, crying in the alleyway of Omicron like a little baby while Rampage did what served you right!”
Depth Charge’s mouth dropped open. He was lost to words, too stunned by the assault to counterattack in any way. He turned his back on her.
“D—D—Depth Charge?” Blackarachnia’s regret flooded her spark quickly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. But will you please leave me alone?!”
Blackarachnia waited for a reply, but heard only quick intakes of breath from Depth Charge. It was strange. Depth Charge sounded really hurt, almost gasping as if he had been stabbed by an energon knife. “How would you feel,” the manta-ray said in a low, rasping voice, “if I said I would have liked to see you crying in front of a dead Silverbolt, and that his death served you both right? How would that make you feel?”
Blackarachnia was silent. Had she really hurt him that much? She began to understand his feelings. “Omicron…” she whispered, “was it really that bad? You can’t have been the only survivor.”
“Yes, I was,” Depth Charge coughed in a coarse voice. “Everybody died. Everybody. Except for me. X destroyed everyone I cared about and he made sure their deaths were as slow and painful as possible. It doesn’t make sense how the universe has been here as long as it has, if it’s so full of sick things like Rampage.”
Blackarachnia had never heard Depth Charge talk this before. It was odd, but it didn’t make her want him to stay. “Please leave,” Blackarachnia begged. “I can’t run to the maximals or the predacons. I don’t want either of them. Silverbolt is gone.”
Blackarachnia felt like a school-kid, when a kind teacher came along and taught her illiterate mind to know the alphabet. Then they planned to read a book together. But suddenly, the teacher leaves. Without so much as a goodbye, he was just gone before he had even finished teaching.
“It isn’t fair,” Blackarachnia moaned. “If Silverbolt were to die, I always imagined I’d die by his side. We’d both die noble deaths, in some great battle against evil.” Blackarachnia’s voice grew soft. “I don’t even want to live. Not without Silverbolt. Why couldn’t I die with him?”
“You’ve only lost one, but I’ve lost my entire planet’s inhabitants,” Depth Charge told her. “You’re right in what you said earlier, about me. Rampage should have destroyed me. How I wish he had. If I had died, I wouldn’t have to relive the same pain everyday of my life. After the Omicron Massacre I didn’t think I could live at all. But then I got to thinking, why did I survive? I figured out that I had to bring in X.”
“Silverbolt used to complain that you had no sense of duty,” Blackarachnia said.
“Well he was wrong!” Depth Charge snapped. “I survived for justice. To bring in Rampage and make sure he never hurts another being. I have a duty to stay alive even though I don’t want to!” He was using desperate tones now. “And if I ever have the chance to kill him I will do it in a spark-beat. But one thing I have promised myself, that I will kill Rampage in the quickest way possible. I don’t want to cause anybody extra pain. Not after the suffering I saw on Omicron.” Depth Charge actually shuddered. The carnage that X had inflicted was something the manta-ray could never have dreamed in his worst nightmare.
“And, now Blackarachnia,” Depth Charge told her, “just think about it. Silverbolt died, but you lived. You have to carry on his legacy. You have to be like him, just as I’ll try to be like a true Omicron maximal.”
“Is Optimus after me?” Blackarachnia asked, refusing to set her mind on Depth Charge’s words.
“Last night he wanted to leave you alone. He figured you’d come back in the morning. When he hears that you’re never intending to come back, I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to bring you back by force.”
“Don’t tell him where I am.”
Depth Charge nodded. Suddenly he looked as if he had woken out of a dream. The earnestness that had phased him for a few minutes was now utterly lost. He was back to his cold, angry, standoffish self. “Don’t repeat a word I’ve said to anybody,” he threatened. Then transforming into beast mode, Depth Charge flew away.
Blackarachnia had not sat on her own for five minutes before she saw something in the bushes. A wolf.
****************************************
Knight was feeling sick. He was so weak, and the awful ache had not left him. But perhaps the weakness came mostly from hunger. The other wolves were eating a small deer they had caught.
“Don’t you want something?” Darkstar asked. “Aren’t you hungry?”
“I’m famished,” Knight said. But he felt strangely reluctant to eat that deer. He couldn’t explain why. He just felt as if it were something he shouldn’t do.
Darkstar shook his shaggy head. “I thought it would be this way. Come with me, Knight.” The black wolf went over to Brent with his head and tail down in submission. “Brent, I’m taking Knight on a scout mission.”
“Good,” Brent growled. “I sent a scout out a while ago but he hasn’t returned. Find him and bring him back.”
Darkstar licked under the alpha wolf’s jaw and walked back over to Knight. “Wolf talk,” he explained to the puzzled newbie. “Licking or nipping under the jaw of a wolf says that you’re lower than that wolf. Licking or nipping a wolf’s snout says that you’re higher than that wolf.”
The two wolves set off at a steady lope. They were in some rocky terrain in a cliff-filled region, but as they ran the land turned greener, with woods, grass, and vines. Just before entering through the eaves of a dark-looking jungle, Darkstar motioned Knight into a hidden cavern. When one passed the cavern, it was made invisible by vines and bushes. From the cliffs above, it was hidden by a rock overhang. Knight wondered why it was so secretly hidden.
They entered the cave silently. Knight’s eyes widened. The cave was filled with shining blue crystals of immense beauty. Darkstar went behind some crystals and stuck his snout into a little concave in the wall. He brought out something that looked similar to the crystals, but was cube-shaped and seemed be more like a transparent box of energy than a crystal. Energon. Stable energon.
Then the most unexpected thing happened. Darkstar ate the crystal cube! Or at least that was what it looked like. The black wolf bent his face down to the bluish cube and it seemed to just melt into the wolf’s body.
“Tasty,” said Darkstar.
“Wha—what—what are you DOING?!” Knight exclaimed, fearful that Darkstar had lost his mind.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Darkstar said. “These are energon cubes. Try one.” He threw a cube to Knight.
As strange as it was, Knight felt very comfortable eating the cubes. He consumed several. Then he felt full, the pain in his toes and back was gone, and he felt relatively happy. He smiled.
Darkstar barked a wolf laugh. “That’s what a full stomach feels like! But make sure you don’t tell anyone about this cave,” he added quickly. “Brent doesn’t like beasts which eat energon.”
“Then why are we doing it?” exclaimed Knight. He suddenly felt an obligation to stand up for his leader. It seemed only the natural thing to do. “As difficult as Brent can be, is he not our chief? Should we not respect him? I, for one, shall prove worthy of his trust.”
Darkstar stared, open-mouthed, at Knight, making the disfigured wolf feel quite awkward. Quizzically, Darkstar began, “How—that’s impossible—” he broke off, looking at Knight the way a zoologist looks at a new species of animal. “I thought I deleted…but never mind.” Darkstar smiled in a friendly manner, but there was a curious and troubled look behind his eyes. “And now,” he said cheerily, “you and I can go find that missing scout. I picked up his scent so we should find him easily.” Darkstar set off again with Knight at his side.
***
Blackarachnia looked at the wolf with curiosity. It was thin and brown. Not at all like Silverbolt had been. But still, this canine reminded her of him. Its honest golden eyes resembled Silverbolt’s. This made her upset and irate. She was still a naughty girl, she thought, raising her blaster and aiming for the wolf.
***
Darkstar, his fur glossy and bright in the morning sun, loped alongside Knight. Knight’s coat was in nowhere close to the good shape companion’s was in, but he didn’t notice. Running along like this, open-mouthed like a dog running after a fetch-stick, Knight was happy. Almost happy—the ache deep in his chest remained.
Darkstar halted abruptly and sniffed the air. “You smell that?”
Knight stopped and thrust his noble silver snout into the air. “It smells strange… metallic, almost. And…” Knight hesitated to continue, because what he was about to say sounded so strange. “It smells familiar.”
Darkstar whirled around and faced Knight with icy blue eyes. “No it doesn’t!” he snapped. “You’re imagining things.”
“I suppose you could be right—”
“You’re pretty straight I’m right! Now wherever this new smell is coming from, our missing wolf scout is heading right toward it. Come.”
Darkstar and Knight pressed onward until they saw a clearing ahead. The two wolves crouched in the bushes, not too close to the clearing, but where they could see into it. There, a few yards ahead of Knight and to the left, was the thin brown wolf, the missing scout. Within the clearing, holding a strange device, was the weirdest creature Knight had ever seen. She was metallic, brightly-colored with red and blue, and she stood on two legs.
“Ah—what a strange creature!” Knight exclaimed.
Darkstar hi9sssed wth contempt.
“And yet…” Knight said, entranced, “…she is beautiful in her own way. Don’t you think?”
“I think she’s a murderer,” Darkstar snarled.
Suddenly there was a fiery blast from the creature’s odd device, and the thin brown wolf yelped and jumped a yard backwards. Howling in pain, it dropped to the ground. Its legs and head jerked convulsively.
Knight stared in horror. What had the strange creature done? It was several seconds before the silver wolf snapped out of his stunned state and felt Darkstar nudging him.
“What are you waiting for, let’s beat it!” Darkstar growled. “Do want that to happen to you?”
The pair of wolves retreated into the forest. Knight had not run ten yards before he sighed and turned around. This shocked Darkstar. Knight knew it would make the black wolf angry, but he felt this was something he had to do. It concerned honor, and honor was not something a knight could ignore. The dirty silver wolf ran back to the clearing.
***
Blackarachnia sat down on the ground again after getting rid of the wolf. Then suddenly, she heard leaves rustling; something was running her way. A dirty, beat-up wolf ran almost right up to her. She stared in shock. Wolves don’t just run up to Cybertronian bots like that, right? She stood where she was and looked hatefully down at the vicious monster.
***
Knight stood his ground and glared up at the murderous creature. “Ma’am,” he said, in wolf language, “you had no cause to deprive our scout of life. He was innocent, and I will not stand for the murdering of innocent creatures! Stop looking at me like that and start talking. Do you have nothing to say for your vicious conduct? You killed him! Why? What had he ever done to you?!”
***
“Down, doggy,” Blackarachnia kept muttering. She was sure now that the wolf was crazy. He just stood there on all fours and barked, snarled, and roared as if he were giving a lecture. Blackarachnia loaded her blaster-gun again.
***
At the clicking sound of the creature’s strange device, which she had used to kill the other wolf, Knight knew it was time to run. So he did. He met up with Darkstar in the forest, and they wordlessly retreated. Darkstar was angry, and silent; he didn’t even ask what Knight had been doing.
The twosome of canines found Brent and the pack just where they had left them. Darkstar reported the news to the alpha wolf, but he failed to mention Knight’s heroic stand for justice.
“Darkstar, you idiot!” Brent snarled. “If you smell anything metallic, you RUN. Don’t go right towards it. You’re lessening our numbers. Esca was a great scout, thin and swift, and brown to match with the tree-trunks. It’s your fault he died!”
“Please accept my humble apologies,” Darkstar answered, with surprising earnestness.
“Now,” Brent said. “Knight, I want more meat for the pack before we set off on the yearly circle of our territory. See if you can smell or spy any ungulates. If you find something, report back here and I’ll set up a hunting party. Don’t try and be a hero.”
Knight nodded solemnly.
“And please don’t get into trouble,” Darkstar added, though it seemed more of a threat than a concerned request.
Knight took off again. It seemed this was all he had been doing since he joined the wolves: going on scout missions, running, hunting, running again—always active. The life of a wolf, he thought.
Soon he stopped in a pleasant glade. It was so tempting to just lie down in the soft moss, basking in the strange green light which came through the leaves and painted abstract patterns on the forest floor. Every detail of the forest—the leaves, the moss, the unusual shapes of the branches—was wonderful.
A breeze came whizzing through the treetops, then Knight caught a whiff of something. Metal. He heard the leaves rustling on the forest floor. It was that strange creature again, the murderer who killed the wolf scout. Knight turned and ran. To his horror, the footsteps behind him went at a faster pace as well—the creature was following him.
***
Blackarachnia wished again she were killed alongside Silverbolt. If she were not here, then she would not have been angry and selfish enough to kill that poor wolf. She regretted it now, more for Silverbolt’s sake than for her own. But the fact was that she had to make it up to these wolves, to show them that she was sorry. Somehow. Now she was again running through the jungley area, exerting herself and trying to keep up with that mad, dirty wolf. Blackarachnia transformed into beast mode to acquire extra speed.
***
Knight ran back to Brent with his eyes wide in fear. “She’s following me!” he howled in terror.
“Who?” Brent demanded.
“That creature! The one who killed our scout,” Knight replied breathlessly.
“What?!” Darkstar materialized at Knight’s side again. “Those creatures don’t run to us. They don’t like us. Some are even afraid of us. There’s no reason she’d come after you.”
“Unless she wanted to kill us all,” Brent snarled. He glared menacingly at Knight. “Excellent job, insipid fool! You’ve led that thing right to us!”
Knight bowed his head in shame. “What can I do?” he asked humbly.
Brent gasped and jumped a yard backward in shock. All the wolves gathered around him, whining and whimpering like puppies. A huge, brightly-colored, metal spider had just run into sight.
“What do we do? What do we do?” the wolves all asked. Knight was anxious too. He needed orders before he could act, so he looked up at the brawny Brent. No help from there, Knight thought, seeing the alpha wolf in a dumb, stunned standstill.
It was his turn to act. Knight jumped forward, growling, with a fierce snarl on his face. This caused the big spider to stop. The dirty scarred wolf took advantage of this. “Wolves, to my side!” he ordered. “Darkstar, and you two strong-looking ones, come on! We’ve got to defend the pack!”
Darkstar and the two other wolves leapt forward to Knight’s side. A rallied militia of fierce beasts, snarling and strong they were. One of the four wolves howled and made a jump at the big spider.
The spider had sharp, metal leg-tips like knives. As the wolf came on, she slashed viciously with this tentacle and knocked the wolf to the ground. Darkstar went next, leaping up and sailing towards the deadly arachnid. The metal spider caught him between two of her plentiful legs and threw him into the air. He fell behind a boulder with a whimper.
At this the other wolf whined and turned tail, leaving Knight alone. The last defense, he thought. It’s up to me. He hated having to fight this strange creature because of his respect for all living things—and the fact that he thought the spider was strikingly beautiful. Knight roared, showing keen canine teeth. He circled the spider warily, and then jumped.
Knight caught one of her deadly tentacles in his mouth, and shook his head back and forth violently. Now he had her in his power, swinging her around by her leg.
Click, boom, Whoosh! A fiery missile came from somewhere and hit the spider square on the head. Knight dropped the arachnid’s limp leg out of his mouth, like a dog dropping a chew toy. What was that sound? he wondered.
Darkstar, walking slightly off-balance from his unpleasant fall, came over to Knight. “What was that blast?” he asked. “Oh, never mind. Tell me later. Now we’ve got unfinished business.”
Knight, still panting from the fight, began to feel dizzy. He tried hard to focus on Darkstar, or to spot Brent and the pack. But he could not concentrate on anything. It was that horrible ache in his chest again. Pain pulsated through his body and drained his energy.
Darkstar looked concernedly at his companion. “Knight, you hurt? Answer me!”
Knight reeled over and fell on the ground, unconscious.
***
“Uh…uh…” Knight awoke to darkness both in his mind and in the world around him. It was night. He liked night. But the darkness in his mind was something unbearable. No memory. No friends. Wait, what about Darkstar and Brent? Hope returned, and Knight stood up.
It was an unpleasant scene into which he awakened. Darkstar was there, ruthlessly attacking the big spider which was lying unconscious. His teeth were, strangely, not damaged by the hard metal, as he bit and ripped with them.
“That’s enough,” said Brent. “I hate being here while that thing is around. We have to run. More of these creatures might come.”
“Which is why we have to put a dent in their numbers,” Darkstar said. He growled out of the corners of his mouth as he ripped a long piece of metal off the spider. The arachnid made a noise. It was far too weak to yell; it just moaned softly. “Grr-arrrr!” Darkstar raked his large paws across the spider’s body, making the terrible squeaky sound of claws against metal, and leaving long scratch-marks.
Knight’s heart went out to the poor creature. “Stop this,” he snapped, startling Brent, Darkstar, and all the wolves present. “Halt this outrage at once! This is uncalled for revenge; what we are doing to this creature is no less wrong than what she did to us. Am I right?”
“No!” snapped Darkstar. He jumped on the spider, adding height to himself so he could stand above Knight. “This creature has to die. And it’ll be a slow death, because I have not the tools to do it otherwise.” Darkstar ripped into the metal and mech fluid spilled out.
“You disgusting abomination!” Knight roared, head-butting Darkstar off the spider’s battered body.
Darkstar was on his feet again in an instant. “So, it’s a fight you want, it is?”
“If I have to resort to violence to defend the innocent, so be it!” Knight huffed.
“You’re dead meat,” Brent laughed.
***
“Now what is he up to?” Depth Charge stood behind a large rock, watching the large, sturdy figure of Megatron. The Transmetal Tyrannosaurus-rex was investigating a flat plateau which was all flat rocks; there was not a sight of grass or soil. Large boulders surrounded the clear, barren area in which the predacon leader stood, and it was behind one of these stones that Depth Charge was hiding.
Good. Megatron’s the perfect target. Depth Charge needed something to fight tonight. After that grueling, painful talk with the spider woman, he needed some cheering up. The spider woman. Mm, poor kid. She’s getting a taste of what I have to go through everyday. It’s a pity.
Depth Charge threw a pebble at Megatron’s back and then took out his gun.
The purple dinosaur whirled around. “Who’s there? Show yourself!”
Depth Charge came into plain view, his blaster aimed for Megatron’s head. “Aw, what’s wrong?” he asked coolly. “Out here at night, all alone? You poor thing.” He fired.
Megatron was unprepared. There was no way he could doge it.
“Oof!” Depth Charge was thrown to the ground as the earth reeled under him. It was as if the world suddenly lost all balance—gravity and forces had gone astray. This also caused the Ray-bot’s missile to go completely off-course and miss its target.
Megatron kept his footing, as if used to this gravity-disordered situation. Quickly transforming into robot mode, he powered up his gun. That infamous evil, playful smile crossed his face as he stood over Depth Charge.
“Ah, nice try you senseless little fish, yesss,” Megatron laughed. “But let me show you how it is really done—this is not a good night for tyros.”
Depth Charge rolled out of the way just as Megatron released his fire. Depth Charge sprang to his feet, grabbed Megatron’s shoulders, and flipped him over. “Not a good night for tyros—my thoughts exactly,” Depth Charge panted, holding his blaster at the ready.
Megatron roared as he kicked Depth Charge’s legs, making him fall over. The T-rex robot once again held his opponent at gunpoint.
“This was fun at first, but now it’s getting a little redundant,” the warrior ray remarked. “What is a tyro, anyway? Oh never mind. Just tell me this: have you ever had an energon sandwich?”
“This stalling is beneath you, Depth Charge,” Megatron replied coolly.
“Oh, but I’m not stalling at all!” Depth Charge objected. “I just wanted to know if an energon sandwich tastes anything like knuckle sandwich!!!” Depth Charge punched Megatron with impressive force, knocking the saurian flat on his face.
In a moment he tottered to his feet, returned to beast mode, and took off.
“Catcha later, plum-noggin,” Depth Charge said. He watched Megatron’s figure until it disappeared into the dark sky. “Well…why on earth would he be out here now, and by himself, too?” the ray-bot pondered. “And what’s up with this gravitational junk? I bet Rhinox could explain it, computer geek that he is.”
“You’re not going back to the base until you tell me what you know,” said a familiar voice.
Depth Charge readied his weapon. “Ah!” he cried sharply, as the weapon was shot from his hand. The ray-bot looked around for an enemy, but could see nothing. “Come out and fight! You gonna be a coward?”
“Depends. How much will you tell me without seeing me?”
“Not much,” said Depth Charge.
“Okay then.”
****************************************
Meanwhile… “Ugn!” Knight was thrown to the ground, winded. Darkstar stood over him with a sneer. Brent and the other wolves watched anxiously.
“Now let that teach you to remember your rank in this pack,” Darkstar panted. “Leave me alone and let me destroy this inferior pile of metal!” He snarled in the direction of the spider, but to his surprise, found that the creature was conscious, and was moving slowly away.
“See? It’s retreating!” Knight said when he had recovered his breath. “Leave it alone.” Knight felt suddenly strong, but he could not remember why. Then he realized: it was because that unbearable pain in his chest had for a moment lifted. For the first time since he had been with Brent’s pack, Knight was free. Darkstar noticed the change and seemed interested, but he said nothing. Brent looked at Knight also.
“Guide the spider out of camp,” Brent ordered, assuming his authority again.
“Brent, sir, I really must object,” Darkstar said quickly. “It would be a sens—”
“I’m in charge!” Brent roared. “Darkstar, you shut up. Knight, we’re going ahead and starting on our journey. You make sure that spider does not follow us until we are out of sight, then when it passes out, you go after us. Understood?”
“Affirmative,” Knight replied, happy to be by the wounded creature’s side.
***
She didn’t know what hit her. One moment, Blackarachnia was following the disfigured wolf, and the next, four of the snarling animals were upon her. She didn’t like to hurt them—they reminded her so much of Silverbolt, and she had come to make peace with them. Nevertheless, she had to defend herself.
It was going well until that dirty silver wolf jumped into action, and then came the gunshot. Blackarachnia had been fighting in the Beast Wars long enough to know what was a robot’s gunfire and what wasn’t. She blacked out and the waking was horrible. There was a black wolf that almost killed her.
Now, Blackarachnia crawled as far away from the beasts as she could. It was extremely relieving that the black wolf and most of the others had gone away, but that dirty wolf was still here, watching her.
She was too weak to turn her spider head and look at him; she could only crawl, stop to gather her strength, and crawl again. She blacked out more than once. That wolf wouldn’t leave her alone. “Please…go on,” she murmured weakly. “Go find your friends. Leave me alone.”
***
Brent and the pack were son lost to view, and Knight knew it was time to part with the spider. He knew she was hurt, but orders were orders, and he had stalled long enough.
The spider had fainted several times, and the last time Knight thought she was dead. He was cuddled up next to her as he had seen Brent do to injured wolves, to pass some warmth into the hurt animal’s body. But now, it was time to go.
Knight rose. One of the spider’s legs shot out and wrapped around his back paw.
“Please, don’t go,” Blackarachnia whispered, though she knew the wolf would not understand.
Knight had to communicate with her somehow, to tell her that he was leaving. He did not know where the word came from, but he said, “Goodbye.”
Blackarachnia gaped. Had that wolf just…talked? She forced her head up to look at the wolf, but she went out cold again.
Knight was just as shocked as she was. What had he said? Oh well, time to follow Brent, he remembered. The disfigured wolf loped off into the night, not without turning his head and looking back several times.
***
Cheetor. It was only Cheetor. Depth Charge felt stupid for not recognizing the cat’s voice earlier. But why did he shoot the weapon out of my hand? the manta-ray wondered. This thought aroused suspicion.
“Well,” said Cheetor in a menacing voice, “ya gonna talk?”
“What’s with the shooting?” Depth Charge demanded in a coarse voice. “I just chased off Megatron; there’s bound to be more of his stinking sidekicks around here. I might need my weapon.”
“Sorry,” said Cheetor. “It was just in case you’re in a bad mood.”
“Hmm,” Depth Charge half-smiled. So the kid knew not to mess with him when he was in a bad temper. That was good.
“So…where is she?” Cheetor asked. “Optimus and I have been looking for her since this morning.”
Depth Charge remembered his promise to Blackarachnia. He would not tell the maximals where she was. “Look kid, I’ve got things to do,” said Depth Charge smoothly, turning his back on Cheetor and beginning to walk away. “You, make yourself useful and go chase a mouse.”
“So what now? You’re just gonna walk off?!” Cheetor exclaimed. “Oh no, you’re not gonna shine me again!”
“Says who?” asked Depth Charge without turning.
“Turn around!”
This time, Depth Charge thought he should obey. He had never heard Cheetor use a voice so heated or hostile before, and it was somewhat shocking. The marine-bot whirled around to face the Transmetal 2 cat.
“Don’t you dare move,” Cheetor threatened, his powerful gun aimed at Depth Charge.
“Whoa, whoa, keep your cool, kid,” Depth Charge directed, trying to keep his voice steady as he raised his hands in the air.
“Tch!” Cheetor hissed like an upset cat. “They STILL call me a kid!”
Depth Charge shot a side-glance at his weapon, which lay a couple feet away.
“Don’t move,” Cheetor repeated, catching the ray-bot’s look. “Just tell me where she is. I’ll shoot!”
“Trust me, you don’t wanna do that,” Depth Charge told him.
“And why not?” Cheetor asked, ever so lightly tapping the trigger with his finger.
“Because…I wouldn’t want something to happen to you,” Depth Charge went on coolly. “Something like…this!!” As he spoke, he took his whip (which was his tail in beast mode) and lashed it out. The weapon coiled around Cheetor’s legs and the felid fell to the ground, firing his gun as he went.
Depth Charge ducked the shot easily, went over and wrenched the gun from the adolescent’s grasp, and threw it yards away. The manta-ray robot threw his whip as well. “There,” he said, “we’re both unarmed and we can talk.”
Cheetor stood up. “I’ll ask you again: where is she?”
Depth Charge smiled. “Who?”
“Stop stalling! I mean Blackarachnia! You know where she is, and you’re gonna tell me!” Cheetor shouted. “And don’t think you can just fly away, cuz I’m Transmetal 2, and I can keep up with you. I stand just as much a chance as you do if we fight—because I’m a Transmetal 2.” His voice and face softened. “Please. I have to know. I’m…worried.”
“Hmm…” Depth charge pondered. “Uh, negative. I don’t where she is.”
“Yes you do, you filthy liar!” Cheetor shouted. “Why else are you carrying those energon cubes? We both know they’re not for you!” Cheetor jumped at the other maximal. He whacked Depth Charge right in the face, and then kicked his feet from under him.
Depth Charge, losing his balance, fell to the ground with a grunt. He got up quickly, only to be caught by the neck by the Transmetal 2 cat. Thinking quickly, Depth Charge kicked Cheetor in the stomach, making him reel back several paces. The manta-ray charged at his adversary, but the crafty cat caught his wrists and flipped him over, sending him sprawling on the ground. Not waiting for Depth Charge to rise, Cheetor tackled him.
They struggled until Cheetor was on the top, punching for all he was worth until Depth Charge settled down. Then both pairs of flaming red eyes met. Depth Charge was smiling. Cheetor wondered why, when he felt something cold touching his throat. Of course: the ray-bot always carried an energon knife with him in case he got the chance to use it on Rampage.
“Let me up,” Depth Charge ordered, holding the weapon at the ready.
Cheetor obeyed wordlessly.
“Now scat, cat!” The manta-ray snapped, motioning with his knife. “I don’t know where Blackarachnia is, and even if I did I wouldn’t tell you, amateur. Besides, it’s none of your business what I do with my energon!”
Cheetor gave him a defiant glance that spoke of death. He had to know where she was! Depth Charge did know; he could sense it.
“Well, get going!” Depth Charge exclaimed impatiently.
Resentfully, Cheetor took off. Depth Charge sighed in relief. Kid’s out of his mind, he thought. Well, guess that solves that. Can’t go back to base ‘cuz the maximals will all be feeling sorry for that nose-wiping waif. Well, I’ve got lots of energon. Blackarachnia could use some.
Convincing himself that the energon was not originally intended for Blackarachnia (which it was), Depth Charge transformed into Beast Mode and flew into the distance as the sun rose. He still thought the plateau’s gravitational disorder was strange.
Depth Charge went to the clearing in the forest where he had last seen Blackarachnia. She was nowhere in sight. This was somewhat surprising, because from the way the spider woman had talked, it sounded like she intended to stay there. Soaring over the woods and then over the rocky cliff terrain, the flying ray looked for her. He refused to think about why it mattered to him if she were dead alive; he knew if he started thinking about it would make him drop the idea of finding her.
He stopped in midair, shocked. Was that Blackarachnia, out cold among the rocks? He could not tell from this angle, so he soared downward. It was her, Depth Charge realized as he alighted on the ground and transformed into robot mode. It was early morning, and the rocks played tricks on his eyes. But Blackarachnia was no trick—she was real, in robot mode, and she looked like she could be offline.
Suddenly flooded with concern, Depth Charge ran over to her and took a closer look. She was badly damaged. Something did this: a wild animal perhaps—but what animal could bite through metal? Several of her spider legs were scattered on the ground, and she had claw-marks on her. Depth Charge sat on the ground, and found that she was still alive. He got ready to pick her up, but after he touched her he quickly withdrew his hand. It was covered with mech fluid. Blackarachnia could go offline at any minute, he knew. It surprised Depth Charge that he was disturbed. Again he bent down and this time was successful in lifting Blackarachnia up.
***
Somehow Blackarachnia had managed to transform into robot mode between the intervals of fainting and crawling. She was weak and half-conscious, but felt a little revived when strong, warm arms lifted her off the ground.
“Silverbolt?” Blackarachnia murmured, reaching her hand up and touching the face of whoever was carrying her. “Silverbolt…oh, I missed you. They all said you were dead. I didn’t believe them…. Silverbolt…”
A harsh voice cut through her reverie. “No; it’s Depth Charge,” the voice came. “How do you feel? Can you make it if we fly?”
“Fly…” Blackarachnia muttered unconsciously. “Silverbolt used to fly me places. We had such nice rides—”
“Silverbolt’s not here!” Depth Charge snapped, upset at seeing Blackarachnia so changed. She wasn’t cool and tough anymore; she was dying and speaking strange thoughts out loud. It was alarming Depth Charge in the extreme—many of his Omicron friends had talked like this before death. “I’ll fly you back to base,” Depth Charge told Blackarachnia as softly as his rough voice would allow. “Back to Optimus and Cheetor. Your friends.”
Blackarachnia jerked her head up upon sudden recollection. “No! Don’t…don’t take me back there. That’s where he lived. That’s where his room his. That’s where they talk about him.” She started to cry. “Don’t take me back.”
“Then what am I supposed to do!?” Depth Charge exclaimed, almost crying himself in uncertainty. “You need the CR chamber or you’re going to die.”
“Die…yes…then I can be with Silverbolt.” Blackarachnia looked slightly pleased.
“You want to die?” Depth Charge choked. No! He was not going to let that happen! She couldn’t just die in his arms like this, when she had so many reasons to live. Suddenly he remembered the energon cubes he had brought. “Blackarachnia, listen to me. You have to take this energon. It’ll keep you alive until we get you fixed.”
Blackarachnia refused, and using force might snuff out whatever life was still left in her. Depth Charge thought of something—it would bring her pain later, but it would at least keep her alive. “Blackarachnia, you were right. Silverbolt is alive,” Depth Charge lied desperately. “You have to stay alive for him.”
“W-where is he?” Blackarachnia demanded, struggling to get free of his grasp. She remembered the energon cubes, and consumed them as fast as she could. The strength evidently did her circuits some good, for she went instantly into stasis lock and started self-repairs.
The relief was so great that Depth Charge sighed out loud more than once. Her self repair would fix her up, and she would come out of stasis lock and be alone just like she wanted to be—away from the world and everyone in it. She would be safe…safe until that metal-ripping creature came by again. Depth Charge thought it would be better to stay with her till she woke up.
***
“Hmm…Darkstar, do you smell that?” Knight asked. It was almost noon, and he had long since caught up with Darkstar, Brent, and the pack. But now his nose had caught a slight, far-off whiff of something familiar. “Energon,” he said.
“You’re right,” Darkstar agreed, sniffing the air. “I want some more. Brent wants me to stay by him, but you can go find the energon and tell me where it is.”
“I’ll inform Brent that I’m off,” said Knight.
“Uh, no—how about you don’t,” suggested Darkstar. “A pleasure run can’t hurt you. It can’t hurt the pack.”
After last night’s battle, Knight was in no mood or condition to challenge the black wolf’s authority. He trotted out of sight, following his nose.
***
Depth Charge was relieved when Blackarachnia revived. She immediately remembered her encounter with the wolves. One of the wolves had talked. How much of that had been a dream? The spider lady remembered how hurt she had been last night. She remained silent with burning embarrassment. How she hated being seen in such a helpless state! Blackarachnia could not remember word-for- word what she said in her half-conscious condition and she shuddered to think what Depth Charge might have heard.
She looked at herself. “Transmetal 2 technology certainly upgrades self-repair circuitry, doesn’t it?” she asked, playing it cool.
“You didn’t look so good earlier, though,” Depth Charge remarked.
“Well, you don’t look too hot either, fish stuff,” Blackarachnia replied, seeing the ray-bot’s insignificant but painful damage left over from his fight with Cheetor.
Suddenly the memory came back to Blackarachnia of Depth Charge telling her that Silverbolt was alive. She asked where he was, but had already guessed that it was a lie.
“You tricked me, Depth Charge!” Blackarachnia hissed upon receiving his answer. “I might have fallen for it when I was dying, but I’m not falling for it now! How long did you plan to keep this up, using me as puppet by convincing me that he was alive? Don’t you know how much that hurts?! You unfeeling beast!”
“No. I wasn’t using you. I was keeping you alive, and you better thank me for it!” Depth Charge retorted.
Lost to words in her anger, the spider lady ran off into the woods again.
“Fine, run away!” Depth Charge shouted. “But don’t go getting yourself ripped up again; I can’t always save your hide!”
***
Once again, Knight was distracted while running through the forest. He found a river, and rinsed himself off, then drew back and looked at his reflection. He liked it. Strong, noble, sleek, and silver. The only things wrong were the scars on his shoulders his wrongly-colored, cut-short front toes, and the fact that he had no tail.
Knight had found the source of the energon smell: a rocky place between some boulders close to where he had left the big spider. So, he thought, the spider must have consumed some energon. That means she is alive. With some hesitation, Knight made up his mind to track her down; he was curious and needed to be sure that she was okay. Besides, Brent had promoted him to official tracker and scout.
The thing that puzzled Knight the most about his encounter with the spider was that he had spoken to her. He had said something in her language—she understood him, or else she would not have looked so surprised. Could Knight say anything else? Could he talk to her? He had to know.
While he was absent-mindedly thinking about this, Knight stumbled upon the creature he was tracking. Caught by surprise, the silver wolf jumped back several steps, landing with a loud noise in a pile of dried leaves.
Blackarachnia turned and saw the wolf, and stared at it for some time. Knight looked at the spider—she seemed totally different than she had last night. Now she was upright on two legs, just like she had been when she shot the brown wolf. This made Knight nervous for a second, but only a second. For the ever-present, unexplained soreness in his chest lifted when he looked at her. He thought again that she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. So they both stared at each other.
Then the spider-girl started acting weird. She looked upset and some liquid was coming from her eyes. Then Knight remembered—he had seen this emotion before. It was called crying. You do it when you’re sad. Knight was ashamed: just looking at him made the spider-girl sad?
Knight started to walk away with his head down. It made him depressed to leave the spider, and as soon as he thought about it the mysterious pain came back to him, so sharply it made him yelp and fall down.
Blackarachnia ran over to the fallen wolf; she was still crying. It was because this silver wolf—it reminded her so much of Silverbolt. The golden eyes were just the same as his. The spider woman pulled herself together and recognized this wolf as the one she had seen last night. She wondered if it could talk, or if that was her imagination.
“Are you alright?” Blackarachnia asked the wolf.
Knight found that he could understand her. He struggled to find words—real words, not expressions, grunts, and growls. “Y-yes,” he said with some difficulty. “At least, I think I can survive.”
Blackarachnia stared at the wolf, open-mouthed. She looked like she might cry again.
“What? What have I said?” Knight asked quickly.
“Nothing—it’s just…your voice. It sounds like my best friend used to,” said Blackarachnia, still hardly believing that she was talking to a wolf.
“Your best friend? He sounds like me?” Knight asked, interested.
“He used to,” Blackarachnia answered, her voice going of-key. “But he’s not alive now. Now I don’t have any friends.”
“You don’t have a pack?” Knight exclaimed incredulously. Without friends and a pack to stay with, how could anyone survive? “I’ll be your friend,” Knight stated, not knowing where the thought came from. “But Darkstar and Brent won’t like it. You are, after all, a creature unlike any of them.”
Blackarachnia looked at the wolf in perplexity. Was her mind playing tricks on her? The way the wolf had just talked reminded her of a similar line. You are, after all, a predacon. “What’s your name?” Blackarachnia asked, daring to hope a little.
“I am Knight,” replied the silver wolf. “It would please me to know your name.”
“I’m Blackarachnia,” the Transmetal 2 spider said in disappointment. So, this wolf was not Silverbolt, but he was a friend. “Will you—will you meet me here again, Knight?” she asked.
“Of course; it would be an honor,” Knight replied. They parted and both felt considerably better. The pain was still there for Knight, but it was lessened. He felt pleased—no, overjoyed—that he would see the spider again. Blackarachnia the spider woman.
***
Cheetor returned to the Transformer’s arc (currently the maximal base), too angry and upset to talk to anyone. The base seemed so empty without Silverbolt and Blackarachnia. When Silverbolt was not out tracking and scouting, he would sit at the computers with Rhinox and actually get the big old grump to talk. Their conversations were always fun to spy on, because Rhinox was normally so quiet. To hear him talking openly to the bird-dog was a cool experience. Rhinox talked about random things—his favorite kind of oil to drink, places on Cybertron he liked, computers on Cybertron he liked, sometimes even girls on Cybertron he liked. But now, Rhinox was quiet.
Blackarachnia was not fighting with Rattrap or engaging in long conversations with Silverbolt, which she had grown to like doing. Hey, it was even lonely without Depth Charge, who had recently been hanging around the base doing nothing but watching the monitors for any sign of Rampage. Cheetor felt alone.
“Did you find Depth Charge?” Optimus asked. When Cheetor did not answer, the maximal leader looked at him and noticed he was slightly damaged. “I didn’t mean for things to get violent,” he said with disappointment. “But I suppose you had to beat the answers out of Depth Charge.”
“He still didn’t tell me where Blackarachnia is,” Cheetor answered angrily. “I had to fall back cuz he pulled an energon knife on me.” He caught Optimus’ shocked expression and added, “I didn’t get hurt or anything. Besides, I’m Transmetal 2 now; I have the most advanced self-repair circuitry.”
“That doesn’t make me worry any less,” Optimus said. “I’ll find him myself tomorrow. Last time we had a little…serious talk and I managed to get things out of him. Funny how Depth Charge always seems to overhear the things we have to know about.”
Optimus turned towards his quarters, and jumped in surprise when he saw Depth Charge, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. “Funny how I always overhear,” he said.
“Where’s Blackarachnia!?” Cheetor demanded with aggressiveness in his voice.
“You’re right; I do know where Blackarachnia is, or at least where she was earlier today,” Depth Charge admitted. “I’ll think about telling you if you tell me this: why are you asking about her? With your computers you can pick up maximal signatures, right?”
“We’re having some, uh…technical difficulties,” Optimus explained. “Teletraan1 doesn’t work for us, and, as you know all too well, we lost Sentinel. What other small computer programs we’ve salvaged from the Axalon are unreliable. A couple nights ago—actually, the night after we lost Silverbolt—something attacked and on purpose messed up our tracking devices.”
“Now what is that supposed to mean?” Cheetor asked, more to himself than to Optimus. “Was it some predacon?”
“I don’t know,” Optimus sighed. “But it seems unlikely that the predacons would only attack the tracking program—more specifically, that they would attack that area of the tracking program which allows us to scan maxima
