3.Dec.2005

-/"Here I am, this is me. I come into this world so wild and free. Here I am, so young and strong, right here in the place where I belong. It's a new world, it's a new start, it's alive with the beating of a young heart. Its a new day, it's a new land, and it's been waiting for me... here I am." --Bryan Adams - Here I Am (Reprise)/-

--Threads of Lachesis--
-Part One - Run Free-

By: ChibiJaime



Beautiful days like these were hard to come by anymore, especially since the war had decimated so much of this world now, but farbeit for Cheetor to avoid one. A purr vibrated through his chest and throat - it was a pleasant little discovery he'd made some time ago. The feeling created a very content sensation, and he was now perfectly happy to lay on his rock in the sun and watch the animals of this foreign world roam by as the purr rumbled deep in his chest.

He had already seen and categorized a vast majority of the animals in this world... or so he thought. Youth, of course, tended to sometimes cloud his perception of things, and this situation was no different.

So it went that at first, when he heard the thundering noise and saw the rising dust, he suspected an attack, but his instincts told him otherwise and, curiously, he tilted his ears forward, standing straight to get a better view of what was at that distance as his tail twitched lazily behind him.

As his sensors zeroed in on the disturbance, he was surprised to find a whole group of hooved animals stampeding across the peaceful meadow. They carried a variety of odd colors, and one stood out, all white with chestnut-like blotchy markings. They were... horses, he assumed. Some sort of strange, oddly evolved horses.

They were quite interesting to watch, and he recorded part of their antics as they pranced and played, snorting and blowing, pawing at the dirt or gently at one another. Their tails were held high as they trotted around, tossing their heads as they whickered and squealed playfully. It was like watching a bunch of little kids.

The moment of peace was short-lived, however. All at once, the entire herd went very still, heads up and ears pricked and alert. Something was amiss.

Without warning, the horses squealed and bolted, tails fanned and necks stretched out so that the entirety of their body was parallell to the ground passing beneath it, hooves beating a rhythmic beat. Cheetor wondered, at first, what had disturbed the horses. Had the wind shifted? Did they notice his presence?

That was when he saw the reason for the herd's sudden flight. Another cheetah, this one a natural inhabitant of this world, was taking after the herd as fast as its legs would carry it. One of the herd had dropped behind... an elder, Cheetor observed, and he could not help but wince and turn away when it squealed and pitched before hitting the ground under the carnivore's sudden assault.

The rest of the herd, although the painted one whistled out to try to call the cheetah's attention to it instead, finally disappeared over a hill, and the victorious cheetah was left to its kill.

Sobered from his reverie by the violent display of nature, Cheetor decided to take the herd's impromptu advice. He headed for home.

*****

It was growing dark outside by the time Cheetor returned to the Axalon, and Optimus Primal stood speaking to Rhinox, both of them seeming concerned about something. His ears pricked forward and he trotted up to the central table, resting his paws on the edge as he glanced between the two. "Hey, guys," he greeted, keeping his tone nonchalant. "What's shakin'?"

"Stasis pod down in omega quadrant. Dinobot found it on patrol... pod was empty, though. Looks like it's been there for a month, maybe more. I'm guessing we must've missed its signature in that storm last month," was Rhinox's simple response. "You were out there today. Did you see anything unusual?"

The cheetah considered the question for a moment, one ear flicking forward and the other back as he thought. "Hm... well, there was a herd of what looked like some weirdly evolved horses..."

Primal nodded. "They resemble the prehistoric Earth horse Equus caballus... or "true horse." I've seen them in that quadrant before. Fascinating creatures... they were led by an elder stallion, if I remember correctly."

That was when Cheetor's ears flicked fully forward, his head lifting as his memory shifted through the images he recalled seeing. "They weren't this time, big bot. There was a female heading the pack... she was colored funny, too... white with funny reddish brown markings. Didn't look much like the others, either."

The gorilla and the rhinoceros looked at one another then, and Primal looked even mroe interested than his leathery-skinned companion. "I don't remember seeing a painted mare with the herd before..."

"It's possible," Rhinox began in a curious tone, "that if the pod took enough damage, it would've tried to scan a native animal and gotten mixed up with its databanks. The resulting Maximal wouldn't look much like a natural horse from this world as a result... and it's even likely the crash screwed up her identity circuits."

Nodding again, Primal rubbed his chin thoughtfully, gaze shifting towards the ceiling. This was not an uncommon situation, of course... Tigatron's pod had been damaged upon reentry and his identity chips fried. Even Airazor sometimes had trouble understanding some things they did and disliked staying in the base for too long.

He considered, then, that one of the original crew - those that were more comfortable with their knowledge of what life was like on Cybertron as opposed to how life was now on their adopted home, would not be the prime subjects to approach the confused new Maximal. In effect, it really made either Tigatron or Airazor the best candidate for approaching the unknowing mare.

Then, he shook his head. No... sending Tigatron wouldn't be a smart move. Tigatron was a predator, and she - as well as her herd - could immediately take that as a threat. Best answer? Airazor.

It was getting close to them that was the problem...

*****

The Predacons, as it stood, had now outnumbered the Maximals by two for several months. Not that the Maximals knew this yet. Megatron had his own hand to play, and it had come in the form of a simple pair of stasis chambers in the bowels of his own ship... stasis chambers that had remained blissfully undamaged.

He stood before them with a grin now, watching the pulsating and angry sparks within. The mindwashing process was almost complete. Soon, these great warriors would be his to do with as he pleased, and their Autobot heritage would no longer matter. Not in this prehistoric world.

The scanning process had already begun, and within mere minutes, a pair of enormous deadly snakes crawled free.

One by one. Emotionless eyes glistening in the glow of the flames, forked tongues flicking out of their mouths to test the air... a black mamba and a diamondback rattlesnake. How dreadfully appropriate. Those who had once been the deadliest and most feared Autobot warriors... now his loyal minions.

"State your names," Megatron ordered, making sure never to let either of the twin warriors out of his sight.

The pair looked at one another, as if weighing their options, before the black mamba lifted his head and hissed, "Mambo. And this is my brother... Ratlo."

The rattlesnake just hissed and stared, the tip of his tail causing that strange shaking sound. Megatron smirked. They were, indeed, the perfect warriors. His plan had been flawless, after all... "assassinate" the greatest Autobot warriors that had survived the war and resisted the downsizing - those loathesome Autobot twins. Steal their sparks, take them with him on his grand quest... and force them into subservience under him and use their abilities for his purpose.

Oh, the wonder of genius. Of course, he could not trust them at all, no. The twins themselves had been known for very keen senses and an ability to seemingly know when they were being wronged.

It was not wise, then, to use them for his current - and one of his most important - missions to date. A stasis pod down in the Omega Quadrant had gone unnoticed during a storm, and its inhabitant was wandering the plains lost, alone... and completely unaware of his or her identity.

The perfect opportunity, of course, for him to swoop in and stake his claim!

*****

Tigatron's ears flicked. Watching the herd was an interesting exercise in patience, he had come to realize, for they were very wary creatures and he had to be cautious of how he moved. Movements that came too suddenly could alert them to his presence, and if they noticed him, they would flee.

Airazor, of course, was having no trouble, and he could not help but smile in almost playful envy. She was soaring overhead, occasionally diving at imaginary prey on the ground, and the horses - especially the foals gathered - were stopping here and there to watch her in pure curiosity. The wonder of nature never ceased.

When she landed beside him at last, he turned his great head to give one of her wings and affectionate nuzzle. "Welcome back, my lady. Did you enjoy your flight?"

The younger Maximal smiled as well as she ruffled the feathers of her neck slightly. "The herd is moving in a normal manner, but Cheetor was right. That mare doesn't quite fit in. Her alt mode is too... modern, I guess you could say. That says nothing of some of our more remote allies, of course, but it is kind of weird. She's probably the mech from that stasis pod."

Tigatron nodded, his ears flicking again as his tail twitched at the tip. "According to Rhinox, a stasis pod taking data from its surroundings and compounding it with stored information in its databanks is not uncommon. We should find a way to single her from her herd... if we could make contact with her, we could convince her of her true self."

Both of them settled into watching, then, as Optimus Primal lumbered up from behind, remaining in beast mode so as not to spook the herd. "Any luck identifying the horse?"

"The mare with the painted markings," Tigatron pointed out, his head tilted in the direction of the mare that stood about a head taller than the other horses. "She is taller... slimmer."

"A mustang," Primal pointed out, a curious hint in his voice. "The term is human... derivitave of the native Spanish term "mesteņo," which refers to cattle that were bred in captivity under the Mesta system and strayed to become wild. Fascinating."

Airazor blinked, ruffling her wings slightly. "So the mare is definitely our Maximal. The true question is how to get close--... hey, wait a minute. Something's happening out there."

Without missing a beat, the falcon spread her wings and took to the sky, her own eyes pinpointing the disturbance among the too-still herd and identifying it as... Inferno.

The fire-ant was at a stand-off with the painted mare, who was standing in a defensive position. Her head down and ears pinned, nostrils flared and forehooves spread, she seemed to be telling him in no subtle terms to back off.

Not that Inferno cared, of course. The importance, to him, was obeying his queen. And it seemed that in this situation, obeying his queen involved cornering the mustang mare and herding her away from the others. But she was not going to be intimidated by him. As soon as he approached, she squealed and reared back, bringing her hooves down with hammering force at the ant's head.

Inferno instantly took the motion as an assault... of course, that was indeed what it had been, as she had been valiantly attempting to drive the intruder from the plains she and her herd abided upon.

Stepping back a bit to avoid being struck, the fire ant hissed and transformed, causing the mare to squeal and stumble back several paces in surprise. A puzzled whuff passed through her flared nostrils, ears flicked forward sharply. The fire ant only grinned at her. The mare had no defense against him... if he could injure her, she would be much easier to drag back to the colony, whether she wished it or not.

Primal frowned and stood up. "Showtime's over, guys... we have to stop Inferno."

*****

On the plains below, the rest of the horses had already fled once Inferno cornered the painted mare. This suited her fine, of course. She would much rather this thing attack her and leave her vulnerable herd be. Her ears flicked and she snorted before squealing and pitching back when Inferno withdrew his flamethrower, spraying the ground in front of her forehooves with a small wall of flame. "That was only a taste of my flames, drone," the Predacon cackled. "You will come with me... come or you will burn, foolish creature!"

The mare only whistled and tossed her head, ears pinning back. The words agitated her. She understood them, but she did not understand them, and she could not fathom why.

Taking her frustration as an easy distraction, Inferno struck again, this time burning part of her shoulder and swiping a piece out of it. The mare shrieked, both in pain and anger, but what flowed from the wound onto the blackened hide was not the coppery smelling blood of her herd. It was a sticky bluish liquid, which clung to her fur and smelled of metal. She tossed her head, but the fact that she was not properly bleeding did not seem to bother her. Though the open wound sparked, it did not register to her as abnormal. She just limped back a little, flaring her nostrils and whuffing at the ant, ears pinned back sharply against her head.

Inferno's luck was further short-lived. The mare refused to cooperate, and so did the Maximals. Letting out an angry snarl when he heard the Maximals incoming, he looked to where he should be seeing the mare, and instead found her fleeing across the plain, tail fanned and hooves heavy. She was still limping, but she was refusing to slow for anything or anyone. As Primal landed and Inferno retreated, Airazor took to the sky to follow.

"I told her to," Tigatron stated calmly, looking up at his puzzled commander. "The mare is frightened and confused... you can see it in her eyes. She does not know why she bleeds differently from the others in her herd, or why she understands the words Inferno spoke. Airazor can get close without frightening her."

Primal frowned and nodded. "Well, let's hope so. That mare was wounded... she'll need attention from a CR."

"It will heal naturally. Do not worry, Optimus. They will both be fine."

*****

The mare was standing in a shallow creek with her muzzle almost touching the water when Airazor found her, ears pinned back and tail flowing against her flanks with the current. It was not deep enough to submurge the smoking wound, and the hide around it flinched with every slight movement. She was in pain, but worse, she was frightened and alone. She did not wish to return to her herd like this, and she wasn't even sure they would have her.

One ear flicked towards the shore when Airazor landed, and slowly, the mare lifted her head to regard her in silence, cream-colored forelock hiding the _expression in the baleful eyes. The falcon hopped forward slightly, tilting her head to one side. "It's all right," she eased softly. "I'm a friend. I want to help you... both to understand what's going on and to deal with everything that's suddenly changed for you."

In reply, the mare snorted... but she was listening, both ears forward now. She shifted her weight so that she was fully facing Airazor now, one ear flicking just slightly. The older Maximal moved forward again, carefully. "I've already done a scan. You're a Maximal, like me... although I doubt you could transform right now with that wound on your shoulder. I mean you no harm. I just want you to trust me. Do you understand?"

There was a long pause in which neither of the pair moved, but at last, the mare finally nodded her head slightly, and her mouth opened slightly. She almost seemed to frown when she closed it again, looking away as her ears pinned back.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of. Go ahead, try to talk. Can you tell me your name?"

Another moment passed before, at last, the mare lowered her head to touch the water with her muzzle. Then, she looked up, and her mouth opened again. A shaky, quiet voice came out, saying only one word. "Yegua."

*****

When Airazor finally returned to the others, the sound of steady hoofbeats followed her, even though those sounded strained... as if the owner of them was limping.

Primal and Tigatron watched, quiet until the ill-gaited mare appeared as well, but she stopped several meters away when she spotted the tiger. Airazor, noticing the hesitance, glided down to land beside her. "What is it?"

"Predator."

It took all of Airazor's willpower not to chuckle, but she didn't, wings flicking. "Tigatron is our friend," she stated simply. "He's an ally. He won't hurt you."

But Yegua still did not move. Tigatron lifted his head briefly, then ducked low, tail tucked in and muscles relaxed. Ears forward and alert, he backed away, sitting down in the grass at least five meters back from where he had been before. Airazor smiled towards him - as best as she could, and then spread one wing in the direction of the mare, who was more and more favoring her uninjured leg. "Optimus... Tigatron... this is Yegua."

The mare finally relaxed somewhat, lifting her head with a whuff of air. "Good to meet you, Yegua," Primal admonished, giving a nod. He was pleased to see both of his allies were well. "I am Optimus Primal... commander of the Maximals."

"And I am Tigatron." The tiger bowed his head amiably. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Yegua."

Yegua tilted her head and flicked her ears. "Friends," she stated quietly. "You are... friends." She slowly bowed her head, attention rivetted on the two in front of her. "I am... pleased... to meet you..."

*****

The next few weeks were a flurry of action amidst Predacon attacks and teaching their newest member the ways of a life she'd been forced to miss. While by night she had returned to the herd, finding quickly that they had not cast her out, she spent the mornings and days in the Axalon as Rhinox went over the finer points of a language she had yet to master, slowly teaching her to speak as one may teach a child. Though she learned as fast as any Cybertronian might, she never got past a strange complex to speak in a very drawn-out fashion... as if she was not a native speaker of their language.

In the evenings, the mare spent her time practicing or playing. Cheetor had taken a particular interest in how a horse could entertain itself just by prancing around in the grass, tossing up its hooves and shaking its head as if it hadn't a care in the world. Eventually, they had turned it into a slight game of tag, usually ending with cheetah and mustang nose-to-nose with one another before Yegua would squeal and snort and paw at the ground... and then tear off again.

It was Dinobot that seemed the most wary to their new situation, looking almost like a nesting bird of prey as he sat by the riverside, lips drawn back on his beast mode head to reveal the rows of sharp fangs as he watched the antics of the spotted feline and the painted equine.

"Foolish," he snorted in frustration. "This is no time for silly childs' play. Why learn such frivolous things when one is in a war?"

The answer came from behind him as Rattrap sauntered past to settle in a patch of what remained of the afternoon sun, stretching his tail and twitching his ears. "Eh. Dey're young, choppa-face. 'sides, Primal ain't gonna have 'er fight. Overheard dat. She's gonna be like Stripes an' the bird lady. Y'know... outlyin' scout, only she'll be a little closer ta home."

Dinobot snorted at the comment, lifting his head with an air of indignance. "Simply because one performs surveillance does not mean one must neglect combat skills. You never know when Megatron may strike... or where."

"Spoilsport," Rattrap grumbled, but he didn't take his eyes off the antics in front of him.

That night, the mare disappeared into the fields again, but for the first time in weeks, it was not for long. From the Axalon, plainly seen in the moonlight, the Maximals within could make out the herd about half a mile away. In order to be closer to both of her "herds," she had moved her family of this strange world closer to her family from elsewheres.

Giving her head a toss, she whickered towards the Axalon, tossing her tail before going around to check the smaller horses of her herd.

Life was finally right again.

*****

(Several weeks later...)

One over the other, deep olive green sliding over dark brown diamonds. Through the main entrance of the Darkside's bridge the two snakes crawled, passing over one another in silence, the noise of their scales as faint as a wasp walking upon a branch.

"You called, Megatron?" the black mamba questioned quietly.

"We answer when ordered," the diamondback rattlesnake continued.

Nearby, skulking in the darkness with the mighty head of his beast mode resting over his knees, optics glowing brightly against the dim light, Megatron sat. He eyed the serpent brothers and their habitual movements. They were dangerous... not to be trusted. But they at least would not betray him as the spiders would, and they would be effective for this task.

Several long moments passed as he scrutinized the brothers. "Readouts indicate that the Maximal base shields are down. I want the two of you to infiltrate... and destroy them. However, only debilitate Primal. I want the joy of crushing him myself..."

The two snakes hissed their consent and slithered off, as Megatron's low rumbling laugh rose up from the darkness behind them, thunder crackling as if to seal the fate of the Maximals miles away...

--To Be Continued...--