Wings of Love Chapter 6
Title: Wings of Love
Fandom: Transformers AU
Author: ledishae anddeathmustangg
Pairing/Characters: Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Ratchet, First Aid, Tracks
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Harpies, creatures with angelic faces and the bodies and talons of the fiercest hunting avians, had long been rivals of the gryphons, the eagle/lion beasts of legendary might. Yet, being inthe wrong place at just the right time brings three would be enemies together against a common foe.
Warnings: Mature situations, mentions of rape.
Word Count: 3778
Disclaimer: All Transformer characters belong to their respective owners, I'm just having a little fun.
A/N: This was a prompt by deathmustang from lj, she gets all credit for the story idea, I'm just putting it to words. All Transformers belong to their respective creators.
Sunstreaker stared uncomfortably at the mech he had thought they had won and lost with disturbed worry. ::We didn't force him, did we?::
Beside him sideswipe shrugged with a nervous twitch. Rape among gryphons was a death sentence, and both knew they would willingly throw themselves before the hunters than live with the realization that somehow they had forced themselves on the beautiful harpy.
"Get off the path, fly!" Ratchet's hiss goaded the cowering younglings into flight. The swift roar of wing beats filled the air and vanished in an instant leaving the brothers standing alone on the pathway, momentarily numb that their hard fought mate was fleeing in fear of them.
The pair threw themselves into the air, their frames shifting from mech to gryphon through the initial arc as their forms leapt into the air. At the height of the arc their wings spread to take up the wind, their talons clawing to gain altitude as they gave chase to the swiftly receding aerie of harpies. Red and gold they rowed their wings as fast as they dared slicing through the air at speeds that made their optics close to mere slits against the wind. Yet, the harpies were slender, their long frames accented by short wings that moved easily through the thick canopy. The brothers were forced to soar overhead tracking their prey through the greenery. The colorful frames below them shimmered in the sunlight dappled shade.
Before them Sunstreaker spotted a break in the canopy allowing the twins to dive through the wind woven branches to follow the harpies in the lower canopy. Long gryphon feathers skimmed along the leaves casting a shimmering shower of debris in their passing. Now sheltered within the humid swelter of the jungle their size forced them to glide on half folded wings, made them tighten each strut and cable in their frames to keep their forms aerodynamic enough to escape the inexorable pull from the ground below.
Suddenly, the smallest of the harpies faltered ahead of them its frame collapsing in flight before spiraling towards the unforgiving ground. Sideswipe vaguely heard a dual-toned shriek of anguish as Sunstreaker barreled through the void between the tiny frame and the lethally spiked roots jutting from the earth. Sideswipe remained where his frame had seemed to freeze in horror as Sunstreaker approached the tiny falling bundle in slow motion.
Ratchet shrieked when he glanced down watching helplessly as Aid fell away from him faster than he could dive. The tiny body rapidly approached the ground forcing visions of the small broken remains Ratchet would find to play behind his optics until a sun yellow streak snatched Aid from the brink of death. Pulling up short, Ratchet gasped for air as Sunstreaker twisted in mid air, claws gouging the earth deeply to propel his burdened frame up into the skies bypassing the harpies to circle back to his brother hovering in the same position in the shadow of the metallic trees.
The golden gryphon had Aid. Ratchet hissed in fury, winging towards the hovering pair to retrieve his youngling. Regardless of their size he was undaunted. Gryphons ate young harpies, and Aid was the perfect size for a tasty morsel. He closed in on the golden form holding his youngling shrieking his rage until the wind suddenly held him back keeping him from moving the last tingy clawlenth to his barely breathing mechling.
"Not so fast," a warning voise hissed in Ratchet's audio the rich commanding tone seeming to come from everywhere. Ratchet struggled, clawed at empty air and struggled against the arms that kept his frame pinned and massive talons that held his wings pinioned in mid air while the red brother held them both aloft with slow steady wingbeats. Ratchet snarled at the red mech nuzzling his neck, "We have questions."
"Give him back!" Ratchet snapped furiously struggling against the plated steel talons holding him fast. Around them Hot Spot and his brothers circled hissing and darting, too young to know how to attack and too ignorant to flee from opponents they could never hope to best.
"Bring him," Sunstreaker wheeled in the air heading for a forest giant bearing a resplendent lightning scar that formed a cave within the massive trunk. Sideswipe followed still carring the struggling Ratchet while the young harpies struggled valiantly to keep up with the larger mechs. Sunstreaker landed within the blackened space immediately finding him ringed by mantled, hissing young harpies as his brother landed behind them with his burden. From the red gryphon's embrace Ratchet continued to rage, his vile curses and terrifying threats unceasing since Sunstreaker had taken Aid to the darkened nook.
:: This ends now :: Sunstreaker sent over the twin bond as he shrieked a piercing cry that made the harpies shrink in on themselves. The younglings cowered to the floor as Sideswipe gently pushed Ratchet towards them. Sunny watched in seeming slow motion as Ratchet flung himself over the youngsters protecting them with his frame. Sides ignored the white mech he had desired so, torn from the repeated finding and losing of their lover in the span of moments. Spark splintered from Ratchet's behavior Sideswipe placed his spread talons against the tree as power surged through him creating a barrier to keep the harpies sealed within the tree's nook with them.
"Keep screaming, harpy." Sunstreaker rumbled, "When he wakes he'll be all the more terrified." The yellow gryphon shifted the tiny harpy fledgling in his talon causing the clustered harpies to still in fear.
"What do you want?" Ratchet finally asked desperately unable with force or words to make the gryphons back down and return his baby to him.
"Answers." Sideswipe spoke from behind approaching the clustered family, optics softening as true fear filled the optics that darted between him and his brother. Sideswipe laid down, sighing in frustration, "Wouldn't it have been easier to just talk to us?"
"No creator has ever just 'talked'" Ratchet hissed, "Especially not after taking the hint to leave me the frag alone."
"You didn't want us?" Sunstreaker asked softly, frame stiff as he finally understood. He set Aid gently on the ground, "Do all harpies act like conniving femmes?" Sunny turned from the slowly breathing figure, "Take your youngling."
Once Sunstreaker stepped away, frame pressed against the side wall Ratchet scrambled to collect Aid, frame shifting to his common form as he scooped the youngling to his chest and moved back to the other four.
Hot Spot looked between the two gryphons and Ratchet, optics widening with surprise. "You were in heat when you left the nest." He looked to his brothers from where he crouched over them protected by Ratchet's frame that held the unconscious Aid to his chest.
Streetwise looked to Spots then back to Ratchet realization dawning. "I need my book!" He shifted to his common form as Spots did the same and reached into his big brother's sub-space storage to retrieve the worn leather tome. "Gryphons mate for life and exchange offerings of food when courting to prove they each can provide for the other. If the gifts are returned and they do the nasty there's no turning back."
Spots looked to Ratchet watching his uncle's plating pale from opalescent white to pure alabaster as Streetwise recounted his readings. Over them the gryphons refused to look at any of them or each other, frames radiating betrayal. "But harpies are different." Spots spoke up looking meaningfully at the red gryphon, "Harpy mechs can challenge any carrier in heat to a mating flight. If the carrier wins she can choose to accept his advances or make him go away. If the mech wins she has to accept him. Any offerings are reciprocated if the tryst was favorable and both move on as if nothing ever happened."
"What!?" The gryphons roared in unison staring aghast at the harpies.
"So, what, you guys roam the forest looking for femmes in heat?" Sideswipe demanded.
"No," Ratchet looked away from his family and the gryphons. He did not want them to see how much speaking of having a family hurt him, "If a heat-tryst is favorable they can seek each other out after the heat has passed. One courts the other and if they want they can bond. Once a mech has his three sisters he selects a territory for his harem."
"Sisters?" Sunstreaker gagged.
"Not real sisters - or at least not his sisters. The term refers to the first harem. The harpy king courted a femme that was beautiful and fair. She had two sisters, one strong and sleek the other powerful and warlike. Smitten with all three he won them in mating flights and fighting bouts then took them to the World Tree he made his home in. They were the first harem. Few harems are made of real sisters but it does happen." Streetwise filled in, optics shinning as his voracious reading habits were finally rewarded.
Sideswipe looked to his brother then down at the red and white harpy they thought they had won. "So that out there was just a tryst? It meant nothing?"
"Let my younglings go," Ratchet sighed, "Aid collapsed from exhaustion and I need to get energon in him before he shuts down permanently." He looked to the two gryphons who had actually courted him, who had willingly cared for him when no other harpy aside from his brother had ever done so. "Please?"
Sunstreaker sighed, head bowing, "Fine, go."
Hot Spot moved carefully away from Ratchet, feeling the older harpy's absence with aching clarity. Ratchet was older, wiser and a better fighter than them and filing past the massive red Gryphon with the night black crest only made their youth more real. Hot Spot mantled his wings over his brothers as best he could, keeping himself between them and the glaring gryphon. Once free they slipped through the shimmering barrier and flew.
Once the younglings were gone the twins looked back at Ratchet who fussed over the small youngling cradled in his arms. Soft crooning and hushed words accompanied the questing fingers that checked Aid over for any ailments. "Thank you," Ratchet finally spoke looking up to Sunstreaker, "For saving him and not eating my younglings."
"Eat -?" Suddenly Sideswipe cackled, laughing so hard he collapsed against the wall and fell to the floor. "We're - we're"
"We're southern gryphons," Sunstreaker snarled, "We do not eat other winged ones." He made a distasteful sneer, "Feathers stuck in the craw is disgusting."
Ratchet looked from one to the other, shoulder slumping in mortification. "So, you were never going to eat Aid"
"That little thing?" Sunstreaker snorted, "He wouldn't count as an appetizer."
"Hey! He's good sized for his age." Ratchet rumbled dangerously, optics flashing at the insult to his yongling.
"For a harpy, maybe." Sideswipe teased, grinning hugely. "You really thought we were going to - eat - your kids? Is that why you fled?"
"Of course!" Ratchet snapped. "I'd take you both on to protect them but they can't out fly you two yet."
"So you led them to safety." The red gryphon's smile widened further. ::He loves his younglings! He's smart and clever and a pit of a fighter for being so small. :: He sent to his brother across their bond tentative joy filling his spark.
:: And he's fragile, :: Sunstreaker replied, optics slitted dangerously as he watched the fussing harpy, :: Someone hurt him and when I find out who it was :: His threat went unsaid, the promised malice in his spark sending thrills of anticipated violence through Sideswipe's spinal struts.
Oh yes, someone had hurt the pretty harpy and that someone would pay.
Sideswipe's head snapped up, optics shinning as a thought seemed to physically strike him. "Do over!"
"Do what?" Ratchet glared up at the seeming idiotic gryphon.
"Let us try to win you?" Sideswipe asked, "The - thing - in the giant forest, it happened and we can't change that but," He shrugged helplessly as words failed him, "Do over?"
Ratchet felt his spark lighten at Sides' floundering. His loss of words was endearing somehow. Still, Ratchet only scowled as he looked between the pair. Tracks had always worn a pleasant expression before - Ratchet cut that thought off. He'd dwelt on Tracks for long enough.
"Then what?" Ratchet asked blandly, "Take me to your clan?"
"Nope," Sideswipe replied with a grin, "We're exiles."
"What did you do?" The harpy demanded, shoulder's stiffening as he drew Aid impossibly closer to his spark.
Sunstreaker finally stood and crouched before Ratchet, "We were exiled for refusing to take separate mates. We wanted to have the same lover, share the same home. According to our people two mechs sharing the same mate is taboo. We should have been trampled as new sparks, cast out as fledglings and left to die. It would have been better than for our clan to witness us, two brave strong warriors degrading into lowly outcasts." His words were sneered, spoken darkly.
"They - your kind - kill youg-younglings?" Ratchet's words failed him as he sheltered Aid to his spark, holding one hand over the small helm and bowing his shoulders over his sparkling to keep him safe.
"Yes," Sunstreaker replied. "Don't harpies?"
"Never!" Ratchet vehement reply took the brothers aback, "Several of Tracks' femmes have been attacked for their younglings. Some harems have been wiped out so the mechlings could be incorporated into other clans. That's why I returned to the bastard so I would not lose Aid. Alone I was a target, other harems would have killed me for Aid. I didn't want Tracks getting his hands on my sparklet but I had no choice!"
Sunstraker looked to his brother and both nodded silently. The harpy's tirade had just told them who needed to die. This 'Tracks' would suffer for hurting Ratchet. "And the others?" Sunstreaker tipped his beak towards the entrance where the others had vanished though.
"They're Tracks' by others of his harem. When I took Aid this trip they demanded Tracks uphold the Sisters' Writ and left to follow."
"What writ?" Sunstreaker demanded
"Streetwise, the one with the book, spoke of the first sisters to form a harem. They wrote a code of ethics call the Sisters' Writ. When a mechling becomes taller than his creator he can leave the harem with three of his nest mates. Spots chose his half-brothers."
"That's not fair." Sideswipe whined, "We had to stay with our guardian until we were of mating age."
"Then we had to live in that horrid bachelor cave with the others for seven years." Sunstreaker continued.
"Guardian?" Ratchet looked between them, "Not your creators?"
"No, they abandoned us when we were pre-fledgelings. Our clan leader convinced them that twins were evil portents. Our guardian was from the northern tribes - he was outcast for refusing to eat harpies - and thought she was full of monocerous piss. He took us in and raised us."
"And then let you get outcast?" Ratchet demanded, wondering just what kind of species he was tempted to get himself involved with.
"No! Clan leader sent them away for our testing day, she rigged it so no one would stand up for us. Besides, we're full grown and Mia has put off having her own younglings for too long." Sideswipe smiled. "Our guardians kept us from being outcast long enough. Now they're free - of us." His shoulders slumped.
Ratchet sighed, the brothers had been treated as roughly as he had. Families kicked them out, others betrayed them and all of them had to give up their hopes for normal lives. Still, they were good warriors. The hunters seemed to be encroaching everywhere and Ratchet could not keep his younglings safe on his own. The hunter today proved that.
Finally he looked to Sunstreaker, "I'm not saying yes. You can come with us if you want but don't get your hopes up." He looked sternly between the pair, "My younglings always come first. If you ask me to choose they win hands down every time. If you threaten them, scare them, or hurt them in any way we're gone and you will never find us. If one of them is killed by you intentionally or not, you won't live to regret it."
"Carrier?" Aid's voice rasped softly, "Where'd your scar go?"
Ratchet froze, behind him the sound of ergon-fruit hitting the floor filled their little room as four younglings gasped. Slowly, hesitantly Ratchet looked to his chest where Aid's little hand rested and saw only smooth opalescent white plating. "You've got to be kidding me."
In a flash Hot Spot leapt over Ratchet, howling his rage as he flew towards Sunstreaker fist raised, "You sparked him-uhf!" Spots gasped when he was flung to the floor, the breath knocked out of him while Sunstreaker easily kept one massive talon spread across his chest to pin him to the floor.
"Sparked?" Sideswipe asked nervously, looking at Ratchet with tremulous hope.
"When a carrier's scar vanishes after a heat-tryst it means he might be sparked." He glared at Hot Spot, "You should know better. I won't know for another -" Ratchet counted on his fingers going back the number of days since the gryphons had won him in flight, "Nine days. I won't know anything until then."
Sideswipe snorted, and shifted back to his gryphon form sitting disgruntled on his haunches, "Let the kid go."
Sunstreaker snorted and let Hot Spot up, "So where does this leave us?"
"Right where we were." Ratchet snapped as he held several small berries for Aid to eat. "Actually, not quite." He shook his head, "I might be sparked, I might not, but if I do end up carrying I can't protect my younglings. I might at first but I can't go back to Tracks with another's sparklet in me and they can't go back at all. I need - I need guards." Ratchet finally admitted looking at the pair helplessly.
"No," Sunstrekaer shook his head, optics slitted defiantly, "We will not be just your guards. They," He pointed to the clustered younglings, "Need to learn how to fight, and you can uphold your side of the bargain."
Ratchet huffed, "Fine, still no promises."
"We don't need any," Sideswipe grinned then frowned as he took in the assortment of fruit the younglings had brought back. "How do you expect them to grow strong on that?"
"What do you mean?" Ratchet demanded indignantly.
"You are harpies, you have plate ripping fangs for a reason." Sideswipe shook his head despairingly. "You," he pointed to Blades, the fiercest of the youngsters, "You're getting a fishing lesson."
"Me too?" Streewise and Groove asked in hopeful unison, bright optics looking up at Sideswipe pleadingly.
"Sure," Sunstreaker rumbled, "You guard them." He ordered Hot Spot pointing to where Ratchet sat with Aid still in his lap as the youngster dozed once more.
"They better come back without a single scratch." Hot Spot warned.
"Or what?" Sunstreaker demanded with a snort, "Don't make threats unless you can back them up." With his final words Sunny turned from the small hole in the massive trunk and followed Sideswipe to the river.
"Aren't you moving a little fast?" Spots asked worriedly as he looked on Ratchet with worry creasing his young brow.
"Fast?" Ratchet asked exasperatedly, "Fast was me killing that hunter. This," he waved his free arm around him encompassing their current situation, "is insane. My scar should still be visible, they should have left when we fled and - and Spots, if I am sparked you kids are not strong enough to fight off opposing clans that will want my sparklet when she comes. I can't endanger 'Jack's harem and those two are the best chances we've got to get you five trained in fighting, me safe from other clans and Tracks permanently out of our feathers."
"I know, but Uncle Ratch, how - how can we trust them?" Spots asked worriedly, torn between hovering over Aid and protecting his siblings from the gryphons.
"What choice do we have? They're bigger, stronger, better trained and a Pit-load more lethal than us. I am a healer, when the time comes I can give them a mild poison that will keep them down for days. We'll get away from them then. Right now, with so many hunters around I'd rather take my chances with the gryphons."
Hot Spot nodded, conceding. He hadn't been able to do anything when the hunter took Aid and Groove. Only Ratchet had saved them. Hot Spot thought of Tracks' harem, how when any of the femmes got sparked they were protected by their sisters and once sparked they never traveled alone. Ratchet was right, they didn't have a choice.
Streetwise watched intently as the gryphons circled over the stream then dove skimming along the water and coming up with a massive wriggling fish in his talons. Each of the gryphons had caught a fish already. The golden one dispatched the fish and laid it's still body next to the other as the red gryphon landed before them. "Your turn."
Groove and Blades took to the skies circling just as the gryphons has while Streetwise stayed below. "Why aren't you up there?" The red gryphon asked.
"Creator never went after Uncle Ratch, no one has ever come for Uncle Ratch at all. But, you did, why?" Streetwise asked, intelligent bright optics staring up at the gryphons.
"We thought we loved him, that we had won him in return." Sideswipe looked over Streetwise's helm to the distant tree Ratchet waited in, "We came for him when he didn't come back to us. Now, I don't know."
"Please, I know Uncle Ratch is scary when he's mad, and he says bad words when he's pissed. He yells a lot and hits his patients when they don't behave. He's got a short temper, but he's nice and funny and takes better care of us than Tracks ever did. He plays with us and lets me ask all the questions I want. Creator used to always yell at me to shut up.
" Please try to fall in love with him?" Streetwise hugged Sideswipe's nearest forearm, stepping around the massive talons on the ground and coming up only to the thick shoulder, "Creator never taught us anything either."
Sideswipe could only nod mutely, optics stinging with emotions he thought he'd never feel, "We'll try, no promises."
"Good!" Streetwise smiled hugely launching himself into the air joining his brothers as they repeatedly swooped and dove chasing away the fish more efficiently than they could catch them.
"You're getting soft." Sunstreaker rumbled.
Sideswipe could only grin stupidly and look back at his arm in disbelief. "Why the slag are they so damned cute?"
"Because they're - they're not his, are they?" Sunstreaker paused remembering that each little mechling came from a different carrier.
"Nope, but I still blame Ratchet. He's done something to them that just makes me like them." Sideswipe huffed, "I'm getting soft."
"Yes, moron." Sunstreaker shook his head despairingly then leapt into the skies to keep the kids from suidiciding on their increasingly lethal stoops towards the rocky river. Sideswipe watched from below as his brother attempted to corral the younglings - and failed when the attempt turned into a game of 'tag the gryphon'.
It had been hours since they left. Aid continued to sleep in fits and dozes when his energy plummeted. Hot Spot had moved to stand outside and Ratchet was left with little to do but pull out his many healing packs and salves he kept in sub-space. He checked his supplies, used some raw materials he kept on hand to make more herbal blends. Rearranged vials that had gotten out of order and created lists of supplies he would need to obtain from the forest to keep up his stores.
The sun was beginning to fade and fear started climbing up Ratchet spine when finally, Hot Spot stepped back inside, "They're back." The mechling giggled.
"Wha -?" Ratchet stared as two soaked gryphons hauled themselves into the tree bole carrying his three younglings on their backs with two massive fish and several smaller ones.
"How - in the name - of Primus - do you - keep - these things - in line?" Sunstreaker panted as Groove and Blades slid off his back with their bounty and ran giggling to Ratchet.
The healer fought to keep a straight face, and failed as he started cackling. "You two smell terrible."
"Thank you, we hadn't noticed that we smelled like old fish and stagnant river water and muck!" The golden gryphon snarled half heartedly.
"That was fun!" Streetwise crowed as he gave Ratchet his share of the river spoils. "They taught us how to fish like the Rocs do!"
"I see, and you three did great. And these two, they're beauties." Ratchet lifted the biggest of the fish that each were nearly as long as First Aid, "You three must have worked very hard to catch them."
"Hey! We caught those!" Sideswipe objected, while the yonglings fell into fits of laughter.
"You caught these fish? Well, if my younglings had done this I would be impressed, but they're so small compared to you two." Ratchet replied flatly, giving Blades a secretive wink.
"What!" Sunstreaker growled, "Those are big fish you - you - you're laughing." He hung his helm while the younglings fell into renewed fits of giggles. First Aid sitting groggily on the sidelines smiled wearily before lying down again and Hot Spot laughed hardest of all.
Ratchet finally got the last of his brood asleep in their circled clump on the impromptu nest. Collected leaves and massive fronds from the surrounding forest had made a decent cushion for his young ones. Now, free of prying ears and sneaky little optics he could finally speak to their saviors.
"Thank you, both of you." Ratchet looked at the brothers sitting tensely outside the tree bole.
"For what?" Sunstreaker demanded, "Teaching those little hellions how to fish or being the butt of your jokes."
"Both." Ratchet shrugged, "Hot Spot needed to see you two as being less threatening and I needed to make sure Blades, Groove and Streets knew they had done well. So thank you, again."
Sideswipe looked over at Ratchet, a slow calculating grin spreading over his features. "Then, I think we need to be rewarded for our efforts." He shifted back to his mech form and swiftly stole a light kiss from the harpy.
Ratchet's breath hitched as his lines lit on fire from Sideswipe's touch. He had never been approached outside of heat, never knew he could feel anything for another not brought on by mindless need. He swallowed tightly then threw caution to the wind. Even as Sideswipe pulled away with a cocky smile Ratchet shifted to his common form and pressed tightly against the red mech.
"Are you sure?" Sideswipe breathed, grinning hugely at Ratchet's deciseive nod. "Just not here, right?"
"Yes," Ratchet swallowed, lying his helm against the hollow at the base of Sideswipe's throat. "I don't want to wake them,"
"No problem," Sunstreaker scooped Ratchet into his talons, flying into a tree across the clearing.
"You owe me two fish tomorrow," Streetwise rasped in the darkness once the gryphons had vanished with Ratchet.
"I know," Groove pouted before burrowing deeper into their pile of feathers pouting at having lost the bet on how long Ratchet would hold out against his suitors. "He didn't even last one stinking day."
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