BW 'verse. Axalon. No more go a wandering.
"Aren't you going to let me in?" asked the wanderer, looking down at the gateman with a quizzical grin.
The being in front of the door shook his head. "You know you don't belong here. Not yet."
The wanderer's grin faded into a thoughtful expression as he looked back the way he came. "I... thought so. But the trail's gone."
"Don't look. Listen."
The wanderer frowned at the gateman. "Listen? All I hear is the song."
"Listen harder."
The wanderer cocked his head, his frown deepening with concentration as he attempted to tune out the beguiling melody of those who'd gone before.
And then he blinked. "I hear it."
* * *
Rhinox slowly pushed the covering off his face and sat up to look around with a frown as he recognized one of the empty rooms on the Axalon. At first he couldn't figure out why he was laying here with a blanket over him, but then his processor kicked in and he remembered making the risky decision to go after the departed spark of the new Maximal.
"...I'm just glad they didn't bury me." He pulled a face as he tossed the blanket aside and got to his feet. "And hopefully Rattrap hasn't eaten all the sandwich makings."
* * *
"She's a nice girl, Cheetor." Primal gave his young crew member a perplexed frown.
"Yeah, she is. But I already have a nice girl, Optimus," said Cheetor earnestly, his optics bright with happiness.
"So you and Tirzah are officially calling yourselves a pair." Primal sighed.
"No... not yet. But I know I don't want to be with anyone else." Cheetor looked bashful, determined, and ready to argue.
"Just don't do anything stupid." Primal went to push open the sticking mess hall door, and then blinked as it slid open easily.
"Hey, I don't do stu.... EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! GHOST!" Cheetor leaped back, his optics wide with terror.
Primal nearly jumped out of his skin, and stared at the younger mech with stunned amazement at the yell, then jumped again as a familiar deep voice grumbled from inside the room.
"Slag it, Cheetor. You made me drop my sandwich."
Primal's vision swayed for a moment... He said everything was going to be alright.... and then turned slowly to meet the eyes of his science officer and medic. "Rhinox."
"Huh? Yeah. I guess I made a slight wrong turn somewhere. But I'm back." The big green mech offered an apologetic smirk as he slowly straightened, but then 'acked' as he suddenly found himself with a Cheetor attached to him. "Whoa, whoa, watch the sandwich... hey, kid... don't cry. It's alright."
"Welcome back," said Primal, managing a shaky grin. "I guess it's a good thing Rattrap got distracted and never managed to move into your room."
Rhinox looked up from pat-patting Cheetor to growl. "That pipsqueak better not have touched any of my things."
"Like I say, too distracted. They pulled off a new batch of beer at the village." Amusement started to replace the shaky shock and disbelief, and Primal's grin got stronger.
"I've been gone for four days?" Rhinox frowned and reset his internal clock, then patted Cheetor again and set him down. "I'd better get back to my plant experiments."
"You didn't check up on everything with the computer?" teased Primal, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned against the door jam.
"I found out that everyone was alright." Rhinox shrugged and pushed past him, heading for the bridge and taking a bite of sandwich as he went. "But I had other things on my mind."
Cheetor paused next to Primal and gave a slightly breathless laugh. "Same old Rhinox."
"Mmmm hmmm." Primal shook his head. "Will you tell An and Windracer when you go see Tirzah?"
"On it, Bossbot!" Cheetor grabbed a handful of human-baked nutrient bars and zipped out of the room to spread the news.
The being in front of the door shook his head. "You know you don't belong here. Not yet."
The wanderer's grin faded into a thoughtful expression as he looked back the way he came. "I... thought so. But the trail's gone."
"Don't look. Listen."
The wanderer frowned at the gateman. "Listen? All I hear is the song."
"Listen harder."
The wanderer cocked his head, his frown deepening with concentration as he attempted to tune out the beguiling melody of those who'd gone before.
And then he blinked. "I hear it."
* * *
Rhinox slowly pushed the covering off his face and sat up to look around with a frown as he recognized one of the empty rooms on the Axalon. At first he couldn't figure out why he was laying here with a blanket over him, but then his processor kicked in and he remembered making the risky decision to go after the departed spark of the new Maximal.
"...I'm just glad they didn't bury me." He pulled a face as he tossed the blanket aside and got to his feet. "And hopefully Rattrap hasn't eaten all the sandwich makings."
* * *
"She's a nice girl, Cheetor." Primal gave his young crew member a perplexed frown.
"Yeah, she is. But I already have a nice girl, Optimus," said Cheetor earnestly, his optics bright with happiness.
"So you and Tirzah are officially calling yourselves a pair." Primal sighed.
"No... not yet. But I know I don't want to be with anyone else." Cheetor looked bashful, determined, and ready to argue.
"Just don't do anything stupid." Primal went to push open the sticking mess hall door, and then blinked as it slid open easily.
"Hey, I don't do stu.... EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! GHOST!" Cheetor leaped back, his optics wide with terror.
Primal nearly jumped out of his skin, and stared at the younger mech with stunned amazement at the yell, then jumped again as a familiar deep voice grumbled from inside the room.
"Slag it, Cheetor. You made me drop my sandwich."
Primal's vision swayed for a moment... He said everything was going to be alright.... and then turned slowly to meet the eyes of his science officer and medic. "Rhinox."
"Huh? Yeah. I guess I made a slight wrong turn somewhere. But I'm back." The big green mech offered an apologetic smirk as he slowly straightened, but then 'acked' as he suddenly found himself with a Cheetor attached to him. "Whoa, whoa, watch the sandwich... hey, kid... don't cry. It's alright."
"Welcome back," said Primal, managing a shaky grin. "I guess it's a good thing Rattrap got distracted and never managed to move into your room."
Rhinox looked up from pat-patting Cheetor to growl. "That pipsqueak better not have touched any of my things."
"Like I say, too distracted. They pulled off a new batch of beer at the village." Amusement started to replace the shaky shock and disbelief, and Primal's grin got stronger.
"I've been gone for four days?" Rhinox frowned and reset his internal clock, then patted Cheetor again and set him down. "I'd better get back to my plant experiments."
"You didn't check up on everything with the computer?" teased Primal, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned against the door jam.
"I found out that everyone was alright." Rhinox shrugged and pushed past him, heading for the bridge and taking a bite of sandwich as he went. "But I had other things on my mind."
Cheetor paused next to Primal and gave a slightly breathless laugh. "Same old Rhinox."
"Mmmm hmmm." Primal shook his head. "Will you tell An and Windracer when you go see Tirzah?"
"On it, Bossbot!" Cheetor grabbed a handful of human-baked nutrient bars and zipped out of the room to spread the news.