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As you trudged through heaping piles of snow, snowfall blowing harshly in your face, you really wish you hadn’t split up from the rest of your group.
You were an explorer. You often traveled lands off the beaten path with your crew- a group of people you quickly grew to consider as friends and family. You had all agreed on traveling to the arctic this time, and the plan was to stick together all the while- but you silently cursed the rough snowstorm pouring from above that made it too hard to see where you group went.
You weren’t sure for how long you had been walking, now. Everything looked the same, it felt like time itself was as frozen as your hands. Despite the gloves you wore, the chill in the air tore through them anyway as you uselessly rubbed them against your arms.
You were so tired. Time kept passing, yet you still shuffled through the same pure white landscape you had hours before. Energy and motivation slipped away from you, and suddenly, you found yourself unable to take another step forward.
No matter how much your mind wills your legs to move forward- an inch, a centimeter, even- they don’t budge. You don’t know if it’s from exhaustion, or perhaps they literally froze in their place. You wouldn’t be surprised if it was the latter.
Then, your knees give out beneath you. The snow makes quick work of drenching your pants- the numbingly cold wetness spreading from the knee all the way down the front of your calves where you now sat.
Lastly, your weight shifts forward, and your hands don’t even reach out to catch yourself as you land face first into the snow. The coldness would sting against your bare face were it not for the fact numbness was already starting to set in. The harshly falling snow from above begins to pile on top of you in an entombing cascade.
You didn’t think you would go out like this. You’ve read stories of adventurers going missing or dying on their expeditions, but you never thought you’d be doing that yourself. There wasn’t much you could do, though, as the snow kept piling on top of you and your body begged for you to close your eyes and sleep for just a minute.
Maybe your death wouldn’t go unnoticed. You hoped so, anyway, as you close your eyes and let the falling snow seal them shut.
But suddenly, the weight above you doesn’t get any heavier. The snow stops.
Somehow, you muster up the strength to lift your head upwards. Above, two bright blue lights flash through the storm of pure white. Was this what people meant when they said they were ‘seeing the light’?
The snowy earth trembles beneath you, and snow shifts off of you with every shake. The lights grow closer, and a figure emerges with them.
Humanoid in stature, yet absolutely massive. It had to have been at least fifty feet tall. It’s boxy in its frame, and slowly shifts towards you. The grandest thing about this creature, however, were the gigantic, angular wings that came from its back.
Was this an angel?
Heavenly beings were often described as being beyond human comprehension, so it wasn’t completely out of the question that the thing sent to take you from this world was a humanoid, winged giant. What you didn’t expect, though, was the white, red, and blue colors that gleamed off of its form despite the snow that threatened to pile itself on its head and shoulders.
Finally, the titan stops in front of you, and your head falls back into the frost beneath you.
“Poor creature…” its smooth, rich voice echoes out from above you with a gasp. “It appears earth creatures are not invulnerable to the harsh environments of their own planet.”
It shifts a leg down to rest its weight on a single knee. More snow shifts off of you as it lands- a final, gigantic tremor vibrating through the ground and through your numbness. Then, it reaches a massive hand out. The snow underneath you slides out with an icy crunch as it’s replaced with the titan’s fingers- scooping your freezing form up in a single hand. Your heart races at the feeling- your life was quite literally entirely in someone else’s hands now- but you’re just thankful your heart hasn’t frozen over enough to stop beating. Slowly, you’re lifted into the air, and you think the next time you open your eyes you’ll be met with a cloudy landscape high above the earth.
But, you open your eyes despite the ice sealing them shut, and you’re met with a much different view.
A pure white, masculine face gazing down at you with great concern. You have to squint as your eyes adjust to the blue light being cast over you from its eyes. Another finger is beside you before you know it, and the snow that littered your thick winter clothes is dusted off in an instant.
“It is alright. I will take care of you. Hopefully you are still alive.”
A warmth blooms from behind you, and you realize it’s its steel hand that’s emitting it. The sudden contrast between hot and cold runs goosebumps up your spine and through the rest of your body. You finally find the strength to at least curl into yourself, so you do just that as you settle into the warm crevice of its palm.
The titan purses its lips in almost a pout. “Oh, dear. Poor, little thing.” Normally, you’d take such words as patronizing pity- but there’s an innocent softness to its voice that has you thinking it feels genuine sympathy for you. Again, it reaches out a finger and slowly drags it down your form- warmth spreading across the length of your spine and reaching all the way down to your arms and legs. “What are you doing out here all on your own? Away from your kind? Did you get lost?”
You wished you could answer it. But as your lungs defrosted, all you could let out was a stinging cough and a single question. “Are you… an angel?”
Its eyes widen above you. “So they are capable of communicating. Thank Primus it’s still alive,” it murmurs. It was speaking to itself, but the sheer size of it didn’t allow for any private chatter in your presence. Raising its volume, it continues. “I am not sure of what creature you speak, human, but I am not an ‘angel’. I am a Cybertronian, coming from the planet Cybertron. My name is Skyfire.”
Skyfire. That was the name of your savior. In any other situation, you think you would be horrified by suddenly being grabbed by a gigantic metal alien- considering the fact that, up till now, you didn’t think something so big could even exist, much less communicate as a human would- but, right now? You were grateful to just still be alive.
You open your mouth to reply, but only more hacking coughs emerge. The finger that ran over your body stops just above your face and presses into your cheek just the smallest bit. “Do not speak,” he hushes you in that sweet, gentle tone, “you are much too weak, little one.”
You see the world move around you as you’re brought closer to him, and eventually, you’re right up against his chest. Warmth surrounds you at all sides, and you’re not sure if the water running down your face is from the melting ice in your hair or your tears of relief.
“Please, do not fret,” his deep voice rumbles waves of warmth through you, “you are safe under my watch. I will bring you to the Autobots, they are my friends. Though I am studying earth and its creatures, I do admit I am inexperienced in how to handle them. They will be able to help you more than I can.”
As he explains, you feel the gentle rocking of his hand beneath you as he no doubt begins to move forward. You finally feel life breathe back into your limbs, and you do your best to wrap your arms around the width of his chestplate as much as you can. “Thank you, Skyfire.”
A light chuckle erupts from his chassis, and you never want to forget the feeling of the warm vibrations it sends through your body. A smile works its way onto your face as you look up and see a bashful grin on his faceplate. “Please, no need to thank me. I am only doing what is right. The Autobots will assist you much more.” Behind you, his digits curl in ever so closer, and you’re further wrapped in a blanket of gentle heat.
You look upwards and catch him staring at you, wonder spread across his face. Rather than turning his gaze reservedly, he brings you up higher until you’re nearly face to face.
Now that the cold was wearing off and you were slowly coming to your senses, the reality of the situation was finally hitting you. You were in the hands of a gigantic being- one who could somehow speak and feel emotions just as you could. You were so wrapped up in his warmth that you didn’t realize just where you were. Your breath began to quicken, and you scurry backwards- only to pull forward again when you bump into his fingers.
“Do not be frightened, little one, I will not harm you,” Skyfire attempts to reassure you, “I saw you alone in the snow and figured you may have needed help. If that is not the case, please tell me.”
He was right, as much as you didn’t want to admit it. And who were you to deny being saved from certain death, on top of that? Hesitantly, you nod, relaxing your posture to lean against his fingers. You melt into the warm plating behind you, the hands that you placed to rest behind you slipping between the thin seams of his plates and pressing into the soft, living metal of his protoform.
“N-No,” you manage to say, “I want… to go.”
The feeling of your little hands on his own makes him smile- as does the sound of your agreement. “Good,” he says, lowering you down to his chest once more. “It won’t be too long now. You’ll like the Autobots. They’ll show you kindness just as they have shown me. Plus, they are not as big as I am, so perhaps you will feel more comfortable.”
While you couldn’t see his face from the low angle you were at, you could only hope he didn’t add that last part because of your previous panic. He’s shown nothing but kindness to you, and you return it with fear? That didn’t feel right.
Slowly, you place your hand on the tip of his thumb, prompting him to look down at you.
“If they’re as nice as you, then I don’t think I’ll mind. But you saved me first, and I’ll always be grateful for that.”
Another shy laugh rises up from Skyfire and runs through you as you bury your face in his chest.
“I am glad.”