Chapter Text
The youngling had wandered farther from his hatchling grounds. Driven in part by instinct, and another part by competition. Larger beasts had started taking up in the resource rich area. Some chasing smaller beasts away from their kills while a couple he had seen were tending to what looked like new-hatchlings and had their protective instincts running high.
Even if he had tried to approach he suspected they would’ve snapped at him and driven him away for his lack of wings. Not that he had needed them anyways. He’d already survived this far. Stalking metal-lizards and turbo rats for precious metals while following larger if skittish horned-creatures at a distance to energon rivers where he could drink.
So he ventured deeper into the forest. Weak sunlight glancing off of solar-panel leaves while energy coiled through vine-like cable runs until the trees over-head were too dense for those that could fly while brittle metal growth provided excellent hiding spots to ambush from.
Keen eyes always kept a look out for territory markers. Claws marks in metal bark or stone. Blast and scorch marks from fire or acidic breaths, or the more distinct heady scent of predatory creatures he was still too big to take on.
It was as he was stalking a cyber-fox near a cliff edge that he felt he’d come across something truly bizarre. His query all but forgotten at what lay at the cliffs feet.
Down below he found what he could only assume was a den-site composed of Straight walled caves sat against the cliff edge in the clearing. While a large two rutted game path lead from it. Angular dishes pointed outwards while pumps pulled energon from the underground rivers.
The sound of two-legged footsteps approaching the clearing with no care to what crunched underfoot however had him bristle. The youngling instinctively crouching down to flatten himself against the ridge line. Dark quill’s helping him blend into the craggy metal-grass.
What emerged from the shrubs was very much Not a Predacon.
Two-legged as it was, it lacked a tail and obvious claws and fangs, but had the forward optics he’d commonly seen on most predator species… but then.. he supposed they did somewhat resemble that of the Tree-apes.
Perhaps this was a climbing species? But that didn’t explain why were they on the ground?
He couldn’t help his curiosity then as he crept forward on his belly to the cliff edge. Just far enough he could get a better birds eye view. Of the going ons.
The Bot below proceeded to call out, and an answer-response came from the building where a smaller lither built femme emerged. Excited babbling passing from her to the other as she motioned for the heftier mech to follow her in.
The older mech held a long suffering look but followed. The clearing growing quieter as something clicked shut at what he could assume was the den entrance.
He waited for a few more clicks to see if they would emerge again, and was about to give up when the mech walked back out. Another call being sent over his shoulder before he walked towards that weird game-trail.
Then his form twisted. Parts clanking in ways that looked painful. The youngling reflexively jumping in alarm at the noise before he scrambled forward. Jaw dropping as what was a bot was now a thing that growled and grumbled as it pulled off down the trail.
He finally sat down with a dazed thump as he processed everything he just discovered. There was no scream of agony. No crunch of struts he was expecting as a two leg shape folded into something else. This was as far as he could tell natural for these two legged things.
Then to add on to it, they were clearly intelligent! They spoke to each other! A greeting and a farewell! Clearly not a simple prey-beast like the horned-creatures or tree-apes… but they also didn’t quite look like predacons either. Their scents and shapes were too different. Too strange.
It was something that bore investigating further.