Chapter Text
As they continue to the proceed down the river, Saphira was growing more curious about where they were going. She glanced up as Stratosphere flew over them, and both she and the autobots had to tell the maximals who it was. As Primal almost took the large autobot as a threat. Nonetheless, they continued along the river, and Saphira found a few more flowers along the way. She picked a few of them and braided the stems into a floral necklace and placed the flowers around her neck. It was endearing to Optimus, as he was enjoying the nature around them as well.
Saphira looked at Rhinox and Cheetor ahead of them and she became curious. She wondered how many different types of maximals there were. She doubted they refer to themselves as species, as she was not sure how their race reproduced and such to create the different maximals that she was seeing now. She even wondered if there were insect-like maximals, as she could picture a preying mantis type maximal and it would be pretty cool to see.
Saphira hummed softly and looked at Primal curiously. “I hope this isn’t going to be a weird question…” Primal turned his head as his yellow optics look at her. “But…how do you maximals…identify each other, aside from name?” Primal raised an eyebrow as he was not sure what she meant. “Um…sorry, I know it is weird. But considering you look like a gorilla, Airazor a falcon, Rhinox as a rhinoceros and Cheetor a cheetah…”
“Ah, I see.” Primal chuckled lightly as he realized Saphira’s question. “You want to know if we refer to each other as species.” She nodded, even though it was a strange question. “I understand your curiosity. When we first arrived on this world, it was we who were surprised to find animals that look like us. Not the other way around.” She could imagine that very easily. “No, we do not differentiate each other like that. It is a little more complicated.”
“I guess. Are there any maximals that look like insects?” Primal widened his optics slightly before shaking his head. “Ah…a preying mantis maximal would look pretty cool.”
“Insecticons are not maximals. They’re a Cybertron species.” Now that surprised Saphira as she looked at Optimus as he spoke up. She looked at Primal who nodded in agreement. “Though even if maximals did have something similar to the insects and spiders on your planet, it could have been possible.”
“It is true that it could have been possible. But there are no maximals who are in the form of insects. But as for your question regarding the different maximals, while I understand using the word species can help to differentiate between us, it is not exactly correct.” Primal chuckled as it was amusing to him. “It is hard to explain to someone who is not informed of our genetic anatomy. And it would be too long to talk about.” Saphira was still curious, even if it was hard to understand. “There were others like me, Cheetor, Rhinox and Airazor. Apelinq was our leader before me. He too had the appearance of a gorilla. Though he was larger than I was…though his wisdom and skill was not enough to defeat Scourge when he remained to give us time to escape.”
“Oh, I am sorry.” Saphira had assumed Primal had been the leader of the maximals for a long time, but she had not expected him to say there was another leader before him. “Though…there are maximals that look like other animals, right?”
Primal nodded. “Yes. Old friends, such as Rattrap and Tigatron, both had different appearances than the rest of us. Though I can imagine you can guess what they looked like based upon their names.” Saphira nodded as she pictured a tiger maximal and a rat maximal…though she was certain that Rattrap would be quite intimidating to see. “Unfortunately…we are unsure of what has happened to them. Airazor has already implied that we are all that is left. Though I would like to hope that is not the case.” He sighed deeply as he gazed ahead and he smiled. “We do not have much further to go. We will be there before the night falls.”
“Good to know.” Saphira was starting to feel quite tired, as the adrenaline she felt before was going, and she was now left with feeling exhausted. She couldn’t wait to put her feet up and eat some food. She hummed softly before she smiled and ran over to Cheetor. “So…” Cheetor turned his head slightly upon hearing the human. “How fast are you?”
Cheetor chuckled lightly, turning his head some more to look at her properly. “Why? Do you really want to know?” Saphira nodded. “Alright…” Cheetor stopped and lowered his body, surprising Saphira. “If you want to know, then jump on. I think Rhinox and I can spare a bit of time for a race.”
Saphira was not expecting that, but she giggled and ran over to Cheetor. “That sounds like a good idea!”
Rhinox stomped his feet excitedly with a smile. “We haven’t had a good race in a long time! This is going to be fun!”
“I am not sure that it is a good idea,” Optimus commented as he watched Saphira climb onto Cheetor’s back and got herself comfortable and she looked back at him. “You were already injured today, Saphira…”
“Do not worry, Optimus.” Cheetor stood up and looked at him with a smile. “I was able to keep Primal’s little lady from being hurt, so I can do the same with yours.” Primal did not respond as he knew Cheetor was responsible, even though he did give Cheetor an expression of warning knowing he could not harm Saphira. “We are only going to run to the same destination as you will be heading to.”
Optimus was not so sure, though he could see that Saphira was excited. He looked at Primal curiously. “Is what he said true?”
Primal looked at Optimus and nodded. “Yes. But he already knows to not push it too far with Saphira. Otherwise, he not only has to answer to me, but to you as well. And I highly doubt Cheetor wants both of us to be angry at him.”
“Precisely!” Cheetor chuckled lightly and looked at Rhinox. “You better get on your head start, old friend. You are going to need it.”
Rhinox snorted and stomped his feet with a smirk. “I hope you don’t regret it, Cheetor! I can cross rougher terrain than you! This isn’t a flat plain like last time!” He snorted again as he turned and back to run, and Saphira chuckled as the maximal splashed water in Cheetor’s face when he ran off. “Come on! Try and keep up!”
Cheetor shook off the water from his face and let out a low growl. “I do enjoy a challenge. Hang on tight, Saphira. We are going to leave him lost in the jungle.”
Saphira giggled and gasped loudly when Cheetor began to run. She held tightly so she could not fall off, but as Cheetor ran along the shallow river, Saphira relaxed and enjoyed the feeling of the wind flowing through her hair. Cheetor was definitely fast. Though he was running quite lightly over the shallow river, which was not much of a surprise to her. She did not know where exactly they were going, but that was okay.
Rhinox was fast as well, but she could see that Cheetor was running a lot faster than he was. Even though Saphira knew that the two maximals were racing each other, she was enjoying the warm air rushing by her and the feeling of her hair flowing in the wind. She has never felt this feeling before, and it made her feel free, and she was taking it all in, knowing this might be the only time she would get to enjoy it. And she was glad that Cheetor extended that invitation to her to enjoy this ride.
Cheetor ran closer to Rhinox and chuckled loudly. “I am catching up, Rhinox. I think you underestimated my light feet over the water and rocks, old friend. You might want to not miscalculate next time.”
Rhinox turned his head slightly with a snort. “You haven’t passed me yet!”
Cheetor chuckled as he moved to the right to pass Rhinox, though the maximal moved to the right to block him. Cheetor was amused as Rhinox was large and getting around him can be a challenge. He glanced to the right and moved to the right again, though as he did, he climbed up the side of a bank by the river. Saphira giggled as she held on tight while Cheetor ran over the rocky bank leading up to a cliff.
“Hold on tight, Saphira!” Cheetor warned the girl, making her tense a little upon hearing his warning. “I’m going to make a leap. If you fall, Rhinox will be there to catch you…and we will bring you back to Optimus to prevent any further injury.”
“Understood. But that won’t be necessary.” Saphira knew she had no seatbelt, since the maximals do not seem to be able to transform into vehicles, so she was holding on tight. “This is already a lot of fun.”
“I am glad to hear that.” Cheetor was glad that the girl was having a lot of fun. He ran to the top of the cliff and leaped forward, with Rhinox glancing up as Cheetor jumped over him. “You’ll never be as agile as me, old friend.”
Saphira herself gasped loudly when Cheetor jumped from the cliff. She did not let out a scream, but she held on tightly and began to giggle as Cheetor angled his body towards the river before landing on his feet. He chuckled when she let out a squeal from the landing, and some water kicked up on her as well, which did not bother her at all. It felt refreshing to her if she was honest, and as Cheetor continued to run, Saphira continued to giggle excitedly.
“I am glad that you are having fun, Saphira. It’s been a while since I have met a human that I like. I barely know you, but I think we are going to get along just fine!” Saphira nodded in agreement as Cheetor continued to run. He glanced back and chuckled lightly. “We are definitely leaving old Rhinox behind now. We aren’t far from our destination.”
Saphira giggled, glancing back and smiling as she could see Rhinox frowning while trying to keep up. Though he did smile at her when he saw her looking back, and it was good to see that the maximals had friendly banter between each other. Saphira looked ahead as Cheetor moved off the river and it seemed he was running up a hill. She did not know where they would be going, but she was excited to see it.
Cheetor slowed down upon reaching the top of the hill before he stopped and looked ahead. Saphira gazed ahead and through the trees, she could see a small tribe. She was surprised as she thought they would go somewhere else. She did not expect to be brought to a native tribe of Peru. It was definitely something she did not think she would ever see, and she did not think that the maximals would trust a piece of their technology with simple people. Unless the key was not giving its signal away.
“Wow…this place is beautiful…” Cheetor turned his head slightly, smiling at Saphira for her comment. “And these people…you must have a good relationship with them, if you brought us to them.”
“We do.” Cheetor nodded affirmatively before he lowered himself to the ground, surprising Saphira, though she guessed he was giving her the opportunity to get off. “We have been protecting this tribe for a long time, Saphira. Though they are not the only people we have contact with. It is easier to connect with the simpler people than with the humans from modern towns and cities.”
“I can believe that.” Saphira already knew why the maximals would avoid modern cities, and that was the reason why Optimus did not trust other humans. She was the only human he trusted. “That was a lot of fun. Thanks, Cheetor. You are definitely a lot faster than a cheetah is.”
“Well…unlike cheetahs, I can run much further than them, even if we ran the same speed.” Cheetor chuckled and turned his head as Rhinox stomped up beside them. “You finally decided to join us, old friend. I guess the walk up the hill was a bit hard on your short, little legs.”
Rhinox snorted and rolled his optics. “I might be heavier than you, Cheetor, but I hit a lot hard when it comes to a fight. You know you would lose if you dared to challenge me to a little friendly wrestling.”
Cheetor chuckled lightly. “Yeah…but I will always be quicker on my feet. You might hit harder, but you are a lot slower.”
Rhinox glanced at Saphira with a sigh. “I guess you can see what I have to put up with.”
Saphira was about to respond when Cheetor just scoffed at Rhinox loudly. “I think it is the other way around…” He turned his head to look at her again. “Trust me when I say he’s stubborn, and generally annoying. But he’s not so bad to be around.”
“I can see that. Nothing wrong with that at all. But…” Saphira rubbed the back of her neck while looking at the two maximals. “I think you probably drive Primal up the wall, honestly. But that’s likely no different to Mirage and…” Saphira paused before her smile faded immediately. “And Bumblebee…w-when he was alive…”
Cheetor’s expression softened as he observed Saphira, and watched as tears fill her eyes, but she forces the tears back so she would not cry. “I assume by your demeanour that Bumblebee was a close friend. And it would have had been Scourge who killed him.” Saphira nodded and took a deep breath. “I am deeply sorry for your loss, Saphira. I know he was an autobot, and likely had deeper roots with the other autobots, but even in a short time, he would have been important to you.”
“Yeah…like a brother…” Saphira glanced up as Stratosphere flew over them, knowing Bee’s body was still within the large plane. “I didn’t have a good childhood. In fact…the people who should have been my family failed to protect me at every turn. So…Mirage and Bumblebee have become like brothers to me. I couldn’t be more grateful.”
“That is very sad to hear, young Saphira,” Rhinox said gently, and she smiled at him a little, appreciating the sympathy he was sharing with her. “We know as much as the autobots on what it feels like to lose family. But you had none until you found the autobots, and lost someone. It never feels good, no matter who it is and how they perished.”
“And it never, ever gets easier. We have lost too many, and it hurts the same.” Saphira nodded in agreement and moved to get off Cheetor’s back. The maximal was very patient as the girl slid off his back, though grimaced as she felt the pain of her injury shooting through her leg. Cheetor observed her and he seemed happy. “I must admit, you are quite a tough, young lady. I am sure that you probably just want to sit down and have Optimus give you a good massage…and more, maybe…” Saphira looked at him in surprise before blushing and looking away. “Ah…you are definitely not as close as Primal is with his sparkmate yet. Understood. It is good to take time with it, so you are doing a very good thing.”
“Well…I am not sure if we will get to be spark bonded, but uh…I think it is best I keep my personal life to myself.” The two maximals chuckle lightly, and Cheetor gently nudged her playfully. “Ugh…at least you don’t have the same way with words as Mirage is.”
“We kind of got that with his remark regarding that gauntlet. But I imagine he still has a big spark, which is why you see him as a brother.” She nodded in agreement as she walked over to a boulder and sat on it, glancing back to see if Primal was not far with the autobots. She could not see them yet, and Cheetor chuckled lightly. “They are not far from us, Saphira. It will be alright. While we could go to the village, it is best Primal leads the way. The villagers may not take so kindly to an outsider human without his presence. They respect him the most, and will accept you with his presence."
"I understand. I am not going to scare them. I would certainly look weird with my clothes." Saphira grabbed her water bottle to drink some more. She gazed around the jungle and sighed deeply, feeling extremely content at the moment. “This place really is beautiful. I’ve heard about the rainbow mountain here. Have you seen it?”
Cheetor nodded. “We have. It does not have the same colors as the natural rainbow formed by light and water, but it is still beautiful. We have not ventured there for a long time due to it being a popular location for tourists. So we cannot admire the beauty like we once did. Though if you want to see it, you should when it is safe to do so. You will not regret it.”
“If it is safe.” Saphira knew not to think and plan too far into the future, as it seemed unknown to her at this time. Especially as they did not know where Scourge was lurking. “I try not to think of good things for the future. I know it is silly…”
“Well, it is,” Rhinox interrupted the girl gently, making her frown at him in irritation. “You should always find something to look forward to in times like this, Saphira. Without the hope of a new tomorrow, why would you even bother proceeding?” Rhinox had a point, even though Saphira was hesitant to wish for a good future at this time. “We have all been there and feeling down, but you really should remember to not let the fear of what might happen prevent you from thinking of the future. While we cannot predict what will happen, we at least can look forward to something, even if it doesn’t happen straight away.”
Saphira did not know if she should think of positives for the future at this time or not right now, but she appreciated Rhinox’s words. “Thanks, Rhinox. I will try. I just know that for me and the autobots…they might be able to get home, or they are stuck here. I am not sure if that is really a win for me or them…does that sound selfish?”
Cheetor shook his head. “No. You love Optimus that you don’t want him to leave, but you will let him go if the time would come, won’t you?” Saphira nodded and did her best to not cry. “Hey, I get it. This is not the kind of situation you imagined when you met the autobots, so…this is harder for you. But know this, Saphira, if they do leave and may not come back, I have no doubt Primal will be more than happy to accept you into our world as well.”
“I…I will definitely hold you guys to that. I…this might be silly, coming from a human, but I have literally no one else in this world. I’ve been hurt by humans, and I don’t think I could be normal, even if I went to college and got a degree for a good job. My mind would now come back to the autobots and maximals. You have been a big impact…even though we just met…though I am meaning Airazor a little bit more.” Saphira shrugged with a chuckle and turned her head as she heard heavy footsteps. She smiled as she saw Primal, Optimus, Mirage, Arcee and Wheeljack walking up the hill. “Took you guys long enough!”
Primal chuckled lightly as he walked up the hill. “We got to enjoy the jungle and river with that very nice, slow walk. It is good that you have been well cared for by my maximals, as I knew they would.” He looked ahead as he reached the top of the hill, gazing at the village ahead of them. “We can now proceed.”
Saphira stood up and slid off the boulder happily. She looked at the village before turning to look at Optimus with a smile. She saw Optimus seemed confused as he looked at the village. She looked back at the village as she observed the basic materials that were used to build it. The village had a herd of goats that were kept in a pen, and they seemed to be quite peaceful. Saphira knew that Optimus had not expected to find themselves approaching a human village.
“I was not expecting this.” Saphira looked at Optimus again and she shrugged before she walked forward to follow Primal. “But these humans do not seem like the humans of New York.”
“That’s because they’re a tribe, Optimus. These people likely have not had any influence of the world beyond their settlement, so they still have their own traditions that they follow. What you are seeing is basically how most humans were at some stage.” Optimus glanced down before looking ahead as they get closer. “It is…it is something a lot of us don’t think about. But…I look at it as something that humans probably miss.”
“What do you mean?” Optimus looked at her with intrigue at her comment. “Why would this be something humans miss?”
“It’s quite simple, Optimus. These people…” She lifts her arm to gesture to the village. “Do not have money, nor do they need it. They obtain their tools, food and materials through hard work, such as foraging, fish, hunting and crafting. They live a far simpler life than humans in New York.” Optimus looked at the village again, listening to Saphira as she spoke about them. “They do have a leader, a tribal chief, but they are usually not chosen randomly. The chief has to be chosen through their works, though that does depend on the tribe.”
“It almost sounds like you are envious of that life.”
“I think with everything I have been through, the simpler life is a far better choice in my mind.” Saphira smiled as she thought about it before she had an idea. “Hmm…well…now that makes me think what I might be able to do if we get back to North America. I don’t need a college degree, and I have a lot of money now.” She thought more on it before giggling. “I think I now have something to look forward to.”
“See! I told you!” Rhinox said enthusiastically as he too was listening to Saphira and Optimus speak. Optimus looked at the maximal curiously, while Saphira giggled. “You have something to look forward to now. Now you don’t need to think so negatively, Saphira. I am not sure what idea you have, but I can tell it is a good one.”
Saphira chuckled as she knew it was a good idea. She will tell Optimus about her idea, but she would do that later. She wanted to remain focused on finding the second half of the key at this time. That was what they were there for. She breathed in the fresh air and followed Primal while walking next to Optimus towards the village. It was a nice, little village and the villagers were quick to notice the maximals and autobots as they approach.
The children of the village seemed to be very happy as they run towards the maximals as the kids laugh loudly and speak in their language. Saphira did not know what language they were speaking, though she had no doubt it was their own language. The maximals seemed to understand though at least, which was good. She watched a few of the kids run over to Cheetor and Rhinox to speak to them. When Airazor landed nearby, the kids were intrigued by the maximal and a few ran up to her, and Airazor allowed the curious children to be near her.
Saphira could see that the maximals and tribe have a deep connection with each other, and it was lovely to see. She could tell that the tribal people were surprised to see a strange human, and they were talking to each other, though the tribal leader walked out of the village and looked at Primal before he began to speak respectfully to the maximal. Saphira did not know what he was saying, but she watched as Primal responded and the two bowed to each other.
Some more conversation was had between the two before the chief spoke to a young girl and he told her to get something. Saphira did still wonder how far back that the maximals have been protecting this tribe, considering how comfortable they were. And they did not even seem alarmed by the autobots, even though they did appear to be commenting about them, given that the autobots do look vastly different from the maximals.
“This is Amaru.” Saphira looked at Primal as the maximal introduced them to the chief of the tribe. “He and his family are the last descendants of a tribe that has watched over us for hundreds of years.” Optimus gazed at the tribe curiously while listening to primal. “When we arrived, they shared their world with us. And together we protected its people.” The girl that the chief had spoken too before walked out of a tent, holding something that was wrapped in cloth, as Saphira stepped closer. “And our secret.”
The chief unwrapped the cloth, and within it, Saphira gasped as she saw the second half of the Transwarp Key sitting on the cloth. She was still curious how it remained hidden, since the other half gave away its position when it became exposed from its vessel. The chief said something to Saphira, though the girl looked at him in confusion, and Saphira felt bad for not understanding what he said to her.
Primal smiled as he sensed Saphira’s confusion and looked at her. “Amaru is welcoming you to the village, and placing his trust of the key to you, Saphira.”
Saphira looked at Primal and smiled at him. “Thanks.” She looked at the man and bowed respectfully. “Thank you for allowing me to stay.” Primal spoke to the chief, translating for her. “I will cause no trouble with your people.”
Optimus observed the tribal people some more before he knelt down slowly. “You allied with humans?”
Primal nodded affirmatively. “We did. This is not our world, Optimus.” Saphira turned to look at Optimus and glance at Primal as he responded to him. “We never came to this planet to inflict violence upon it. As we knew we wouldn’t be able to leave this planet, allying with the natives of this planet was right. I understand you have distrust with humans. And you had it with Saphira, but she’s proven humans can be trustworthy. Enough to the point that you have found yourself feeling nothing but love for a human.”
Optimus glanced at Saphira, and she blushed when his optics looked at her eyes. “It is not unreasonable to trust something straight away, Primal. Yes, Saphira gained our trust." He smiled at her and lowered his hand, and Saphira walked over to him quickly and he lifted her up, gazing at her lovingly. "And I am glad that she did. But I cannot just trust a human so readily.”
“I understand.” Primal seemed to be disappointed by Optimus, though he was not saying it out loud. “It took time for the tribe here to trust us as well. Which is understandable. We are much larger and stronger than humans.”
Optimus nodded in agreement and looked at Primal. “If you give us this key, tomorrow I will light the beacon and bring Scourge to us.” Saphira tensed as she did not know if liked that idea, especially since she did not want any innocent lives to be killed because of that idea.
Primal himself seemed unsure about the idea himself, given his concerned expression. “The maximals have already sacrificed one home to protect the universe. I won’t risk losing another. As a leader, I know you understand.” Optimus had nothing more to say on that, glancing down to the ground. “And it might come to a point where you are going to have to choose, Optimus. I understand there is still a war on Cybertron, but I am not sure if wanting to go back is more important than protecting the entirety of the universe. As much as it will hurt, Unicron cannot gain the power to devour more worlds. He will go after Cybertron, and it will not matter if you win or lose a war.”
Optimus knew that Primal was right. His mind was thinking of the other autobots who were on Cybertron, and if there were many alive…or any at all. He wasn’t thinking of the consequences that might occur if Scourge is lured, but they had to still defeat Scourge. Primal knew this, as Scourge’s presence will remain on this world until his task is done. Scourge will not hesitate to turn his attention to the humans of this world, and force them to give the key.
Saphira did feel really bad for Optimus. She knew that Primal had given Optimus a hard thing to think about. After all, they all had something to lose if Scourge does obtain the key. Saphira placed her hand on Optimus’s cheek, and he looked at her before gently kissing her cheek, making her giggle a little, and she looked up as Stratosphere flew over them and it appeared he was about to make a landing. Optimus stood up and walked towards a clearing to greet Stratosphere, even though Saphira knew that his mind was on Bumblebee. Primal followed, curious to meet the autobot, and he did notice the grief that the autobots were feeling, so he did want to know who they lost, even if there was no way to revive him.
