Chapter Text
Thundercracker woke with a creeping energy under his plating. He needed to fly. Skywarp was still in recharge, so he carefully extracted himself from wan. He poked his helm outside of the burrow to check for threats. When none materialized, he stepped out and took off.
He stayed near the camp, not wanting to get lost or encounter any hostiles—whether that be Autobots or strange Seekers. Quickly, he fell into his usual pattern. Gliding on the wind, he took sharp turn after sharp turn, creating circles and figure eights. It was enough to sate his need without crossing vast distances, though it did leave him dizzy.
When his helm began to spin, he turned in the other direction, following the same patterns. A shadow passed over him. His sensors alerted him to a large object nearby. He paused.
A hovercraft circled him. It was silver and red. He recognized the colors. The Winglord. Did ka want something from him?
Thundercracker descended. The Winglord looped around him before landing. Ka stared down at Thundercracker as ka approached, kas arms folded.
"A very… unique flight pattern," the Winglord said.
Thundercracker forced his plating to lie flat. He couldn't anger the Winglord.
"What's wrong with it?" He asked.
"I've seen it before," Megatron said, kas brow furrowing. "In Seekers who grew up caged."
Caged? Thundercracker was never caged. He was free to fly! He just… wasn't allowed to go very far. Or fly very often.
"I didn't—"
The Winglord raised kas hand. Thundercracker silenced himself.
"I knew a mech once," the Winglord said. "Swift, powerful. But na flew in tight circles like you. Na wasn't given the space to soar in an enclosure, so na worked with what na had."
He made it sound abnormal. But that was just the way Thundercracker flew. He needed to work off the energy and stretch his wings. Doubt crept into the back of his helm.
Was it… wrong? Was there something wrong with him?
"But that's not the point of this conversation," the Winglord said. Then, ka opened kas mouth, speaking the next words in Common: "Starscream told me where you came from."
Thundercracker's spark seized. Ka knew. Ka knew the entire time. Was ka here to kill him? Thundercracker stepped back, preparing to run, but the Winglord held out kas hand.
"I'm not going to harm you," the Winglord said, returning to Vosian. "You aren't the only captive-raised Seeker in our flock. But I want to ensure we won't come to any harm. Are they looking for you?"
Thundercracker shook his helm. He was supposed to be here, so they wouldn't come looking.
"Good," the Winglord said. Ka continued to stare down at Thundercracker, and Thundercracker fought not to shrink. "You will have a chance to prove yourself soon."
Thundercracker's spark turned faster. "Prove myself?"
Suddenly, a strong wind blanketed them, a powerful whoosh coursing through Thundercracker's audials.
"Thundercracker!"
Skywarp? How did wa get here? Skywarp nearly flew into him, waz arms coming up to wrap around him. Waz plating pressed so closely to his that waz spark pulses traveled through it. They were rapid. Cold, stinging fear hung in the air. Thundercracker didn't know if it was waz or his own.
Then, Skywarp stiffened.
"W-Winglord…" wa stammered.
"You're fine," the Winglord said, closing kas optics. "I was merely introducing myself."
"Oh," Skywarp said quietly, tightening waz grip on Thundercracker.
With a nod, Megatron transformed and flew away. The moment ka was out of sight, Skywarp pulled away, frantically examining Thundercracker.
"I woke up and you were gone!" Wa said. "I didn't know where you went, and the Autobots have been getting closer and closer to us! All I could think about was you getting hurt, or captured, or—"
"I'm okay," Thundercracker said.
Skywarp shook waz helm and pulled him in again, burying waz helm in his shoulder. Waz spark was still pulsing rapidly, but not as rapidly as before. Waz wings shook. Slowly, Thundercracker lowered them to the ground.
Why was Skywarp so scared? He hadn't been gone for that long, had he? Wa said Autobots killed waz birth flock, and said they were coming closer. Was wa afraid of losing him, even though they'd only met so recently?
Come to think of it, Thundercracker hadn't seen Skywarp with anyone else. Did wa also have no one to rely on? Was that why wa was so scared to lose him?
Whatever the cause, Thundercracker had a shaking Seeker in his arms. He pulled wan closer. What could he do?
Shifting his grip, he reached for one of waz wings. Gently, replicating a motion he'd felt many times but never done himself, he stroked waz wing. Skywarp stiffened, but quickly relaxed into the touch. Eventually, waz spark slowed, and the shaking went away.
Thundercracker released wan. Wa didn't rise, only getting up when he did. Wa hung waz helm, waz wings low.
"I'm sorry," wa said.
"It's okay," Thundercracker said. "Let's go hunt."
His fuel gauge was complaining, and he still needed to get something for Blast that cycle. The two took off to seek prey.
As Thundercracker flew beside Skywarp, his processor drifted back to the Winglord's remark about his flight pattern. When they went on the hunt, he nearly missed his first pounce. The petrorabbit almost slipped away, but Thundercracker landed just close enough to grab it.
Other Seekers didn't fly in circles. Other Seekers knew what a nest was. Other Seekers knew how big to make their burrow.
But Autobots didn't claw walls. They didn't kill scraplets. Their sparks didn't hurt when they slept alone. They didn't struggle to fit through doors.
Thundercracker was a bad Autobot and a bad Seeker.
Suddenly, the scute of plating in his mouth wasn't appealing anymore. His fuel gauge wasn't full, but he couldn't bring himself to eat. He laid the plating next to the petrorabbit it came from.
Skywarp frowned.
"What's up?" She said.
Thundercracker closed his optics. The air around Skywarp bubbled with concern. Scrap it all.
"Am I a bad Seeker?" Thundercracker asked.
Skywarp's olfactory ridge scrunched. Waz wings flicked.
"You're different," wa said. "Not bad. Just different."
"You had to show me how to make a nest," Thundercracker mumbled.
"I didn't show you anything," Skywarp said. "Just… reminded you. You knew what to do. You only needed to remember."
Skywarp didn't know. Wa probably just assumed he came from a strange flock like Sunstorm did. He couldn't tell wan. He had no way of telling how wa would react, especially knowing Autobots killed waz birth flock.
"We need to keep hunting," Thundercracker said, standing up. "We still have to catch something for Blast."
Skywarp hadn't objected when he told wa about his promise. Wa had simply nodded, a brief flash of determination crossing the air. So, for the last few cycles, they'd been hunting for three.
!!!
Thundercracker carried the ferrowolf proudly. It took both of them to take it down, but it was more than enough for even all three of them. He searched the valley for Blast, finding nam in the same spot na always sat. Gazing optics penetrated Thundercracker's plating, but he forced himself to ignore them. Skywarp pressed closer to him, the air around wa buzzing nervously.
Settling next to Blast, Thundercracker laid the ferrowolf between them. Blast's optics widened as na stared down at it.
"I told you not to strain yourself," Blast said.
Thundercracker smiled. "Do I look strained?"
Blast leaned down to pry a scute from the ferrowolf. "I suppose not. But this is more than I can eat. You'll have to share with me."
Thundercracker's fuel gauge wasn't quite low, but carrying the ferrowolf back did take quite a bit of fuel. He shrugged, prying a scute. He handed it to Skywarp before taking another for himself.
Just as he finished his piece, a shadow fell over them. Anger traveled through the air, envy at its edges. Thundercracker looked up, but was careful not to meet the optics of the Seekers that glared down at them.
The first was Dirge, dentae bared and claws flexed. The second was a white Seeker with black and red accents, obviously the third member of Dirge's trine. A low hum filled the air, traveling straight to Thundercracker's spark chamber. The back of his processor begged him to cower.
Blast's wings lowered as na closed nas optics. Skywarp yelped, waz claws digging into Thundercracker's back as wa attempted to scramble behind him.
"Give us the ferrowolf," the white Seeker said. "And maybe we'll think of sparing your plating."
Thundercracker dug his claws into the dirt. He bared his dentae, a growl rising from his engine. That was his prey—he and Skywarp caught it!
Dirge growled back, the hum growing louder. Thundercracker shook himself, tuning out the noise, and rose. He fanned his wings wide and hissed.
"No!" He said. "Get your own."
The slightest twitch alerted Thundercracker. Before the strike could land, he was already out of the way. He spun, using the momentum to strike back. His fist hit the white Seeker's face with a clang. The white Seeker stumbled backward.
Dirge was already upon him, claws raking his plating. Whirling, Thundercracker stuck back. His claws raked the side of Dirge's face and shoulder. Dirge slammed kas elbow into Thundercracker's chest. The force sent Thundercracker backward, his chest stinging.
He tripped over the ferrowolf's leg, barely catching himself in time. Claws seized his helm, wrapping around to his face. Thundercracker bit down on the few that dared come close to his dentae. The Seeker loosened waz grip, giving Thundercracker just enough space to turn and kick wan.
The Seeker yelped, tumbling to the ground on their dorsal strut. Air rushed near Thundercracker's wing. He turned, snapping at Dirge's reaching hand. Then, he growled, summoning the part of him that made the ground shake.
The dirt around them rippled like water from the force as Thundercracker's audials cut out. Dirge slid backward, kas pedes leaving trails in the dirt. Kas optics widened. Ka backed away, wings still spread wide.
Sound returned to the world. Thundercracker readied himself to summon the force again.
"What is this?"
The three fighting Seekers froze as the Winglord's voice roared. Irritation pierced the air. Immediately, Dirge and kas trinemate sank to their knees. Thundercracker was soon to follow.
The Winglord stood before them, arms crossed and wings set high. Skywarp darted out from behind him, catching Thundercracker's optics before wa disappeared with a quiet pop. Well, that explained how wa found him earlier…
"Winglord!" The white Seeker said. "We were attempting to reallocate resources to someone more deserving."
There was an undercurrent to waz voice. It crept into the back of Thundercracker's processor, begging him to believe the Seeker's words, but his anger shoved it away. How dare this Seeker insinuate they didn't deserve prey they'd rightfully caught?
"Ramjet," the Winglord scolded, cuffing the white Seeker over the helm. The white Seeker—Ramjet—flinched. "Do not attempt to use your ability on me."
Ability…? Was that what the undercurrent was?
"My apologies, Winglord!" Ramjet squeaked. "B-but you must understand! Thrust has kindled. We need the fuel."
The Winglord scowled. "So you decided to fight your flockmates, reducing both your and their capacity to battle the Autobots, rather than getting your lazy pedes off the ground and hunting more?"
Ramjet lowered waz wings and scrunched waz optics shut. Dirge did the same.
"We apologize, Winglord," Ramjet said.
The Winglord growled. Then, ka turned to Thundercracker. Thundercracker curled in on himself. Was he about to be cuffed over the helm, too?
"You have a powerful ability," the Winglord said.
Powerful? Thundercracker supposed it was. Though, he wasn't quite sure what it was in the first place. His audials always cut out when he activated it, so maybe it was sound-based?
"Do not use it in the camp again."
Thundercracker nodded, still keeping his helm low. "I won't."
The Winglord flicked kas wings. Ka took a step back with a grunt. The irritation in the air faded, but didn't fully disappear.
"Give Dirge's trine what's left of the ferrowolf when you're done with it," the Winglord said. "They are correct that they need the sustenance, and a ferrowolf is far more than enough for three mecha. I had better not catch any of you fighting in the camp again."
Thundercracker nodded. Beside him, Ramjet and Dirge did the same. Satisfied, the Winglord took off, landing in front of kas burrow. Ka sat at the front of it, watching the rest of the camp.
Before the group could dissipate, a whoosh of air passed over them. Ahead of them was Sunstorm, a small frown on nas face. From behind na scampered Skywarp, who quickly darted behind Thundercracker. Sunstorm approached slowly.
"Which of you lovely Seekers am I treating first?" Na said.
Before anyone could speak, Thundercracker sat back down in front of the ferrowolf, leaving Sunstorm with Dirge and Ramjet. He wasn't injured—as far as he could tell, anyway—but he'd gotten a few good blows in. The scratch on Dirge's face was already weeping energeon.
He dug his claws into the ferrowolf's abdomen and wrenched it open, exposing its internals. Running his claws along its edges, he slowly pulled out its spark chamber. Then, he handed it off to Blast. Na dipped nas helm at him, gratefulness softening the air.
Thundercracker proceeded calmly, even as anger burned in his spark. Using his limited experience, he carved out the tastiest parts of the ferrowolf, handing them off as soon as he could. The less left, the better. Good reason or not, those scrapheaps would benefit as little as possible from stealing from him.
If they had asked, he would have offered. Likely would have divided the spark chamber among all of them. Instead, they threatened him, Skywarp, and Blast. Thundercracker cut off a growl before it could escape him. They didn't deserve anything, not even scraps.
Something pressed against his shoulder. Thundercracker stiffened, but quickly relaxed as he caught sight of purple plating. It was Skywarp, leaning waz chin on his shoulder.
"I can't believe you did that," wa said quietly.
"I couldn't let them take it," Thundercracker said.
Skywarp nuzzled his shoulder. "It's just prey. We could hunt more."
It wasn't just prey. Something about it was important. Thundercracker just couldn't put his claws on what.
"But still," Skywarp said. "You looked… different… out there. Like a Claw defending kas Spark. I didn't know you could split the air like that."
Split the air… Skywarp must've been referring to his ability.
"I've only used it a couple of times," Thundercracker admitted.
"It's powerful," Skywarp said. "Winglord Megatron even said so. You're powerful."
Skywarp's tone was affectionate, the lightness of awe and admiration floating through the air. Thundercracker fought not to preen, knowing that it would dislodge Skywarp from his shoulder. He liked having wa there. The pressure was nice.
"I am," Thundercracker said.
Sunstorm was finished with Dirge. Na moved on to Ramjet, slathering the mech's scratches in some sort of gel. How much longer did Thundercracker have before Sunstorm approached him?
"You have an ability, too," Thundercracker said. "I didn't realize until now."
"I do," Skywarp said, scooting closer to him.
Thundercracker had a realization he should've had ages ago: Skywarp. Corruption of space and time. Skywarp was named after waz ability.
"You can teleport," Thundercracker said.
Skywarp stiffened slightly, then pressed waz deeper into his side. "Yes. I can. But only short distances. Long ones take a lot of fuel."
"That's cool," Thundercracker said.
And he meant it. How much would he have gotten up to if he could teleport? The Autobot base wouldn't have been able to handle it. Prowl's spark probably would've given out from the sheer amount of trouble he would've caused.
Sunstorm finished with Ramjet. Na turned toward Thundercracker. He was tempted to ask Skywarp to teleport him away then and there, but there wasn't any point in fleeing. Sunstorm would just find him again later.
He widened his wings as Sunstorm approached. Sunstorm lowered nas, closing nas optics with a sigh.
"There's no need for that," na said.
Thundercracker kept his wings wide even as Sunstorm knelt in front of him. He fought not to bare his dentae as Sunstorm examined him. When Sunstorm made contact, Thundercracker backed away, his back slamming into the rock they were leaning against. His wings hit Skywarp's helm as he moved, and wa let out a quiet noise.
Sunstorm's optics drifted toward Skywarp. Before he could stop himself, Thundercracker growled. Sunstorm hummed.
"You fought well," Sunstorm said softly.
Thundercracker's plating relaxed, but only a smidge. He did fight well.
"You protected your meal and the others," Sunstorm said. "I'm not going to take anything from you, and I'm not going to hurt anyone. The glass of your cockpit is cracked and I want to put a salve on it."
Thundercracker flicked his wings. He glanced at Skywarp. Wa dipped waz helm toward Sunstorm. Thundercracker scooted forward.
Sunstorm nodded and opened nas cockpit, taking out a small container. It was composed of tightly woven branches, similarly to a nest. Na took off the lid and dipped nas claws in. The substance inside was sticky and thick, transparent with a yellow tint.
Slowly, na brought his claws to Thundercracker's cockpit. Na smeared the gel across a large crack that Thundercracker hadn't noticed. It stung. Thundercracker dug his claws into the dirt until na finished.
"There," Sunstorm said. "Thank you for letting me treat you."
Sunstorm backed away, but na didn't leave. Thundercracker flicked his wings, reaching for Skywarp. Wa allowed waz to be pulled, sinking into him. Sunstorm smiled.
"You should find a Claw for your couplet," na said. "Playing Claw is bad for a Spark."
Playing Claw…? Did Sunstorm believe that just because he was supposedly a Spark, he couldn't defend himself? What a load of scrap!
"I've been training to fight since I was a seekerling," Thundercracker said.
Sunstorm turned away, rolling nas shoulder.
"Then it makes sense you're such an admirable fighter," na said. "But conflict between trines is what Claws are for."
Thundercracker forced himself not to growl. If he stayed quiet, maybe Sunstorm would just leave. And, eventually, he was proven right. Sunstorm turned away gracefully, heading toward nas burrow.
Nas departure gave Thundercracker the space to process nas words fully. Couplet…? Na had to be referring to him and Skywarp, but what did it mean?
Thundercracker turned toward Skywarp, leaning his chin on the top of Skywarp's helm. "What's a couplet?"
Skywarp pulled away. Wa frowned.
"An incomplete trine," wa said.
"Are we?" Thundercracker asked.
Skywarp's helm snapped up, waz optics widening. Digging waz claws into his plating, wa grabbed Thundercracker. The world contorted around them, and suddenly, they were in their nest. Thundercracker blinked away a wave of dizziness.
Skywarp's claws sank in. Wa shook him.
"You don't know?" Wa hissed, fear turning the air cold.
"Know what?"
"The stone I gave you!" Skywarp said. "It was a courting gift! You accepted it!"
Thundercracker had taken the stone, that much was certain. He didn't know why he felt the need to pull Skywarp in, or why he wanted wa close now, but it was starting to make sense.
"How could you not—? You didn't—?" Skywarp had turned away now, claws grasping waz helm as wa curled in on waz. "Do you even—"
Thundercracker reached for wan, pulling wan back into his arms. Waz fans were already whirring, waz spark pulsing under his touch. The fear in the air was overwhelming now. Thundercracker fought a shudder.
Skywarp was the only mech who was friendly to him when he first arrived. Wa had been nothing but kind. Wa cared about him deeply enough to panic like this. And after the fight with Dirge's trine, Thundercracker knew he cared back.
He didn't know what trining entailed other than a spending one's life with their trinemates. Would it be so bad to spend his life with Skywarp?
He had to tell wan.
"This is my first time being around other Seekers," Thundercracker said. "I didn't know. It just felt right. But I'd do it again."
Skywarp returned the embrace. Waz claws pricked Thundercracker's plating, but he didn't mind.
"You mean that?" wa asked.
"I do," Thundercracker said. "I don't know what trining entails, but there's no other Seeker I'd choose."
Skywarp buried waz helm in his shoulder. Wa slumped into him, relaxing completely. Wa laughed quietly—a sad, broken sound. But the fear in the air receded, hesitantly replaced with joy.
"I can teach you," Skywarp said. "All you'll need is some reminding."
Thundercracker rested his helm against Skywarp's.
"I'm looking forward to it."
!!!
Thundercracker woke with energy under his plating again. He poked Skywarp in the helm until the other Seeker stirred, then mumbled that he was going out. Wa mumbled something unintelligible back, quickly falling back into recharge. Satisfied that Skywarp at least understood enough not to wake up in a panic like a couple of cycles ago, Thundercracker left the nest and flew off.
He flew a short distance from the camp before beginning his typical pattern, widening and shrinking its radius as he soared. When dizziness began to creep up on him, he reversed direction. The turns—both tight and wide—lightened his spark.
But he couldn't keep going forever. Eventually, an ache blossomed in his helm as his gyroscopic sensors complained, sending him an alert. He spun slightly as he lost track of his position, the attempt to catch himself only making it worse. But Thundercracker was used to it.
Eventually, he would be flung outside of the pattern. He would spin until the momentum was used up, not knowing up from down. When he finally stopped moving, he would lower himself to the ground and lay there until his helm stopped hurting.
But the loss of control never came. Something brushed against his wing, steadying him. It brought him toward the ground, guiding him into a gentle landing. He transformed as he landed, hitting the ground before falling into a heap.
Thundercracker closed his optics, the ache in his helm intensifying. Before he could curl in on himself, his front half was lifted. A hand massaged his helm as he was placed into another Seeker's lap.
"You could've crashed," Skywarp said meekly.
"Kinda the idea," Thundercracker mumbled. "Controlled crash."
"That's… not really a thing," Skywarp said.
Thundercracker scrunched his olfactory ridge. "I knew what I was doing. I've done it a lot."
Skywarp paused waz stroking.
"You've spun yourself dizzy a lot on purpose?" Wa asked.
Thundercracker repositioned himself, scooting further onto Skywarp's lap. "Yeah. It feels really good until it doesn't."
A weak wind blew through the clearing.
"It feels 'good'," Skywarp repeated.
"It does!" Thundercracker said.
Was the Winglord right? Was there something wrong with it? With him?
"Is that bad?" Thundercracker asked.
Skywarp pulled him closer.
"No," wa said. "Not bad. Just different. You're different."
Scrap it. He was going to tell wan. Wa had to know. Maybe wa would run away. Maybe wa would be angry. But wa wouldn't hurt him.
"There's a reason for that," Thundercracker said.
Skywarp hummed, stroking his helm again.
"I wasn't raised by Seekers."
Waz hand tensed, claws nearly digging into his helm. As if realizing, wa pulled waz hand away.
"What were you raised by?" Wa asked quietly.
"Autobots," Thundercracker said.
Skywarp shuddered.
"Autobots," she repeated. "So they did kill your flock."
Thundercracker opened his optics, daring to look up at wan. Wa stared off, waz wings low, with a grimace. As a moment passed in silence, waz words sank in.
Thundercracker hadn't thought about how the Autobots obtained him. At first, he hadn't even known he was different from them. But it made too much sense. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe liked to brag about the Seekers they'd killed or injured. Every mission was undertaken with the aim of eradicating the Seekers.
Every Seeker he spoke to framed flocklessness as a death sentence. They pitied him for claiming to have no prior flock. Seekers were organized in trines. They were never alone.
So how else would the Autobots obtain a lone seekerling, if they hadn't killed his birth flock?
"I guess so," he said, voice weaker than intended.
He hadn't known any of them. He didn't know if he wanted to. Thundercracker had always known Prowl adopted him—that wasn't a secret. He had long accepted that his sire and dam were dead.
But a whole flock?
Would he be 'normal' if they had raised him? Would he have known how to build nests? Would one of them have taught him what a trine was, and the different roles within one? Would they have taught him how to hunt? If they had raised him, would he still be himself?
Thundercracker didn't know. Maybe it was best he didn't.
"If—" Skywarp's voice cracked. "If you spin around again, let me catch you, okay? I don't want you to get hurt."
"Okay."