A Burden Shared 6

A Burden Shared

A Transformers Prime Fanfiction

Chapter 6

     The two humans followed Predaking silently. They had not realized how much time had passed while they had been speaking and night was coming on. Darksteel was resting outside of the hut and followed behind them as his leader guided them deep into a maze of the armored cottonwood trees. They stopped before what appeared to be a slightly uneven place in the ground and Predaking knelt. He gripped the layer of planetskin in his talons and heaved, lifting away a section to reveal a cavern mouth lit from within with energon glow.
    “Come my children,” he murmured gently.
    Jack glanced at Miko and they both wondered if Predaking was speaking to them, or to Darksteel and Skylynx, but an odd rustling drew their attention back to the cave mouth. Miko gasped and Jack cried out as two impossibly tiny Predacons crawled out of the den. One was a perfect little replica of Predaking save that his plating was a dusty blue and his snout was still baby-round. The other looked like a griffin and ran immediately to Darksteel chitterling happily. Jack realized he was weeping and roughly brushed away the tears. He felt Miko grab his free hand and squeeze it in excitement as the little ones peered around their respective Guardians’ shoulders to get a look at the newcomers. Skylynx came out last and resealed the den.
    “Darksteel, Skylynx, take the sparklings to play by the crystal pools,” Predaking ordered as soon as he was done reassuring his own. “I will come to you later but for now I need to speak to our guests.”
    The two mature Predacons led their shy charges away while the humans stared on in awe.
     “So it is clear that the Well of Allsparks needs you,” Jack declared, finding his voice and turning his attention back to the original reason they had come here, “and also clear that you will need Ratchet’s aid as well. What is wrong with the interim council’s proposal to that effect?”
    “They would grant me the position of Guardian of the Well.” Predaking growled at the thought.
    “Isn’t that what you want though?” Miko asked in confusion.
Predaking looked like he was about to snap at her but seemed to consider her tear streaked face for a long moment before responding with gruff gentleness.
    “The duties of guarding the Well of Allsparks are mine by right. They cannot be granted or defined by an elected body. They come from Primus himself. Just as do my duties to my sparkling.”
    “So would you accept a proposal that acknowledges those existing rights?” Jack asked.
    Predaking hesitated and stared long and hard at the human before speaking. “You are the official ambassador to Cybertron though your government does not even officially have an open relationship with any alien species and even though you have yet to reach your full maturity.”
    “So what?” Miko demanded but Jack motioned her to be silent.
    “That is true,” he admitted. “It was necessary for me to have some legal standing to represent Earth in a matter concerning an uncle of mine who had been wronged by Shockwave.”
    Predaking gave a long heated exvent and considered this. “I do not wish the council, whoever sits on it, to make judgments concerning the Well or the Predacons without one of our own there to observe and defend our rights.”
    “Totally!” Miko interjected. “No taxation without representation!”
    Predaking stared at her delighted face blankly for a moment before continuing. “But we are too few and our duties too great,” he indicated the direction Darksteel and Skylynx had led the sparkling off, “to allow for even one of us to be present there.” His optics sharpened and a rather disturbing grin spread across his faceplates. “However if someone we accepted as one of our own, someone bound to us through the Well were to agree to serve as our proxy…”
    Jack felt that sinking sensation again that had first appeared when Ratchet had explained the significance of the Key Optimus had entrusted him with. It was the feeling of standing on the edge of an ocean cliff and knowing that you had no real choice but to jump into the pounding surf, not knowing where it would take you.  He stood and faced Predaking’s shrewd gaze.
    “Here I am, my brother,” Jack’s voice trembled as he spoke, “send me.”