Chapter 7: Secret Garden

The cave was much more lively than it ever was. Solarflare was a great helper and always ready to prove himself. He was great at fixing equipment and always trying to make use of things; however, there was a slight problem. With another mouth to feed, energon rations were becoming scarce.

Firespark sighed and looked at the shelf that held two remaining cubes. "Solarflare, I need to go on a supply run again."

"Do you need me to come with you?' he asked, setting down a wielder.

She shook her helm, "No, I think I'll be okay. Weren't you going to see Skyrider today?"

The mech nodded his helm, "Yeah, I guess I did say that. How long do you think you'll be gone?"

"I'm not sure. Our reserve is critical, so maybe all day. Just until I can find something that can last us a few more days." Firespark replied, heading toward the cave entrance.

"All right. Be safe, and I'll say hi to Skyrider for you." Solarflare watched her pink frame disappear into the shadows of the forest, waving bye.

Solarflare walked on a grassy path that was trodden flat after many treks down the same trail. There were many trails like this one, but this was special to the pair. It led to the grassy plain that harbored a family member and memories.

There was a casual grace to the meadow as if it had an awareness of its natural beauty yet would rather be at peace in the warm morning sun. A journey through the plain was a sigh of relief, a happy song, and bright with all the Earth's beautiful hues. Bees buzzed like a choir in the wildflowers that stood with pride around the rocks that surround the grave. What once was a dirt mound was starting to grow heads of grass.

Solarflare bent a knee in front of the pile of rocks and smiled. "Hey brother, long time no see. I'd think you'd have liked it here. There's so much to learn about this planet's creatures and floral. It's not the peaceful life our parents wanted, but it's what we got. I miss you, but I know you are in a much better place; after all, there's no war in the Well of Alsparks."

He remained in that position, recalling fond memories of them wanting to navigate the stars together and watching gladiator battles on the HUD screens. He chuckled softly at the trouble he would get them into, wandering into restricted areas and following their sire when he went to work.

His optics gazed up at the pale sky. Grey clouds were starting to form and clump together. Rain was on its way, and Solarflare rose to his full height and bid his brother goodbye.

As he began his trek back to the cave, he realized how bored he would be while Firespark was away. He finished his project with the chemical analyzer, and the cave was spotless. 'Maybe I should spend the day at the lake before the storm hits,' he thought to himself. The mech stopped in place when he noticed something sitting in the tall grasses.

The object was round and had a dark gray color. Scorch marks adorned the top of it. A dark screen was on the front of it, obscuring the contents inside.

Solarflare rubbed his blue optics when he saw something move inside of it. They were wide in shock when muffled whimpering sounded out, and the object began to rock. To say he was shocked was an understatement; he was panicking.

After a moment's breath, Solarflare was quick to open the lid. He gasped as he saw a small form lying underneath a blanket. It squirmed as it tried removing the fabric out of their face. The mech pulled back the blanket revealing a light gray protoform.

The sparkling had light blue optics and was very small compared to an average sparkling. It gazed up at the red and orange mech in confusion as the two stared at each other; before smiling and reaching its servos out.

Cautiously, Solarflare lifted the sparkling out of its pod and looked it over. Having no experience with sparklings, he awkwardly held the fragile form in his strong arms. But the sparkling didn't seem to mind and only laughed at the mech before them. "Where'd you come from, huh?"

Without warning, a strike of lightning fell from the sky, and the sound of thunder made itself heard. The sparkling, unaccustomed to loud noises or flashes of light, began to cry out of fear.

Sire protocols took over Solarflare's processor, and he held the sparkling over his shoulder, gently soothing the infant as he continued the journey home. "It's all right there. It's only a little thunder." To his delight, the sparkling's cries turned into sniffles.

The cave entrance came into view, and Solarflare quickly ducked into the protective cover of the rocky formation. Rain pattered on the roof of the cave, creating a soothing effect on the sparkling. The sparklet's curious sky eyes swiveled around the room, taking in the surroundings.

Solarflare sat on the berth and placed the sparkling on his lap, "What am I going to do with you?" His optics widened, "What will Firespark say about this?!" Sure the femme seemed capable of handling a sparkling, but he was afraid. There was a high probability that she didn't want the sparkling or would be just a frightened as him. Energon was scarce for the pair, would there be enough to feed another bot? There was also the chance of ruining their budding relationship.

The sparkling, unaware of the mech's inner turmoil, cooed at him and patted his faceplate with it's miniature servo. Solarflare grunted as the pats became a nuisance, "You're lucky that you're tiny and cute." He smiled but stiffened at the oncoming pede steps.

"Solarflare, can you help me with this?" Firespark called out, sounding strained.

The startled mech quickly placed the sparkling in a small cart and covered it with a tarp before rushing out to help the struggling femme. Firespark was carrying two large cargo containers stacked on top of each other, obscuring her vision. Solarflare lifted the top one off, revealing the weary femme, "I told you'd that you needed me,"

Firespark huffed, setting her container by the small waterfall. She would deal with them later. The mech placed his down and laid his servos on his hips, "Is there any more?"

Nodding her helm, Firespark sat down, much to Solarflare's anxiety, right next to the crate housing the sparkling. "There's at least five more of those cargo holds. We hit the jackpot, as humans say."

The red and orange mech sidestepped in front of the crate, "Well, um, are you going to retrieve them now?"

Confused and tired, the femme stared at him, "No, not right now. Tomorrow morning when it's cooler, and I'm more rested up. If you're so concerned about it, why don't you go do it yourself?" Firespark lifted the blanket over her pink frame and rolled over with her back facing him.

Solarflare rubbed his helm, "No, no, it's alright. Tomorrow sounds perfect. Sorry," Sheeplishly, he laid on the other berth, looking at the tired femme.

Rustling noises came from the crate, causing the mech to roll onto his other side, "Quiet you. You don't want to wake Firespark when she's tired."