Of Claws and Compassion

Chapter 1 - A Bad Suggestion

Harsh autumn storms and relentless ocean waves had proved fatal, especially for the forests on Sodor and Misty Island. Mud slides had covered countless roads and rails, and fallen trees only added to the huge mess.

And although they would be able to clean up of the mess on Sodor, there weren't nearly enough recourses or volunteers to help the Logging Locos clean up Misty Island. But that didn't mean the Logging Locos weren't going to give their all to clear up their home; after all, no one made messes on their island except them.

Still, a bit of help would have been greatly appreciated by them.

"Hey, I got an idea!" Bash giddily announced after shunting a cart of fallen tree limbs out of the way.

"Since when do you get ideas?" Dash joked with a grin.

Bash scoffed and rolled his eyes, "If you're done mocking me, you should start listening. I was thinking we should ask someone for help, someone who's big."

"Gordon?" Dash guessed.

"No, I'm talking about someone else. He's a leader-."

"Thomas?" Ferdinand piped up.

"No, he's-."

"James?"

"Emily?"

"Spencer?"

"Rheneas?"

"Are you two done?" Bash deadpanned, interrupting Dash and Ferdinand's frequent guesses, "What I was going to say, is that we need Diesel Ten's help."

"Diesel Ten?!" Dash and Ferdinand gasped in unison.

"Are you crazy?! That bastard will crush us all in seconds!" Dash quickly stated.

"Not if we stay on his good side," Bash argued.

"A-And we're not allowed ta look for Diesel Ten without Sir Topham Hatt's permission anyway. It's too dangerous without Sir Topham Hatt ta keep that clawed cretin in line," Ferdinand whimpered.

Bash's lips curled into a confident smirk, "We'll be fine. You know what they say: You're only in trouble if you get caught."

Diesel Ten normally confined himself to small and secluded areas, which surprised the Logging Locos since Misty Island had many more quiet places to hide than Sodor; not that they wanted Diesel Ten hanging around on their island a lot.

Despite Sir Topham Hatt keeping a close eye on him and giving him a good scolding when he did misbehave, Diesel Ten was still quite dangerous and rarely bothered. Even Sir Topham Hatt knew only to request his help when there were huge emergencies, or otherwise risk getting crushed to death by the diesel's giant claw.

But even with those terrifying thoughts racing around in their fireboxes, Bash, Dash and Ferdinand continued on through the tunnel that connected Misty Island and Sodor. Once they were on Sodor, the three engines headed straight for the one place Diesel Ten would consider home: The Dieselworks.

Diesel Ten still prided himself and his fellow diesels greatly, so the Diesel Works was another trophy to him, especially after it was rebuilt and given a grand new design. Although, even with the new design, Diesel Ten always preferred most of the lights in the building to be left off, as to keep the "dark and foreboding" aura of his territory.

And it worked. The Logging Locos still felt their fireboxes run cold as they pulled into the Dieselworks, and the dark and thick thunder clouds in the sky didn't help in regards of making the area look less intimidating. But with their task still at hand, Bash puffed forward and looked around nervously.

"Hello?! Diesel Ten?! Are you here?!" Bash called out, earning no response for a moment.

"We wanna talk to you!" Dash finally spoke up.

"That's right!" Ferdinand couldn't help but add loudly.

But still, there was nothing but silence and the occasional soft rumble of thunder overhead to respond. So, the three engines puffed further into the Dieselworks, but refused to go into the shadows of the building.

"I-I don't think he's here. Let's just go home," Ferdinand fearfully suggested while attempting to back away.

"And leave without giving my precious Pinchy a bit of relief? Now that, Sirs, is just plain rude," came an all-too familiar voice that practically dripped with venom, as the owner of the voice crept out from the shadows with a clank of his claw.

It was none other than Diesel Ten, huge claw, conniving grin and all. The Logging Locos found themselves frozen with fear, to which Diesel Ten took the opportunity to oil closer to them. Even when he seemed amused, Diesel Ten was still capable of being completely unpredictable.

"My poor claw hardly ever finds something suitable enough to relieve the stress in its wires and hydraulics. You know it is," Diesel Ten slowly explained, giving his claw a softer clank.

"W-Well, th-that's because Sir Topham Hatt said-," Bash began with a quiver, but Diesel Ten cut him off with a snap of his claw.

"Oh, shut up!" Diesel Ten seethed through clenched teeth, but exhaled to calm down, "I know what 'big boss' said: No more terrorizing the citizens of Sodor, and no more destroying lives and personal property."

"Th-That's…right," Ferdinand chuckled nervously.

Diesel Ten merely rolled his eyes, remembering how repetitive Ferdinand could be before continuing, "Either way, I am still privileged to finding something thick enough to withstand my strength—and you three must be very thick to come out here all by yourselves. So, pray tell, why have you come to seek an audience with me?"

"Well—everything's a mess after all those storms, and we don't have nearly enough help to clean up Misty Island. So, we thought…" Bash bravely spoke up, but found it difficult to keep speaking under Diesel Ten's harsh gaze, "…w-we thought we'd…ask you…for help."

A heavy silence fell upon them. None of the four engines moved or spoke, for the Logging Locos feared the Diesel Ten's reaction to their request for help. But suddenly, Diesel Ten broke the silence with a dark and deep chuckle while gently grinding his claw.

"You're all thicker than I thought. I don't give a damn about your island, and I certainly couldn't care about you," Diesel Ten spoke softly, as he backed into the shadowy confines of the Dieselworks, "You had better go before I change my mind about letting you leave without any fresh dents."

Dash and Ferdinand were too scared to test Diesel Ten's patience and didn't hesitate to back away, but Bash was still determined to try and get his point across. Too bad his stubbornness clouded his judgment.

"That's not fair! It's not like you have anything better to do! How can you call yourself useful at this point?!" Bash snapped and held his ground, making Dash and Ferdinand freeze in terror. They feared the worst for their friend.

Bash's bold statement also caught Diesel Ten's full attention, and he slowly came back out of the shadows with his teeth clenched and fire in his eyes.

"You, Little Steamie, are no more useful than I am because you are nothing more than a pawn that lacks brain cells," Diesel Ten hissed while approaching Bash, causing the latter to finally realize the danger he was in and slowly back away.

But Diesel Ten kept following him, and his fierce glare was locked with his fearful one as he slowly pushed him out, "I will say this one more time: Leave now before the clean up crew will have more than dead trees to worry about."

After finally getting it through his head, Bash was able to look away from Diesel Ten and flee with Dash and Ferdinand. They wished they could report their encounter to Sir Topham Hatt, but then he would figure out that they went searching for Diesel Ten without his authorization. Diesel Ten was acutely aware of this rule as well, so he grinned triumphantly while watching the three engines puff away in terror, knowing there would be no consequences for him to face in the end.

Spoiler alert: This is a Diesel Ten romance fanfic because from what I've seen(I honestly haven't looked that much), there aren't a lot. So, I thought I'd try my best to write a good story, and I hope you'll like it.

Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!