Warrior Star ran. She didn't know where she was going; she simply let her paws take her wherever. She charged over rock and brush, sand and snow. She ran until she finally realized…she knew exactly where she was running to. She bounded over a ridge before slamming to a halt, her cracked and damaged claws leaving deep scars in the earth when she did so. Slowly she raised her head, her silver protoskull gleaming eerily as she snorted out a deep breath of air and stared quietly at the cave that she and her brothers called home.

I came home…why? She couldn't help but wonder as she stepped forward until she stood in the shadow of the cave entrance. She paused again, shuttering her optics as the familiar scents of her family touched her nose. Her optics flickered open as another scent touched her nose, one she knew but that didn't make sense.

"You've spent a lot of time running lately, Warrior Star. I've known you to run all of no times in our years of friendship, yet that is all you have done the past couple days. You wanna tell me about that?" The bronze femme turned, finding herself staring into the gleaming hazel eyes of none other than Will Lennox. The human and the Cybertronian wolf stared at each other for the longest of moments before the wolf finally snorted and turned away. The man snorted as well, approaching the femme's massive paw as she stared almost coldly into the darkness of the cave. He halted, his eyes drawn to the shattered claws that were oozing Energon slowly with every step she took, then he raised his gaze to her face.

The femme was imposing on a normal day, but the look in her cobalt blue optics at that moment was nothing short of terrifying. Her optics burned with a fire that seemed to have a life all its own, a fire that Will knew well. It was one he had not seen in so long that he was pleased to see it, though under the circumstances he knew he shouldn't be. Out of habit, he reached out, touching her massive paw gently to draw her attention. Once her optics were on him, Will spoke.

"Warrior Star, please…talk to me." The femme stared at him, her lip curling to reveal damaged dentals in a silent snarl, but he refused to back down. Her optics glowed even brighter, if that was at all possible. Still the man held his ground. Finally the fire died, and she shuttered her optics as the snarl fell from her face. Ever so slowly, the bronze femme lowered her head and turned away.

"Everything I have ever been taught to believe…is a lie, William Lennox. These last few days have showed me that. I always believed that my brothers would defend me…yet now they are pitted against me just as strongly as the Autobots. I have no one…I have nothing to defend me anymore. Only the shattered promises are left now. Only the broken dreams." Warrior Star turned, raising her head again as she gazed at the sky, the stars gleaming brightly against the darkness as Will's eyes followed her gaze. They stayed in silence for several long, heartbreaking seconds, then the human spoke quietly.

"You have me, femme. You always have. Is not our history built on trust and understanding? How many times have you saved me, when I had nothing and no one left either?" She was a statue, so still that for a moment, it was as though she had never lived. Then the bronze wolf turned, staring down at the human with a broken sorrow in her optics that he understood all too well, but with a glimmer of hope as well.

"You…speak truly, Will. It would seem I have forgotten just how far we've come since we first met…and I have forgotten how our friendship dawned. Forgive me. I am…not worthy of a friend such as you." Lennox shook his head, his eyes glistening with tears as he reached out a hand. Immediately Warrior Star lowered her head, touching the tip of her scarred nose to his palm, the gesture taking both back in time several years to the first time Warrior Star had seen him and reminding them of how their friendship had formed.

The bronze femme dropped to her stomach, shuttering her cobalt blue optics as oily tears formed and slowly fell down her face. Will wrapped his arms around her muzzle, tears falling from his hazel eyes as femme and human both grieved at the tragedy that had befallen them over the last few days.

We have been through so many trials…so many tragedies…so much grief. She thought as the human hugged her tightly, pressing his cheek to her nose as she opened her optics to look at him.

In spite of it all, I have one friend left…the same friend that greeted me when I landed here, the same friend that believed in me from day one. I failed him. I failed him. Warrior Star reached for him, gently wrapping one damaged paw around him to hold him a little tighter, taking comfort in the man's presence in her time of trouble. She knew she owed it to him to mend the damage she had caused to her pack, and her unwanted sparkmate. She reached for Shadowfang first, praying to Primus that her brother would answer.

Shadowfang…forgive me. I…I have failed you, and Keystone, and Swiftpaw and Moonflight. I am…unworthy of you, my brother. I am unworthy. Warrior Star's words were whispered through their bond, filled with agony and grief as they filtered through to the steel gray mech. She was startled when he reached back instantly, grasping her shuddering spark firmly but warmly, holding on to her as tightly as he could. His voice echoed back across the distance, his own pain and sorrow clearly evident in his tone.

No, sister, no…it is we who have failed you. You've always been there when we needed you…and we forgot how many times you saved us from the fate that you yourself are now suffering. Forgive us, dear sister…it is we who are unworthy. Brother and sister held each other tightly for the longest time, then she retreated to reach for her second online brother.

Keystone…I have no words to say…how badly I failed you, brother. I failed. Please…forgive me. Again, she was startled at how fast her brother reached for her, but unlike Shadowfang, the black mech's touch was filled with sheer power and a pained understanding. He didn't speak to her, and for that she was grateful. Conversations between her and Keystone were best conducted aloud. She had always known that. She held him for awhile before retreating again, this time opening a comm link with her Predacon companion.

Moonflight…you and I have been through so much in our lives…please forgive me, old friend…you deserve better than the treatment I have given you in the last several days…I am so sorry. There was silence for a fraction of a second, then the thunderbird's voice echoed back at her, and his words made her swallow painfully.

You are forgiven, Warrior Star. You were forgiven from the moment this all began. This is one of those things that is out of all of our control, and at the end of it all, you've done the very best you could. I know that, and I understand why this happened the way it did. We'll be waiting for you here when you are ready to return to us. The link closed with a gentle click, and Warrior Star was grateful. She only wished she could find a way to thank her Predacon companion for his understanding, but she knew she never would. Then her jaws clenched slightly when she realized she had one final mech to apologize to. She swallowed her pride, turning to the final bond before reaching out uneasily.

Breaksteel… The bronze femme's voice was quiet, and it faded after she said his name. She realized that she had absolutely no idea what she could possibly say to the mech that had become such a strange fixture in her life. Distantly, she was aware that she had his full attention and that he was waiting for her to finish when she had started to say. Gathering her thoughts with some difficultly, she pondered on everything that had happened before speaking as calmly as possible.

From the first time I saw you, I never expected what has happened to happen. You were the first neutral I have spared in a very long time…and even now I don't understand why I did it. You followed me from the very beginning, defending my brothers and I from mechs that you grew up with, even your own brother. You nearly sacrificed it all for me, landing the killing blow on your brother to save me…why? For me to turn on you and nearly kill you when you bonded with me in order to save me? Then you chased me down and stopped me from ripping my neck apart, again saving my life…why? Why did you bother putting your life on the line for me, a femme you barely know? A femme that is so broken that she is barely willing to live? You've been willing to die to be with me…to stay with me…to be my mate for the rest of our lives. And now I understand that I have not been…the most understanding femme. If I can ask you to forgive me…if I am worthy of forgiveness…then I beg it from you now. She didn't know where the words came from. All she knew was that they felt…right. She waited anxiously, feeling a swirling vortex of emotion through her bond with the storm gray mech. She started slightly when he tentatively reached for her through the bond, stretching painfully over the distance between their sparks, a distance that she herself was responsible for. She reached back for him instantly, whether out of pity or something else she wasn't sure.

Warrior Star felt the difference the moment she got ahold of him. It was the first real 'touch' between their sparks since their bonding, and she trembled slightly as she felt his emotions for the first time. The distance between them shortened, becoming almost nonexistent as she felt him, really felt him, and she quietly reflected on the moment as he wrapped himself tightly around her spark and just held on to her. She sensed his overwhelming relief when he realized she was finally accepting him, and she felt the peace that radiated from his spark at the realization.

The bronze femme was brought back to alertness when Will gently rapped his knuckles against her muzzle. Her cobalt blue optics focused on him, and she could tell by the look on his face that he knew what was happening beneath the surface.

"So did you apologize?" The human asked, his hazel eyes filled with amusement as she rolled her optics before gently nudging him off of her muzzle with one claw. He hit the dirt with a startled yelp, and got to his feet while rubbing at his rear and glaring at her. She stared back in quiet amusement before nudging him gently with her nose and rising to her feet.

"Yes, Will. I apologized." Warrior Star said, her voice quiet as she looked at the sky again. Out of the corner of her optics, she spotted several stars flickering brightly, and as she turned to look, she had the eeriest feeling of déjà vu. The stars formed something, a shape that was painfully familiar.

Father? The bronze femme wondered, narrowing her optics slightly as she stared just a little harder. Then she jumped when she heard his voice.

I am proud of you, Warrior Star. She stared at the stars in shock, and then a few seconds later, the image faded, leaving her puzzled but at peace. She turned, leaning down to snatch up her human companion before heading toward the distant Autobot base at a leisurely pace. She was calmer and happier than she had been in a long time; both of her brothers were quietly monitoring her, and Breaksteel held her close, letting her bask in his strength.

So. Not such a bad day after all, she thought, her attention turning to Will as he smacked the tip of her ear playfully. She rumbled at him softly and the human laughed, and she realized then that out of everything she was grateful for, it was him that she appreciated the most.

Thank you, old friend. Thank you.

A/N: So. I've been out of the game for quite some time, on all of my stories. My apologies, dear readers...life caught up with me. With a vengeance. I was moved into a different platoon at work (that change proved to be for the better), I had eye surgery (NO MORE GLASSES! :D), fell for a guy (HARD) and now we're engaged...so. Yeah. Life caught up with me. :)

This chapter has been partially written for quite some time. I just never quite had the time (or the muse) to finish it. Sorry if it seems a bit...fuzzy. It was hard going from one mindset to another, approximately six months after the chapter was started. Overall it turned out better than I expected. Enjoy!

As always, love if you will, hate if you must. I will take anything you care to dispense.

Until we meet again...

Kani