Jaha, so when did I decide to make another new story out of nowhere when I should've focused more on my other stories? Well, if you wanna know, I'll tell ya shortly: this is not the first time I got this idea. I've always been imagining about a post-apocalyptic Transformers fanfic that have many themes like the incoming extinction of humanity and a changed Earth as well humanity living in Stone Age conditions for many years. The title means Hail Ancestral God in Latin.

I will give you very important things for entire this story: this is M-rated for bad language, blood, gore and nudity but no sexual activity, mostly which I don't wanna Optimus interface with humans. Also, this one is my early birthday gift to Spiritstrike, my closest friend I can ever get.

Disclaimer: I don't belong Transformers. Transformers belongs to Harsbo. I only own the creatures and the original ideas of this story heavily inspired by Immortel Ad Vitam based by The Nikopol Trilogy by Enki Bilal, James Cameron's Avatar, Jean M. Auel's The Clan of The Cave Bear. Also, recently, I've gathered more inspiration; Princess Mononoke by Ghibli Studio and Chronicles of Ancient Darkness novel series by Michelle Paver.

Chapter 1 – A Changed World

A cry.

Optimus heard a cry echoing through the darkness he can't see through. He didn't know where he was or did he know what it was and why. The darkness whirled like a thick fog around him that made him feel like he was in a depthless void of darkness. He noticed almost instantly that he was floating without gravity in the void, his arms and legs spread out like wings. Then a glimpse of light appeared ahead of him, a tiny one that grew bigger and brighter by every second. The light pieced through his optics, forcing Optimus to narrow his gaze as the glimpse of light turned into a large orb and it opened up into a clear sky. All the darkness vanished like thin smoke as he flew through the air like an eagle. While he flew, he glanced down and saw wide forests that stretched out thousands and thousands of miles. Mountains rose on the horizon ahead when the rising run peaked up, casting out its broad golden rays of sunlight and painted sky yellowish pink.

He was free.

Then Optimus felt how his arms shifted into wings that kept him in the air. Also, his gaze became sharper and he could see as far as he can see. But then suddenly the speed started to accelerate, which he didn't approve as the forests seemed to vanish faster than the eye can catch. The warm wind pushed him up to higher and higher away from the sight of the forests. Soon clouds were around him when Optimus noticed something that captured his gaze. A wide open blue area was shining where the forests once stood. It was an ocean.

Then he heard the cry again, now this time it was getting stronger but not enough for him to hear it clearly. It made him to wonder and then he made a quick decision to follow after the cry. His wings pressed against his chest as the Prime made a sharp angle to dive in alarming speed like a Pilgrim falcon, so fast that it would been lethal for him if he'd never stop in right moment just before crashing against the waves.

As the speed was faster and faster, Optimus had less than half a minute on him before he'd crash on the waves but once he saw the blue wall of water, he spread out his wings just in right time and glided up only meters from the high waves. Flapping his wings to stay steady and gaining more heights, he threw his gaze forward and saw a thin line of land on the horizon. Yet again, Optimus heard the cry but this time it had changed.

It sounded more like a long, distant call that sang through the air and then paused for a moment before it came again. As Optimus followed the call, listening its gaining strength as he was getting closer, he'd failed to notice that the sun had suddenly settled down towards the horizon. Evening was coming faster than ever. When the Prime finally reached the shore of the land, twilight was already about to appear when he landed down on flat grass fields.

His wings transformed back to his ordinary arms again and he straightened up his back, glancing over the grass fields just when the cloak of twilight had settled upon the entire sky, tiny stars appearing out from the dark night sky. The wind whistled behind him, blowing the grass like waves on the ground just as Optimus cast up his gaze to look on the stars. But then he spotted something glowing in the pitch black darkness. A fire that shone further ahead.

Then as it happened, he felt suddenly being dragged with a very powerful force towards the fire, unable to move his body until the fire grew bigger and brighter as he approached it faster and faster. Shadows danced around the large flames. They looked like dancing humans that clapped their hands and sang foreign songs he'd never heard before.

Optimus became confused when he noticed the shadows transforming into different shapes as the flames intensified, whirling and roaring around him. Such a hot intensity burned through his body that Optimus had never experienced before, and it was then he saw a transformation in front of him. Flames swirled up in a spiral and took the shape of a large human female.

"Who are you?" Optimus asked.

There was no reply from the woman. The long, flowing hair of flames swirled and tangled round her face and the blazing eyes pieced through him as she raised her hands. The hands expended out like tree branches, surrounding him and nearly consumed him up.

You must return…

Confusion hit him but he continued to listen more. The voice was very deep for a human female.

Children of Earth…

But then suddenly the woman's face started to blaze brightly, the light blinding on his optics as she was transforming again. However, she transformed into an alien creature he'd never seen before. The wolf-like head stared at Optimus before it opened up its jaws, showing the garden of teeth for him.

"Agh!" Optimus cried out.

He jerked up with wide open optics in shock, shaken with a trembling spark. Then he groaned by an aching pain inside his processor that struck like a smashing hammer, rising his hand and stroked over the painful spot. The bright sunlight warmed his red, blue and silver body when he shot a glance on the red rocky and sandy area around him.

Another day on Mars, he thought, rising up on his feet and straightened up his back. His peeing gaze narrowed by the piecing light as he looked up on the bright sky.

It had been such a long time since he was in the solar system there the planet he called home was. He had been on a very long and painstaking voyage throughout the galaxy in search of the Creators, but much to his disappointment, Optimus found no traces of their existence despite how much time he'd taken so long to search. Though, he'd made sure that he put the Seed away to a remote, lifeless planet there he blasted it up and then left out for the long way back. Back to home…

Earth, Optimus thought on the planet he had come so attached to it. He hadn't forgotten the blue planet and he had missed it very much indeed. But at same time he hadn't forgotten the humanity either.

Over since he voyaged throughout the galaxy, he'd wondered very much over the humanity and it was then he realized that he had been gone so long that he'd lost the count of time itself. Though, as he remembered the past, Optimus suddenly got reminded on the day when he left Earth. The images of the humans, Cade Yeager, his daughter and her boyfriend, brightened in front of him.

Especially Cade.

He remembered the human that helped him to flee from the bad humans and fight against Lockdown back then. Although, the Prime had never forgotten nor forgiven the Decepticons and the humans that killed all of his comrades and then melted them down to use all of their materials for their own greedy needs. But at same time, as time had passed by for long, Optimus had slowly started to miss the human, his Autobots and his home and a strong urge grew inside him. He felt that he must return home as soon as possible.

Many thoughts began to swirl and twist inside his processor, so many on short time that each one would take a long time to figure out for Optimus when the images of the dream flashed in front of him that startled him.

What was the dream about?

What was it telling him about?

Who was the woman in the flames?

And why did she transform into that creature?

Then he remembered the words that whispered inside his audio receptors:

You must return…

Children of Earth…

"What does she mean?" He asked to himself, frowning thoughtfully. He then lowered his optics to look on his open hands, considering hard over the words and the images from the dream. "The human, who is she?"

He stood there, thinking deeply in his thoughts for a long moment before he shook them off and decided to move forward. The red sand and rocks crunched underneath his feet as he climbed uphill a pretty steeply hill, the extremely dry heat warmed on his knight armor and made it to shine brightly in many colors. Once Optimus reached up the top, he shot one last look around the red, rocky desert before he knelt down and the rocket boosters ignited and pushed him up. As his boosters thrust more and harder, he soon reached the outer atmosphere of Mars, flames engulfing him into a fireball as he pushed further and further until he was finally out in the black outer space.

The voyage was longer than Optimus thought and wished for, but soon all his affords paid off when he saw finally the first sign of Earth. He got thrilled in joy when the small, blue planet grew bigger and bigger, its moon orbiting around it. The closer he came to Earth, the faster his spark beat under his chest plates in excitement and joy over to see home finally again after a very long time alone in outer space. Soon, after a good long time, the Prime reached Earth's atmosphere. Though, it was not an easy task to enter through. It was a hard struggle as he was engulfed in flames once again. He had to use his shield as cover while he pushed through the atmosphere like a large fireball. It didn't take long before Optimus reached the first clouds and eventually flew through the sky of clouds as he was coming closer and closer towards the continent.

And there he saw the first lands. He was approaching close to the northern east coast of America and there was a place that caught him instantly in memory. He saw the large city of New York. But as he approached closer, Optimus noticed something very odd when he narrowed his optical system to look as far as possible like a falcon.

The first thing that captured his attention was the Statue of Liberty, but it was badly damaged and very rusty with long cracks all over it. The arm with the torch was gone and the face was falling apart into rusty pieces. Surprised and horrified, Optimus landed on Liberty Island and threw his optics to the tall skyscrapers on Manhattan that seemed to be falling apart, yet standing nearly tall like they did always. As he narrowed his gaze to look far, he saw green parts on the buildings that seemed to be plants.

Something is not right here, he thought, confused like a lost child. Then he activated his rocket boosters to fly over the water to land on the harbor on the Hudson River Park.

It was then he made a shocking discovery. Everywhere he saw were nothing but trees with aerial roots, green plants growing on walls and long vines hanging from one building to another, cracked asphalt, abandoned and rusty cars on every street and all the buildings were abandoned too. Some had collapsed into total ruins, other remained standing despite all the dust and rust that covered every corner and wall. Many windows were broken and shattered apart, doors were missing and many building were damaged with pretty large holes, cracked walls and concretes that were slowly falling apart by all changes of time. Worse, the water level was higher than he'd thought. It touched and splashed on his feet and he estimated it rose almost up to knee-length if he had been a human.

But it was not the worst of all that shocked him up much. There was not a single human. He saw absolutely not a single human. Optimus was in shock. He couldn't believe in it.

What happened here?

What happened to all humans?

His questions clouded up his processor as Optimus checked around the nearly forest covered and flooded streets, searching for any human that can still be around but as he walked through the streets, he started to doubt. His gaze looked around on the buildings and memories showed in front of him. The sky was an orange evening sky where the sun was slowly settling down for the night, the long rays of golden sunlight tearing through the city's damaged skyscrapers and streets. Once, this was the marvelous center of lights and life that gathered for a new life. The city that never slept. Now it was a depressing sight of a ruined city in desolation and a forest slowly growing to cover the entire city, reclaiming the island as its own.

He fell into a long, thoughtful walk where more questions came than answers. He began to wonder what really happened. But this place wasn't empty of life either when Optimus heard twitting birds on the trees, followed by a long echoing sound that was heard over several miles. It was a beautiful song-like echo for his audio receptors. He tried to detect the one that gave out the long song when his proximity sensors alerted him for an obstacle that was coming closer towards him. At same time, he heard a cry from the distance.

The cry was very familiar. It was coming from a human!

Instinctually, Optimus ran to the cry. Water splashed loudly while he ran faster and faster through the streets and he avoided every obstacle to bring attention from whatever that dwelled in the forest. The cries became more panicking, which triggered Optimus to pace up faster, following the screaming cries.

"Hang on!" He cried out, responding. "I'm coming for you!"

Suddenly he heard strange laughing noises when he approached closer and closer, then he heard more splashing water like many legs were galloping and that made him to act faster than the mind can catch. It didn't take long before the laughing sounds became more hysterical as he was very close to them now, though Optimus was never prepared to what he will see next. Ahead, Optimus saw a human running away from a large pack of rust-brown and black striped creatures that ran after, laughing hysterically. But those creatures weren't ordinary ones as you might expect which Optimus got to learn very quickly.

"You leave him alone!" He roared and charged towards them. He leapt over the human and rolled over the flooded ground just as he clenched his hand and punched on one creature.

It was then he discovered that they were nothing he could've imagined. The creatures looked like a mix breed between alien hyenas and African wild dogs, but Optimus got very shocked to see that they had eight legs, scaly armor from the snort and face all over the spine, shoulders and hips to the tail. Also, they had one each own pair of tentacles behind their butts underneath the half-armored, half-furry tail. And they were twice the sizes of bulls and very many at once.

One of the hyena-like beasts barked out a squeaking cackle like it was warning to the others to stand back, its large round-shaped ears pointing back and its sharp teeth bared. The other pack members started to laugh their cackling calls as they surrounded around Optimus who rose up on his feet and shot his optics to the human. The human had climbed up on a tall tree and hid on its crown, though Optimus could see the amazed and shocked human face sticking out between the branches. But as it happened, he suddenly got distracted by a nipping touch on his ankle which forced him to look down, however as he did, he failed to see the large hyena leaping behind his back. Its jaws clanged on the exhaust pipes on Optimus' shoulders, the four front paws trying to claw on the armor.

"ARGH!" Optimus roared both in rage and pain as he swept his hand to grasp the beast and tossed it away. It crashed to a building wall and fell down on the water with a cry of agony, causing some of the pack members to rush to him or her to the rescue. The others stand on a safe distance from him, observing nervously.

The Prime didn't leave his optics from the beasts either as he observed them in attempt to read them, though he was amazed to see that the hyenas behaved like a pack of wolves but yet in many ways that were alien. Like their cackling, chattering and squeaking calls that bounced back and forth between the beasts. Also, Optimus noticed that every hyena's eight legs were very swiftly with their disgusting hand-like paws much to his surprise as the pack moved around him with watchful eyes.

Then he noticed one of them snapped the jaws that released a clanging sound, then another snapped its jaws, then more joined up and soon loud clanging sounds were heard round Optimus like drums. It caused him to move his gaze as he tried to catch the creatures that began to run around him in a circle, now the clanging sounds louder and sharper.

He spun and spun fast, so fast that he got dizzy instantly and lost his view of sight and failed to detect another charging beast that was attacking from behind. It leapt up in the air with a roar. Optimus didn't manage to turn around before the jaws bit on his right antenna hard like stone. He screamed in pain as the hyena chewed on the metal while he spun around with waving arms, trying to both grasp and shake it off without results.

Then other pack members joined in. Three each attacked on both legs while two dared to bite on both the hands. No matter how many times Optimus shook his head or waved his arms or kicked his legs as much he can, the hyenas won't let their jaws off from him. The teeth dug deep through the armor but not deep enough to draw Energon. But then Optimus heard a short but anguish cry piecing through his audio receptor and a heavy weight collapsed on his shoulder as his antenna got free at last.

Accidently, Optimus lost his balance by the sudden weight and nearly fell down on the ground, crushing two hyenas underneath. Others released his hands free and retreated. Then he tossed the dead creature off his back just as he spotted an arrow straight through the throat, which startled him. The water became dark red from the dead hyena's bleeding arrow wound along the crushed pack members whose broken bones pieced through flesh and limbs.

"Don't fall for it!" Suddenly the human cried out. Surprisingly, the voice was a woman's voice. Optimus shot his gaze to the woman that held her wooden bow with an arrow ready to shoot. "They're trying to confuse you," she warned him. "Don't let their jaw song distract you!"

"I'm on it!" Optimus called back just as another beast leapt towards him.

It managed to land on his chest and all claws of its four front paws clanged on the metal of his chest panels. Though, he didn't have much problem to toss it off from him easily and quickly, then he was up on his feet. The remaining hyenas circled around him, now more cautious and nervously. Then another arrow shot towards them, though it was more to scare them than as an attack. But it didn't give much afford before Optimus got to fight against the hyenas that charged towards him like a striking thunderstorm. He tried to dodge from their attacks from either side and in front of him, though they used their legs to cling and climb on him while their jaws struck and clanged on his shoulders, legs, spine and chest. As he struggled to shake the beasts off, he roared furiously and used all of his strength and power to throw them off with his bare hands.

Optimus grabbed and dragged one beast's neck skin like he'd tear it apart, but instead he raised it above him and threw it as far as he can reach. Then he grasped two more on both hands to smash their head scalps on each other, hearing the yelps of agony and then threw them. His feet kicked them before he focused on three more, using his free hand that he clenched to a fist and punched on a small beast's head. The slam was so harsh that he could hear cracking bones as its jaws broke up and the teeth torn apart from his armor. The hyena with the broken jaws collapsed on the ground and never got up on its eight paws before it was crushed by Optimus' feet. Then, as he finally shook himself free from the other beasts, they'd chosen to retreat now. They'd faced an impossible threat that they were unable to kill and they'd already lost too many of their pack, so they fled with tails between their legs.

"Yes, run!" Optimus taunted. "Run away and never come back again!"

Once he watched the hyenas vanished completely and silence dwelled around the streets, he turned his attention to the human up on the tree. "Are you okay?" He asked, heading to the tree and reached his hand to help the woman.

There was no reply from her. Instead she had hidden herself without a sound or a movement. It was like she had vanished in thin air. But then she showed herself by moving two branches apart and looked straight on him. Yet, she remained silent when she climbed on Optimus' hand and he lowered her down on the ground. The woman kept a cautious gaze at him.

"Don't be afraid, human," Optimus used a soft tone to assure the woman that he won't harm her, though she remained on her guard and spoke no word.

The woman wore leathery clothes; a brown tunic with stitched bone needles, armbands around her upper arms decorated with colorful feathers, seashells and small claws and a purple skirt made by leather with shimmering scales. She had brown skin, a long, coal-black hair with three feathers behind the head and brown eyes. She was quite tall. The bow was held on her hand while a small bag was carried behind her shoulders. Around her neck hanged a necklace with small fangs, claws and seashells in many different colors, and pierced ears with thin fangs.

"What's your name?" Optimus asked, only to receive no answer from the human. Then he understood why. She's very afraid, he thought.

Though, the silence soon broke when she spoke up finally. "Who are you?" She asked to him, yet she remained cautious for every movement.

"My name is Optimus Prime," he answered, "Leader of the Autobots from Cybertron."

"Optimus Prime," the woman replied his name with a frown. Then she announced herself. "I'm Eva Dawnbringer, daughter of Norah Stormcaller."

The Prime was surprised to hear Eva saying that but then shook it off as he knelt down without causing her to be more afraid. "Eva Dawnbringer… that's an unusual name you have. Tell me, Eva, what have happened here and those beasts, what are they?"

Eva rose up her hand, gesturing. "I can tell you but not now. Twilight's coming and we must find shelter before night comes. And the beasts are Hyn'ya."

"Hyn'ya?" Optimus got surprised again. "What does it mean?"

"Not now," she said. "We must leave here before the tidal wave comes in."

Without asking more questions, Optimus carried up Eva to let her sit on his shoulder. She then pointed to the direction where they took and walked through the streets.

Evening was getting darker and darker as the large sun slowly vanished underneath the horizon, its dying lights consumed by the darkness of night that was covering over the clear sky, and soon night had come. The sounds of night were heard everywhere; shrieking, cackling, squeaking, howling and hooting sounds could be heard at the same time. The sky was full of stars as the half moon was rising up to its top, it shimmering white light that glowed over the water brightly. The moonlight was Optimus and Eva Dawnbringer's guidance through the pitch-black darkness as they went through many streets and squares when the tidal wave had arrived. The water had risen higher than it was earlier. It covered over Optimus' lower legs, which made his pace slower and it didn't Eva approve much.

She had her gaze on every corner of her head as she glanced over the streets, squares, buildings and skyscrapers from Optimus' shoulder when he turned his optics to Eva's eyes. None of them said a word during their search for a shelter, although both of them couldn't help to look on each other on a short moment before their gazes moved from each other. While Eva had her eyes for a shelter to find, Optimus was deeply thoughtful. He had so many questions that swirled like a whirling wave inside his processor and more questions kept pouring into his processor as he paced slowly forward, listening on the waves gushing behind his trail and the sounds that were full of life. He kept thinking and thinking for a long time before he sensed something that caught his attention and drew him back to reality.

"Something in your mind?" Eva asked to him. It was then Optimus noticed that her eyes looked larger than usual.

"I don't know," he half-lied to her, but then he changed his processor and said. "I'm thinking a lot."

No reply came from the woman. Maybe was she busy looking or she understood that he was thoughtful and might needed silence to think through all of his thoughts. None of them spoke another word further until the Prime suddenly stopped. "What's wrong?" Eva inquired, immediately wary and aware of the sudden stop.

Optimus' proximity sensors were alerting. Something was out there pretty close. He didn't know what to do next except trying to detect the hostile or whatever that was close within his proximity ranch and it was coming closer fast. "Something is coming closer," he then said.

Almost instantly, the woman laid an arrow on her bow and prepared herself to shoot at anything that moved in the moonlight-bathed darkness. Optimus used his night vision inside his optical system to look for the incoming and invisible threat when they heard suddenly a sound. It sounded like a deep lion's roar that echoed not far from them.

"Lions?" Optimus said confused to hear the roaring.

"No," Eva shook her head, whispering. "Lenoaura."

"Lenoaura?"

"It seems like a pack of them are nearby. We must be careful, Optimus. They're very fast swimmers. Go faster but make sure you don't bring their attention to us."

"Yes, I understand, Eva –"

Suddenly his voice got cut by an unexpected splashing sound that forced them to cast their gazes towards it and saw a shadow moving in the moonlight. It appeared to be an eight-limbed cat-like creature that tried to climb up on a wall of a collapsed ruin, although its tail wasn't an ordinary slim one like a cat's tail but a broad, long and fully armored beaver-like tail that was used as its fin for swimming. As it climbed up, it gave out a squeaking cry like it was saying yaa-yaa-yaa. Then glowing eyes appeared after it reached up and climbed over.

"Oh no," Eva sounded immediately afraid. "Optimus, run now!"

Without asking or being told twice, Optimus obeyed and started to run away from the pack of Lenoaura that got surprised to see them and caused them to react chasing after them. Every Lenoaura, even the large male with the thick mane under its armored neck, joined together as one and jumped to the water there they swam quickly after the large Autobot with the human. Before they even ran, Optimus managed to catch a quick look on them. From the head to the tail and around the powerful chest was fully black armored while the rest of the body had thick but short golden fur like it would keep them warm and yet prevent them from being slow swimmers. They had long, slender armored flippers on the lower legs on all eight legs like extra help to swim. The wide heads had saber-toothed fangs and a large bulge that sat over the scalps, reminding like a dolphin's melon. Also, they had the very same pair of tentacles behind their butts just like the Hyn'ya had.

"Faster!" Eva cried out.

"I'm trying, Eva!" Optimus replied as he ran faster and faster but the high water was making things only worse for him. He can't run any faster, so he had to bounce up his feet and run quite funny to gain as much speed as he can get. But that was not enough when the first Lenoaura, a slim female, caught them up and charged against his lower legs.

Then Optimus made a big mistake. He'd accidently slipped and fell forward to crash on the ground. Eva screamed as she jumped off his shoulder before she landed on the freezing-cold water. But as Optimus was up, he quickly caught her in his hand and lifted her up from the female Lenoaura that swam drastically fast. He then tried to run again, now this holding the woman in his hand and tightly into his chest plates when the male Lenoaura leapt up from behind his back, its wide open jaws clinging to the shield. But its saber-toothed fangs suddenly shattered to two halves as they hit the hard metal, which caused the male to roar in anguish pain as he fell down on the water, howling for his females to come and help him.

Though, some of the females continued to chase after the Autobot while some stayed with their injured male that held up his head high above the water to prevent from drowning. The howling roars pieced through Optimus' audio receptors like cold arrows when he looked over his shoulders, his night vision catching four females swimming very fast after him. Funny though, they jumped and dived under the water like they were dolphins and which gave them a lot of speed. It was then Optimus suddenly swirled around to rise up his shield and used it to cover over Eva on his chest plates.

The first Lenoaura female dived down and then leapt up high towards him but landed on the shield, its claws trying to grip the edges and hold stuck there. Optimus swung the shield around in attempt to shake the female when the second female leapt up to attack against his right thigh, but like the male, its own fangs got broken apart to pieces and it fell on the water too, roaring in same anguish pain. Then the third and fourth females encircled around Optimus, wary and cautious for the giant that kept swinging his shield around. Then he finally shook the lenoaura off the shield. With a yelp, she got flown up in the air just as Eva rose up her bow and fired an arrow right on its four front legs, which it managed to punch through the lower leg as the Lenoaura fell on the water.

The Prime ignored the other two remaining Lenoaura females as he ran straight forward, his slightly damaged shield covering his chest and Eva from more attacks. He didn't ever look over his shoulder to see the two females helping their injured sisters to take them to safe lands. He kept running and running for a long time until exhaustion finally kicked him in and forced him to stop dead on his running tracks. He failed to notice that he was on the northern part of Times Square but when he did, the first thing that captured his optics was a very large gaping hole on one of the tall buildings.

"There," he removed his shield from Eva, putting it back behind his shoulders and then motioned the cave-like hole for her. "There's a shelter. We'll be safe up there."

For the first time, a small smile crossed on Eva's lips as she looked up on him. "Yes. That'll be a perfect hiding place for now."

After climbing up high on the walls to their newly found shelter, Optimus crawled into the hole and then sat up on his knees, although it showed that he was too big to be inside there. His head slammed on the roof, which forced him to curl down into a ball-like crawler. "You're too big," Eva stated concerned.

"I know that," Optimus answered slightly annoyed while trying to consider a plan. Then he found out an idea that he hadn't used for a very long time. "But I think I may have one way to solve this problem, Eva."

"Oh?" She looked on him with questioning eyes.

Then, as it happened, Optimus' body glowed up in a white blazing light that forced Eva to cover over her eyes from getting blind. His body decreased down into a tall size above ordinary human size and the light blasted up into a swarm of tiny orbs before vanishing completely in thin air, and there Eva got amazed to see Optimus standing up.

"How did you do that?" She asked quickly, "Is that magic of yours?"

"Well, it's not magic. This is my Cybertronian Microform," Optimus replied a little bit embarrassed. "I haven't used my microform for a very long time, Eva Dawnbringer."

"Microform?"

"Yeah, with this I can walk among humans."

"I see," Eva approached to him, raising her hand to touch on the metal on his wrist as if she wanted to see if he was still real or all this was magic. She touched the cool steel armor on the lower arm part, her fingers gliding over when she looked on him. "You're still real."

"Yes, I'm still me even in this size," Optimus nodded slightly when his optics met her brown eyes.

Eva nodded back in response before she moved her gaze over her shoulder and started to look after something. "There," she motioned to a flat floor that was spared from cracks.

They looked around to see that this was once two or three rooms that had lost their outer walls and all the remaining had either vanished or destroyed during all the changes of time. Amazingly, despite the enormous gaping hole, the building remained strong and stayed tall. Everywhere they saw were full in dust as they found many abandoned and damaged furniture, tables, chairs, technical stuffs, doors, broken windows and even growing wall plants and hanging vines. Optimus frowned by the sight he met. How long had he been gone? He felt how his spark sank heavily in guilt to come back here and see all of this. Then he suddenly thought almost instantly. If he had been gone so long, then everyone he knew was gone, probably dead. He thought on Cade Yeager, his daughter Tessa, her boyfriend Shane and his Autobots he'd ordered to protect the family when he left Earth. Seeing all the dust indicated that this had been for a very, very long time. But for how long to be exactly? He needed to know and he wanted answers.

"Eva," he tried to call the woman that had walked further ahead from him. She was standing by a corner to take some of the wall plants and the thin branches they had. She was quite busy so she didn't hear him callings to her. When he cleared his throat, she turned her head and looked on him.

"You, can you help me to cut them?" she sounded like she was pleading him for help. "I need all of them."

"Sure," Optimus gave her a single nod before he grasped his sword and rose it up from his back. Then he carefully but by force cut all the plants from the top to the bottom.

Once every single branch was cut, it fell down on the floor along with the network of branches that was connected to each other like a spider's net. But before he could ask, Eva took up the branches and carried it to about ten meters before she threw it down. She then took the bag she'd carried behind her back; it was a rather small leathery bag that looked to be fully packed. Calmly as she opened it up, she put her hand inside it and picked up a small rat-like skull there it stored a large portion of yellow-white solid fat, and then she tear a small piece of it. Optimus observed her movements like an owl with a tilted head as Eva laid the fat on the pile. Then she turned her head back to the bag and checked inside it, but when she put her hand inside it, her face turned into horror.

"What is it?" Optimus noticed her face, became instantly concerned.

"I have no more dry wood to put fire on," Eva explained with a frown. Her body was quivering by the cold and the wet clothes, her jaws shook so the teeth clanged. "And without fire we'll freeze to death."

"I can make some fire, Eva," Optimus stepped closer to her, kneeling down and pulled out his Energon sword from right arm. "Step back," he then said as the tip of the sword touched the leaves that put them on an instant spark of flame and soon a fire took its shape. Eva glanced on him in more amazement as he converted his sword into his hand again.

"You have full of magic, Optimus," she said. The Prime chuckled by the woman's words but then his chuckle died when he thought suddenly on the surrounding around him. "Pardon me to ask, Optimus," Eva suddenly inquired to him with curious but thoughtfully eyes. "But where do you come from and why have you arrived here?"

"I've been traveling far from outer space," he began. "I haven't been here for so long time here…"

"Oh, so you're from here?" she gave another question. The black hair hung like flat waves.

"No, I come from the planet of Cybertron but my race had to leave our home planet many eons ago."

"Why?"

"We left because our home planet was consumed by death and destruction. Also, we were searching after the Allspark."

"The Allspark? Like your God?"

"No, the Allspark was our creation that created our home world and my race. But then the Great War came and it was lost amongst the stars. We searched after it for eons until we discovered it was located here on Earth."

"What happened with it after you found it?"

"It was destroyed by a human boy named Sam Witwicky in order to prevent the Decepticons, our mortal enemies from ever taking it and use it for power and control over the universe. But…" He then slowed a bit. "Without the Allspark, we could not rebuild our home planet but we reworded Earth as our new home –"

"Optimus," Eva then cut in. "I noticed you were very deep in your mind earlier before we got chased by the Lenoaura pack."

He bowed his head slightly, gazing down on the ground. "I'd never expected to see all of this," he muttered. "I have no idea how long time I've been gone since I left here. I want to know what have happened and I need answers now."

The woman's face softened up with an understanding look, "I understand you. I will tell you."

The pile had transformed into a large fire when she drew closer to him, sitting in front of him. The flames glowed up the dark room they were in in golden light as she began to tell. "My father told me a story when I was little that this world has always been like this over five hundred years."

Five hundred years?!

Optimus couldn't believe in it. Had he been gone for over five hundred years? How was that even possible? If he was shocked by hearing that, he didn't show it, still he was completely shocked inside and he felt how his spark trembled by the shock. "What happened over five hundred years ago?" He interrupted with sharp audio receptors.

"My father said it was when the virus that came," Eva continued to tell.

"The virus?" Optimus interrupted again, blinking twice.

"Yeah, the virus was the cause of all this. My father told me that the virus killed many of our ancestors and have caused many of them to claim a war that brought destruction everywhere around the world. But it was not meant to fight against ourselves."

"Then who or what was that your ancestors fought against?"

"It was meant to fight back against the mutated beasts that the virus had created."

"Mutated beasts?"

"Yeah, my father did tell me that the virus forced many species to embrace together with other species and mutated them together as one. They evolved very fast. From that, they evolved faster and more into these creatures today, like the hyn'ya and lenoaura we've faced."

"But there's something I don't understand."

"What's that you don't understand?"

"I…" Optimus paused in uncertainty. He closed his mouth and bowed his head down, biting on his under-lip plate. He then shook his head that told Eva that he didn't want to speak. He needed also to think carefully what his question must be.

A pause dwelled between them for a very long time as none of them spoke a word or moved a muscle. The only sounds along the silence were the sparks of the dancing fire and Eva's calm breathing. Eva watched on him while she opened the bag again to pick up a tiny and slim bone knife. Optimus' gaze picked a glance on the knife that looked like a long, pointy needle, the white bone gleaming by the flames. He observed how she held it gracefully as she picked up a pretty thick meat and started cutting a thin, fine piece from the meat. Then she laid it on the fire close to her so she can grab it quickly without risking to get badly burned. Optimus tilted his head with curious optics once Eva grabbed the cooked meat quickly and it landed on the dusty ground because she rather threw it than holding it in her fingers. She shook her hand that got burned when he took the meat and shook of the dust from it, then offered it to Eva after he'd waved it to cool it down.

"Thanks," Eva thanked him, holding the meat and took a bite on it.

"You're welcome," he replied.

More silence hung between them in the air, although it was a very fragile one that didn't manage to last long when Optimus moved closer to the human, looking on her curiously but still respectfully. "What happened to you?" He then gave her a question.

But no reply came. Though, he wanted to know what happened to her. Her silence was uncomfortable not only for him but herself too. He could see how tensed Eva's body became by the question. She crewed long on the cooked meat, swallowing in struggle like she was dry and needed some water to drink. Also, she seemed ignoring him as she had her gaze downcast on her knees and ate in silence. Then Optimus thought he'd better let her be alone, so he rose up on his feet and walked a bit from the fire. But then he heard a noise.

"I came separated from my group," it was Eva who spoke up, which made Optimus to stop and turned around, looking on her. He sat down with a quite sad look on her as she continued to tell. "A storm raged over here not long time ago. All I remember was my boat tilted over and I fell on the water. I couldn't stand against the streams and the wind… I've been alone for a week now. Without the group, I cannot survive here on my own with all the predators."

Listening on the sad voice made Optimus to frown and rose up his hand to clap on her cheek. Their gazes met. But even if he felt sad for her, he sensed a spark of hope igniting inside his spark. If there are other humans nearby, then he must help her and find her group as soon as possible. Also, he knew he must find his Autobots too but where can he find them when he had no idea of this changed world at all?

"Eva, I will do everything in my power to help you," he stated. "I will protect you for any threat we may face together."

At first, Eva didn't say anything. But her largely wide eyes told him enough that she was stunned to hear him saying that as she just stared at him in huge disbelief when Eva lowered her gaze down with a bent head. "Thank you…" she whispered low, shy but thankful.

"You're very welcome," Optimus replied softly. A yawn came from the woman as she rose up her hand to cover her month as exhaustion finally hit her. "You look tired."

"Yeah, I better take some sleep now," Eva yawned again exhaustedly. "Will you stay up and take the first watch?"

He shook his head. "I don't think no creature would come up here."

"Please do it anyway…" a mumble was the last thing he heard from Eva and Optimus saw her falling in fast asleep. He moved his head from her to look out on the night sky and saw the half-moon shining over the wide river of Hudson and within the city too. Slowly he felt himself dozing away as his own exhausted kicked in hard and soon fell asleep near Eva, unaware of curious glowing eyes that had spotted them.

The morning came briefly with an unexpected heavy rainstorm that poured drastically over the ruined city. The downpour was beyond imagination as the heavy raindrops hammered and whipped violently without an end, its rumbling drum echoing through the streets and squares like an incoming thunderstorm. A white, thick mist covered over the entire area like a cloak that consumed everything in its path. The first thing that woke up Optimus was nothing he could be prepared when he flickered up his optics online and met a white furry face with large, blue eyes and tiny ears. It gave out a panicking shriek as he tossed himself up on his feet and it fled backwards with its bouncing legs. Venting in and out fast, Optimus tried to find the little surprise that had hiding from him. But he spotted its long, furry tail that wriggled slowly like a snake in the air and he heard small chirruping sounds. Whatever it was, it was hiding underneath a cracked concrete floor.

"Come out little one, don't be scared," Optimus tried to call it. It didn't work. But then he got an idea when he heard its little growling chirrups and tried to mimic the sounds. It worked. Slowly, he saw the tiny lemur face sticking up from its hiding place and carefully it climbed out from the cracked hole.

Optimus was amazed to see the lemur creature. It was a fully white, eight-limped lemur in a size of a fox. It had six arms and two legs that are attached with expanded skin between them like bat wings. Its shoulders and hips were armored with thin, yet strong scales that shimmered like silver. Like the other species Optimus encountered so far, the lemur had a pair of tentacles behind its butt that was half way shorter than the tail. The tentacles wriggled wary when he saw they had very tiny suction cups under the tips that caught him by surprise.

It must've be a flying lemur, he thought as he knelt down, stretching out his hand and tried to call it again with chirruping sounds. But why does it have those tentacles? Wait… does every species have those but what for purpose?

The lemur was very cautious as it stayed on its spot without moving one muscle. But eventually its own curiosity overwhelmed over the caution and the lemur walked closer and closer to him. It made funny head movements like it was dancing, tilting from side to side and then up and down with its tiny mouth chirruping with clinging sounds. Optimus couldn't help to grin by seeing the lemur's overwhelming curiosity as it was very close to his hand now when it sat down and stretched out the first two arms to touch him. It was then he noticed something amazing. The lemur's fur was not fur at all. It was down feathers! It was covered in down feathers, even its face. Only the wings and its black muzzle were free from feathers.

It was possible that this lemur creature was a type of either flying or glide-flying species that had gained feathers from distant ancestors, probably birds, along with its main lemur ancestors. Just as it happened, the lemur suddenly stood up on its feet and used all of the six arms to investigate on the metal hand and lower arm, which caused Optimus to chuckle.

Then he heard more noises echoing through the building's rooms and hallways as he cast up his gaze up and saw a massive number of lemur creatures climbing on the walls or walking on the floors, chattering together loudly. They were close gathered together like they shared their own warmth to another. They had even their own large nests that they shared together. He noticed that there were more than just the white lemur creatures. There was also a bigger lemur species that were ring-tailed with shimmering feathers and red scales, estimating to be the size of a Border collie and were lightly brown. Then there was the smallest lemur species of them all but the most colorful one. The small lemur species were in a rainbow of colors; red, orange, yellow, blue, green, violet, purple, and golden in many different shades. They had many complex color patterns over their bodies, wings and faces. Yet, all the three species had it very common together. Same types of wings, down feathers over the bodies and armored scales over the shoulders and hips and same pairs of tentacles.

Just then, Optimus heard a mumbling yawn from Eva. She got woken by the loud noises and rubbed her tired eyes when she spotted the white lemur on his hand. "Awww, a Wén'sa!" She accidently squealed in happiness.

But that caused the lemur to flee and retreated to the nearest wall where it climbed up, using all its limbs and then gave out a long call like it was warning to the others. Although, it seemed like all of the lemurs wasn't bothered by the woman's squeal nor were they even afraid. They seemed to know that there was a human, only to ignore her. "You scared him off," Optimus glared on her, annoyed over her scaring the white lemur from him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that," Eva apologized, her hand stroking over a hair trail. "I just haven't seen a Wén'sa for so long time."

"Wén'sa?" He asked confused by the name.

"Awww, all of them are gathered here on same place," the woman lost focused on him as she looked amazed on the massive pack of lemurs. "Wén'sa, Gáan'sa and Yáyan'sa… Erce must've blessed us so much."

"What?" More confused than ever, Optimus raised an optic ridge while looking on a smiling Eva that stared on the lemurs without knowing she was completely ignored by them. "What type of names is that you use, Eva?"

No reply came from her, which made him to sigh with a shaking head when he felt a nipping feeling on his left leg and looked down to see the same Wén'sa exploring on him. Then the lemur climbed upon his leg, then up on his back and finally reached on his shoulder. A chuckle escaped from Optimus as he tried to rise up his hand and touch the lemur while it was sitting behind his neck, its monkey-hands gripping on his antennas and scratching carefully on the metal in search of parasites. The feet and hands were very ticklish that caused Optimus to chuckle and giggle more.

By then, a fight occurred between a Yáyan'sa and a Gáan'sa. The large, brown Gáan'sa barked while the very tiny, red and purple Yáyan'sa yelped and growled as they used their arms to hit each other like boxers. The tiny one shrieked out, calling for help from its own members for backup. Its calls caused three members to turn their heads to their friend and they leapt in the air with eight out-stretched arms and legs. Amazingly, they glided through the air as they unleashed furious barks and two of them landed straight on the Gáan'sa and bit on the large ears, causing the large lemur to scream out in pain and rose up on its hind legs.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Eva reacted and rushed to the fighting lemurs. She had taken her bow to swing it around, scaring them off and forced them to retreat to their hiding places as she yelled to them in a foreign language. Once everything was settled down into a calm atmosphere, Eva turned around to see Optimus with the Wén'sa on his shoulders.

She grinned up with a giggle. "He likes you, Optimus," she said.

"Yeah, I've noticed that," Optimus chuckled. He seemed to enjoy having the little fella on his head.

"If you keep him, he'll bring you much luck you'll ever need."

"Hm? What are you talking about?"

"These creatures are sacred to my people. They are bringers of luck and shall be treated respectfully."

"Ah, I see. Well, maybe I keep him or maybe not. If I do, I'll need to give him a name."

"I can help you to give him a good name if you want."

Optimus scratched the lemur's feathery body, feeling how soft and warm he was as the tail along the tentacles reached to trail around his wrist softly. Then the lemur reached his head to bow his head and looked up-side-down on Optimus' blue optics, purring happily. A small smile shaped on his face. "I think one name that would fit him very well," he chuckled again.

"What is it?" Eva asked curiously.

"It's Lucky," Optimus announced the name. "He'll be called Lucky."

"Lucky… It fits him perfectly," she nodded.

"Yes," a nod came from him when his gaze looked through the blue eyes of the lemur, "you like it Lucky, huh?"

Lucky opened his mouth to unleash a loud barking noise of happiness as he rose up with his arms in the air, then he hugged around Optimus' wrist and nuzzled his muzzle in the palm of his hand like a cat. Eva stepped closer, raising her hand and slowly stroked on Lucky's feathers over his back. "He's so adorable," she said. "My father would be so jealous to see you having a bringer of luck. Maybe he'll give my group luck this time…"

It was then Optimus noticed sadness on Eva's face. She looked down with a downcast gaze. He saw pain growing inside her eyes that told him that something horrible had happened with her. "What's the matter?" he inquired softly, moving Lucky to sit on his shoulder.

"Oh… I'm sorry, I need to clear my thoughts," she waved it off and walked away, leaving a worried Optimus and a confused Lucky.

Something's clearly not right with her, Optimus thought with a concerned frown.

Lucky leant his head on one side, blinking his confused eyes and scratched his head. Then he moved his head away and glanced on the heavy rain that never stopped down-pouring and the endless mist when he howled a long, distant call that echoed through the air. Soon the whole colony joined in and gave out their singing calls.

Listening the calls and the rain thrived Optimus as he watched on the raindrops dripping down from the edges of the gaping hole and he sat down, relaxing with Lucky who started to scratch again on his head and the neck cables. He grinned by the ticklish hands. Just then, without being aware, other lemurs started to come closer and closer towards them, calmly without fear.

Some Wén'sa, Gáan'sa and several Yáyan'sa gathered around him and started to explore on his body. They sniffed, touched, scratched and licked on the armor without fear, wriggling tails of curiosity and happiness as they were noisy. The Prime couldn't help but to grin broadly and started to laugh, however his laughs didn't threaten or scared the lemurs. They just kept on their own businesses, ignoring him totally. One blue, green and purple Yáyan'sa climbed behind his shoulders and sat next to his right antenna.

"Hehe, you all seems like me," Optimus said calmly to the lemurs. He received a lick by Lucky on the side of his cheek plate.

But he was not prepared to feel ticklish over his body as he laughed again, now harder. By pure reaction, he stood up on his feet, covered with Yáyan'sa and Wén'sa that were clinging his arms, legs and body. They squeaked by surprise over his movements, still they weren't afraid except the Gáan'sa that backed off from the standing Prime. Their hands and feet tickled him so much that he couldn't stop laughing. Accidently he kicked up a leg up, however the clinging lemurs held tightly the leg and made barking sounds. Balancing on an unstable leg while giggling madly, Optimus' abdominal area tensed up so hard so it hurt. The lemurs made him the perfect jungle gym as they climbed, spun and wiggled around him, singing out their chirruping sounds.

But then, after laughing so hard like a girl, Optimus suddenly lost balance and fell backwards, although fortunately the lemurs jumped off in right time as he hit the ground hard. The lemurs growled, squeaked and chirruped playfully while he sat up with his hand behind the back of his head, rubbing there and groaned in pain. The lemurs returned back to him. A long time the lemurs explored on him but once they found he had no parasites to feast on, they left him be alone eventually and returned to their nests and joined together as one. Except for Lucky. He remained staying on Optimus' shoulder before he jumped down and curled up into a ball of fur on his thighs.

Hearing the purring coming from his new friend, Optimus stroked over Lucky's head. "It's good to have a new friend," he said. "I hope you'll help me much of this new world."

By then, as he looked through the mist, he spotted something that captured his attention and he heard loud splashing sounds that sounded coming from legs walking through the flooded streets. Within the mist walked a large, purely white shadow. It looked like a ghost for him. Lucky woke up to look what was going on, and as he saw the large ghost, suddenly he flew up in horror as he unleashed several shrieking calls and climbed up to the nearest pillar.

The lemur pack got frightened by his cries and reacted in total fear and horror, shrieking and screaming as they tried to hide as best as they can. Stunned and horrified, Optimus looked up to see every single Wén'sa, Gáan'sa and Yáyan'sa hiding tightly together in the shadows and saw only their glowing eyes. He frowned in worry and amazement when he moved his gaze back to the shadow, only to see it had vanished before him. He then looked up to Lucky.

"Lucky, it's gone now," he raised up his hand. "It's safe now."

But Lucky remained on the pillar. He looked constantly around with frightened eyes, his body and wings shaking in terror. Though eventually, Lucky released from the pillar and glided to Optimus' hand and grasped it tightly, then moving to his shoulder.

"Come on, Lucky," Optimus then said. "We've got to find Eva. She's been gone enough."

He rose up on his feet and walked to the direction there he last saw Eva walking. The path guided them deeper and deeper into the building's heart. It felt like it took hours for them to go through many hallways and climbing over and under ruined floors, walls, pillars and pipes. Lucky had taken his own adventure as he bounced, climbed and glided from wall to wall, yet he surprised Optimus to stick close to him as possible. It took them a long time to get through as much as possible but soon as time passed by from an hour to two, they heard splashing water flowing out of nowhere.

"Lucky, come here," Optimus called to his lemur that came instantly to him, jumping up on his shoulder and sat behind his neck. Carefully, he sneaked behind a wall and slowly moved his head around the corner there the water was loudest. What he saw brought him a huge shock when he saw Eva standing naked, cleaning herself with the water that poured above her through a hole.

But what captured his optics was the swelling bulge on the midsection of Eva's belly that made his optics to widen largely. As quickly as he saw her, he hid behind the wall with a fast-beating spark underneath his throat gear. A surprised yelp escaped from Lucky, which forged Optimus to grab on his muzzle annoyed and embarrassed. "Don't make a noise," he growled, whispering. Lucky growled angrily as he started to hit on the head, punching and kicking with his hands, feet and tail.

"Well, you shall know I can hear you both."

Suddenly they heard Eva speaking to them that forged Optimus to let Lucky go and shot his gaze to Eva that stood beside him with folded arms. She shook her head irritated.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry," he quivered, avoiding her gaze. He then quickly turned his back against her and said just as he left in hurry: "I'll leave you alone."

Watching him disappearing Eva exhaled deeply with a bowed head. "Finally alone," she whispered.

Several hours had passed since the embarrassing event. Eva told Optimus to help her hunting some fish that can be found in the floods. Optimus used his real form as he helped Eva to get down on the floods and made sure that she was in safety while she hunted for fish. They hadn't gone into another encounter with either Hyn'ya or Lenoaura, although Optimus couldn't help to be very thoughtful the whole time. He cannot ignore from looking down on Eva's midsection where the swell was. How could've he missed it? He wondered a lot. Was Eva fat? Or… could she be?

Optimus shook off his thoughts when he had to remain focus to keep an optic for any threat. For two hours as Eva hunted, he kept wondering more and more about the changed Earth when he got to see the ghost walking through the mist again. Twice, he'd seen the white ghost but like the last time, he could not see what it really was. However, he managed to calculate the ghost's possible size and height to be around six to seven meters. Seeing the ghost gave him only more amazement and wonder.

After the hunt, Eva returned to him with a few bulky fish she shot through with her arrows and they returned back to the building where they met the noisy lemur colony in welcoming matters. Lucky had stayed back because he, along with the whole colony, turned out to hate getting wet by the endless raining and stayed in the warm safety. When they returned, Lucky hurried towards them and stayed close to them.

It was getting already dark outside despite it was only afternoon. The rain continued to downpour heavily endlessly when a small fire was created inside the building's hole. Eva and Optimus were sitting down next to the fireplace along with Lucky who was sitting behind Eva's neck, scratching and grooming her hair in search for parasites and helped her to get free from lice while the woman looked on the streaked fish that stood close to the flames. She was murmuring a melody, unaware of the Prime staring down on her midsection thoughtfully. When she moved her gaze to look on him, he quickly moved to look through the flames.

"I'll bring some branches," he said, rising up on his feet and walked away.

Lucky looked after him, then returned back to his own business while grooming on the black hair and had a delicious feast of lice. Optimus found some plants and cut them off while he was thinking deeply in his thoughts. He got some company with a mother Yáyan'sa with her twin babies that were carried over her back. They chirruped like tiny birds as their mother walked closer towards the Prime, cautious over her own movements and her babies.

"Hi you three," he looked up, greeting friendly to the Yáyan'sa that observed him. Then he ignored her and cut more wall plants and then he carried all plants back to the fireplace.

He sat down, slowly tossing the plants into the flames, unaware of Eva's gaze making a sneak peak on him while she removed the streaked fish and put them beside her. Lucky had finished his work when he jumped from the woman's shoulders, moving over to Optimus' thighs where he curled up again into a ball and fell into fast asleep.

When he tossed the final plants, his right wrist was suddenly caught by Eva's hand and she laid his hand on her midsection. Optimus got horrified by her sudden reaction but didn't do any action because Eva's hand was over his own while he felt the hard swell underneath his hand. He stared widely on their hands and then he looked straight at her speechless. Eva laid her other hand above his hand.

"Can you feel him?" She asked.

At first, Optimus didn't understand what she meant. But neither did he ask nor did he leave his gaze from her for a long moment until he glanced down as he felt something inside her. Gently, he moved his hand, searching after the feeling. Then he felt it again. A very tiny kick. Shivers chilled through his spinal column as he froze up completely, staring in disbelief. He made a closer look on her belly, realizing that she was five months pregnant. Yet, he wondered how it was possible for him to miss all the signs of her body. But he began to think that he didn't spend much time taking a real look on her. Eva leant to his shoulder, glancing down while stroking over Optimus' hand.

"Are you…?" He asked, quickly closing his mouth in uncertainty.

"Yes, I'm pregnant," she replied. "It's my first baby."

Optimus noticed the same sadness showing on her face as she moved her gaze away from him. She swallowed a bit while struggling to hold back her tears that threatened to appear. "Eva," he pleaded to her, though he didn't get an eye-contact by her. "Tell me. You have to."

But she never spoke up because on that moment she burst up in tears and bent forward, sobbing loudly so it bounced from wall to wall. Her cries caused Lucky to wake up and run towards the same pillar, his tail and tentacles whipping in the air both in surprise and irritation. In an instant, Optimus folded his arms around her, pulling the woman close into his chest and rocked gently with her while stroking over her hair.

"It's alright," he comforted her. "I'm right here, Eva."

For a long moment, the woman sobbed and sniffled as she released all her tears and screamed all the pain from the inside while she hugged the Prime tightly, pressing her face in his chest plates. All Optimus did was wait. As he waited, he moved his other hand down to her belly in attempt to feel the little life but hesitated a bit, so he clapped Eva's cheek instead, rubbing it gently. After a very long time, Eva finally stopped sobbing when she moved free from him and looked up on him, her red face wet by the streams of tears.

"I-I was not alone when I came separated from my group," Eva stammered, hiccupping. "I h-had my partner with me…"

"Partner?" Optimus whispered.

"Yes. Árn'wo Lighthunter was his name. He's the father of my baby."

"Árn'wo Lighthunter... What happened to him? Where's he?"

"He's dead. He was killed in front of me when he tried to protect me from the Hyn'na. He was ripped apart to pieces! Slaughtered to death!"

"I'm so sorry…"

Then Optimus understood finally. When he heard the screaming, it must be coming from a desperate Eva who witnessed her partner and the father of her baby being slaughtered in front of her and caused her to run as fast as possible from the pack. If he hadn't heard her cries at the right time, she wouldn't be with him and he'd never discovered the little growing life that was inside her.

Guilt overwhelmed inside his spark while he imagined the grim images of her dead partner and the Hyn'ya devouring everything on him. It made him to gain more determination than ever as he made a decision. Gently, he laid his hands on her axels, looking at her with determination.

"Eva," he began slowly.

"Y-Yes?" she stammered again.

"I promise that I will protect you and your child's lives with my own. No matter what happen, I'll always be there for you both," he said and moved his right hand to rest it on the swell, feeling the baby's restless movements. "If anyone dares to harm you, they'll have to go through me."

Eva stared at him widely in disbelief, so stunned that she was completely speechless and was like that for a long moment before she bent her head down with closed eyes and started to cry again. Then she was embraced by Optimus in a tight hug, which she approved much since she needed so much comfort for experiencing so much that she'd wished never to see again. Pressing her face in Optimus' chest plates, she heard the pulsing rhythm of his spark that reminded her like a melody for her ears. Slowly as she was listening on the pulse, she fell eventually into fast asleep in his arms.

Then Optimus laid Eva down on the floor, watching her sleeping deeply.

The next day was another rainy day. Eva suggested Optimus to wait until the rain had passed by. While they waited, they prepared everything as best as they can for a long trip to search after Eva's group. When the raining stopped finally after three days, it was finally time to move on. At the same time as they left, the whole lemur colony left as they spread out their wings and glided through the air. Except one particular Wén'sa that didn't join the others. Lucky had chosen to be with the Prime and the woman instead so he joined with them as well.

The sky was clear open as the bright, strong sunlight warmed Optimus' armor and he gleamed multicolored. The streets and the squares were still flooded with high water level, so he carried both Eva and Lucky in his shoulders. Lucky sat on the chest of his head, sun-bathing with out-stretched arms.

The Wén'sa was silent to both Optimus and Eva's surprise, but it was probably not a bad thing to worry they thought as Lucky was relaxing so much that he looked like he slept under his sun-bath.

As he walked, Optimus had a watchful optic for any threat for predators while he looked after a place to take a short break. He'd been walking through water for hours and the effects of the salt water had made his legs to start itching like a thousand needles sticking inside. The itching became nasty aches, which made him to pace up faster and faster. The sooner he found a dry place to rest his legs, the better it will be. He gritted his teeth while struggling to handle the pain, though he exhaled out a groan which got Eva to look up on him.

"You're okay?" She inquired, aware of his painful look.

"No. The water's making my legs to ache," he shook his head gently to not shake off Lucky who woke up by the shaking movement and moved to the nearest antenna where he climbed up and barked angrily. "I must take a break or else the salt will make things worse for me."

Eva nodded, understanding. "Sure. Let's find a place to rest until you feel better."

"Lucky, listen carefully," Optimus then rose up his hand to Lucky. The lemur bounced over to the tip of his index finger and sat there when he lowered down his finger to just in front of his face plates. "I need you to keep an eye for a good place. Will you help us?"

Lucky tilted his head on one side, then he barked like he understood what his big friend told him. The lemur jumped over to the nose plate, climbing upwards and then sat above the chest of his head where he looked on every corner of his head like a hawk. Directly Optimus began to walk again through a painful struggle against the nasty aches, forcing him almost to jog. Jogging through the high water level that reached up almost to his creaking and cracking knee gears was the worst thing he made and regretted almost instantly. But he had no other choice anyway. Eva had to grab on hard to not lose balance while she rocked back and forth. And poor, poor Lucky he was. He nearly lost his balance twice when he used all his limbs to grab on anything and held still and horrified, shrieking in panic.

"Take it easy!" Eva screamed out, horrified. "You're frightening us!"

But Optimus didn't hear her. The aching was now so intensive that he was literally deaf and blind by the pain as he pushed himself to over his limits, jogging faster until the pain struck through him and made him to stop again. He groaned again in pain, louder than before. Suddenly Lucky barked out of the ordinary, which startled both Eva and Optimus. Then he leapt out, stretching out his wings and glided away.

The white lemur's feathery body shined as he glided as far as he can reach, then he made a sharp angle to turn right and then left until he landed on a tall tree. Near to the tree stood ruins after a collapsed skyscraper. What made Optimus to relief much was that most of the ruins were much taller than the water level.

"Wow, Lucky's sharing his luck with us," the woman smiled, overjoyed over the luck-bringer. "He must have seen this one before and memorized it. The lemurs are such fascinating luck-bringers."

Once Optimus hurried to the ruins and climbed up, he was finally free from the salty pain. After he got Eva down, he just lay on his back and vented heavily before his body brightened up in white light, the size shrinking and he was in his microform once again. "Hehe, you know Optimus," suddenly he heard Eva giggling. "You look cute when you're exhausted."

That forced him to open op his exhausted optics, glaring annoyed on the woman that was sitting close to him. "You found me cute you say," he scoffed, muttering, "heh, you have no idea how much I'm looking forward to get out of this place."

"Yeah, me too," she surprised him by saying that.

"Pardon?"

"I can't stay here anymore. The Forbidden City is no longer a place for my people to live anymore."

"Why?"

"You see... last winter, our clan was completely wiped out after the worst storm we'd experienced in our lives. The storm devastated our home and forced us to flee out on the streets. Izi Rainsinger told us that it was Erce's will to bring the storm and force us out from our home."

"Who's Izi?"

"Our shaman. She told us that Erce wanted to take us out from the Forbidden City and make a very long migration to find a new home. Also, if I remember correctly, she said something about gathering all the people to create the largest clan for our entire species' survival."

"Hold on there," Optimus sat up with his hand waving up, "I don't catch it. Who's this Erce? I heard you mentioning the name before."

"Erce is the All-Mother of our world," Eva continued to explain. "She watches over all of us and all the lives here on this world. Only the shamans can travel between this world and the ancestral world, where Erce protects over our ancestors, and ask them for advices and help."

"Fascinating. Tell me more please."

"Sure. You do wonder why I have my name, Dawnbringer. It's my spirit name."

"Spirit name? That was unexpected."

"Hehe, yeah," she paused, lying on her back with her hand over her belly. Then she looked up at him as Optimus drew closer. "Once we're back in my group, I suggest you to ask my father and shaman if you wish to know more. They know better than I do."

He smiled a bit but then frowned. Just then, after feasting a lot of spring leaves, Lucky flew to them and hurried climbing up on Optimus' shoulders. But then the lemur squeaked out, alerting them and forced them up on their feet. They followed straight after Lucky who had jumped and ran to the other side of the ruins. When they reach there, it was then they saw a very, very large white creature standing ahead of them, eating on the tallest crowns of the trees that engulfed the whole streets with vine-like branches. Eva dropped her jaws so it touched almost the ground as her body shuddered in shock.

"Shiran…" she whispered the name, which got the Prime to shot his gaze on her.

"Shiran?" Optimus blinked twice in confusion.

"The White Spirit," Eva replied without moving her eyes from the Shiran that ate peacefully. "The most sacred of all sacred spirits we know. Shiran is the messenger of Erce."

The Shiran was an outstanding creature Optimus had ever seen. Unlike the other creatures he had seen so far, this one was completely pure white like snow and very fluffy with long, thick fur. It looked like a six-legged sphinx with massive wings; it had six scaly golden talons, a long, fluffy tail with wide heart-shaped pectoral fins and had a brown monkey-deer face with large ruby-red eyes and bluish growling spots of bioluminescence. The thick mane hung heavily under its tall neck that made it look so graceful and mysterious. And as Optimus expected, it had a pair of tentacles hanging behind its butt that reached to the surface of the water. But it's most striking feature was the head chest with the four eyebrow-shaped fur.

The Shiran appeared to be unaware it had being spotted, but if it did know then it wasn't showing any signs of feeling threatened. It continued to eat peacefully.

"It's such a beautiful one," Optimus whispered. Both he and Eva had knelt down while watching on the Shiran. He realized that the white ghost he saw in the mist was the Shiran all the time. Lucky held his blue eyes on it too, but his tail whipped nervously like he was either afraid of it or was aware of the Shiran's sacred rule.

"Yes, it is truly amazing," Eva nodded, whispering. "It's my second time to see a Shiran."

"Your second time already-" Optimus was about to speak more when they saw suddenly the Shiran turning its head towards them.

Both of them froze up completely by meeting the ruby eyes that stared at them as the sphinx straightened up its neck and howled a long echoing song. Then it stretched out its enormous wings, moving them up and down and then pulled them back into the body as it stopped singing.

But all suddenly, Optimus saw something very unexpectedly.

He sensed how time froze up as he saw how the Shiran glowed up to reveal a large woman in front of him. He recognized the woman. It was the woman from his dream! But as quickly as he saw her, she suddenly vanished again and time returned to flow. He blinked twice and saw the Shiran had moved to another tree to eat there. Yet, he frowned in concern.

The woman, he thought. She's back. Wait, could the woman be Erce?

You must return…

Children of Earth…

Again, he heard the words echoing inside his audio receptors, freezing up in horror. "You're okay, Optimus?" he heard Eva asking him. He shot his gaze on her.

"I'm okay," he lied to her.

"You don't seem to be okay to me," she was not convinced. "You look like you've seen a ghost of an ancestor. Are you certain you're okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm okay," Optimus repeated, grumbling. He sounded annoyed when Lucky jumped up behind his back and climbed up to his shoulder. He then lowered down to scratch on his itching legs. "Ugh, when will this itching go over?"

Eva let a giggle out from her, mocking him. "It will go over soon. We'll stay here until the water is low again. By then, we will go on."

Just then, the Shiran began to howl again, singing for a long time that felt lasting for hours. It was like it was calling that never got answered back. Eva sat down again, leaning backwards and glancing up towards the sky. Optimus sat beside her with a peeing gaze when he reached his hand, touching her belly. The baby was pretty feisty inside as he or she moved restlessly. He was feeling suddenly attached to it. Feeling a life growing inside a human woman… he had never experienced anything like this before. He hadn't even got the chance to get to see a real pregnant woman. But with this new experience, he felt that the child will be fatherless and it made him feeling responsible for him or her.

His spark started to pulse very fast, telling him that he wanted the child. He wanted to be his or her adoptive father.

Thoughtfully he glared to the Shiran that was looking at them again, and then it slowly headed towards them curiously. But as it went closer, Lucky barked sharply like he protested it from coming closer, which startled both Optimus and Eva. The lemur rose up his six arms in the air, standing up on his hind legs as he barked furiously while he flapped his bat wings, making himself threatening for the enormous Shiran that backed off much to the Prime and the woman's surprise. Why would the creature be so afraid for such a tiny lemur like Lucky?

But as Lucky kept barking, his barks echoed quite far enough to be heard not only by his new friends but by a monster that was not far away. It moved its attention to the barking sounds that indicated trouble. Then it sensed a smell that it disliked strongly. A threat in its territory, which it truly hated over something or someone dared to enter without permission. Snarling furiously, it opened its lethal jaws to roar that vibrated deeply through its powerful throat. The ground felt like it shook in fear when Optimus, Eva and Lucky heard the roar that bellowed through the entire city. Lucky hurried to Eva's shoulders to hide behind her neck, shaking in terror as the ground shook more violently and the roaring intensified to worse. The shocked Shiran cast its eyes behind its back where the roaring came from, and ahead of it, the monster appeared.

"Oh no!" Eva suddenly exclaimed. "Optimus, we must leave, now! Use your magic!"

Without questioning or being told twice, the Prime obeyed as he transformed back to his true tall form again, grasping Eva in his hand and hid her tightly in his chest plates. Lucky shrieked in panic as he tried to flee and hide from the monster that raised its head, roaring towards the sky. Optimus swirled around and began to run to the nearest stable building where he climbed up to the roof there the half of a tall skyscraper was. Then he turned to low down on his knees and lay on abdominal area with Eva and Lucky behind his antenna as they looked.

The monster was the worst beast of humanity had ever seen. It was the Amorocko.

"Amorocko," Eva whispered in total horror, yet amazed to see the monster.

"Amorocko?" Optimus whispered back.

"The Death bringer," she replied, shuddering in fear.

Yes, the Amorocko was nothing Optimus could've ever imagined. The beast was bigger, longer and more powerful than the Shiran that stood with outstretched wings, trying to scare the Amorocko off.

Optimus was very amazed to see that the monster was a mixture between an Orca and a Polar bear. Its wide head was unmistakably the orca's head with large, white eye patches above the eyes. The black and white skin was leathery and slippery. The thickly armor covered the entire spine, chest and the tail with the curled flukes where the short tentacles were hidden under the massive hind legs. However, the bear body was very muscular with large bear legs and sharp claws. The first two front legs had two wide expanded flippers on the side of the lower part. It had huge, transparent blisters on every limb that glowed in bright red bioluminescence. Optimus thought that was impossible. How could the Amorocko have bioluminescence?

The Amorocko opened up its jaws and bared its sharp teeth, the two tiny nostrils pulling up as he growled deeply in rage towards the Shiran. It rose up the tail and then smashed it on the ground below as if he was threatening the white sphinx. Just as it happened the Shiran rose up the wings but not to take a flight. Instead, the wings stood high as the sphinx bellowed with a deep howl, trying to show himself better than the Amorocko. But it didn't work. Then suddenly the monstrous orca beast charged drastically, so fast that neither both Optimus, Eva, Lucky nor the Shiran could predict.

The Amorocko had an alarming speed as it charged towards the Shiran that never got the chance to dodge before it had thrown up its left fight paw and smashed against the head. The sphinx unleashed a bellow in agony as it flew across the street to crash on a wall, cracked it through and the entire wall collapsed upon the Shiran. When it tried to rise up, the Amorock charged again towards it, now using its jaws to bite on the fluffy throat and lifted up the entire sphinx up in air with incredible strength beyond any imagination.

Both Optimus and Eva dropped their jaws as the Amorocko spun around, tossing the Shiran in its mouth while they heard the sphinx's anguish cries as it was spinning several times around and around until the Amorocko let it go. It flew again across over the street, now this time it crashed over the flood and rolled over several times until it stopped rolling. They watched fearfully, still hoping for the Shiran to show any signs of life. But the creature didn't move a muscle. It was lying lifeless. Then Optimus heard Eva suddenly starting to sob. She had to cover over her mouth to prevent from sobbing aloud.

"Shiran's dead," she sniffled under her breath, shuddering tensed. "The Amorocko have killed him."

Optimus looked at her quickly, frowning sadly for her when they heard the Amorocko's roar of triumph as it stood proudly like the true king of all predators. Ruthless, lethal and powerful it truly was. Disgust filled inside Optimus' tank as he looked the monster marching towards the dead body of the Shiran. The water became dark red by the bleeding wounds from the throat, its wings badly broken and body twisted.

"We must leave now," he whispered to Eva. "If we don't, that thing will hunt us and kill us too."

"Indeed, Optimus," Eva agreed, nodding. "May Erce protect us from the Death bringer, may her messenger's life is not wasted and please let him guide us."

Her prayer was a small comfort for them when Optimus slowly and carefully climbed down again, then he hurried to the ruins and climbed over there too and left the area without looking back again. They never paid mind to see the Amorocko tearing the body of the Shiran and devoured it up.

The evening sun was settling down once again into the arrival of night when Optimus, Eva and Lucky continued their voyage through the ruined city. The water level had deceased down to Optimus' feet much to his pleasure. The rays of evening sunlight gleamed over the sky as he gazed up towards the orange sky, hearing the brief wind that whispered by his audio receptors. Then he looked on Eva with Lucky sitting on her shoulder, grooming her hair while she walked without rush. He cast a glance on her belly as he drew closer to her, but when he wrapped his hand around her waist to lay his hand on her belly, she suddenly swirled hastily around and glared at him angrily. Lucky got frightened, however he held tightly around Eva's shoulders and head.

"Why are you keeping touching on me?" She growled, surprising Optimus up.

Optimus opened up his mouth to speak but no word came out. He closed his lips plates and moved his gaze away, backing from Eva in shame. "I apologize for my behavior," he bowed his head. Inside he felt how fast his spark pulsed as he felt so much to touch the belly, feeling the movements of the baby. "I didn't mean to do that."

Eva's face softened up. "Optimus…" She hugged around her belly as she stepped closer to him, then rising up a hand to touch on his cheek plate, gently stroking it. "You're acting so strange. I don't want you to behave like that."

No reply came from him either. He kept shut in silence even after she turned and they continued to walk further. But they didn't go far before they heard a distant cry echoing through the streets which made them to stop dead on their tracks. Lucky rose up his head, listening carefully after the cry.

"What's that?" Eva inquired, frowning worriedly.

"I have no idea," Optimus replied now first, thinking fast for a solution and came up an idea. "Though, something's telling me that we've got to check for the cry. It sounds like it, whatever it can be, is crying for help."

"I don't know if that's a good idea. Father has told me that any unfamiliar sounds must be ignored."

"Then I suggest you go and hide somewhere completely safe, while I go checking for the cry."

"But Optimus…"

"Eva, please," he then went closer to her, rising up both his hands and laid them on her cheeks. Her cheeks blushed up red. "You must trust on me. I will come back. I will always return for you."

She didn't answer. He let her cheeks go and turned to walk away, leaving her and Lucky alone.

The cry sounded coming on a pretty good distance. He guessed it was around five to ten kilometers from him and walking to there in microform would take a good while. Optimus chose to be in his true form and transform into his Western Star truck form and drove through the streets while his sensors were online in order to detect anything.

The crying noises were getting stronger as he approached, accelerating more speed to dive faster through the water. It sounded weak like a baby animal's cry for help. He drove faster and faster, however the splashing water pulled him slow despite how much he pushed on the accelerator. Then, once he was close enough, he transformed up into his robot form and then used again his microform. Optimus sharpened his audio receptors when he picked up the cries. He was very close. He followed after the cries that were lying hidden inside ruins there a tall tree was growing up from the cracks, the thick roots tearing through the asphalted ground and the branches attached with hanging vines.

He made a hasty check before he raised his hands on the edge, climbing over and then came over the other side of a ruined hallway. Cries echoed ahead of him. He followed while listening as he walked wary, checking on every corner of his head watchfully. Then his proximity sensors alerted him for a near close encounter with something that he was walking towards, but this one was not a threat. By then, he turned around a corner and spotted something lying there. Narrowing his optics to get a closer look, Optimus got sparkbroken to see a tiny, weak creature lying on a wet wood. Immediately he rushed towards it, kneeling down in front of it.

It was a tiny eight-legged wolf puppy creature. Snow-white with shimmering scales all over its body except neck that was covered in thick fur, the armored tail was slim with very small, triangle-shaped pectoral fins and two tiny tentacles between its four hind legs. The puppy was curled up, whimpering weakly as he or she shook by cold, its talons clenching into fists. Optimus grabbed the puppy gently in his hands and he got shocked to feel how very light it was along the puppy was very skinny. He could almost see all the rips sticking out on the skin.

"Oh poor little one," he folded the puppy gently in his chest, stroking over the puppy's scaly back. "It's okay. I'm here, little one."

The puppy whimpered as he or she tried to search after warmth. Optimus cooed softly to it as he hugged it tightly, then started rub over the puppy's back to warm the freezing cold body. Then he began to wonder what happened to the puppy, but as he made a look at it, he noticed something. The puppy looked sick. Optimus pulled up the lips of the puppy, finding milk teeth and weakly pink gum, and then he looked on the gender. It was a male.

"Hang on, little one," he whispered softly just as the puppy opened its unique eyes; one brown and one blue. "I'll take you to safety."

He carried tightly the little puppy in his arms while he swirled around and hurried out from the ruins. Once he was outside, he immediately transformed back his real size and then transformed into his truck form with the puppy inside the cabin, lying on the driver's seat. He drove as fast as he can. By then, it was getting already dark and the first stars appeared on the sky as the last rays of sunlight died out. It took its time before Optimus finally found Eva and Lucky. They had hidden themselves perfectly inside an abandoned apartment on second level of a building when he saw the lights from the fireplace shining in the darkness. And after he'd climbed up and shrank down on his microform, Eva was quickly up on her feet.

"You're back!" She exclaimed relieved to see him, but then her happy face died into a shocked face when she saw the puppy in his arms. "By Erce's embrace…"

Optimus knelt down close to the fire, laying the puppy on his thighs as he reached out Eva's bag but Eva was quicker than him and grasped her bag before him. "Eva, he's sick and needs help," he begged.

"No, Optimus," she shook her head. "The puppy's a Rokan. They're dangerous."

"No, he's not dangerous," he snapped as he lifted up the puppy in his hands in attempt to convince Eva that the puppy was not a threat. "Does he look like a threat for you?"

"You don't understand, Optimus!" Suddenly Eva yelled at him, which caused Lucky jump up and run to the nearest hiding place.

"What don't I understand?"

"The Rokan is a threat to my people. They hunt in packs and are not afraid to attack us at any moment. They've killed many of my people!"

"Eva, I'm not going to let him die in my arms. He's sick and he's abandoned."

"He shall not come with us. My father will kill you both if he must!"

"No, no one shall die just because I've saved this puppy. Every species have right to live and every sentient being has right for freedom!"

"Optimus! Don't you understand at all? Erce would bring her rage upon us if you bring him to my group."

"No, I won't even allow her take him away from me," Optimus hugged the puppy tightly in his arms, yet gently to not crush him. "I won't allow anything to happen to him. He deserves a second chance to live. Don't you think it's the right thing? Why are you so afraid for him?"

"I-I…" Eva stammered and then paused unexpectedly. She frowned as the silence thickened between them. The only sounds were the puppy's whines and Lucky's worried chirruping noises. Both Optimus and Eva stared on each other for a long moment, neither saying a word nor moving a muscle. Eva's frustration shot lightning arrows towards the Prime while he shot his determined arrows back to her. Lucky sneaked out from his hiding place, crawling frightfully towards them and curled into a ball while watching on them wary.

But then Optimus broke the silence. "Eva, you must help me. I can't watch him so skinny and so sick. Please... I would do everything for you as I promised. Also, I want to adopt your child as well."

Eva bowed her head down, hugging her belly tightly. Then he reached his hand to touch her belly, rubbing it smoothly as he felt the baby's tiny movements while he carried the Rokan puppy in his other arm. "Do you mean it really?" she asked, slowly looking at him with tearful eyes. "You want to have my baby as your own?"

Before Optimus could even say the word, she cast out her arms and embraced his neck and started to cry. He heard her sobbing a whisper: "Thank you."

"You're very welcome," he whispered back, comforting her. After that, she let him go and swept off her tears from her eyes.

"I will help you then," she said. "I know one place where healing plants grows. I think one plant that can cure him either or not."

"Then we better get moving again," Optimus replied, rising up on his feet.

Eva gave him a fast nod when she grabbed her bag, arrow bag and her bow and hurried after him. Lucky understood immediately that they were leaving so he bounced after Eva and climbed up over her back to sit on her shoulders. They went out from the building, heading down on the street and began to walk through the streets again, now guided by Eva who walked hastily, which made Optimus almost to jog after her.

Their trip took less than an hour before they arrived on the place they were headed to. And what an amazing place it was.

It was an overgrown Central Park that had become a temperate rainforest with dense evergreen, very tall trees with massive crowns and hanging branches. Vines went from tree to tree, binding them together like a spider's web net. Much growth grew on the tree trunks and the aerial roots. The ground looked like a reef with corals sticking up on the water's surface, green kelps and algae flooding by as they walked. But what captured Optimus so much was that the Central Park was glowing in bioluminescence in colors of pink, purple, violet, green and blue. He dropped his jaw as he rose up his widely staring gaze over the glowing forest. Every plant, tree, branch, tree trunk and vine, even the reef he was walking on, was glowing around him.

He was so amazed that he thought he was about to faint when Eva called him, snapping him off and made him to hurry. Lucky had jumped off Eva's shoulders to climb up on the trees and glide from one to another, following after the Prime as he gave out his calls that were heard over the entire park. She had knelt down in front of bluish glowing sea plants that reminded like lilies, tulips and coral mixed together. "Here it is," she said once Optimus came to her. "Nazu'rä. It's curable and helps to ease pain too."

"Okay," he nodded that told her he understood. He observed her as she chose a nazu'rä and took two petals from it and put them in her mouth, chewing them and then spit the chewed petals in her hand.

"Hold him," she then demanded him. "He needs to swallow this."

Another nod came from him just as he raised the puppy up, holding the chest, hips and all his limbs to prevent them from get loose and allow the puppy to escape. Eva used her free hand to open up the puppy's mouth but the puppy whined loudly as he tried to flee by rocking his entire body, still couldn't get himself free as his jaws got wide open by the fingers and then he got a disgusting taste that was pushed into his throat. Then his jaws got shut tightly by Eva's hand as he rose up his head, swallowing the entire thing.

"It's done," Eva said as she released the puppy's mouth free. "He'll get fine soon. All he need is to get fat and strong."

The puppy spit out several times to get out the disgusting taste from his mouth, shaking his head again and again and his tongue hung exhaustedly while he panted fast. Optimus shook his head as he folded the puppy in his protective arms and met the wide open blue and brown eyes. As it happened, the puppy reached up his nose, sniffing on Optimus' lips and nose plates and started to lick on him happy. The Prime chuckled by the tiny and wet tongue that kissed over his nose plate.

"Are you still sure you want to keep him?" Eva giggled, yet sounding questioning to Optimus.

"Of course. I'll care of him," he chuckled.

"What will you call him?"

At first, Optimus hadn't considered a name at all. He'd been so focused to worry over the puppy's condition that he had totally forgotten fitting names for the Rokan puppy. He looked on the snow white puppy for a long moment as he fell deeply into a long, thoughtful time, considering any good name. He frowned deeply in thought when he thought on a name that must had strength, power and courage, but he had it difficult to think.

"I don't know…" he murmured uncertain.

"He's white like snow," Eva added. "I would call him Frosty. Awww, he's so cute. I never knew Rokan puppies are so cute."

"Frosty? Well, it can suit him," Optimus made a head movement when Lucky suddenly barked to alert them, causing both him and Eva to shot their gazes on the white Wén'sa. Lucky leapt out, stretching out his wings and glided through the air to the neighbor tree with hanging, violet glowing branches. Landing on the tree trunk, he turned his head to his friends and gave them another bark. It was like he was telling them for something. He whipped his tail, slapping it on the trunk and made thudding sounds.

"Lucky, what's wrong?" Eva called to him. Again, Lucky barked before he climbed up high enough to leap out and glide further from them. They cast up on their feet to rush after Lucky who glided to a bigger tree and landed there, barking again.

Optimus ran after Eva as fast as he can while carrying Frosty tightly in his arms when a fast spinning boomerang suddenly hit against his running feet, causing him to stumble over and rolled over the ground. Seconds later, he heard loud cries that pieced sharply through his audio receptors. The first thing that caught in his view of sight was not creatures but a human male! He stood in front of him, with a boomerang in his hand, yelling angrily and hissing like a cat. Optimus couldn't manage to rise up before the human male ran towards him and kicked right in his face. He got flown to one side, rolling over into a hard roll. He folded the Rokan puppy in his arms so tightly to protect him that he failed to hear the shrieking whines. When the rolling stopped, Optimus curled into a ball to protect more of Frosty just as the human male ran towards him with the boomerang raised in the air, yelling furiously. But he never got close enough when a very angry cry was heard.

"Enough!" It was Eva. With the speed of light, she rushed to Optimus with her bow to protect him. "You leave him alone!"

The human male with the boomerang backed off immediately, nearly dropping his boomerang. "Eva Damnbringer?" the man inquired her haunted like he'd seen a real ghost.

"Keiöh Oathrunner?!" Eva dropped her jaws in disbelief.

Aj, aj, aj! 32 pages long! That's so close to my own record of 35 pages. Well, sorry about that long beginning chapter. I must apologize that this story will contain mega long chapters like this one; up to 20-25 pages. I hope what you've enjoyed so far and leave any reviews. Also, I hope you loved your birthday gift too, Spiritstrike! 3