randomplaces | BW 'verse. An's village. Primal secrets.

Codeak looked around as he and Optimus Primal entered the withy stockade that surrounded the human village, feeling a wonder that he supposed was misplaced as he saw his former ward greeted with casual head nods and himself regarded with calm and friendly interest. He was used to those sorts of reactions back in the present whenever he ran into humans, but here in the past he'd somehow expected that Maximals would be regarded with more awe and reverence.

Then he paused as he and Primal walked between two huts and nearly stepped on the young Maximal named Cheetor, who was laying on his back with a slender, brown-robed girl of about nineteen sitting comfortably on his chest as she worked a belt loom that was attached to the wall of one of the huts.

"Tirzah, have you heard anything about Naomi?" asked Primal, nodding absently to the youngest member of his crew as Cheetor half lighted sleepy optics to look up at him.

"Not yet," said the girl, peeking curiously at Codeak from the corners of her eyes. "But Rhinox will make everything right."

Primal nodded, then indicated that he'd seen her glance. "This is my mentor, Codeak." A slight smile. "He's family."

Tirzah smiled at this and looked up at Codeak. "Welcome to the village, Uncle."

"Thank you." Codeak gave the slight friendly head bob that he'd seen the villagers do, and grinned as he saw the girl's smile widen. "I see Cheetor's helping you work."

Tirzah laughed softly at this, her dark eyes dancing. "Yes, Uncle. He's a big help. Weaving is a lot harder without him."

"Mmmmph. C'mon, Tirzah," muttered her seat sleepily. "Be nice. You never said you wanted me to do something else."

Primal chuckled and nudged Cheetor with a foot. "Get some rest. You had a busy shift last night."

"Yessir, Optimus." The young Maximal sighed, then exchanged a grin with Tirzah before dozing off again.

The two older bots excused themselves to the weaver and walked on, and Codeak soon caught sight of a pair of young girls hunkering in the shade of another hut some distance away. Like all their people the youngsters were tall and strong, though the one showed the usual slenderness and her friend was a bit more broadly built even at that early age. This latter girl was also clothed differently than the other women that Codeak had seen in the village thus far; her dress went only to her knees and was split up the sides to her hips to disclose a pair of pants of the same linen material.

"That's your daughter, isn't it, Optimus?" He turned his head to look at his former ward. "She's dressed differently from the other women and girls."

"That's because of her Gift." Primal whistled softly and then grinned as Windracer dropped the handful of locust pods she'd been pulling apart and flew into his arms.

"Wow. You're good at that," Codeak couldn't help saying as he watched her.

Windracer's dark eyes peeked over Primal's arm, full of curiosity that managed to be both shy and outgoing at the same time. She glanced quickly up at the Maximal who held her, and then grinned at his grin and encouraging nod.

"Thank you...." Another pause, and she lifted her eyebrows quizzically to Primal, who chuckled slightly and nodded again. "Grandfather."

"So you know who I am." Codeak was surprised and amused.

"You're the one that took care of Optimus and taught him when he was young. He's told me all about you in the stories about Cybertron." Windracer's expression grew a little serious as she snuggled against Primal.

Codeak looked at that bot and winced inwardly at the longing and sadness he saw in the young captain's optics. He understood the look. Cybertron might be a mess, but it was home. A home that Optimus' creation could never know.

He squeezed his former ward's shoulder, then started slightly as the sound of an infant crying came from a hut some distance away.

"Naomi's baby is born!" Windracer gave an excited wriggle and climbed up to Primal's shoulders.

"Yes." He grinned, one hand going after her to make sure she made the journey safely and then resting gently on the leg that lay against his chest. "Now we'll see who won the bet...."

"It's a boy!" Naomi's husband stumbled out, his grin looking like it would split his face and tears running down his cheeks. "And his sister!"

"Or not." Primal laughed out loud, then turned toward a female voice that called his name. "An. You just got a population explosion."

The tall, powerfully built woman in leather clothing and armor chuckled as she walked over, and Codeak felt her relieved and quizzical glance as it rested on him. That that glance also held concern caught his attention, and he watched her back with interest as she gave Primal a poke on the arm and grinned up at him. A few lines of easy banter in which Windracer took part followed, and then Primal turned to him.

"An, this is my mentor Codeak. Codeak, this is An, leader of Fire village and...."

"Windracer's mother." Codeak smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Meet again," said An, smiling back. "You look better now."

Codeak looked at Primal, who was grinning.

"An was the one that went into the shuttle after you. Her Gift makes her immune to heat and flame."

"Ah. Rhinox mentioned what a close shave I had. I guess I'm in your debt, An." Codeak lifted his brow ridges.

The tall warrior shook her head. "No. I think I'm repaying a debt. After all, if it weren't for you, Optimus and his people might never have come to Fire village."

"And that would have sucked," opined Windracer softly under her breath.

Primal winced. "Windracer, what have I told you about repeating things you hear Cheetor say?"

"They're not as bad as the things Rattrap says, but I shouldn't use them anyway." She grinned, respect mixing with mischief in her expression. "But you said that."

"I... did not."

"You did." An's smile twitched toward grinhood.

"When?" Optimus gave her a scandalized look.

"After the relay tower fell on your head right after we got it set up." One dark eyebrow lifted with amusement.

Primal stared at her for a moment, then facepalmed to the tune of Windracer's chuckling. "Alright. Don't repeat things I say when I'm concussed, either."

"Yes, Optimus." The ten year old curled herself in the limber way of young things everywhere and rested her cheek on top of his helm.

Primal's expression softened, and he looked at An. "Has Abel got any beer?"

Codeak perked at the question, his optics brightening.

"He does." An nodded, looking a little surprised. "And I just got some from him. But I thought you didn't like it."

"I don't." He grimaced. "But Codeak does."

"Really?" She tipped her head back slightly to look at the taller Maximal again. "Have you ever had the kind that's just made in a pot in the ground?"

"Yes. And I liked it." Codeak grinned.

An grinned back, then gave Primal a slight shove. "And I know you like beer when I use it to cook with. Let's go celebrate Jared and Naomi's new family."

"Sounds like a plan."

"And I made some cookies," said Windracer.

"...Now it sounds like a really prime plan." Primal chuckled and looked at Codeak for his opinion.

His mentor grinned at him, optics dancing. "What are we waiting for?"