Containment And Recuperation, Private Lightfang

[Arbiter]

Sleep within the facility had been a continuous problem in his form and the hard berths with recharge points meant little to the contained Metalmaster. Whilst he might have been able to make use of such points in the past for rest and recharge, his system was now incapable of using such outlets as a means of powering himself back up; fortunately the medical staff had been bringing meals of a suitable supplement to sustain him, though the lack of change in the supplement had begun to make the meals boringly drab in their texture. He stood there staring at his berth, his head slightly cocked as he tried to think his way around this problem.

Over the last few days Talonstrike had been making several modifications to his ‘home’ as he had resigned himself to becoming a permanent resident there, trapped in a cage. As much as he wished for freedom he was not naive enough to hope that at any second the door would be opened and the light of the outside would beckon him towards it. So instead he had begun to make changes to his environment to make himself more comfortable. Some of these changes had been rather simple in nature; turning a table upside down so he could use its outstretched legs as a suitable perch was but one of these, but the matter of his sleeping arrangements still had him stumped.

His instinct demanded that he make some kind of nest as a shelter, and Talonstrike knew eventually this would force him to make a nest anyway so he wasn’t about to deny it, but he couldn’t make one out of a prescribed materials that would usually be required; wooden debris was rather sparse and difficult to come by inside the medical facility. After another second’s thought Talonstrike merely shrugged and turned his attention to the soft furnishings in the corner, they’ll have to do.

Within a few minute’s he was ripping the cushions to pieces, their contents spilling out onto the berth as he began to meticulously shape a nest out of the carnage he had wrought. As he did this his wing’s twinged slightly; they had still not recovered yet, his feathers still in the process of regrowth and though his wings looked like small versions of his former splendour they were not capable of supporting his weight yet. It would be another two or three weeks before then, not that he could go outside to fly even if he could. In the end he had traded one form of captivity for another, and he was but a monster in a cage. A monster, who still didn’t fully understand why he was drawn to Shadow.

[Shadowcat9279]

Lightfang arrived to see Talonstrike and blinked at the mess he had made of the area. She did however smile at the nest made to better accomidate himself. "I see your instincts are very strong. That is a good thing." She said as she stood in the door way. "May I come in?"


Her main reason for this visit was to evaluate the flyer, but Fang always did more then just evaluate. In her arm were a few datapads, and a basket with some bottles in it. She was going to look his wounds over and mostly just talk to him. "I brought you a few things."

[Arbiter]

He paused in his construction briefly when the door slid open, an optic spying on who had entered. Lightfang, must be another checkup then. At least it wasn’t a guard attempting to stop any wanton destruction, though he almost grinned when he was complimented on his instinct. It was true that with the Metallization his instincts had grown though in the back of his mind one of these instincts wanted him to lock talons with the dragon once more, but not in battle; it was a different instinct driving him but he didn’t understand it yet.

‘Sure, pull up a seat,’ responding to Lightfang’s request to enter. He dropped the few clutches that he had been clinging on to placing them on the side of the berth; he could finish the nest later. Pacing across the room he hopped onto the makeshift perch, his talons wrapping around the table legs to secure him in place.

However his curiosity was piqued when the cat made mention that she had brought a few things. ‘Oh, what are they?’ asked the former eagle, his tone light though his curiosity evident.

[Shadowcat9279]

The elder smiled and sat down and set out the datapads and the basket. "Some light reading to help you with boredom also known as copies of my comic books.... and" She set out a few bottles and a fresh kill of a Haremouse. One of the native species known for its wonderful taste and it was intact so his instincts would have a ball with tearing it open to feast on it. "Some home brew and lunch."

Lightfang was one of the few that did not mind others eating habits. She herself was one of the messiest eaters in her cat form then any other due to the fact that her large fangs would get in the way. "Go ahead and eat and drink then I will look at your wing to make sure its healing alright."

[Arbiter]

Taking hold of the haremouse that had been presented to him, he looked it over eagerly. ‘This’ll make a change from those protein based supplements I keep getting through the slot.’ Bringing the creature close to his face, Talonstrike smelt the faint aroma being emitted from the corpse. He couldn’t detect anything dangerous about the smell, and over the preceding weeks the medical staff had had more than enough opportunity to poison or kill him through easier means than this. After enough moment’s pause he sank his beak into the hapless creature ripping away sinew and flesh before slicing the chunks into smaller pieces with his incisors.

Just as he crunched on what might have been a bone the Metalmaster spoke, though his voice was slightly garbled, ‘I’ll take a look at the comic books later on, though I’m not as well versed on such things as others might be.’ Taking a gulp to swallow what he already had in his mouth Talonstrike continued, ‘You can take a look at my wing as I eat if you want, I don’t mind.’ He stretched out his port wing before swinging it round so that the cat could perform a closer inspection, at the same time he took another chunk out of the haremouse exposing one of its internal organs to the world.

[Shadowcat9279]

Lightfang smiled and moved closer to him and inspected his wing. It was healing well and it mad her smile to see he was tending to it so well. Gently she smoothed some salve on it to ease the irritation and help the feathers to grow back faster. "Your looking very well. It wont be long till your back in the sky." She praised.


Then she ran her fingers though his feathers to loosen and pull the dead feathers and pull them free. "Whats on your mind?"

[Arbiter]

Continuing to eat the haremouse, Talonstrike watched from the corner of his eye how the cat progressed. She was being thorough with his wing, checking each feather in turn and seeing how they were doing, tugging lose any feather that was dead whilst rubbing a paste of some kind on to the others. It was therapeutic in a way, as whilst there was the occasional twitch at the nerve endings when a feather was removed, Lightfang was applying enough pressure on the healing primary and secondary feathers that rather it be rather irritating it was instead incredibly soothing. Cooing quietly to himself the former eagle enjoyed the pleasure he was receiving before making a passing comment to Lightfang’s remark, ‘I’m glad about that; there isn’t much room in here to spread after all.’

What the cat asked next however caught him off guard. Pausing mid-chew, the remainder of the haremouse’s tail sticking out from his beak, the Metalmaster closed his eyes in deep thought. A furrow built up on his face before he finally responded sheepishly, muffled by the partially consumed creature, ‘I… Well…’ Gulping, he swallowed the rest of the mouse, the tail disappearing from view like a piece of spaghetti before he then picked up where he left off, ‘I’m never going to get out am I? I’m a monster, a caged beast to be put down. I’ve hurt too many of them to be let out…’ He sat on the perch staring at his claws, a look of sadness in his face as he looked at the pitiful situation he found himself in.

Images of the dragon then popped into his head reminding him of something else that he still couldn’t put a talon on, ‘Then there’s Shadow… I still don’t understand where she comes into this. It’s confusing, and I still don’t know why my instincts are driving me towards her.’ In this Talonstrike was utterly lost as whilst his instincts were driving him to go to her, he didn’t understand why he should obey them.

[Shadowcat9279]

Lightfang continued to work on his wing and even moved down it to be thorough with what she was doing. She loved working on feathers and since it seemed to comfort Talonstrike she would continue doing it. She even began working the healthy feathers to make sure they were growing properly and when she came across one that wasnt she would snip the damaged area off with her claws so it would continue to grow without irritation.

"Talonstrike.... Let me tell you a secret. Everyone... even a so called monster can get a second chance at life. I know this first hand." She looked up to make sure they were not going to be interferred with and then continued. "You see.... a lifetime ago.... I was a Decepticon Seeker."

[Arbiter]

What the cat had said was a little surprisingly but it didn’t shake Talonstrike off his perch, though he did raise an eyebrow to her statement. Giving her a short bemused stare the former eagle quipped back to the medic attending to him, ‘I find that hard to believe, you don’t seem the type to give up their wings easily.’ The image of Lightfang as a seeker was a hard one to shape in his head, and everytime he put any kind of wing to the lithe fem, whether they be metallic or organic the image refused to fit in with what he knew of the cat.

After another second Talonstrike returned his gaze to the wall opposite before he went off into his own musings, ‘But I still don’t know, I still feel that I would need to perform some kind of penance…’ Pausing for a second he then continued on with his trail of thought, ‘Possibly to even go so far as to remove my own wings.’ He didn’t want to remove his wings, as like any flyer they represented his pride of having the gift of flight, but if he had to go to the necessity of cutting his own wings off to repay his sins then the Metalmaster would do it.

Trying to explain himself, he began to list off all those he could remember encountering during his time under Atrocity’s rule, ‘I’ve hurt a lot of them, even the ones I now know were trying to help me, Ramose and their search party, Wallop and the Maximals accompanying him. And Shadow… Shadow haunted my mind the most whilst I was gone and she was the one I hurt the most when I found her. It still doesn’t escape the fact that Cassidy was with her at the time as well.’ He had only identified Cassidy in the last couple of days and it was one of the parts that stung the most; he was certain Moonhunter would ensure that such a danger would never repeat itself, and that the Head of Security certainly had the resources at their disposal to ensure that it happened.

[Shadowcat9279]

Lightfang listened to all he had done with an unaccusing ear. She understood that feeling of needing to pay pennace for all the wrongs done all too well. For her it ment removing her wings and learning life again.

"You may not need to go that far." Fang gave his arm a light squeeze. "Maybe... taking on patrol or teaching younglings..." She suggested.

[Arbiter]

OOC: Sorry this is late, been caught up in work lately. Also, is LF just ignoring all of Talonstrike's references to Shadow

The Metalmaster felt the reassurance that the cat offered as she squeezed his arm, but his heart still hung low as to what he could do. Listening to her words, his internals skipped a cycle at what the fem suggested. Turning his head towards her, he cocked an eyebrow and stared at the fem bot, an incredulous look pinned to his face. After a seconds pause he spoke in a low tone, his voice still sombre, ‘I couldn’t see myself teaching younglings, let alone being let near them after what almost happened.’

His head turned again, once more looking towards the spot on the wall opposite before he mused to himself, ‘I could do patrol duties again, but… I don’t see how the others would see me in the same light again, or even trust me.’ After everything he had done, he didn’t see how the security force would welcome him back with open arms without cutting his off first. At this thought his face lowered as his arms involuntarily began to hug his knees; his arms itching in protest as the bands around them rubbed against his leg servos.

[Shadowcat9279]

"The first step in re earning the trust of others is to trust in yourself Talon." Lightfang smiled and wrapped a comforting arm around him. "It may be a long road but if you really want to be the person you want to be then you have to walk it. Grasp on to the good things and hold to them tightly."

Fang knew about this road all too well. When she gave up her wings to persue being a medic she had some huge walls to go through. She had to show she could be compassionate and relearn how to function in a different society. She had to put up with those that threw stones...figuratively and literally, and just let it go. "Perhaps I can be of more assistance in the area of finding your center... your calmness and sence of self. I train in an old styling of martial arts. If you are interested in that I will speak on your behalf to allow you out of this cage."

[Arbiter]

OOC: Sorry I'm late with this.

The Metalmaster felt the arm being wrapped around him and gently leaned against the fem in response. He couldn’t remember ever being comforted by Atrocity in such a way whilst he had been living amongst the Predacons; though thinking about it the missing leader might have simply crushed him should he have even asked for comfort. Feeling the warmth between her fur and his feathers, Talonstrike appreciated what the medic was trying to do for him and passively crooned; since his incarceration he had been lacking a sense of place and belonging, plus his Metalmasterisation hadn’t helped the problem.

Quietly, he responded to the cat’s suggestion , ‘I suppose, but I wouldn’t know what to grasp on to; I mean there’s Shadow, but I don’t know whether she’s a good thing or not, she just feels good.’ Talonstrike was still confused over the whole issue regarding the dragon. Everytime he thought about her, his heart began to race but he couldn’t tell what was causing it. Perhaps someone else might be able to shed light on it.

His interest was piqued however when Lightfang mentioned that she trained in a type of martial art. He glanced at her, his face filled with curiosity as he asked his question, ‘I’d appreciate that, though I was unaware that you practised any kind of martial art. What is it, if I might ask?’

This post has been edited by Arbiter on Mar 26 2012, 05:08 AM

[Shadowcat9279]

Fang smiled. "My art is ... well... it has no name. You see I learned from all of them so there is some of everything in it.. even when I spent time on earth. " The elder smiled with the memory. "Strange yet fascinating creatures humans are. Anyway Im getting off topic. If you would like to try some classes then I will talk to Moonhunter about getting you in."

She then leaned forward. "Maybe you should tell me about what you feel about Shadow? I might beable to sort it out."

[Arbiter]

OOC: So sorry this is late, been busy with final year work

Quietly, the Metalmaster responded, ‘I’d appreciate that…’ The thoughts of a few brief hours away from his cage greatly appealed to him; the very image choking tears from his eyes that he might not have to spend forever in this lonely solitude.

Rubbing away the tears that were pooling in his sockets he refocused his attention to the question that was asked of him, ‘Shadow… What I feel about her? I just don’t know…’ He thought back to his most recent encounter with the dragon and how resolutely she had stood against him until they had both fallen from injuries and exhaustion, but no matter what he did, Talonstrike just couldn’t bring up any memories from before then to really confirm what he truly felt for her. ‘I can’t remember what she was to me previously, but something is telling me to be with her…,’ continued the former eagle. ‘I don’t know whether this might be an instinct, or something more, I just wish I knew how I felt before this all happened.’