Ratchet's den was empty and quiet, save for the yellow youngling curled up in the medic's nest. Bumblebee breathed in what little scent remained in the moss, desperate for comfort. He didn't want Ratchet's scent to fade away. It was the only thing he had left of him.

And Taylor... he couldn't pick up her scent anymore. It was too faint, the stronger scent of herbs overpowering it.

Sighing softly, Bee pushed his nose into the moss and closed his eyes. Wherever Ratchet and Taylor were, he hoped they were warm and safe... and that they would come home soon so Ratchet could teach him more about herbs and Taylor could play with him again.

"Bumblebee!"

Bee lifted his head and saw Smokescreen trotting into the den. He shook a few bits of moss from his snout.

"I've been looking all over for you!" Smokescreen exclaimed, plopping down before Bumblebee with a small huff. "You're laying in Ratchet's nest again? Why would you wanna lay on gross old moss?"

Bumblebee brushed his paw over the moss, which was beginning to dry out. "I don't want to change it out 'cause it still smells like Ratchet..." He murmured.

"Oh..." Smokescreen blinked and curled his tail around himself.

"The others should've found them by now..." Bee said with a frown. His expression soon fell and he looked up at Smokescreen with worried eyes. "Do you think they're... dead?"

"DEAD?!" Smokescreen recoiled as if he'd been struck. "No way, Bee! They can't be dead! Ratchet's one of the toughest dragons around! He didn't get old just by sitting on his butt and doing nothing! And Taylor's like... super smart! She knows how to fix any problem!"

"But... don't you think they would've come back by now?"

Smokescreen thought on that for a moment. "Maybe they're just lost! And trying to find their way home!" He chirped. Then, he leapt to his paws and wagged his tail. "Hey, why don't we go find them? We can help Optimus and the others!"

"We can't do that! It's too dangerous!" Bee exclaimed. "And if Magnus catches us, we'll be in huge trouble!"

"Relax! He won't catch us." Smokescreen said with a grin. "We'll sneak past him. He won't even know we're gone. C'mon!"

Bumblebee hesitated, watching Smokescreen bound away, before he quickly slunk after him.

Upon entering the clearing, Bee spotted Ultra Magnus lying beneath a tree near the center of camp. He appeared to be sleeping, but Bee knew better than to assume that. Magnus was more alert than he looked and usually always knew what was going on around him.

This is a bad idea... Bee thought as he crept into the bush Smokescreen was hiding in.

"Magnus is sleeping! How are we supposed to sneak past him?" He whispered with a frown.

"Easy! Just be quiet and don't step on anything that'll make noise." Smokescreen said. "He's near the entrance, but if we can sneak past him without waking him up, we should be home free!"

A knot of worry began forming in Bee's stomach. They shouldn't be sneaking out, especially during winter. It was dangerous. They could get lost. Or worse...

Then his mind drifted to Ratchet and Taylor. They were out there in the cold. If Optimus and the others still couldn't find them, they needed all the help they could get! He wanted to be a real scout and help bring Ratchet and Taylor home!

His expression grew serious. "Okay. I'll lead the way."

Bee crept out of the bush, Smokescreen following soon after. He stayed low to the ground, keeping his movements slow and careful just how Optimus had shown him. Magnus never left his sight, though he occasionally looked away to make sure he wouldn't step on anything.

The entrance was nearing. Bee had the urge to just run for it, but he forced himself to keep up his slow pace. His little heart was racing in his chest. He'd never been out in the forest alone before. The thought of it was terrifying, yet exciting at the same time. It felt like the next step to growing up!

Behind Bee, Smokescreen was getting restless. He quickened his pace. However, he wasn't as careful when it came to watching where he stepped and the loud snap of a stick soon pierced the quiet atmosphere.

Both younglings froze. Bee's wide eyes shifted to Magnus and watched with growing fear as the larger dragon shifted in his sleep.

"Sorry!" Smokescreen whispered, lowering his head.

Bee didn't say a word. He held his breath, waiting to see if Magnus would wake up. Thankfully, all he did was tuck his head closer to his flank and release a heavy sigh.

That was close...

After waiting a few more moments just to be safe, Bee turned and quickly trotted the rest of the way to the entrance. Once he made it outside, he broke into a sprint until he reached some bushes. Smokescreen arrived soon after, all giddy with excitement.

"We did it! We made it out!" He chirped, bouncing around on his paws.

"Yeah, after almost getting caught." Bee huffed, his heart still racing. He looked around and sniffed the air. "Let's follow the others and see if we can find any scents."

Bee took the lead again, heading off into the woods with Smokescreen at his heels.

•
•
•

Bumblebee and Smokescreen followed Optimus's scent for a while after picking it up, though it soon became too faint to trace further. Bee tried to see if he could smell the others, but his nose burned from the cold. The wind had intensified and kicked up some snow flurries, which burned his eyes.

"I can't smell anything..." Bee said with a sigh, pulling his limbs closer to his body in an attempt to stay warm. "Can you?"

Smokescreen held his head up and sniffed the air, though he was only rewarded with a sneeze.

"No, all I can smell is snow." Smokescreen muttered.

"It's getting cold... and dark. Maybe we should head home."

"Which way is home? If we can't pick up any scents, how are we gonna find our way back?"

Bee glanced around, a growing sense of fear filling his chest. He didn't know how to get home. He didn't even know where they were!

"...L-Let's just find somewhere to spend the night. I don't think it's a good idea to stay out in the cold." He said, shaking his head. "And I don't like the dark very much."

They wandered around a bit more before eventually coming across a large oak tree. There was a hole in the bottom of it—the entrance to an underground den—and the scent of whatever used to live there was stale. Bumblebee squeezed inside and stepped into a plush bed of dried pine needles. He laid down and curled into a ball with a soft sigh. Smokescreen settled beside him.

"I guess this is why Ratchet always told us not to wander away from camp." Smokescreen murmured. "So much for finding him."

Bumblebee stared out of the den entrance, watching the sky slowly begin to darken. "Yeah, and I'm supposed to be training to be a scout. I can't even pick up a simple scent trail or find clues." He huffed.

Smokey glanced at him. "They've been gone for a while, Bee. Maybe the trail's dead, and the clues are covered in snow. At least we tried instead of just sitting around."

Bee tucked his snout further under his legs. He felt useless—nothing but a dumb little youngling who thought he could make a difference. No, he wasn't helping. He wasn't helping at all. He was just creating more problems instead of solving them. Now Optimus and the others would have to waste time looking for them instead of looking for Ratchet and Taylor.

Tears began to well up in his eyes as the thought that Ratchet and Taylor may never come home crossed his mind. How could they just vanish like that? Maybe Megatron had gotten to them again... he always seemed to hate Ratchet the most alongside Optimus.

Bee shook his head and furiously blinked away the tears. What good was he going to accomplish by thinking so negatively? Nothing, so he needed to stop crying and start believing.

That was easier said than done, though.

Both his mind and body were exhausted. He needed to sleep. But just as his eyelids began to lower, he heard something.

At first he thought it was leaves rustling in the wind, but it sounded more like a crunching noise—like something stepping on a leaf. Bee froze, his eyes wide with terror as they stared at the den entrance.

"Did you hear that?" He whispered to Smokescreen.

"Y-Yeah..." Smokey answered, equally spooked. "Maybe it's a deer?"

Bee didn't reply. He listened intently, even slowing his breathing so he could hear better. There was another crunch, then a soft grunt. Something was nearby and last time he checked, deer didn't grunt like that.

As if on cue to further confirm his suspicions, the whoosh of beating wings then filled the silence. Something hit the ground with a heavy thud, soon followed by another heavy thud. Bee couldn't see anyone, but he knew they were out there. Were they Decepticons? Rogues? Either way, they meant trouble.

"I hope you've found something of use this time." A deep, raspy voice said.

"There's a scent, but it doesn't belong to any of the Autobots." Another voice spoke. Lighter and softer, but still cold.

More sniffing, then a quiet growl of acknowledgement.

"A youngling..."

"The Autobots have two younglings, don't they?" A similar voice to the first chimed in, though this one sounded slightly higher pitched. 

"Indeed. Search the area! See where that scent leads."

"Yes, brother."

Bee swallowed thickly and turned to Smokescreen with a hushed whisper. "We need to get out of here. They're going to find us!"

"How? They'll see us!" Smokescreen whispered back, his eyes round with terror. They were truly in danger this time and he had no idea what to do. "We should stay put. They can't get to us in here!"

Bee stared at Smokey, his gaze wavering. He was right. Even if they found them, the hole was too small for them to fit through. They couldn't reach them, but they could trap them there. It was a lose-lose situation. They could only listen as the footsteps came closer and closer until...

A red, unblinking eye slowly moved down to peer into the den. Heavy breaths now filled the silence.

"Why hello, little ones." Dreadwing softly spoke, though his softness was not out of kindness for them. There was malice in his tone. "Don't worry, my brother and I are here to help. We can take you home."

"You don't even know where our home is!" Smokescreen spat, baring his teeth in an attempt to be intimidating.

Dreadwing chuckled. "Perhaps, but we can find it. I imagine your family is very worried about you. Why don't we pay them a visit?"

"You shouldn't be here, you're Decepticons." Bumblebee said as he narrowed his eyes. Internally, he was terrified, but he wasn't about to let the Decepticons know that.

"Oh, my apologies. I didn't realize we were trespassing on your territory." Dreadwing sneered. Somewhere behind him, Skyquake chuckled darkly. "Decepticons can go wherever they like—unlike Autobots, who think scent borders shouldn't be crossed."

Bee growled softly. Optimus and the others probably didn't know that Decepticons had invaded the territory, which put everyone in danger. He needed to warn them, but how?

Dreadwing turned his head so that more of his face was visible—most notably his teeth. "I'm going to give you a choice. You can either come out of there and cooperate, or you can stay here all night while my comrades search for your home. Choose wisely, for the lives of your family are hanging in the balance."

Bee shrunk back a little, curling his tail closer to his body.

What was he going to do?