It took a few minutes for Bumblebee to wake up entirely, blinking his eyes open slowly. His mind tried to find memories, but his mind still felt fuzzy. The only thing he recalled was the white coats... and hadn't he met someone yesterday? He felt something tickling his nose and warmth across his body. Now more confused, he moved his paws, pushing against a body. Bumblebee started, lifting his head quickly and blinking when he heard a small grunt. He realized that he was snuggled up against a larger white and orange cat, Ratchet, he remembered. Suddenly the names and faces of the cats he met yesterday returned to him and he relaxed a little bit. These cats were friendly, and a few of them seemed happy to have him there. His beating heart finally went back to normal and he relaxed again, lowering his head onto his paws as he waited for the others to wake up.

His eyes had been beginning to drop again when he heard the click of shoes headed their way. He shot his head up again, ears pricked, and once more nervousness fled up his body. Indeed, a human white coat was coming, the same woman from yesterday. She peeked into the cage with hard eyes, raising an eyebrow when Bumblebee's ears flattened at her, his tail flicking up and down.

Ratchet suddenly lifted his head and hissed at the woman with a scowl. "Back again?" he spat, surprising the young cat laying beside him.

The white coat rolled her eyes as he bent over, seemingly to grab something. "You creatures do want to eat, don't you?" she shot back as a noise of what sounded like pebbles hitting metal filled their ears.

Each of the other cats had woken from the noise, looking back and forth between the woman and Ratchet carefully. The look in their eyes told Bumblebee that the older cat held a great disdain for the humans here, much more than Bumblebee felt he did. The younger cat could feel Ratchet's muscles tense and ready to pounce at any moment. The woman seemed to know this, carefully holding up a big bowl of what looked like little pebbles and slowly opening the door. Ratchet's tail swung up and down and he growled low in his throat, his eyes never leaving the white coat's. Finally, she set the bowl down and quickly pulled her hand out, slamming the door shut and standing straight again with a shudder.

"Eat up, you little monsters," she sighed. "Silas will want one of you later this morning."

Ratchet shot her one last hiss as she began to walk away, his ears still flat on his head. The other cats watched him for another moment, their eyes still showing a hint of nervousness, but also seeming a bit amused. Bumblebee looked up to the older cat with a bit of awe, surprised he could stand up to one of them without backing down.

Cliffjumper was the first to get up. "I know the stuff tastes like rotten carrion mixed with water, but I'm starving, and I'd rather not be weak if I'm the one they choose," he said as he padded over and began to chew on the pebbles, showing Bumblebee that it was indeed food.

Wheeljack and Bulkhead reluctantly got up after him. "How do you know it'll be you?" Bulkhead said as he too began to eat.

The red cat rolled his eyes. "Haven't you noticed there's a pattern?" he said with a tease in his voice. "Today'll be me."

"Well, we have a new kit in the mix," Wheeljack said, sitting next to Bulkhead and waiting a bit before eating. "So maybe it'll change. Ugh, this stuff does taste awful," he added.

Cliffjumper only shrugged as he continued, finishing quickly and beginning to groom his muzzle. The rest of his fur he let loose, grooming with a satisfied smirk.

Ratchet sighed, having calmed down slightly, and stood up. Bumblebee got to his paws after him, his tail swinging back and forth as he looked up to the older cat, waiting to see what he would do. Ratchet cocked his head at him, giving him a bit of an unimpressed look as he raised his paw and nudged the kitten's backside.

"You should go eat first," he said simply.

Optimus nodded from where he sat, apparently waiting for the others to finish before he himself took his fill. "It is best that you remain at your strongest, little one, especially at this early stage." He flicked his tail as his wise features turned up in a very gentle smile. 

Bumblebee honestly was a bit hungry, so shyly he walked over to the bowl, where Bulkhead and Wheeljack was still eating. He crouched down as he inched his nose forward and took a sniff. A strange and putrid smell filled his nose and he shot his head back, wrinkling his snout in disgust. Wheeljack laughed, nearly choking on the food he was already eating. 

"It smells just as bad as it tastes, believe me," he said. 

This made the young cat even more hesitant, afraid to eat something that everyone made sound awful. Flattening his ears a little, he set one paw forward and sniffed it again. Hunger craved at his stomach and took over, paining his to take a mouthful. Bumblebee almost immediately spat it back out, the horrible taste still a surprise. He ignored the others' amused looks and forced himself to chew and swallow. He spat out his tongue and shook his head frantically as soon as he was done, his stomach telling him it was bad, but still wanted more.

Ratchet padded up and sat beside him, curling his tail around his legs. "I know it's awful, but you mustn't go about your day with an empty stomach," he chastised, flicking an ear at him. 

Bumblebee gave him a pitiful look but nodded, turning and continuing to eat the food, though it hardly satisfied him. As he closed his eyes and forced himself to swallow each bite, he found himself craving for something else. Something fresh, something warm, something rich. He tried to place what it was, but his foggy memory wouldn't allow him to figure it out, which frustrated him more. Shouldn't he know? Not only was he a cat, but he knew more than most other pets did now, thanks to these white coats. He finished with a soundless sigh, sitting up straight quickly and immediately busying himself with cleaning off the crumbs from his paws and muzzle. 

With a wrinkle of his own nose, Ratchet began to eat as well, though he only had a bit before he was done, also grooming himself immediately. Bumblebee found himself watching as Optimus finally came over and ate the rest, though he was much better at hiding his disgust then the others. In fact, he seemed perfectly normal and calm. The yellow and black kitten found himself in awe of how well the biggest cat kept himself in check. He was the obvious leader of whatever this group was, like a giant father cat.

Father. 

Bumblebee felt his heart sting a little at the thought, feeling awful that he didn't remember his own family. He paused grooming, his paw hanging in midair below his nose, and stared at the floor sadly, trying to strain his mind to find answers. The harder he looked, the more it felt that his own memories were avoiding being caught, dancing away to the back of his mind. He felt more and more frustrated and upset, loneliness and sorrow itching at him. Here he was, with no memory of his past life, no family to return to, and no way to communicate with the ones that were like him. Stuck here with all these new things running through his head, but not knowing why or what to do with it. 

Suddenly, a lick on his nose jolted him out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw that Optimus was cleaning the rest of his nose, his face neutral, but caring. Bumblebee melted a little bit, feeling comforted by the gesture and lowering his paw to the ground. A purr rose to this throat, rumbling his chest but still leaving no sound. He closed his eyes as the large cat continued, and soon he felt another tongue soothing his back. 

"You sure are a bit of a scruffy one, Bee," Bulkhead said from behind him, his voice friendly and teasing.

Bee waited until the both of them were done before he finally opened his eyes, looking up at Optimus with a hint of curiosity. The leader gave him a small smile, his blue eyes as cool as ever. "It seems you have a lot on your mind, little one," he said softly. 

The younger cat paused, nodding his head and returning his gaze to the floor. 

"I am sure you have the same questions that all of us did," Optimus said kindly.

Bulkhead nodded from behind Bumblebee. "We all went through this once."

"We never knew, even to this day, why these humans have done what they done," Optimus continued, "and for a while, we could only despise and question them for it."

Bumblebee looked up in shock, his blue eyes wide. You mean you don't anymore?

Optimus smiled a little. "It is hard to find a purpose when you do not know what you were created for," he explained. "But I believe that we have found ours, even if some of us do not entirely agree with it." At this sentence, his eyes flickered over to where Ratchet had curled up, his grouchy features hidden behind his big tail. 

Bee inched his paws forward ever so lightly, his head leaning forward as his ears pricked up in anticipation. What is it? What is our purpose? his head asked loudly, his tail flicking up and down anxiously. He desperately wanted to know, find out why he was here, have something to do with this new life.

Optimus chuckled slightly. "While this may not be the purpose these humans intended for us, this much my team has vowed," he said, his tone growing serious. "To protect human kind from what they have created."

The little cat froze a little, cocking his head in confusion.

The larger cat's gaze turned a little sad and regretful as he stared off at nothing. "There are many creatures here that these humans have altered," he said slowly. "Many of them have turned dangerous from what they endured. Some that we even knew."

The little cat's heart sunk a little, feeling terrible for the cats and other animals that had been put through that. Why should they protect human kind for that?

Bulkhead noticed his look and jumped in. "I know what you're thinking, and believe me, we've all had the same thought," the green cat rumbled.

Optimus nodded. "Even I had my share of doubts in the beginning. But I have been out, and I have seen more in the outside world. Human kind is not all the kind that these humans are. There are families with children, friends that care for each other, just as deeply as we do for our kind," he said, looking back to the smaller yellow and black kitten. "I have seen how kind and true they can be, and it is something to be protected."

Bumblebee let it all sink in slowly, the words echoing in his brain. Though he couldn't remember his family, the feeling of warmth and love he knew from it was still there. Indeed, he wanted to protect, wanted to know it. Slowly, he was beginning to deeply care for these new friends of his as well, and wanted that to be protected. He realized that this was something that needed to stay safe, in whatever creature. He suddenly looked up to the leader cat even more for being so selfless and kind, even to those who had hurt him. Bumblebee looked back up to Optimus, his gaze determined, and he stamped his paw on the ground a few times.

Optimus blinked at him, a little confused. "Do you understand what I am telling you?"

Bumblebee nodded furiously, stamping his paw a few more times as he inched his head closer. He beamed brightly, though in the back of his mind he wished he could tell them what he was trying to say. I vow to protect the humans, too! I'll stand with you!

The big blue and red cat continued to watch him for another minute, taking in Bumblebee's actions and doing his best to finally put into words. Finally, his ears pricked up a little and he smiled softly. "So you agree?"

Bumblebee nodded frantically again, his eyes twinkling as he stopped stamping his paw and raised his tail happily. From behind him, Bulkhead laughed loudly while the others gave him warm smiles. 

"You are one bright kit, little guy-"

Bulkhead was cut off when the cage opened, startling all the cats since they hadn't heard the human coming. Ratchet immediately got to his paws, his back arched as he growled threateningly. A man was there this time, glaring at them and searching them before his eyes locked on Cliffjumper. His hand shot it quickly and grabbed the red cat by the scruff, causing him to yowl as he was dragged back.

"Let go of me, you crazy white coat!" he hissed as he struggled, spitting and scratching. The others jumped to their paws as well, hissing and yowling, though none of them approached the human. Even Optimus hissed loudly, his ears flat as he glared at the white coat. 

The man looked unimpressed as he pulled Cilffjumper into a much smaller cage to keep the feisty cat trapped. He looked over them all again, his dark eyes cold as he searched. They finally rested on Bumblebee and he smirked a little, making the kitten's heart sink.

"There you are, newbie," he snarled, reaching his hand in again.

Bee opened his mouth to scream, even though he knew there wouldn't be any kind of noise, and tried to scramble back. He wasn't fast enough, and the large hand roughly grabbed his scruff and began to drag him. Ratchet suddenly yowled furiously, jumping forward and biting the hand deeply, his claws digging into the arm. The man screeched in surprise and pain, but his grip only tightened as he pulled. Bee writhed and clawed, but now both he and Ratchet were getting pulled along. The other cats finally jumped at him, tackling the man's hand with bites and scratches. 

The white coat cursed loudly, but didn't let go, instead putting down the cage that held the still yowling Cliffjumper to force the other cats back. In the commotion, Bee felt another set of fingers grab his leg, but he was unable to cry out in pain, warn the others of what he was doing. He felt himself get pulled out from under all the cats still holding the other hand, being dragged out of the cage and held to the man's chest. The rest of them looked up from the hand in shock, realizing they had been tricked, and jumped back. Ratchet hissed loudly, arching his back legs and getting ready to spring at the man's face.

"Ratchet, no!" Optimus ordered, placing a firm paw on his friend's back. Ratchet stopped, his features falling into regret and pain as the kennel door swung closed and locked. Bumblebee stared fearfully at them as the white coat picked up Cliffjumper's cage, grumbling all the way.

Then he turned and Bumblebee couldn't see them anymore.

~

Honestly, this is so cute and fun to write cus it actually has a plot, too!

Double the fun!