A/N: Baby Soundwave and Megatron! I included the picture in the header so you guys could get an idea of what they looked like!
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"Oh dear... not another one. You said he arrived recently?"

"Mhm. They dropped him off not too long ago. He's from today's raid."

"Poor thing. He must be exhausted."

Megatronus groaned softly. His eyes sluggishly opened, his vision still a bit fuzzy. His entire body ached like he had ran the entire length of the forest and back. As his vision slowly cleared, he could make out two large figures in front of him. Their heads were bent down, their snouts practically in his face.

"Ahh!" He shrieked, jumping to his paws and scrambling backwards.

However, he soon bumped into something, which prompted him to turn and run to the right. Several surprised gasps and scolding voices filled the air as he ran past other dragons minding their business. He dove into the first hiding spot he could find, scattering carefully sorted herbs in the process.

One of the two dragons sighed softly, shaking her head. She lifted her head and gazed off towards the back of the den. "Soundwave, dear. Would you mind coaxing our new friend out of hiding? I need to treat that gash on his side."

"Yes, ma'am." Came a quiet reply. A small hatchling trotted around the corner and curiously approached the hole where Megatronus was hiding.

Megatronus laid perfectly still, breathing heavily as he stared out of the hole he was hiding in. Where was he? What was this place? He wanted to go home!

He instinctively shrunk back when he heard someone approaching. His eyes snapped shut as he prepared to be dragged out into the open. But when nothing happened, he slowly opened one eye to see what was going on.

Crouched in front of the hole was a hatchling who looked no older than him, maybe even younger. They were mostly a blueish-purple color, with purple eyes, a black face, and purple markings similar to his. The only difference was that they didn't exactly have horns. He wasn't sure what to call the strange-looking head armor, but he thought it looked pretty cool. Better than his plain old horns, that's for sure.

"Why are you hiding?" The hatchling finally spoke after a moment of silence, his voice rather quiet and soft. He tilted his head, peering curiously at Megatronus.

Megatronus decided that this hatchling wasn't a threat and relaxed, the tiny spines on his neck laying flat. "I-I.. I don't know w-where I am..." He whimpered. "They took me from m-my home."

The hatchling stared for a second, then blinked as if he understood. "That's how we all got here." He said as he curled his tail around his paws. "You need to come out."

Megatronus frowned. "And what if I don't?"

"Then I guess you want that wound to get infected."

"How did you-" Megatronus began, but cut himself short. He supposed the gash was pretty obvious. He'd almost forgotten it was there. Now that he had been reminded of it, he could feel the throbbing pain slowly coming back. He huffed softly. "Fine. You better not be tricking me."

The hatchling stepped back to allow Megatronus to crawl out, his tail flicking behind him. He noticed that Megatronus was a bit larger and taller than him, with thicker limbs and a more heavy-set body compared to his slim frame.

"I'm Soundwave." He chirped.

Megatronus made a face. "That's a weird name."

Soundwave scoffed and narrowed his eyes. "Well what's your name?"

"Megatronus." Megatronus replied, puffing out his chest.

"Your name is even weirder than mine." Soundwave said as he began padding off.

"No it isn't! It's a cool name!" Megatronus growled, trotting after Soundwave despite the pain in his side.

He slowed his pace once they approached the two dragons from before, the fear in his heart reignited.

Why did they look like exact copies of each other?

Black scales, purple markings, white faces, and red eyes. Come to think of it, everyone he saw in the den had red eyes and looked nothing like the dragons who attacked. Is that what Soundwave meant when he said that's how they all got here? Were they kidnapped too?

"I got him, Mama Echo." Soundwave chirped. He padded up to the smaller of the two dragons and rubbed against her leg.

The female chuckled and nuzzled Soundwave with her snout. "Good job, sweetheart. If you want, you can stay and keep him company." She smiled when Soundwave nodded.

"Mama Echo?" Megatronus asked, raising a brow in confusion.

"Oh! Pardon me for not introducing myself. You.. uh... sort of ran away before I could do so." She said, curling her tail around her paws. "My name is Echo. The little ones like to call me Mama Echo, though." She gestured to the male beside her with her head. "This is my brother, Maude."

Megatronus glanced at Maude, who only gave a small nod in return. He seemed like the quiet type. "Why am I here?"

Echo sighed, her expression falling a bit. "You were taken by the Elite Guard. They steal hatchlings from outsider clans and drop them here so they can use them for their own personal gain once they grow older. Some become slaves, while others become hunters and gatherers. I regret to inform you that this is your new home now."

The information slowly settled in Megatronus's mind. He hadn't exactly realized the gravity of the situation until Echo put it into words. He slowly sank to his haunches, his expression downcast as he looked up at Echo.

"So... I'll never see my family again..?" His voice quivered as he spoke. Tears threatened to spill down his cheeks.

Echo looked as if it physically pained her to answer him. "I'm afraid so. I'm sorry, dear." She lowered her head to give him a comforting nuzzle. "All of the other hatchlings call me their mother. If you want, I can be your mother too."

Megatronus yanked his head away, tears burning in his eyes. "No! I want my real mother!" He cried. He ran towards the entrance of the den and disappeared outside.

•
•
•

Megatronus had found a bush to hide in and that's where he remained for quite some time, not wanting to show weakness by letting everyone see him cry. He sniffed softly, laying his head between his paws. Why did this have to happen to him? He just wanted to go home. He didn't want to stay here.

His head perked a little when he heard steps. They were too light to be an adult's and so quiet that he almost didn't hear them at all. To his surprise, it was Soundwave again.

"What do you want, Soundwave.." He muttered, turning his head away as the smaller hatchling crouched down to peer at him.

"You ran away, so I came to check on you." Soundwave said. He curled his tail around his little paws, his purple eyes filled with curiosity. "Can I hide in the bush too?"

"No, it's my bush." Megatronus flashed his tiny fangs in a show of possessiveness.

Soundwave blinked, but didn't seem deterred by the aggressive behavior. "But there's enough room for two. I'm small, I can fit."

Seeing that Soundwave wasn't going to budge, Megatronus rolled his eyes and reluctantly shuffled over to make room. "Fine. Only this once." He huffed in annoyance.

Soundwave let out a little chirp and happily wiggled his way under the bush. He settled down beside Megatronus, curling his tail around himself. Things were quiet for a few minutes, neither hatchling saying anything to the other.

Eventually, Megatronus couldn't handle the silence anymore. "Don't you miss your parents?" He asked, eying Soundwave from the side.

"No." Soundwave simply stated, much to Megatronus's surprise. His wings fluttered a bit on his back. "I don't really remember them."

"Oh." Megatronus laid his head back down and sighed. That wasn't the answer he was expecting.

"What were your parents like?"

Megatronus stared off into the distance, watching as other dragons mingled about. Thinking about his parents both comforted and depressed him at the same time.

"My mom's name is Neptune. She's really nice and always knows how to make me feel better." He paused, now imagining his father and feeling a bit of pride swell in his chest. "And my dad... my dad's name is Atlas. He's the best fighter in our whole clan. He leads the warriors. They protect the clan. I want to be just like him."

Soundwave listened intently, seeing how excited Megatronus got while talking about his father. "Your dad sounds awesome." He said. "Why don't you be a gladiator when you get older?"

"A gladiator? You mean those big, tough dragons they tell stories about?" Megatronus questioned.

"Yeah. They fight all kinds of monsters, even other dragons. If you're good at it, you can get super popular. They may even set you free!"

"Really? They'll let you go if you fight really good?"

"Well, I don't know about that. Only a few have gotten out that way. You gotta really love to fight if you wanna try."

Megatronus narrowed his eyes, which twinkled with determination. His father would want him to do it. "I'll be a gladiator when I grow up, then! You can be one with me and we'll be the toughest dragons around! No one will want to fight us!"

Soundwave giggled at Megatronus's enthusiasm. "Okay! We have to grow up first, though."

Megatronus deflated a bit and sighed. "Yeah, I know... It's gonna take forever." He glanced at Soundwave, smiling a bit. "But at least I'll have you."

"Does that mean we're friends?" Soundwave tilted his head.

Megatronus nodded, bumping Soundwave's shoulder with his. "Sure! We can be best friends."

"Yay!"

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AAAAH I love these two so much 🥰