dtc. Secrets and Surprises Part 2

[dens_extra_pups]

Continued from here



elsewhere


Tracks: *pulls his wife's warhorse up short, and then absently pats it as it snorts and rears slightly. Looks around his surroundings, and then nods to the louts as they catch up to him* Check the whole area. Something makes me... Kriti, is that you? *head turned toward a flash as though from a signal mirror*

Kriti: *holding her position a bit further ahead on the narrow, winding path between two of the taller peaks of the mountain. The snowstorm died down enough earlier for her to take to the air, but a cloud passed between her and Tracks' group as she descended, so she wasn't able to keep track of their progress. Will flash her signal mirror again* ~Found something~

Tracks: *perks and goes to dismount, only to have to sweet talk an angry horse who doesn't want him down*

Dion: *moving to help hold the horse still*

Stormy: *tosses his head and tries to back up a bit. Doesn't want his person's mate to go down that path without him!*

Dion: *obscenity as he's lifted off of his feet* Stormy, cut it out!

Tracks: *jumps off while Stormy is distracted and then heads up the path. Knows that Stormy will bring Dion along*

Stormy: *wickers and moves to follow*

Dion: *will hold on to the reins and try and climb onto the horse's back*

Stormy: *quick nose bump that has Dion emulating a sack of flour over the saddle*

Dion: *oofs as the wind is knocked out of him* *will stay laying in the saddle, trying to catch his breath*

Tracks: *intent on going up the trail, absently aware of the dark grey carthorse's nose against the small of his back as he climbs over some rocks that fell recently*

Ultra Magnus: *comes up beside Stormy as Tracks pauses. Slaps his younger brother solidly on the rear*

Kriti: *over the wind* Found a Dwarf-made fire pit! About half a day old, if that!

Tracks: I don't see you, darling. *absently puts a foot on a helpful horse head as he stretches up to look. Also keeps an eye out for ambushes, but doesn't think there will be any with Kriti making herself so noticeable*

Kriti: *moves to help Tracks get up to where she is*

Tracks: *isn't too hard to help. He's agile* *studies the fire pit, then smiles slightly* This is Lumen's.

Kriti: *nods* His scent's all over the area.

Tracks: It's shaped like a D instead of a circle, too. *quick scan of their surroundings* Should we try shouting?

Kriti: You can, I'll scout from the air now that the clouds've gone away for a bit. *moving to shift to dragon form*

Tracks: Wait. *holds up his hand and listens*

Trailbreaker: *is a hulloo on the wind*

Kriti: *frowns and looks toward the call*

Trailbreaker: *calls again*

Stormy: *whickers and neighs. Hears more peeps*

Tracks: This way. *bounds along the rock pile, then leaps to a ridge and away toward the voice. Easy to see that this guy didn't start out in the saddle, huh?*

Kriti: *will follow, in dragon form*

Ultra Magnus: *smacks Dion again, and then follows*

Dion: *groans*

Moonracer: *kneeling and holding Old Lumen's back against her chest as she watches Jazz warm the man's hands*

Jazz: I'm awake! XD *has put Old Lumen's hands on her belly under her clothes*

Kriti: *lands and shrinks down to her smaller form* *seriously* He's remorting.

Trailbreaker: Out here in a drift?

Ultra Magnus: What's he remorting as?

Jazz: Somethin' cold.

Kriti: *will lean close to her father and check his scent* He's an Ascended one... But the cold's making it slow going for him.

Bumblebee: *pops out of a drift right by her husband* Let's get him back home.

Trailbreaker: *hand over heart and reproachful look for wife*

Tracks: *arrives shaking snow out of his pants. Seems he misstepped off the trail* Yes. Everyone grab hands. Stormy, let go the back of my pants.

Stormy: *wicker*

Tracks: No. You know better. You're not a little foal anymore. *waves his cloak at the horse by way of reminder of what he should grab*

Stormy: *will nibble at the cloak, in that case*

Kriti: *making sure everyone is holding hands*

Tracks: *brings everyone home* A bath! Hurry! Kriti, make sure it's warm!

Kriti: *hurries off to get the bath going*

Old Lumen: *very quiet sound once he registers the change in temperature*

Tracks: *grabs his friend and gets him over his shoulders, then totes him over to the hearth and starts getting the frozen clothing off of him* Stormy, go out.

Stormy: *talky sounds and takes Dion out of the tavern*

Trailbreaker: *holding out a cloak to keep the warm in. And to keep Perceptor from going eek at nudity*

Old Lumen: *beard begins to thaw first*

Tracks: *realizes he just got kissed by a baby Platinum who has crawled into his lap* Skyfire? Is your mother here? *looks around for Ironhide even as he wraps Old Lumen in the cloak Trailbreaker had been holding* Flashpoint, darling, where's your sister?

Flashpoint: *slight shrug*

Moonie: *cheep cheep cheep!*

Ultra Magnus: *inadvertently lets the entire common room know that his wife just stuck her hands under his tunics. And also what temperature those hands are*

Old Lumen: *very soft, raspy chuckle*

Tracks: *perks* There you are. Kriti? Is the bath ready?

Kriti: *pokes her head out of the bathing room* Get him in here, quick.

Old Lumen: *starting to slip back into a sleep-like state*

Tracks: *picks up bundle of Lu and brings him into the steamy bathing room* Help me get him unwrapped. I know what he thinks of anything but himself or possibly a family member in his bath.

Kriti: *nods and moves to help* *will pinch her father's wrist, earning a soft gasp*

Old Lumen: *so confused*

Tracks: *looks at her as he lowers Old Lumen into the water* What's wrong?

Kriti: He needs to warm up before he can sleep.

Tracks: Oh, of course. *curious look for Old Lumen* Not a peep? Ratchet's brother was yelling when we put him in hot water that time.

Old Lumen: *quiet and raspy murmur that might be "Tougher than that."*

Tracks: Well, however you'd rate on a dragon's plate, let's get you warmed up. *firmly* And tucked in beside your wife. That's enough nonsense from you two.

Gerard: *peeks into the room, then calls over his shoulder to his wife*

Deepdancer: *muffled, from somewhere inside the room* If they need me they'll let me know. Stop hovering, you confounded old busybody.

Gerard: *grins, and then peeks again with concern*

Old Lumen: *sleepy mumblings* H-Have to... stronger... She'll... Hiding from me...

Tracks: Stronger, nonsense! *pours hot water on the shivering dwarf's head*

Old Lumen: *grits his teeth*

Kriti: *quietly* Mama was hiding from him for some reason...

Tracks: *quietly* I know. But I doubt it has anything to do with how strong Lumen is.

Ratchet: *looks into the room over Gerard's shoulder, and then vanishes in a swirl of cloak*

Tracks: *wonders about that, but just pours more water on Old Lumen*

Old Lumen: *soft obscenity*

Tracks: Yes, I know. And you're another. *more water*

Gerard: *hand over his mouth to hold in a chuckle*

Old Lumen: *bleary squinting, looks completely and utterly miserable*

Snarl: *issa peek. And then adds himself to the tub!*

Tracks: Ack!

Kriti: *startled laugh*

Old Lumen: *grunts at the splash*

Snarl: *swimmin' like a gator!*

Tracks: If you try to bite me, you little... *knows Old Lumen's second youngest son all too well*

Snarl: *gator gator!*

Kriti: *hand on Old Lumen's forehead*

Ratchet: *back, and comes to kneel between Tracks and Kriti as he uncovers a bundle from his cloak*

baby: *is a little voice raised in angry protest as he's undressed and feels cold!*

Tracks: *blinks and looks at the baby, and then stares with gobsmack*

Kriti: *looks. Boggles*

Old Lumen: *sleepy confusion*

Ratchet: *quiet and gruff* Lumen, hold out your arms. Your youngest son wants to join you in there.

Gerard: *just sat down suddenly. Right there in the doorway* Oh. Oh my goodness!

Old Lumen: *bleary as he tries to comply*

baby: *flailing and fussing and... pauses to frown up at this guy as one small hand gets tangled in chest hair*

Old Lumen: *slight wince* *so confused*

Ratchet: *very very softly* She was afraid you'd be angry at her. That's why she never told you.

Old Lumen: ... *brows furrowing as he tries to make sense of what Ratchet's saying*

Ratchet: *voice still soft* Look at this child and tell me you don't recognize him.

Old Lumen: *quietly* Why would I ever be mad at her?

Ratchet: Because she refused your hand for so long, on the grounds that she didn't want to have babies. And then she was having one.

Tracks: *face. Palm*

baby: *kick kick splash kick kick kick*

Snarl: o.0?

Old Lumen: *quietly* Wouldn't be angry at her for that... didn't do anything wrong... *so sleepy*

Ratchet: *smooths his hair back and checks his core temperature with his special scanner that he got from the nexus* *quietly* You can take him out of there, Tracks. Wrap him up warmly and let him sleep.

Tracks: *gape*

Kriti: *raised brow* ... Nice loot.

Ratchet: *shakes Tracks, then smacks him upside the head*

Snarl: *chin deep in Papa's bath. Chortles amusement at Unca getting hit*

Old Lumen: *trying to stay awake*

Ratchet: *goes to take baby so that Tracks and Ultra Magnus can get Old Lumen out of the tub*

Kriti: *moves to get baby*

baby: *hearty protest at being taken out of the warm!*

Kriti: *will hum soothingly and move to wrap the baby warmly*

Gerard: *still quietly talking to himself with shock*

Snarl: *hiding down under the water from mad baby sounds*

Tracks and Magnus: *have Lumen in underthings and the warm cloak, are carrying him back out to the hearth*

Tracks: Flashpoint, could you get Gerard?

Kriti: *soft not-quite-rumble for baby brother, will follow Uncles*

Flashpoint: *moves to get Gerard*

Gerard: *looks up at the strapping brunette* *shakily* I can't believe Ironhide has birthed a son.

Flashpoint: *raised brow at how shocked Gerard is*

Gerard: I'm not dreaming, am I?

Flashpoint: Ah don' th'nk so, but Ol' Lu 's gonna be, soon.

Gerard: *slowly and wonderingly* Then... Then that's the future king of the Mountain Kingdoms. Orion decided that he'd take Chromia or Ironhide's oldest issue as his son. Because his own children are ineligible due to his wife's ancestry.

Flashpoint: *quietly* 'E'll 'afta talk t' 'Hahd 'bout th't.

Gerard: *looks up and then gently pats her hand* He'd never think of taking the child from his mother.

Tracks: *has Old Lumen all bundled up and is frowning at Ratchet, who wants to carry the man out to the stable* Are you sure? We just got him thawed out.

Ratchet: I'm sure. It's not that cold out there, and his bed is warm.

Sunstreaker: *silently watches the discussion as he works on the basket for Omae. Has switched to the black coloured material so that the pumpkin coloured basket will have a face*

Mira: *sitting in the basket and watching the world go by*

Old Lumen: *sleeping very deeply now*

Tracks: *stoops and lifts one end of Lumen a last time*

Ratchet: *gets the other end*

Sunstreaker: *watches them carry the old adventurer out to the stable, Kriti following quietly with that baby*


two days later


Sunstreaker: *standing with babies all around his feet in the stable yard, holding the big pumpkin shaped and coloured basket up to Omae* See? It won't melt like your heads usually do.

Omae: *very slow nod*

Sunstreaker: Do you want it? *looks down toward a raspy sound* Slag, stop gnawing on his leg. That's gross.

Slag: *growl. Ignore*

Snarl: *sayyyy! Will try that too*

Omae: *another slow nod, will carefully reach for the basket*

Sunstreaker: *attention back on what he'd been doing. Gives basket* I made it so it wouldn't turn face backward.

Omae: *soft rumble of thanks*

Sunstreaker: *happy grin* Need help putting it on?

Omae: *slow nod*

Sunstreaker: Okay. *winces at a yell and some growls* Just let me stop Piryasha from hitting the boys. *arbitrates between toddlers, and manages to only get bit once while doing so*

((Written with random_xtras))

Continued here