I miss you... [Book 1]

Gone baby gone

"Uhhhh, what's a sparkling doing out here by itself?" Bulkhead asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"I'm not sure..." Optimus mumbled, watching Cascade climb on his pede and cling to his leg. "Are you alright, little one?"

"I tink so. Who are you?" Cascade asked, smearing berry juice all over Optimus's leg armor.

Arcee held back her giggles, seeing that Optimus was trying to keep his patience intact.

"My name is Optimus Prime. I am the leader of the Autobots. Do you ne—"

"Oppy Prime!" Cascade giggled, clapping his little hands together.

"Aww, he said your name." Arcee cooed, bending down and patting Cascade's head. "Sweetie, are you lost?"

Cascade slid off of Optimus's pede and sat down in the dirt, his different colored optics wide with curiosity. "I lost Sire an' Carrier... I don't know where dey are!"

"Don't worry little buddy, we'll find your parents. Where did you last see them?" Bulkhead asked, tilting his head.

"Umm...." Cascade glanced around worriedly, forgetting where Knockout and Breakdown had let him play. "I don't know!" He burst into tears, rubbing his optics with his hands.

"Awww, it's okay.." Arcee said softly, scooping him up and cradling him in her arms.

Her frame wasn't the soothing warm one of his Carrier, so Cascade continued crying.

"What do we do, Optimus? We can't just leave him here!" Bulkhead turned to Optimus, who was busy cleaning off his leg armor.

Optimus rose to his full height and sighed, his optics scanning the tree line before landing on Bulkhead. "We will have to watch him until his parents are found. Until then, lets move." He waved his hand forward, gesturing for them to continue forward.

Arcee sighed, trying to calm Cascade down as she followed Optimus into the undergrowth.

-Meanwhile...-

"Cascade! Where are you?" Breakdown called out into the forest, but got no answer.

"Cas! Come on sweetie, we aren't playing hide and seek! It's time to go!" Knockout was beginning to get worried. It had been an hour since they last saw Cascade and they had found no sign of him. He sighed and nudged Breakdown's arm. "What if he ran away? Or what if... what if something took him!"

"Calm down, Knocky. We'll find him soon, we just have to be patient." Breakdown mumbled, stroking Knockout's back.

Suddenly, Knockout tensed up and his frame went rigid. His optics were narrowed and his audio receptors were on high frequency.

"What is it?" Breakdown asked, pausing his search.

"I hear something..." Knockout mumbled, hearing a faint noise coming from far away. He immediately recognized the shrill cry of Cascade and took off sprinting through the undergrowth. "I hear Cascade! Come on!"

"Oh!" Breakdown said in surprise, trampling the small bushes beneath his pedes as he ran after Knockout.

-In the middle of the forest-

"Optimus, he's been crying nonstop for an hour! Isn't there anything we can do?" Arcee groaned, still trying to make Cascade stop crying.

"Here, let me hold him." Bulkhead said, gently taking Cascade from Arcee and holding him in his bulky arms.

Cascade's cries faded to little whimpers as he snuggled against Bulkhead's large frame.

Arcee was dumbfounded. "No fair!" She huffed, crossing her arms across her chest.