It was a brisk morning. The sun's rays were just beginning to shine through the trees as it rose up from the horizon. Dew from the previous night still clung to leaves, eventually forming large droplets. Something large passed through that particular area, flinging the droplets from their leaves and disturbing the shrubbery as it did so.
Ratchet grumbled in slight annoyance when he felt the little droplets spatter onto his scales, a small shiver traveling down his spine as he flicked them off. Fall was just around the corner and he could feel the chill in the air. Soon enough, the birds would begin to migrate and animals would start stocking up for the winter. It was during this time of year that he liked to take walks in the mornings.
His long tail swayed slowly behind him as he padded along, gently brushing against the flowers and the open-faced leaves that gathered small pools of water on them. Numerous scents filtered into his nostrils, informing him of several things nearby.
The medic's grand form moved smoothly through the undergrowth, making it look as if he was never even there. He decided to head towards the creek for a drink. Maybe he could catch a fish if he was lucky.
It didn't take Ratchet very long to reach the creek, the sandy shores and bubbling currents soon coming into view. He preferred the shore with more pebbles and less sand, for wet sand always seemed to wriggle its way into the most unreachable places. Once he found his spot, he crouched down and lapped up the crystal clear water with a few flicks of his tongue.
Once he was finished with his drink, Ratchet decided to head back to camp. The others were surely waiting on him to give them their daily check-ups before they went out to hunt. As he turned, however, a bright gleam appeared in the corner of his eye.
He turned his head back to its original position, confused as to where the gleam came from. When he turned it away again, the gleam reappeared. "Strange..." he murmured to himself, narrowing his icy blue eyes.
With one graceful leap, Ratchet made it to the other side of the creek and trotted off in search of the object that caused the gleam. He didn't have to look very far at all, actually.
Nestled at the base of a tree sat a metal object about the size of his paw. It had a rectangular shape and a reflective screen that was blinking repeatedly. Ratchet approached the strange object cautiously, staying alert in case he was ambushed. He sniffed it a few times, wrinkling his snout in disgust at the metallic smell. He lowered his head and examined the screen, seeing that there was some sort of blinking message.
"Battery low." The medic said aloud, tilting his head slightly. How could he understand what it said? It seemed so... alien! Could this be something that was connected to the rumors of humans in this area?
He was about to pick it up in his jaws and take it back to Optimus when a rustle in the bushes caused him to freeze. His eyes narrowed to pinpricks as he looked to his right. The rustling continued and he thought about running when something emerged from the bushes.
It was... a human?!
Ratchet was unsure of what to do. He had expected humans to be.... bigger. He watched as the silver-haired girl slowly brushed aside the bushes, pulling thorns out of her sweater. She hadn't even noticed him until he shifted his weight, causing a twig to snap.
Her scream completely caught him off guard and he took a step backwards, his fangs immediately bared in a ferocious display. Though, his slight aggression subsided when the girl started crying. She had tripped over her own feet in an attempt to get away and now she was curled up in a ball on the ground.
The medic tilted his head, studying her for a moment before deciding to do something about it. He leaned forwards and gently nudged her with his snout, catching a whiff of her scent as he did so. She smelled like burnt wood and some sort of herb that he just couldn't put his claw on at the moment.
"It was not my intention to frighten you, young one. I was just startled by your presence." He spoke softly, moving his head away when she slowly sat up.
The girl sniffed and rubbed her eyes, still keeping her legs close to her chest as she steadied herself. She ran her fingers through her hair to get the leaves out of it and drew in a shaky breath, hesitating before she looked up.
"I....I-I must be dreaming...... this is just a dream.... y-you aren't real.... right?" She stammered, shrinking under Ratchet's intense blue gaze.
"I'm pretty sure that I'm quite real." Ratchet replied, giving the girl a perplexed look. "You may have hit your head when you fell... are you alright?"
The girl just stared at him in horror, her mouth hanging wide open. "A talking dragon.... I'm talking to a... a... t-talking dragon......." She trailed off as she promptly fainted, her silver hair settling in a loose pile around her neck and head.
Ratchet stared at her for a moment more before sighing and shaking his head. He gently took her in his jaws and placed her in between his shoulder blades so she wouldn't fall off before reaching back to get the metal object.
With the girl on his back and the weird metal object in his jaws, Ratchet proceeded to head back to camp and inform Optimus of his discoveries.