Optimus' POV:
I was reading human stories while the other Autobots were spending time with our human friends, Jack, Rafael and Miko. Ever since meeting our human friends, I've wanted to learn more about Earths customs. Earths stories are very interesting. One of my favourites is The Little Engine That Could. I was reading a book called The Lost Spells when Agent Fowler came to visit.
"Prime!" Agent Fowler said.
"Agent Fowler. To what do we owe the pleasure?" I asked.
"The government has asked for you help," Agent Fowler told me, "a girl we found three years ago is half-human, half fox. She is untamed and out of control. We have tried to tame her but she disappears every time we enter the room. Since you are kind and soft when it comes to us humans, we feel like you are the best bot to tame her."
"Wait. Half fox?" Jack asked.
"Does that mean she has ears and a tail?" Miko asked.
"She has fox instincts, sense of smell and great hearing," Agent Fowler explained.
"Agent Fowler, I do not believe I am suitable for the task," I said, "it is apparent that she is scared of things she believes is a threat. And as she is part fox, she will consider humans as a threat. As a Cybertronian and unlike anything she has seen, she will see me as a threat too."
"Optimus, I have recently completed a device that will give us holoforms to blend in with humans," Ratchet said, "maybe we should put it to use."
"She's scared of humans," Arcee reminded Ratchet.
"Perhaps we should give it a try," I said, "Agent Fowler, is there a way you can tell her I will be in the room with her?"
"She seems to only come out when we announce that it's time to eat," Agent Fowler said.
"Tell her I will be in there and that I am no threat. Maybe then she will come out."
Agent Fowler got that arranged while we tested the new holoform. It worked. I went to the containment facility where the girl was being kept via groundbridge and I activated my holoform. Agent Fowler and I got to the door where she was kept and it opened. Agent Fowler told me that she knows I'm a leader and I'm going in so she will hopefully come out of hiding. I was concerned about the soldiers behind me with tasers. Is she known to escape? I went in and the door closed behind me. The room was much like a forest. Trees, grass, fallen leaves and chirping birds. I was disappointed to learn that the sound was just speakers. I walked around until I came upon a field of roses. I heard a snap so I looked around seeing no one. I kept walking.
"Good morning," I heard.
The voice was so soft, quiet, shy. I couldn't find who the voice belonged to when I heard another;
"Good morning."
I found her. She was hiding behind a tree with an orange fox hood on.
"Good morning," I said getting closer.
She ran and hid behind a giant tree stump. I caught a glimpse of her outfit when she ran. It was a long-sleeved orange dress with a white front, a hood and the dress part was like a small tutu. The hood had ears on it and there was a fox face on it. She also wore some light brown shoes. Although they looked more like boots. Even though she didn't have a foxtail, I thought she would have a fake one but she didn't.
She peeked out from the tree stump, "you're a leader?"
"Yes," I replied.
She just stayed there and gave a slight nod. Suddenly, she raced past another tree and hid behind a bigger tree. She is very interesting now I've met her. She peeked out from the side of the tree and looked around using only her eyes.
"I'm a fox," and she hid again.
No one told her I knew that. That is alright. We can get to know each other.
"I just came here to talk to you, would you care to?" I asked.
She peeked out again and quietly laughed, covering her mouth. She quickly popped out the other side and said, "no," and hid again.
"Why not?" I asked, "it will be fine."
She ran off to another tree and peeked out the side again. I did not know foxes moved so much.
"Where are the others?" She asked.
I looked around confused, "what others?"
"The other hunters," she replied hiding.
"There is no one here but me," I told her, "please come out. I will not harm you."
She suddenly appeared on top of another tree and looked down at me. How did she get up there so quickly?
"Then why do you have a gun?" She asked.
"I do not have a gun," I told her. My holoform doesn't come with one so I was thankful about that.
"You must have a gun, you're a human being."
"I am from another planet."
Agent Fowler did say I could tell her anything because she's a good listener.
"Aren't there guns on your planet?"
"No."
"Really? Ar-are there hunters on your planet?"
"No."
She paused but quickly gave an excited smile, "any chickens?"
"No."
"Ah, well, nothing's perfect," her smile faded.
"Will you come and walk with me?" I asked.
"I can't walk with you. I'm not tamed."
"What do you mean tamed?"
She itched her the side of her face much like a dog would, ignoring me. I moved an inch and she jumped down from the tree and ran off.
"Can you not stay still? I am getting dizzy."
She popped out from a tree behind me, "sorry. I just don't wish to become extinct."
"Do you mean, if I move, you will disappear again?"
"Of course."
"Why?"
"You're a human being. I'm a fox. I hunt chickens, you hunt foxes."
"But I do not."
"You're a human being and you also lie."
"I do not lie."
"Then you're inhuman," she sat down, her side facing me, "to be tamed... let me know before you move! See if this will clear it up. Underneath the leader, you're a man just like a million and a half other men. I'm a fox. Just like a million and a half other foxes but if you tame me... I won't be like all the other foxes and you won't be like the other men. I'll be unique to you, and you will be unique to me. You understand?"
"Sort of," I said and she disappeared again, "where are you?"
"You moved!" She told me from somewhere.
Ah, yes, I did move.
"I am sorry," I apologised, "it will not happen again."
I looked around for her and I saw her peek out from behind another tree. I stood still this time.
"I have a very monotonous life. I hunt chickens, men hunt me. They come, I hide. They leave, I come out. That's all. But if you tamed me," she sat on a nearby stump, "everything would be different. Even the wheat fields."
"The wheat fields?" I questioned.
"Of course," she said with a nod, "I don't like bread, so I don't care about wheat. Wheat is the colour of gold. Like your heart. So, if you tamed me, I'd start to care about wheat because it would remind me of you."
I smiled. I never thought anyone would say I had a spark of gold before. That might be what Primus and the High Council saw in me when I was chosen to be the next Prime. I like this girl.
"I am going to sit down," I told her and I sat on a fallen down tree and she didn't move from her spot, "what would I have to do?"
"Well, every day," she sat to the floor, "you would sit where you're sitting now. You'd always come at the same time at, let's say, four in the afternoon. I could start to get excited at about... oh, about... three o'clock. If you came at any old time, I wouldn't have a chance to get keyed up."
"But what would I do at four o'clock?" I asked.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Of course not. If you did anything, I'd get frightened and I wouldn't come out. It's like this..." she ran off and appeared near a tree, "at first, I'll hide behind the trees," she went up to the tree, holding on to it and trembled, "trembling... AH! As I do in winter," she went to the other side of the tree, 'in time... I'll start to feel at ease. Show my face and will,' she scratched the side of her face again, 'beginter.'
"Beginter?" I questioned.
Why is she singing? Is this why everyone else couldn't tame her? Because they wouldn't stay long enough? I'm more than happy to listen.
She nodded, "Get closer," she moved closer to a different tree, "and closer and closer," she hid behind the tree but popped out the left side.
'We'll go a glance at a time,' and now to the right, 'a small advance a time. We'll be afraid a bit and shy a bit. Avoid each others eye a bit. Less often each day, the ice'll soften each day as we get closer and closer and closer.'
She went to another tree stump and hid behind that but, again, appeared over the top, 'we'll go a blush at a time, a happy flush at a time. Begin to laugh a bit and stare a bit and walk around on air a bit as gaily we grow, as night and daily we grow a little closer and closer and closer,' she came out, 'and then one day there'll come a day. A Christmas eve. Midsummer day. A moment when. Right there and then, we're gonna touch!'
She made grabby hands at me but I didn't do anything in case she got scared.
'Then we'll jump miles at a time,' she jumped about in a silly way, 'a million smiles at a time. Begin to love a lot and live a lot and give and give and give a lot. Away we will go and every day we will grow a little closer,' she started brushing her foot on the ground a few feet away from me, 'and closer and closer and closer and closer and closer,' she ran up to me again gradually sounding insane, 'and closer and closer all the time.'
She banged her fist on her forehead and randomly punched the air. She went about, throwing, jumping and kicking leaves. Someone's been untamed in the captivity for too long. She then jumped and fell back first in a pile of leaves and kicked about in it before slowly getting up and walked to me
'And then one day, there'll come a day. A Christmas eve. Midsummer day. A moment when. Right there and then, we're gonna touch,' she touched my leg.
She looked at where her hand was, unsure if she did the right thing. I told her she did by putting a hand on her cheek. She looked at me and pulled me up on my feet and led a dance. I got into the rhythm rather quickly.
'Begin to laugh a bit and stare a bit and walk around on air a bit as gaily we grow, as night and daily we grow a little closer and closer and closer,' we sang together. I have never sung before so it sounded flat but I wanted to make her feel comfortable.
We dance more and I picked her up and spun her around a few times before I put her down and we went a few paces away from each other. Like she did before, we brushed our feet on the ground.
'Away we will go and every day we will grow,'
'A little closer,' she had a turn on her own.
'And closer,' my turn.
'And closer.'
'And closer.'
'And closer.'
'And closer and closer and closer all the time.'
I picked her up and span her one last time before putting her down and she ran. I followed. We soon came to a stop. We talked for the rest of my visit before I had to return to base. I promised to meet her the next day at four o'clock.