Stormchaser's POV

I was tired of staying underground. The toll it was taking on me was becoming unbearable, and I could feel it in every fiber of my being. My joints were stiff and creaked with every movement, and the once spacious areas that I used to roam freely in were now inaccessible due to the sheer size I was growing into. I felt like I was trapped in a space too small for my ever-increasing frame. I could barely move without bumping into something, my wings scraping against walls, my tail knocking things over unintentionally. The claustrophobia was suffocating, and I felt the anger building up in my chest more often than I liked to admit.

On top of that, there was the constant lack of energon. My need for it had skyrocketed as my size increased, and I now required three times the amount of energon that Optimus did. The supplies we had were barely enough to meet the needs of the Autobots as it was, and the Decepticons always managed to steal more when we tried to get our hands on it. I could feel it in my processors, the weakness settling in. My temper was getting shorter, and I was snapping at the slightest inconvenience. I couldn't help it. The lack of energon made me irritable, and the frustration built up more and more.

There had been incidents before. Bulkhead almost lost a hand when he tried to stop me from consuming raw energon too quickly, and I nearly went off on him for it. But deep down, I knew I couldn't keep going like this. I needed to reset. I needed to sleep and let my systems repair themselves. Maybe a long, deep sleep would allow me to recover, and hopefully, things would improve for everyone.

So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I walked over to the energon supply and ate at least three days' worth, enough to last me through the sleep cycle I was about to enter. My hunger satisfied, I made my way back to my berth room, my steps heavy. No one noticed me as they argued amongst themselves about something. I could feel the tension in the air, but I wasn't in the mood to deal with it. I was still angry, still upset over what had happened earlier, and I just wanted to be left alone for a while.

Once I reached my nest, I readjusted the soft, energon-infused material to make it thicker and more comfortable, so that when I curled into it, it surrounded me like a cocoon. I lay down, my massive body slowly relaxing, my head nestled in the warmth. It felt comforting to be surrounded by my nest, to feel like I was enclosed in a space that was mine.

I let my core temperature drop slowly, allowing my energon processors to slow down, to maximize efficiency. The stillness of the moment washed over me like a wave, and before I knew it, everything felt heavy, my eyelids drooping as I drifted off into a deep, peaceful slumber. My systems went into a low-energy state, and I let everything go. I would rest, let my body heal, and hopefully, wake up when things were better.

The last thing I remembered before slipping into sleep was the sensation of floating through the skies, the wind rushing beneath my wings. It felt freeing, the vast sky stretching out before me like an endless expanse. The dream brought me peace, something I hadn't felt in a while.

No POV

Hours passed. The silence in the base grew heavy, but Miko, ever the curious one, eventually walked into the berth room, a concerned frown on her face as she approached Stormchaser's nest. She peered over the edge, her eyes scanning the cocooned form of the Predacon.

"Looks like she's taking a nap," Miko said softly, more to herself than anyone else, but there was an odd sadness in her voice. "Hey, the bots are playing lob-ball. You wanna play?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood, though it was clear that Stormchaser's stillness was unsettling. When there was no response, Miko frowned more deeply. "Hey, Storm, come on. I want to see some powerful dragon power before I go home. Hello? Robo rep, anyone home?"

When there was still no reaction, Miko's voice grew slightly louder, almost teasing, but it carried a nervous edge. "Wow, she must sleep like a rock." Her words echoed softly in the empty room as Bulkhead entered, his massive form casting a shadow over Miko as he inspected the cocooned dragon with a concerned expression.

"Hey, Storm, want to play catch? Get that energy out," Bulkhead called out, nudging her with his foot. When there was no response, Bulkhead's optics narrowed with worry. "Oh scrap. Ratchet, something's off with Storm. You need to get in here."

Bulkhead quickly radioed Ratchet, his tone urgent. "I'm on my way," came Ratchet's reply, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.

As Bulkhead scooped Miko up, he gave her a wary look. "You don't want to be too close in case Storm rolls over. I don't want to see what a human looks like after being squished by four tons of metal."

Miko grimaced at the thought. "Noted," she muttered, feeling a sudden spike of anxiety as she realized just how powerful and unpredictable Stormchaser was.

A few moments later, Ratchet and Optimus arrived. The medic was carrying his tool bag, and he moved swiftly to Stormchaser's side, kneeling down to begin the examination. He attached electrodes to her chest and head, his face growing more serious by the second as he examined her systems.

After a few tense minutes, Ratchet spoke, his voice grave. "This is strange. All systems are at their lowest, and she's not responding to any stimulus. But..." Ratchet paused, his optics scanning more thoroughly, "she's in perfect health aside from some external damage to her tail. Looks like a deep stasis. I need to run more tests here."

Ratchet turned to Optimus, his expression darkening. "Arcee, get my equipment. There's no way of getting her to the medbay. We need to work here."

Miko, who had been hovering anxiously by the door, turned to Ratchet with wide eyes. "Is she going to be okay? She was fine an hour ago," she asked, her voice trembling slightly with concern.

Ratchet looked up from his work, meeting her gaze. "I'm not sure yet, Miko. I need to gather more data. But it's possible that she's entered some kind of self-imposed stasis."

The room fell quiet as everyone stepped back to allow Ratchet to work without distraction. After a few more hours, Ratchet finally emerged from his makeshift work area, looking relieved, though there was still a hint of worry in his optics. He headed straight to the main controls.

"She'll be fine," Ratchet said, his voice more reassuring now. "My diagnosis is that she put herself into a deep stasis. I don't have an accurate time for when she'll come out of it. But she ate at least three days' worth of energon prior to going into stasis. Based on her energon consumption rate, she could be in this state for up to six months."

Optimus, ever calm and collected, nodded slowly. "Is this normal for her species?" he asked, though he already had an inkling of the answer.

Ratchet's face softened slightly as he looked at Stormchaser's resting form. "It seems like this could be natural for Predacons. I'll add this information to her file. But she'll be fine, Optimus."

Miko groaned, her shoulders slumping in disappointment. "So, the big dragon is hibernating. Aww, that means no action shots," she moaned, clearly upset at how unfair it was that she wouldn't get to see Stormchaser in action anytime soon.

Bulkhead, sensing the mood, transformed into his vehicle mode. "Come on, Miko, time to go home before you get into trouble again."

Miko didn't argue, knowing that there was nothing more to be done for Stormchaser right now. She hopped into the backseat after repacking her guitar, and Bulkhead drove out of the base and into the vast, empty Nevada desert.

Optimus remained at Stormchaser's side, his large frame towering over the sleeping Predacon. He gently rubbed her helm, his optics soft with worry. The sight of her in stasis, so still and vulnerable, was almost too much for him to bear. He couldn't help but think of how much she had grown since they first found her. Once so small and fragile, now she was a force to be reckoned with, a true Predacon of legend.

But that same power, that same strength, was now locked away in a deep stasis, unable to protect herself or them. He longed for a time when she could spread her wings and fly freely across the skies, just like she dreamed. But that was a future that seemed so far away, and the war that plagued them all stood in the way of that freedom.

He looked down at Stormchaser, still amazed at how quickly she had matured. She had once been scared of everything, even the smallest of things. But now? Now, she feared nothing. She had become everything they had hoped for, everything she was meant to be.

Optimus stayed with her, comforting her in his quiet way, hoping that when she awoke, things would be different. That the future might hold a time when they could all rest, free from the weight of war.