the little fist clenching the drumstick shakes with a growling fury & he sets the tool down to scrape at his visor then down his ruddy face.

" sorry, guys. i swear it was perfect. i'll do better. i swear. i'll do it right . "

" i SWEAR i've practiced dis- i SWEAR i've practiced. a billion times. a trillion billion. i dun- i dunno WHY i keep- it'snot- it'snot. the downbeat should be more dull DEN crisp DEn dull again but i keep reversing da order- so STEWPUD. STEWPUDSTEWPUDSTEW-"
jabbing his digit repetively before

ignores

stomps his little pede .

... " rumble done with this drivel . "

he has a blue kids toy LED flashlight taped to his arm to mimic the cannon .

flosses

" l-
leave hi-im alone!!
leave h-him al- al- alone! g-g-go away "
from fear or frost, the mini-con was unsure.
digit can't even catch the trigger

leaning forward to try n bite the tank .
sporadically snapping little jaws as twitching wings rise as big as they shakily could.

" he didn't do nuddin!"

helpless.
Rumble couldn't help anyone.

mewling, barely audible behind the painful chattering of his gap-toothed dentae

" n-.... no....
....... no....."

"G-g...
........o.."

pressing himself tiny to the seeker.
shaking still, but glad for the warmth despite protests.
weak .