Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. I do, however, own my OCs in this story.
This is a bit of a long chapter. I was going thinking of dividing it into smaller chapters but since I am not sure whether or not to continue with it I left it lengthy. Opinions and reviews would be nice!~
Chapter 1:
…
"…Hey!"
…?
"Pathetic thing. Wake up."
"Hummm...?"
"You're still alive at least. Maybe you can make it on your own."
"Just gimme… five more minutes?..."
"You're impossible. I'm taking my leave now, whether you decide to come along or not is up to you."
"…Wait!... I'm up!"
As she started to wake and stir from her unconsciousness her head rang of a faint, repetitive clicking. She started to roll over to force her weight on her knees and arms, slowly raising her head. The clicking was starting to subside but her head throbbed of pain. She clenched her eyes shut while trying to stand with an overbearing stomach ache twisting her insides.
"Uuuugh… What… the hell happened?"
As soon as she enforced a pitiful standing position she slowly opened her eyes to be able to adjust to the light. Much to her surprise she was alone. The voice speaking to her before she awoke must have been a dream but it sounded so real and so familiar. Admittedly, she hadn't heard that voice in her entire life of twenty two years but something about it was soothing, memorable.
She wiped at her eyes, getting rid of the grogginess while taking a look at her surroundings. She stood in a forest like area, which seemed foreign and a bit tropical. She knew she couldn't still be in California. She had the redwoods, and this place obviously wasn't that. She could see flowers that ranged from the huge to the small, the colorful to the dull.
"Toto," she said, smiling inwardly, "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." This joke led her to believe that either A) she was kidnapped and taken to a tropical paradise for whatever reason unbeknownst to her, B) she must be dreaming or C) both?
She decided that this situation was not much of a believable one. Besides, not moments ago she was walking home from school while listening to her iPod… or was she? She decided that she couldn't remember and that it's highly possible that she is, in fact, in a dream world, a most vivid one to boot. Her thoughts were interrupted soon by her growling stomach. Weird. My stomach doesn't growl in dreams! Well, whatever. Guess I'll go find some food then.
Making her way through the forest she grasped onto the trees, hoping not to stagger too much. She had bad knees since twelve from sports accidents and her balance was off usually. Often times she'd have to change her standing stance to evenly distribute the weight on her knees, trying to not fatigue them so much. However, when active it's best in her situation to just keep on moving in order for them not to lock up on her. She scoffed at this. She never liked to be lame, crippled, especially at her age, a young thing, but she hadn't given up. In order for her to keep moving she had to walk on.
After what seemed like fifteen minutes of walking she came upon a clearing in the forest. She looked around and much to her pleasure she saw an apple tree with fruits ripe for picking! "Hahaha! Yes!" Ignoring her pains of grinding knee caps she jolted for the tree and picked off a fruit closest to her, lower to the ground. For once she was glad such a tree grew fruit closer to the ground; she was short. While picking at the tree she ripped off the apple with ease and proceeded to glance at it for a moment. Who would've known an apple tree of all things would be in a weird place like this? SCORE! She began to draw the apple closer and closer to her mouth, all the while drooling. Before she bitten it she was startled by a rustling sound in a nearby bush. Her eyes widened at this and she froze.
If this dream was anything like any of my other nightmares I'd probably be attacked by a mutant human eating dear or something. Taking this into consideration she slowly started to back off and spread her arms apart from her body to make herself seem 'bigger' and more frightening if it was a wild, threatening animal.
"You shouldn't eat that!"
"Eeeeep!" She turned around as quick as lightning to notice a small bear looking thing standing on its hind legs. Wearing a cap. And belts on its arms and abdomen. "Okay. I must be dreaming." She gave it a glance again and looked at his frowning face. A bear can frown. Okay. Cool. It started advancing in her direction and she took a few steps back, shocked that it was still walking on its back legs.
"You really shouldn't eat that. It's a poisonous fruit!"
"If you are referring to the forbidden fruit, you're already a bit too late seeing as though I'm clothed and a bit messed up." She smugly smiled to herself while trying to walk past the animal.
It again stopped in her path and swiped the fruit from her hand. She was taken by surprise and faltered, stepping back. "I'll say you're messed up alright! You should listen to good advice when it is given! Do you even know where you are? You don't look like a digimon from these parts."
"Uhm…" She scratched the back of her head and looked down. He was right, she didn't know where she was, how she got there. She only concluded she was in another dream. And digimon? What?
"Did you bump your head or something? I'm Bearmon. What's your name?" The little bear looked concern and crossed his arms.
"Ashley? Wait… digimon? Bearmon?" She was utterly confused.
"So… you're an Ashleymon, right?" The bear scratched the back of his head and also looked confused, "well, I never heard of such a digimon before… but you look like you can use some help. You seem lost, like you lost your memory," he walked over and grasped her hand and started leading her out of the clearing, "you'll get some good help with my clan soon. Maybe you can get your memory back after a good meal, too!"
What in the…? She decided to go along with it since her last effort of finding food was hopeless. After a few minutes of walking through foliage and sharp vines they came to Bearmon's clan full of other bears similar looking to him. They all stopped and stared at the two, making their way to a hut, which seemed like the center of the Bearmon village. Ashley was amazed that the Bearmon's people were so highly advanced with social structure to have a village. Both Bearmon and Ashley went into the shack which housed an older looking Bearmon, who gave Ashley a surprised look. He quickly rushed on over to her and said, "a… digidestined!"
"A what-a-what?" She stared back into his eyes, thoroughly confused. Bearmon also held a surprised look as his stance changed to a more alarmed one. Ashley noticed this and she stiffened, thinking she was in some sort of trouble.
"A human! You are a digidestined, child! Where is your partner? How did you get here?"
"What!? I'm in a dream and you aren't real. And I'm no child anymore, I assure you," she protested with a strict yet quiet tone. "You're making no sense." She looked down at the bear with a slight frown present on her face. She genuinely had no idea what he was talking about or why he was even talking to begin with.
"Hmmm… You have much to learn then. Come, have something to eat while I fill you in on things. Unfortunately, we can't have you stay here long since there is a warrant out to arrest humans."
"Come again?... I'm wanted!?"
After a few hours of eating while listening to the older Bearmon about the responsibilities of a digidestined her time in the Bearmon village was running short. She gathered that she had to obtain some sort of digivice in order to be able to have a partner digimon, if she didn't have one already. She also now knew that her life might be in grave danger and the lives of the Bearmon might also be in danger for holding her there. The Bearmon gave her a satchel, filled to the brim with fruits and other foods so that later she would be able to hold various items in along her adventure. She was not looking forward what she had in store for her, no one would. But she decided to go along her merry way and thank the Bearmon tribe for all their help before departing.
She walked up to the elder Bearmon and the one she first met and shook their hands/paws and smiled weakly. They too, smiled with exasperated looks and sent her off again, directing her to a safer village on the outskirts of the forest. Feeling refreshed and full she steadied her pace. She was still rather confused as to why she was here in this world. She was starting to wonder if she was still dreaming. She'd been in this place for what seemed like hours, real time. Dreams usually seem only to last a few minutes for her. Brushing that thought aside she knew that either way, dream or not, she had to do the right thing. She had to find her digimon partner and soon before she'd wind up defenseless in an unwanted fight.
She pulled a map out of her satchel, which was poorly but thoughtfully drawn by the Bearmon, to decide on her next route. "Uhhhhh… So I go left at this big tree? Or is it a rock? Hmm…" While occasionally glancing at the doodled map she eventually thought she was going in the right direction and this proved to be correct since she came upon a massive rock. "Okay… this must be the way then!" She stopped for a moment, resting her knees and sat down on the rock, crossing her legs. She then came to the realization that she still had her iPod with her and she reached into her jacket pocket, fishing it out.
Her lips were twisted into a smirk, with her left side of her lip further up than her right, her default smile. She was relieved knowing that she had music with her to help her get that bounce back in her step and take the journey more easily as it came. She toggled the power button and the screen flashed a few times before revealing a weird shaped insignia on it. "This isn't the boot logo! What the hell is-" Before she managed to finish her remark a red, giant flying beetle creature sporting sizable pinchers came gliding in her direction. By instinct she quickly got up and booked it, trying to dodge the insects gaze with all her will, jumping into thorned bushes and thick shrubs alike.
"You cannot escape, human! You are coming with me whether you live or not! Surrender!"
Oh, Jesus Christ… lovely! Her mind was racing a million miles an hour while the giant insect was smashing through trees, tailing her. She eventually came upon a densely populated shrub area and quickly nestled herself inside there, watching as the giant bug became hostile while thinking it lost her. It stuck around the area she was inhabiting and she tried her best to not make a peep all the while staying calm and slowing her breath. She needed to figure out a way to distract it so that she could get further away.
Suddenly, her eyes widened and she reached for her pony tail to retrieve the rubber band holding it in place. Her dark brown hair came loose and fell silently on her shoulders as she focused her stern, dark green eyes on the creature and then to a clearing high above in the trees. She placed the rubber band around her thumb and held the other end tightly with her other hand, drawing back, hoping to sling shot the rubber band in the desired spot. Shutting her eyes tightly she hoped, mentally crossing her fingers, that she could manage to make this work.
She opened her eyes again and went for it! She saw the rubber band fly quickly and at a desired distance that she decided to quickly and quietly get out of there. While running through the foliage as quietly as she could she heard the insect thrash the other way, where she had flung her beloved rubber band. She continued to run, feeling overjoyed that her plan worked and smiled to herself while looking back.
"Haha, sucker-oof!" She knew she shouldn't have looked back while running since she would eventually knock into something… or someone, which she apparently did. "Uh…" She looked up while picking herself up from the ground and saw a massive sized mummy glaring down at her with a most wicked gun in his possession. She figured he might not have been the most welcoming thing out there, but he hadn't attacked her. Not yet anyway.
"I'm… sorry?" His yellow eye was fixed on her green ones for a moment and he completely turned his attention to her. She noticed that he had jagged teeth and only his one yellow eye showing. His head was covered in a green bandana and he sported Egyptian looking crops on his shoulders. The rest of his body was covered in wraps and he had an ammunition belt around his midsection. He had long, talon like black fingers and toes. His legs were also supported by braces. He then turned to walk towards her which made her stagger and fall to the ground. She was terribly frightened when she saw the mummy's free hand extend out to reach her. What should I do!? If I go either direction I will face either the giant bug or the walking crypt keeper!
"What are you doing here?" He said, with an intimidating, familiar tone. He narrowed his eye when he heard a loud crash in Ashley's direction.
Ashley jolted to her feet, looking back at the sound of the crash and then darting her eyes to the mummy, a look of helplessness on her face. He retracted his hand when he noticed her fear in her eyes. Suddenly, feeling an unnatural need to protect came over him and he took a long stride over to her, gripping her shoulder tightly. "Look at me!" She listened and raised her hands up slowly to her face, lowering her head into her neck on instinct. She looked up at him and saw the seriousness in his eye. "You must run-"
His sentence was interrupted by the giant beetle Ashley was trying to escape. Her eyes widened in shock as she turned around to look. Her hands then covered her mouth to prevent her from letting out any sounds of distress. "Surrender the girl and your life will be spared, Mummymon!" Its wings were buzzing loudly with rage. She looked back up at the supposed Mummymon and narrowed her eyes at him and he did the same to her while loosening his grip on her shoulder. He cocked his head to the side at her, as if signaling her to retreat. She got the message and quickly changed her pose to a running one.
Before she could get her next step in she felt a wind knocking force beat her back onto the ground. She knew she had been hit by the insect and tried to escape again, gasping for air as she did so. "Oh no you don't, human!" The creature then pinned her down with his leg and grazed her left eye with his sharp talon. SNAKE BANDAGE! Before he could go in with another attack he was barraged by bandages, which held him down next to her. Shakily getting up and starting to run she noticed those bandages came from the mummy. She nodded at him, thanking him for his help. He merely gazed at her for a moment before releasing his restraints and attacking the giant insect with his gun and might.
Wiping her blood soaked cheek with her hand she noticed she started to grow weary and fatigued. She couldn't go as long as her knees were able to normally take her since she got hit with a brute force from that behemoth bug. Her pace slowed eventually and she was back to walking and tripping. She noticed the noises of the battling had begun to fade so she tried to look for a resting area where she could lay down and get her strength back up. She found a large tree that had comfortable looking curves to it so she decided to rest there. She opened up her map and looked it over once more, grinning. "So… this is the tree, huh. Bears can't draw." She noticed tiny blotches of blood dribble onto the map so she wearily looked up into the sky with her eyes closed and wiped her forehead again right before falling to sleep.
"…Hey!"
…?
"Pathetic thing. Wake up."
"Hummm...?"
"You're still alive at least. Maybe you can make it on your own."
"Just gimme… five more minutes?..."
"You're impossible. I'm taking my leave now, whether you decide to come along or not is up to you."
"Okay. I'm up now. Hold your horses!" Ashley awoke again, feeling as beat as the first time she woke up, except this time she noticed her left eye saw nothing but blackness. She started to inwardly freak out and cupped a hand to it, feeling that it was wrapped in bandages.
"You have nothing to worry about; your sight is fine but I wrapped your head so that your wound wouldn't get infected." Looking over to her right she noticed Mummymon sitting on a raised stump a few yards from her, watching her carefully. She slowly removed her hand and looked over to him, dumbfounded.
"You were… from earlier! Thank you for saving my life…"
He looked over at her, expressionless, as if calculating or registering what she just said. "I don't know why I did it. You're lucky. I usually don't help pathetic things like you out," he grinned then, his face forming into a wicked expression.
Ashley turned back to look into the sky and smirked herself before slowly getting up, using the tree for support. She then noticed from the corner of her eye that he was still staring at her as if she were some sideshow attraction. "I don't think I'm in a dream anymore." She might have been right. She did, after all, get wounded, felt pain. She then remembered that she was searching for a partner digimon and he might have been it. What other explanation could he have for choosing to protect her as randomly as he said? She turned to him, catching his gaze from her then locking his eye with hers. She walked closer to him, which she noticed seemed to make him shift his arms, as if taking caution.
"So," she began while stopping right in front of him. He seemed a little uncomfortable with her distance but she knew that she wasn't a threat to him in the least. She was willing to take her chances anyway. He did bandage her up as well, which showed her that he had some heart to him. "The only sensible explanation for you involuntarily saving my life and tending my wounds must mean that you might, in fact, be my partner digimon."
He seemed to be deep in thought for a few moments before standing up and towering over her. "I never imagined I would be. A mon like me… I think you have the wrong idea, girl."
"I might, "she replied, " but I could use a little help at least getting around this world. You are very strong and kick ass!" She noticed a smirk of smugness on his face when she said that. "Besides, you said you were going to leave whether or not I would come with you, right?"
He looked down at her with a hint of defeat on his face. She was happy with herself for picking up coercion skills, well good enough in small persuasion situations like this. Ashley offered her hand to shake and he looked down for a moment before taking in her hand with his massive one. He didn't know why he was doing this and why he would be so nice to a human anyway. When their hands met Mummymon noticed her jacket pocket start to glow. She looked down and shuffled through her pockets again to get the source of the glow. It was her iPod, which again began glowing the same insignia as before. Mummymon was taken aback and gaped but Ashley smiled widely.
"See? I was right! You must be my partner!" She jumped for joy on the inside. She was happy that she finally found a partner digimon and she was also pleased that he was tough and intimidating! She took his hand again and softly smiled which made him cock his head to the side and step back. "Ashley. That's my name." He looked down at her and gave an awkward smile, teeth sticking out over his lips. "You may also call me Ash. Either is fine."
"Mummymon," he said proudly, standing tall.
"Hmm…" She let go of his hand and thought on his name more, "Well, Mummymon is basically universal and applies to all Mummymon alike, right?" He just stared down at her, confused. "I wish to give you a nick name if that is all right with you." He rubbed the back of his neck, confused. No answer meant 'okay, go on' in Ashley's world, "Tut. That is your nick-name."
"Tut?" he asked dryly, rubbing his bandaged chin. "What does it mean?"
"It is short for King Tutankhamen. A young, powerful pharaoh in my world who ruled Ancient Egypt." Mummymon seemed a bit pleased at this, that she referred to him as being something great, so he shrugged in return, indifferent to her nick-name idea. He personally liked that she had given him a nick-name for the fact that it was personal and bond building. He also hadn't met anyone in his lifetime with much kindness acted out towards him. He did however, dread the idea of getting into some deep troubles with this girl at any given time since he may have been her digimon partner. He still pondered on the whole idea of it all; why he was chosen to be her partner.
"Are you ready to go then? The night is closing in."
"Yeah, just about. But I may need some help walking," she looked down shamefully at her legs, narrowing her eyes. "My knees… aren't what they used to be."
He scoffed at her and then sat back down on the stump. "Rest then. We will leave at day break." He then turned away and muttered, "pathetic."
Ash had caught that and grinned, "I see you also have leg braces. Thank you as well for not making me feel so bad about my own joint problems. How sweet!~" He snapped his head at her and gave a mischievous look, also grinning. He liked a good fight.