1-2
Someone screams and Dobermon is yelping as he tries to stop. Tatsuya pauses, then nods to himself. "Flamon!" His partner is scrabbling for a wall and he catches himself. He leaps and scoops Tatsuya up with one arm, forcing himself up with the other. He jumps to the nearest ledge.
Tatsuya grimaces. "Flamon, go after them others, what about the kids?"
Flamon points and then jumps back down. Tatsuya follows where he has pointed. Mayu is… floating? No, that bird has grabbed her by the shoulders and is dragging them up as best it can. Tatsuya runs to help, grabbing Mayu's tiny hand. He pulls her up first, then the boy. The boy can't stop shaking. It's like he's gotten thrown through a tornado.
The bird reaches over and pecks his hand. Tatsuya moves to stop him, gets whacked back with a wing. The boy is looking up now, eyes wide, listening. The bird lets out a grunt of irritation. Then he dives into the hole. Tatsuya kneels, expecting tears but finding none.
"Dude that was awesome!"
Flamon has leaped out now, Jem under one arm. She's waving her fists. It'd be excited if her eyes weren't on the pit trap. The pit trap that her (when did it become hers?) Dobermon cannot climb from. There are no footholds he can reach.
Tatsuya nods at Flamon. He looks antsy. "Do you think you can help Dobermon?"
A nod. Flamon jumps back down. Within seconds there is a very loud snarl, then another. Then there's laughter. This causes the tears in the boy's eyes. Tatsuya thinks this over and nods to himself.
"Hey Jem," he says, looking to her as she cranes her neck as far as she can without ending up back in there. "Did you see what was down there?"
She shakes her head. "Just big, shiny red eyes. I wanna take another look."
Tatsuya wants to roll his eyes but he can't quite manage it. "All right, I'll go with you then." She raises an eyebrow at him. Tatsuya can't help his grin. It's like being back at school, with the doubtful looks of his classmates as he's preparing to do a thing he shouldn't do.
Well, except this could get him killed. Wouldn't be the first time.
"Race ya," he tells her. Then he's leaped, diving like a swimmer.
Mayu giggles. "Well, maybe you're more like them than I thought!"
