Author's Note: Yay! New Chapter of Field Warrior! This one is one of the longer ones, I think. I just think the story is kinda going at a slow pace, so the chapters hopefully will be longer from now on. Also, I am announcing that the Goggle poll will close THIS Friday and hopefully I will have the decision up with Chapter 26 by next Monday or Tuesday! So, please get those final votes in you haven't voted yet!
Chapter 25: Flight and Power!
The flight to catch up with Karatenmon seem to go on forever. However, everything was in Parrotmon's hands now. Since the Beast Digimon were not used to attacking when in flight, they did not know what use they would be to the giant bird. However, they kept their hopes up, despite feeling uneasy about continuing on without seeking aid for Mikemon.
Ren never loosened her grip on the cat Digimon's body. Mikemon had been brave, all the Digimon had, and none of them deserved to get hurt. She had to get help to Mikemon and soon.
However, her hopes raised slightly when, finally, Karatenmon came into view.
"Alright, everyone, this is it." Parrotmon whispered. "Hold on tight, he's sure to sense us right about...now!" The parrot said as Karatenmon swiftly sped up, becoming a black blur once more.
"What now? Bearmon questioned. However, his answer came in the form of a shout from behind. "Feather Flare Max!" Suddenly, a rush of wind came towards them. However, quickly Parrotmon shot up, avoiding the attack of sharp black feathers.
"Is that all he's got?" Parrotmon said, half confident, half confused. "I dodge that so easily!" He said. However, he would soon eat those words as another mass of feathers came, bigger than the last and this purple-tipped. Parrotmon tried to draw all his limbs in, and succeed with all but one, the one the held Ren and Mikemon. He quickly turned them inward, position his arm and claws so that it received the attack instead of the human and the digimon she held.
At first, Parrotmon felt nothing as dozens of little black feathers stick into his arm. However, soon he felt a sharp pain and then numbness starting at his shoulders, where the first of the new, purple tipped feathers had stick in.
"Arghh! This...are...poisoned...!" He said, trying to fight of the numbness as it spread to his upper arm. Then, he realized how much danger there was, not just for him, but for the smaller beings that he held in that arm's claw.
"Ren! Jump! The poison! My claw is going to numb! I won't be able to hold you and Mikemon!" He ordered.
"What? Jump! But...we are in the air!" Ren said confused.
"I'm going to drop you regardless. I'll position my legs so...!" But it was too late, the poison went rampant as it reached the lower arm. He was forced to loose his grip on Ren.
"Ren!" Her partner shouted as the human slipped from Parrotmon's talons and began to fall. Ren was in shock for a moment, but as she saw that she was getting close to Parrotmon's tail, which he had curled in to shield his belly. She stretched out her arm and desperately lunged for one of the giant bird's tail feathers with one hand, while trying to keep her grasp on Mikemon with the other. She made the catch close to the base, but now came the task of holding on. It would be a long climb to something solid, his back side, too long her to make it on her own. Liamon, the closest digimon to her, watched in horror as she struggled and slipped.
However, Karatenmon saw his chance to "take out some moral." He drew back his wings. "Feather Flare!" He said, aiming his attack right at the struggling human. She turned as she heard the attack, and her eyes widened in horror as she saw countless sharp ebony feathers coming at her.
However, she had no way to dodge this huge wave. She could only wince and tuck her head in towards Mikemon's as the wind caused by the feathers came, and began to swing her. Then the most feared part arrived, the harrowing pain of the feather's passing, cutting into her clothes and flesh.
Ren shrieked as they made their skin-deep gashes, several on her arms and legs. The suddenly pain was enough alone to cause her to involunteerly let go of her dwindling grapple on Parrotmon's tail. Ren fought the urge to seize her bleeding arm and focused on the on that pressed Mikemon even closer to her aching body.
"Ren! No!" Bearmon shouted, instinctly stretching out his body to try to grab her, but it was in vain. Too much distance lay between Parrotmon's arm and his tail, even though he tried to move it in close. The little bear could only watch in horror as his beloved fellow Defender began her descent.
Ren was focusing more on her cuts and keeping hold of Mikemonat that moment, so it took her a few more until she full realized what a dangerous situation she was now in. However, fear came flooding in as soon as her mind thought about it. "Bearmon! Parrotmon! Help me! I'm...I'm gonna...!" She couldn't even say it, think it. The image of her falling, hitting the ground was far to great.
"Hold on, Ren! I'll get you!" Parrotmon said and tried to descent. However, Karatenmon quickly sped over and blocked the way.
"Oh, no you don't! That human has to go! She won't be messing up Yatagaramon's plans anymore, ha ha!" He chuckled evilly, then let go of another attack. "Dark Harmony Swords!" He said and began to lunge his two blades towards the giant parrot, who was force to back away, fearing any attack might be deflected or worse, if Karatenmon should dodge, hit Ren.
Ren, upon hearing the attack, rolled, trying to get to point where she was on her back. It took a few seconds, but she finally managed it and saw what she suspected, the fiendish crows attacks hitting Parrotmon and her friends. They were in no position to save her at the moment. Heck, they may not be able to save themselves. Ren let the hopelessness of her entire situation don on her.
"Karatenmon!" She whispered, clenching her teeth. Then, fighting of the throbbing pain of her bleeding arms, she hugged the lifeless cat Digimon tightly. "Mikemon...is this the end? It can't be...right?"
Suddenly, she felt her Digi-H rumble wildly in her pants pocket. "What?" She said, feeling vibrations upon her side. "What good would the Digi-H be? Wait...!" Ren thought for a moment. Then, she quickly reached inside for it, ignore the pain in her arms. Once she had it out, she brought it closer to her face, staring at it.
"If Karatenmon thinks he can win this easy, and get rid of me also, he's got another thing coming! Forgive me, guys, but I think this is the best thing to do, for all of us!" The human Defender whispered to herself.
She then quickly turned her Digivice towards her friends, who barely noticed it until she shouted the words, "Field Energize! Beast Mode!"
"What?" Liamon exclaimed as he glared at the green rays of light quickly shot towards them.
"This...is..." Labramon, who had been perched on Parrotmon's crown, said as her body absorbed the green ray that came to her.
"Field Energize!" Bearmon said as he saw the familiar aura surround not only him, but all the other Beast Digimon as well. Yes, even Mikemon, still unconscious in Ren's arm, received her own aura, though still she didn't stir.
"But why? Why at a time like this? We cannot possibly have use for it! Not in the air!" Oryxmon demanded, confused as ever.
Bearmon's eyes glowed like fire as he felt that immense rush of energy and strength come to him. "Yes we do!" He growled. "We have to get rid of Karatenmon! He's the only thing blocking us from saving Ren! She gave us this energy, HER energy, to finish him, once and for all!"
"Right!" Labramon barked, and then sent out her Retriever Bark, now more wide and powerful. Parrotmon, now realizing what was going on, moved his body so that they were facing Karatenmon, who was too confused by the glows to really get what he was in for until he Liamon and Oryxmon sent out their aerial attacks as well.
Ren watched with pride as Mystic Bell and Thunder of King came towards there mark. However, her energy was fading fast and the suddenly drops in altitude and the air pushing her downward made her woozy. Feeling she had done her final job well, she tried to relax and not think about her plummet. "Mikemon...I'm sorry...if only...if only...I should got you into Parrotmon's talons...then...then you wouldn't be here...falling...with me." The Defender whispered to her fallen comrade that she nestled in her arms. Then, Ren blackout out, not wanting to move or think, knowing that ground may come at any moment. It was in the Digimons' hands now.
"Ren! No!" was the last thing that rang in her mind. It was the desperate call of her partner, uttered moments before her attempt to finish the battle with Field Energizer. Bearmon...that's all she could think about, her precious friend, Bearmon. Now, she couldn't even see if the attacks they made against Karatenmon worked.
However, Ren was so out of it, she did not see that the aura around her and Mikemon remained long after the attacks of their friends. So determined that this was the end, Ren just let it happen, but all the while hoping that someone or something would stop their descent. However, the fall lasted on for what seemed like forever. Then, Ren was forced awake as she heard squawking noises.
The human forced her eyes open and found herself over trees. However, she soon realized that she somehow had gotten turned around, at that her belly, which thankfully held on to Mikemon, who still had an green aura on her. However, Ren ignored this as the tops of the tress came closer. They would certainly crash into them, and the force of the fall alone could kill them.
Ren tried to closed her eyes in preparation for the end. However, just as she closed her left eye, Mikemon's shot open. However, they were completely filled with the same green aura that covered the small cat's body.
"Cat's Agility!" Mikemon said, almost monotonously, as if another voice from inside said those words instead of the Feline Digimon. Ren watched in away as came towards the branches, but instead of hitting them straight on, her legs moved on their own, position themselves to hit the limbs instead.
Ren felt strange as she connected with the first tree with her left legs, which then quickly pushed off towards the next one. This cycle continued with each new branch, until Ren's injuriedlegs brought her closer and closer to the ground, using the branches as a ladder. They still hurt from the cuts they had recieved, but the pain was less now, and that relieve Ren slightly
"Like a cat hoping from branch to branch..." Ren thought..."Mikemon, did you...give me your agility? Are you...somehow doing this? How? Could this be...another side of Field Energizer?" The Defender wondered. However, as soon as Ren's legs made their final jumb from the lowest tree limb to the ground, the aura around them faded, and Mikemon's eyes closed once more.
"Mikemon! Mikemon! Can you hear me?" Ren said to her friend only to get on answer from the still lifeless body. "No...Mikemon...please don't tell me...did you use even more energy...?" Ren began to tear up, and her fatigue returned as she collapsed on the ground. Field Energizer had drained her once again.
She moved until she rested her back upon the tree's wide trunk, grasping Mikemon. "I'm so tired...but I'm more worried about you, Mikemon. I didn't know you'd receive Field Energizer as well...what if...what if I made your injuries worse...not that I am not grateful for your Cat's Agility..." Ren said weakly, then buried her face in the cat's fur.
"I'm glad...we didn't fall to our deaths..." She whispered. "But...where are we?"
Her answer would come soon, as a shadow fell on her and a loud cackle rang through the air. "Now, now, what do we have here?"
Ren shot her glance up, and came face to face with three new figures. They all looked like large chickens, although their faces and crest on their heads were more like parrots. The main one, who was chuckling, had white plumage, with red on the tips of his wings and giant, out spread tail feathers. He also had a large, red mohawk like crest on his head and a massive red beard to match, which hung from his sharp yellow beak. His massive feet were flesh colored, with bright red talons.
His two, smaller companions were almost the same as him. The differences were their crests, beards, and talons, which were black instead of red. Ren also noticed that their wings were tipped in blue instead of red as in all, they looked mean, as they cackled at the human. Their eyes, yellow on the main big one and red on the two smaller ones, stared at her fiercely.
"Bird Digimon!" Ren exclaimed. Had she fallen into the Bird Field? She didn't even think they were that close to it at all. How far had they fallen?
"And not just any Bird Digimon! The personal guards of this field, which personally serves as Yataragamon's hunting grounds! Heh, won't he be so pleased when we bring you to him, that human he's heard so much about! Such a treat for me, the great Akatorimon, as well. Maybe you'll be his next quarry, little troublemaker!"
Ren tried to stand to defend herself, but was so weakened by Field Energizer and her cuts that she could barely even lift herself from the ground. chuckled as he saw her struggling.
"Ha ha ha! You're joking! All that praise for you, human, and you're so weak, you can't even get yourself off the ground! I was hoping to at least get a taste of that infamous power of yours, but you're make this far to easy! You don't even have a worthy Digimon with you, do you? Take her, boys, and the little cat too! All the more quarry for Lord Yataragamon!"
Ren couldn't even protest as she was quickly chained by the other birds. She was too tired, it was best to reserve what little energy she had left for her real threat to her life, the dreaded Yatagaramon. Somehow, she still held on to a little hope, a hope that this situation would turn out well, that something would change the tides. It had happened before in the Marine Field, when she had faced King Kaiki, and won. it could happen again. The Digital World was full of surprises, she had discovered.
However, She couldn't help but let a tear fall, not of sadness, but of fear, fear for herself, but more for Mikemon. Ren was at least conscious and could perhaps barter to buy herself some time, but what would happen to the ever still Mikemon? As they were put into Akatorimon's back, her mind was a race of questions and fears. However, she felt they would be answered soon, as Akatorimon ran foward and lifted himself unto the air.
"It won't be long now, little quarry!" He said to her when he entered a smooth glide on the winds. He then turned a fierce yellow eye towards her, smiling at her tears, thinking it was him that had her spooked. "Yataragamon's keep isn't far! Then, you'll know your fate! You're so small, I bet you won't be much of a chase! However, some new species of game, that'll be interesting! Ha ha! No more little Biyomon and Kiwimon for us to track down, no sir!" He cackled.
However, this talk of hunting only made a burning in Ren's heart. Did Yataragamon really hunt other Digimon! Had Swanmon been a victim of these hunts as well? Ren dried her tears. If Yatagaramon did hunt Digimon, then Ren was determined not to make herself and especially Mikemon his next victims.