It was getting colder.

Shivering, Izzy tightened his hold on his partner, burying his face against the cool shell. He'd lost all track of time, sitting in this cave. The thunder and lightning hadn't let up yet, either. There had been no changing in lighting during the duration of their time here. It could have only been a few hours… It might have been days.

He could admit to himself that he was scared. Even if he could get used to the booming and flashes outside, the general darkness had him on edge. As did the freezing. And the worry for Tentomon grew more and more with every passing moment.

"Izzy?" He started, looking at the bug in surprise. Tentomon sounded muffled; like he'd just awoken from a deep sleep… but he had said something! He shifted just enough to look sidelong at his partner's face. Tentomon's head still rested atop his shoulder. "Don't worry…"

Anxiety and hopelessness shot through him then, and he looked down. "I can't help but worry, Tento… something's wrong with you, and I don't know how to help." He brushed a hand along Tentomon's antennae. "And this storm… it's unnatural."

His partner leaned into the touch, tilting his head to look at Izzy fully. He had the sense of exhaustion and hurt, and he nearly whimpered in sympathy. And then Tentomon was gone.

Startled, Izzy flailed in attempt to sit up. "Wha-hey!" The Rookie lay on the rocky ground, just as boneless as he'd been moments before. "T-Tentomon?" The bug was angled to face the cave mouth. "What…Tentomon…" his front legs were curled before him, the only legs visible in his new position. Strictly defensive, in a vulnerable sort of way.

About to sigh and sit down with a pang in his chest, Izzy spotted it. Tentomon had jumped off of him so quickly, he wasn't sure if he'd used his wings to fly… but the protective shell wasn't laying right, and one of his wings was crumpled out so it was visible. Cautious, and cursing himself for not thinking to look his partner completely over (Tentomon was unique as an insectoid Digimon… His shell concealed a lot of his body), he knelt down and touched the skewed side, gently pushing it up. At the very least, he could fix the wing's position for his tired partner.

The touch had Tentomon tensing and twitching. Had it been anyone else, his sharp front claws would have struck.

Izzy realized that entirely. But he didn't comment… far too engrossed with his task. The further he pushed the shell up, the sicker he felt. Burns. Where the delicate wings connected to his body… there were burns. In the storm...

Izzy had been so preoccupied with the air/ground/flying/falling mess that surrounded him, he had absolutely no idea what had happened to Kabuterimon. He must have been hit after their separation. Once more, Izzy wondered exactly how much of the deflection Kabuterimon had controlled, and if he'd panicked when Izzy'd no longer been seated in the whirlwind of lightning…

"Tentomon…" There was nothing he could do to help. He had no supplies… and even if he did, he wasn't sure exactly how much could help with Tentomon being insectoid. "I'm so sorry…" His other hand reached under the cover and touched the mostly crumpled wing. And then he pulled it slowly and moved it so it fell flush with the other.

It was arguably the most sensitive location partner had, and Tentomon quivered as he eased his hold on the shell. It clicked shut when he pulled his hand away completely. The bug didn't move, otherwise. The wing was undeniably crippled. Until it healed… if it healed… Tentomon was grounded.

It was quiet for a while as Izzy berated himself for his reckless behavior. Until Tentomon broke him from his thoughts again, "Izzy? We have to get out of this storm."

Staring at the unmoving Digimon in surprise, he felt very conflicted. "If we go out there now, we'll just get in more trouble. I'm not going to risk you being further injured."

Tentomon's head slid along the rocky ground to face him, and Izzy winced. "Izzy, that storm is only getting stronger. If we wait any longer, we'll be in even worse danger." He pushed to stand, hind legs shaking, and hunched. "I'm fine enough, now, but if it gets worse, I won't have the strength to get through."

Cold dread shot through him, his mind running a billion directions at once. "What?" he breathed. He shook himself, stomping his foot on reflex. "No. You're not Digivolving. No way. You realize how bad those burns are? You Digivolve, you could hurt yourself worse!" Tentomon slumped under his glare.

"I wasn't… suggesting I Digivolve. I know that's out of the question right now. It would require more strength and stamina than I have… but I can walk fine enough, and so can you. So what's say we get out of here?"

Tentomon rarely walked. Especially by choice.

Still… He'd already found that his partner was better at reading the storm than he could ever hope to. And his antennae were never that straight. Izzy himself could feel how ionized the air in the cave was. Tentomon's senses were stronger. If he said the storm wouldn't break, as Izzy had begun to suspect, and would only strengthen, and he was willing to walk in it to escape it, that was more than enough for him.

"Alright," he said finally. He stepped to the mouth, slow enough that Tentomon could get his bearings if needed. It was then he realized exactly how bad it had gotten. There was no visual marker of any kind that he'd noted when he'd brought them here. He had no idea what direction they'd come from. "What is this? Black fog?" Tentomon leaned against his leg. "I don't know where we are anymore. I can't see ten feet in front of us!"

The only thing he knew for certain was out there, was the mountain this cave connected to. And atop of it was the structure he'd seen from the air. Izzy stepped out and stared up the terrain, unsuccessfully shielding his eyes from the wind and rain.

Mentally biting his cheek and putting on his best impression of Tai's infamous "Stubborn Look", he returned to the cave, scooped his partner up, and stepped back out into the freezing rain. "I-Izzy?"

"We're going to climb, Tento. I don't think you'll be able to climb very fast without your wings," his mind flashed to that time Pixiemon made them all climb the mountain without the Digimon's special abilities. "So, hold on to me, okay? We'll be able to get a better idea of direction up there. Maybe even find a connection, or a map." He hoped. Maybe they could even contact the others.

He winced as his partner pulled himself around to his back and up over his shoulder, the smaller arms grasping firmly at his shirt and backpack. "I'll hold on from here so that your arms are free. And I, to channel Gomamon, will have your back." For a moment, Tentomon was almost his usual self.

And for another, uncomfortable silence hit them as they both thought of Joe's Digi-Egg and the situation that brought them here. And he began his ascent under the mental and physical gloom.

=/=/=

A/N: So… I know everyone wants a Tai chapter. It's coming. Should be next, actually. =)