Author's notes: Well, here it is. Chapter one of the fabled Knowledge and Judment story. Now, just because I'm posting it doesn't mean it's finished. I've realized that I'm never going to finish it, so I may as well give you all what is _there_. So, here it is, unedited, unfinished... and I hope those who read the prieview blurbs will like this. I'll be adding more chapters as soon as I get the chance to type them up (they're all written out, which is probably the reason this was never finished.).
"Knowledge and Judgment: Poetic Night"
"So," Izzy muttered. "We get sucked back into the Digi-world, we haven't a clue why, and now Tai's gotten us all lost. Great."
"We're not lost," Tai snapped, his temper rising. "I don't know where you got a stupid idea like that."
"Izzy's right, Tai. We do seem to be a bit lost. I don't think I've ever seen this place before. Maybe we got off course...," Biyomon commented as she glanced around.
"Awe, suddap...," Tai muttered.
Izzy sighed and tried to recollect his thoughts. Only two digi-days ago, they had gotten sucked into the Digi-world for what seemed like the fourth time. He wasn't really sure _how_ many times they had visited this strange land. In truth, he had lost count. And now they were lost, though it really wasn't for the first time.
"Hey, look on the bright side!" said Mimi, smiling.
"When you tell me what the bright side is, maybe I'll look for it," Joe muttered.
"Oh, come on, don't be like that!" Gomamon said nervously. He quickly glanced a Biyomon, who needed in agreement at his silent words. Everyone's getting pretty edgy, he thought. And there's something in the air... it doesn't smell right.
High above in the trees, a pair of glowing eyes watched as the friends walked along the forest path, unaware of the danger that lay ahead.
"Mimi's right," TK told Patamon, who flew above him like a bit, his leathery wings beating the air. We've been in worse fixes, and at least this time we're together and we have a path to follow, though nobody knows where it leads to."
"Yeah, you're right. But have ya noticed something? Everyone is so tense. I mean, for Tai and Matt it's sort of normal, but even Palmon and Biyomon are jumpy," Patamon said, slight worry in his high voice. "Didja notice, TK?"
"Yeah, but.... I thought it was just 'cause they didn't want to be back here again."
"I dunno, TK...." suddenly, he stopped and looked up, glancing around with an odd look in his eye.
"What's wrong, Patamon?" TK said warily, azure eyes glancing around to try and catch a glimpse of the potential enemy that his friend had sensed.
Patamon blinked, and shook his head furiously. "I don't know. I just got this weird feeling that we're being watched."
TK's eyes opened wide. "Watched? By who?"
"I dunno," replied Patamon. "I just don't know."
The sky grew dark, and a light drizzle began to fall from the sky, raining heavier and heavier until the Digi-destined were soaked to the bone. Slowly the moon rose, casting a pale light through the thick clouds.
Tai turned to look back at the others. "'kay, guys! Keep going! Just another mile or so, and we'll set up camp. I promise!"
Sora walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Look, Tai," she whispered, leaning in close. "It's dark, it's pouring, everyone's tired, especialy TK and Patamon. We've been walking all day, and we don't even know where we're going. Don't you think it's time we stopped for the night?"
Reluctantly, Tai nodded in agreement. "Yeah... I guess you're right. It's just..."
"Yeah?"
He shook his head. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."
"Okay, then, if you really think there's nothing to worry about..." Sora replied, searching for a hint that would tell her what was bothering her friend.
"Right. Come on, don't be so concerned about me all the time." Before Sora could reply, Tai turned to the others and called out "Okay, everybody, I guess it's time to set up for the night. The sooner we get it done, the sooner we can crash. There should be enough room..."
"I can't believe you brought those collapsible tents along," Mimi said with a giggle. They were gathered around the campfire, relieved that the rain had stopped. They had been able to set up camp easily, thanks to Joe.
"Well...," replied Joe, adjusting his glasses. "Ever since we got back from the Digi world, I've taken to being much more prepared than I was before.... I _knew_ we would get stuck here again. I _knew_ it. So..."
"I for one think it's a prodigious idea," Izzy remarked as he types away on his laptop computer. "We'll be able to sleep inside, and for once I won't have to worry about the dew doing any dammage to my computer."
"Argh... what IS it with you and that stupid machine?!"
Izzy glared at Mimi, clenching his teeth to avoid saying something he'd regret. "It's not a stupid machine," he mumbled.
"Hah!" snapped Mimi, crossing her arms. "I bet you wouldn't even last two seconds without that computer!"
"Says you!"
"Yeah. Says me." In a flash of pink Mimi jumped up and snatched the computer, holding it high above her head. "Come and get it, nerd!"
"Hey, give it back!" Izzy cried, struggling to reach it. "I swear, if you break that thing, I'll kill you!"
Tentomon couldn't imagine Izzy hurting a fly, let alone someone like Mimi. He nudged Tai and looked up at him. "I think you had better do something before either Izzy or his computer gets hurt," he said in his high, buzzy voice.
Tai shrugged slightly. "Hey, what can I do? Besides, she's right for once. He really does spend too much time on that thing."
Tentomon sighed. "Looks like I'll have to do it myself." Quickly, Tentomon opened his wings, hovering in the air a moment before he dove at Mimi, snatching the computer in his claws. He handed it back to Izzy, who wore a smug expression on his face.
"Who's laughing now, eh Mimi?" he taunted, sitting back down. "Thanks, Tentomon...," he whispered.
Mimi just stared at him, fuming. She gave no reply, but made it quite obvious that she was agitated.
Uh oh, thought Tai. This isn't good... everybody's tense. If I don't do something, we'll all crack... "C'mon, everybody. It's been a long day.... I think we should turn in for the night."
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Matt said brightly.
"It does?" Tai asked, surprised that Matt was agreeing with him for once.
Matt nodded. "Yeah. It's late, and besides that, the sooner I get to sleep, the sooner I won't have to look at your freakish face."
Tai sighed. "Thought too soon," he muttered.
Grinning, Matt stood up and looked at TK. "C'mon, squirt, let's go to sleep before El Freako can come and scare us half to death." He and Gabumon headed off toward the group of tents, TK and Patamon in tow.
One by one, the Digi-destined and their digimon partners left to go to bed, until the only ones remaining awake were Joe and Izzy.
"Well," said Joe, gathering up his backpack. "Looks like we're going to be sharing a tent again.."
"Mm-hmm," Izzy mumbled, his eyes not leaving the computer screen.
Slowly, Joe walked toward the tents, slightly reluctant to leave Izzy outside in the dark. "Aren't you comming?" he asked softly a concerned look on his face.
"Huh? Oh, no, not yet. I've just got a bit more to do, and there's no sense in leaving it 'till morning," Izzy said, stiffling a yawn.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" From inside the tent, Joe could heart Gomamon and Tentomon snoring loudly, making enough noise to wake up the whole Digi world.
"Yeah," said Izzy, smiling wanly. "Don't worry about it, I won't be long. Go.. you look like you need the sleep."
Joe frowned, hesitant. "Well, if you're sure..."
"I'm positive. Now, go."
Reluctantly, Joe entered the tent, still silently worried about what could happen to his friend.
"Poor Joe," Izzy said to himself, laughing lightly. "He means well, but he's such a worrywart..." Smiling slightly, he resumed his typing. After what only seemed like a few minutes, he looked up, sighing.
"I just can't concentrate," he muttered. "Perhaps a change of scenery is in order." He recalled that they were camped just inside the treeline along the edge of a lake. Quietly, so as not to wake the others, he packed up his computer and walked through the trees, taking care to look where he put his feet. Only ten feet away, the grass on the forest receded into light sand, though trees still dug their roots deep into the fine grains. The sun had set hours ago, and now the stars shone brightly in the sky, their light in bare comparisson to the blue-shaded moon which hung above like a symbol of peace.
Smiling slightly, Izzy walked to the tree nearest the shore. For a while he stood, watching the reflection of the light dance upon the surface of the water. Then, sighing with fatigue he sank down until he was sitting with his back against the smooth bark of the tree. He drew his legs up to his chest and rested his head on his knees, the smile never fading from his face. "It's beautiful," he whispered to himself. Suddenly, he remembered why he had come. He slipped his laptop out of his pack, but instead of resuming his work, he opened a writing file and began to type.
Night time.
Stars shine,
Casting their light upon the world.
They are souls,
They are spirits,
They are the eyes of the gods.
Their reflections dance across
The rippling water
Like fireflies,
Seeming to glitter
For me alone.
The moon, full and bright,
Watches me with a kind eye.
I can feel its gaze.
Are you listening?
Yes, I reply.
Close your eyes,
Says the wind.
I do so.
Sleep, says the wind.
But I cannot hear
For my mind is lost
In the beauty of the night.
Izzy blinked for a moment, the rush of writing leaving him. He read over the poem aloud, trying to comprehend what he had just written.
"Huh," he muttered. "Too cliche..." Sighing, he saved the file, deciding he'd try to fix it later.
Suddenly, a voice whispered from behind him. "Too cliche? Oh, I think not."
Izzy heard a twig snap, and suddenly felt the sharp point of what may have been a knife being pressed firmly but gently into his back. He tensed, and bit his lip to keep from crying out in fright.
"Be quiet, and I might not hurt you," the voice said softly. What may have been a strong hand clamped down on Izzy's mouth, and what may have been fingers dug into his skin in a way that suggested that their owner could dig in much harder if so desired. "Not one word, got it?" the voice hissed.
Izzy could feel the knife being slowly drawn away from him. "Now," he heard. "Close your eyes and count to five hundred and fifty five... point five. You're a smart kid, you can manage it. And not one word to your little friends about this little incident, okay?"
The hand removed itself from Izzy's mouth, and he could hear voices receeding into the distance.
"You should have killed him," said one, sharp and raspy.
"He's only a kid," replied the other, who had the soft yet commanding voice of his attacker. "Besides... he writes good poetry."
To be continued...
"Knowledge and Judgment: Poetic Night"
"So," Izzy muttered. "We get sucked back into the Digi-world, we haven't a clue why, and now Tai's gotten us all lost. Great."
"We're not lost," Tai snapped, his temper rising. "I don't know where you got a stupid idea like that."
"Izzy's right, Tai. We do seem to be a bit lost. I don't think I've ever seen this place before. Maybe we got off course...," Biyomon commented as she glanced around.
"Awe, suddap...," Tai muttered.
Izzy sighed and tried to recollect his thoughts. Only two digi-days ago, they had gotten sucked into the Digi-world for what seemed like the fourth time. He wasn't really sure _how_ many times they had visited this strange land. In truth, he had lost count. And now they were lost, though it really wasn't for the first time.
"Hey, look on the bright side!" said Mimi, smiling.
"When you tell me what the bright side is, maybe I'll look for it," Joe muttered.
"Oh, come on, don't be like that!" Gomamon said nervously. He quickly glanced a Biyomon, who needed in agreement at his silent words. Everyone's getting pretty edgy, he thought. And there's something in the air... it doesn't smell right.
High above in the trees, a pair of glowing eyes watched as the friends walked along the forest path, unaware of the danger that lay ahead.
"Mimi's right," TK told Patamon, who flew above him like a bit, his leathery wings beating the air. We've been in worse fixes, and at least this time we're together and we have a path to follow, though nobody knows where it leads to."
"Yeah, you're right. But have ya noticed something? Everyone is so tense. I mean, for Tai and Matt it's sort of normal, but even Palmon and Biyomon are jumpy," Patamon said, slight worry in his high voice. "Didja notice, TK?"
"Yeah, but.... I thought it was just 'cause they didn't want to be back here again."
"I dunno, TK...." suddenly, he stopped and looked up, glancing around with an odd look in his eye.
"What's wrong, Patamon?" TK said warily, azure eyes glancing around to try and catch a glimpse of the potential enemy that his friend had sensed.
Patamon blinked, and shook his head furiously. "I don't know. I just got this weird feeling that we're being watched."
TK's eyes opened wide. "Watched? By who?"
"I dunno," replied Patamon. "I just don't know."
The sky grew dark, and a light drizzle began to fall from the sky, raining heavier and heavier until the Digi-destined were soaked to the bone. Slowly the moon rose, casting a pale light through the thick clouds.
Tai turned to look back at the others. "'kay, guys! Keep going! Just another mile or so, and we'll set up camp. I promise!"
Sora walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Look, Tai," she whispered, leaning in close. "It's dark, it's pouring, everyone's tired, especialy TK and Patamon. We've been walking all day, and we don't even know where we're going. Don't you think it's time we stopped for the night?"
Reluctantly, Tai nodded in agreement. "Yeah... I guess you're right. It's just..."
"Yeah?"
He shook his head. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."
"Okay, then, if you really think there's nothing to worry about..." Sora replied, searching for a hint that would tell her what was bothering her friend.
"Right. Come on, don't be so concerned about me all the time." Before Sora could reply, Tai turned to the others and called out "Okay, everybody, I guess it's time to set up for the night. The sooner we get it done, the sooner we can crash. There should be enough room..."
"I can't believe you brought those collapsible tents along," Mimi said with a giggle. They were gathered around the campfire, relieved that the rain had stopped. They had been able to set up camp easily, thanks to Joe.
"Well...," replied Joe, adjusting his glasses. "Ever since we got back from the Digi world, I've taken to being much more prepared than I was before.... I _knew_ we would get stuck here again. I _knew_ it. So..."
"I for one think it's a prodigious idea," Izzy remarked as he types away on his laptop computer. "We'll be able to sleep inside, and for once I won't have to worry about the dew doing any dammage to my computer."
"Argh... what IS it with you and that stupid machine?!"
Izzy glared at Mimi, clenching his teeth to avoid saying something he'd regret. "It's not a stupid machine," he mumbled.
"Hah!" snapped Mimi, crossing her arms. "I bet you wouldn't even last two seconds without that computer!"
"Says you!"
"Yeah. Says me." In a flash of pink Mimi jumped up and snatched the computer, holding it high above her head. "Come and get it, nerd!"
"Hey, give it back!" Izzy cried, struggling to reach it. "I swear, if you break that thing, I'll kill you!"
Tentomon couldn't imagine Izzy hurting a fly, let alone someone like Mimi. He nudged Tai and looked up at him. "I think you had better do something before either Izzy or his computer gets hurt," he said in his high, buzzy voice.
Tai shrugged slightly. "Hey, what can I do? Besides, she's right for once. He really does spend too much time on that thing."
Tentomon sighed. "Looks like I'll have to do it myself." Quickly, Tentomon opened his wings, hovering in the air a moment before he dove at Mimi, snatching the computer in his claws. He handed it back to Izzy, who wore a smug expression on his face.
"Who's laughing now, eh Mimi?" he taunted, sitting back down. "Thanks, Tentomon...," he whispered.
Mimi just stared at him, fuming. She gave no reply, but made it quite obvious that she was agitated.
Uh oh, thought Tai. This isn't good... everybody's tense. If I don't do something, we'll all crack... "C'mon, everybody. It's been a long day.... I think we should turn in for the night."
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Matt said brightly.
"It does?" Tai asked, surprised that Matt was agreeing with him for once.
Matt nodded. "Yeah. It's late, and besides that, the sooner I get to sleep, the sooner I won't have to look at your freakish face."
Tai sighed. "Thought too soon," he muttered.
Grinning, Matt stood up and looked at TK. "C'mon, squirt, let's go to sleep before El Freako can come and scare us half to death." He and Gabumon headed off toward the group of tents, TK and Patamon in tow.
One by one, the Digi-destined and their digimon partners left to go to bed, until the only ones remaining awake were Joe and Izzy.
"Well," said Joe, gathering up his backpack. "Looks like we're going to be sharing a tent again.."
"Mm-hmm," Izzy mumbled, his eyes not leaving the computer screen.
Slowly, Joe walked toward the tents, slightly reluctant to leave Izzy outside in the dark. "Aren't you comming?" he asked softly a concerned look on his face.
"Huh? Oh, no, not yet. I've just got a bit more to do, and there's no sense in leaving it 'till morning," Izzy said, stiffling a yawn.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" From inside the tent, Joe could heart Gomamon and Tentomon snoring loudly, making enough noise to wake up the whole Digi world.
"Yeah," said Izzy, smiling wanly. "Don't worry about it, I won't be long. Go.. you look like you need the sleep."
Joe frowned, hesitant. "Well, if you're sure..."
"I'm positive. Now, go."
Reluctantly, Joe entered the tent, still silently worried about what could happen to his friend.
"Poor Joe," Izzy said to himself, laughing lightly. "He means well, but he's such a worrywart..." Smiling slightly, he resumed his typing. After what only seemed like a few minutes, he looked up, sighing.
"I just can't concentrate," he muttered. "Perhaps a change of scenery is in order." He recalled that they were camped just inside the treeline along the edge of a lake. Quietly, so as not to wake the others, he packed up his computer and walked through the trees, taking care to look where he put his feet. Only ten feet away, the grass on the forest receded into light sand, though trees still dug their roots deep into the fine grains. The sun had set hours ago, and now the stars shone brightly in the sky, their light in bare comparisson to the blue-shaded moon which hung above like a symbol of peace.
Smiling slightly, Izzy walked to the tree nearest the shore. For a while he stood, watching the reflection of the light dance upon the surface of the water. Then, sighing with fatigue he sank down until he was sitting with his back against the smooth bark of the tree. He drew his legs up to his chest and rested his head on his knees, the smile never fading from his face. "It's beautiful," he whispered to himself. Suddenly, he remembered why he had come. He slipped his laptop out of his pack, but instead of resuming his work, he opened a writing file and began to type.
Night time.
Stars shine,
Casting their light upon the world.
They are souls,
They are spirits,
They are the eyes of the gods.
Their reflections dance across
The rippling water
Like fireflies,
Seeming to glitter
For me alone.
The moon, full and bright,
Watches me with a kind eye.
I can feel its gaze.
Are you listening?
Yes, I reply.
Close your eyes,
Says the wind.
I do so.
Sleep, says the wind.
But I cannot hear
For my mind is lost
In the beauty of the night.
Izzy blinked for a moment, the rush of writing leaving him. He read over the poem aloud, trying to comprehend what he had just written.
"Huh," he muttered. "Too cliche..." Sighing, he saved the file, deciding he'd try to fix it later.
Suddenly, a voice whispered from behind him. "Too cliche? Oh, I think not."
Izzy heard a twig snap, and suddenly felt the sharp point of what may have been a knife being pressed firmly but gently into his back. He tensed, and bit his lip to keep from crying out in fright.
"Be quiet, and I might not hurt you," the voice said softly. What may have been a strong hand clamped down on Izzy's mouth, and what may have been fingers dug into his skin in a way that suggested that their owner could dig in much harder if so desired. "Not one word, got it?" the voice hissed.
Izzy could feel the knife being slowly drawn away from him. "Now," he heard. "Close your eyes and count to five hundred and fifty five... point five. You're a smart kid, you can manage it. And not one word to your little friends about this little incident, okay?"
The hand removed itself from Izzy's mouth, and he could hear voices receeding into the distance.
"You should have killed him," said one, sharp and raspy.
"He's only a kid," replied the other, who had the soft yet commanding voice of his attacker. "Besides... he writes good poetry."
To be continued...