The Call
"That's it, Garurumon! Knock 'em down!" Matt Ishida, the Digidestined of Friendship, cried. Garurumon, a white wolf with blue stripes, knocked down a control spire with his well-known Howling Blaster attack. The Digidestined relaxed afterwards. Suddenly, a sphere appeared before Matt and Gabumon. Moon Blast. a wolf-wing's, face appeared in the sphere. "Yamato...Gabumon...need...help...is...attacking...not...time...please...and come...losing..-" the message cut out. Matt blinked then stood. "We need to get to Magic Island. Now."
"Moon Blast!" yelled Matt as soon as he spotted the white wolf-wing when he arrived on the island. "Mother!" Gabumon chorused. Moon Blast licked and nuzzled both of them as they hugged her. Matt even planted a small kiss on her muzzle, he had missed her so much. -I'm so glad you got my message. I'll repeat it if it was fuzzy,- said Moon Blast. Matt and Gabumon nodded. -We need your help along with the others as backups. There is something attacking us silently, late at night.-
Matt tilted his head. "Who is 'us' exactly?" he asked. -The Wing Pack and the ground wolf pack,- replied Moon Blast. "Okay. Take us to the Wing Pack den and leave the others at the ground wolf den," Gabumon instructed. "I'll escort them," said a voice. Everyone turned to see a large tan and brown lynx standing behind them. The lynx was female. She stared at the group with golden eyes. Her eyes landed on Tai. "Daddy?" she suddenly asked. Tai's face twisted in confusion. Then, he grinned. "Flame!" he cried. The lynx ran to him and Tai hugged her tight. Soon, after the reunion, Moon Blast had flown off with Matt and Gabumon on her back.
Matt was glad to feel the wind blowing through his hair again. He closed his eyes and snuggled up into the fur on Moon Blast's neck. Her body warmth warmed him up from the cold air. After a little while, Moon Blast landed on a ledge in front of the Wolf Wing den. Matt and Gabumon jumped off. "May we talk to Wolfmon?" asked Matt. Moon Blast motioned towards the den.
Matt and Gabumon walked into the den and found Wolfmon quickly. -Gabby!- someone cried. Star Wing swooped down and licked Gabumon's face. Soon, after being greeted by everyone, Matt and Gabumon approached Wolfmon. "Hi father," Gabumon said. Hello, son. I'm glad you got your mother's message, Wolfmon said. He looked Matt over. The boy was a year older from the last time he had seen him, still the same piercing blue eyes and same blond hair in the same style it had been in the first time he had seen him. But, you could tell the boy had matured, both physically and mentally. Matt. It's good to see you again, added Wolfmon. "Am I still a wing-pup?" Matt chirped. Yes, you are, human wing-pup, Wolfmon replied. Matt hugged the large Wolf-Wing Digimon around the neck.
After a few moments, Matt sat Indian style in front of Wolfmon with Gabumon sitting next to him. "So, what do you know so far?" asked Gabumon. We know that the thing attacking is large and is an animal. It seems to be quite strong and appears every other day. It should come tonight. It always comes while we are sleeping and we learned that it can pass through Mirage's safety circle. It has already put Winter Ivy in a bad state so she can't fight. We need your help in fighting because we need your style of magic. That's about it, said Wolfmon. Gabumon and Matt nodded. They began to think. "We'll definitely help. We're just unsure of what it can be..." said Gabumon. Matt nodded in agreement.
Matt laid down on his back and began to think. 'What could it be? I have no idea what possible thing it could be...they haven't even seen a shadow of it... I need even just a snap shot of a shadow and I should be able to figure it out. I hope no one dies from this thing...that would be bad. I would kill myself if Gabumon or anyone else I'm close to got killed...-' His thoughts were interrupted by Gabumon. "Matt! Matt!" Matt looked at him out of the corner of his eyes. "What?" he asked. "Moon Blast was asking you something," Gabumon replied. Matt looked at Moon Blast. "Sorry. What were you saying? I was thinking," he said. -I asked if there was anyway you could find out what this thing could be,- asked Moon Blast. "All I need is a picture of even just its shadow," replied Matt.
"Now, Fidget. I'll give you this bag of macadamia nuts if you get me a snapshot of even just that thing's shadow even tonight," bargained Matt. Fidget the squirrel eyed the bag of nuts and then looked down at her camera. She chittered an okay and ran off dragging the nuts.
That night, Matt sat watching the entrance of the den with Fidget and Gabumon next to him. The two were awake by the entrance, Matt was about two and a half feet away from the entrance. Suddenly, there was a low growl and a shadow came up to the entrance of the den, sniffing the ground.
Suddenly, it raised its head. Matt could hear it sniffing the air. It's head lowered again and it began to sniff the ground once more. Matt watched it as it moved from the other side of the den entrance to his side. He let out a soft whimper as it neared him. Its head lifted abruptly and it looked around. It stopped, facing in Matt's direction. Fidget. Now, Matt said in thought. Fidget slowly lifted her camera, trying not to attract attention. Wait, Matt suddenly said. Fidget paused. Gabumon silently gasped when Matt got on his hands and knees and began to make his way towards the creature. It didn't notice him because he had made himself invisible.
Gabumon watched the thing. It reminded him of something. The shape of the body looked so familiar. Like an old enemy or something. Then it hit him like a brick to the face. The 'thing' was actually a juvenile Arcanine without the fluffy mane and just a fluffy ruff around it's neck. Gabumon looked hard and realized it was also were. Matt! Get away from that thing! he cried. His thought-spoken words seemed to fall on deaf ears.
Matt stood up and reached out for the thing. He had no idea what it was but he felt like he had to touch it. His hand brushed its side. And it attacked. It slammed him to the ground, causing him to lose his invisibility. His cry of pain and surprise woke everyone. Moon Blast howled in rage. She considered Matt almost as a pup of her own. She almost attacked when... "Blue Blaster!" A stream of blue fire hit the side of the creature. It roared and snarled before leaping away from Matt. "You hit me thissss time, falssse ssssssky rat! But I sssssssshall be back for thissss one!" it hissed in a definite female voice before leaping away.
Gabumon helped Matt back up. "Yamato Ishida! You could have gotten yourself killed! Never do anything like that again, do you hear me? What were you thinking?!" he scolded. Matt glared at his Digimon partner with that same icy glare from four years ago, when he had been eleven. "I can take care of myself, Gabumon! You act like I'm five-years-old! I'm sick of you treating me that way! I can, and will, take care of my self!" he yelled. He concentrated and two black Pegasus wings sprouted from his back. He whipped around and flew off into the night. Moon Blast was about to follow when Gabumon stopped her. "Mother! Let him go. If he says he can take care of himself, let him. He will come back. I know Matt well."
Matt flew above the trees and landed in his spot in the middle of the Shadow Forest. He climbed up onto his rock in the middle of the clearing and curled up in a circle. He made his wings disappear and soon began to drift into sleep after putting up a shield around him and the rock. But, as soon as he fell asleep, the shield fell.
Tai woke up first early the next morning. He yawned and, since it was quiet, he heard every little noise. Soon, as Tai was relaxing on top of the den, Kapu walked out. "What are you doing up there, pup?" he called to Tai. Tai looked down and smiled. "I thought I had heard you wake up. I'm just refreshing my memory of what the island is like. It has been a four years since we arrived when we were eleven," he said. Kapu made his way to the top of the den and sat next to Tai. The two of them looked over the territory. Suddenly, Tai lifted his head higher, still ensuring it was the slightest bit lower than Kapu's. "What is it, pup?" asked the alpha. "I heard a scream."
Soon, Tai, Kapu, Amy, Sora, Kari, Agumon, Biyomon, Gatomon, and Peg were searching for the source. Soon, Tai began to run in a direction, the rest following. Tai skidded into Matt's special clearing in the Shadow Forest, coming to stop abruptly. Matt was backed up against the large rock with a Arcanine without a mane right in front of him, snarling. The Arcanine was female. It smiled, revealing dripping saber fangs. "It's were! A new WereArcanine!" said Kari. Tai stared at Matt. Usually Matt was standing tall, laughing and joking, being a rebel and acting up. Now he was on the ground, trembling and crying. Seeing Matt this way brought some pleasure to Tai, yet it sickened him at the same time to see proud Yamato Ishida quivering on the ground in pain and fear.
Tai took in a breath. "Pepper Blast!" he yelled. He spat a fireball at the were creature and it ran off howling. They all immediately ran to Matt. Kari, feeling sorry for the fifteen-year-old, held him close and let him cry into her shirt. "That is just sickening to see a great fighter who once stood tall be knocked down by an animal," whispered Sora to Tai. Tai nodded gravely. Kari helped Matt up and supported him. Matt was beaten and bloody so Kari healed him before they took him back to the den.
Halfway there, Matt jerked away. "I'm okay. I-I have to head back to the Wolf-Wing den now," he said quickly. He grew his Pegasus wings again and flew towards the den on Mystic Mountain. Kari sighed and watched the older by with T.K. at her side.
Matt flew down into the trees at the foot of Mystic Mountain before veering off towards the Forbidden Lands and the river. His piercing azure eyes scanned the trees after he recalled his wings. He looked down the path before him and began to walk. He had slipped T.K.'s machete away from the young boy's boot while they were walking, for Matt was an expert at pick pocketing. He cut away the ferns and branches and soon reached the flowing river. Matt remembered that some parts where shallow and calm while others were deep rapids. He looked around and saw another old friend. "Gabimon!" he called.
The purple Gabumon looked up and saw the older boy. She looked him over and sniffed the wind. He must know her because he was standing upwind and didn't look afraid. She soon recognized him. "Matt!" she called back. Matt began approached her at his own pace.
The young WereArcanine wagged her plumy teal tail. Underneath her cerulean fur with its dark blue stripes, her spring-trap muscles rippled. Her red eyes flashed and she licked her sharp fangs. She coiled her muscles and prepared to pounce. She chuckled softly and jumped.
Gabumon and Moon Blast looked up as a huge flock of birds flew into the air. -There's a hunt on in that area,- said Moon Blast. Gabumon nodded. Suddenly, something clicked. "Gabumon warp Digivolve to.......MetalGarurumon!" Moon Blast jerked back in surprise. "Matt's in trouble!" exclaimed MetalGarurumon. He jumped down the mountain towards the area of the hunt.
On the way, MetalGarurumon met up with Garuramon. "You Digivolved!" he exclaimed. "Yes. Are...are you looking for Matt?" she replied softly. MetalGarurumon nodded. "There is no need for battle," said Garuramon. MetalGarurumon became Gabumon once more and Garuramon became Gabimon also. Gabimon led the way to where Matt was.
Gabumon first smelled a strange scent. The scent of blood. He pushed through a bunch of ferns and looked over the river. His mind flooded with memories, both good and bad. The day that Matt caught his first fish. The look of joy on his face when he did so. Then, the look of surprise as the fish slapped him with its tail and jumped away. The day that T.K. almost drowned but Matt had barely saved him. The times that a group of creatures would come to play here. Gabumon snapped back to reality when Gabimon tugged on his arm. He followed her. They came to a shallow part of the river. Gabumon knew what had happened as soon as he saw the water. It was tinted red.
Kapu listened to a howl from the pack in the Forbidden Lands. "What are they saying, Kapu?" asked Tai. He sounded nervous. He knew the tones of howls. "They are saying something about an attack and a horned blue furred creature asked them to call for our assistance," replied Kapu. "Gabumon!" Izzy pointed out, without looking up from his computer. Tai nodded his head once. "I'll go along with two more humans and three wolves. We'll need eyes from above, so send a bird or something along with us. Cat magic may also be needed," he ordered to everyone else. "No way! I'm not going! I'm brushing my hair! I'm not going to go battle whatchamajigger this and whatchamajigger that!" cried Mimi when Tai looked at her.
"I'll go Tai. Unlike some other people, I care about safety of others, including the safety of the animals on this island," Sora said, giving Mimi a dark look. Tai sighed. He was getting sick of the petty catfights the two girls had been getting into a more frequently. "I'm going too, Tai!" cried Kari. Tai nodded. "Now we need the wolves, sky eyes, and Cat Magic," he said. Raven offered to be the sky eyes, Mirage offered to be the Cat Magic supplier, and the three wolves were Lichen, Rosie, and Kapu.
"Tai! Kapu! Raven! Hurry up!" Kari yelled. The three boys looked up. "Why do we have to be the only three males?" growled Kapu. The three caught up to the group.
Gabumon awaited the arrival of help. Matt was lying on the ground, bandaged and badly wounded. He had been torn in the throat horribly. Rose Petal, the alpha of the pack and Ice Blink's sister, nuzzled him. "Don't worry yourself to death. Someone will come," she said. Gabumon thanked her for her support. The wolf was four years old and had had a two litters, one of seven, one, amazingly, of nine.
Suddenly, there was a low growl of pleasure and Gabumon prepared for an attack. Out of the trees came a caracal with Hurrok wings. The caracal purred at Gabumon and then shifted into the regular tall, athletic, and muscular form of Tai Kamiya. The rest of the group came into the area. Kapu and Clear Echo, the male alpha, greeted each other happily because they were good friends.
Soon, they got down to business and Tai walked over to his best friend. He unwrapped a bandage and observed the wound. "This is a definite bite... the jaws snapped down hard, probably breaking the bones, and he must have...jerked away or something because of the gashes. Gosh, his throat was practically torn open and his stomach and chest are pretty banged up also..," Tai whispered to himself. He rewrapped the bandage.
"He's badly beaten up. Mirage..," he said. Mirage healed up Matt. "I wonder why something would attack someone as powerful and dangerous as Matt," she said. "Beats me. I want to know who found him first," Tai said. "That would be me," said Gabimon. Tai looked her in the eyes. "Do you know what happened? I need an explanation otherwise I can make a decision of whether he can help us or not," he said. "It was that new WereArcanine," Gabimon said flatly. "Looks like....he can't help us," Sora whispered, barely loud enough for everyone to hear.
Gabumon's head lifted when he heard Matt groan. He turned and watched as the boy's eyes opened. They were...normal. His azure eyes looked around, confused. "Yamato?" Gabumon asked. Matt looked towards him and smiled softly. "Ouch," he said quietly. "Yamato Kodakcheyape Ishida! What were you doing all on your own without Gabumon?!" Kari cried. "Well, Hikari Kapozayna Kamiya, I was mad so I stomped off for a while just to end up proving myself wrong," replied Matt. "About what?" asked Kapu. "About being able to take care of myself," Matt said softly. His head bowed and he stared at the ground.
That night, Kari stayed up watching Matt as he took watch. Kapu had been insisting that they no longer needed guards but the kids were used to staying up to guard. Kari felt pity for the older boy. She had sensed all of his trouble with life. She came up behind him and tapped his shoulder. He jumped. "Sorry. I didn't mean to spook you," Kari apologized. "It's okay. I'm used to it," replied Matt.
Kari stared at him. She silently gasped when so saw a tear fall and splash onto his hand. Kari soon began to remember a song and she began to think the words over.
I know there's pain,
Why do you lock yourself up in these chains?
No one can change your life except for you,
Don't ever let anyone step all over you!
Just open your heart and your mind,
Is it really fair to feel...this way inside?
Someday somebody's gonna make ya
wanna turn and say goodbye!
Until then, baby,
Are you gonna let 'em hold you down and make you cry?
Don't ya know, if you change,
Things 'ill go your way,
If you hold on...for one more day!
Can you hold on...for one more day?
Things 'ill go your way!
You can sustain,
Or are you comfortable with the pain?
You've got no one to blame for your unhappiness,
You got yourself into your own mess!
Let all your worries pass you by!
Don't you think it's 'bout the time...
To change your mind?
Someday somebody's gonna make ya
wanna turn and say goodbye!
Until then, baby,
Are you gonna let 'em hold you down and make you cry?
Don't ya know, if you change,
Things 'ill go your way,
If you hold on...for one more day!
Can you hold on...for one more day?
Things 'ill go your way!
Hold on for one more day.
I know that there is pain,
But ya hold one for one more day,
And ya break free right from the chains!
Someday somebody's gonna make ya
wanna turn and say goodbye!
Until then, baby,
Are you gonna let 'em hold you down and make you cry?
Don't ya know, if you change,
Things 'ill go your way,
If you hold on...for one more day!
Can you hold on...
Don't ya know, if you change,
Things 'ill go your way,
If you hold on...for one more day!
Can you hold on...
Can you hold on...
Can you hold on baby?
Hold on, baby, things will go your way...
Kari snapped out of her trance when Matt smiled at her. "That was great, Kari. Thank you. You are totally right," he said. Kari looked confused. Then it dawned on her. "I... I sang that out loud?" she asked. Matt nodded. He leaned over and hugged her. Kari's eyes went wide and he sat back up, wiping his eyes because he was on the verge of tears. Kari walked back into the den, stunned, when Matt turned away from her. That meant he was done talking with her.
The next morning, Tai walked outside to find Matt gone. He went back into the den and saw that Gabumon was gone too. When everyone woke up, he told them that Matt and Gabumon were gone and were probably at the Wolf-Wing Den.
Gabumon adjusted his grip on Matt's shoulders while they climbed Mystic Mountain. They had left early that morning, it was now evening, and were more than halfway up. Matt slipped a little bit and Gabumon tightened his grip. Matt presumed climbing once more and Gabumon whimpered. He could tell by Matt's panting that the boy was getting tired and by his cold skin that he was freezing from the altitude. "Matt, stop. I'll Digivolve and carry you the rest of the way. You don't have enough strength to go on. You haven't eaten a bite in three days. I have!" protested Gabumon. Matt stopped and looked back at his partner. "I'm fine."
Gabumon growled. "Look at how thin you are! You can almost see your ribs! I'm going to carry you the rest of the way and that is final!" yelled the Digimon. Matt stared at him, then lowered him to the ground. "Fine," he said. Gabumon smiled. "Now that's more like it," he chuckled, "When we get there, you are going to get a decent nights sleep. You stood watch all night last night!"
Matt rode up the mountain on Garurumon's back. They arrived at the den and Garurumon became Gabumon once more. Moon Blast saw the rosy color to Matt's cheeks and the way he shivered. It was winter time on the island. The temperature would drop and there would be occasional snow on the main part of the island, but on the mountains it would always be cold and snow heavily. Moon Blast lay down and stared at Matt. He sighed gently in relief and curled up next to her. She draped her large, thick tail over him and soon he was asleep. Gabumon smiled softly at the sight of the fifteen year old boy sleeping next to a huge winged wolf.
Matt didn't wake up until five the next day. He yawned and stretched, finding that Moon Blast was no longer there. He had a thick fur blanket draped over him. He crawled off in the corner and pulled out his little stash of supplies. He sifted through them and found what he wanted.
Gabumon playfully ran away from Flitter Wing and Song Wing. The two wing pups swooped towards him and pinned him down. "Hey look! Matt looks like Gabby!" Night Wing suddenly cried. Everyone turned around to see Matt with the fur blanket made so it would go over his face and had eye holes. It draped down and wrapped around his wrists to hold it around his arms. Then it went down his back and was held there by a belt of fur. Gabumon smiled awkwardly. "Matt... what is... that?" he asked. Matt pulled the face part back like a hood. "Now, I can keep warm with out having to worry about the fur falling off." Gabumon reached out a hand and Matt handed him the fur. He inspected it. "There's very fine stitching in this. Where'd you find it?" he said.
"I found the fur draped over me as a blanket and then I went to my stash. I sewed it the way I wanted it," replied Matt. Gabumon blinked. "You...sew?" Matt nodded shyly. "Neat!" exclaimed MiniWolfmon. "Oh, that reminds me!" Matt said. He scurried back to his corner with his stash and they heard him sifting through it. He came out with six little stuffed animals. He handed Night Wing a little stuffed black wolf, Flitter Wing a stuffed brown cat, Snow Wing a stuffed snow flake, Song Wing a stuffed musical note, Whisper Wing a stuffed heart, and MiniWolfmon a stuffed small version of Wolfmon flying.
Gabumon looked at Matt. "Don't you have anything for me?" he joked. "Actually, yea, but I'm too embarrassed to give it to you..," Matt said. "Don't be embarrassed around me. I wouldn't laugh at you," replied Gabumon. Matt sighed. He reached behind him and pulled something in front of him. He took a deep breath and opened his hands. In his hands laid a stuffed figure of him and Gabumon. Gabumon smiled and gently took the figure. It wasn't too big, only about six inches tall five inches across. He looked at Matt and saw the glow on his cheeks. "Don't be embarrassed. I love it," he said. Matt looked up and smiled crookedly. "Oh....how sssssweet.....but timessssssss up!" something snapped.
Everyone looked up and snarled. The WereArcanine stood at the entrance. She stalked in and came towards them. "Go away!" yelled Snow Wing. She jumped in front of the Arcanine and snarled. The Arcanine just smirked and slammed her against the wall with her huge paw. "Snow Wing!" Gabumon cried. The Arcanine snickered. Gabumon was about to attack when a blur shot past him.
The WereArcanine let out a yelp when Matt's fist hit her in the muzzle. Matt snarled. "Leave the pups alone!" he hissed. The Arcanine snarled at him once more. She faked a jumped and Matt fell for it. Just as she pretended to pounce, she shot a paw forward and knocked Matt off his feet then pounced on him. She smirked at Gabumon and placed a paw on Matt's chest. "Hit me with a blassssst and I crussshhh hisssss chessssst!" she snipped. Suddenly, a thin red line was drawn down its side. It roared in pain and jumped back. Everyone looked towards the entrance and saw Tai with his tail poised for another light-speed snap.
"Run away. Now. Before I tear your throat open," Tai threatened. He stepped aside and the Arcanine hissed. "You got me once more! But, I sssssshall be back for thissss one! He'ssssss important for my planssssssss!" She laughed before running away.
Tai turned back to his friends. "I'm glad I didn't have to...to kill once more," he said, his voice cracking in mid-sentence. Tai had taken many lives to protect something and, when he was evil, had taken three lives for pleasure. "Gabumon, I'm gonna go for a walk. Tai, do you want to join me?" Matt said. Tai smiled. "Sure," he answered. "What?! After an attack, you're going to go out there!?" cried Gabumon. "We'll be fine! I give you the word of Yamato Ishida and Taichi Kamiya," said the two boys. Gabumon sighed. "Don't be gone long!" he instructed as the boys left, heading upwards on the mountain.
Matt and Tai walked in silence at first but as they began to get higher on the mountain, Matt noticed his best friend shivering. "Maybe we should head back. Your lips are turning blue," he said. "Nah, I'm fine. I'm just not using my magic to keep me warm," replied Tai. He stopped and for a quick moment flashed with a fiery orange. Soon, the normal light bronze color began to return to his face and they continued walking.
Suddenly, Matt stopped. "Tai. I want to talk to you." Tai tilted his head. "What's up?" Matt turned around and looked out over the cliff they were standing on at the rest of the island. "What is it like?" he asked. Tai took a step towards his friend. "What is what like?" replied the older boy. "What is it like...to kill," Matt answered just barely loud enough for Tai to hear. Tai's shoulders sunk and his mouth opened slightly. He could feel his mouth go dry. After another moment of silence, he closed his mouth and licked his lips nervously, biting his lower lip afterwards.
"It...it hurts. You don't truly realize what you have done until...until it's over. Then, it hits you like a physical blow. The image of the body stays with you. It never leaves. It haunts you forever. You dream about the kill. You wake up in a cold sweat and scream. You think about how life would have been if you hadn't killed. Hadn't murdered. Hadn't taken a life!" Tai dropped to his knees and hit the ground with his fists, sobbing. Matt wheeled around and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I even brought that up. I should have never asked," he whispered to Tai.
"No. No, it's...it's okay. I'm fine," Tai replied. He sat up, still on his knees, and wiped his eyes. Matt helped him to his feet. They were about to head back, when Tai stopped Matt. "What-" Tai put a finger on Matt's lips. They stood in silence for a few moments. I thought I heard something. Like something moving, Tai said. Matt nodded. They began to walk quietly.
Suddenly, the attack came. Not from the front, back, or sides but from above. Something landed behind them and knocked them apart. The thing slammed Tai against the side of the mountain. Tai felt the cold snow against the back of his head, then a warm feeling go down the back of his neck. He slowly realized he was bleeding. Then, everything went black.
Tai was only unconscious for a few minutes. He soon woke up and collected his thoughts. He had one main one: "Get help." He got to his hands and knees and began to crawl down the side of the mountain after figuring out what had happened. The back of his head was still bleeding along with a gash on his chest from a claw, the blood gushing freely from his chest.
Gabumon finished wrapping up Snow Wing's hurt paw and wing and sighed. 'Those boys have been gone for nearly the whole day. It's now nine o'clock,' he thought. Song Wing must have seen the glint of worry in his eyes because he said, -They'll be fine, Gabby.- Just as he spoke those words, there came a groan from the entrance. Everyone looked up. Tai slid himself into the den with one final weak pull. Everyone ran over. "Taichi! What happened?" cried Gabumon, lifting the boy's head onto his lap. "Arcanine...attacked...Matt...kidnapped..," Tai fell limp, breathing softly. "He fainted. Okay now! Night Wing, get the medical supplies from Matt's stash! Get the needle and thread too! The rest of you, set up a bed!"
Gabumon told the wolf wing pups to stay back and take care of Snow Wing as he stitched up Tai's wounds. He soon finished and washed his hands off. He turned to the pups and they stared back. "He should be okay," said Gabumon finally. Flitter Wing walked over to the sleeping form of Tai and curled up next to him, slipping underneath his arm.
Suddenly, Kari, Agumon, T.K., Patamon, and Gatomon appeared. Kari, Agumon, and Gatomon ran straight to Gabumon and Tai. "What happened to my brother?!" she cried. "He was attacked by that new WereArcanine," Gabumon lowered his tone to a whisper, "And Matt was kidnapped by it." Kari knew why he had lowered his voice. T.K. was sitting next to Tai and inspecting the gash on his chest. Kari walked over to him and touched his shoulder. He looked up at her and she motioned for him to come with her.
Kari stopped at the entrance of the den and T.K. stopped in front of her. "What is it, Kari?" he asked. "T.K..... your brother...-" Kari was cut off. "Was kidnapped by the WereArcanine. I could hear you and Gabumon. You two are too loud," finished T.K. Kari bowed her head. T.K. lifted her head back to face him with a finger. "But, I'm very happy that you didn't plan on hiding it from me," he said. Kari smiled a little before T.K. walked away. She followed and sat next to her brother.
Kari and T.K. placed their hands on Tai and closed their eyes. They began to flow magic. Suddenly, T.K. was blasted back against the wall. He hit hard and Kari quickly healed her brother before running to him. He shook his head and staggered to his feet. "That was interesting. When I got blasted, I saw an image... it was my brother. But he wasn't smiling nicely. He had a evil smirk on and a glint in his eyes. I didn't like it," he said.
Izzy sat on a cliff, typing rapidly. His eyes looked away from the laptop. "Huh?" he whispered. 'What was that? I saw something move..,' he thought. He shook his head and turned back to the laptop. "I thoroughly wish I had permitted Zing come along with me now," he said to himself. He began to type once more. He suddenly got an email from Gennai. He read it over and a look of shock spread over his face. "What's this? Jousho Evolution? And it's intended for.... humans? Prodigious! I have to inform someone!!!!" he cried. He closed out of everything and closed up his computer. He began to head back to the den.
Izzy was just about to enter the trees when a hand landed on his shoulder. He let out a cry of surprise. "Dude, Iz. It's just me." Izzy wheeled around to see Matt standing behind him, a hand in his pocket and smirking, amused. "Matt! You surprised me!" exclaimed the younger boy. He was almost a head shorter than Matt so he had to slightly look up at the older boy. Izzy then smiled. "Where are you heading?" he asked. "Nowhere really. Just wandering. In other words, my usual," replied Matt. Izzy nodded. "I'm heading towards the den. I just made a new discovery!" Matt smiled. He looked away and began to walk off. Izzy recognized this action and also began to walk away.
Izzy reached the tree line by the den. Suddenly, he heard a noise. It sounded like a snicker. He glanced around nervously and saw a shadow move too fast for the naked eye. 'It's moving too fast. Like Diaboramon..,' he thought. Another snicker rang through the cold evening air. Another shadow moved. Izzy opened his bone-dry mouth. "Zing....Zing..," he whispered, his voice rising the slightest bit. He was scared to death. He began to back towards the den. Soon, it became obvious that this 'thing' didn't want him to go. Because it attacked.
Kari's eyes snapped open, she had returned back to the den with Tai and the others, and she listened. She looked to the side and saw the reflections in a pair of reddish brown eyes. "Sora?" whispered Kari. "Did you hear that? Something hit the den," Sora replied in a hushed tone. The two girls crawled over the sleeping forms scattered throughout the den and peeked outside. "
"It hit somewhere over here," Sora said. The two girls shuffled in the direction and Kari gasped. She pointed and Sora ran to the still form lying on the ground. She looked up pale and wide-eyed. "Signal the alarm. It's... Izzy," she said in a normal tone. Kari let out a loud howl and soon a large fire lit up outside of the den. Zing skidded over and nudged Izzy, whimpering. Everyone watched him not moving. He sat down on his haunches and let out a long howl.
Tai's eyes snapped open with the sound of the howl. He slowly got to his feet, because Kari could only heal the wound to his head so he still had stitches and a wound on his chest, and slowly staggered outside to the source.
Kari felt the tears come to her eyes. "Not... not Izzy," she heard someone say. She looked and saw T.K. sniffling and the tears slipping down his cheeks. He and Izzy had been really close friends. Kari placed on a hand on his shoulder and felt his body wracking with sobs.
Suddenly, another explosion rocked the whole island and another form slammed into the side of the den. Everyone immediately recognized the person by the style of flashy blond hair. Matt staggered to his feet and wiped away the blood running out if his mouth onto his brown gloves he still wore. T.K. gasped and began to get up. Out of the trees, leapt the Arcanine. She laughed as Matt left the safety circle.
"You have to be the stupid one of the group," she snapped. Matt growled. He began to gather magic in his hand. Then, he noticed the Arcanine look away from him. He turned and saw she was staring at Tai. Outside of the safety circle. He wheeled around. "Taichi! Get back in the safety circle!" he yelled. Tai ignored him. The older wounded boy took a step towards the WereArcanine. He snarled and his clothes began to flutter as a strong wind blew towards the Arcanine. Matt steadied himself and squinted his eyes. Tai closed his eyes. The wind grew stronger and suddenly stopped.
Everyone in the safety circle watched in suspense. Suddenly, Tai's eyes snapped open, flashing an angry red orange color as he snarled once more. Just as he opened his eyes, a fiery red flame rose up in an aurora around him. He jumped and disappeared just as he was about to hit the Arcanine. She looked around, confused. Suddenly, she felt a pain in her side. Tai jerked his tail blade out from the Arcanine's side and stared as she howled in pain. She wheeled around and snapped her jaws down on his arm. He yelped and she tossed him into a boulder. He got back to his feet and stumbled a bit before regaining his balance.
Kari noticed that the Arcanine seemed to wait for Tai to recover before attacking again. Then, it dawned on her. 'She's playing with him... I have to get him away from that thing!' she thought. She glanced around and her eyes landed on Matt. Matt! Matt, you've got to help my brother! He's going to get himself killed! she yelled in thought speak. Matt nodded without looking at her. He began to move but he froze.
Matt felt a shock go through his body. He froze at the pain and whimpered. He felt to his knees. Then, he felt the burn-like pain again and realized that Tai was stopping him from going any closer to him and the Arcanine. Kari... Kari, I can't. He's stopping me. Tai is, he said. Kari sighed. 'Why do Kamiya males have to have that darn trait of being so stubborn!?' she thought.
Tai slashed the Arcanine across the eyes and she howled. She pawed at her face and regained her eyesight once more. She snarled and bared her glistening teeth. She snapped her jaws in anger and saw the calm look on Tai's face. That made her angrier. She chuckled and began to start her plan. She faked a leap towards Tai. He prepared for it and was shocked when she wheeled around and pounced on Matt.
T.K. sprinted out of the safety circle, snarling like a true wild animal. He leapt onto the Arcanine's back and grabbed a handful of fur. He reached into his boot and felt around. 'Oh, no... it's....it's gone!' he thought. He searched for his large machete once more and soon decided it wasn't there. "Takeru!" Matt suddenly yelled. T.K. looked up and had to hold on tighter as the Arcanine reared. She went back down and Matt tossed T.K. his machete. T.K. caught it, turned it blade down, and shoved it down into the Arcanine's neck. It screeched in pain. It reared once more than bucked, surprising T.K. The young boy went flying but Matt caught him, falling to the ground in the process.
The Arcanine wheeled around and stared at Tai. Tai's mouth opened slightly. He took a deep breath and blew out a stream of fire. At its halfway point to the Arcanine, she responded by shooting out a powerful stream of water. Tai's fire was put out instantly and he had to duck to avoid the water blast. He gasped out for breath as the wound on his chest stung with pain. His eyes went wide as the pain got worse. He soon adjusted to the pain and got back to his feet. Now, he was mad. His eyes became fiery red once more and he snarled. His tail blade flashed in the moonlight as it snapped forward.... and stabbed the Arcanine in the throat.
The Arcanine fell and soon, was dead. Tai landed on his knees then fell onto his hands. His hands landed in a puddle of blood and he lifted them. He stared at the blood on his hands and his breath came in ragged gasps. He took one last gasp, then threw his head back and screamed.
The next day...
Kari dabbed a cold, wet cloth to her brother's forehead. He had a high fever from the night before. He could stand high temperatures, up to 120 degrees before he'd get truly sick. Right now, he had a fever of 121.3. Now, he was getting sick. Kari sighed, staring at her brother. He breathed out softly and turned over onto his side. Kari could tell he was dreaming because he turned over again. Suddenly, he shot into a sitting position and screamed, knocking over the bowl of ice cold water. Kari quickly put her hand on his shoulder and was caught by surprise when he hugged her around the waist and sobbed into her shirt. She held her brother close, sensing this was a time that he would need her much more. Sora scurried over, her face twisted with worry. Everyone in the den and been shocked by the scream, including Izzy, who had been brought back to life.
Soon, Tai had fallen asleep once more. Kari laid him back down and grumbled when she found out that his fever had risen a bit, up to 121.5. She placed the wet cloth back on his forehead and asked Sora to watch over him, who gladly said she would. Then, Kari got to her feet with the large bowl and headed for the river to get more water.
She arrived and got to her knees. She dipped the bowl into the water. She was thinking so she played with the water a little bit before starting to get up. Her whole body froze when she heard a sniffing noise. She slowly looked to her left and muffled a gasp. Another mane-less WereArcanine, this one white with black stripes and a sky blue tail and foot tufts, was on the other bank, sniffing the ground. It's head lifted and it sniffed the air. Suddenly, it looked directly at her. The two stared at one another. Then, it snarled, curling its lips up and revealing gleaming fangs. It leapt across the river to her side and began to run at her. Kari quickly teleported back to the den.
Matt looked out over the cliff in front of the Wolf-Wing den. He was sitting at the very edge and staring as the sun set slowly over the water. Something came up behind him and laid down. "Hello Moon Blast," he said without looking back at her. Moon Blast chuckled and brushed her tail over the skin on his neck. He shuddered slightly at the soft feeling because it sent chills down his spine. -The sunset is beautiful, isn't it?- asked Moon Blast. "Yes, it is. It reminds me of lots of things. But, I prefer sunrises," he said. Moon Blast gave him a funny look. "Sunsets symbolize endings. I hate those. They're like the ending of my parent's marriage. Sad. But sunrises represent beginnings. I love them. Those are like the new life we have here. The life that we all started over in," the blond boy explained. Moon Blast nuzzled him and pulled on the back of his shirt. -Come on now, time for bed,- she said. "Aw, do I have to?" Matt groaned, looking back at her. -Now, now. Look, the sky is already turning dark. Come on,- replied Moon Blast.
Matt got to his feet and sighed. Suddenly a howl rang through the air. Matt wheeled around and listened. Soon, the message ended and Matt howled back a "Message received" howl. Gabumon came out of the den. "What is it?" he asked softly. "There's another one. Another WereArcanine," Matt snapped. Gabumon recognized that tone in Matt's voice. The boy would get revenge for Tai having to kill once more. Even if it meant signing his own death-wish.
Gabumon, worried about the boy, came up and grabbed his hand. "Don't Yamato. Please don't," he begged. Matt looked at him and blinked. His mouth opened and for a moment, Gabumon thought he would protest. But, he just yawned. Gabumon laughed and Matt smiled a little. "Okay. I'll sleep on it," said Matt. Gabumon pulled the boy into the den and Moon Blast followed.
In the middle of the night, Matt's eyes snapped open. He looked around him. Everyone was still asleep. He was lying beneath Moon Blast's tail and a fur blanket. He slowly got to his feet, as to not wake up anyone, and went outside. He looked out over the cliff at the rest of the island. The cold night wind ruffled his hair but he didn't mind. It was better than living in the stuffy, hot city. His mind reverted to his parents. They were probably quite old now. He hadn't gone home at all. None of the Digidestined had. They wanted to keep it at them being missing. They had stayed in the Digiworld after being brought back to the mainland and escaping from their "capturers". While in the Digital World, they had aged in Magic Island years. Every one year on the island was four on the mainland.
Matt closed his eyes. A tear slipped down his cheek. He missed being home a little bit. 'Home? What is home? Here or there?' he thought. He opened his eyes and looked towards the ocean. His eyes glittered in the moonlight and his skin seemed pale as a ghost. His gaze looked like he could see right through you. Suddenly, his eyes went wide and he jerked back, his hair flowing around in the wind and by the movement. Matt scrambled into the Wolf-Wing den, stepping on Gabumon's tail on the way. Gabumon yelled in pain and everyone snapped awake. Gabumon approached Matt slowly, knowing the boy was spooked by the way he searched his stash frantically. He touched Matt's shoulder and Matt jumped. Gabumon looked at Matt's hands and saw they were trembling; he was scared. Moon Blast approached them and saw Matt's trembling hands and lower lip. She nuzzled the boy and Matt just pushed her away. She understood and didn't get mad. Matt turned back to his stash and began to search more.
Then, he pulled out a strange glowing cube. He turned the sides a few times and the cube shifted into the form of a long, Jaisakou sword. Only Matt had one of those. He had named it the Jaisakou sword because it meant "Protection from evil" in an ancient language. Gabumon was surprised. Matt rarely used his sword. Suddenly, Matt was gone. "He teleported! Where though?" Gabumon exclaimed. -The ground den. Would you like me to take you there?- said Moon Blast. Gabumon nodded once.
Matt arrived at the den and Amy raised her head from the entrance. "What is it, Matt, that has caused you to come here at two o'clock in the morning?" she scolded. "Get the other humans and Digimon outta here. There's a boat coming!" Matt said briskly. Amy knew the trouble the humans on a boat caused for their humans. Matt went into the den and woke up T.K. "T.K! I need you to wake everyone up! There's a boat coming!" snapped Matt. T.K. woke up instantly and got to his feet. Matt ran back out of the den.
T.K. woke up everyone except Kari. He crawled on his hands and knees over to her. "Kari. Kari, wake up. Kari!" he cried. Kari just turned over in her sleep. T.K. would have to risk his safety from and extreme headache and pain. "Hika!!!" he yelled. Kari snapped awake. "Take-" T.K. cut her off. "Move it! Get out of here! Follow your brother and the others! There's a boat on its way here! I'm right behind you!" he said. He pulled Kari to her feet and shoved her towards Tai. He had lied to her. He was going to stay with his brother. Tai picked Kari up and held her close to him despite her kicks and punches. "Hika! If you come back here, I won't come back! Stay with your brother!" yelled T.K. to her. Suddenly, the rain came pouring down hard.
Sora blasted a stream of water at the forest, trying to put out the fire the men from the boat had started. Soon, the fire was dead and the rain prevented the men from lighting another fire.
Matt jumped in front of a man with his sword ready. Matt had been on his way to get away but the men had come too fast. 'We need to spook them... I know!' he thought. He called for T.K. in a wolf cry. T.K. skidded over and Matt told him what to do. T.K. began to shape-shift. Then, when finished, he snapped his jaws at the now little humans. He opened his mouth and roared the echoing roar of a T-rex.
Tai set Kari down inside of the Wolf-Wing den. The others were all there with the exception of Matt and T.K. Suddenly, a T-rex roar rang out. ---That isn't Mommy!--- cried Peg. "It must be T.K!" said Kari. She started to leave but remembered what T.K. had said. She sat at the den entrance and watched through the rain.
Matt slashed his sword towards a man, who jumped back. The man then fired a pistol at Matt. Matt was surprised when a tranquilizer hit him in the collar bone area. The sedative worked instantly and he collapsed to the ground. T.K. went back into his human form and began to run towards his brother but the men were right in front of him. He blasted magic at ground in front of them and they scrambled backwards. He looked around, trying to locate his brother. But, Matt was nowhere to be found.
Then, T.K. heard the roar of the boat engine. He wheeled towards the beach and ran. He arrived in time to see the men dragging Matt onto the boat, the older brother sleeping peacefully. He teleported over to them and touched his brother's arm before teleporting once more to the wolf-wing den.
By morning, the men had left. T.K. has stayed by Matt's side through the early morning, waiting for his brother to wake up. Matt had received a high dose of sedative and might sleep for a while longer. Soon, T.K. fell asleep next to him.
Tai sat at the entrance of the wolf-wing den. He had been chosen to wait for the call for them to return to the ground pack. Agumon approached Tai from the side and sat down next to him. "Ya, know, Tai. I noticed something about you that's changed," he said. "What?" replied Tai. "You've gotten older. Not on the outside, but on the inside. You're so much more understanding and calm. You also think a lot more before jumping into stuff," Agumon explained. Tai smiled. "I think Lichen's noticed your leg too," Agumon said.
Tai frowned slightly. He had broken his leg in two places playing soccer, at the hip and the shin. His shin was broken so bad that the bone had come out of the skin. The doctors had told him could never play soccer again but he did and was still playing. The doctors called it a miracle. Tai called it magic. Kari had been able to heal him enough that he could run and such, but his leg would still hurt sometimes.
Tai laid down on his back and sighed. He stared outside and just watched the cloud. He turned to look at Agumon and suddenly shot up, looking at the sky. "What is it Tai?" asked Sora, noticing him look up suddenly. Tai slowly, painfully, got to his feet and dug out his old telescope. He searched the sky and stopped. He turned back to everyone. "Did anyone open the gate to the Digital World?" he demanded, quite upset about this. The destined and promised to never open the gate alone.
"I did," someone groaned. T.K. snapped awake and help Matt to his feet. "I opened the gate. There's something I need to get. I didn't call on anyone," explained the tall blond. He shook his head and nodded to T.K. T.K. let go of his brother and Matt regained his ability to walk on his own. He walked over to Tai and the two watched as the gate opened entirely. Matt lifted his Digivice and suddenly disappeared. The glow flashed blindingly and everyone covered their eyes.
Matt landed on the ground softly just as the gate closed. He lifted his head once more. "Matt!" a cry suddenly came. He wheeled around and groaned. Davis, Yolei, Ken, and Cody were running towards them along with two other girls. Matt sighed and faked a smile. "Hey guys. What's up?" he said. Suddenly, one of the girls, who had brown hair with a few blond highlights and blue-green eyes, hugged him tight. "Yamato-kun!" she cried. Matt pried her off and looked at her. "Sage? Sage Diaaz? I thought you lived in America!" he cried. He hugged her close.
"I moved here. My mom and dad divorced when I was a year old. I was looking for my dad with my cousin when my couz disappeared. Now I'm looking on my own," said Sage. "Who's your cousin?" asked Matt. "Takenouchi. Sora Takenouchi," Sage said, bluntly. "I know her. She.... She lives with me," Matt replied. "Oh. You two are together?" asked Sage. Matt jumped. "No! Tai would kill me! She's my friend. She lives in the same area," he shot out fast. Sage nodded. "I want to see her."
Matt sighed. "I'm busy. Sorry Sage. I have to find something," he said. "What?" asked Davis. "My business. Unless you come along and help me," Matt said slyly. "We'll help!" Davis cried. "We will?" the others echoed. "Yep!" Davis replied. Soon, Matt was leading the small group. "Now, where are we going exactly?" asked Ken. The other girl, Missy, nodded in agreement. "Densetsu," replied Matt. "Eh? Doesn't that mean legend?" replied Yolei. "Yes, it does. It's a legendary place that Digidestined have a sixth sense to find. I found it when I separated from the others when we were younger," Matt answered. Yolei nodded in agreement.
They finally arrived at the destination after another hour. The younger kids gazed around. It was a huge valley with tons of wild Digimon. Matt opened his mouth and blew out a stream of glittery blue fog. The girls and Cody pointed and the fog and were awed where as Davis and Ken were not amused. Suddenly, from the other end of the valley came a similar puff of glittery fog, just purple. Matt grinned. "Kitsune!" he yelled.
End of Part one.
Sage: Okay, next time, you WILL find out who Kitsune is. But first of all, why has Matt called for help? He's supposed to be our fav LONE wolf.....
Until next time.....