Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, much to my disappointment.
Palmon would have screamed. If she'd had time. But the pair were falling so fast that she had gone under water before she could even think about holding her breath. The current was swift and she was quickly dragged to the bottom, getting cut and bruised on the sharp stones along the river's bottom. She choked, lungs aching for air but receiving water instead. Palmon desperately paddled for the surface, starting to get light-headed from lack of oxygen. 'Someone help!' she cried silently.
Gabumon fared the same fate as Palmon, but finally managed to break the surface, doggie paddling against the current while the water ragged around him. How cold that water was! Like a million tiny needles at poking at you at once, even though his thick fur. Every wave that hit his face was like getting hit with the wrong end of a pincushion. Still, he kept his eyes vigilant for his companion. Something green under the surface caught his attention and he dove. Grabbing Palmon's hand, he quickly pulled her up. "Gabumon!" she exclaimed while they struggled to treaded water. He gave her a simple one-word command. "Swim."
And swim they did, with the current, for there was no reason to swim against it, each trying to stay above the water and in sight of each other. The river straightened its course as they swam along and soon they could hear a loud rumbling in front of them. "Uh Gabumon…" Palmon asked, pointing to the drop off growing in the distance. He could do nothing but stare at the approaching waterfall. And this time, Palmon did scream.
*Back at camp*
"Damn it! Damn it, damn it, DAMN it!" Tai's swearing woke the two youngest digidestined from their sleep. " Hey, what's going on?" T.K. asked sleepily, sitting down by the fire where the group was gathered, minus 2 members. "Where's Matt?"
Tai glared at the 8 year old from where he was pacing. "Your brother and Mimi went off to search for their digimon by themselves." He fumed, biting off another string of invective.
"It sounds reasonable to me.." Sora began.
"Yeah." Tai replied. " But why not ask for help? Or at least tell us what their doing? Noooo, they just run off together. They already have a 3-4 hour lead on us!"
"So what do we do?"
"I don't know. We follow them I guess."
*A small beach*
The waves lapped gently at the shore of a small beach, gently caressing it's sand. Sometimes it would bring up bits of wood or twigs, but this time it spit 2 weary, half-drowned Digimon onto the land. They kneeled on the shore, coughing up all the water they had swallowed, before collapsing, to tired to even move. Gabumon gave Palmon a weary glance. She was covered in cuts and scrapes and her bruises were starting to turn her skin purple. 'She's still beautiful..' he thought to himself, before falling into the realm of nothingness known only to the unconscious.