1 Well, here's the next chapter in the story. Hope you enjoy. NKC
2
3 Chapter II
Patamon returned some time later with some food. He placed it down in a pile next to the egg,
"This is all I could find."
"Don't worry." Gatomon smiled, "It'll do for now."
Patamon returned the smile and sat down opposite Gatomon, the heap of food between them. They began to eat. Patamon picking out the fruit and Gatomon mainly going for the few fish he'd actually managed to catch. It didn't take long for them to finish their meal, during which neither one of them had spoken a word, resulting in an awkward silence dominating, broken only by the occasional sound of other creatures residing in the forest.
Gatomon decided to break the silence as it was making her feel uncomfortable. "I didn't know you could fish."
"I didn't until a few days ago." He explained.
Gatomon looked a bit shocked by the answer. "You're very good for a beginner."
"Thank you." He smiled at her compliment.
"What inspired you to learn?" she asked with a genuine curiosity.
"Well," he began, "I know you like fish so I thought I'd learn to catch them." He stated truthfully.
Gatomon was flattered. She blushed a little, "You learned to fish just so I could have them?"
Patamon nodded nervously.
"That's so sweet." She smiled.
"Anything to make you happy." He beamed.
"Thank you." She walked over to him, "Thank you very much."
Gatomon let her instincts take over as she closed her eyes and leaned forward, towards Patamon, who was by now caught up in his instincts too.
"GGGRRRRAAAAARRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!"
Both Patamon and Gatomon jumped back, knocked to their senses by the loud roar. They both looked to where the sound had come from. Their eyes were welcomed by the sight of a large Okuwamon flying their way.
"What do we do?" Patamon asked, a panicked look on his face.
"We run!" Gatomon exclaimed.
They both took off at a run, pausing momentarily only to pick up the egg. They headed deeper into the forest, looking for somewhere to hide. Okuwamon was right behind them the whole way.
"He's gaining on us!" Gatomon yelled.
"Pass me the egg, it's slowing you down." Patamon answered, "I can fly faster than you can run."
Gatomon knew he was right. They'd be able to move a lot faster if she ran on all fours. He'd be able to keep up easily by flying, even with the egg. She passed the egg obediently.
Gatomon was on all fours now, with Patamon flying alongside her. She looked back and saw Okuwamon still right behind them.
"Gatomon, look out!" Patamon yelled.
She turned her head around just in time to see what Patamon had been warning her about; a fallen log on the ground. Unfortunately, even with the reflexes of a cat, she couldn't successfully leap it. Her front paws didn't quite clear it, causing her to tumble head over heals through the air, and land in a heap on the other side.
"Gatomon!" Patamon called to his fallen companion.
Gatomon tried to get up, but her knees wouldn't support her. She fell back to the ground.
Patamon landed next to her, carefully placing the egg on the ground. Okuwamon landed a few meters away; he eyed the egg and two Digimon hungrily.
"Get out of here!" Gatomon ordered, "Get the egg to safety!"
"I'm not leaving you!" Patamon took a defensive stance in front of Gatomon and the egg.
"Patamon, you can't fight him, he's an ultimate!" Gatomon pleaded.
"I've got to try." Patamon replied, trying to sound confident.
He walked towards Okuwamon trying to look big and threatening.
"No Patamon! Please!" Gatomon begged, almost in tears. "He'll crush you!"
Patamon didn't reply.
Okuwamon looked down at Patamon, not seeing him as a threat. Patamon took to the air with one leap. He inflated his lungs and let out his attack,
"Boom Bubble!"
It hit Okuwamon square in the face, not causing much damage, but enough pain to put the insectoid Digimon into a rage.
"RRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRGGGGGHH!" he bellowed.
"Boom Bubble!" Patamon yelled again. This got Okuwamon even angrier.
"Gigga scissor claw!"
The attack caught Patamon in his mid-section, knocking him out of the air. He hit the ground hard with a loud thud.
"Patamon! No!" Gatomon cried helplessly.
Patamon climbed to his feet just I time to see Okuwamon release another one of his devastating attacks. He tried to dodge it, but the edge of the attack clipped him. He fell to the ground again.
Gatomon watched on, unable to help, as Okuwamon landed in front of Patamon. Patamon attempted to stand up, but couldn't manage, and fell back onto his stomach. Okuwamon bent over to finish off Patamon,
"Boom Bubble!" Patamon used the last of his strength to fight back in a sign of defiance.
Okuwamon reeled back in a roar of anger as the attack stung his face. He bent over, once again, to finish off Patamon, who now lay helpless, barely able to move, let alone defend himself. He closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate.
"Lightening claw!"
Okuwamon stumbled backwards, taken off guard by Gatomon's sudden surprise attack.
"Leave him alone!" She yelled at Okuwamon.
He stared at her with rage in his eyes. He aimed at Gatomon, "Gigga scissor claw!"
Gatomon jumped gracefully out of harms way. Okuwamon released four more attacks, but she evaded them with ease.
"RRRAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH!" he yelled in frustration.
He tried once more. Gatomon, who was getting tired from all the exertion, only just managed to get out of the way. Unfortunately the attack hit Patamon.
"NOOOO!" Gatomon cried. She turned around to face Okuwamon, cold fury burning in her eyes. Okuwamon was beginning to wonder if this meal was worth the trouble.
Gatomon growled at him, baring her cat teeth, attempting to intimidate him. Before he could react Gatomon charged.
"Lightening Claw!" She screamed, putting her all into the attack. Her hit connected leaving red gashes down Okuwamon's face. He'd had enough. He turned tail and fled.
A smile crossed over Gatomon's face.
A faint noise behind her caused her to spin around. It was Patamon who was still lying on the floor, he had a smile on his face. She walked over to him.
"You won." He whispered, barely able to speak.
"I did." She replied with a tear in her eye.
Patamon coughed, "I'm sorry."
"What for?" She asked with a gentle smile.
Patamon didn't reply, his breathing was getting heavy, as if he was struggling. He attempted to get up but failed.
"Just rest." Gatomon told him, "I'll get us some water." She began to get up.
He coughed again, "Don't. Stay here with me."
Gatomon did as he asked, returning to her seat. "How do you feel?"
"Not good."
"We have to get you some help."
"No." He coughed again.
"I have to do something!" She yelled at him.
He smiled, "It's too late."
"No!" Gatomon cried.
"It's okay, Gatomon."
"How can you say that?" she demanded, "You can't die!"
"It's not as bad as you think. I've done it before." He lied, attempting to comfort her. "It doesn't even hurt anymore."
Gatomon frowned, "Really, it doesn't." he assured her
"Don't lie to me, I know you too well."
He was really working to breathe now. "Well, maybe a bit."
Gatomon's tears fell to the floor. "Don't cry." Patamon begged.
She looked up, "Patamon."
He smiled at her, lovingly.
"I don't want you to go. you. I can't live without you." She pleaded.
"It'll be okay."
"No, it won't. Patamon. I love you."
Patamon smiled, "Me too."
"How do I survive without you?"
He reached out with his paw, rubbing a newly formed tear off her cheek. "Don't cry, please."
Gatomon tried to stop but she couldn't, "I can't."
"I understand." He smiled.
She saw a convulsion of pain sweep through his body. "It's my fault you're in pain."
"No, it's mine, for taking on an ultimate level Digimon."
"No. If I'd looked where I was going, he wouldn't have caught up." She looked at him with pain in her eyes. He knew that she could feel his pain, he knew that she was suffering more than him.
"It doesn't hurt." He insisted.
She looked at his wounds, "How can you say that? Look at you!"
"It doesn't. It doesn't hurt inside," he said, hand on his heart, "It doesn't hurt here, knowing that you love me."
Gatomon gave him a passionate kiss, "Thank you." She said.
She pulled him into a cuddle. He tried to embrace her back, but he couldn't move at all anymore. She looked into his eyes. He was losing his battle for life.
"No! Patamon!" she cried to him.
"It's okay. You'll see me again, in primary village."
"How can I live without you here? How can I survive."
"For the sake of the egg." He replied simply. He began to fade away. "I will see you again, with the stars to guide me."
"Patamon."
"I love you." He whispered, reaching out to her. She reached back, but couldn't touch him.
His figure faded away, it was over in a moment. He was gone, completely, leaving Gatomon on her own. Tears formed in her eyes.
"I'll see you again, my love." Her tears fell on the egg.
She was alone in the vast expanse of the forest for a day or so, never once leaving the spot where Patamon had left her, not even for food and water. Everything seemed pointless now without him. Her life had no meaning. She looked down at the egg and remembered what Patamon had said.
"My life does have a meaning." She said to the egg. She looked up at the sky above, the stars were out. She shouted up to them. "For you." She whispered, "For you."
After that, Gatomon left that area of the forest, heading towards Primary village, carrying the egg with her. It would take at least three days to get there. Primary Village was on a completely different part of the island, and getting there wasn't the easiest thing to achieve, but she was determined to give it her best shot.
First of all Gatomon needed to leave the forest, which would take up two thirds of the time to get to the village. Everyone knew that the easiest way to leave the forest was to follow the great river to the east. If you went south you came to the vast expanse of the great southern plains, to the west was the ocean, and to the north were the mountains that practically cornered off the northern part of the island.
Gatomon found the great river with ease, and simply needed to follow the flow of water downstream. It took her less than a day to reach the large waterfall that marked where the river made the ninety degree turn to the east. Once past here the only problem laid in getting past the rapids that signalled the two kilometres to the edge of the forest mark. It could be at least another day before she reached the rapids though, so she didn't need to worry about them yet.
By sundown Gatomon was three quarters of the way to the rapids. She looked up at the sky; it was a clear night, just like the one when she'd taught Patamon the names of the stars. The warm memory of that night came rushing back to her. The tears that she'd held back were now starting to form in her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her gloved paw, the fabric absorbing them.
Gatomon decided to look for somewhere to spend the night, well away from the eyes of nocturnal predators that could harm her or the Digiegg whilst she slept. She finally found shelter in the form of a hollow tree, so there was where she settled down for the night, hugging the egg to keep it warm.
Her dreams that night were preoccupied with thoughts of Patamon and the battle that had caused their separation. They were sad dreams.
The next morning, when she awoke, was warm and sunny. Perfect for her journey.
Before she set off she caught herself some fish for when she got hungry. It made more sense to catch them now rather than later because the water was calmer than downstream nearer the rapids.
Gatomon made good progress that morning, and was just over half way to Primary village by lunchtime. She'd been walking faster than she'd expected. She only stopped shortly to eat her lunch, wanting to use her time advantage to get out of the forest by the time the night set in.
Less than two hours later she reached the rapids. They would be hard to pass because the only way around them involved walking along a very narrow ledge, which would be quite tricky, especially with an egg. The only other option was trying to swim past which wasn't altogether a very appealing concept, particularly for a cat.
As she began to walk along the ledge she noticed that at first it was wide, and easy enough to walk down, but as she progressed she noted how much narrower it got. By the time she was three fifths of the way down she was forced to lean back against the wall to keep her balance. It was proving hard to do so with the egg.
"Steady, Gatomon." She urged herself, "You're a cat! You should be good at this!" she betrayed herself.
She edged along, her toes hanging over the edge. She moved slowly, centimetre by centimetre, getting closer and closer to the end.
"Nearly there!" she said excitedly.
As she neared the end she got careless in her excitement. Not looking where she was going she put her foot down on a loose rock, causing her to slip. She slammed herself back against the wall in an attempt to stay up. Unfortunately this caused her to drop the egg, and it tumbled down towards the raging rapids below. Gatomon watched on helplessly as the egg hit the water with a splash.
"NOOO!" she shouted.
Without the slightest thought she dived in after it, hitting the water with a light splash. It was a well-executed dive into what could quite be the last river she ever saw. Swimming in it, however, was a completely different concept. It was proving to be hard just to stay afloat, let alone swim!
Gatomon found herself being bashed against rocks with alarming force. She hoped the egg was having more look than her, the pain from each hit sparking throughout her body.
She tried to keep to the middle of the river where there were less rocks. If she could prevent herself from being too badly injured it may increase her chances of finding the egg.
Suddenly she saw it a bit further downstream. She swam with all her effort towards it, trying to reach it before it could hit any rocks. She got to it just in time to wrap herself around it protectively. She hit the rock with a loud thud. It was all her battered, exhausted body could take. The impact knocked her out cold.
It was several hours before she woke up again. She felt like she'd been ran over by a large herd of Monochromon. She looked around and found herself on a pebble beach by the side of the river. The forest was still all around them, but the rapids weren't in view. She tried to figure out where she was.
"The egg!" she realised, sitting up sharply. A bolt of pain ran up her back.
Gatomon looked to her left, ignoring the pain. The egg was on the ground next to her. It looked as if it was still in one piece. She held it in her arms to keep it warm. Being in the cold water can't have done it any good. She lay down, blacking out again. Just before she fully lost consciousness she thought she'd seen a cloaked figure walking towards her and the egg. Gatomon thought that she recognised them.
The strange figure reached her just in time to see her body relax as her eyes fully closed. He picked up her seemingly lifeless body; the only thing that suggested she was still alive was her slow and light breathing. Even in her sleep she held onto the egg tightly, protecting it for probably the hundredth time that day. The figure held her close to him. He walked slowly away from the river, and headed into the forest. He and Gatomon disappeared eerily into the background of the forest as he travelled deeper into it. His duty was clear in his mind: Gatomon.
When she finally awoke she found herself laid in a bed, wrapped up warmly. She still had the egg in her hands. She placed it down under the covers and sat upright on the bed. The pain in her head was throbbing. She raised her hand to rub the area between her ears in an attempt to soothe the pain, but found she couldn't. In a flash her other hand was up, feeling the damp bandage wrapped around her head.
"What the.?" she was very confused.
It wasn't until then that Gatomon looked around at the room she was in. It was hard to make out much detail because there wasn't much light. She soon came to realise, though, that the reason for that was there were no windows in the room.
Gatomon tried to get out of bed. The moment she got to her feet a shot of pain went up her leg, causing her to fall back onto the bed. She growled in frustration.
"It's not as bad as you think." A voice came from the doorway into the room, causing her to jump.
"Who are you?" Gatomon asked, unable to make out the shape of the person who'd spoken to her.
"You know who I am, Gatomon." She thought she recognised the voice, but couldn't quite remember who's it was. She would have chanced a guess, but after the events of the past few nights she was in no mood for games.
"It seems you know me as well." She sneered.
"Don't take that tone," the voice said, "I'm only here to help."
"Why do you want to help me?" she questioned.
"It is my purpose." He replied mechanically, like he'd been rehearsing it, "And my debt to a friend."
"Why is helping me repaying a debt to a friend?" she was getting confused.
"You saved my life." The reply was simple.
"When? Who are you!" she demanded of the figure.
Slowly he stepped forwards, slowly out of the darkness, revealing himself to Gatomon. She instantly knew who he was.
------------------------------------------
Well, that's the end of the second chapter. Not as long as the first but here's the only place I can leave it as a decent cliff-hanger. ^_^ Please R&R. The next chapter will be up soon and I'll reveal who the mysterious character is.
2
3 Chapter II
Patamon returned some time later with some food. He placed it down in a pile next to the egg,
"This is all I could find."
"Don't worry." Gatomon smiled, "It'll do for now."
Patamon returned the smile and sat down opposite Gatomon, the heap of food between them. They began to eat. Patamon picking out the fruit and Gatomon mainly going for the few fish he'd actually managed to catch. It didn't take long for them to finish their meal, during which neither one of them had spoken a word, resulting in an awkward silence dominating, broken only by the occasional sound of other creatures residing in the forest.
Gatomon decided to break the silence as it was making her feel uncomfortable. "I didn't know you could fish."
"I didn't until a few days ago." He explained.
Gatomon looked a bit shocked by the answer. "You're very good for a beginner."
"Thank you." He smiled at her compliment.
"What inspired you to learn?" she asked with a genuine curiosity.
"Well," he began, "I know you like fish so I thought I'd learn to catch them." He stated truthfully.
Gatomon was flattered. She blushed a little, "You learned to fish just so I could have them?"
Patamon nodded nervously.
"That's so sweet." She smiled.
"Anything to make you happy." He beamed.
"Thank you." She walked over to him, "Thank you very much."
Gatomon let her instincts take over as she closed her eyes and leaned forward, towards Patamon, who was by now caught up in his instincts too.
"GGGRRRRAAAAARRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!"
Both Patamon and Gatomon jumped back, knocked to their senses by the loud roar. They both looked to where the sound had come from. Their eyes were welcomed by the sight of a large Okuwamon flying their way.
"What do we do?" Patamon asked, a panicked look on his face.
"We run!" Gatomon exclaimed.
They both took off at a run, pausing momentarily only to pick up the egg. They headed deeper into the forest, looking for somewhere to hide. Okuwamon was right behind them the whole way.
"He's gaining on us!" Gatomon yelled.
"Pass me the egg, it's slowing you down." Patamon answered, "I can fly faster than you can run."
Gatomon knew he was right. They'd be able to move a lot faster if she ran on all fours. He'd be able to keep up easily by flying, even with the egg. She passed the egg obediently.
Gatomon was on all fours now, with Patamon flying alongside her. She looked back and saw Okuwamon still right behind them.
"Gatomon, look out!" Patamon yelled.
She turned her head around just in time to see what Patamon had been warning her about; a fallen log on the ground. Unfortunately, even with the reflexes of a cat, she couldn't successfully leap it. Her front paws didn't quite clear it, causing her to tumble head over heals through the air, and land in a heap on the other side.
"Gatomon!" Patamon called to his fallen companion.
Gatomon tried to get up, but her knees wouldn't support her. She fell back to the ground.
Patamon landed next to her, carefully placing the egg on the ground. Okuwamon landed a few meters away; he eyed the egg and two Digimon hungrily.
"Get out of here!" Gatomon ordered, "Get the egg to safety!"
"I'm not leaving you!" Patamon took a defensive stance in front of Gatomon and the egg.
"Patamon, you can't fight him, he's an ultimate!" Gatomon pleaded.
"I've got to try." Patamon replied, trying to sound confident.
He walked towards Okuwamon trying to look big and threatening.
"No Patamon! Please!" Gatomon begged, almost in tears. "He'll crush you!"
Patamon didn't reply.
Okuwamon looked down at Patamon, not seeing him as a threat. Patamon took to the air with one leap. He inflated his lungs and let out his attack,
"Boom Bubble!"
It hit Okuwamon square in the face, not causing much damage, but enough pain to put the insectoid Digimon into a rage.
"RRRRRRRRAAAAAARRRRGGGGGHH!" he bellowed.
"Boom Bubble!" Patamon yelled again. This got Okuwamon even angrier.
"Gigga scissor claw!"
The attack caught Patamon in his mid-section, knocking him out of the air. He hit the ground hard with a loud thud.
"Patamon! No!" Gatomon cried helplessly.
Patamon climbed to his feet just I time to see Okuwamon release another one of his devastating attacks. He tried to dodge it, but the edge of the attack clipped him. He fell to the ground again.
Gatomon watched on, unable to help, as Okuwamon landed in front of Patamon. Patamon attempted to stand up, but couldn't manage, and fell back onto his stomach. Okuwamon bent over to finish off Patamon,
"Boom Bubble!" Patamon used the last of his strength to fight back in a sign of defiance.
Okuwamon reeled back in a roar of anger as the attack stung his face. He bent over, once again, to finish off Patamon, who now lay helpless, barely able to move, let alone defend himself. He closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate.
"Lightening claw!"
Okuwamon stumbled backwards, taken off guard by Gatomon's sudden surprise attack.
"Leave him alone!" She yelled at Okuwamon.
He stared at her with rage in his eyes. He aimed at Gatomon, "Gigga scissor claw!"
Gatomon jumped gracefully out of harms way. Okuwamon released four more attacks, but she evaded them with ease.
"RRRAAARRRRGGGGGHHHH!" he yelled in frustration.
He tried once more. Gatomon, who was getting tired from all the exertion, only just managed to get out of the way. Unfortunately the attack hit Patamon.
"NOOOO!" Gatomon cried. She turned around to face Okuwamon, cold fury burning in her eyes. Okuwamon was beginning to wonder if this meal was worth the trouble.
Gatomon growled at him, baring her cat teeth, attempting to intimidate him. Before he could react Gatomon charged.
"Lightening Claw!" She screamed, putting her all into the attack. Her hit connected leaving red gashes down Okuwamon's face. He'd had enough. He turned tail and fled.
A smile crossed over Gatomon's face.
A faint noise behind her caused her to spin around. It was Patamon who was still lying on the floor, he had a smile on his face. She walked over to him.
"You won." He whispered, barely able to speak.
"I did." She replied with a tear in her eye.
Patamon coughed, "I'm sorry."
"What for?" She asked with a gentle smile.
Patamon didn't reply, his breathing was getting heavy, as if he was struggling. He attempted to get up but failed.
"Just rest." Gatomon told him, "I'll get us some water." She began to get up.
He coughed again, "Don't. Stay here with me."
Gatomon did as he asked, returning to her seat. "How do you feel?"
"Not good."
"We have to get you some help."
"No." He coughed again.
"I have to do something!" She yelled at him.
He smiled, "It's too late."
"No!" Gatomon cried.
"It's okay, Gatomon."
"How can you say that?" she demanded, "You can't die!"
"It's not as bad as you think. I've done it before." He lied, attempting to comfort her. "It doesn't even hurt anymore."
Gatomon frowned, "Really, it doesn't." he assured her
"Don't lie to me, I know you too well."
He was really working to breathe now. "Well, maybe a bit."
Gatomon's tears fell to the floor. "Don't cry." Patamon begged.
She looked up, "Patamon."
He smiled at her, lovingly.
"I don't want you to go. you. I can't live without you." She pleaded.
"It'll be okay."
"No, it won't. Patamon. I love you."
Patamon smiled, "Me too."
"How do I survive without you?"
He reached out with his paw, rubbing a newly formed tear off her cheek. "Don't cry, please."
Gatomon tried to stop but she couldn't, "I can't."
"I understand." He smiled.
She saw a convulsion of pain sweep through his body. "It's my fault you're in pain."
"No, it's mine, for taking on an ultimate level Digimon."
"No. If I'd looked where I was going, he wouldn't have caught up." She looked at him with pain in her eyes. He knew that she could feel his pain, he knew that she was suffering more than him.
"It doesn't hurt." He insisted.
She looked at his wounds, "How can you say that? Look at you!"
"It doesn't. It doesn't hurt inside," he said, hand on his heart, "It doesn't hurt here, knowing that you love me."
Gatomon gave him a passionate kiss, "Thank you." She said.
She pulled him into a cuddle. He tried to embrace her back, but he couldn't move at all anymore. She looked into his eyes. He was losing his battle for life.
"No! Patamon!" she cried to him.
"It's okay. You'll see me again, in primary village."
"How can I live without you here? How can I survive."
"For the sake of the egg." He replied simply. He began to fade away. "I will see you again, with the stars to guide me."
"Patamon."
"I love you." He whispered, reaching out to her. She reached back, but couldn't touch him.
His figure faded away, it was over in a moment. He was gone, completely, leaving Gatomon on her own. Tears formed in her eyes.
"I'll see you again, my love." Her tears fell on the egg.
She was alone in the vast expanse of the forest for a day or so, never once leaving the spot where Patamon had left her, not even for food and water. Everything seemed pointless now without him. Her life had no meaning. She looked down at the egg and remembered what Patamon had said.
"My life does have a meaning." She said to the egg. She looked up at the sky above, the stars were out. She shouted up to them. "For you." She whispered, "For you."
After that, Gatomon left that area of the forest, heading towards Primary village, carrying the egg with her. It would take at least three days to get there. Primary Village was on a completely different part of the island, and getting there wasn't the easiest thing to achieve, but she was determined to give it her best shot.
First of all Gatomon needed to leave the forest, which would take up two thirds of the time to get to the village. Everyone knew that the easiest way to leave the forest was to follow the great river to the east. If you went south you came to the vast expanse of the great southern plains, to the west was the ocean, and to the north were the mountains that practically cornered off the northern part of the island.
Gatomon found the great river with ease, and simply needed to follow the flow of water downstream. It took her less than a day to reach the large waterfall that marked where the river made the ninety degree turn to the east. Once past here the only problem laid in getting past the rapids that signalled the two kilometres to the edge of the forest mark. It could be at least another day before she reached the rapids though, so she didn't need to worry about them yet.
By sundown Gatomon was three quarters of the way to the rapids. She looked up at the sky; it was a clear night, just like the one when she'd taught Patamon the names of the stars. The warm memory of that night came rushing back to her. The tears that she'd held back were now starting to form in her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her gloved paw, the fabric absorbing them.
Gatomon decided to look for somewhere to spend the night, well away from the eyes of nocturnal predators that could harm her or the Digiegg whilst she slept. She finally found shelter in the form of a hollow tree, so there was where she settled down for the night, hugging the egg to keep it warm.
Her dreams that night were preoccupied with thoughts of Patamon and the battle that had caused their separation. They were sad dreams.
The next morning, when she awoke, was warm and sunny. Perfect for her journey.
Before she set off she caught herself some fish for when she got hungry. It made more sense to catch them now rather than later because the water was calmer than downstream nearer the rapids.
Gatomon made good progress that morning, and was just over half way to Primary village by lunchtime. She'd been walking faster than she'd expected. She only stopped shortly to eat her lunch, wanting to use her time advantage to get out of the forest by the time the night set in.
Less than two hours later she reached the rapids. They would be hard to pass because the only way around them involved walking along a very narrow ledge, which would be quite tricky, especially with an egg. The only other option was trying to swim past which wasn't altogether a very appealing concept, particularly for a cat.
As she began to walk along the ledge she noticed that at first it was wide, and easy enough to walk down, but as she progressed she noted how much narrower it got. By the time she was three fifths of the way down she was forced to lean back against the wall to keep her balance. It was proving hard to do so with the egg.
"Steady, Gatomon." She urged herself, "You're a cat! You should be good at this!" she betrayed herself.
She edged along, her toes hanging over the edge. She moved slowly, centimetre by centimetre, getting closer and closer to the end.
"Nearly there!" she said excitedly.
As she neared the end she got careless in her excitement. Not looking where she was going she put her foot down on a loose rock, causing her to slip. She slammed herself back against the wall in an attempt to stay up. Unfortunately this caused her to drop the egg, and it tumbled down towards the raging rapids below. Gatomon watched on helplessly as the egg hit the water with a splash.
"NOOO!" she shouted.
Without the slightest thought she dived in after it, hitting the water with a light splash. It was a well-executed dive into what could quite be the last river she ever saw. Swimming in it, however, was a completely different concept. It was proving to be hard just to stay afloat, let alone swim!
Gatomon found herself being bashed against rocks with alarming force. She hoped the egg was having more look than her, the pain from each hit sparking throughout her body.
She tried to keep to the middle of the river where there were less rocks. If she could prevent herself from being too badly injured it may increase her chances of finding the egg.
Suddenly she saw it a bit further downstream. She swam with all her effort towards it, trying to reach it before it could hit any rocks. She got to it just in time to wrap herself around it protectively. She hit the rock with a loud thud. It was all her battered, exhausted body could take. The impact knocked her out cold.
It was several hours before she woke up again. She felt like she'd been ran over by a large herd of Monochromon. She looked around and found herself on a pebble beach by the side of the river. The forest was still all around them, but the rapids weren't in view. She tried to figure out where she was.
"The egg!" she realised, sitting up sharply. A bolt of pain ran up her back.
Gatomon looked to her left, ignoring the pain. The egg was on the ground next to her. It looked as if it was still in one piece. She held it in her arms to keep it warm. Being in the cold water can't have done it any good. She lay down, blacking out again. Just before she fully lost consciousness she thought she'd seen a cloaked figure walking towards her and the egg. Gatomon thought that she recognised them.
The strange figure reached her just in time to see her body relax as her eyes fully closed. He picked up her seemingly lifeless body; the only thing that suggested she was still alive was her slow and light breathing. Even in her sleep she held onto the egg tightly, protecting it for probably the hundredth time that day. The figure held her close to him. He walked slowly away from the river, and headed into the forest. He and Gatomon disappeared eerily into the background of the forest as he travelled deeper into it. His duty was clear in his mind: Gatomon.
When she finally awoke she found herself laid in a bed, wrapped up warmly. She still had the egg in her hands. She placed it down under the covers and sat upright on the bed. The pain in her head was throbbing. She raised her hand to rub the area between her ears in an attempt to soothe the pain, but found she couldn't. In a flash her other hand was up, feeling the damp bandage wrapped around her head.
"What the.?" she was very confused.
It wasn't until then that Gatomon looked around at the room she was in. It was hard to make out much detail because there wasn't much light. She soon came to realise, though, that the reason for that was there were no windows in the room.
Gatomon tried to get out of bed. The moment she got to her feet a shot of pain went up her leg, causing her to fall back onto the bed. She growled in frustration.
"It's not as bad as you think." A voice came from the doorway into the room, causing her to jump.
"Who are you?" Gatomon asked, unable to make out the shape of the person who'd spoken to her.
"You know who I am, Gatomon." She thought she recognised the voice, but couldn't quite remember who's it was. She would have chanced a guess, but after the events of the past few nights she was in no mood for games.
"It seems you know me as well." She sneered.
"Don't take that tone," the voice said, "I'm only here to help."
"Why do you want to help me?" she questioned.
"It is my purpose." He replied mechanically, like he'd been rehearsing it, "And my debt to a friend."
"Why is helping me repaying a debt to a friend?" she was getting confused.
"You saved my life." The reply was simple.
"When? Who are you!" she demanded of the figure.
Slowly he stepped forwards, slowly out of the darkness, revealing himself to Gatomon. She instantly knew who he was.
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Well, that's the end of the second chapter. Not as long as the first but here's the only place I can leave it as a decent cliff-hanger. ^_^ Please R&R. The next chapter will be up soon and I'll reveal who the mysterious character is.
