Chapter 03: The Hunter and the Prey
"I guess we don't have a choice," Veemon said while getting into a fighting stance. He readied himself and charged at the wolf.
"Hold on!" Tamika called after him but he didn't stop.
"Vee Headbutt!" Veemon cried out as he ran around to the Fangmon and lunged, striking its side with a powerful headbutt. The wolf was nearly toppling it over, but Fangmon remained firm on the ground. It whimpered and backed off, but its teeth continued to click as it made a few threatening snaps at them. Tamika looked around for anything that she could use as a weapon. There were no branches or rocks nearby, and all she had on her was her keytar.
While the Fangmon was back up, Tamika grabbed Veemon and pulled him away, running deeper into the forest. They continued running until they were sure they were far away from Fangmon. They certainly couldn't hear it anymore.
They stopped for a quick rest. Tamika slumped against a tree and Veemon stood beside her.
"Why'd you stop me?" Veemon demanded, a little louder than Tamika would have liked. "We could have beaten him. It was two against one."
"I can't fight something like that!" Tamika said, defensively.
"Why not? What kinds of attacks do you have?"
"I don't have any."
"But that… That doesn't make any sense! Who doesn't have a special attack of any kind? That's ridiculous! What's that thing you're carrying? Isn't that a weapon?"
"I'm a human. I don't have superpowers like you, and this is an instrument, not a weapon."
"My attacks aren't superpowers. Every digimon has an attack of some kind. You humons are strange."
Tamika heard a tree branch break from not that far away. She quickly clapped her hand over Veemon's mouth, silencing him. "Shh! Do you hear that?"
They listened closely but didn't hear anything else. Except for a little voice.
"Hey, you two," it said softly. "This way."
They followed the voice towards a large tree. A little yellow bug that almost looked like a caterpillar made its way down by a thick thread. It had black zigzag tripes that resembled lightning bolts and a long stinger at the end of its tail. It didn't appear to have any eyes, but it looked up at them as if it could see them perfectly. "Are you guys lost?" he asked.
"At the moment, yes," Veemon replied. "We're currently being chased by a Fangmon."
"Oh, he's a nasty one, that Fangmon. He's been chasing us Kunemon for a while now."
"Since when did Fangmon hunt Kunemon? You guys aren't exactly their type of prey."
"True. Usually, I just have to worry about bird-type digimon. No, some of the Fangmon in the forest have been acting strangely."
"How so?" Tamika asked.
"Normally the Fangmon hunt in a pack, but lately some of the pack members have been breaking off from the group and doing their own thing. They are far more vicious now and will constantly hunt, even after they've eaten. It's almost as if they've turned feral."
"Why is that? Something must have happened to them to act so savagely."
"No clue, but if you'd like, I can help you out of the forest. You just have to help me first."
"What's the catch?" Tamika asked wearily.
Kunemon looked to her and nodded. "I want out of this forest. I just need somewhere to stay for a little while before I find a place to live."
"You could stay in the village with the rest of us," Veemon said. "Babamon can help you find a proper home. In the meantime, you can stay with me and Tamika."
Tamika held his arm out and Kunemon climbed onto his shoulder. "Thank you very much," Kunemon said.
"No problem," Veemon replied. "Now let's get out of here before-"
A loud howl came from behind them, and Fangmon emerged from the underbrush.
"Quickly, up the tree," Kunemon said, and Tamika and Veemon climbed up the tree, reaching for the highest branch they could sit on without it breaking under their weight. Fangmon snarled and tried to claw his way after them, but it would only slide back down the tree, leaving noticeable claw marks in the bark.
"It has us trapped," Tamika gasped.
"What are we going to do now?" Kunemon said, slithering onto Tamika's shoulder to watch the Fangmon as it barked and howled at them.
"Can't we just wait it out? It's sure to get tired at some point."
"You don't understand. The Fangmon have been ruthless. Once they spot their prey, they hunt them until they finally give up. It'll wait down there for days if it has to."
"This is crazy!" Veemon exclaimed. "What is going on with this guy?"
Tamika racked her brain for a plan of some kind, and then came up with an idea. "Hey, Kunemon, what kinds of attacks do you have?"
"My Electric Thread, but it will only leave it stunned for a short period of time."
"That's all we need. Use your Electric thread on the ground behind us."
Kunemon climbed off of Tamika's shoulder and onto the tree and made his way to the back where Fangmon couldn't see him. He spewed electrically-charged threading at the ground behind the tree, creating a web pattern on the forest floor. Tamika looked over at Veemon and their eyes met. It was almost as if Veemon knew exactly what Tamika was thinking because the two exchanged nods.
Tamika jumped down from the tree and ran around it, the Fangmon quickly chased after her. Tamika jumped over Kunemon's web and Fangmon ran right into it. Fangmon came to a sudden halt as its feet became entangled in Kunemon's Electric Thread, and it howled as electricity coursed through him.
"Now, Veemon!" Tamika said.
Veemon jumped down from the tree and slammed Fangmon's head with another headbutt. Fangmon yelped and staggered, becoming more entangled in the webbing. Soon, it was completely tangled in the webbing.
"Blast Coffin!" It bellowed as it fired a blast of green energy at Veemon and Tamika. Veemon shoved Tamika out of the way just in time to avoid the energy burst.
"My turn," Veemon said as he raised his fist and punched the Fangmon, knocking it over and breaking it free of the web. It shook its head and tried to run at them once more.
"Electric Thread!" Kunemon said as he spewed more webbing at Fangmon, tangling around its legs and tripping it up. Electricity shocked it, stunning it again.
Veemon dashed over to Fangmon and swung his fist again, bashing it upside the head. Fangmon was knocked down again, whimpering as it hit the ground. It slowly pushed itself up and ran away, jumping into the foliage and whining as it fled.
"We did it!" Tamika said excitedly as she and Veemon high-fived each other. Kunemon lowered himself down the tree by his thread and joined them as well.
"I can't believe that worked," Kunemon said as he climbed down the tree and perched himself onto Tamika's shoulder.
"You two were great," Tamika said.
A loud howl could be heard from far away. The group became still as they listened, waiting to hear any other noises from wild digimon. When the howl trailed off, no other sounds could be heard in the forest.
"Let's get out of here," Veemon said. "Tell us where to go, Kunemon."
Veemon took the lead as Kunemon told them which direction to go. Soon, they found the dirt path and followed it until they reached the forests edge, and the three emerged into the open. Just as Veemon had said, the sun had finished setting and night was upon them. Luckily for them, just up ahead looked to be a small cabin. A tree with a swing hanging from the branches was just off to the left of the cabin, and not far off from the tree was a burn pile that looked to have been recently used.
Kunemon hopped off Tamika's shoulder and slithered up the tree, making his way up to one of the higher branches.
"Here it is; my place," Veemon said. "I built it all by myself after I digivolved into my rookie stage."
"Rookie stage?" Tamika asked.
"Yep. Digimon slowly grow and change shape over time. We also get stronger with each evolution. Some digimon can go all the way to mega level if they're lucky. Do you have stages too, Tamika?"
She shook her head. "No, we don't. We go by age. I'm twelve so I'm still just a kid." Tamika was very confused by all this talk about digivolving and levels. It sounded like something straight out of a video game. She loved video games, but she wasn't sure how much she wanted to live in one.
"I'm a rookie stage, so I'm not that high of a level. I'll get there one day though." Veemon looked up at Kunemon, who seemed to be making himself comfortable. "Kunemon, you want to come in with us?"
"No, I'm fine right here," Kunemon replied with a yawn. "This tree is very cozy."
"All right. We'll just be inside if you need us."
Veemon and Tamika headed over to the little house and Veemon held the door open for Tamika, who thanked him and walked inside. Veemon's home was split into two levels. On the lower level was a kitchen. The dining room table was a long, rectangular slab of wood bolted to the wall, and there were three stools that were pushed under the table to save space in the tiny home.
There was a staircase that led to a loft that had a little living room area that had a couch, a small bookcase, and a soft rug laid across the floor. On the bookcase were various shiny rocks, shells, a few toys, and other little trinkets. The very last shelf had a row of books, most of them sounded like adventure titles. Tucked under the stairs and beneath the loft was a bunk bed.
"What do 'ya think?" Veemon asked as he climbed the stairs as well. "I hope you like it. I'm really proud of this house."
"It's great," she replied warmly. "I'm really impressed that you built it yourself."
Veemon's smile was ear to ear. "Thanks!" He let out a yawn. "I think it's time for bed. You can sleep on the bottom bunk. The top bunk is mine."
Veemon walked over to the bed and climbed up the ladder to the top bunk and flopped down onto it. Tamika sat her keytar against the wall, then laid down on the bed as well. It was a little stiffer than she was used to, but she was too tired to care. The two talked for a little while, trying to learn more about one another and the vastly different worlds they came from.
I'm gonna travel the digital world and eventually become a famous explorer," Veemon said. "I'm going to go on lots of adventures and find all kinds of treasures."
"I have no clue what I want to be," Tamika admitted. "I like playing my keytar, but I don't think I can make a career out of it."
"Do you mean that thing you've been carrying around?"
"It's an instrument. I'll teach you how to play it sometime."
"That sounds fun. We might have a lot of time to do that. Who knows how long it will take for the computer to turn back on?"
"I guess we'll check on it tomorrow and see if it turns back on. I'm sure it will be back on by then. I need to get home before I make mom and dad worried too. It's bad enough that my brother's missing."
"What's a brother?"
"My older sibling. He's part of my family. He went missing three days ago, and now I'm missing too."
"Maybe he came here, to the digital world. Just like you did."
"I hope so."
"Don't worry. I'll help you find this brother of yours."
"You will? Thank you!" She pulled the covers up further and yawned. "By the way, Veemon, I've been curious about something. Do you live alone?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Just wondering why you built a bunk bed instead of a regular one. It seems like a lot more work to make this."
"I built this hoping that I could have a friend stay overnight. The problem is, I don't have any friends. Most of the digimon in the village think I'm too loud and annoying, but you're the first person who hasn't treated me like I'm a pain."
"I don't think you're annoying. I think you're pretty cool, especially after seeing you fight that wolf."
"Thanks, that means a lot." Veemon yawned and stretched. "Well, goodnight, Tamika."
"G'night, Veemon." Tamika rolled over and took the goggles she wore around her head off and sat them on the pillow beside her. She fell fast asleep within minutes.