Disclaimer: I own none of the animes mentioned in here but I do own all the
main and original characters as well as the plot. Thanks to all those who
have been reading and I hope you like the latest chapter.
An Interesting Trip
They'd come a fair distance during the day and now they were camped out in a small clearing with the stars shining brightly in the sky. There had been sleeping bags and other camping supplies in the cabin, which they'd brought with them so now they lay in their bags in a circle around the fire they'd built. Unable to sleep Jade slide out of her bag and looking at the others carefully got up and walked over to a nearby tree, leaning against it as she tried to process everything. Now that this had happened she could feel death practically licking at her heels as she'd walked. She didn't want to die; she had too much to live for. But dying young did seem to run in her family. Her father had only been a little boy when his mother had died and her grandfather's brother Folken had died in his early twenties, the only family he'd had left. Death definitely loved to haunt the Fanel line.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Turning her head she saw Trowa standing in front of her, his face in the shadows so that she could barely see him at all. "They're not worth a penny." Jade said, struggling not to give anything away in her voice. "Can't sleep?"
"Well like you I have a lot on my mind." Trowa said thoughtfully as he leaned against her tree, the trunk just big enough for two. "How is it that they knew ahead of time that this would happen?"
"An oracle predicted my arrival before my mom even knew she was going to have me." Jade said with a half smile. "The oracle predicted that I would take the throne at the age of eighteen if I was still alive to take over. The oracle says that if I die Fenalia will once again be casted into darkness that will not lift until all is dead. Obviously I'm really eager to stay alive."
"That's a lot of pressure to carry around." Trowa said thoughtfully. "You carry it well."
"Thanks. So how does a quarter demon end up in present day earth?" Jade said looking over at him thoughtfully. "If you don't want to answer that's fine too."
"Actually I'm less then a quarter." Trowa said with a smirk. "My great grandfather was a half demon called Inu-yasha. His wife was from our earth but stumbled upon a well that transported her to his time. She stayed there with him but one of their children decided to remain on earth when he fell for a human girl there, my grandparents on my mother's side."
"Interesting family tree. Almost as messed up as mine." Jade said with a smirk of her own. "I get my draconian blood from my dad's side of the family. His mother was one, her father the last draconian in all of Fenalia."
"Were they hunted into extinction?" Trowa asked, knowing that that was what had happened to the draconians of the Feudal Era.
"Yup, my great-grandfather isn't even full blooded either, his father was human." Jade said shaking his head. "Luckily I've got a lot of cousins so there are a lot more of us now.
"So where do Terriermon and Renamon fit into the picture, are they native to this world? I always figured that those Digimon shows were make-believe but there they are." Trowa said motioning to Terriermon who was fast asleep by her sleeping bag. Renamon had gone out hunting for food and wasn't back yet. "Did someone in your family create the series?"
"Well you know how about twenty years after the war against Oz started there was this big problem in Japan where these weird electronically machines went havoc on the city?" Jade said, continuing when he replied that he did. "Well those were Digimon, the government came up with the excuse to cover what really happened. Anyway those Digimon were stopped by other Digimon; including Renamon and Terriermon. Renamon is my mother's Digimon and Terriermon belongs to my godfather Henry. My dad has one too but he didn't get pulled in with us called Cyberdramon. Digimon actually come from a Digital World and that's where they live most of the time, except when they're visiting us."
"Sounds like an interesting group." Trowa said, rather intrigued by it all. And he'd thought he was the only one with a thoroughly messed up family tree. "I don't suppose if we ever get back there you'd consider letting me see this Digital World would you?"
"We'll I don't know." Jade said with a smile. "Tell you what, you get me out of here alive and I'll personally give you a tour."
"It's a deal." Trowa said shaking her hand to seal the deal. "So do you have any idea whether or not we should trust the woman that's giving us theses directions?"
"I don't know." Jade said honestly as she answered the question she'd been asking herself all day. "My gut says to trust her, I don't know why but my head's agreeing with it. It's possible that were going into a trap but I think we should continue to follow her directions until she gives us reason to doubt her."
"Same." Trowa said as he looked up at the sky. "I hate situations like this, when you don't know exactly what's going on or who all the players are. All of us are here with you for a reason, the question is are we here to help you or hinder you."
"I would imagine that you'd be helpful and Quinn is as good a warrior as any in my army though I will deny saying so to my very last breath." Jade said with a smirk. "Physically Jenn is adequate and has healing ability but there are others who would fit that roll just as well. The logical conclusion is because she's my best friend, I don't like that idea."
"Neither do I." Trowa said quietly. "With the three of us watching over her I'm sure we can handle it."
"Let's hope your right." Jade said with a weak grin. "So what kind of demon are you anyway, there are different kinds right?"
"Dog." Trowa said with a smirk. "When people call me a son of a bitch it's not exactly an inaccurate description."
"Guess not." Jade said through a giggle, putting her hand over her mouth so that she wouldn't wake any of the others up.
"I always get a kick out of it when someone says that, even if I do kick their asses afterwards." Trowa admitted with a rather wolfish smile. "We dog demons are really sensitive when it comes to name calling."
"I'll remember that." Jade said with a real smile of her own. "We should hit the sack, we have a big day tomorrow."
"Yea." Trowa said moving away from the trunk. "Goodnight Princess Draconian."
"Goodnight Dog Boy." Jade said with a smile as she followed him back to their site. Sliding back into their sleeping bags they gave each other quick waves before curling up to go to sleep.
Quinn opened his brown eyes and absently rolled his slightly sore shoulders as he sat up in his sleeping bag. Coming awake he looked around the clearing and say that everyone, minus the fox were still asleep. Pushing the top part of the bag away he got out of the bag and careful not to make any noise made his way towards the nearby streamed that had been one of the reasons they'd chosen the spot. Moving through the dewy grass Quinn enjoyed the silence of the morning and smiled when he saw the stream flowing in front of him, shining in the pale morning light. Getting down on his knees Quinn leaned over and cupping his hands under the cool water brought it up to his face, the cool water jolting him awake as it hit his face. Shaking his head he sensed rather then saw and looked across the bank to see the fox watching him thoughtfully as she stood looking as him.
"Sleep well?" She asked him as she nimbly jumped over to his side, landing with barely a sound within arm's reach.
"Yes, thank you. You?" Quinn asked feeling rather like a fool because she was an animal and yet he was treating her as though she were human. And yet in a way she was more human then animal Quinn amended when he thought about it.
"I'm not much for sleep, but thank you for asking." The fox said with a smirk as though she knew what was going through his head. "Are the others still sleeping?"
"When I left they were." Quinn said looking over his shoulder at the site's direction before looking back at her.
"I've caught breakfast, do you know how to skin rabbits?" Renamon asked raising an eyebrow challengingly, knowing what buttons to push. 'Or do I have to wake Jade up to do it?"
"I can do it." Quinn said recognizing the ploy for what it was. This wasn't the first or the last time someone had taken advantage of his and Jade's competitive streak, nor would it be the last. Over the years they'd learned to avoid most of the ploys but ended up caught occasionally. He'd skin the rabbits but he wasn't doing it because of pride, he was doing it because he could.
"Then lets get breakfast ready." Renamon said nodding towards the camp. "I left them for you by the fire."
"Lets." Quinn agreed and to his surprise he actually thought that the fox had smiled back at him.
After finishing their breakfast the six headed off once again with Jenn in the lead, knowing where she was going but having absolutely no idea how she knew. They all wore their swords at their waist, hands resting on them for easy access. They wore their armor as well under their cloaks, luckily like Quinn's they were as heavy as a normal shirt so they were making good time despite the extra weight.
"You know we're going to end up terribly lost if she doesn't know where she's going." Quinn commented to Trowa as he watched the fox, Renamon; jump from tree to tree, searching out danger with her sharp eyes.
"Yea, she's never had a really good sense of direction has she?" Trowa agreed with a smirk as he remembered how mad Jenn had been when he'd suggested that maybe they should mark their trail in case they needed to circle back. Speaking of mad. "You know given the way you've described Jade over the years I expected her to be a ferocious harpy, she reminds me of my grandfather's sister Catherine."
"She is a harpy." Quinn said shaking his head at his friend's ignorance as he lightly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. "You just don't know her as well as I do."
"Really?" Trowa said with a secretive smile that hinted that he knew a lot more then what he was saying. "Well I guess time will tell which one of is right and which one is wrong." He added as he patted the hilt of his own sword, which like Quinn and the girls was close at hand. Amazingly enough the swords weighed as much a feather and half the time he laid his hand on the hilt just to make sure it was really there.
"Really." Quinn said sending his friend a suspicious look. Trowa knew something that he didn't but what he had no idea.
"Hey are you guys going to gossip all day or notice that I found the starfish?" Jenn called out and the guys turned to see Jenn practically jumping up and down as she pointed at the rock beside her that really did resemble a starfish. "And you doubted me."
"Never again." Jade said with a smile as she watched Jenn do a slight imitation of a football victory dance, which included a lot of jumping and hand movements.
"Her brother's right, someone must have dropped her on her head as a child." Quinn said shaking his head at her victory dance. "Can you imagine her grandfather doing that every time he won during battle?"
Picturing the dignified Quatre Winner doing a victory dance Trowa smirked, just barely able to hold back his laughter. "Now there would be an interesting sight to see. I can see Duo doing it though."
"So can I." Quinn agreed with a smile of his own.
"Ditto." Jade agreed as she walked over to stand with them as Jenn wrapped up her little dance of victory; which was cute, but distracting. "I can't believe that she actually found it, she has trouble walking home from school without getting lost."
"I'm not that bad." Jenn said sticking her tongue out at them as she finished her dance with a final bow. "We're almost there by the way, not that you'll believe me till you see it right?"
"Of course we wont, we're not stupid." Quinn said and had to duck when Jade took a half-hearted swing at his head in Jenn's stead. He was use to her taking a swing at him and was use to ducking; they were quite good at anticipating each other's moves, which had come in handy in dealing with each other. "At least Renamon went ahead to scout the area, she'll be able to get us back on route if you lead us to Timbuktu."
"Speaking of stupid." Jade said but didn't try for the rebound hit as she looked deliberately at Quinn. "If we're almost there then what's say we hurry up and get there before it gets dark."
"What was that?" Jenn said in a low whisper as she caught a flash of movement in some nearby bushes. The first time it had moved she'd thought it had just been her imagination but this was another thing all together.
"I think she just realized were being followed." Quinn said as he raised an eyebrow at the other three humans and Terriermon. "Why doesn't that surprise me."
"Shut up, Quinn."
"It's not very big whatever it is." Trowa commented under his breath so that only the other three could hear him. "It's staying in the bushes and out of sight, it's not an amateur at this, he or she knows how to hide and hide well."
"How long has it been there?" Jenn demanded, a bit put out that they had all realized it was there but hadn't realized it until that moment. "I noticed the bushes moving after my dance."
"I noticed it when you were doing your dance." Jade said and the other two agreed with that while Terriermon wished that Renamon were there. Feeling a little better about it Jenn tried not to look in the bush's direction, which was proving to be a bit difficult.
"What should we do?" Trowa said looking over at Jade as she knew more about this area then they did. "There's only one and we're fully armed, instinct says we could take whatever it is on if it's more then just here out of curious."
"Let's let it know that we're aware of its presence and want it to show itself; see what it does. If it runs we leave it alone unless it comes back and if it comes out we keep a close eye on it and not let it get too close before we get a feel for it's intentions." Jade said thoughtfully. "Quinn?"
"I agree." Quinn said, rather surprised that she'd asked for his opinion at all. "Maybe we should call Renamon back from her scouting and get her to circle back around it."
"Sounds like a good idea. Renamon." Jade called out, placing her hands around her mouth so that her call would echo more. "Were going to take a break, come get something to eat."
Seconds later the yellow fox appeared with a curious look on her face. They'd all agreed before that they'd conserve food by only eating during meal times, why were they eating now when they eaten not that long ago. As soon as she appeared in the clearing she knew though, she could sense the extra presence, which was probably the reason why she'd been called. "Jade?"
"Hey Renamon, we're getting kinda hungry so we decided to have a quick snack." Jade said with a cheerful smile, as she looked the digimon directly in the eyes so that her meaning would be clear. "Did you see any berries or fruit trees nearby that we could add to our fare?"
"I believe I saw some berry bushes nearby, would you like me to go get some for you?" Renamon said calmly as she put emphasis on the bush.
"If you wouldn't mind, I doubt there's anything dangerous nearby but be on your guard and keep an eye out okay?" Jade said with a brighter smile then before.
'I will." Renamon said with a nod. Taking the small pan they'd brought from the cabin Renamon nodded again before disappearing into the woods before backtracking so that she was behind the creature that hid in the bushes. It was well hidden but like the others she had a feeling whatever it was, it was there out of curiosity and not out of bad intent. None the less she braced to pounce as Trowa's words rang out.
"All right, whoever you are in the bushes to our left we know your there and we're telling you to come out before we get the idea that you're a threat." Trowa said loudly in a voice that would have done his grandfather proud. "We have no intention of hurting you but we are telling you to get out here where we can see you."
Seconds passed and then a childlike voice came from the bushes. "No harm, mean you no harm. Done nothing wrong."
"We aren't accusing you of anything." Jenn said in a soft voice as she took a couple of steps forward before getting down on one knee, motioning it forward with her weapon hand, much like you would a wounded animal. "We aren't going to hurt you, we just want to see you."
"Don't want to come, can't make Rat come out." The voice said sullenly as it remained where it was, its heart pounding wildly in its chest. Who were these people and why did they want to see him? Up to something they were, these nasty things. "Rat no come out!"
"Is that your name, Rat?" Jade asked as she moved to Jenn's side with the boys behind her, Terriermon at her side. "We don't intend you any harm, Rat."
"Rat no trust strangers, strangers aren't from here. Don't belong here." The voice said though he thought that maybe he should come out. They hadn't tried to hurt him and maybe they'd give him something to eat. But they had weapons and swords, they might be trying to fool Rat. Might try to hurt him. They were humans they were; humans weren't to be trusted.
"You have our words that we won't hurt you." Quinn said calmly though he was begin to wonder what exactly it was that they were trying to encourage out of the bushes. What kinda creature was it and why did it talk about its self in the third person?
"Human word worth nothing."
"So your not human." Jade said with a reassuring smile. "What are you Rat, what kind of person are you."
"None of your business nasty girl, asking all these questions, none of girl's business. GO AWAY!" Rat yelled the last little part as he tried to ignore them and the fear they caused.
"Either you show yourself or leave us alone." Jade said softly but firmly. "It's your choice."
"Not your forest, Rat no have to listen to you. Rat go where Rat pleases, you and your men leave Rat alone or Rat get you." Rat boasted when in fact he knew that he wouldn't stand a chance against them if they chose to hurt him. That's what humans did, they hurt people like him.
"Come out or we come in there and find you." Quinn said forcefully. "You don't want us to do that."
"Rat show you himself, you stay where you are and then leave Rat alone." Rat said deciding on the lesser evil of the two. Maybe if they saw him they'd leave him alone.
"It's a deal." Jade said and slowly they watched the bushes shake as a small creature moved out of the brush to squint at them in the bright light of day.
"What on earth is it?"
"I don't know." Jade said as she stared at Rat, unable to answer Jenn's question. "I've never seen anything like it before."
Well that's it for this chapter, talk about cliffhanger huh? Well I was in an evil mood and wanted to get this done before exams started so this is what you get. Anyway I hope you liked this chapter and that you'll review it to let me know what you think. Thanks and stay tuned for the next chapter.
An Interesting Trip
They'd come a fair distance during the day and now they were camped out in a small clearing with the stars shining brightly in the sky. There had been sleeping bags and other camping supplies in the cabin, which they'd brought with them so now they lay in their bags in a circle around the fire they'd built. Unable to sleep Jade slide out of her bag and looking at the others carefully got up and walked over to a nearby tree, leaning against it as she tried to process everything. Now that this had happened she could feel death practically licking at her heels as she'd walked. She didn't want to die; she had too much to live for. But dying young did seem to run in her family. Her father had only been a little boy when his mother had died and her grandfather's brother Folken had died in his early twenties, the only family he'd had left. Death definitely loved to haunt the Fanel line.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Turning her head she saw Trowa standing in front of her, his face in the shadows so that she could barely see him at all. "They're not worth a penny." Jade said, struggling not to give anything away in her voice. "Can't sleep?"
"Well like you I have a lot on my mind." Trowa said thoughtfully as he leaned against her tree, the trunk just big enough for two. "How is it that they knew ahead of time that this would happen?"
"An oracle predicted my arrival before my mom even knew she was going to have me." Jade said with a half smile. "The oracle predicted that I would take the throne at the age of eighteen if I was still alive to take over. The oracle says that if I die Fenalia will once again be casted into darkness that will not lift until all is dead. Obviously I'm really eager to stay alive."
"That's a lot of pressure to carry around." Trowa said thoughtfully. "You carry it well."
"Thanks. So how does a quarter demon end up in present day earth?" Jade said looking over at him thoughtfully. "If you don't want to answer that's fine too."
"Actually I'm less then a quarter." Trowa said with a smirk. "My great grandfather was a half demon called Inu-yasha. His wife was from our earth but stumbled upon a well that transported her to his time. She stayed there with him but one of their children decided to remain on earth when he fell for a human girl there, my grandparents on my mother's side."
"Interesting family tree. Almost as messed up as mine." Jade said with a smirk of her own. "I get my draconian blood from my dad's side of the family. His mother was one, her father the last draconian in all of Fenalia."
"Were they hunted into extinction?" Trowa asked, knowing that that was what had happened to the draconians of the Feudal Era.
"Yup, my great-grandfather isn't even full blooded either, his father was human." Jade said shaking his head. "Luckily I've got a lot of cousins so there are a lot more of us now.
"So where do Terriermon and Renamon fit into the picture, are they native to this world? I always figured that those Digimon shows were make-believe but there they are." Trowa said motioning to Terriermon who was fast asleep by her sleeping bag. Renamon had gone out hunting for food and wasn't back yet. "Did someone in your family create the series?"
"Well you know how about twenty years after the war against Oz started there was this big problem in Japan where these weird electronically machines went havoc on the city?" Jade said, continuing when he replied that he did. "Well those were Digimon, the government came up with the excuse to cover what really happened. Anyway those Digimon were stopped by other Digimon; including Renamon and Terriermon. Renamon is my mother's Digimon and Terriermon belongs to my godfather Henry. My dad has one too but he didn't get pulled in with us called Cyberdramon. Digimon actually come from a Digital World and that's where they live most of the time, except when they're visiting us."
"Sounds like an interesting group." Trowa said, rather intrigued by it all. And he'd thought he was the only one with a thoroughly messed up family tree. "I don't suppose if we ever get back there you'd consider letting me see this Digital World would you?"
"We'll I don't know." Jade said with a smile. "Tell you what, you get me out of here alive and I'll personally give you a tour."
"It's a deal." Trowa said shaking her hand to seal the deal. "So do you have any idea whether or not we should trust the woman that's giving us theses directions?"
"I don't know." Jade said honestly as she answered the question she'd been asking herself all day. "My gut says to trust her, I don't know why but my head's agreeing with it. It's possible that were going into a trap but I think we should continue to follow her directions until she gives us reason to doubt her."
"Same." Trowa said as he looked up at the sky. "I hate situations like this, when you don't know exactly what's going on or who all the players are. All of us are here with you for a reason, the question is are we here to help you or hinder you."
"I would imagine that you'd be helpful and Quinn is as good a warrior as any in my army though I will deny saying so to my very last breath." Jade said with a smirk. "Physically Jenn is adequate and has healing ability but there are others who would fit that roll just as well. The logical conclusion is because she's my best friend, I don't like that idea."
"Neither do I." Trowa said quietly. "With the three of us watching over her I'm sure we can handle it."
"Let's hope your right." Jade said with a weak grin. "So what kind of demon are you anyway, there are different kinds right?"
"Dog." Trowa said with a smirk. "When people call me a son of a bitch it's not exactly an inaccurate description."
"Guess not." Jade said through a giggle, putting her hand over her mouth so that she wouldn't wake any of the others up.
"I always get a kick out of it when someone says that, even if I do kick their asses afterwards." Trowa admitted with a rather wolfish smile. "We dog demons are really sensitive when it comes to name calling."
"I'll remember that." Jade said with a real smile of her own. "We should hit the sack, we have a big day tomorrow."
"Yea." Trowa said moving away from the trunk. "Goodnight Princess Draconian."
"Goodnight Dog Boy." Jade said with a smile as she followed him back to their site. Sliding back into their sleeping bags they gave each other quick waves before curling up to go to sleep.
Quinn opened his brown eyes and absently rolled his slightly sore shoulders as he sat up in his sleeping bag. Coming awake he looked around the clearing and say that everyone, minus the fox were still asleep. Pushing the top part of the bag away he got out of the bag and careful not to make any noise made his way towards the nearby streamed that had been one of the reasons they'd chosen the spot. Moving through the dewy grass Quinn enjoyed the silence of the morning and smiled when he saw the stream flowing in front of him, shining in the pale morning light. Getting down on his knees Quinn leaned over and cupping his hands under the cool water brought it up to his face, the cool water jolting him awake as it hit his face. Shaking his head he sensed rather then saw and looked across the bank to see the fox watching him thoughtfully as she stood looking as him.
"Sleep well?" She asked him as she nimbly jumped over to his side, landing with barely a sound within arm's reach.
"Yes, thank you. You?" Quinn asked feeling rather like a fool because she was an animal and yet he was treating her as though she were human. And yet in a way she was more human then animal Quinn amended when he thought about it.
"I'm not much for sleep, but thank you for asking." The fox said with a smirk as though she knew what was going through his head. "Are the others still sleeping?"
"When I left they were." Quinn said looking over his shoulder at the site's direction before looking back at her.
"I've caught breakfast, do you know how to skin rabbits?" Renamon asked raising an eyebrow challengingly, knowing what buttons to push. 'Or do I have to wake Jade up to do it?"
"I can do it." Quinn said recognizing the ploy for what it was. This wasn't the first or the last time someone had taken advantage of his and Jade's competitive streak, nor would it be the last. Over the years they'd learned to avoid most of the ploys but ended up caught occasionally. He'd skin the rabbits but he wasn't doing it because of pride, he was doing it because he could.
"Then lets get breakfast ready." Renamon said nodding towards the camp. "I left them for you by the fire."
"Lets." Quinn agreed and to his surprise he actually thought that the fox had smiled back at him.
After finishing their breakfast the six headed off once again with Jenn in the lead, knowing where she was going but having absolutely no idea how she knew. They all wore their swords at their waist, hands resting on them for easy access. They wore their armor as well under their cloaks, luckily like Quinn's they were as heavy as a normal shirt so they were making good time despite the extra weight.
"You know we're going to end up terribly lost if she doesn't know where she's going." Quinn commented to Trowa as he watched the fox, Renamon; jump from tree to tree, searching out danger with her sharp eyes.
"Yea, she's never had a really good sense of direction has she?" Trowa agreed with a smirk as he remembered how mad Jenn had been when he'd suggested that maybe they should mark their trail in case they needed to circle back. Speaking of mad. "You know given the way you've described Jade over the years I expected her to be a ferocious harpy, she reminds me of my grandfather's sister Catherine."
"She is a harpy." Quinn said shaking his head at his friend's ignorance as he lightly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. "You just don't know her as well as I do."
"Really?" Trowa said with a secretive smile that hinted that he knew a lot more then what he was saying. "Well I guess time will tell which one of is right and which one is wrong." He added as he patted the hilt of his own sword, which like Quinn and the girls was close at hand. Amazingly enough the swords weighed as much a feather and half the time he laid his hand on the hilt just to make sure it was really there.
"Really." Quinn said sending his friend a suspicious look. Trowa knew something that he didn't but what he had no idea.
"Hey are you guys going to gossip all day or notice that I found the starfish?" Jenn called out and the guys turned to see Jenn practically jumping up and down as she pointed at the rock beside her that really did resemble a starfish. "And you doubted me."
"Never again." Jade said with a smile as she watched Jenn do a slight imitation of a football victory dance, which included a lot of jumping and hand movements.
"Her brother's right, someone must have dropped her on her head as a child." Quinn said shaking his head at her victory dance. "Can you imagine her grandfather doing that every time he won during battle?"
Picturing the dignified Quatre Winner doing a victory dance Trowa smirked, just barely able to hold back his laughter. "Now there would be an interesting sight to see. I can see Duo doing it though."
"So can I." Quinn agreed with a smile of his own.
"Ditto." Jade agreed as she walked over to stand with them as Jenn wrapped up her little dance of victory; which was cute, but distracting. "I can't believe that she actually found it, she has trouble walking home from school without getting lost."
"I'm not that bad." Jenn said sticking her tongue out at them as she finished her dance with a final bow. "We're almost there by the way, not that you'll believe me till you see it right?"
"Of course we wont, we're not stupid." Quinn said and had to duck when Jade took a half-hearted swing at his head in Jenn's stead. He was use to her taking a swing at him and was use to ducking; they were quite good at anticipating each other's moves, which had come in handy in dealing with each other. "At least Renamon went ahead to scout the area, she'll be able to get us back on route if you lead us to Timbuktu."
"Speaking of stupid." Jade said but didn't try for the rebound hit as she looked deliberately at Quinn. "If we're almost there then what's say we hurry up and get there before it gets dark."
"What was that?" Jenn said in a low whisper as she caught a flash of movement in some nearby bushes. The first time it had moved she'd thought it had just been her imagination but this was another thing all together.
"I think she just realized were being followed." Quinn said as he raised an eyebrow at the other three humans and Terriermon. "Why doesn't that surprise me."
"Shut up, Quinn."
"It's not very big whatever it is." Trowa commented under his breath so that only the other three could hear him. "It's staying in the bushes and out of sight, it's not an amateur at this, he or she knows how to hide and hide well."
"How long has it been there?" Jenn demanded, a bit put out that they had all realized it was there but hadn't realized it until that moment. "I noticed the bushes moving after my dance."
"I noticed it when you were doing your dance." Jade said and the other two agreed with that while Terriermon wished that Renamon were there. Feeling a little better about it Jenn tried not to look in the bush's direction, which was proving to be a bit difficult.
"What should we do?" Trowa said looking over at Jade as she knew more about this area then they did. "There's only one and we're fully armed, instinct says we could take whatever it is on if it's more then just here out of curious."
"Let's let it know that we're aware of its presence and want it to show itself; see what it does. If it runs we leave it alone unless it comes back and if it comes out we keep a close eye on it and not let it get too close before we get a feel for it's intentions." Jade said thoughtfully. "Quinn?"
"I agree." Quinn said, rather surprised that she'd asked for his opinion at all. "Maybe we should call Renamon back from her scouting and get her to circle back around it."
"Sounds like a good idea. Renamon." Jade called out, placing her hands around her mouth so that her call would echo more. "Were going to take a break, come get something to eat."
Seconds later the yellow fox appeared with a curious look on her face. They'd all agreed before that they'd conserve food by only eating during meal times, why were they eating now when they eaten not that long ago. As soon as she appeared in the clearing she knew though, she could sense the extra presence, which was probably the reason why she'd been called. "Jade?"
"Hey Renamon, we're getting kinda hungry so we decided to have a quick snack." Jade said with a cheerful smile, as she looked the digimon directly in the eyes so that her meaning would be clear. "Did you see any berries or fruit trees nearby that we could add to our fare?"
"I believe I saw some berry bushes nearby, would you like me to go get some for you?" Renamon said calmly as she put emphasis on the bush.
"If you wouldn't mind, I doubt there's anything dangerous nearby but be on your guard and keep an eye out okay?" Jade said with a brighter smile then before.
'I will." Renamon said with a nod. Taking the small pan they'd brought from the cabin Renamon nodded again before disappearing into the woods before backtracking so that she was behind the creature that hid in the bushes. It was well hidden but like the others she had a feeling whatever it was, it was there out of curiosity and not out of bad intent. None the less she braced to pounce as Trowa's words rang out.
"All right, whoever you are in the bushes to our left we know your there and we're telling you to come out before we get the idea that you're a threat." Trowa said loudly in a voice that would have done his grandfather proud. "We have no intention of hurting you but we are telling you to get out here where we can see you."
Seconds passed and then a childlike voice came from the bushes. "No harm, mean you no harm. Done nothing wrong."
"We aren't accusing you of anything." Jenn said in a soft voice as she took a couple of steps forward before getting down on one knee, motioning it forward with her weapon hand, much like you would a wounded animal. "We aren't going to hurt you, we just want to see you."
"Don't want to come, can't make Rat come out." The voice said sullenly as it remained where it was, its heart pounding wildly in its chest. Who were these people and why did they want to see him? Up to something they were, these nasty things. "Rat no come out!"
"Is that your name, Rat?" Jade asked as she moved to Jenn's side with the boys behind her, Terriermon at her side. "We don't intend you any harm, Rat."
"Rat no trust strangers, strangers aren't from here. Don't belong here." The voice said though he thought that maybe he should come out. They hadn't tried to hurt him and maybe they'd give him something to eat. But they had weapons and swords, they might be trying to fool Rat. Might try to hurt him. They were humans they were; humans weren't to be trusted.
"You have our words that we won't hurt you." Quinn said calmly though he was begin to wonder what exactly it was that they were trying to encourage out of the bushes. What kinda creature was it and why did it talk about its self in the third person?
"Human word worth nothing."
"So your not human." Jade said with a reassuring smile. "What are you Rat, what kind of person are you."
"None of your business nasty girl, asking all these questions, none of girl's business. GO AWAY!" Rat yelled the last little part as he tried to ignore them and the fear they caused.
"Either you show yourself or leave us alone." Jade said softly but firmly. "It's your choice."
"Not your forest, Rat no have to listen to you. Rat go where Rat pleases, you and your men leave Rat alone or Rat get you." Rat boasted when in fact he knew that he wouldn't stand a chance against them if they chose to hurt him. That's what humans did, they hurt people like him.
"Come out or we come in there and find you." Quinn said forcefully. "You don't want us to do that."
"Rat show you himself, you stay where you are and then leave Rat alone." Rat said deciding on the lesser evil of the two. Maybe if they saw him they'd leave him alone.
"It's a deal." Jade said and slowly they watched the bushes shake as a small creature moved out of the brush to squint at them in the bright light of day.
"What on earth is it?"
"I don't know." Jade said as she stared at Rat, unable to answer Jenn's question. "I've never seen anything like it before."
Well that's it for this chapter, talk about cliffhanger huh? Well I was in an evil mood and wanted to get this done before exams started so this is what you get. Anyway I hope you liked this chapter and that you'll review it to let me know what you think. Thanks and stay tuned for the next chapter.