They slept very uncomfortably that night. The only way to sleep in a tree and hope for safety was to half-sit between a thick limb and the tree's trunk. For a change, Ken awoke first and stiffly stretched out sore muscles. Yolei very nearly tumbled out of the tree when she awoke with a jolt. She pulled herself back up to sit securely on a branch, frowning and muttering. "I nearly died this morning, I'm tired, I hurt, my clothes are encrusted with mud, and oh look, another pear."
Ken jumped out of the tree and uncertainly tried to help Yolei down. She flashed a brief smile at him. "Thanks."
They traveled more slowly that day, still following the stream. Yolei wondered idly what it was called. The landscape had changed, from a lush, verdant forest to a vast plain. When the wind blew, the long grass bent in graceful waves like the ocean. Yolei was thankful for her long-sleeved shirt, for filthy as it was, it protected her arms from the serrated edges of the prairie grass all around them.
"So what do you think about this dying star stuff?"
Ken looked up. "What about it?"
Yolei shrugged. "I don't know... do you think it's really a star?"
"I hope not. It's more likely a metaphor, though for what I can't imagine. A jewel maybe, or something like your crests."
Your crests... Yolei recalled the shape she had briefly seen hover over Ken's head. She shook her head. "Yeah, maybe. What about the shadow?"
For some reason, Ken sounded slightly annoyed. "It's not something I unleashed, if that's your question." At least he wasn't calling her girl.
"Well, it wasn't." This boy wasn't the easiest traveling companion. Yolei calling him touchy would be a little like the pot calling the kettle black, but she did so in her mind. Had she been younger, she probably would have let a torrent loose upon him. "My question was what you thought about it? Is it just a digimon or is... I don't know, something else?"
"How do you expect me to know this?" Ken was definitely in a bad mood, and at present, Yolei didn't think she was ready to soothe it.
"You hang out here a lot more than I do," she replied shortly. "You're the one who lives here, remember?" She shivered as an icy breeze swept the long grass and her long hair.
Ken glared at her for a while, then relented. "I have had cause to muse on the... shadow before this quest." Yolei sincerely couldn't imagine spending days on end here. What did he do when they weren't fighting, anyway? "It is certainly not an ordinary digimon. I do not even believe it is an extraordinary digimon." He glanced at her. "I always thought of it as some sort of... flaw in the program when the Digital World was written. A force, perhaps, if this world is as you say. Philosophies and religions all around the world and all through time have spoken of a balance. The problem is with the usual notions of evil is that its goal is annihilation of good, while the goal of good is mere... good. So if this world functions like ours, this shadow is the balance of the spirit we met and all his good companions--only now it is tipping the balance."
Yolei stared. Since when was Ken a theologian? "Uh... yeah. Sounds good to me." Yolei was no ignoramus herself, but her forte was math and science and computers. This philosophy was a little much for her, especially on a nearly empty stomach. "Hey, I haven't seen any peering eyes or heard any unusual rustling lately. We may actually get some sleep tonight!"
They walked on, mostly in silence. On the up side, it was less of an awkward silence than they had endured for the past couple of days.
Day passed into evening, as it tends to do. As the light waned, shadows lenghtened, masking the little dips and rises that constantly tried to trip our intrepid heroes. They slowed and stopped by silent accord. "Pear?"
Ken couldn't help smiling a little. "I would appreciate that."
Just as Yolei had made herself a pillow of sorts with her satchel and Ken with his cape, a rhythmic swishing caught their collective ear. Someone was coming. They rolled their eyes at each other and sat up.
"I do not wish to harm either of you," a low and melodious voice called softly. "My name is Hermemon. I live at the other end of this plain, near the desert. If you desire shelter, I hope you will accept my offer. I believe I may prove helpful to you on your journey." A tall, slender digimon with a startingly human appearance--except for what appeared to be wings extending from his ankles--stepped through the grass and bowed gravely at them. "I will give you a few moments to discuss it between yourselves." He bowed again and retreated.
Yolei gaped. "Wow. Well, he must know about our quest, and he can't be worse than those lynch mobs who have been chasing us around."
Ken nodded slowly. "I don't like it as much as you seem to, but I agree. If worse comes to worse, we've been surviving on our own well enough so far."
Ken jumped out of the tree and uncertainly tried to help Yolei down. She flashed a brief smile at him. "Thanks."
They traveled more slowly that day, still following the stream. Yolei wondered idly what it was called. The landscape had changed, from a lush, verdant forest to a vast plain. When the wind blew, the long grass bent in graceful waves like the ocean. Yolei was thankful for her long-sleeved shirt, for filthy as it was, it protected her arms from the serrated edges of the prairie grass all around them.
"So what do you think about this dying star stuff?"
Ken looked up. "What about it?"
Yolei shrugged. "I don't know... do you think it's really a star?"
"I hope not. It's more likely a metaphor, though for what I can't imagine. A jewel maybe, or something like your crests."
Your crests... Yolei recalled the shape she had briefly seen hover over Ken's head. She shook her head. "Yeah, maybe. What about the shadow?"
For some reason, Ken sounded slightly annoyed. "It's not something I unleashed, if that's your question." At least he wasn't calling her girl.
"Well, it wasn't." This boy wasn't the easiest traveling companion. Yolei calling him touchy would be a little like the pot calling the kettle black, but she did so in her mind. Had she been younger, she probably would have let a torrent loose upon him. "My question was what you thought about it? Is it just a digimon or is... I don't know, something else?"
"How do you expect me to know this?" Ken was definitely in a bad mood, and at present, Yolei didn't think she was ready to soothe it.
"You hang out here a lot more than I do," she replied shortly. "You're the one who lives here, remember?" She shivered as an icy breeze swept the long grass and her long hair.
Ken glared at her for a while, then relented. "I have had cause to muse on the... shadow before this quest." Yolei sincerely couldn't imagine spending days on end here. What did he do when they weren't fighting, anyway? "It is certainly not an ordinary digimon. I do not even believe it is an extraordinary digimon." He glanced at her. "I always thought of it as some sort of... flaw in the program when the Digital World was written. A force, perhaps, if this world is as you say. Philosophies and religions all around the world and all through time have spoken of a balance. The problem is with the usual notions of evil is that its goal is annihilation of good, while the goal of good is mere... good. So if this world functions like ours, this shadow is the balance of the spirit we met and all his good companions--only now it is tipping the balance."
Yolei stared. Since when was Ken a theologian? "Uh... yeah. Sounds good to me." Yolei was no ignoramus herself, but her forte was math and science and computers. This philosophy was a little much for her, especially on a nearly empty stomach. "Hey, I haven't seen any peering eyes or heard any unusual rustling lately. We may actually get some sleep tonight!"
They walked on, mostly in silence. On the up side, it was less of an awkward silence than they had endured for the past couple of days.
Day passed into evening, as it tends to do. As the light waned, shadows lenghtened, masking the little dips and rises that constantly tried to trip our intrepid heroes. They slowed and stopped by silent accord. "Pear?"
Ken couldn't help smiling a little. "I would appreciate that."
Just as Yolei had made herself a pillow of sorts with her satchel and Ken with his cape, a rhythmic swishing caught their collective ear. Someone was coming. They rolled their eyes at each other and sat up.
"I do not wish to harm either of you," a low and melodious voice called softly. "My name is Hermemon. I live at the other end of this plain, near the desert. If you desire shelter, I hope you will accept my offer. I believe I may prove helpful to you on your journey." A tall, slender digimon with a startingly human appearance--except for what appeared to be wings extending from his ankles--stepped through the grass and bowed gravely at them. "I will give you a few moments to discuss it between yourselves." He bowed again and retreated.
Yolei gaped. "Wow. Well, he must know about our quest, and he can't be worse than those lynch mobs who have been chasing us around."
Ken nodded slowly. "I don't like it as much as you seem to, but I agree. If worse comes to worse, we've been surviving on our own well enough so far."