Chapter Nine – Catherine's Conundrum
Catherine wiped her forehead with her sleeve and let out an exasperated groan that was more akin to one that bear would make, "It's too haaaaawwwwt..."
Walking beside her, Floramon smile as she looked up into Catherine's face, "I quite like it actually."
Catherine shot her a mean look and pouted her lips in frustration, "That's because you're plant."
Floramon chuckled and threw her hands behind her head, "Cie la vie, non!"
Catherine turned away to observe her surroundings. For way too long, the tag had lead them deeper and deeper into this prehistoric jungle. The place thrived with massive palms and thick ferns that stretched lengths above her head till all she could see of the sky was a light blue slit. Wild red orchids and tangling vines littered the area like ornaments on a Christmas tree. The sounds of the forest were abound; a constant buzzing far off, a low sizzling sound, hoots and hollers from far off Digimon, it was a regular cacophony of sound that could be heard, but had no particular will to be seen.
It all might have been very nice, if it weren't for the damned heat. You could practically see the heat rising off of the plants and sweat dripping off of them. Catherine herself was also sweating it all the most uncomfortable areas, causing her to ruin her designer blouse and skirt, making her itch like crazy. There were far too many bushes as well, every time she passed through them her skirt or socks would get caught, and when she finally wrested them free, they would be covered in burs. This crest had better be worth it.
"Well I'm just not used to this weather, Floramon. This is worse then Malta in the middle of July."
Floramon nodded, "Ah yes, Malta, very muggy as I recall."
Catherine sunk in her place, letting her humidity frazzled blonde hair fall in front of her sweat greased face, "Remember those days, Floramon, when we were refined; school days at the town house in Paris, summers at the villa outside Orleans, trips to Monaco and Milan for shopping, trips to Switzerland for skiing, the beaches at Corsica and Nice for spring break, and that one lovely trip to Martinique."
"We're still refined, Catherine." Floramon interjected.
Catherine groaned, "No, we're not. We're refuges, trudging through the jungle..."
Floramon sighed, obviously feeling sorry for Catherine, "Let's check the tag, alright Catherine."
Apathetically, Catherine took the necklace from around her neck and let it dangle in the air. As it steadied itself by mystical means, the yellow glow it radiated changed. The glow began to center and then burst out in a continuous stream of golden light. The light permeated the shade of the jungle and traveled through it like a laser pointer.
Catherine and Floramon both jumped in surprised as they eyes moved back and forth from the glowing tag and the destination of the light beam."
"Fl...Floramon..." Catherine managed.
"It must be the crest!" Floramon exclaimed excitedly.
A smile lit up Catherine's face, "Finally! Let's go!"
She broke into a dead run through the foliage, not caring for the bushes or her skirt anymore. She leaped over fallen branches and puddles with grave and skill as she made her mad dash through the roughage to get her crest. Soon enough she was able to spy a clearing through the trees, the beam shot right through the dangling vines and touched a spot on that ground. Her crest must be hidden in that patch of grass.
"Floramon..." She managed, though out of breath, "I see a clearing..."
Practically leaping through the tree line and into the caring, and at the same moment the tag blinked out, the light dissipated and was gone. Catherine stood there for a moment, shaking the tag, but it offered nothing, as if it had turned into a regular old necklace.
Floramon came running out from the forest soon enough, "Did you get it? Where is it?"
"Um..." Catherine wasn't sure what to say.
She leaned down to the exact spot she thought she remembered the beam hitting. She brushed at the yellowish grass, but nothing appeared to her.
"It just... stopped working..." Catherine mumbled.
Looking up she surveyed the area. The clearing was a circular mound of overgrown grasses witch differed in green and yellow hues.
"What do you mean, stopped working?!" Floramon asked indignantly.
"I don't know, I don't know, it won't glow anymore!" Catherine franticly explained, getting more frustrated as she did, "Look around the area!"
Like they were looking for the cure to cancer, they went over the thicket. Floramon got down on her hands and knees and searched the grass. Catharine ran from one edge of the clearing to the other, head darting about like a ping-pong ball. Finally, Catherine collapsed to her knees and fought to hold back tears.
"We were so close, what went wrong..." She whimpered as she looked at the lifeless tag, "Can this get any worse?"
As if to answer her rhetorical question with a resounding "yes," an intense rustling could be heard from the edge of the tree line, as if a weed whacker was going crazy. Soon several yellowish balls burst from the foliage like rapid soccer balls, snarling and pulsating as the bounced into the clear. A little ways in, the ten or so balls stopped and place, and unfurled to reveal that they were in fact Tapirmon, all with angry faces.
Catherine quickly rose to her feet, and Floramon ran to where she stood.
The lead Tapirmon shuffled forward and brandished a goofy paw accusingly at them, "Infidels! You have defiled the Sacred Thicket!"
"Floramon, what are they talking about?" Catherine queried.
"They're fanatics." Floramon growled.
The Tapirmon continued, "The penalty for this trespass of our holy landmark, IS YOUR SACRIFICIAL DELETION!"
"Over my slim, well-toned dead body!" Floramon screamed.
"I think that's their idea, Floramon..." Catherine whispered.
It seemed as if Floramon ignored her, because she went right on being enraged, "Stamen Rope!"
Accordingly, from the inner recesses of Floramon's cup shaped hand appeared a long brown tendril that grew and grew, even as Floramon hauled that arm back. She then shot it forward like a roundhouse, the long rope swung out with it. Carrying more strength then anyone would have thought possible, the whip smacked into the right most Tapirmon and sent it careening into it's fellows with unseen force. The rope continued slicing through the group, scattering every single one of the Tapirmon like bowling pins. When all the digimon were laid out on the ground and groaning from the pain, Floramon finally retracted the rope into her hand.
"Wow, Floramon, that was amazing!" Catherine cheered.
"These guys take 'Rookie' to an all new low." Floramon jeered with a smirk on her face.
Still reeling from the pain, the Tapirmon somehow managed to get up. Looking at each in disbelief, in complete unison they all started to bellow the rapid weed whacker song again. Lifting their weedy snouts to the sky and releasing their anguished, ravenous cry.
Catherine immediately put her hands over her ears, shielding them from the terrible sound, "What are they doing now?!"
Floramon did likewise, covering whatever was here equivalent of plant ears, "I... I don't know!"
They received their answer soon enough as deep boom could be heard from the jungle, accompanied by the sound of crunching and snapping trees. The boom was follow by another, louder this time, and closer. Something very big was heading there way.
Worry about her ears had dissipated, and now worry for her personal safety surged as Catherine chewed on her pointer fingers nail, "Wh... what's that?"
"Why do you ask me so many questions?! I don't know!" Floramon whined back, obviously she was just as scared as Catherine, as she grabbed onto Catherine's skirt like a frightened toddler does his mommy's.
With each massive step the pair heard, their fear grew. Until finally the creature appeared, using enormous arms to part the tallest trees in it's way. It bent down between them and peered into the clearing, glaring at them warily with button eyes.
"A giant teddy bear!" Catherine pointed and screamed.
"That's one stuffed animal you don't want in your collection, trust me! That's Waru Monzemon!" Floramon screamed.
The monstrous black toy bear with all manner of scars sewn up with shoe strings, and a massive metal prosthetic claw. peered down at them, a patch work frown on his face.
The Tapirmon stopped their hideous calls and turned their faces toward Waru Monzemon. The lead Tapirmon lifted his paws up to the monstrous Digimon in supplication.
"Great digital god, these trespassers have defiled your Sacred Thicket! We asked that you deliver unto them you swift and infallible justice!" It invoked.
Waru Monzemon looked the whole pack over then turned back to Catherine and Floramon, then grumbled in it's low, ominous voice, "My judgment, is death to the infidels!"
With that, Waru Monzemon threw his stubby arms apart, snapping each of the trees in his way and crashed into the clearing, scattering squealing Tapirmon in his wake.
Catherine gasped in fear, "Floramon, what do we..."
"Run, that's what!" Floramon answer before Catherine had even finished her question.
The two made and abrupt about face and bolted as fast as their legs could carry them in whichever direction was farthest from the giant evil teddy bear. Leaping and darting through bushes and around trees, all in perfect strides, was, however, not enough, as Waru Monzemon just smashed and crushed the jungle in his way. No matter how much they increased their speed, his creepy evil face could always be seen through the canopy behind them.
Running head long, Catherine noticed a second clearing as well as what appeared to be a massive stone pyramid. It was a long shot, but maybe it would work.
"Floramon, this way!" Catherine yelled grabbing Floramon's arm and pulling her into the clearing.
"What are we... holy Jesus!" Floramon blurted as they entered the clearing and observed the pyramid.
It was massive, several times large then Waru Monzemon, which was a good thing. Built with smooth yellow stones, it went up at a relatively steep slope, until each of the four sides united at a small platform with a four pillared portico above it.
"Come on," Catherine yelled as she moved to the side of the pyramid and began to scale it, "We've got to get up there!"
"I've got a better idea!" Floramon said. "Stamen Rope!"
A brown vine slipped around Catherine's waist, surprising her, it lifted her up and off the stone edifice.
"Stamen Rope!" Floramon repeated.
Catherine watched as Floramon hurled the vine from her other hand toward the platform on top. The vine went sailing and succeeded in catching one of the pillars at the top. Floramon then, holding the rope tight, backed up, stretching the vine to it's near breaking point. Then, Floramon let go of her footing.
Floramon went rocketing into the air with Catherine in tow. The last thing Catherine saw before the constantly tumbling sky and ground, was Waru Monzemon crushing through the last of the trees between it and them.
With screams of sickness, Catherine flew after Floramon, and crashed head first into the hard stone of the side of pyramid. Catherine felt her strength leave her as she began to roll, but the strong grasp of Floramon's rope held her fast, and lifted her up onto the platform.
Regaining her balance, Catherine looked up, then back down, as the world hadn't stopped spinning yet, "Don't do that... anymore..." She grumbled.
"I'm sorry, Catherine, but it got us up here quicker." Floramon said as she retracted her ropes and helped Catherine to a sitting position. "Which brings up, why exactly did we come up here?"
"To get away from Waru Monzemon."
"How, he's right there, he can come get us."
"Well, I figured if he was to do that he would have to climb, and I didn't think he could climb very well because, I mean, he doesn't have any hands, just those fluffy stumps." Catherine said as she pressed her hand to her head, checking for blood.
"YOU HEATHENS!" Waru Monzemon groaned at the base of the Pyramid. "You have sullied my great temple, now there will be no forgiveness, only painful death!"
As could be expected by his tone, he began to climb the side of the temple. As Catherine had predicted, he couldn't do very well, he could barely grasp the smooth surface, and the edges were too far about to grab. However, he was still steadily coming up the side, and would be at the top all too soon.
"Were we going to get forgiveness before. It sure didn't seem like it..." Catherine joked as she stuck a finger in her mouth to check if a particular tooth was loose, then finding the finger particularly nasty tasting, she abandoned her fact finding mission.
"This isn't going to work," Floramon said, standing at the side of the portico, "He'll be up here in... oh my gawd! Catherine look!"
Surprised by her partner's enthusiasm, she rose to her feet and moved to the edge, "What, I don't see anything?"
Floramon lifted a finger and pointed franticly, "Right there, right there, in the other clearing!"
"Floramon I still don't... oh my!"
She finally saw it as she looked toward the other clearing. What she had thought was a simple field of green and yellow grass was so much more, and she could only see it now from her vantage point far above it. What had first appeared to her as random patches of yellow grass among green grass was actually an intricate symbol; a large yellow circle with a smaller yellow circle within it and a line going through it from left to right. It was painfully obvious from up high.
Catherine looked at the tag she still had pressed tightly within the palm of her hand. Lifting it high above her head, she saw that the golden glow had returned, and sure enough the golden beam shot out and landed right in the middle of the design in the grass.
"Fancy laser beams will not save you. Hope is a luxury of the faithful, and strength a privilege of the righteous. Your destiny looms ominous like Armageddon!" Waru Monzemon bellowed, but the pair were too transfixed to pay attention.
"The whole clearing was the crest!" Floramon exclaimed.
"Sacre blu! it was there all the time! I completely missed it! I'm so sorry Floramon! I'm such a ditz!" Catherine yelled angrily.
"It's not your fault, Catherine, I missed it too."
"Well, you're a ditz too."
"This is no time for jokes, Catherine!"
"Whose joking, you are a ditz."
"Fine, whatever, but our objective is clear now! If we're going to get out of this jungle alive, we need to get back to the clearing, and quick!"
Catherine wiped her forehead with her sleeve and let out an exasperated groan that was more akin to one that bear would make, "It's too haaaaawwwwt..."
Walking beside her, Floramon smile as she looked up into Catherine's face, "I quite like it actually."
Catherine shot her a mean look and pouted her lips in frustration, "That's because you're plant."
Floramon chuckled and threw her hands behind her head, "Cie la vie, non!"
Catherine turned away to observe her surroundings. For way too long, the tag had lead them deeper and deeper into this prehistoric jungle. The place thrived with massive palms and thick ferns that stretched lengths above her head till all she could see of the sky was a light blue slit. Wild red orchids and tangling vines littered the area like ornaments on a Christmas tree. The sounds of the forest were abound; a constant buzzing far off, a low sizzling sound, hoots and hollers from far off Digimon, it was a regular cacophony of sound that could be heard, but had no particular will to be seen.
It all might have been very nice, if it weren't for the damned heat. You could practically see the heat rising off of the plants and sweat dripping off of them. Catherine herself was also sweating it all the most uncomfortable areas, causing her to ruin her designer blouse and skirt, making her itch like crazy. There were far too many bushes as well, every time she passed through them her skirt or socks would get caught, and when she finally wrested them free, they would be covered in burs. This crest had better be worth it.
"Well I'm just not used to this weather, Floramon. This is worse then Malta in the middle of July."
Floramon nodded, "Ah yes, Malta, very muggy as I recall."
Catherine sunk in her place, letting her humidity frazzled blonde hair fall in front of her sweat greased face, "Remember those days, Floramon, when we were refined; school days at the town house in Paris, summers at the villa outside Orleans, trips to Monaco and Milan for shopping, trips to Switzerland for skiing, the beaches at Corsica and Nice for spring break, and that one lovely trip to Martinique."
"We're still refined, Catherine." Floramon interjected.
Catherine groaned, "No, we're not. We're refuges, trudging through the jungle..."
Floramon sighed, obviously feeling sorry for Catherine, "Let's check the tag, alright Catherine."
Apathetically, Catherine took the necklace from around her neck and let it dangle in the air. As it steadied itself by mystical means, the yellow glow it radiated changed. The glow began to center and then burst out in a continuous stream of golden light. The light permeated the shade of the jungle and traveled through it like a laser pointer.
Catherine and Floramon both jumped in surprised as they eyes moved back and forth from the glowing tag and the destination of the light beam."
"Fl...Floramon..." Catherine managed.
"It must be the crest!" Floramon exclaimed excitedly.
A smile lit up Catherine's face, "Finally! Let's go!"
She broke into a dead run through the foliage, not caring for the bushes or her skirt anymore. She leaped over fallen branches and puddles with grave and skill as she made her mad dash through the roughage to get her crest. Soon enough she was able to spy a clearing through the trees, the beam shot right through the dangling vines and touched a spot on that ground. Her crest must be hidden in that patch of grass.
"Floramon..." She managed, though out of breath, "I see a clearing..."
Practically leaping through the tree line and into the caring, and at the same moment the tag blinked out, the light dissipated and was gone. Catherine stood there for a moment, shaking the tag, but it offered nothing, as if it had turned into a regular old necklace.
Floramon came running out from the forest soon enough, "Did you get it? Where is it?"
"Um..." Catherine wasn't sure what to say.
She leaned down to the exact spot she thought she remembered the beam hitting. She brushed at the yellowish grass, but nothing appeared to her.
"It just... stopped working..." Catherine mumbled.
Looking up she surveyed the area. The clearing was a circular mound of overgrown grasses witch differed in green and yellow hues.
"What do you mean, stopped working?!" Floramon asked indignantly.
"I don't know, I don't know, it won't glow anymore!" Catherine franticly explained, getting more frustrated as she did, "Look around the area!"
Like they were looking for the cure to cancer, they went over the thicket. Floramon got down on her hands and knees and searched the grass. Catharine ran from one edge of the clearing to the other, head darting about like a ping-pong ball. Finally, Catherine collapsed to her knees and fought to hold back tears.
"We were so close, what went wrong..." She whimpered as she looked at the lifeless tag, "Can this get any worse?"
As if to answer her rhetorical question with a resounding "yes," an intense rustling could be heard from the edge of the tree line, as if a weed whacker was going crazy. Soon several yellowish balls burst from the foliage like rapid soccer balls, snarling and pulsating as the bounced into the clear. A little ways in, the ten or so balls stopped and place, and unfurled to reveal that they were in fact Tapirmon, all with angry faces.
Catherine quickly rose to her feet, and Floramon ran to where she stood.
The lead Tapirmon shuffled forward and brandished a goofy paw accusingly at them, "Infidels! You have defiled the Sacred Thicket!"
"Floramon, what are they talking about?" Catherine queried.
"They're fanatics." Floramon growled.
The Tapirmon continued, "The penalty for this trespass of our holy landmark, IS YOUR SACRIFICIAL DELETION!"
"Over my slim, well-toned dead body!" Floramon screamed.
"I think that's their idea, Floramon..." Catherine whispered.
It seemed as if Floramon ignored her, because she went right on being enraged, "Stamen Rope!"
Accordingly, from the inner recesses of Floramon's cup shaped hand appeared a long brown tendril that grew and grew, even as Floramon hauled that arm back. She then shot it forward like a roundhouse, the long rope swung out with it. Carrying more strength then anyone would have thought possible, the whip smacked into the right most Tapirmon and sent it careening into it's fellows with unseen force. The rope continued slicing through the group, scattering every single one of the Tapirmon like bowling pins. When all the digimon were laid out on the ground and groaning from the pain, Floramon finally retracted the rope into her hand.
"Wow, Floramon, that was amazing!" Catherine cheered.
"These guys take 'Rookie' to an all new low." Floramon jeered with a smirk on her face.
Still reeling from the pain, the Tapirmon somehow managed to get up. Looking at each in disbelief, in complete unison they all started to bellow the rapid weed whacker song again. Lifting their weedy snouts to the sky and releasing their anguished, ravenous cry.
Catherine immediately put her hands over her ears, shielding them from the terrible sound, "What are they doing now?!"
Floramon did likewise, covering whatever was here equivalent of plant ears, "I... I don't know!"
They received their answer soon enough as deep boom could be heard from the jungle, accompanied by the sound of crunching and snapping trees. The boom was follow by another, louder this time, and closer. Something very big was heading there way.
Worry about her ears had dissipated, and now worry for her personal safety surged as Catherine chewed on her pointer fingers nail, "Wh... what's that?"
"Why do you ask me so many questions?! I don't know!" Floramon whined back, obviously she was just as scared as Catherine, as she grabbed onto Catherine's skirt like a frightened toddler does his mommy's.
With each massive step the pair heard, their fear grew. Until finally the creature appeared, using enormous arms to part the tallest trees in it's way. It bent down between them and peered into the clearing, glaring at them warily with button eyes.
"A giant teddy bear!" Catherine pointed and screamed.
"That's one stuffed animal you don't want in your collection, trust me! That's Waru Monzemon!" Floramon screamed.
The monstrous black toy bear with all manner of scars sewn up with shoe strings, and a massive metal prosthetic claw. peered down at them, a patch work frown on his face.
The Tapirmon stopped their hideous calls and turned their faces toward Waru Monzemon. The lead Tapirmon lifted his paws up to the monstrous Digimon in supplication.
"Great digital god, these trespassers have defiled your Sacred Thicket! We asked that you deliver unto them you swift and infallible justice!" It invoked.
Waru Monzemon looked the whole pack over then turned back to Catherine and Floramon, then grumbled in it's low, ominous voice, "My judgment, is death to the infidels!"
With that, Waru Monzemon threw his stubby arms apart, snapping each of the trees in his way and crashed into the clearing, scattering squealing Tapirmon in his wake.
Catherine gasped in fear, "Floramon, what do we..."
"Run, that's what!" Floramon answer before Catherine had even finished her question.
The two made and abrupt about face and bolted as fast as their legs could carry them in whichever direction was farthest from the giant evil teddy bear. Leaping and darting through bushes and around trees, all in perfect strides, was, however, not enough, as Waru Monzemon just smashed and crushed the jungle in his way. No matter how much they increased their speed, his creepy evil face could always be seen through the canopy behind them.
Running head long, Catherine noticed a second clearing as well as what appeared to be a massive stone pyramid. It was a long shot, but maybe it would work.
"Floramon, this way!" Catherine yelled grabbing Floramon's arm and pulling her into the clearing.
"What are we... holy Jesus!" Floramon blurted as they entered the clearing and observed the pyramid.
It was massive, several times large then Waru Monzemon, which was a good thing. Built with smooth yellow stones, it went up at a relatively steep slope, until each of the four sides united at a small platform with a four pillared portico above it.
"Come on," Catherine yelled as she moved to the side of the pyramid and began to scale it, "We've got to get up there!"
"I've got a better idea!" Floramon said. "Stamen Rope!"
A brown vine slipped around Catherine's waist, surprising her, it lifted her up and off the stone edifice.
"Stamen Rope!" Floramon repeated.
Catherine watched as Floramon hurled the vine from her other hand toward the platform on top. The vine went sailing and succeeded in catching one of the pillars at the top. Floramon then, holding the rope tight, backed up, stretching the vine to it's near breaking point. Then, Floramon let go of her footing.
Floramon went rocketing into the air with Catherine in tow. The last thing Catherine saw before the constantly tumbling sky and ground, was Waru Monzemon crushing through the last of the trees between it and them.
With screams of sickness, Catherine flew after Floramon, and crashed head first into the hard stone of the side of pyramid. Catherine felt her strength leave her as she began to roll, but the strong grasp of Floramon's rope held her fast, and lifted her up onto the platform.
Regaining her balance, Catherine looked up, then back down, as the world hadn't stopped spinning yet, "Don't do that... anymore..." She grumbled.
"I'm sorry, Catherine, but it got us up here quicker." Floramon said as she retracted her ropes and helped Catherine to a sitting position. "Which brings up, why exactly did we come up here?"
"To get away from Waru Monzemon."
"How, he's right there, he can come get us."
"Well, I figured if he was to do that he would have to climb, and I didn't think he could climb very well because, I mean, he doesn't have any hands, just those fluffy stumps." Catherine said as she pressed her hand to her head, checking for blood.
"YOU HEATHENS!" Waru Monzemon groaned at the base of the Pyramid. "You have sullied my great temple, now there will be no forgiveness, only painful death!"
As could be expected by his tone, he began to climb the side of the temple. As Catherine had predicted, he couldn't do very well, he could barely grasp the smooth surface, and the edges were too far about to grab. However, he was still steadily coming up the side, and would be at the top all too soon.
"Were we going to get forgiveness before. It sure didn't seem like it..." Catherine joked as she stuck a finger in her mouth to check if a particular tooth was loose, then finding the finger particularly nasty tasting, she abandoned her fact finding mission.
"This isn't going to work," Floramon said, standing at the side of the portico, "He'll be up here in... oh my gawd! Catherine look!"
Surprised by her partner's enthusiasm, she rose to her feet and moved to the edge, "What, I don't see anything?"
Floramon lifted a finger and pointed franticly, "Right there, right there, in the other clearing!"
"Floramon I still don't... oh my!"
She finally saw it as she looked toward the other clearing. What she had thought was a simple field of green and yellow grass was so much more, and she could only see it now from her vantage point far above it. What had first appeared to her as random patches of yellow grass among green grass was actually an intricate symbol; a large yellow circle with a smaller yellow circle within it and a line going through it from left to right. It was painfully obvious from up high.
Catherine looked at the tag she still had pressed tightly within the palm of her hand. Lifting it high above her head, she saw that the golden glow had returned, and sure enough the golden beam shot out and landed right in the middle of the design in the grass.
"Fancy laser beams will not save you. Hope is a luxury of the faithful, and strength a privilege of the righteous. Your destiny looms ominous like Armageddon!" Waru Monzemon bellowed, but the pair were too transfixed to pay attention.
"The whole clearing was the crest!" Floramon exclaimed.
"Sacre blu! it was there all the time! I completely missed it! I'm so sorry Floramon! I'm such a ditz!" Catherine yelled angrily.
"It's not your fault, Catherine, I missed it too."
"Well, you're a ditz too."
"This is no time for jokes, Catherine!"
"Whose joking, you are a ditz."
"Fine, whatever, but our objective is clear now! If we're going to get out of this jungle alive, we need to get back to the clearing, and quick!"