DISCLAIMER: Again, I don't own Digimon, any of the characters, or the poem. Enjoy!
Gatomon breathed in the dank, earthy smell that the wood around her had acquired, and held up one paw. Her fingers were twitching and trembling. Her other hand still clutched the yam she had been eating. As much as she hated to admit it, she was scared. If they found her, she would be dragged back in shame to hours of torture until she could barely stand, let alone hold her head high and act like nothing had happened. A part of her almost wished she had stayed – there at least she knew she was partially safe from his wrath. Everyone else was as she was now – almost constantly quaking, waiting for the day when they would be the ones to bear the brunt of his attack.
She heard the door bang open, and then a voice belonging to a Sharmamon.
"Jeez, what a dump."
Gatomon felt an instant rush of annoyance. How dare he? But she remained where she was. She couldn't do anything.
"We're looking for - "
She held her breath.
" - Akanni."
She let out her breath in a soft whoosh. And then froze. Akanni? What?
Akanni's gentle, soothing voice filtered through the floorboards to her hiding place. "Well, gentlemon, what can I do for you?"
"Shut up."
Then, suddenly, there were thumps and crashes. Gatomon heard Akanni cry out in pain, and Chinwe screamed. Gatomon's paw shot out and gripped the handle of the trapdoor… then she stopped.
Part of her was screaming at her, what are you doing? Your friend is in trouble – he needs you. But another, soft voice was whispering in her ear.
Why go out there? You can't do anything. And anyway, even if you could, then he would know where you were. You'd get dragged back in shame… all that effort would have been for nothing…
Slowly, she lowered her paw.
A/N: Short one this time, but I thought this was a shocking way to end the chapter! Please let me know what you think – I'm actually not too sure about this fic. If you have any ideas to improve it, or if you like it the way it is, please review and tell me! Thanks!