Sora glanced over as Davis muttered the name in his sleep, tossing and turning. She knew he couldn't be very comfortable in the makeshift bed she had put together for him, comprised over the emergency blanket she had packed in her backpack and her jacket used as a makeshift pillow for him, but the discomfort didn't wake him. She sat with her back up against as tree, knees tucked up close to her face, eyes scanning the small area where they had landed.
The creature - she wasn't even entirely sure it was a Digimon - that had attacked the train had come so suddenly, so quickly, she had scarcely had time to properly react. Only thinking of reaching and grabbing Davis - younger and therefore one she was in charge of protecting - and had held him close to her in an attempt to shield the boy from whatever might strike. From the corner of her eye she could see Matt trying to make his way over to them right as the train fell off the rails. With no hands to hold onto the inside Sora and Davis had flown out into the abyss, only having one another to hold onto.
Something had saved them.
She wasn't sure what it had been, but there had been warmth from somewhere and then a whoosh and beat of wings before she had lost her consciousness. She had no way of telling how long it had been before she had woken up, but however long was quicker than Davis, whose face was starting to become flush and she was beginning to fear a fever was settling into his system.
It had been a long time since Sora had felt so out of her element in the digital world. It was like she was small once again. A child. Lost and uncertain. Her digivice had long left a deep imprint in her closed fist buttons digging into the skin. But this time there was no one waiting for her. No guide to show her the way. Now it was just her and Davis and the occasional moving of something from the trees, from the swamp, from the sky, that made her nearly jump out of her skin.
Davis groaned again, eyebrows knit together in pain.
They couldn't stay here forever.
Sora cast one last look at her digivice in her hand before clipping it onto her belt and heaving herself into a standing position. They needed help. Or at least proper safety. She bent down and did her best to heave Davis onto her back. The boy was fit, but he also had that special kind of fast metabolism only boys like him seemed to have, leaving him with lean muscles and little fat on his body. If anything, she was surprised with how little he weighed. She ended up having to swing her backpack around so that it was worn on her front like some kind of protective gear, and though it made her feel silly it was practical and it wasn't like anyone else was around to see it.
Sora picked a direction, and started to walk.
The air was more humid than she would have liked, and the ground damp and slick beneath her tennis shoes. She gave a small huff and adjusted Davis on her back even as she could feel the sweat beginning to form and drip down her brow. An after or so later, she heard the screams.
Quickly, Sora turned around and put Davis down as gently as she could, wincing as his head hit the edge of a tree. She turned around to face the rest of the forest in front of them, armed and ready. A distant rumbling grew louder and louder in sound until finally, dozens of pink figures burst out from the underbrush, all crying out in a panic.
Her heart clenched the moment she saw and recognized the digimon. Yokomon.
But there was no time to dwell on her heartache, or stare at each of them and see if any could possibly be her Yokomon. Out from the woods roared a Snimon, brandishing it's two sickles and slicing right through a Yokomon, sending the small one's data flying into the air.
It would probably be safer to follow the Yokomon, but Davis couldn't exactly run. And even if she picked him up with him combined weight there was no way she could hope to outrun the Snimon. Sora did the only thing she could do, and stood her ground.
None of them had thought to bring protective gear with them, or defensive gear, or weapons of any kind. None of them had thought to. She was sure they had all assumed they wouldn't be alone to face this without their other halves.
Distantly, part of Sora wondered if the rest of them had found their partners, leaving only her and Davis defenseless.
No time to feel sorry for herself.
Sora glared down the Snimon and stuck her arms out wide to block his pathway.
"Stop!" She shouted at the digimon, who roared back at her, hissing and spitting. Fear rose up from her stomach, and she cast a glance back at Davis, still laying dormant on the ground. He was so young, laying unconscious like that. Hsi face soft with youth. Her heart clenched. And another feeling rose up to replace the terror, something warm and fierce and protective all at once. Behind her, the Yokomon continued to scream. Behind her, Davis' device shone.
Sora reached down and grabbed her digivice and held it in her hand, feeling it growing hot and shifting in her hand, molding into something else. On it's screen, the crest of love glowed brightly and a bright light shot out of it went into the sky, going somewhere. And when the beam died down it didn't fully leave. It stayed on the end of her digivice like a long rope. Or a whip. Sora looked up and stared at the Snimon, and with one determined wave of her struck out her digivice, letting the bright beam lash out and snap in the air.
The Snimon cried out and recoiled. Sora snapped it again, taking a bold step forward. This Snimon would not get past her, and it would not hurt anymore Yokomon.
It took a beat and seemed to deem Sora too big of a hassle to deal with and turned around, disappearing back the way it had come. Behind her something shifted, and then there was a voice.
"That was pretty badass."
"Davis!" She cried out as she turned to look at the younger boy,his eyes open and exhaustion clear on his face but awake. Actually awake. The moment of tension gone, the red whip on her digivice disappeared. Sora couldn't help herself but to go in for a big hug, wrapping her arms around him.
"Where is everyone?" Davis asked, voice slightly muffled as he spoke into Sora's shoulder. Sora squeezed him tighter, fear edging in once again.
"I don't know. When I woke up… I was all alone."
"Well," Davis said, backing away enough so that she could see his face, smile radiant. "...you're not alone anymore."
"Did you really take care of the Snimon?" A small, hesitant voice asked. Sora turned her head and looked down to see a small Yokomon gazing up at her. It sniffled a little, eyes slightly red from crying, and made a small attempt to peer around Sora to see if the threat was truly gone. It looked so much like her Yokomon… She thought of waking up, those wonderful few weeks years ago when they had let their partners stay with them for Christmas. Opening her eyes to see that cheerful and bright grin looking back at her. Sora couldn't stop herself from reaching forward, wanting to gently touch those petals. The Yokomon flinched away from her touch, and Sora was brought back to the present.
"Yes. It's gone. For now, at least."
At those words a sudden cacophonous noise erupted from behind her in the tree line and the Yokomon as one all spilled out and hefted Sora and Davis up, cheering. Davis looked tired still, deep bags under his eyes, and surprised at whatever was going on. Sora just felt her heart warm.
The enthusiasm slowly diminished from the crowd and they set Sora and Davis back down. Davis looked at Sora with a small smile, eyebrows raised.
"What have you been up to while I was out?" Sora opened her mouth to reply when she realized that there was quiet but urgent whispering among the small Digimon around them. After a moment a singly Yokomon was shoved forward towards Sora - she recognized it as the one that had talked to her just a moment ago. It looked shyly at the forest floor and then raised it's big eyes to Sora pleadingly.
"We would like your help in traveling back to our home." It said, softly at first and then with rising confidence. "The Snimon and his goons chased us out a week ago. But maybe if he was scared off the other's will retreat too."
"I don't know if it works like that…." Sora said, worrying her bottom lip. She wasn't sure she could replicate the whip trick, she wasn't sure how she'd done it in the first place, and the idea of the Snimon having friends meant they were almost surely still there.
"We just want to go home…" Another Yokomon said from somewhere in the ranks, flower bobbing up and down.
"Of course we'll help you!" Davis said, standing up an seeming to regain a small amount of energy. "We're the Digidestined! We keep the world in balance. Both in the grand sense and for the little guys!" He said it with such confidence in his voice, reassuring the small and frightened Digimon. Children. Yokomon were children really. Sora found herself nodding along.
"But first we should make camp." She declared, looking at the way Davis listed a little to the side. "I think we all could use some time to regroup."
Hours later, the sun had set deep in the sky and completely disappeared bringing with it the darkness of the night. Sora and Davis had made a series of small fires, and most of the Yokomon were happily tucking in for the night around the warm embers. Sora walked over to take a seat next to Davis who was sitting off to the side, the few Nyokimon of the group having nestled themselves around him. Baby Digimon were always drawn to him.
"He's not here." Davis said, voice kept quiet and careful. His one free hand held his digivice. Sora watched as he pressed a button and received no response, much like she had been doing hours ago.
"He's here." She replied, trying to cover up her own doubts. "If he was gone, you would have felt something."
"But if he's here wouldn't I know?" He replied back. Not hostile, not hotly, just matter of factly. Sadly. As he stared up at the stars. No recognizable constellations. This was the digital world after all.
"We wouldn't have been brought here if they didn't need us. And we're all only half of ourselves without our Digimon. They're here. You guys had to find them the first time. We just have to find them again." She said, and Davis nodded lightly, the crease of worry between his eyebrows remained. Sora reached over and gently pulled his head onto her shoulder, carding her hands through his hair. "You should get some sleep."
"If anyone needs sleep here it's you." Davis said, but a long, stretched out yawn followed.
"I'll take first watch. Something's really taken it out of you, and tomorrow we have a long day of walking." Sora waited for Davis' usual quick response, but instead his breathing had evened out as he slipped back into sleep.