Two boulders sat only a few feet from the edge of a cliff, where the sand had given way to craggy rocks and the ocean below.
It was past noon, if the sun was anything to go by, and the group of weary travelers had decided to take a break.
Perched upon sun-warm rocks, they tried to regain some strength and take in the cooling ocean breeze.
Lizzy leaned back, taking in the sunlight, as she thought over what had happened by the beach.
Feeling something on her hip, the blonde blinked, grabbing hold of it and bring whatever it was up to her line of sight.
'That device that fell from the sky…'
Studying it carefully, she turned the purple mechanism over and over in her palm…
'Tonya has one…And it glowed when Agumon Digivolved…'
"Lizzy?"
Blinking up at Steph as she slowly returned to the conscious world, Lizzy smiled.
"Y-Yeah?"
"What are you thinking about?"
"Oh, nothing…"
Tonya sat at the base of the rock, looking up at them as Agumon napped in her lap.
Both were still tired out from the fight before, and she wasn't willing to climb onto the stone.
"You feeling alright, tiger?" Jenny teased.
"Just tired…"
"You were awesome, Tonya!"
TJ grinned, Patamon nodded from her shoulder.
"Could I do that?"
"Not until you're my age, Tammy." Meg put in.
"But MEGGIE…"
"No. It's too dangerous."
The blue-eyed teen's unyielding gaze meant no arguments, and TJ knew to stop.
If there was one thing she knew, it was when her sister needed to be left alone…
"All of this stuff is making my head SPIN…" Mel admitted, now that she'd been given sufficient time to process everything.
"It's a bit complicated…But I think I've got it."
Everyone stared at Jenny, and she blinked at the incredulous looks…
"What?"
"…YOU'VE got it? It happened to me, and I STILL don't got it!"
"It's pretty simple once you piece everything together. They said we were connected, so it only makes sense that when THEY get hurt or stronger, so do we."
"…Th-That makes sense…"
"Good job, Jen. You managed to use your brain." Steph teased.
"HEY…"
Meg smiled a bit, but it was wiped away when something reached her ears.
Lifting her head, brow furrowing at the rhythmic sounds, she felt Gabumon almost bristling beside her.
"Guys-."
A Digimon busted through some rock to their left, and the group cried out as the dinosaur-like creature roared.
"Wh-What's that?"
"It's a Monochromon, but don't worry about him. He's a laid-back Digimon."
ROAR!!!
"…Although, it is wise to be a bit cautious with a Monochromon…They do tend to get a little miffed when they're hungry…"
"What do you think? Hungry or starving?"
Jenny chuckled a bit nervously, backing up with the others.
"STARVING…" Mel answered, eyes wide.
Another crash at their back, and they whipped around to find another Monochromon…
"UH OH…"
Meg's eyes narrowed, hands fisting…
"Where are their Spirit Evolutions?"
Indian whoops hit the air, and two fox girls, one red and one white, jumped out of the trees, facing each other with wooden spears.
They each had long black-tipped tails, pointed ears, and black and white tribal masks covering their faces.
They snarled, circling each other, and TJ hugged Patamon closer.
"Why don't they talk?" Mel whispered.
"Some Spirit Evolutions are more animal than anything…They don't know how…" Palmon replied.
That sent a shiver down Tonya's spine for reasons she couldn't explain, but Meg seemed able to move.
"Over here!"
The group scrambled behind the boulders they'd been using as perches, flinching as the two pairs clashed.
Blood and growls and dust filled their senses, and TJ was overloading as she hid her face in Patamon's fur.
Mel was trembling, squeezing Palmon's hand as tight as she could manage, and Lizzy closed her eyes.
Steph held her breath, looking away to see Jenny's equally averted eyes and Tonya's fidgety anxiety.
Meg seemed to be the only one who could watch at all, face blank and eyes iced over.
"Meg?"
Angry screams, sharp pain in her sides…
"Meggie?"
Crashing, shattering glass…
"Meg, what's wrong?"
Stinging cheek, watery eyes, warm blood…
"MEG!"
Blinking free of the visions, she looked at Tonya, who had shaken her shoulder in worry.
"What?"
"You were out of it…"
"Meggie…"
The ice melted at the crack in TJ's voice, and she crouched down to pull the younger girl against her.
"Wh-What are they doing?"
Lizzy dared to ask, keeping her face turned towards only Tentomon.
"They're fighting over territory."
"They can just have it, then!" Mel shouted, turning to run while dragging Palmon after her.
Everyone was happy for an excuse to run, and turned tail from the battle and the bloodshed.
The sight followed them even hours later, though the need for sleep seemed to be shoving it from their minds.
The sun was beginning to set, the sky alight with golds, pinks, and whites, even a tinge of purple on the horizon…
"It's pretty…" TJ whispered, rubbing her eye free of sleep.
"W-We're about to lose our only source of light."
"We need a campsite." Steph agreed, smiling as Biyomon leaned against her.
"Wait a moment, I sense water!"
Tentomon's wings buzzed, and he flew up into the trees as the group stopped, watching his flight.
There was silence as he found a sturdy branch, everyone being a bit too tired to start complaining…
"I HATE standing…"
Well, Jenny is an exception to most rules…
"Just like I thought! It's a freshwater lake, with clean water and a variety of tasty fish. A perfect campsite!"
"H-How far is it?" Lizzy managed to shout up.
"We should be there before the sun sets!"
"Great."
Tonya smiled, patting Agumon's head so he'd awaken from his doze.
"Let's get moving. We can't just stand here complaining."
"Come on, guys." Jen urged, balancing a dozing Gomamon on her shoulder as she pulled Mel and Lizzy after her.
As the group continued on, TJ yawned, following her sister's insistent tugs.
Steph was happy to see they'd reached the lake, wider than the East River that the Brooklyn Bridge passed over within sight of her apartment.
The water was painted pink and gold, the colors that dominated the sky, and the grass disappeared into a rocky shore.
"It's beautiful…" Mel breathed, looking amazed.
"Where are we going to sleep, though?" Jenny wondered.
"The floor, DUH." Tonya answered.
"NO way."
"Don't get all bent out of shape, Jenny-."
"NO WAY, Red."
"It doesn't matter if you don't want to." Meg put in, tone indifferent.
"We have no choices, unless you'd like to sleep standing up."
"Um…Guys?" Lizzy stated, trying to catch their attention.
"I'd rather sleep standing up then have bugs crawl over me!"
"Standing won't stop that."
"G-Guys!"
"DON'T SAY THAT!"
"Why? Afraid it's true?"
"LA-LA-LA-LA!"
"You're such a child-."
"GUYS!!!"
Everyone jumped, staring at Steph as she took a calming breath.
"Look."
Gesturing down the shore, a small 'island' of rock loomed up from the water's surface, bearing a trolley car upon its surface.
The girls' were surprised when the lights suddenly turned on, and Mel grinned.
"Maybe someone's inside!"
"MEL!"
Helpless to stop her from running towards it, the others soon followed at a slower pace.
Palmon managed to catch up, and the group was wary of any surprise attacks by a Spirit Evolution or a bad-tempered Digimon.
Tonya was the first to gather her courage and cross the rock bridge to the trolley first.
With the others soon on her heels, she pulled open a door, finding that the interior was empty.
"Um…FREAKY…"
"It's so CLEAN…" Steph muttered, looking disbelieving.
"It looks COMFY…" Jenny noted wistfully, jumping onto one of the cushioned seats.
"Can we sleep here?" TJ wondered, looking up with large gold eyes.
"…Why not?"
"I'm not so sure…" Steph admitted.
"W-We could get attacked…L-Like at the payphones…"
"Don't you worry." Tonya assured, grinning.
"Me and Agu can take care of anything that comes our way!"
TJ grinned.
"You'll be a superhero again?"
"Sure will."
Meg sighed, looking around the cabin before locking on a window.
"We should search for food. Before night falls."
"I-I'll catch some fish."
"Me, too!" TJ offered.
"The Digimon can search for fruit and stuff." Jenny piped up.
"And me and Jenny can get firewood." Mel added.
"I'll find some stones, for the fire." Steph offered.
"Me and Meg will build the fire. We'll all meet up at the shore right past the bridge to eat." Tonya decided.
As everyone began to split up to do their jobs, Meg stopped once she set foot on the shore, looking out over the water.
The flashes hadn't quite stopped, though they ran through the back of her mind like they usually did.
She couldn't seem to ever completely silence the shouted words, even if they only buzzed in her head, and often concentrated merely to think clearly.
Following Tonya on autopilot, she stopped at a dip in the shore, and backed up, indicating it for her friend's benefit.
Steph, Mel, and Jenny were the first to return, usually in shifts, to bring supplies for the fire.
As Tonya arranged all of the wood, Meg made sure the stones were dug into the dirt safely.
Dropping some dried leaves atop, she stepped back, looking up at the sky as it darkened considerably.
"We should light it."
"How?"
"…Where's Agumon?"
"Oh, right. Agu!"
"Yeah, Tonya?"
"Mind giving us a little fire?"
The Digimon grinned, green eyes bright.
"Sure! Pepper Breath!"
The leaves and wood caught immediately, and the fire blazed strongly a moment before it died down to a more adequate level.
"Thanks, Agu!"
Tonya grinned, hugging the Digimon to her chest.
"Why don't you find the others? It's getting dark out there."
"Sure thing!"
As he ran off, the redhead turned back to the fire, making sure everything was fine, before looking up at Meg.
Blue eyes were their normal slightly-distant glazed blue, but the black-haired girl at least seemed aware of her friend's movements.
'Aw, Meg…'
"We caught some fish!" TJ exclaimed, dragging Lizzy behind her as they raced towards the fire.
"Th-There should be enough for everyone."
Steph stepped over some bushes, leading Jenny and Mel as they carried some extra firewood.
"Food ready?"
"Give us five minutes." Tonya replied, smiling.
Managing to fix the fish onto sturdy sticks, Meg positioned them around the flames as the Digimon returned with fruit and such.
The sun had almost completely disappeared by the time the group sat around the fire to eat, the warm glow thawing the day's worries off their skin.
Biting into one of the cooked fish, TJ smiled at the smoky taste as the Digimon jumped into a large fruit big enough for them to split.
Jenny ate her share quickly, obviously starving, and leaned back on her hands to enjoy the feeling of a full stomach.
Mel was having some trouble ripping chunks off to eat, so Steph left her own fish to help her younger friend rip off pieces by hand.
Lizzy was silent, giving her fish to TJ before biting into a fruit instead.
TJ was happily chewing away at the fish, glad to have some nourishment after a long day of fear and excitement.
Tonya was just happy to not be running for her life or walking aimlessly through the forest, the soles of her feet threatening to swell.
At least, being connected as she was with Agumon, she felt even more full than she probably should have.
Meg ate slowly, and people who didn't know her well would have thought she was savoring the taste.
But Lizzy knew her friend, though not as well as others, and could tell she was distracted.
It seemed she usually was, by something or other, and some citizens would feel it was impossible to keep her attention.
'I suppose she has a lot of things on her mind…'
The food was gone rather quickly, or so it felt like, and caused that familiar content sleepiness they knew well from Thanksgiving or Christmas.
"I'm TIRED…" Jenny complained again, yawning before she lay down with a dozing Gomamon as her pillow.
"We can't all just fall asleep." Steph pointed out, hiding a yawn as Biyomon leaned on her half-asleep.
"W-We'll need to keep watch…" Lizzy agreed, resting her head on Tentomon's.
"I'll take first watch." Tonya offered, looking at her many dozing friends.
"I'll take the next one." Meg added, looking up from the fire.
"I'll finish up the night." Jenny decided.
"Can we go sleep now?" Mel wondered, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to keep awake.
"Let's get to the trolley." Tonya answered, standing.
As the group moved across the bridge, Meg stayed behind to put out the dying fire, knowing her redheaded friend had taken the extra firewood.
Creating a smaller flame on the island, Tonya looked up as her friend finally stepped up to the trolley.
Settling on the ground, she shoved Agumon awake before grabbing a twig and poking the flames.
Inside the trolley, the girls were trying to get comfortable on the seats with their Digimon for sleep.
Lizzy settled on one of the free seats, curling up on her side against one end and trying to keep warm.
Tentomon settled in a sitting position against the back of her thighs, leaning against her as he relaxed.
Mel leaned against an 'arm rest', legs tucked up beneath her, as Palmon lay in her lap, with her partner's arms holding her in place.
Jenny was on the other end of the seat, lying haphazardly half-on and half-off, with Gomamon already snoring softly on her chest.
Steph smiled softly at them, lying across from the pair while hugging Biyomon to her chest for warmth.
Curled around Patamon, TJ was just starting to doze, growing accustomed to the strange feeling of someone else's exhaustion.
Meg was watching her sister, the sound of crying echoing in her ears as she sat rigidly, Gabumon leaning slightly on her arm.
A shiver wracked the younger girl's form, and blue eyes darted to her partner in an instant.
"Gabumon."
"Hm?"
Blinking back sleep, he looked up at her curiously.
"Go sleep next to Tammy."
"What for?"
"No reason. Just do it."
The way her eyes darted away at the question was the only signal of her embarrassment, and he released the interrogation.
"Alright."
Once he was draped over TJ, Meg stood up, walking towards the door leading outside.
Staring out the window, her hand tightened on the knob as the sounds threatened to become louder.
'I need to get out of here…'
Opening the door, she jumped to the smooth floor, closing it before moving swiftly towards the bridge.
Tonya spotted her in one of her visual sweeps, though she didn't move to confront her.
She was rather tired after all, with Agumon practically asleep as he lay on her lap, and the redhead figured Meg would be alright.
Hitting the shore, she moved along it at a clipped pace, finding a large tree with large enough roots for her to squeeze between.
Bringing her knees up to press into her chest and wrapping her arms around them, Meg rested her forehead against it.
'Stop shouting…'
The screams, the insults, blared in her ears like sirens…
'Just stop it…'
Phantom stings, the scorching feel of tears, and Meg closed her eyes…
'STOP IT!'
"Meg?"
Her head shot up, surprised at the voice that cut through the sound and quieted the screams.
Gabumon's worried eyes reached her through the blur she knew as tears, and Meg hesitantly reached out, pulling him into an embrace.
Her eyes stung, tears overflowing, and her throat constricted as she held the Digimon close, face hidden in his fur.
"Keep the noises away…They won't leave me alone…"
Gabumon held her carefully, waiting for the tears to dry and for her to freeze them into her protective wall once more.
It took a few minutes, but she eventually pulled back, seeming more composed.
Sniffling slightly, she rubbed at the dried tears on her cheeks, looking away in something akin to shame.
"I'm sorry…"
"There is nothing to be sorry about, my friend." He assured, putting a hand on her cheek.
"Everyone has these moments, I'm sure."
"Gabu…I think I've been going crazy…" She admitted, voice so soft he almost didn't catch her words.
"Of course you aren't."
"How do you know?"
Meg was still wary, but was still vulnerable after the dam had fallen.
She hadn't had the chance to rebuild it, to repel others worries…
"You're still HERE, Meg."
She paused, trying to understand…
"You're still here, you're still you…You're still fighting."
Carefully, he nuzzled her neck, making her charm catch the light.
"You haven't lost yourself yet…And I won't let you."
Feeling grounded for the first time in so long, Meg clung to the feeling, nodding slightly.
"…Thanks…"
"Anytime, my friend."
Something rumbled, and their heads whipped around to see the trolley, the island shaking beneath its wheels as something rose up from the water.
It looked like a massive sea dragon, with a green-scaled girl riding atop his head.
She had the tail of an alligator, along with the jaws, and had piercing gold eyes even from a distance.
"It's Seadramon and Razorjaw!"
Meg was frozen, the only thing snapping her from the haze being the bridge shattering from the shore.
A scream echoed from the trolley as Seadramon accidentally pulled the island away after him, and her heart stopped.
'TAMMY!'
She was running before she could register any other thought, and Gabumon followed at her heels even after she leaped into the water.
Hearing it crash amidst the obstructions littering the center of the lake, Meg knew it was a steady target now, and sped up her pace.
Seadramon roared, freeing his tail as Razorjaw bared her massive jaws at those on the little island.
The Digimon seemed to be trying to hold him off, but it wasn't working very well…
Speeding ahead of her partner, Meg reached the edge of the rock surface, pulling herself up without mind to the scratches and pebbles embedded in her palms.
Scrambling onto level ground, she spotted Razorjaw when she jumped before the others, tail swaying dangerously.
She pounced straight at TJ, and Patamon wouldn't be able to reach in time…
"TAMMY!"
Razorjaw almost screeched as she was tackled out of midair, and her long, curved claws bit into Meg's shoulders.
Holding back her cries of pain, she kicked at the stomach, knocking Razorjaw away.
Sitting up with some difficulty, she winced at the small trails of blood oozing down her skin, and wiped them away.
"FOOL…"
The alligator humanoid hissed, mouth too awkward to speak properly.
"Leave them alone." She warned, eyes icy.
It seemed Razorjaw was glad to agree, her teeth catching a secure hold on Meg's leg.
Yelping in surprise as she was dragged into the water, she heard Gabumon's shouting before going underwater.
Gabumon tried to reach her, but Seadramon crossed his path, intent on protecting his own partner.
"Blue Blaster!"
Seadramon hissed, flicking the smaller Digimon away, as Meg managed to break free and pass the surface.
"GABUMON!"
"MEG, YOU MUST EVOLVE! IT'S THE ONLY WAY-!"
He went below the water, struck again by Seadramon, and she didn't have the time to cry out to him before being pulled under once more.
"MEG!"
Tonya was held back from jumping into the water, the others shouting for her to stay where it was safe.
'Meg…Find your Spirit Animal…PLEASE…'
Underneath the water, Meg was thrashing, frantic to free herself as her lungs begged for air.
Her vision was darkening at the edges, and the strength was leaving her limbs as they begged for oxygen…
'Can't…think…'
The sounds were back, ringing so loudly, but a shout managed to make it through the water and envelop the mist…
"MEG!"
The floating charm around her neck came into her line of sight, and her dark vision glowed blue…
'Wolf…'
The warmth of blue light surrounded her, giving strength, and the numbing pain of Razorjaw released her with a screech.
The light surrounded her in a cocoon of warmth, lifting her prone form out of the water and into the air, protecting her…
"Megan, Spirit Evolve into…"
It spread across her skin like molasses, changing and solidifying…
"FANG!"
The blue light shattered, and she landed on the edge of the island's ground in a crouch, standing to see the differences she expected to find.
Black wolf ears and tail were apparent, as well as dark claws and fangs, and she felt the tail twitch behind her.
A blue tank top and black leather pants covered her frame now, along with a floor-length black scar around her neck.
A metal belt, looping around her hips, and blue gloves were also accessories, like the black high-heeled boots.
A vivid light came from Gabumon's position, and she felt strength flood her as it went brighter.
"Gabumon, Digivolve to…GARURUMON!!"
The wolf Digimon climbed up beside his partner, snarling, as her tail stiffened.
Seadramon hissed in warning, and Razorjaw showed her teeth threateningly as Tentomon buzzed.
"This is amazing…"
"Wh-Why?"
"For a Spirit Evolution to have the same animal type as their Digimon…It's extremely rare."
Razorjaw tried to pounce first, but Fang had the high ground, and knocked the wind out of her opponent as she tackled her.
Snarling, they both hit the water as Garurumon leaped up to engage Seadramon.
Releasing once underwater, Fang looked around before pulling back her hands and bringing them together in a powerful clap.
The water opened to the lakebed like Moses had parted the red sea, and Razorjaw was swept up in the current.
Using the solid ground beneath her to force herself up into the air above the water, and Garurumon fastened his fangs onto Seadramon's back.
Razorjaw caught her balance, hissing as she propelled herself from the water straight at the slowly-rising Fang.
Hands fastened into fists, icy eyes blazed with concentrated fury.
"This is for Tammy…"
Pulling her arm back before that one weightless moment took hold of her, Razorjaw reached her the next moment.
Her fist met the elongated jaws, and there was a shockwave from the strength and speed of the movement before Razorjaw flew away like a bullet.
"Ice Blast!"
Fang was overcome with a feeling of frigid cold, and fell into the water with a choked sound, like a kicked dog.
Surfacing, she spotted Garurumon being frozen over with ice, and swam towards him as fast as she could manage, scrambling atop the frost.
Running to his head, Fang ducked beneath his head to avoid Seadramon's attack.
Feeling frozen, she grabbed onto his fur, a snarl rumbling in her chest.
"Get up, Garurumon. You're not going down now."
A cracking sound, and she smirked.
"Go get him…"
The ice shattered, and Fang swung onto his back as Seadramon reared back, Razorjaw atop his head once more.
"Howling Blaster!"
"Ice Blast!"
The two attacks seemed to be waging war, and the two girls glared at each other intensely.
"Come on, Garurumon…Come on…"
A strange roar, and Razorjaw leaped off her Digimon's head, going straight for her.
Fang leaped up to meet her, fangs bared, and Howling Blaster won out the moment her fist struck the alligator-girl's face once more.
As the two fell beneath the waves, Fang landed on Garurumon's back, panting from exertion as he swam steadily for the island.
The sun was beginning to rise once he climbed atop the rock, shaking his fur out once she slid off, feeling weak.
They both glowed, returning to their original states before falling on their butts.
"Thanks for the help, Gabu…"
"No problem, Meg…"
"MEGGIE!"
TJ grinned, tackling her sister in a hug.
"You were great! Like a superhero!"
Blushing a bit at the praise, Meg returned the embrace, smiling slightly.
"Really?"
Patamon landed on Gabumon's head, smiling at TJ's joy.
"Yup! You were so cool!"
The others ran up, grinning at the victory.
"Nice going there, Meg. Didn't think you had it in you." Jenny joked.
"You were all POW, and then WHAM!"
Mel giggled, shadowboxing.
"It was AWESOME!"
"You did great." Steph complimented.
"Y-You were…a-amazing…"
Tonya smirked, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder to catch her attention.
"…Great job, Meg. Thanks."
"For what?"
The blank mask was slowly coming back, but the redhead didn't mind.
"Saving us when I couldn't."
"…You're welcome."
"Thing is, how do we get back? Swim?"
"Like this, Jen."
Gomamon smiled, jumping into the water.
"Marching Fishes!"
The colorful little fish sprang up, pushing against the little island until it hit the shore soundly.
As they retreated, the group climbed onto the solid ground, too tired to move very far.
Stopping against tree trunks, they rested in the shade as gold light soothed the darkness away.
Mel was already falling asleep again, as was TJ, but Tonya still had adrenaline going through her veins.
"…I-It's strange…"
"What is?" Steph wondered, holding back a yawn.
"L-Last time, only Tonya and Agumon could change, and Agumon could only find the strength once she had already initiated the change…"
"Right…This time, only Meg and Gabumon could…"
"…I think…I didn't feel strong until Agumon had Digivolved…"
"Th-The strength comes from both of you."
"But why would they Digivolve?"
"…To protect us."
Tonya smiled a bit at the realization, with Agumon leaning against her side.
"He wanted ME to evolve so he could Digivolve…They protect us from the Digimon so we can fight the Spirit Evolutions…"
"Th-That must be it…"
Steph yawned, leaning against a trunk…
"Let's get some shut-eye…"
No one argued, slipping into dreamland, but Meg stayed upright, still awake.
TJ's head rested on her lap, Patamon in her arms, as Gabumon leaned on her other side.
She wanted to savor that moment, the moment where everything was peaceful and she could appreciate the silence…
The voices, the noises, were silent, and Meg smiled as her eyes slipped closed…
'Thank God…'