Chapter Sixteen: Illuminating Shadows
As the first rays of dawn peaked over the horizon Thompson found himself wide awake. The fight the night before had been the stuff of nightmares and as he wandered downstairs at the Inn he was greeted by the groggy but still somewhat happy faces of his comrades. Even Xander, often the one to sleep the longest, was already awake though even now he seemed ready to doze off in his chair. Beside all of them Piddomon sat, rather awkwardly for the Inn was made for Digimon of a smaller stature and the great angelic figure was bent to avoid his head hitting the ceiling.
"Are you sure we are not endangering the village by being here?" Thompson heard Ayden ask as he joined the group and grabbed a few pieces of fruit from the breakfast table.
"They were more than happy to put us up for the night," Piddomon assured him, "My brother and I were quite welcome here during our many outings to deal with the Jakimon and Bakemon hordes. They see you as protectors of the innocent and after I told them the tale of our fight they know you are a formidable fighting force."
"Still, we were targeted by those demons," Ayden said, "They may be back."
"The thing that got me was when Devimon digivolved," Solara said turning to Piddomon in hopes of having an answer.
"Yeah," Xander agreed smuggling some of the complimentary breakfast into his bag "I thought these relics were the key to Digivolution, what gives?"
"Phelesmon and Devimon are not working alone," Piddomon reasoned and his face suddenly went cold, "A darker force, far more powerful, must be behind this attack. If that is the case we must depart for the Celestial Palace with haste."
The group finished eating rather quickly and packed up what supplies the could before leaving. Piddomon had told them that the Celestial Palace was just across a ridge of small mountains, more like hills compared to the massive Mount Fortes that they had once climbed. Still it would likely be a three day hike through very sparsely populated wilderness areas of Severa.
As Thompson packed his suitcase his mind was more and more on Solara. Her presence here in the Digital World still confounded him. While he was glad she was here and almost certain that his feelings for her would only grow stronger her destiny remained unclear. She had felt the call more strongly than any of them, had followed the feeling here just like the rest of them and yet she had neither Digimon or Digivice. Even the newest member of the group, Ayden, had a Digivice, though it was clearly not part of the same set as the rest of them. A sudden possibility gripped him as he remembered that one of the relics in the Temple on Fortes Island had been missing.
They set out early that morning feeling a great deal of pep in their step as Piddomon lead them. There was something about the angel, an aura of security and strength that emanated from him, that gave them all an extra dose of strength. There was little complaining, even from Xander, when they had to leave the more traveled trails behind and cut cross-country delving down small forest trails barely distinguishable from the rest of the woods around them. Tall grass knocked against bare knees and despite the lateness in the year that they had all felt in the crisp morning air things quickly became uncomfortably warm.
Soon the humidity had risen to make things even more muggy and uncomfortable especially beneath such tight tree cover with little wind managing to slip between the trees.
"Are there any others like me?" Ayden asked, all morning he had managed to keep pace with the angel though whether it was due to him being fast or the angel slowing so they could keep up he wasn't sure, "Others who become Digimon?"
"Little is known of those ancient warriors who came before," Piddomon stopped walking as he spoke, "It was before my time. Legends tell not simply of the Spirits of Flame but of other elements as well but whether they are true is not for me to say."
"Palmon told us it was a hundred years ago," Patamon said with reverence in his voice.
"The life of many Digimon are too short, especially now that darkness is stirring again," Piddomon continued now standing and beginning to move forward again, "Sometimes it is a good thing to forget the past but not when it leaves lurking shadows to be dispelled."
"Heavy stuff," Xander remarked after a few moments of silence had passed within the group, "Other than winning baseball games or trying to scrape by in math classes I never had any hardcore responsibility."
"Now you're a member of an elite fighting team," Bogmon croaked with a wink.
"The leader of an elite fighting team," Xander assured his friend.
"Gimme a break," Haomon said sticking out his tongue, "Its Bogmon that does your fighting, you barely lift a finger."
"I don't have to take criticism from a puss-"
"Guys, come on, give it a rest," John complained wiping the sweat from his brow, he finally gave up and lifted his shirt off.
"I'm dying here," Vera complained and John kissed her on the forehead and grabbed her hand.
"Maybe you should take your shirt off," Haomon told her innocently, she blushed bright red.
"Yeah maybe you should Vera," Xander shouted from his position at the rear of the group, in a matter of seconds Haomon was beside him with a stern look, Xander folded his arms and rolled his eyes, "Sorry Vera, the heat must've gone to my head."
"You're lucky I'm not the jealous type of Digimon," Haomon said with harrumph returning to Vera.
The group fell silent then as they came into a clearing. The sky above had become a somewhat ominous shade of gray and the humidity had only gotten worse but at least out here in the open there was a breeze. It wasn't the breeze that caused their silence though but the row of peculiar abandoned buildings. They weren't houses, that much was clear from their bizarre construction. Stones piled on top of each other in odd patterns, slanted walls that didn't look like they should have been able to stand and roofs of thatch and hay. Even Piddomon, the one most knowledgeable about this region, had a perplexed expression, each feather of wings stood up on end.
"You feel it too?" Solara asked and Piddomon looked at her and offered only an ominous nod.
A glimpse of movement caught their attention, the glint of something metallic shimmering in the dim light of the cloud choked sun. They all turned just in time to see a human looking figure fade back into the shadows of the tall grass and the dense trees.
"Wasn't very big," John shouted as he rushed over to the treeline, "Maybe another human."
"I can feel his presence too," Dyrasmon remarked as Solara, John and her reached the treeline, "Come on out little guy we won't hurt you."
"This might explain the missing Digivice," Thompson said arriving a few moments later with Piddomon, Adlimon and Ayden beside him.
"We're friends," Dyrasmon called out softly, "We're friends to the forest and friends of the whole Digital World. You can trust me, I'm a fairy and this is Piddomon, brother of Angemon."
"Please go away," the voice weakly replied, a pair of eyes shone, and blue striped fur, "Please, this place is cursed."
"We can protect you, don't you understand that?" Adlimon stepped forward trying to talk some sense into the strange Digimon. He parted the grass and they looked upon the face of the Digimon holding a strange amulet in his furry hands, "Gabumon, let us help you."
"Once there was a whole village of my kind," the blue furred Digimon explained once they had coaxed him out and lit a fire in one of the houses of the strange village, "Then the Jakimon came and ransacked it, they took my brother away. We came here because there were buildings already built, it seemed like an easy move, abandoned homes. They were falling apart, barely liveable, but our other village was ashes. But this place is cursed, a monster came, every night it terrorized our village, it picked us off one by one. I'm the only one left now."
"You can come with us if you want," Solara suggested resting a hand on his shoulder.
"That is kind of you, all of you seem like wonderful folk, even those who are not Digimon but I'm afraid it is too late for me."
"Nonsense," Ayden said shaking his head, "We could even help you look for your brother."
"What about the amulet?" Thompson asked taking the silvery metallic necklace from the table where it sat and noting the symbol of the wolf on it, "Where did you get it?"
"I found it in a Temple not far from here," the Digimon explained, "Years ago my brother and I would play there, before the Jakimon and Bakemon began showing up. I thought it would bring me protection from the beast, for you see, it is a Werewolf that stalks this village."
"Werewolf?" Vera asked with green eyes darting. She looked outside, it was already late afternoon, dark would soon be upon the forest.
"How can there be werewolves in the Digital World?" Xander asked.
"We will at least stay the night," Piddomon announced and none of the children or their Digimon disagreed that it was for the best to protect the frightened and downtrodden Gabumon as best they could, "But we must depart in the morning."
The hours seemed to crawl by slowly. About an hour before sunset the rain finally broke, gentle and peaceful though it was it still seemed somewhat foreboding given their situation. The group ate a small meal sharing some of their supplies with Gabumon who had little food stored other than a small basket of berries and a few jars of preserved fruit. The Digimon was very thankful to have someone there with him.
Solara could tell by the way he reacted to them that he had been on his own for a long time. She could also tell from the energy of the place that his claims about it being cursed were not baseless. Such sensitivity was not something she was used to or even entirely credulous of but since such feelings had led her here it seemed stupid not to trust those unnatural seeming instincts. She sat by the fire running her fingers over the intricate metal carving of the amulet and petting the rough and dirty fir of her new friend. Perhaps after all this time her destiny would come together.
She looked over at Ayden who had reluctantly accepted Xander's offer to arm wrestle. Her eyes drifted across the whole group. Anselm was mocking Xander's display by pretending to wrestle with one of Patamon's orange wings with the little Digimon trying to break the boys concentration by blowing air into his face. Haomon was calling dibs on facing winner even before Xander's defeat was assured. John and Vera were curled up comfortably near a misshapen window that Solara doubted ever had the structural integrity to hold a pane of glass. Dyrasmon was beside them with her hands out the window catching raindrops in her palms and using the little bit of moisture she could get to wash herself.
Only Thompson sat alone, with Adlimon across the room ready to take on Ayden if Haomon somehow managed to lose the match. Now that Gabumon was asleep she got up and laid his paw down softly walking over to Thompson and sitting beside him.
"So Anselm took first watch for tonight," she said and Thompson awkwardly cleared his throat and nodded, "He's gonna need a haircut soon, his hair is starting to hang down in front of his face."
"We've been here for a while now," Thompson remarked, "We could have probably turned back but we haven't. We would have never dreamed of saving the world back on Earth but here it seems like we're the only ones who can do it, with the help of our Digimon friends of course."
"Yeah," Solara blushed looking hopefully at Gabumon, "Our Digimon."
"Sorry," Thompson said awkwardly smirking, "I didn't mean anything by it."
"I know," she said, "Sometimes I just wonder why I was called here. Everyone else has found their place and I just... haven't..."
"Yet," Thompson assured her, he moved his hand to touch hers and looked into her burning hazel eyes as they caught the firelight, "I'm glad you're here."
"Yeah, I, look Tom," she stumbled moving her hand away and blushing brightly, "I don't know if I want things to get anymore complicated than they are right now. Not that you aren't sweet and all, just, I can't right now."
"I understand," Thompson replied feeling like he was punched in the gut, "Maybe some day though?"
"Maybe," Solara shrugged, "Sorry."
"Maybe you don't have to wait for destiny," Thompson said changing the subject, "Maybe you can make your own destiny."
Anselm sat outside Gabumon's hut listening to the pitter patter of the rain. He'd managed to construct a makeshift awning with Ayden's help that would shield him and Patamon from the rain as they kept watch. Despite the wet weather and seemingly spooky circumstances it was a nice night with the rain taking away the humid bite of the air and the night cooling things off nicely. Anselm listened to the others snoring inside, the sun hadn't been down for even two hours yet and they were already sound asleep. He shook his head and turned to regard his orange little friend.
"You seem so star struck around Piddomon," Anselm remarked petting Patamon on the head and turning to regard Piddomon. The angelic Digimon was in a separate house a few houses down, the only one of the helter-skelter houses large enough to comfortably hold him.
"In a way he's part of my family," Patamon tried to explain, "And so was his brother."
"He hasn't even complained since that big fight, he was so bruised and-" Anselm stopped his rambling for a moment as something in the distance caught his eye. The young man stood and rubbed his tired eyes as Patamon leaped up beside him and flapped his way into the air. Anselm turned to see the fur on his little friend's body all on end and eyes glowering in the direction of the dark figure he could now see moving low to the ground just beyond the treeline.
"Digimon of some kind?" Anselm asked hoping Patamon's eyes were more attuned to the darkness than his.
"I don't know, but I think we should get Piddomon!"
Anselm strode forward a few strides from the porch feeling the ice cold rain. The wind brought goosebumps to his quickly moistening skin as he walked even farther out trying to determine the nature of the figure. There were lot's of Digital Monsters in this world, they'd met so many, why assume that this one was hostile? It seemed low to the ground, no taller than he was.
"Anselm, I got a bad feeling about this!" Patamon said flapping his wings as hard as he could as he pulled at Anselm's hand.
"Hang on!" Anselm exclaimed in relief grabbing a torch, "It's another Gabumon! Come on, it might be our friend's brother!"
Patamon hesitated and looked back at Piddomon but decided that even if this Gabumon somehow turned out to be hostile he and Anselm could probably restrain him. Still there was something not quite right about the whole thing, the chill that lingered in the air, the almost preternatural sense of something otherworldly, sinister, in the area. He followed Anselm passed the last row of beat up stone buildings that made up the village and beyond the clearing into a patch of tall grass. The trees weren't so dense here and the two of them could see the other Gabumon just beyond their grasp.
They followed the fleeing Digimon for a few minutes until the trees broke altogether into a field of small hills covered with tall grass and wild flowers. The rain had let up now and the light of the moons was beginning to break through the clouds and paint swatches on the dark terrain below. Anselm lifted the torch as the Gabumon disappeared into the veil of tall grass and climbed up the hill ahead of them.
"Stop!" he shouted, "We can help you!"
"We're friends!" Patamon called out.
Anselm proceeded forward up the hill but something stopped him in his tracks. A sound cracked through the crisp night air like a thunderclap, a growl. On top of the hill something stirred the grass all around and a mist of breath rose up followed by a ghastly howl that drained the strength from Anselm's legs. He turned to Patamon whose little chest was heaving hard and grabbed the little guy rushing headlong back toward the forest, back toward the village, and away from the thing on the hill.
He could hear it behind them. He could almost feel the werewolf's hot breath, the pain of being torn limb from limb by claws. The village was right ahead of them but that sound, of panting and running and tree branches snapping, saplings toppled over, was right behind them. How could he outrun this thing? He reached the edge of the woods then and could see the light of the fire in the windows of the distant building.
"Almost there Patamon," he replied gripping the little guy tight as he ran out into the open.
Just like that it was there, breaking into the clearing in front of him blocking his way to the village beyond. It stood on two legs and must have been at least fifteen feet tall. The light of the twin moons glinted off of its eyes as the clouds cleared enough to reveal that both moons were full.
"Weregarurumon," Patamon breathed, "Something is wrong though, his fur is so dark."
"Shadow Claw!" the monstrous wolfman shouted swinging his fist forward at Anselm charged with some kind of energy. The energy discharged right where Anselm had been standing, he had barely cleared the radius of the attack when the giant wolf launched a second attack. This time Anselm ducked around the ruins of an old stone wall, the monster growled "So hungry! Can't control it!"
Anselm could hear that the others were waking up, he saw them emerge from the house but he wasn't sure they would arrive in time. A powerful kick came his way, he managed to move out of the way just enough to avoid the full force. His body was thrown against the trunk of a tree almost twenty feet away crunching hard. He fell to the forest floor barely moving.
"Boom Bubble!" Patamon launched his attack watching the wolf move in on Anselm and watching his own attack impact harmlessly on the monster's fur, "That's my friend!"
Anselm was pushing himself up now as the beast lumbered over him. Patamon flew in as the beasts claw came down hard.
"I won't let you hurt my friends!" Patamon shouted, suddenly Anselm was standing next to him with a renewed strength and determination plain on his face. Time seemed to slow down as the claw reached forward. Light shot from Anselm's Digivice then, swirling like a DNA helix around Patamon's form, "Patamon Digivolve to: Angemon!"
Angemon caught the claw with his hands and struggled against the attack as Anselm dove out of the way. The young man sat in awe as Angemon forced the cursed wolfman back and brought his staff to bear smashing it across Weregarurumon's face. The howling creature was far from defeated though and launched an energy driven kick that broke over Angemon like a wave sending the angel sliding back. The wolf pressed in delivering several devastating kicks and punches that Angemon tried to deflect and dodge but to no avail. Angemon launched into the air and smacked Weregarurumon with his staff but the Ultimate level pulled him down and delivered a powerful punch that launched Angemon back into the air.
Anselm stood between his friend and the big bad wolf and wiped the blood from his mouth but Angemon was already standing again and now his fist was glowing.
"Hand of Fate!" Angemon shouted, a golden beam of celestial light radiated from his fist as he drove a punch forward. Weregarurumon howled in pain and turned away as if he was about to run but at that moment Agunimon arrived and shot shards of fire at the beast. The other Digimon and the other kids were all there and Piddomon as well, surrounding the beast.
"Angemon," Piddomon cried stepping beside his newly Digivolved friend, "Patamon my friend, you have achieved a miracle this day!"
Weregarurumon cut the congratulations short by launching into a series of attacks. Agunimon was the first target, driven back by continuous punches and claws, Echodyrasmon and Salbogmon got hit next.
"Tar Barf!" Salbogmon declared hocking up a powerful blast of tar from inside his body, the secretion leaped through the air hitting his opponent and slowing the wolfman's movements considerably.
With the creature slowed Piddomon and Angemon were able to get the irate Digimon restrained. Gabumon was there now, standing before the beast with plaintive tears in his eyes.
"Brother," he cried, "How can this be what you've become? Spirit of Light help me!"
Gabumon held out the amulet and the shadowy beast cowered in fear but nothing seemed to happen. The distraught Digimon fell to his knees and began to sob. Solara stepped out of the shadows and put a hand on Gabumon's shoulder. She knelt beside the depressed Digimon and took the Amulet in her hand as she helped him to his feet.
"We will do whatever we can to help your brother," Solara said and Angemon and Piddomon both looked at each other, then back at Gabumon and nodded in agreement.
"The Amulet!" Gabumon exclaimed happily, "Look Solara, it glows!"
A brilliant light splintered the shadows all around them as if daylight had come early. The harsh radiance shot forth from the Amulet and wafted like an ethereal ghost washing like a cleansing mist over Weregarurumon.
"The shadows! The shadows are leaving his fur!" Gabumon shouted triumphantly, "The Spirit of Light answers our call!"
The beast was no longer gray and black but instead a much paler blue shade. Soon Weregarurumon was on his knees, the affliction of the moon leaving him as he reverted back into a Gabumon before their very eyes. With tears of thankful joy and emotional resolve in his eyes Gabumon greeted his brother and thanked each of them for their help but especially he thanked Solara, gifting her with the Amulet of Light.
Morning came all too swiftly with few of them finding any sleep after the excitement of the fight and the tearful reunion of Gabumon. Anselm and Patamon received plenty of attention as well both for their foolish decision to chase shadows in the dark and the bravery both of them had shown in taking on Weregarurumon by themselves. Even long after he had reverted to Patamon Patamon assured them that he could have handled the wolf Digimon all by himself.
"It is all a blur my brother," the once afflicted Gabumon said, "I was kidnapped, taken to a dark place, a shadowy place where they are trying to corrupt the ancient spirit of the wolf."
"The Temple of Light!" the other Gabumon realized, "Where we once played as children! Where I found the Amulet!"
"Yes brother, that may be! I am in no condition to go!"
"I will stay with you brother, if the others will help?"
"It's a lead anyway," Piddomon nodded, "Perhaps we have more stops to make before reaching the Celestial Palace."
"I'm guessing this Temple is a dump though," Xander complained, "I'd much rather see a few good nights of sleep in the palace. I'm sure Anselm's bruised body could use some rest too eh buddy?"
"Don't try to lump me in with your laziness," Anselm chuckled, "I'm fine, thanks to Angemon."
"And now that Angemon is here we are all stronger for it," Piddomon explained though everyone knew that Piddomon was glad to see Angemon for his own personal reasons more so than what it added to their team.
"We will go to the Temple of Light," Thompson agreed looking at Solara who clenched her new Amulet tightly, "and drive out the shadows."