Instantly getting over the initial shock of the wolf beast which had almost attacked them, the ground group gained pleasant and joyous smiles to see Nature Davis standing before them, to see the friendliness within the expression of the Grand Guardian.
Moving forward and approaching him, Kari moved herself closer toward the nature variant of her beloved, who looked into her eyes, showing the shade of green they held from the nature energy running through his being, matched with the clear love held only for her.
Placing her right hand softly upon his cheek and staring lovingly into his eyes for a moment, the Dark Empress then leaned her head forward and captured the Grand Guardian's lips in a deep and passionate kiss, one Nature Davis returned as he closed his eyes and gently wrapped his left arm around the brunette's waist and held her close to him, while Kari acted further on her love and wrapped her arms around his neck and held him closely.
For Nature Davis, despite having been able to speak with Kari all this time since she had learned that there were multiple variants of him, to be in her presence, to finally be able to hold her and even kiss the love of his life was more than he ever dreamed could be possible.
For Kari, meanwhile, and feeling the love the nature variant of Davis held for her, it meant she was one step closer to finally figuring things out so that she and her beloveds could be together forever, with Light Davis being the last to join them, if he could get past the political and overzealous members of the Light Realm that seemed to be against her.
And deep down, the Dark Empress knew that if she had to, she would burn the entire Light Realm down just to be with the ones she loved and longed to spend her life with.
Breaking from the kiss after a few moments and continuing to hold an absolute love toward the other, Kari then removed herself from Nature Davis' embrace as Jun and Veemon then closed in on the Grand Guardian, showing him their own affection as they then hugged him, a sight that left Fire Davis and the rest of the group smiling.
Breaking his embrace amongst his sister and Digimon partner, Nature Davis then looked upon his fiery counterpart, Julie and Caleb as he told the trio with an apologetic tone. "Sorry for the delay, I had to deal with some bandits who have been harassing a village nearby."
"Aside from a hungry wolf, which we could have handled, all is well." Caleb remarked with a cheeky smirk, his tone quickly changing when Julie lightly elbowed him in the chest, the silver haired champion sighing to see the old banter between her fellow champion and the Grand Guardian continue.
It was then that an amused chuckle was heard, emanating from a green gem upon Nature Davis' right hand, where an old draconic voice then said with an amused tone. "Oh, I can already tell this will be fun."
"Jiraiya, you old bag of scale bones, good to see you!" Blaze said with a tone filled with joy and delight to hear from Nature Davis' partner after so long.
"Blaze! Good to hear from you as well!" The being said in reply, before adding as he greeted the other Fire creatures present. "And it's always a pleasure to see you, Ferox, as well as the lovely Phirox."
"Watch it." Phirox merely said in reply, with Kari, TK and the others picking up on a hint of annoyance within her tone, one directed toward the new being that was speaking.
Expressing his own sigh, Nature Davis then held his right arm up, showing the group the gem as he then told Kari and the others. "Might as well make the introductions, this is my partner, Jiraiya, a Nature Dragon and a master Shinobi."
"Indeed, I am the great Jiraiya, draconic master of the shinobi arts, partner of the Grand Guardian, defender of the Nature Realm and world acclaimed author!" The draconic being proclaimed with pride in his tone, the latter of his declarations causing not only those new to Nexus on the ground group to look confused, but for those from the Digital World watching and listening upon Miracle's Reach to share in the confusion.
"And I owe you and your counterparts all an apology." The Nature Dragon then said to his partner, before seemingly focusing his attention upon Kari as he then proclaimed. "This is a magnificent example of human feminism, a true beauty worth pinning over for the past twenty thousand years. Indeed, I do take back what I said about your taste in women, she is a work of art, even with a damn Shadow Demon as her partner!"
"Don't!" Both Nature Davis and Fire Davis growled as one at the Nature Dragon, while Kari blinked her eyes in confusion as she took in what Jiraiya was saying and how annoyed her beloveds seemed to be toward his words and the tone within his voice.
Ignoring his partner and the fire champion, however, Jiraiya then spoke as he addressed Faustian. "So, you are the infamous Faustian, the Master of the Dark Scripture, nice to meet your acquaintance."
"Indeed, it is quite interesting to meet you, Jiraiya. Your writing of intimacy and… various forms of intercourse are quite imaginative." The Shadow Demon said in reply, his words echoing in Kari's ears, along with that of the rest of the Digi-heroes and heroines.
Hearing Faustian's statement, remembering the annoyance from Phirox and how he had described Kari, those new to Nexus put two and two together as their eyes widened slightly.
"Is he a pervert?" Palmon ended up questioning, the plant Digimon asking what she knew was on everyone's mind.
"I am not a pervert!" The Nature Dragon replied with some annoyance in his tone, his words causing a few within the ground group to sigh, only for their eyes to widen when Jiraiya declared with a further pride within his voice. "I am a super pervert! A master of the fine arts and art of Love!"
'That's not something to be proud of...' Takato and Takuya mentally remarked as they looked at the green gem with deadpanned expressions, before the Digimon Tamer and the Warrior of Flame, alongside the rest of those newer to Nexus, looked upon Nature Davis, who also held a deadpanned expression upon his face.
"Welcome to my hell." The Grand Guardian merely replied, having had to get used to the antics of his bonded partner for the past twenty thousand years, but knew that when it counted, Jiraiya was indeed a powerful warrior and ally.
'This is going to complicate things…' Kari, Rika and even Sora thought to themselves, each mentally trying to figure out how to include Nature Davis into their nights of pleasure without having his partner spying on them.
Shaking his head, Fire Davis then changed the subject as he told his nature counterpart. "Let's get up to the airship, the others are waiting."
"Sounds like a good idea." Nature Davis replied with a small chuckle, watching as his fiery counterpart and his fire team summoned their partners to ferry the group back up to Miracle's Reach, to reunite the Grand Guardian with the rest of his old friends and to figure out what their next move would be until they could meet up with Light Davis.
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A few minutes later, Nature Davis, Fire Davis, Kari and the ground group arrived within the hanger of Miracle's Reach, finding the Shadow, Arch-Savant and the rest of the Digi-heroes and heroines, along with Henry, Victor and Kenji, waiting for them as the majority of those from the Digital World rushed to greet the fourth variant of the Motomiya.
Letting out a hearty laugh, the Grand Guardian hugged as many of the rushing Digimon as he could with his free hand, before looking toward Kazu and handing him his hammer.
"Here, hold this please." He requested of the brown haired Tamer.
"Sure, no…" Kazu started to say without even thinking as he took the hammer into his hands.
As soon as he did, however, Kazu let out a startled yelp as he fell backwards and felt the weight of the hammer pressing against his being as he flailed his legs and cried out. "Help! Help!"
Rolling her eyes toward Kazu's pestering antics, Rika approached him and began to say as she moved to lift the hammer herself. "Oh, you big baby, stop…"
Trying to lift the hammer, however, Rika felt herself nearly rip her arm out of its socket as she realized just how heavy the hammer really was, this causing the red haired hybrid to say in a tone of shock and surprise. "Holy shit!"
Looking down and seeing Kazu's face turn blue as he gasped for air, Guardromon, Takato, Guilmon, Ryo, Monodramon, Kenta and Cythllamon quickly rushed to his aid, where even the former Infected, with their superior strength, found it hard to lift the hammer as a group.
"Um, you might want to take that back." Fire Davis then said to his nature counterpart, who turned his head from greeting Sora and to see the struggle the group of Digimon Tamers were going through.
Approaching Kazu, Nature Davis reached down and grabbed the hammer, lifting it off of Kazu with ease, the brunette whizzing slightly as he caught his breath, before looking at the Grand Guardian with a look of confusion and a small sense of anger.
"What the heck is that thing made of?!" Kazu yelled as Takato and the others helped him to his feet.
Looking his weapon over, the Grand Guardian answered with a small chuckle. "Just stone basically."
Seeing a few within the group looking on like they didn't believe Nature Davis, Fire Davis then spoke up, getting everyone's attention as he questioned. "Remember when I told you that gravity within the Nature Realm was stronger than anywhere else in Nexus? Well, you might not feel it now, but it does catch up to you after a decade or so, and he's spent the past twenty thousand years adapting to it… he's essentially the strongest physically out of the five of us."
There was a brief silence as those new to Nexus took in this information, with more than a few of the girls blushing a little as they thought of how Nature Davis could use that raw strength in other… situations, before they refocused themselves as they watched the hammer within the Grand Guardian's hand turn into green energy that in turn entered his gem.
With his weapon put away, Nature Davis then focused on the rest of those within the hanger, giving nods towards Dark Davis and Water Davis, who nodded themselves in reply, before the Grand Guardian's attention turned upon the Wraith.
"And now I feel like I need to apologize to you for all the times I tried to end your existence." Nature Davis commented with a small chuckle as Henry allowed his mask to fade temporarily, showing off his real, albeit ghostly, face to the Grand Guardian.
'All good, I had to put up an act myself while figuring out how to run away from you and still look like a bad guy…' Henry merely said in reply as he mentally replayed all the times he ran into Nature Davis as an enemy and had to basically run away while making it look like he was fighting him.
Nodding in respect and happy to know his old friend didn't hold anything against him, Nature Davis then turned and approached the Appli Drivers and Team Lirurun, where he said with a continued friendliness within his voice. "So, you must be the new guys, a pleasure to meet you all."
"Likewise, we look forward to seeing more of your Realm as well." Hiro said respectfully on behalf of both groups, his words earning nods from the two groups of Digi-heroes and heroines as they gave their own respectful bows toward the Grand Guardian.
With the introductions mostly aside, Yoshi then cleared her throat, gaining the attention of everyone, especially Nature Davis, as she told the latest variant of Davis with a kind smile. "We have a room set up for you to use while you are here onboard Miracle's Reach. Feel free to settle in and make yourself comfortable."
"But before you do…" The auburn haired DATS Officer then said as she looked upon the gem on Nature Davis' hand, where she then questioned with a stern seriousness in her voice. "Do we need to upgrade our security for the privacy of others?"
To the question, everyone then heard Jiraiya let loose a hearty laugh, before the Nature Dragon then told Yoshi with a small amusement within his tone. "Oh no, no my lovely dear, I do not spy on others, I merely sit back and watch as women throw themselves at my buddy here and his variants as they have tried for thousands of years now to get into their pants."
To his words, Nature Davis expressed another groan as he facepalmed while his variants felt their eyes twitch, an action Kari was also mimicking as Jiraiya continued as he stated. "I am sure you all have been to the hot springs in the Fire Capital. Ever wondered why it has such high security?"
Blinking their eyes as they thought back to their short visit to the hot springs, Kari, TK and the others from the Digital World remembered the high walls and tight security of the complex, where Yolei narrowed her eyes and questioned. "Did you have anything to do with that?"
"Nope, but we were visiting at that time, when over five hundred fan girls stormed the place to get their hands on my partner and the fire champion." Jiraiya replied with a small laugh, who then added with a continued amusement. "It was hilarious watching these two run for their lives with only towels around them as that mob chased after them, professing their love and their desire to have their children, it inspired one of my best books yet!"
Both Fire Davis and Nature Davis groaned as Jiraiya brought up the memory of that dreadful night, the pair feeling a shiver as they remembered the screaming fangirls chasing them down, while most within the room held deadpanned expression, save for Caleb, who stifled a laugh, and Julie, who shook her head along with Dark Davis and Water Davis.
At the next moment, however, the hanger was filled with a sense of doom and dread, where the four Davises then looked upon Kari, seeing a large aura of darkness and rage surrounding her, her eyes glowing with dark purple energy to the point that everyone around her quickly moved away to avoid her wrath.
Though she was willing to share her beloveds, it was only with those she deemed worthy of her standards, and Kari was not going to let a bunch of harlots take her men away from her.
"Kari, Kari, it's alright, that was over five thousand years ago, most of them are gone…" Fire Davis said in a calming manner, hoping to calm down his beloved and sooth her rage.
"What do you mean most of them?! Who's still alive?!" The Dark Empress demanded with pure rage within her voice as she sought to hunt down those who tried to get at her beloveds and make them pay, while most within the hanger sweatdropped to hear the possessiveness and pettiness within Kari's voice.
"Oh, this is going to be fun when she meets the rest of the Pack." Jiraiya then commented with a small chuckle, one that caused Nature Davis to groan again in reply, before he noticed some within the group looking at him with confused expressions.
"A Pack is the Guardian's equivalent of a Fire Team for fire champions." The Grand Guardian then said, before he informed the others. "We're going to go to a nearby Guardian Lodge to meet the rest of my team. They are all… an eccentric bunch."
"Oh joy, being surrounded by Guardians." Dark Davis said with a fair sarcasm within his voice, the Shadow adding as he looked upon his nature variant. "Don't expect me to just stand there if they try to kill me."
"You'll be fine, just behave." Nature Davis said in reply, mentally noting that he would have to act as a barrier between some of the more aggressive Guardians and his dark and watery counterparts.
But before anymore could be said, the intercoms within the hanger activated as one of Miracle's Reach's bridge crew spoke through the speakers and said to those within the chamber. "Lord Motomiya, there apparently is a large eagle with a beastkin on its back heading toward us, it bears the emblem of the Beast Confederacy."
Blinking their eyes in confusion, both Fire Davis and Nature Davis looked upon one another, both asking each other in unison. "Tichalla?"
"Let him land in the hanger." The fire champion then said through the comms, watching with the others as the hanger doors opened, before a large eagle, one the size of Aquilamon or Birdramon, flew in and landed on the metal floor, which then expelled a small but mighty shriek as it looked upon those before it.
Looking the winged creature over, Kari, Gatomon and the others then noticed the harness and saddle attached to the bird's back, before they took in the figure seated upon the eagle's back.
Examining the individual, Kari, TK and the rest of the Digi-heroes and heroines saw that he appeared to be a half man, half panther beastkin, who was adorned within black wooden armour around his torso, shoulders and upper legs, while stone armour covered his lower arms and his feet, which gave him more protection, but did nothing to hide the claws on his hands and feet.
Upon the beastkin's chest was a symbol that looked like the Nature Realm's insignia with a panther's face upon the tree, while green energy surged from the symbol and through the armour, showing off the Nature Mana infused within the gear.
Finally and looking upon the beastkin's face, the group saw that he did indeed look like a panther, one with green eyes that stared upon those before him as he leaped off the back of the eagle and landed upon the hanger floor with grace, looking forward as Nature Davis and Fire Davis approached him with friendly smiles.
"Tichalla! I wasn't expecting to see you here." The Grand Guardian said with a smile as he took the panther man's hand and shook it in a friendly greeting, the individual smiling back toward Nature Davis's kindness.
"I have been tracking you for three days now, the villagers you just helped pointed me in the right direction." He said with his own friendliness.
"Though, I did not expect to find a Fire Realm airship here." The young beastkin then confessed as he looked toward Fire Davis, Julie and Caleb, before he bowed lightly toward the fire variant of the Motomiya and said with intended respect. "Lord Champion, it is good to see you and your fire team once again."
"Likewise, Prince Tichalla." Fire Davis said with his own friendly smile, before the beastkin then looked past the fire champions and to see two more individuals walk up and approach him, causing the prince to look slightly surprised to see the Shadow and the Arch-Savant before him.
Walking past the trio of fire champions, Tichalla looked between Dark Davis and Water Davis with a cautious, albeit defiant expression, before he told the pair with honesty in his voice. "I must admit, I had never expected to meet either of you in my lifetime… at least, not like this."
"Given the circumstances, it is much more preferable to meet you like this instead of as an enemy, Prince Tichalla." Water Davis merely said in reply, speaking for himself and the Shadow, who merely nodded his head in reply.
Remaining cautious, however, Tichalla turned and faced Nature Davis, Fire Davis, Julie and Caleb, looking on as Victor and Kenji moved to stand with them, before the beastkin looked between all four Davises.
Turning his attention back upon the Grand Guardian, he then inquired. "Four of you in one place, normally that is not a good sign, why are you all together?"
Smiling to Tichalla's question, Nature Davis then gestured his hand to the side, where the beastkin looked to see the various Digi-heroes and heroines, along with Henry, the sight of the various humans and the strange creatures with them surprising the young prince, where the Grand Guardian then told him. "These are our friends and family from our old world. Time moved slower for them than here in Nexus, with only five years having passed for them. They broke through the Veil to come and find me and my counterparts."
His eyes widening in surprise, Tichalla then looked around and upon Veemon, Gatomon, both of the Agumon and the rest of the Digimon and Appmon, where he then questioned with intrigue in his voice. "Then these creatures are the Digimon you spoke of?"
"Along with newer beings called Appmon." Fire Davis said in reply, which he then added with a small chuckle. "We'll explain the differences later."
Seeing the friendly banter between Fire Davis and Nature Davis with this beastkin, knowing that this individual was someone important to them, Kari stepped forward with a friendly smile upon her face, her action causing Tichalla to focus his attention upon the brunette, where he examined her features for a moment, before realization dawned upon him.
"Then you must be Kari." The beastkin prince remarked, his words causing Kari to nod in reply, before the panther man then confessed as he looked the Dark Empress over. "I confess, you are not what I was expecting, not with the darkness I sense within you."
"The past five years have been… trying for me. Losing the love of my life and my faith in the Light. I may have accepted the Darkness, but I am no enemy to you or to this Realm." Kari said in reply, the brunette watching as Tichalla nodded his head in response.
While smiling to see Tichalla getting along with those close to him, Nature Davis then changed the subject as he then questioned. "You said you were tracking me, Tichalla, what's happened?"
His expression turning solemn, Tichalla turned and faced the Grand Guardian, before he then informed him with a growing solemnity. "My father has joined the ancestors."
To his words, Nature Davis and Fire Davis expressed small sighs, both having known the beastkin king for a long time, before refocusing as Tichalla then told the nature variant of the Motomiya. "I am to be crowned king, and I would like you to be there for my coronation."
"As I was there for your father, your grandfather and the rest of your predecessors, I will be there for you." Nature Davis said in reply, his words reminding Kari and the others from the Digital World of the vast amount of time the Davises have been within Nexus and the lives they had touched.
"We are heading now to meet with the rest of my Pack, then we will head to the Throne City." The Grand Guardian told the young prince, before informing as he gestured toward his dark and water counterparts. "Likewise, my friends and allies will be in attendance, and will need to keep these two within my sight. They will not cause any trouble, but if it will keep your people at ease, then you can assign a few guards to be with us as well."
Looking back between Water Davis and Dark Davis, Tichalla returned his focus upon Nature Davis, where he informed his old friend. "Very well, I shall see you soon."
Nodding in reply, the Grand Guardian watched with the others as Tichalla mounted his eagle and took off, allowing those newer to Nexus to know where their path would take them next in this journey through the Nature Realm.
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An hour after Tichalla had left them, Miracle's Reach had arrived at the coordinates Nature Davis had given the bridge crew, where the Grand Guardian informed his friends, allies and variants that they would need to continue the rest of the way to the Guardian Lodge on foot so that they would not alarm those at the Lodge by the airship's presence.
Following Nature Davis, Fire Davis, Water Davis, Dark Davis, Kari, TK and the others moved as a large group through the wilderness of the Nature Realm, with Mimi and a few others keeping their eyes peeled, as the Grand Guardian informed them that even around a Guardian Lodge, many wild animals and even carnivorous plants still search for prey.
"So, you guys mentioned that Tichalla was the prince of the Beast Confederacy… what's that exactly?" Cody then found he had to ask as he looked upon the Davises, the Digidestined of Knowledge and Reliability not only desiring to know more about the new group they had all heard about, but to also have a distraction from the thought of the possibility of being attacked by wild beasts.
Looking over his shoulder as he continued to follow his nature variant, Fire Davis looked to Cody and said in response to his question. "Remember I told you guys that while many tribes and kingdoms within the Nature Realm rise and fall daily, some withstand the test of time? Well, the Beast Confederacy is one such group. They are an alliance of over five hundred beastkin tribes, acting as a unified force as they share resources, culture and traditions with one another. Along with a unified military, the Confederacy is governed by a council of elders, each a representative from the various tribes, that advises the royal family."
"The royal family, Tichalla's family, are descendants of an old friend of mine, a fellow Guardian who united the tribes against an incursion of one of the more dangerous of the Eternal Lords of the Dark Realm." Nature Davis then said as he gave the Shadow a small glance toward the latter of his statement, before continuing as he informed the others. "And that was over five thousand years ago. Since then, the Confederacy has grown to become one of the strongest groups of beastkin in the Nature Realm."
"I have reviewed combat records involving this Confederacy, but have no information on its culture or traditions, the chance to learn more about these beastkin would be beneficial." Water Davis then informed with a look of intrigue upon his face, while Dark Davis just rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"My encounters with them have been at the end of a blade, so I can assure you, they are still savages." The Shadow remarked, his words causing a few in the group to sigh a little, each hoping that the dark variant of Davis wouldn't start any unnecessary fights.
"Don't we know the Fire Realm's ambassador to the Beast Confederacy?" Kenji then questioned as he looked toward Victor for an answer.
"You both do, and I already sent word back to Furansa so some things can be delivered to us." Fire Davis then told the two heirs, who nodded their heads as they then remembered who was currently representing their realm to the beastkin.
Sensing a great power ahead of them, the group then refocused as they pass through the trees, where they beheld a large wooden structure that was embedded within a mountain, one with carving placed within the wood as green energy coursed through the imagery, showing the Nature Mana circulating through the building and letting those who looked upon it know that it was a Guardian Lodge.
Looking above the doors to the Lodge, Kari, TK and the others then noticed the artwork carved into the wood of a large dragon, one that resembled dragons of Asian culture, showing off a long serpentine body and four gigantic legs, each with a massive claw upon them.
Continuing to take in the appearance of the dragon carving, those who looked upon it saw that its body was partly constructed of scales and partly of wood.
Long and large branches protruded from out of its front arms and out of its back, while trees grew around the back of the head and produced a fan-like design, while various robes and sashes draped the dragon's body, giving it a regal appearance.
Finally, the dragon's head resembles that of a typical Asian dragon, with a series of large horns and a crown often seen in royalty, showing the creature's status as a Dragon God.
"I'm guessing that's Karnus." Tai commented as he looked upon the image, the Digidestined of Courage receiving nods from the four Davises, Henry, Julie and Caleb as they looked upon the image of the Dragon God of Nature.
Stepping forward, Nature Davis then turned and told his friends and allies. "Alright, let me go and get my Pack. As a reminder they're… well, you'll see."
As he turned and moved to open the doors however, the Grand Guardian took a step back as the doors then flung open, before something, or rather someone, quickly rushed out and wrapped themselves around Nature Davis' torso.
Quickly taking in the figure which had set themself firmly around Nature Davis' body, Kari and the others saw that the being resembled a young humanoid girl with tanned skin and wavy, blonde hair, part of which was tied in two small ponytails.
The figure was clad in a single piece of wood armour that had green energy coursing through it, the item showing off her petite figure, but also highlighting her toned legs, arms and her C-cup sized breasts.
A green cape was draped over her left arm with a red stripe through it near the front, a pair of claw blades were strapped around her waist for easy access when needed, while her arms were clad in dark green gloves that went up past her elbows.
But what those new to Nexus really took in when they looked upon the girl were the pair of cat ears she had in place of human ears, along with a matching tail which was swaying happily from behind as she nuzzled herself further against Nature Davis.
"Oh, Davis! Did you call us all here to finally profess your love for me?! Are you finally going to accept my love and take me to bed for a night of memorable passion?!" The cat girl questioned with an amorous purr as she continued to embrace and nuzzle herself against Nature Davis, who held his hands over his head, sweatdropped and held a deadpanned expression upon his face, his eye slightly twitching in annoyance toward the cat girl's antics.
Sensing impending doom, however, the cat girl opened up her green eyes as she quickly scanned the area in search of the source of the unknown sensation, before her eyes landed upon the brown haired human girl sending her a death glare with glowing purple eyes.
"Just who is this ugly broad?" The girl then questioned with annoyance as she continued to embrace Nature Davis, her remark causing a few in the group to pale as they imagined the cat girl dying very soon, especially as the darkness around Kari grew with her rage.
"Alicia…" Nature Davis then said with a growing annoyance in his voice, which the cat girl ignored as she closed her eyes and continued to nuzzle herself against his chest, before the Grand Guardian then told her. "That's Kari."
There was a moment of intense silence as everyone else watched the scene, seeing the cat girl, Alicia, widen her eyes in shock and disbelief as she remained in her embrace with Nature Davis, her face a mix of shock, horror and a look as though her dreams were over, while also contemplating her next decision.
Then, with a fiery determination in her eyes, Alicia tightened her embrace with Nature Davis as she declared with passion. "I made up my mind, I'll die embracing my love!"
Hearing this statement, TK and the others from the Digital World looked upon the cat girl as though she had lost her mind, especially knowing that Kari will no doubt kill her.
But before Kari could even react to the cat girl's words, Alicia expressed a yelp of pain as a fist then smacked the top of her head, the cat girl then covering her head in pain as the Dark Empress and the others looked to see five more individuals around Nature Davis and Alicia.
The first of these newer figures was another female, one that was slightly taller than Alicia, who had glossy dark green hair, so dark that it was nearly black, hanging down her back.
Unlike many within the group, this girl was dressed in green robes, ones that barely concealed the wooden armour underneath, but showed off her amazing figure, fair skin and D-Cup breasts, leaving the girl looking quite beautiful, despite the anger in her green eyes at the moment.
Upon her back was a katana blade in its sheath while a golden circlet rested upon her head, which drew the attention of those new to Nexus as they noticed the girl's pointed ears, revealing that this individual was an elven being.
Looking the next individual over, seeing that it was another girl, Kari and the others looked to see that she also resembled a human, with short neon green hair and matching glowing eyes, clad in wooden armour that was cut off at her midriff, her upper arms and upper legs, but showed off her slender body and C-cup breasts as Nature Mana coursed through the wood, while a small cloak covered the right side of her body.
A series of blades were set around her left shoulder, along with an impressively designed wooden bow, where, despite the lack of arrows, the Dark Empress and the others imagined that her Mana would serve as her ammunition.
But the one feature that stood out the most with this girl were the two sets of small green butterfly wings that sprouted out of the back of her head, which some in the group at first thought was decorations, until they saw the wings flap lightly, revealing that they were in fact a part of the girl's features and must be one of the fairies that belonged to the Nature Realm.
Turning their attention to the next individual, the last of the females in the group, Kari and a few of the other girls felt slightly annoyed as the individual's shapely figure rivalled that of Mervamon's, her form consisting of her tanned skin, long white hair which was tied in a ponytail, and long claw-like fingernails.
Wearing wooden armour that covered just her upper torso and her lower region, most could take in the girl's enticing body, her DD-cup breasts, and the same type of bow the fairy was using.
But what drew the attention of those new to the Nature Realm the most was the girl's long rabbit-like ears, along with the puffy tail if they dared to look at the individual's rear.
Turning their attention to the last two members of the group and thankful that they were males, the first looking like a human clad in samurai armour made of wood, the same green energy flowing through it as a katana blade rested upon his hip.
Looking the man over, Kari and the others saw that he was several years older than Nature Davis in appearance, with one eye closed due to a scar running along it, white hair tied into a ponytail and a matching beard that stopped a few feet from his chin, this giving the individual the look of a veteran as he looked over the interactions before him.
Taking in the last member of the group, however, those newer to Nexus looked surprised to see what they could only describe as a werewolf standing before them, one with white fur, green eyes and clad in similar wooden armour as his human ally, while also sporting a pair of wrist blades that glowed with Nature Mana.
Refocusing on the situation, TK and the others watched as Alicia expressed a pained whine, before the elf expressed her clear annoyance as she told the cat girl. "Will you stop embarrassing us in front of our guests!?"
"But Sakuya…!" Alicia tried to say as to defend herself, before she was silenced as she saw the glares which the rest of the girls within her group expressed toward her.
At the same time, Kari felt her eyes twitch as she noticed that the Pack as Nature Davis called it had more females in the group then men, and the Dark Empress was more then certain that they had no interest in the older man or the wolf.
Sighing as he backed away from Alicia, Nature Davis turned to face Kari, TK and the others as he told them. "Alright guys, these are my fellow Guardians and my Pack members."
Gesturing to the cat girl, the elf, the fairy, the bunny girl, the older human and the wolfman, the Grand Guardian introduced them in order and told those new to Nexus. "This is Alicia, Sakuya, Shinon, Lyna, Erik and Garen."
"It is a pleasure to meet all of you." Sakuya said with a polite bow, while Erik gave his own bow and said to the group. "After hearing all of our Davis' tales about you over the years, it is nice to finally meet the Digi-heroes as he has called you all."
Looking upon Kari, Erik then let out a small chuckle as he looked upon Nature Davis and commented. "And looks like I was wrong about your taste in women, she's a beauty."
"She's not that pretty." Alicia commented with a small pout as she crossed her arms, her petty response causing Garen to let out a small laugh as he said with a growl. "Now don't be jealous, little kitty."
"Watch it, mutt!" The cat girl then said with anger as she and Garen looked each other in the eyes and growled at one another, the interaction causing many within the group to sweatdrop as it reminded them of a cat and a dog fighting.
Rolling her eyes and about to comment, Lyna then noticed the three other Davises present, before narrowing her eyes as she looked upon the Shadow.
Moving very quickly, the rabbit girl quickly drew her bow and pulled back the string, an arrow of green energy forming within her fingers as she aimed her weapon at Dark Davis, the action quickly startling many as Kari looked ready to move and defend the dark variant of her beloved.
"Lyna, stop!" Nature Davis quickly called as he moved in front of the rabbit girl, who kept her bow ready to fire.
"He's under my protection, he won't cause any trouble!" The Grand Guardian then said to her.
"He killed Ishara." The rabbit Guardian said in a cold tone, where Kari and the others remembered the cat girl Guardian that was a part of the Wild Horde assault upon the Dark Realm, the one that challenged Dark Davis and paid with her life.
Looking amongst the Pack of Guardians and seeing their anger directed upon Dark Davis, Kari remembered the nature variant of her beloved telling her how he had saved Ishara and raised her to become a Guardian, where the Dark Empress realized that she was most likely a sister in the eyes of those before her and that they didn't take the news of her death too well.
"Do you expect me to apologize?" Dark Davis then questioned as he narrowed his eyes, his words causing the Guardians to glare at him, while Nature Davis, Fire Davis, Water Davis and the others feared that he would set them off and start a fight.
"She was part of an assault upon the Realm I am sworn to protect, she challenged me personally, regardless of her reasoning. I did my duty. If any of my allies crossed your paths during an invasion upon these lands, I would expect nothing less than for you to take their lives or die at their hands, as it has always been for life in Nexus." The Shadow then remarked as he moved closer, walking around his nature variant as he continued to glare at the group of Guardians as he refused to back down.
"If you want someone to hate, to blame, then blame those who convinced her that attacking the Dark Realm was a good idea. Blame those that goaded her into throwing her life away for revenge. I am not here today as your enemy, I am here because of my beloved, that is all. I will agree to the terms my counterpart has given me, but I will defend myself if provoked." Dark Davis said with his own determination as he continued to glare at Nature Davis' Pack, who, despite their anger, knew that in his own way that the Shadow was right.
Putting his arm on top of Lyna's, Erik gently pushed her weapon down, the action causing the rabbit girl to look upon the older man, who held a solemn expression within his features as he told her. "He is right, and now is not the time for this."
Looking and taking in both Fire Davis and Water Davis' presence, the older Guardian then stated. "There is a bigger picture here, for the first time ever, others have broken through the Veil and come to Nexus of their own free will. We need to show them our honour and our dignity, not allow our rage to consume us."
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Lyna relented and placed her bow away, opening her green eyes as she looked upon the Shadow and told him. "Very well, but step out of line and you will regret it."
Sighing in relief, Nature Davis felt glad to see his friends relent, before stiffening as Lyna approached him and caressed his chin with her hand, giving him a sensual smile in the process.
"You owe me for this one." The bunny girl then said with a somewhat sultry tone, this causing Nature Davis to sweatdrop as he looked around, to see Alicia, Sakuya and Shinon glaring at Lyna and growling a little, before the Grand Guardian paled slightly to see the dark aura around Kari growing.
'If this keeps up, we'll be having rabbit stew for dinner…' Gatomon thought with her own concern as she watched the seething rage emanating from her partner.
Quick to change to subject, Garen then looked toward Nature Davis and inquired. "So, what now?"
Breaking away from Lyna's hand and ignoring the wink she sent his way, the Grand Guardian recomposed himself and told his fellow Pack members. "Tichalla found us before we arrived here, his father has passed on."
Seeing the solemn expressions upon his friends' faces, Nature Davis then said to them. "He has asked me to be there for his coronation. After that, we'll figure out our next move as we wait to hear from the Archon."
"I don't know what I am more worried about with that statement." Erik then said, adding as he looked over the other Davises. "The fact that you are bringing those two to the capital of the Confederacy, or the fact that all five of you will be together in one place."
"How are we even getting there in time? The capital is over a hundred miles from here." Garen then commented, where the wolfman looked to see Nature Davis point to the sky, this causing the Guardians to look up and see Miracle's Reach floating in the air.
"Oh great, we're going to fly in a Fire Realm metal can." Garen said sarcastically, before he looked upon Nature Davis and informed. "You know I hate flying."
"Well you'd better get used to it." The Grand Guardian said in reply, adding with a sly grin. "I hear it has a bar onboard."
"Alright, I'm in!" Erik said with a hearty laugh, this bringing smiles to the rest of the group as they prepared to head out to their next destination.
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"My Lord, the King of the Beast Confederacy has passed, his successor is to be crowned tomorrow." A beastkin informed his leader, who merely glanced down from the hill he stood over as he took in the news.
"The Grand Guardian and his Pack will be in attendance, and they are accompanied by the Lord Champion… as well as the Shadow and the Arch-Savant." The beastkin then said to his superior, this causing the being to turn and look upon his servant, who added with a small growl. "They are also accompanied by the beings from their old world, including the girl that each seems to love."
Looking back upon the gathered forces below the hill, Tigris Khan straightened himself and commanded with a fearsome growl. "Rally the Wild Horde, we march at dawn!"
Watching his servant leave, the leader of the Wild Horde gained a feral grin, ready to seize this opportunity to rise above even the Grand Guardian and continue his quest to unite the Nature Realm under his rule, and nothing would stop him.
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Author's Note: Our heroes have united with Nature Davis and have made new friends as they prepare to attend an important event, but it seems others see this as an opportunity to exploit. What will happen? Stay tuned as the adventure continues.
PS: While a Nature Dragon, Jiraiya's appearance will be shown later, but his personality is based on THAT Jiraiya. Tichalla's inspiration is obvious, and Karnus' appearance is based on Balafiol, Earth Dragon God from Duel Masters.
