EPISODE 04 - GUARDIAN ANGEL
“It’s not that I’m scared, per se, but - come on, you have to admit it’s a little weird!”
Wouldn’t anyone with a working brain agree that vines reaching out and trying to grab you is weird?
Plugin Forest was unlike any forest Harmony had ever been in. Even compared to Host Forest, which had been strange enough on its own, it seemed to reach a whole new level of weird.
While Host Forest had been odd in the “trees shouldn’t look like this” way, Plugin was odd in the “trees shouldn’t act like this” way. Normal trees were pleasant and provided shade on hot days. They absorbed carbon dioxide and emitted oxygen, allowing for people and animals to breathe. Some even produced tasty fruit or pretty flowers.
The trees here did none of those things.
On top of the creeping vines that kept curling outwards and trying to wrap around them, some of the flowers seemed to close up as they walked by - and, on the contrary, there were also flowers that opened up even wider when they passed, as if they were… hungry, or something even more terrifying (but what’s more terrifying than carnivorous flowers?)
All of that, combined with the constant feeling of being watched, was not enjoyable.
It was still the same day they’d met Ko and reunited with Ryan and Dare; the group of nine was now wandering through the jungle in search of the Pucchiemon, the healing Digimon who could help with Azure’s wounds. They couldn’t have been walking for more than half an hour, so the whole experience of being in a creepy rainforest was quite new to all of them - even Ko, who lived near here, seemed a bit unsettled whenever a tree branch dropped down to block their path.
“No, no, she’s got a point,” Dare said, curled around Ryan’s neck, and she flicked her tail over his mouth before he could make a snide comment. “I have never, in my life, been here, and I’m starting to wish it’d stayed that way.”
“Well, better get used to it, because we’ve still got quite a ways to go,” Castor said, pulling his hood back from his head. “It’s not going to hurt you.”
“Maybe,” Miguel mumbled, crossing his arms. “That’s what we said about the Digimon here, and now look at Azure.”
“Don’t use them as an example,” Ko huffed. He raised an arm to gently pat Azure’s hand, which they smiled at.
Azure turned to Miguel. “No, you’re right. We should still be aware of our surroundings and take things seriously.”
“When have we ever not?” Ezra laughed.
“When you were joking about how we couldn’t get hurt,” Alex said, glaring at him, “and that instead we’d just ‘lose data’.”
“Hey, HEY -” Ezra turned to Alex, pointing at him fiercely. “In my defense, this is our third day here and I didn’t know what I was talking about.”
“Oh, and you do now?” Ryan chimed in from the back of the group. “You don’t even have a Digimon.”
“Neither do I,” Harmony pointed out before Ezra could respond. “Or Miguel. Doesn’t matter. What matters is that we find the - what was it, Pucchiemon?”
“Yes,” Ko said, nodding. “It shouldn’t take us too long. They’re not particularly shy, so it shouldn’t be hard to find any.”
“Unless, of course, these vines keep trying to strangle us to death,” Harmony groaned. “Isn’t there any other route that doesn’t involve being killed by the trees?”
“Whatever happened to Miss Braveheart?” Ryan said, rolling his eyes. She frowned and attempted to kick his leg, but he dodged just in time.
“I’m not scared,” she insisted again. “I just think it’s a valid concern, you know? Trees aren’t supposed to be sentient.” Then again, dragons aren’t supposed to be real, and bugs aren’t supposed to talk.
“Unless they’re Woodmon,” Ko piped up.
Castor nodded. “Or Cherrymon.”
“I am talking about real trees, here,” she said, sighing in defeat. “Not Digimon who look like trees.”
“ElDoradimon?” Ko suggested to Castor, ignoring her.
“I guess,” Castor mumbled, squinting. “Although they have their trees on their back.”
“Okay, I get it, some trees are sentient!” Harmony shouted, earning a laugh from everyone. “I just mean that non-Digimon trees should not actively be trying to murder us!”
“Yeah, we’ve had enough actual Digimon trying to kill us,” Azure said, making Ko stop in his tracks to stare at them, presumably with a worried look. They flicked his horn as they walked past him. “Hey, I am allowed to make jokes here.”
“About that,” Castor said quietly. “I’ve actually been meaning to ask - for those of you who’ve fought Digimon so far, was there anything strange about it?”
“What do you mean?” Azure asked.
Castor furrowed his brow, thinking to himself. “Just anything you might have noticed. If they were acting in a way unusual for their species.”
“Not really,” Ko said, shaking his head. “Though… Snimon didn’t reply when I asked what it wanted, but it’s not that unusual when it comes to wild Digimon.”
“Vegiemon didn’t either,” Dare said, nodding. “They’re usually pretty aggressive when it comes to defending their territory, but the one I fought was doubly so. Why do you ask?” She tilted her head at Castor, who blinked and then tugged at his collar.
“I was thinking it might explain why they attacked you,” he said, “but I guess not.”
“Well, it sorta does,” Dare said. “Vegiemon was probably just mad that I started a fire on its territory and started eating its mushrooms. It thought the best course of action would be to fight back.”
“That wasn’t really what I meant,” Castor said, shaking his head.
Conversation died down after that, with everyone mostly keeping to themselves - Ko and Harmony both checked up on Azure every so often, but other than that, it was quiet.
They stopped for a snack after a while - it was nearing late afternoon, not yet close enough to dinnertime, but enough time had passed since their lunch at Ko’s convenience store earlier in the day to warrant a break.
“I’m glad we came across your store, Ko,” Harmony said in between bites of her apple. “I don’t know how I would’ve managed to survive on just mushrooms and water.”
“Hey,” Castor said, faux-defensively. “The mushrooms are good.”
“Yeah, maybe for you,” Alex laughed, bonking his fist against the small dragon’s nose. “But the rest of us usually get to eat actual meals when we’re hungry.”
“Personally, I’m just glad we have any food to eat at all,” Ezra said. “Mushrooms are better than nothing, right?”
“And death is better than being stuck here,” Ryan said under his breath, tossing his apple core off to the side. “In a world full of monsters. With a group of people I couldn’t care less about.”
“Lighten up, meanie,” Dare joked, jabbing him in the knee with her elbow. He cursed and rubbed his kneecap, glaring at her.
“If this jungle doesn’t kill you, I will,” he warned, in a very serious tone and with a very serious expression, but Dare burst into giggles, and soon enough everyone was laughing along.
They hit the road not long after that, with everyone finishing up their food in record time. None of the trees had changed their attitudes while they had stopped, so they were once again back to battling their way through the undergrowth.
It’s too quiet around here. We’re all stuck in a strange world and we’re practically refusing to speak to one another. Harmony cast a glance around - indeed, only Alex and Ezra were conversing amongst themselves, and even they seemed a little less talkative than usual.
Sure, it was a peaceful silence, not awkward or tense, but… hikes always seemed to go by faster when everyone was getting along, or at least in Harmony’s experience.
I should do something about that.
“If you really miss your family, clap your hands,” Harmony sang, clapping her hands. Miguel joined in as well.
“If you really miss your friends, clap your hands.” Ryan and Azure added their agreement to the other two.
“If you really miss your family, and you’re worried how they’re handling, if you really miss your family, clap your hands,” she finished, and once again, only Miguel clapped along with her.
Harmony looked around the group in confusion. “Aw, come on. You guys really aren’t worried about your families?”
“The only person I’m worried about is Anna,” Ezra said with a sigh, looking down at his feet.
Alex chuckled. “Bunny? She’s doing just fine. Probably glad to be able to get away from you, finally.”
“I love my family, but they’re probably handlin’ it just fine,” Azure said. “I bet my dad’s havin’ the time of his life right now.”
“And I bet my dad hasn’t even noticed I’m missing,” Ryan griped, rolling his eyes.
“Woah, calm down, Depression Express,” Harmony laughed, a little nervously. “I’m sure someone’s noticed you’re gone.”
“…If you met my family, you’d understand,” he said under his breath. Harmony winced, but didn’t press further. She’d clearly hit a nerve.
Castor, on the other hand, had plenty more to say. “I still don’t know why you’re all so worried about your families.”
Alex huffed. “Because we’re kids, and we disappeared from our world without a trace, and they’re probably freaking out about us being gone.” He stretched his arms out above his head, yawning as he did so and nearly bumping into Ezra while his eyes were closed.
The tiny dragon rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Maybe. I say don’t worry about it. You guys are doing very important things here.”
Ezra broke into a laugh and spread his own arms out wide in a stretch. “What, like wandering through a forest that is literally trying to kill us, with several small monsters of a species that also try to kill us whenever they can?”
“Can you guys,” Harmony breathed, “please calm down.”
“You’re the one who brought up the fact that the forest is trying to kill us,” Ryan argued, spreading his hands in an incredulous manner.
“Yes, and then you all escalated it,” she said, turning to him and crossing her arms. “If we’re lucky and optimistic, maybe we won’t get hurt here.”
He snorted derisively. “When has being optimistic ever saved anyone?”
“Maybe it won’t save us,” Harmony grumbled, squeezing her eyes shut, “but it sure as hell is more comforting than constantly awaiting death.”
“I do that at home all the time, though.”
“You guys are insufferable,” she sighed, a hint of venom in her tone. “For once can you shut up and just - not try to pick a fight all the time?”
“I didn’t start this,” Ryan snapped back, sneering at her with his brow furrowed. “Forgive me for trying to make light of our current situation.”
“Being a pessimistic asshole all the time is not equal to ‘making light’ of anything!” she said, whirling around on her heel to face him. She clenched her fists and walked straight up to the taller boy, stopping mere inches away and staring up into his eyes.
“All you do is complain and expect the worst, and then you get confused when we get tired of it!” Harmony continued, jabbing a finger into his chest. He took a step backward, his expression darkening, but she stepped forward as he retreated, not giving him room enough to feel comfortable. “If you could maybe for once in your life stop arguing, then maybe we wouldn’t get into all this trouble!”
“Uh, hey,” Ezra mumbled.
Ryan paid no mind to him. “Are you accusing me of everything that’s happened so far?” he exclaimed, jerking his head back. “I am not always to blame for everything.”
Harmony frowned. “Maybe not everything, but a fair amount of our problems do stem from your - your lack of filter and your attitude!”
“Guys,” Ezra said again, tapping Ryan’s shoulder to get his attention, but he brushed him off once again.
“Says the girl who’s currently up in my face YELLING at me!”
“I’m only yelling because that’s the only language you understand!” she cried, her hands trembling. “Whenever we try to talk things out like normal people with you, you start an argument!”
“For the last time,” he growled, glaring daggers straight into her skull, “I did not start this.”
Harmony recoiled, letting loose a shaky breath. She closed her eyes, lacing her fingers together and tipping her head downward. Breathe in. Out. Slowly. Count to ten.
On the fourth breath, she was interrupted by Ezra tackling her from behind and a new voice ringing out throughout the trees.
“
“What the hell was that,” Harmony squeaked from her position on the ground, before the bushes in front of them were ripped to shreds.
The supposed perpetrator was a strange spherical Digimon with legs that ended in what looked like goat hooves and arms that ended in hands clutching ninja stars. One of the hands was empty, but its assigned shuriken came sweeping back into its palm after making a wide arc around the group. It wore a staff on its back and a red hood that completely covered its face, save for two holes for its eyes.
Those two eyes were pure white.
Out of the corner of her eye, Harmony saw Azure stumble backward with a panicked expression, and she immediately pushed herself up to get to their side. One of their hands was pressed against their heart, the other being used to steady themself against the ground as they slumped into a sitting position.
“Hey, you’re okay,” she told them, but their mind was clearly elsewhere, and they didn’t seem to hear her. Harmony winced slightly, but remained with them.
Poor Azure, she thought. This can’t be easy for them.
“
“Oh, damnit,” Dare hissed, flaring her wings. “
“That’s a Ninjamon,” Ko said. “You guys aren’t going to have any luck against it.” Despite his warning, he too stepped up to join the others, spreading his wings to guard Azure and Harmony behind him.
“Haven’t we had enough of this shit?” Alex yelled, shaking a fist at the sky.
“
“
“
Ninjamon wasn’t done. “
Well, it wouldn’t have been a pretty sight. Fortunately for them, someone was quick enough to react.
“Watch it!” came a new voice, and a flash of pale yellow darted by, catching the shurikens midair and throwing them back where they had come from. Ninjamon had the sense of mind to get out of the way, but was certainly caught off guard by receiving a taste of its own medicine.
The newcomer stopped for a split second, and Harmony barely managed to catch a glimpse before it was on the move again. It seemed to be some sort of tall creature with blue gloves and a very fluffy tail.
“
The Ninjamon skidded along the forest floor, but wasted no time in jumping back up and brandishing its staff again. It twirled it around in its hands before announcing “
The yellow Digimon was caught across the chest and sent flying backward, but it too was quick to regain its footing.
“You will leave them alone,” it growled, glaring at the Ninjamon. “I don’t want to see you again, understand?”
It pushed itself off the ground and ran toward the Ninjamon, punching it directly in the face. The Ninjamon glared and attempted to strike out at the yellow Digimon, but it dodged it perfectly, its hand still driven into its face.
“Leave them alone,” it said again. “Or I’ll make you.
It reached its arm back as it began to swirl with energy again and landed another hit on the Ninjamon, sending it flying backward. It got up, looked at the yellow Digimon for a second, and then ran off back where it had come from.
For a brief moment, no one in the clearing moved; Castor and Dare were still laying on the ground, Ko stayed with his wings spread as a shield, and the other four humans stood stock-still. The new Digimon, whom Harmony could now discern as a bipedal fox, glanced over its shoulder at the group - no, at her. At Harmony.
Without another word, the Digimon disappeared just as quickly as it had come.
“Whaaaaat the hell was that,” Harmony repeated.
“Azure, are you -” Miguel stumbled over to the two humans kneeled on the ground, reaching a gentle hand out to place on Azure’s shoulder. They blinked and shook their head, waving him away.
The remaining standing kids eventually made their way over to Harmony and Azure as well, with Alex and Ryan checking in on their Digimon. They weren’t too hurt, but Castor looked a bit sheepish at being shown up by a mystery savior.
“Do you guys know what that was?” Alex turned to Castor, rearranging his cape over his back. “The Digimon who saved us, I mean.”
Castor sighed and looked at Dare. “No. It was too fast for me. Did you?”
Dare ducked her head in defeat. “Same. Ko?”
“I was too busy making sure Azure was okay,” the bug said in a calm yet vaguely sarcastic tone. Dare rolled her eyes.
Harmony took a deep breath and steadied her breathing, taking Azure’s hand in hers and rubbing it with her thumb. “We can’t get caught up with it. We still need to find the Pucchiemon.
“Right,” Castor said. “We can’t waste any time. Let’s get a move on.” He pushed himself up off the ground and shook himself out before continuing onwards, only pausing to make sure Alex was following him.
Harmony followed them, but her head was in the clouds. She couldn’t stop thinking about the other Digimon, and even as they headed deeper into the forest, she found herself looking back over her shoulder at where they had disappeared to.
Who was that?
Why am I so hung up on them?
Why… why did they turn and look at me?
She didn’t have time to dwell on it. They had a mission, and they had to focus on the task at hand.
The day wore on, with no more attempts from Harmony to get everyone in a good mood; after what had just transpired, she didn’t want to risk another surprise attack. She eventually fell near the back of the group, lost in her thoughts and with little energy to talk to the others anymore.
The forest hadn’t stopped trying to trip them up, and she bit her lip to keep from sighing as she ducked under another creeping vine. Her gaze drifted around the surrounding forest as they walked, partly to watch out for anything trying to kill her and partly so she had something to think about.
Something deep within the trees caught her eye, though.
Hang on - is that…
“Hey, it’s you!” Harmony called out, waving frantically and stopping dead in her tracks. Miguel walked into her back with an audible oof and stumbled backward slightly, blinking in confusion as he followed her gaze.
The Digimon narrowed its eyes as everyone else’s gaze turned to it, but made no move, still completely focused on Harmony.
“Thank you for saving us earlier,” Harmony said, smiling, hoping to get a reaction. No such response came. If anything, the Digimon seemed to shrink back further into the foliage, as if trying to hide themself.
Are they… following me?
Against her better instinct, Harmony took a cautious step toward the trees. “Are you - are you following us?”
“None of your concern,” it said sharply, turning away slightly. It looked over its shoulder and warily eyed the others behind Harmony, tilting its head slightly.
“Well - thank you, again,” Harmony said, dipping her head in respect. The Digimon sniffed, but said nothing, merely flicked her tail.
Her? Yes, Harmony had a feeling it was a she - just something about the way she held herself and tapped her cheek with a claw and furrowed her brow as Harmony approached.
“Harmony, let’s go,” Alex said from behind her. “We have to keep moving.”
Harmony stuck her tongue out at him over her shoulder, then turned back to say goodbye to the Digimon, but -
She blinked. “She’s gone.”
“She?”
“Huh?” she said, tilting her head as Ezra turned toward her curiously. She hadn’t realized she’d said it out loud. “Oh. The Digimon. I don’t know, just…”
Alex released a huff of air and stepped forward to shove her along the path, despite her resistance. “Come on, come on, we gotta go.”
But Harmony shook her head. “I think we should follow her,” she said, surprising herself and everyone else present.
A moment of silence passed. “What?” Alex finally said, breaking it.
“Look, obviously she’s here to protect us,” Harmony argued, feeling her cheeks start to heat up. “I mean, first she saved us from the Ninjamon, and now she’s still keeping an eye on us. Maybe she can help us! Maybe she can help Azure.”
“Harmony, I’m not sure what that was, but that wasn’t a Pucchiemon,” Ko said slowly. “She’s not who we’re looking for.”
Harmony frowned, ignoring the guilt creeping up her throat. “No - yeah, I know that, but - I have a feeling she’s important.”
“And there are other, more important matters at hand,” Ko replied, beginning to sound annoyed. Azure furrowed their brow down at him, then at Harmony, but said nothing.
“I’m not saying Azure’s wellbeing isn’t important,” she shot back, folding her arms. “I know it is. But we can focus on more than one thing at a time, right?”
“Right now, the only thing that matters is getting help for Azure,” Castor said as he stepped forward. “After we find the Pucchiemon, we can look for this… whoever that was.”
“Why not both?” she said, shrugging a shoulder. “Killing two birds with one stone, right?”
“Why is everyone obsessed with killing birds with stones?” Dare mumbled. Ryan nudged her with his foot to silence her, and she reluctantly shut her mouth.
“If we follow her,” Ko said calmly, though his posture suggested he was anything but calm, “we’ll get off track. We might get so caught up in following her that we completely lose our way.”
“On the other hand, she could show us a way out,” Harmony said. Her hands were still shaking. She took a deep breath in, trying to calm herself down.
“And on the third hand, we could get lost and never find the Pucchiemon,” Ko said, lifting one of his smaller clawed hands into the air to accentuate his point.
This isn’t going anywhere.
Harmony threw her arms in the air, defeated. “Okay then! Fine! You go off and get better, and I’ll - I’ll figure out what’s really going on here! Because there is something!” She huffed and turned back in the direction of the fox Digimon.
“Harmony, don’t -” Ryan started.
“Don’t you ‘don’t’ me!” she retorted, whirling around toward him, and he took a step back. “I know we need to find the Pucchiemon for Azure and I know that’s super important, but I think it would be fine if I went off to find out what’s going on! We got attacked and she jumped out of nowhere to save us!” She saved me.
Shaking her head, she turned back to face the whole group. “So you guys go and help Azure, and I really wish you the best, I’m not trying to divert the plan, but - but I’ll be fine on my own! I can handle myself.” She let loose a breath and folded her arms, turning around again.
She felt a hand on her arm, and looked up to see Ryan guiding her away from the group, off to the side of the path. When they were out of earshot, he stopped and opened his eyes wide, looking at her expectantly.
Harmony frowned. “What?”
“Tell me what’s going on.”
“I just did,” she said, trying to keep her voice level.
“Why are you so adamant about going off on your own to find a strange Digimon?”
“Hey,” she snapped, staring him down. “You, Alex, and Azure all went off on your own and nearly died and you didn’t let anyone stop you. I think I have the right to do that as well.”
“Yeah, but you’re gonna get lost,” Ryan insisted, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. It was, but Harmony didn’t care about getting lost. “In a jungle that can and will try to kill you. You’ve been saying that all day.”
“You’re free to come with me if you’re that worried about my safety,” she said, smirking slightly. Ryan snorted and turned away, folding his arms. “I’ll be fine. Think of it as a coming of age thing! Like - like last year’s geology trip, when we had to do the solo hike! That was fun, right?”
“Yeah, and it was also back on PLANET EARTH,” Ryan shouted, throwing his hands in the air. “Where we didn’t have to worry about monsters and trees trying to kill us.”
“I don’t know man, there was one tree I walked by that definitely looked like it was up to something shady,” Harmony deadpanned, before breaking into a giggle. Ryan, however, did not laugh. Harmony closed her eyes and breathed out slowly, then looked back up at him.
“Hey,” she said, softer this time, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I will be fine. Why are you so worried, anyway? You climbed a mountain, for god’s sake.”
“And I had Dare to protect me,” he pointed out.
She squinted at him. “You said you met her halfway up.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Harmony closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. “Look. Look. I know you’re worried about me, which is weird, because we were literally having a screaming match not even an hour ago, but chances are if I do run into trouble, that fox lady will just jump to my rescue.”
“And what if she doesn’t?” Ryan insisted, running a hand through his hair. “That’s what I’m worried about. Not you not being able to protect yourself, but you’re just - you’re putting so much trust into a Digimon whose name you don’t even know, and I’m worried that if things do get… bad, that she won’t live up to your expectations and you’ll get hurt.”
“Ryan,” she said quietly. “If foxy lady doesn’t come to my rescue, I will book it the other direction and run right back to you all. So stop worrying about me. Right now. I’m going to be fine.”
Ryan furrowed his brow as he started to protest. “But -”
“Right now.”
“Okay, okay,” he said, stepping back and putting his hands up in surrender. “But try not to get lost. If you’re not back by nighttime, we are going to come looking for you.”
“Buzz off,” she laughed, shoving him playfully. “Chances are I’ll be back in time for dinner. Now stop worrying and go and get - going.”
Ryan rolled his eyes but cracked a smile, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked away. “Try not to die.”
“You too,” she called after him, and soon enough he had disappeared back into the foliage.
Harmony stayed where she stood for another few minutes, waiting until she was absolutely certain that everyone else had continued onward.
And then she immediately regretted everything that had just transpired. How had she gotten herself into this? With a groan, her knees buckled from underneath her and she sank onto the dirt, rubbing her forehead slowly. This is the worst idea I’ve ever had. If fox lady doesn’t -
No. She will. I just know she will.
But why? What is it about her?
She shook herself out. It doesn’t matter now. What’s done is done.
“No going back,” she said quietly, getting to her feet. “I can do this. I can handle myself. I’ll be fine.” Hell, I just spent a whole minute yelling at Ryan about me being able to handle myself. I can’t back out now. Not this soon.
So she set off in the opposite direction, on a quest to find the strange Digimon, not once looking back over her shoulder.
…Okay, maybe once. But that was all.
It was harder to find the fox than Harmony had expected it to be.
The stupid trees kept flailing their stupid vines into her stupid pathway, causing her to jump and sometimes smack her stupid head into another stupid branch, which would then knock her down into the stupid flowers and the stupid leaves and everything was just so stupid and one hundred percent out to kill her.
“You stupid jungle!” she shouted into the forest after perhaps the thousandth time a vine tried to strangle her. “Shut up and leave me be!”
The trees said nothing back. If anything, they seemed to grow more determined to trip her up and throw her off of the path.
Not like there was much of a path, anyway. Even before, with the whole group, they’d sort of been weaving in between trees and bushes, but out here it was worse, because it didn’t seem like there was anyone nearby for miles who would be around to naturally create a path over years of walking through the forest. At least beforehand they’d had a vague trail to follow, which was something to go off of, although of course it still left much to be desired.
But having to jump over clumps of leaves and move around alarmingly bright flowers and duck under low-hanging tree limbs, all while having no real idea of where she was even going? Harmony would take the oppressive stuffiness of Host Forest and its scattered road signs over this any day.
“At least back there we didn’t have to constantly watch out for murderous flora,” she mumbled, kicking a rock out of the way before immediately tripping over a giant tree root.
“Oh, this - damn jungle!” she shouted, sitting up and dusting herself off. She whipped her head around, glaring at nothing in particular. “I am really starting to hate everything about this week. If I could just start over that would be lovely.” But that’s not going to happen, she sighed inwardly. If anything, it’s just going to get worse.
And oh boy, was she right!
Barely had she finished picking herself up and digging the few remaining leaves out of her hair before she heard an all-too-familiar voice, and it was decidedly not the one she was actively searching for. In fact, it was the one she had almost forgotten about, and was altogether trying very hard to avoid.
“
“You are not who I’m looking for!” she yelled at the Ninjamon as its shuriken whizzed far - like, really far; almost pitifully far - above her head as it jumped out of the trees. It sneered at her as she jumped to the side, right as its throwing stars returned to its hands.
“
“How many times do I need to tell you to leave her alone?” came the fox’s voice from above their heads, and Ninjamon was thrown off track enough by the sound that its attack missed Harmony once again.
Harmony, for her part, had run up to the closest, friendliest looking tree as soon as the Ninjamon’s first attack had finished. She was thinking - hoping - well, really more like wishing with all her might - that if things got bad, she could just… climb it, and avoid it until it lost interest in her. Surely something with goat legs and hands constantly occupied by throwing stars wouldn’t be able to climb a tree, right?
Fortunately, though, her guardian angel had come to the rescue, just as expected!
Suck it, Ryan!
“
The fox came barreling out of the trees, slamming a paw into the Ninjamon’s side almost before the flames had formed. It tumbled head over heels, its shurikens tumbling to the ground, but righted itself quickly enough.
The Ninjamon wasted no time in pulling its staff off its back. “
Immediately she jumped up and over the Ninjamon’s head, using its brief recoil as a chance to charge up her attack and land a punch. “
It hit it square in the face, but had little effect; the Ninjamon paused for a second, regaining its composure, then put its staff away before calling out its next move. “
Foxy did not get out of the way in time, as she was not expecting it to react so quickly. She flew backwards across the clearing and landed in a heap of dirt and fur at the other end.
Harmony couldn’t bear to see the Digimon she had gotten so weirdly attached to knocked out that quickly, and against her gut instinct and her inner voice screaming at her to run away, she found herself running toward her and collapsing onto her knees at the fox’s side.
“No…” she whispered, lightly running a hand over her shoulder fur.
The fox’s eye snapped open and she was immediately pushing herself up, brushing Harmony away as she did so. “Go away,” she grunted, rubbing her cheek. “You’re going to get hurt.”
“And you just did,” Harmony pointed out, standing up with her and reaching her arms out to steady her when she wobbled. The Digimon pulled away from her and faced the Ninjamon, who had had the decency to leave the two of them alone while they convened.
“I said go away,” the fox said sternly, not looking down at Harmony. She tightened her fist, rubbing her other paw across the blue glove that covered it. “I can’t let you get hurt. Let me deal with this.”
“You can’t do this alone,” Harmony pleaded, taking a cautious step forward, but she was stopped by the Digimon reaching an arm out to halt her.
“Go. Away.”
Harmony was going to argue back, say something about how she couldn’t possibly expect to fight it all on her own, but before she knew it the Ninjamon was darting forward and aiming straight for her with its staff.
“
“Move!”
She felt something scrape against her cheek, then a paw on her shoulder, then the coarse dirt and scattered pebbles pushing against her face as she fell to the ground. The fox had pushed her aside just in time to save her from the Ninjamon, and was now locked in a fierce wrestling match with it; it had dropped its staff, which was now laying on the ground only a few feet away from the two of them.
Foxy was seeming to have a very hard time holding off the Ninjamon; she was taller, but it was generally larger, and seemed much more powerful than her. Harmony could see her feet sliding back by a few inches, and her arms trembled more and more with each passing second. Her face was contorted into a look of pure determination, but she was struggling, and it was obvious.
What can I do? Do I just sit and watch? Do I run?
No. I need to help her. Or at least try. I can’t sit back and do nothing.
But what can I -
Out of the corner of her eye, the few beams of dying sunlight that had made their way through the thick tree canopy reflected off of the Ninjamon’s staff.
One very silent and very slow second passed by, and then Harmony reached out, picked up the staff, stood up, and hit the Ninjamon over the head with it. She also had the thought to cry out “Shadow Slash!”, as if that would somehow have more effect.
(She didn’t know how Digimon attacks worked. She was doing her best.)
The Ninjamon reeled backward, letting go of the fox Digimon and rubbing a hand over its head. It frowned and turned to Harmony, pulling its shurikens out and preparing to attack.
“What are you doing?” the fox shouted, before scooping Harmony up in her arms - she was surprisingly strong, and seemed to have no trouble running off into the forest with her, leaving the Ninjamon and its wounded pride behind.
Harmony yelped as the fox picked up speed, squeezing her eyes shut and praying she wouldn’t get motion sickness. Gosh, foxy was fast.
The fox Digimon slowed to a stop in the middle of a small clearing a short while later, gently placing Harmony back down on her feet. She crossed her arms and flicked her tail slowly back and forth, raising one eyebrow at her.
“You wanna tell me what that just was?”
“You were losing,” Harmony said, pacing in a small circle. She stopped and faced the fox, pointing at her accusingly with a finger. “I had to do something. It wasn’t the worst idea I’ve ever had.”
“You’re right,” foxy agreed, tipping her head upward. “You running into the line of fire was your worst idea. But that? That was a close second.”
“What was I supposed to do,” she said, wiping her nose. “I couldn’t stand there and watch you get hurt! I had to do something.”
“What you should have done was run,” the fox snapped, “fast and far, and not risk your life to help me.”
“Why shouldn’t I when that’s what you’ve been doing all day today?”
This gave the fox pause; her tail stilled, and she tapped one claw against her chin. “You really are foolish.”
Harmony sighed and flopped down on the ground, running a hand along her cheek where the Ninjamon had caught her with its staff earlier. “It’s a serious question. You saved me - not once, but twice today!” She held up two fingers for extra emphasis as she rolled onto her back to look up at the Digimon. “I just wanted to thank you.”
The fox wrinkled her brow. “I’m just doing my job. I don’t need thanks.”
Harmony blinked, entirely unsure if she’d misheard her or if she had misspoke - did she just say it was her job?
She sprung to her feet, completely forgetting about her wound as she felt a new sense of curiosity. Creeping closer to the fox, who eyed her suspiciously as she drew closer, she stood taller and placed her hands on her hips.
“Your… job? Hang on, who are you? What’s your name?”
“Renamon.”
“What’s your job?”
The Digimon - Renamon - rolled her eyes and huffed, turning her back to her. “It’s none of your business.”
Harmony walked around to face her head-on again, closing the distance between the two of them and poking Renamon’s furry chest with a finger. She seemed to take no notice of it, although she did twitch an ear.
“If protecting me,” Harmony said slowly, “or whatever that just was, is your job, then it is my business.”
“I don’t know who you are,” Renamon growled, raising a paw to Harmony’s arm, her finger still pressed against her fur. She wrapped her claws around her wrist - gently, so as not to hurt her, but tightly enough to demonstrate her strength. “I don’t know why I need to do this. All I know is what to do, how to do it, and that I need to do it. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“But there has to be something else going on here,” Harmony insisted. “You’re important to me, I just know it.”
Renamon curled her lip. “And I don’t know you.” Her voice was downright venomous, and Harmony winced slightly as her eyes narrowed, undeterred by Harmony’s persistence.
…Maybe she’s right.
Harmony closed her eyes, taking several deep breaths in and out, counting to ten. She half-expected Renamon to be gone by the time she reached five.
But on the tenth breath, when she blinked and looked around, Renamon was still in front of her.
She didn’t look any less grumpy, but at least she hadn’t fucked off into the forest while Harmony was regaining her composure. You gotta take what you can, right?
Well, Harmony thought. If she’s not interested in me, then I guess there’s no point in trying to talk her out of it.
“Thank you for your help,” she said, her tone coming off more sarcastic than she’d intended. “But I’m going to go find my - my group, now.”
Renamon said nothing, just stood and stared at her.
Harmony wiped her face and quickly turned around, forcing herself to put one foot in front of the other and head back the way she’d come. When she reached the treeline, she hesitated for one split second, then kept walking.
“Harmony!”
She froze.
She didn’t dare turn around, didn’t dare look back at her savior, didn’t dare meet her gaze again. But she did stop, and she did listen.
“That’s your name, right?” Renamon called out to her. “I heard the other kid call you by it.”
Harmony would have said something, but she felt something burning in the back of her throat, and all she could muster was a curt nod.
A few heartbeats passed.
“Stay out of trouble.”
The ringing in her ears would not stop, and the lump in her throat would not go away, and she still could not find a way to form words, not even fifteen seconds later when she finally had the courage to turn around and face Renamon.
It didn’t matter anyway, it turned out. She had already disappeared.
Harmony stared into the empty clearing for another minute before continuing on her trek back to the others, swallowing her sorrow the entire way.
The forest was quiet at sunset, and Harmony found herself feeling very lonesome.
Stupid trees, she grumbled to herself, drying her eyes on her sleeve. Stupid flowers. Stupid - stupid world.
Everything about this place sucked, she decided. Stuck in a completely different world full of aggressive monsters without any of her friends and no way to contact her parents to tell them she was okay. Life sucked, this world sucked, everything sucked and was stupid, now and for all eternity.
She couldn’t even find it in herself to get angry at the vines when they kept trying to choke her. She kind of wished they would and just get the job over with.
That’s no way to think, she heard a voice in her head say. Toughen up and keep going. If not for your sake, then for theirs.
Who was “they”? She didn’t know. Her family? Her friends? The rest of the group?
A fourth party entered her mind and she forced them out, trying to only focus on the dirt under her shoes and how lonely she was.
Surely singing would help.
“I am such a fool to keep on chasing after nothing great.”
Her voice had nothing to echo off of like it usually did in her bedroom. It sounded empty like this. She wrapped her arms around herself.
“You are such a fool to keep on thinking that you’re loving me.”
…Maybe not this particular song.
“I don’t know… where I’m supposed to go…”
She paused, sniffed, wiped her nose, and shakily sat down, putting her head in her knees. “Goddamnit, I really don’t know where I’m supposed to go. I’m lost.”
I need to get out of here. I need to keep going.
The forest was just as ridiculously dangerous as ever, but the sun’s dying rays were giving it a friendly warm tinge. Well, maybe the sun wasn’t exactly dying - not yet at least - but it was definitely nearing the end of the day, and it was getting colder and colder with each passing minute.
Harmony stood up, steeling herself and brushing herself off. I’m not going to just sit here and feel sorry and wait until someone comes along and rescues me. I can save myself.
I don’t need you, foxy.
There she went again. Still thinking about Renamon. She couldn’t get her off of her mind. Why am I so attached to her?
God, I hate this. I wish I could go to sleep and then wake up and realize this is all a dream.
She shook herself out, picking dirt and leaves out of her hair and off her clothes. Her fingers lightly brushed over her cheek, where a slight scar was forming from Ninjamon’s attack and Renamon’s subsequent pushing her to the ground.
It could be worse.
She kept going. She wasn’t going to stop now.
I know they’re close - they couldn’t have gotten far.
But which way would they have gone after I left...?
She sighed and pushed her way through the trees. There’s only one thing I can do here. I just gotta keep pushing through.
It really was quiet here; there wasn’t a bird in the trees, or even some sort of Birdmon. The only company she had was herself, her thoughts, and the flowers that twitched as she walked by, releasing small puffs of pixels when she kicked at them.
This place isn’t like home at all. Home is never quiet. Never lonely.
Never has strange monsters who will save you and then turn you away.
"God, I need to stop thinking about her," she sighed aloud. She kicked a stone out of her way, watching it roll off into the bushes and disappear.
The trees must have fallen asleep or something, because they were getting much lazier with their attempted murders. Branches only whacked her in the face every now and then, and the vines that used to be so persistent in their choking were now much weaker and much easier to brush aside. Even the flowers had calmed down somewhat.
Guess that’s one advantage of the nighttime.
It wasn’t even nighttime, though; sure, from what Harmony could see, the sun was definitely beginning to set, but rather than the harsh orange and pink hues she was used to, the sky was a simple purpley-blue - the color that comes just before a sunset.
It only seemed like nighttime because of how still and silent the forest was.
Harmony sighed, halting in her tracks and looking around. All the trees looked the same; how would she ever be able to figure out which way the group had gone?
Well, if they were heading south...east?
She peered around the edge of a tree, trying to catch a glimpse of the setting sun. The sun sets in the west here, right? Didn’t Azure say something about that?
God, I hope so.
Well, if that way was west, then the opposite way was east, so she only needed to adjust her path a little bit. She pressed onward, not thinking about anything that could be hiding in the branches, ready to jump out at her when she least expected it.
I wish I was home. I don’t get lost in jungles at home. I’m not alone at home.
Home doesn’t have monsters trying to kill us.
But there was no use thinking about the what-ifs. They were here, in the Digital World, and for all they knew, it would be a very long time until they got home.
And that was fine.
Is it? she found herself thinking, and she shook her head out as if she could dislodge the thought. Is it fine? What if you’re stuck here forever and you never get to go home and see your family or your friends again?
What if this is your life now?
So what. She just had to make the best of what she could.
No going back.
Keep on moving forward.
So she did, and she nearly ran straight into a tree.
"God - oh my god," she groaned, her shoulders slumping. "I can barely see a foot in front of me. This sucks."
It sucked a lot.
It didn’t get any easier to navigate as she kept going; she tripped over countless logs and rocks and nearly ended up at the bottom of a (very small) ditch at one point. The only thing that kept her feeling even a bit positive was the knowledge that everyone else was safe, in a group, with each other to watch out for them.
And, you know, some cool monsters with magic powers who could help defend them.
If only I could say the same.
She could literally feel herself getting worse. Worse at everything. Worse at staying positive, worse at going on, worse at feeling better.
The sun was continuing its descent, and Harmony could swear it was getting to be really evening time. Maybe it was just a trick of the light. But regardless, she still avoided any patches of shadow she spied, not wanting to have an unfortunate run-in with another Digimon. Oh well.
The forest was so quiet that Harmony could hear her own heart beating, and she realized that it was… considerably faster than she would have liked. Was her subconscious reacting to something deep in the foliage? Was there danger lurking about?
What other monsters could be hiding in the ever-growing shadows?
As it turned out, it was the same monster that had already attacked her twice that day.
Unlike its previous two attempts, it did not immediately announce its presence with the calling of an attack; Harmony didn’t even notice it at first, so hidden was it in the bushes and so lost was she in her mind.
The catch, though, was that this time it gave her twice as bad of a heart attack when she did notice it, because she was altogether entirely unexpecting it to be staring at her with its pure white eyes as it sat back and waited for her to see it.
“What the hell,” she shouted, jumping away from it when it finally caught her eyes.
The Ninjamon made no movement.
Gingerly, she crept closer, her legs shaking but ready to run at any moment. Still it did not move.
“Are you…?” she whispered, not daring to finish her sentence. She edged nearer to it, slowly closing the distance between the two of them, her blood pounding in her ears and her stomach dropping into her feet.
When she was less than an inch away, she chanced a look down at its hands and saw its shurikens hiding in its palms, ready to strike out.
She didn’t have enough time to back up; she was too close to it and too terrified to think straight, so instead she reached out with a hand and shoved it backward just in time for its Ninja Star Burst to miss her entirely.
Harmony managed to avoid screaming this time, but it still came as a shock, and she stumbled to regain her footing after collapsing onto the ground at its feet when it yanked away from her. She scrambled upright and stepped backward, her arms raised in a defensive manner.
“You want a piece of me?” she shouted, glaring at the Ninjamon. It smiled and stepped out of the bushes, its shurikens glinting in the light of the setting sun.
“
“I didn’t mean it literally,” she added as she threw herself onto the ground. “I can’t fight you. Just leave me alone, maybe?”
It displayed no indication that it had understood her, or even heard her at all for that matter. When its throwing stars curved back into its hands on their return arc, it tucked them in its pocket and reached around its back to whip its staff out.
“Well shit,” Harmony grumbled as she stood back up, eyeing the Ninjamon warily. It seemed to smile as it walked closer to her, as if it knew that she couldn’t fight back.
I have two options here: I stand and fight, or turn and run.
The Ninjamon smacked its staff against its opposite palm in a threatening gesture.
…Running sounds like a good plan.
Wheeling around, she took off at a sprint through the forest, not stopping to check if the Ninjamon was following her.
Past trees and over fallen logs and under creeping vines, she ran faster than she’d ever run before. She tripped at one point, but got up instantaneously and kept going, never daring a look back.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of red and black, and felt a whizzing go by her face - one of Ninjamon’s shurikens. Without thinking - because who has time to think when running for their life? - she reached out with a hand to grab it.
It did not go well. It would have gone a hundred times better if she had just kept running, in fact.
The shuriken sliced open her palm, and she faltered in her gait, crying out in pain and collapsing to her knees on the ground. The cut wasn’t deep, but the amount of blood that gushed out from the opening was… not reassuring, to say the least.
So plan A had failed. Now she was faced with only one other option: staying and fighting, neither of which she had ever been particularly good at, but her life was on the line and she didn’t have anywhere else to go.
…She could keep running, but she was bleeding a lot, and she didn’t quite yet feel ready to run as fast as she had - especially not through a forest that was very easy to get lost in, and especially not when she was bleeding this damn much.
Harmony wiped her hand on her shirt, wincing as it rubbed against the cut, and turned around to face the oncoming Ninjamon, every bone in her body telling her to run like she’d never run before and every thought in her head screaming at her to stand her ground and not back down.
As it drew closer, she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping it would somehow numb the inevitable pain that was to come, and prayed for the best.
She was prepared for the Ninjamon jumping at her with its staff. She was prepared to fight. She was prepared for whatever would be thrown at her next, literally and figuratively.
She was not prepared for what actually happened next, as she hadn’t expected “the best” to be someone jumping to her rescue, but it was what happened.
“Harmony, watch it -!”
She opened her eyes in a flash, hoping to see who it was who had saved her. Ninjamon was blinking confusedly, and Harmony noticed its shurikens were missing - but they came hurling back in its direction, thrown by their thief and followed by a familiar call.
“
Renamon came leaping out of the trees, her arm outstretched and her paw curled into a fist. Blue flames licked her arm and flared brighter against the darkening backdrop as she made contact with the Ninjamon.
Ninjamon skidded backward, grunting as it smacked into a tree, but jumped back up again, grabbing its shurikens from where they’d landed on the ground and flicking its wrist outward. “
Renamon neatly hopped out of the way, landing behind the Ninjamon and managing to get a couple more Power Paws in before it whirled around and smacked her with a Shadow Slash.
Harmony had backed up against a tree and was now looking around for anything she could toss at the Ninjamon long enough to distract it so Renamon could beat its face in. She settled on a hefty stone, and lifted it over her head as she ran into the foray, bringing it down like a brick on the Ninjamon’s head.
It growled and swept its staff out, knocking her onto her face, but wasn’t able to attack her further, as Renamon had seized the opportunity to pummel it with punches. Giving up on Harmony, it turned to Renamon and threw its shurikens at her with another cry of “
She dodged and swung at it again, missing only by an inch, but an inch was all it needed to shove her aside and focus its attention back on Harmony.
In two seconds, she was pinned to the ground with a shuriken held against her throat.
She couldn’t scream. She couldn’t cry for help. The Ninjamon pressed down harder and she flinched, almost positive she could feel a trickle of blood oozing down her neck.
The Ninjamon smiled at her and blinked its blank white eyes before raising a hand up and bringing it down on her throat.
It never made contact. Renamon, aware that Harmony was moments away from death, had managed to push herself up off the ground and lunge at the Ninjamon, knocking it off into the bushes somewhere as Harmony scrambled upright and gasped for air.
Her throat felt tight, and altogether way too sensitive for her liking. She dragged a finger along the faint slice left behind, the only indication of her brush with death.
She heard Renamon thump to the ground, sticking a perfect landing after jumping back from another of Ninjamon’s advances. Renamon snuck a glance at Harmony, her blue eyes full of something like concern. She mouthed a quick “you okay?” before her gaze snapped back to Ninjamon, who was still up and kicking.
Renamon stood up to her full height, standing between Harmony and Ninjamon. She slowly spread her arms out in a defensive manner.
Harmony’s eyes widened as Renamon’s paws began to glow with a bright blue light, different from her Power Paw attacks. Renamon, too, looked surprised, but she quickly adjusted her expression as she took a step forward.
“I will not let you hurt her,” she growled, voice booming. “Not again.”
Ninjamon backed up, warily eyeing her glowing arms, but it raised its staff defensively anyway.
Renamon took one step forward.
Two heartbeats passed, and then her paws erupted into an even brighter white light. The energy, looking much like fire, danced up her arms as she got down on one knee. She sank her claws into the earth before looking up at Ninjamon.
“
It resulted in a brilliant flash of light twice as blinding as before, as well as a yell of pain from Ninjamon. It dropped its staff, which rolled a foot or two away before coming to a stop at the base of a tree.
Ninjamon’s blank eyes seemed to widen, just as - well, Harmony couldn’t say for certain, but it definitely looked like two blue irises blinked into existence just as its body began to pixellate and dissolve. The staff, too, went up in pixels, which faded away into the air, along with any remaining evidence of Ninjamon having been there in the first place.
Renamon, a few yards away, stood up straight and examined her fists, which had stopped glowing. She perked an ear up as she looked back over her shoulder.
Harmony closed her eyes.
I don’t want to have to watch her leave for the third time today.
Ten seconds passed, and Harmony cracked an eye open, expecting to see an empty clearing and no trace of Renamon.
But she was still there, and had even walked closer to Harmony, standing with her arms crossed and tail swishing.
The two looked at each other for a long time before Harmony broke the silence.
“Why… why did you save me? Why did you come back?”
Renamon ducked her head, tapping her claws along her upper arms. “…You’re important. To me.”
Harmony’s breath caught in her throat as she looked up at the Digimon.
With her head still bowed, Renamon dropped down onto one knee, similar to how she had mere minutes before; Harmony was worried for a split second that she was going to receive the same treatment Ninjamon had, but Renamon simply placed a paw over where her heart would be as she took a deep breath. “I vow to protect you. With my life, no matter what. Now and forevermore.”
Harmony didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know what to do.
“Oh,” she said, and then: “Till death do us part?”
Renamon blinked up at her. “I - what?” She sighed and rubbed her forehead, standing back up. “Oh, forget it - yes, until death do us part.”
Harmony blinked, then placed a hand on her own heart. “…Thank you, Renamon.”
Renamon cracked a small smile, which in turn made Harmony grin wildly, which was then interrupted by a beeping sound coming from her phone, tucked into her back pocket.
She pulled it out curiously, Renamon creeping closer to her to peer down at it, and once the light emanating from the screen had died down, Harmony was a lot less surprised than she’d thought she would be to see the same strange app present on her homepage.
“Digimoji,” Renamon mumbled, propping her chin up with a fist. “Odd.”
“So I guess we really are partners,” Harmony said, smiling and pocketing her phone. “I mean, I already knew we were, but it’s cool to know for certain.”
“Partners?”
Harmony laughed, and explained the whole situation to Renamon as they started walking, hoping to find the rest of the group before darkness really set in. Renamon was… skeptical, to say the least, but she seemed on board with the concept, and hey, she’d already agreed to protect Harmony. She couldn’t back out now.
Harmony could almost swear that she wouldn’t even think about that now. Renamon seemed to have taken a liking to her.
Harmony had started to really like her too.
Finding the rest of the group was no easy task, but they all managed to meet back up before nightfall. Ryan nearly lost his mind when he saw Renamon and Harmony walk into the clearing side by side, and was still having a hard time processing it as the two of them relayed the evening’s events to everyone. In turn, Harmony was pleased to hear that the Pucchiemon had been found, and although Azure’s wound wasn’t healed completely, at least they weren’t in pain anymore, and it wasn’t in as much danger of reopening.
The rest of the group had stopped at what Renamon explained was the Cableway. Supposedly it was a cable car that transported passengers from Plugin Forest to Circuit County, but it had been broken down and malfunctioning for as long as Renamon could remember. It still ran, she said, but acted seemingly of its own accord, and had no set schedule for when it would arrive.
Castor was most interested in hearing that it ran right along the coast of Net Bay. “That’s the exact direction we need to head in,” he said, perking his ears up. “Aldamon lives much further inland - but it’s the right direction.”
“You’re saying we should take this shitty thing?” Alex asked, raising his eyebrows as he kicked the stones around the tracks. “Will it work?”
“It works,” Renamon said. “When it works, though, is anyone’s guess.”
“I say we try it,” Harmony suggested, earning doubtful looks from literally everyone but Castor. She sighed and rubbed her temples. “It would be a lot faster than walking all that way. And I’ve kind of had enough of walking to last me a lifetime.”
“God, me too,” Alex groaned, Miguel and Azure voicing their agreement as well.
“I mean, what do we have to lose?” Harmony laughed, settling down into the dirt. “We stay here for the night and… whenever it comes back around, we hop on. Sound like a plan?”
Hesitant nods and shrugs gave her as good of an answer as she would get, which was enough for her. She smiled as everyone else joined her on the ground, those with partners making room for their Digimon to sit beside them.
After a “nice” dinner of digitakes and assorted fruit (both of which were starting to get just a bit boring for her), slowly but surely everyone managed to find a comfortable sleeping position, Ryan in particular using Dare as a pillow and looking very satisfied with himself.
Harmony felt a slight shift at her side, and cracked an eye open to see Renamon sitting upright, her knees pressed to her chest and her face tilted toward the sky. She caught Harmony’s eye and blinked, but said nothing.
“Ren?” Harmony whispered after a beat, startling the fox slightly.
“…Ren?” the Digimon repeated, wiping her snout.
“Oh,” Harmony said softly. “I didn’t realize I’ve just been calling you that in my head.”
Renamon - Ren - whatever - let out a long breath. “As a… nickname?”
Harmony shrugged, pulling herself into a sitting position. “I guess. It just fits.”
Ren said nothing for a while, keeping her gaze trained on the stars. “…It’s nice.”
Harmony smiled.
“What were you going to ask?”
“Just…” Harmony thought for a moment, tapping her fingertips together, before shaking her head. “I don’t know. Are you… okay with being pulled into this?”
“My life didn’t have a purpose before I realized I needed to protect you,” she replied immediately. “And now I have one - a purpose. A… good one.” Pause. “So yes. I’m okay with whatever comes next. At least now I have a reason.”
A reason for what - living, protecting Harmony, being with Harmony - she didn’t say, but Harmony was fine with that. Just being next to her was enough.
“Goodnight, Ren,” Harmony said, because she didn’t know how to properly formulate the rest of her thoughts into words. She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on the fox’s cheek, causing her to go stock-still, then slid back down and closed her eyes.
“Goodnight,” she heard her friend say, before she drifted off into sleep.
They nearly missed the train.
“Wake up,” Harmony heard Dare shout, and she opened her eyes just in time to see her kick Ryan awake. He responded by grabbing her leg as she retracted it, managing to yank her a few feet into the air before launching her across the clearing to land on Ezra. The boy yelped in surprise, and both Dare and Ryan laughed at him as he brushed himself off.
“The cable car’s about to leave,” Ren announced to everyone. “We have maybe two minutes.”
“Two minutes?” Alex exclaimed, trying his best to shake Castor awake. The tiny dragon groaned in protest, but after a few extra vigorous shakes, he finally came to, blinking the sleep out of his eyes and yawning. “Why didn’t you wake us up sooner?”
“The car only waits for two minutes,” Ren said, “and then it leaves. It just got here, so we don’t have any time to spare.”
Harmony sighed, smiling gently as she pushed herself up. Azure and Miguel were both raring to go, and Ryan was slowly coming to his senses, followed by Alex and Castor.
Indeed, the train seemed to be getting impatient as they all slowly boarded, shaking gently as each of them stepped on. Ren, who was ushering everyone in, was the last one to get on, and the car then roared to life, its headlights flickering on as it began to move.
Harmony realizeid only once she was boarded that she had forgotten her bag, which also happened to be the one with most of the food in it. Ignoring Ren’s protests and attempts to keep her in, she jumped out of the side and raced toward where she could see it lying on the ground.
“Harmony -!” she heard Ren call out after her, but she didn’t stop, only looking back once she had picked it up, and by then the cable car was already on its way.
Well that is just great, she thought to herself, starting to run as fast as she could after the car.
She managed to catch up to it, and she threw her bag inside, but she couldn’t figure out how to jump on - until Ren extended an arm toward her, concern etched into every part of her face.
Harmony fumbled to grab her paw, but eventually she caught hold and was pulled into the car and, furthermore, Ren’s arms.
“That was stupid,” Ren grumbled as she let go of Harmony, who was laughing along with everyone else.
“Hey, it all worked out in the end,” she said, sticking her tongue out at Ren, who rolled her eyes.
“And if it hadn’t?”
“Aw, you care about me,” she teased, which Ren replied to with a grumble and a huff.
Ren positioned herself by the opening to the car, holding onto one of the poles as she let the wind brush over her face, and Harmony took a seat between Ryan and Ezra next to her.
The trees rushed by them as the cable car raced along the tracks. “It feels a bit like home,” Azure pointed out after a while, and everyone nodded their agreement. It did feel like home.
But then again, home didn’t have cable cars that operated on their own.
And it certainly doesn’t have monsters that are actually pretty sweet when you get to know them, Harmony thought, smiling up at Renamon.
Eventually, Plugin Forest disappeared behind them, becoming nothing more than a green blur in the distance. Goodbye, weirdo jungle. Nice knowing you.
Circuit County was on the horizon, and they were one step closer to uncovering the truth about this world.