Alone Time

"So true," Ace said walking around the two groups smiling. he plucked a berry from one and pointed to the other. "I'll take that one." He said with a smile. He had to admit this Salamon wasn't half bad. Goodness knows what would have happened if it had just been him.

"So what now Kester. Taking stuff home to your family," Ace asked. He was hoping the salamon would be more keen to him sticking around. It was hard making it on ones own after all.

BATTLE END!

Battle Won - 5o exp
Rank Child - 100 exp
Level Difference - +11 levels 121 exp
Performance Great! - 40 exp

Experience Gained: 311 exp

HOLIDAY BONUS x2

TOTAL EXPERIENCE GAINED: 622 exp


Item Gained: Berry Medley x5 - Heals user by a small amount by eating the revitalizing berries.


Kester is now Level 8
68 exp to next level

Kester couldn't help but smirk at Ace as he picked the pile he didn't eat from. The Salamon didn't make a huge deal out of it, of course, seeing as he had eaten a few while he was sorting. "Whichever fits your fancy." He moved to collect the berries into a tighter pile, taking one from the top and enjoying the taste.

Upon the question of taking them back to his family, Kester shrugged his shoulders. "My mom and dad hunt enough for the family. I'm keeping these berries for myself." He wasn't in the mood to go back to his family just yet. "So I guess I should show you the way back to the plains? Unless you wanna stick around for longer and explore the darkness of my home."

Ace had to admit the place wasn't as scary now. Probably because they had taken down a local. Something he had never done before. He had his scraps sure but the plains were the plains and the forest....well it was different.

"If you got nothing else to do. I'll stick around," Ace said popping another berry into his mouth. "After all after hunger, is naps or playing. And my blood is still pumping."

How did one tell time in this place he wondered. It had eternal shadows as is. He couldn't imagine the passage of time here. It seemed timeless.

If Ace had suggested sticking around before they had taken down the dokunemon, it was most likely that he would have given an annoyed scoff at the chicken. Yet now that they had aided each other in a successful kill, the notion of having Ace as a companion seemed much more...fun, then before.

"Heh, I could use a companion like you. You did well in that fight, that's for sure." The Salamon pushed against the hyokomon's egg in a brotherly motion, like a light punch in the arm. "How about we explore some more? You never know what you might find roaming the darkness."

He said that with an almost evil smirk, sharp teeth showing as he collected his berries and made his way up a root. Kester's internal clock told him that the sun was most likely close to setting in the plains. Yet there was no sign of a retreating light within the forest. Kester let his collar begin to glow before he looked back to check if Ace was following. "You coming?"

The darkness wasn't as intimidating now. Though he didn't doubt what it hid. Ace gathered up his berries and followed Kester up the roots letting his collar shine the way. The forest seemed to grow even more quiet with each passing moment. Eventually what little light did shine disappeared making it feel like they were the only two things in the world....except for the scratching. Which seemed to grow louder from time to time....and large.

Ace looked out into the darkness. A pair of floating and glowing eyes greeting him. And they followed... he tapped Kester shoulder. His eyes not leaving its. It seemed the light from his collar had drawn the attention of something rather large. The eyes easily stood one or two times their size. Its face came into reach of Kesters light. Its long muzzle and blue stripes a testimony to its identity. A garurumon stood there eyeing the pair.

As the ever so soft light that was able to reach through the thick canopy faded with the setting sun, Kester was sure to keep a close eye on how far Ace was away from him. With his collar quickly becoming the only light source they had, the Salamon wasn't sure if Ace had good enough eyesight to be able to see through the darkness. It was the reason he let it glow a bit brighter then it normally would if he was by himself. Climbing his way up a particular large fallen tree, Kester didn't catch onto the loud scratching that was following them.

He made a small growl at Ace tapping his shoulder, the small rookie sliding down the trunk and losing all his progress in making it over. "What? We have to keep moving or el-" Kester froze as he turned completely around to address the hyokomon, heterochromic eyes landing on the large eyes staring them down. The light from his collar diminished at seeing the Garurumon move close to it. For once, Kester was frozen with fear and speechless. It took a second for him to regain his composure and, once he did, he'd lean close to Ace and whisper as low as he could. "When it gets dark....run..." Whether Ace would respond or not, the Salamon would slowly move himself away from him, aiming to have the Adult Digimon follow his path of light that his collar still showed. Once he thought he put enough distance between him and Ace, he'd cut off the holy energy and plunge them into darkness. With that, Kester would immediately break into a run in a random direction away from the Garurumon.

Ace looked to Kester as he said run. Which way? The light disappeared and he panicked. He bolted forward in the opposite direction of Kester. His talons carrying him fast as they could.

The garurumon looked back and forth between the pair then ran after Kester. His larger lopes helping him easily catch up to Kester. Even once he plunged himself into darkness again. It didn't take the long for the garurumon to pounce upon him. His paw threatening to crush Kesters ribs.

"A pup and a chicken. Such an unusual pair," the garurumon scoffed. "A shame only getting one of you. No matter the little bird couldn't have gotten far. I'll just sniff him out. Once I eat you." The garurumon went to make his move and eat Kester. When he yelped suddenly. His attention turned from Kester. A red blurr dodging out of his vision. He turned to fend of his attacker. The Fangmon and him broke into a brawl over him. 

The small rookie dived under roots and ran through foliage as fast as he could, small legs carrying him through the woods at a decent pace for someone his size. But it wouldn't be enough. Not against a much larger adult who could outpace him in any race on any terrain. The plan of throwing the Garurumon off with the drainage of light had failed as Kester felt a weight against his back. His legs buckled under him and he found himself pressed against the ground, the weight of the predator keeping him down easily.

As the Garurumon mocked his new, unlikely friendship with Ace, Kester would kick and pull at the leaves and ground under him, trying to wiggle his way out from under the massive paw. The warm breath made the fur on his neck stand on end as he closed his eyes and waited for the pain of being eaten. Yet it never came. What did, however, was a rush of air as a loud yelp came from the Digimon above him. Before he even had time to turn his head and look at what was happening, the Garurumon had stepped off him. The sound of growling with trees and branches snapping was the tell tale sign for Kester to get up and bolt before he was crushed by the two fighting for a meal.

The small Salamon quickly spotted a tangle of roots at the bottom of a tree, small enough for him to squeeze into but not big enough for the two wolves. The Salamon ran over to the cage like structure, squeezing himself through the wooden roots and into the small space behind it. Heterochromic eyes would stare out through the roots, watching as the Garurumon and his opponent (which he now registered as a Fangmon) brawled it out, teeth biting and claws scratching to find flesh. In the panic state of his mind, Kester barely registered that Ace was missing. All that mattered was his survival, and staying quiet enough to not be found.

The pair was exhausted growling heaps before long. Both noticing the prey was gone. It just left the matter or territory and pride. Thing was Fangmon aren't very prideful. More like they wanted to win no matter what. A blast or ice and dark energy met shattering in the air. With that the fangmon seemingly disappeared. It's lithe form allowing it to weave itself into the darkness and the roots. The garurumon approached hesitantly to see if he could sniff down where the fangmon went.

In an instant his eyes went dark. From the shadows the fangmon reappeared biting hard into his neck and shattering the bone. The Fangmon ate as much of the dissipating data as it could. It licked its chops and looked around. Keen eyes picking up on Kester. It stared at him with a creepy smile but decided he was much too small a meal. It moved on.

With that he was left alone in a sudden silence.

Ace remained under a tree for sometime. Unable to tell which way was what. It now left him lost. He at least had food for now but he would have to adventure out eventually. Tonight though he curled up in the deepest part of the roots and hoped he wouldn't be found by anything other than Kester. Slowly he drifted off to sleep.

Kester watched the whole fight drag out from the safety of his wooden cage. The blast of ice and darkness colliding with each other only showed how easily matched both of them were. But in the end, Kester watched, in slight horror, as the Garurumon was caught off guard by the faster Fangmon, teeth ripped into his neck and crushing the bone with its vice-like grip. A shudder ran down his spine at the sound of bones cracking under the pressure.

After the Fangmon made a quick meal of the predator, it's eyes locked onto Kester and the Salamon froze, standing as still as ever. Heterochromic eyes stared straight into the yellow depths of his unlikely savior. For a second, the Rookie thought that it would lunge at the roots, ripping them apart to get another small meal. But, luck seemed to be on his side today. The predator moved away out of his sight and, as soon as those eyes left his, Kester slumped down in the dirt, an exhausted sigh escaping his maw.

He looked out into the darkness. There was no way he would make it home with the possibility of him being stalked so he backed away from the wooden 'bars' and curled up in his small hole. The small Salamon would pick out one or two berries and chew them down. A small meal before bed, but one none the less. Afterwards, he curled up and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

ITEM USED:
Berry Medley x1

ITEMS LEFT:
Berry Medley x4

There wasn't much light when the morning came to the forest. It almost seemed like an eternal darkness always had its grip on the woods. Kester stirred in his sleep, the slight change in lightning on the outside signaling morning. Light was slowly slipping its way through the canopy, but only just enough to discern the shape of trees, roots and bushes in the darkness. The Salamon yawned and stretched, a small crack of his back as he did so. Shaking off whatever dirt stuck to his fur, Kester walked over to the roots and looked out, scanning the area for anything dangerous. He would need to go find Ace. There was no doubt he would be lost without him.

Ace awoke to the sounds of buzzing a humming He looked out from his roots into the wilderness. The forest was yet again alive with activity. He had to wonder if Kester was looking for him. He couldn't see anything from the ground. He wiggled out of the roots and looked up the massive tree he had been hiding beneath. He started climbing the roots his talons digging into the bark to push himself upwards. He stopped at the top of the roots and looked around. He didn't see him though he did see a buzzing yanmamon. It flitted by quickly and disappeared. He questioned going higher. 

Meanwhile while Kester searched for him the trees were alive with the sound of FunBeemon. A dozen flying insects were going about their business and just as many grounded insects swung from the trees. They looked prepared for something. Something big. With so many insects about Kester was almost bound to run into one. A yanmamon flitted nearby stopping to preen herself then moving on. Her wings moving super fast. 

As the usual morning routine rolled around, Kester wasn't surprised as he watched the insects fly about, having their own morning chores and jobs to do. Once the salamon was sure there were no dangerous predators around his wooden cage, he squeezed his way through the roots and shook off his dirtied white fur. Although it was still rather dark, the sunrays that reached through the tree leaves gave shape to the forest around him. Having lived in this perpetual darkness, Kester's eyesight was akin to the 'daylight' of their version of the morning.

He moved on with purpose, searching up and down and around, looking for the hyokomon that he had dragged into the woods. He hadn't seen which way the other had run last night, so Kester picked a random direction and went with it. He kept low to the ground, crawling under roots and foliage to not be seen and attacked by daylight predators. Most of the dangerous ones should be nocturnal in nature, although you never knew what wandered in the daylight.

"Ace! Hey Ace!" He called out, eyes scanning his surrounding for any sign of the other Digimon.

The dappled sunlit trees stood sturdy like guards. It seemed like not even the wind reached its inner tangled web of branches and burrows. That didn't stop it from feeling like it was full of like. Even below the roots where others burrowed. A bearmon scratched at the roots of a tree marking her territory. Her nose going to the smell in the air. She took to all fours lopping into the roots. Her eyes following a short cream colored digimon. A trespasser....she slowly snuck up on him.

"You trespass on the territory of the mighty the Melissa the Bear. Tremble in fear," She snarled and then let out a....rather pitiful roar. Yep not nearly as scary as she had wanted.