Let Us Not Wake [Valus, Gear]

[stormecho]

This place again. If BlackGabumon had wasted time - where was she, he needed to catch her scent, notherenotherenothere - he might have wondered why they ended up in the first place he had met her.

But that wasn't important. He spared no more thought for Valus and Modoki, despite their insistence on coming along. Whatever reasons they had, they were no longer important. The only person that mattered was Avari, and he hadn't found her yet. The pain of her absence was stronger here, because he was so close and yet.... He paid no attention to the signs, all deceptive and completely useless in his search. All he needed to find was her scent, or a track or something, but she hadn't left any of those, at least, not in this area.

All he could rely on was the sense of urgency building as he plunged into the undergrowth, slicing bushes when they entangled him or blocked him from his brutally straight path. He really had no idea where he was going, but any direction was better than waiting when she was in danger. It was no longer hypothetical, not in his mind - he was her protection, her guardian even when she didn't want him near her, and if he was gone and she was here then she would be easy prey for anything. And it wasn't as if it hadn't happened before, even if she never told him anything about that.

Something had hurt her when he hadn't been with her, and even thinking of that, of how she stiffened and sounded colder as if to drive him away, made him hurt more. She didn't trust him, and he accepted that, but for him to fail in his destined role...

Briefly, he thought of turning and attacking Valus and Modoki, they could be threats to Avari, they had some sort of motive for coming here, but in the end... killing them would waste time. Noticing them if they followed him would only slow him down and distract him.

There it was, that scent unique to her, shot with shadows and so brittle that he had feared she would just vanish entirely when he had first met her, shatter into pieces and dissolve into nothing.

"Avari..." There was something in the air, a chill - or maybe it was just his fear for her. He went faster, intent on his goal now that he knew where she was.

-||-

And in the distance stands a ghost, whose story has stretched past its ending.

[thal]

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The forest around them was sleeping still, for dawn had not yet broken here. The sky was a dark blue of the kind Valus had seen described as midnight in colour. An indication that the sun was coming soon, bringing with it the light and warmth that was absent here at present. Until then, the forest around them would remain cold and silent. For Valus? It was like taking a trip back in time.

Not only were they several hours behind the real world now, probably nearing the time when Valus had first awakened with the expectation of attending school, but this forest was the first place in the Digital World he'd ever visited. It was here where he met Shion to begin with... and certain shapes stuck out as familiar still, even as he chased after the swift-moving BlackGabumon with Modoki cradled in his arms. Yes, he recognized bits and pieces about this place, almost as if he was remembering a scene from a dream.

"A tad slow gainin' on Gabs lad! Might want move them shanks faster like!"

The forest was dark, filled with sinister shadows that Valus feared to linger his gaze on, but up ahead he could see lights. Lots of bright lights shining at a height just above the trees. They were lampposts, he realized, growing more sure of it with every step. Yes, street lights! He could see them up ahead, along with a blinking object in three colours that he was sure looked like a traffic light. Red, yellow, green! Stop, look, walk!

Why did he feel so giddy? Was it because he'd gotten the day off school?

Modoki giggled at his panting, he was running after the wolf Digimon, careful not to lose visual contact for even a second, or else risk losing sight of him in the darkness. His black pelt blending in perfectly with the dark foliage. The chill morning air kept him from overheating as he ran, at least. And having Modoki pressed up against his chest siphoned the heat out of him like a sponge thanks to her slimy skin. In her own words? She was toasty warm, most rightly!

"Chahoohoo! Tha's the ticket! Quickly now! Feels fun this does!"

Was that a zebra crossing he'd just passed? His knees were killing him! It felt like the bones in his legs were moving after being slammed into the ground over and over again, and with every tiny movement the pain inched closer and closer to his maximum threshold. Modoki was treating him like a transport vehicle, and BlackGabumon was showing no signs of stopping. He could see the lights up ahead getting closer... if he were a human... a lost human, rather... would he be drawn to them if left alone in the darkness?

"Don' stop noo Valoos! Don' want be late, no rightly we don't!"

Ridiculous toad! Shouting gibberish phrases at him like that... why was he still carrying her, anyway?

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