Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Flora + Fauna: The Wolf's Tale ❯ Flora + Fauna: The Flower's roots ( Chapter 2 )

"I may be a lady, but I'm no pushover!"
~Palmon, from Togemon In Toy Town

Flora and Fauna-The Flower's Roots

It's one of the nicest days we've ever had here in the Digital World! A perfect day for playing, gossiping, and lounging around with your friends.
--To bad we always have to be ready to fight.

I'm Palmon, defender of the Crest of Sincerity. Well, actually, I protect my human, Mimi, who wears the Crest-but you get the idea. All us digimon protect our humans very carefully. Joe, Matt, Tai, Sora, Izzy, Kari, TK, and Mimi are our bestest friends, after all.
Gomamon, the water digimon, protects Joe, a party-pooper who you can always depend on when you're really in hot water. Agumon, the lizard digimon, has his hands full keeping our gung-ho leader Tai safe from harm. My best digi-friend, the bird digimon known as Biyomon, stands fiercely loyal by Sora, our den mother. Tentomon, the insect digimon, has all four hands full trying to keep our egghead Izzy focused on the outer world. Patamon, who looks like a flying guinea pig, keeps trying to keep little TK from crying(although not always successfully). Gatomon, the reformed cat, is learning about being nice through Kari, Tai's baby sister and the newest addition to our cast.
Matt has a digimon too, of course. His name is Gabumon. He's supposedly a lizard digimon like Agumon, but seriously, how many lizards do you know turn into large striped wolves? I once overheard Tai call him a "St. Bernard with a horn in the middle of his forehead."(when Gabumon wasn't around, of course). I don't really know what a St. Bernard is, but I don't think it was a nice thing to say.
--But maybe I'm wrong. Humans are a weird bunch, after all.

Gabumon is very quiet and slightly shy. He wears a Garurumon's fur to hide his face and most of his upper body. No one knows why, not even Matt. Perhaps he suffers from an old injury that left him drastically scarred? My poor Gabumon.
Yes, I freely admit it-I have the biggest crush on the guy. That means I really really like him, in case you don't follow. It took Mimi a while to explain it to me too. He's gentle, and loyal, and strong, and brave...and cute to boot!
<sigh> But I don't think he likes me much.

I hadn't realized it, but somewhere along the line I made him mad. Y'see it all began a short while ago. It was almost if he woke up one day and Whoomp! he didn't like me anymore. I'd go and try to start a conversation about something, and he'd practically run off! I wish I could tell him how I feel, but he'd probably hate me even more.
So today I stayed right by Mimi's side, towards the back of the line with Sora and Biyomon. I didn't go anywhere near him, not once! But you know what? He kept glancing back towards us and he looked--almost sad. Does that mean he wanted to talk to me today? I'm so confused now.
--Oh, Gabumon. Why do you make this so hard?

It's a beautiful evening. Gabumon, Agumon, Tai and TK are collecting firewood while the rest of us find food. Matt's the best cook in the DigiWorld! Mmm. My mouth waters just thinking about his grilled fruit and fish kabobs.
"Hey, Palmon!"
The voice shatters through my reverie like a ball through glass. Gomamon is standing behind me, a concerned expression on his face.
"Are you okay? You were awfully quiet today. Is something wrong?"
Gomamon can be a real pain sometimes, but he's very trustworthy and amiable. I smile and shake my head.
"No. Not really. It's just-well I think I upset Gabumon somehow. He never talks to me anymore."
Gomamon cocks his head in that funny way of his. "Yeah, I did notice that. I don't think you should worry about it too much, Palmon. He's probably just stressed out over TK. Matt really shouldn't force Gabumon to watch over him and TK."
"Maybe, but Gabumon isn't the type of digimon to take on more than he can handle." I reply a little too sharply. He just smiles mysteriously, shrugs his nearly non-existent shoulders, and waddles back to Joe.
I try to avoid blushing as I grab my stash and walk back to camp.

Poor Gabumon must not be feeling well. He's barely eaten anything. Did I upset him so? I'd never willingly hurt him or embarrass him or anything. I care way too much about him to do that. Hmm. Maybe the problem isn't about me? Maybe I've been around Mimi so much that some of her old bad habits have been sliding on to yours truly? I wish I had the guts to tell him that I like him.
--Or at least ask what's wrong.

"Hey, anything wrong, Gabumon? You're hardly eating."
I raise my head at Gomamon's voice, thankful someone had the nerve to ask what I could not. Gabumon looks like he's about to jump out of his fur(an interesting prospect indeed)-he must have really been in outer space.
"Oh, I'm fine, Gomamon. I guess I just got lost in my thoughts." he answers in that deep, rumbling, yet gentle voice of his. <sigh> I could listen to it all day and night, even if all he was saying was gibberish.
"What were ya thinkin' 'bout, Gabumon?"
I hold my breath at TK's innocent question. He doesn't look too keen on answering. What will he say? Does it involve me?
--Oh, sheesh! Just call me Mini-Mimi!

"Well...I was just thinking about what a quiet day we had."
Oh. Damn. Is that all? I guess I should be grateful it's nothing more serious than that.
"Oh great, Gabumon! Now we're jinxed!" wails Joe.
"Relax, Joe. Everything went fine today, I'm sure it will stay fine tonight as well."
Sora's good at keeping things cool. But Joe's hard to stop once he gets himself into a good frenzy.
"Are you kidding?! We're bound to be attacked by something now! It's like saying 'what else can go wrong?' Oh no, I said it! Augh!"
See what I mean?
"Yeah Joe, relax! With me and Agumon on guard duty, nothing will bother us tonight!"
--I stifle a giggle at Gabumon and Matt's obvious apprehension at Tai's remarks.

We ate dinner so early, Mimi and I had a chance to relax and watch the sunset. It was absolutely gorgeous as it slipped behind the tall trees like a big blob of red-orange ink.
"<sigh>. Isn't it beautiful?"
Mimi nods happily besides me. "Mmm-hmm, sure is Palmon! The sun never sets like this back home!"
We sit in silence, lost in our own thoughts and dreams. Everyone else has become edgier since Joe's outburst and are fidgeting around camp. I glance over at my pink-clad best friend. Most of the others probably think she's completely unaware of the current situation, but I know that's not true. She is just as nervous as the rest of them, but she can hide it easier. I often wonder what caused her to create that ridiculous ditzy girl act of hers.
--Ah well, she'll tell me when she wants to.

I've got the strangest feeling I'm being watched.. I turn and see Gabumon looking at me. Or at least, I think he's looking at me. Well ,it's as good a chance as any. I wave shyly. His reaction is to start slightly, give a half-hearted wave, and look away. Well, at least now I now he was looking at me.
--Phooey.

"Hey Mimi."
Now it's my turn to start. Matt can be real quiet when he wants to be. Mimi recovers before I do and smiles warmly.
"Oh hi Matt! You startled us!"
He grins apologetically. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay. What's up?"
"Well, I-"
I'm not really listening anymore, but rather watching. I know Mimi has a thing for Matt, but I can't quite tell if he feels the same way. He's as good as my Mimi when it comes to hiding things.
Suddenly, I hear a faint whistling. I look up to find its source.....

I barely have time to pull Mimi and Matt to the ground before the fireball hits the center of camp. It's all cloudy and debris is everywhere, but Tai pushes and barks out commands till everyone is accounted for.
"What was that?!" I hear someone ask.
"Oh I knew it! Didn't I tell you guys something like this would happen?! We're all doomed!"
I swear one of these days I'm gonna Poison Ivy that boy back to File Island if he keeps this crap up much longer! But for now, our humans are in trouble! Time to digivolve!
"Tentomon-digivolve to....MegaKabuterimon!"
"Palmon-digivolve to....Lillymon!"
"Gomamomn-digivolve to...Zudomon!"
And so on and so forth. You get the idea, right?
I'm keeping a careful eye on Mimi, but a part of my mind is screaming about the fact that WereGarurumon is directly behind me. You know how I thought Gabumon was cute? Well, WereGarurumon is an absolute dreamboat! If anything, he's twice as brave and three times as strong. I've always felt safer and more confident when he's around.
Anyways, while I'm willing my heart to calm down, another fireball lands and throws me against a nearby boulder. I just bruised my shoulder, but boy, was I mad at me! I should have been paying better attention! I flew up to a defensive position--
-And found nothing.

It was so quiet, it was as if the fireball had swallowed up all the sound in the world. After an excruciatingly long wait, Tai recommended we dedigivolve to save our strength. So we did. Next, he decided we should begin to move on.
"That's crazy, Tai!" Matt protested. "It's already dark! Where are we gonna go?!"
"Well we just can't stay here Matt! Those fireball things might attack again!"
They're both right, but Matt seems to be the lesser of two evils. At this late hour, getting lost isn't very high on my to-do list. I notice Gabumon looking like he wants to say something, so I move over to him to show my support.
--That's what friends are for, right?

<groan>. I open up my eyes to find myself completely alone. The last things I can remember were the boys fighting, a tremendous blast, and a feminine scream. Mimi! Where is she?! Is she safe? Are the others? Where is everyone?! I rush to my feet and frantically try to get my bearings. Unfortunately, nothing is familiar. A soft groaning noise is not far off to my left, so I run that way, praying that its owner if friendly.
I tear through the foliage, too upset to be cautious. I bound out of the forest in time to see Gabumon charging at me full speed.
I gasp in surprise as he sees me and tries to stop. But he's going so fast, he ends up tripping over his own feet and lands flat on his face.
"Gabumon?"
I'm still in shock, but his presence already makes me feel better. Trying to be helpful, I bend down to help him up, but he backs up and avoids any contact with me. And manages to smack his head on a low tree branch, causing himself to land on his rear.
"Are you all right, Gabumon?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. You...startled me, that's all."
I startled him? I giggle at the irony.
"Didn't mean to. Have you seen anybody else?"
He shakes his head sadly. "No, I haven't."
My heart drops. I hope Mimi and the others are okay. So I'm stuck with shy guy here, huh? Not the worst of prospects.
"So I guess it's just the two of us for a while, huh?" From the way his body stiffens slightly, I don't think he agrees with my point of view.
He stands back up, pointedly ignoring my outstretched offer of assistance. He must still be mad at whatever it was I did. Or didn't do. It's not fair! Why can't he just tell me what's wrong? I'd gladly apologize for any misdeed. Oh, why'd I have to go and fall for such an obstinate jerk? <sigh> At least he's a cute one....
Avoiding eye contact, he looks over his shoulder in the general direction from where we came.
"I suppose we should walk back that way. Possibly we'll meet up with the others." He glances back, and I nod my head in consent. Whatever. He walks off, keeping distance between us at all times.
--You know what? Life sucks.

I was so absorbed in self-pity, I almost didn't see him ahead. But I sure smelled him.
A pig-headed digimon the size of WereGarurumon, with two very large tusks on either side of his head blocks the pathway not far ahead of us. His eyes gleam dully as he leans on a metal board.
Javamon!
I grab Gabumon's arm and try to stop him from going any further.
"Gabumon? Gabumon, let's turn around, okay?" My heart is pounding in my ears, adrenaline rushing through my blood. This is a bad situation.
"Why? What is it, Palmon?"
"Don't you know who that is?" He shakes his head. Sheesh! And he calls himself a data digimon?!
"That's Javamon! He's not much in the brains department, but he's real vicious! Those tusks are sharper than ginsu knives, and that board of his has a razor-sharp edge!"
I continue to tug on his arm. "Gabumon, let's go! If he's blocking the path, we'll never get through!"
"But Palmon, as far as we know, their isn't any other way. Now c'mon, I'm sure he isn't that bad! We need to find the others quickly as possible!"
"But Gabumon, he'll kill us!"
"He doesn't know who we are right? He smiles as he breaks my death grip. "So he has no reason not to let us through."
WHAT is he talking about?! Hello, am I just talking to myself here? I've seen this guy in action before, and he's never even heard of him. But there he goes, all friendly-like to go chat with the rabid digimon.
--I hope somebody out there is getting a good laugh.

I hold my breath as he walks up, open his mouth to speak....and nearly get decapitated. I release the breath in a blood-curdling scream. Before I can register it, Gabumon has digivolved into Garurumon. They battle as I come to my senses.
"HOWLING BLASTER!"
"RAZOR TUSK!"
"Palmon-digivolve to...Togemon! LIGHT SPEED JAB!"
I plow right into that walking pork chop, and knock the wind right out of him. Weakened, he staggers to his feet.
"HOWLING BLASTER!"
"NEEDLE SPRAY!"
Our combined attacks are too much for ugly. Javamon howls in pain and disappears from sight. Returning to our rookie forms, I run towards my friend with the full intention of reaming him out completely.
"Gabumon! Gabumon, are you all right? I told you to avoid him-"
That's when I notice the stain of crimson along his cheek.
"Oh my gosh, you're really bleeding!"
He first looks at me with surprise, then at his blood stained paw after he touches his face. I yank him into a sitting position against a nearby tree.
"Sit here while I go get some things to fix you up with. And don't move!"
I'm not used to giving orders, but I think I'm doing pretty well at being in charge. I'm looking for the meadow I saw earlier. Being a plant digimon has its advantages, as I always know which plants are beneficial and which are not. I carry back my supplies and begin my task. I notice Gabumon is sitting very stiffly-the wound must be very tender.
So much blood! I can't for the life of me see where it's coming from! Oh wait a sec...
--Oh shit.

"Umm, Gabumon?" I ask quietly. He is not gonna like this.
"Yes?"
"We have a slight...technical difficulty."
"What?! What is it?!"
His beautiful ruby brown eyes open wide in alarm. I can only fidget with the bloodied compress in my hands. I feel bad about what I have to say next, but it's for his own good.
"Well, y'see, the blood appears to be coming from a...different spot than I thought."
"Where is it coming from then?"
"Well...I thought it was behind your eye originally, but now I think-" I tap a finger near the base of his horn. "-that it's coming from up here."
He looks confused, and slightly wary. Not that I blame him-he has good cause to be suspicious. Now I lay down the bomb.
"And the only way I can get to it, is for you to..."
Here goes-
"...remove your fur."


"Take...off...my..."
Oh wow! I never thought anybody's eyes could "out-bug" Tentomon's! I'll have a hard time forgetting this picture. I smile reassuringly at him. "Yeah. I need to clean your wound, and I can't very well do that with your fur covering it, can I?" I'm trying to be light-hearted about it. All he does is shake his head, eyes still bulging.
"You wouldn't have to take it all off, Gabumon. Just the part that covers your head."
A reasonable request, don't you think? But he still shakes his head. I plead, I bargain, I try to reason, but he just shaKES HIS HEAD!!! Now, I'm a patient digimon, but this is getting ridiculous. Blood is still trickling down his face, and an infection is imminent if not properly cleaned. Reaching my breaking point, I leap to my feet and grab the closest threatening object.
"Look Gabumon. "I hiss between clenched teeth, "Either you take off that damn hood willingly or I will remove it for you permanently." I wake my weapon(I think it's one of Javamon's tusks)under his nose, and finally he relents. I gather my composure, then turn away politely. Things are tough enough for him without me staring him down.
After a moment or three, I find myself struck with a mixture of curiosity, excitement, and guilt. To the best of my knowledge, no one has ever seen a Gabumon without its fur> I've always wondered what he looked like underneath, and now it seems I've got my wish! But I don't like to see him suffer, and humiliation is the worst blow I could've given him.
--My poor baby.

I will myself to finish what I've started as emotionally detached as possible. I turn around, take a deep breath, and open my eyes....
Wow.
He's...beautiful. And so...different than from whatever it was I was expecting. I shake myself back to reality and check out the damage. I move very carefully and gently, but as I am a bit nervous, I can't keep my hands from trembling. But he doesn't seem to notice though. The poor thing hasn't opened his eyes once. Eventually, he calms down a little. Or at least, he no longer looks like someone poured cement over him.
The wound is not bad. Being a head wound, it's bleeding quite a bit, but it's not deep at all and a few moment's pressure is all it needs to stop. I use the rest of the time to clean him up and to--study.
The most amazing thing is that he has ears. The black nose I knew was his own, but the ears are new one on me. They're short and pointed, kind of like an Earth wolf. A stripe of deep blue passes across the bridge of his muzzle, stretches up his face, and comes to a blunt point just past his horn. I absently run a finger around it. Oddly, while the rest of his face is smooth scales, the stripe is like peach fuzz. If this is the worst of him, he shouldn't worry.
Suddenly, he opens his eyes and looks at me! I jumped back a little and felt a bit awkward for a few moments. I realize that I'd gotten off track. I wrap him up in a few bandages.
"You can put your fur back on now, Gabumon." I tell him shyly. Or, you can rip it off completely and throw it off a cliff! GACK! Where'd that thought come from?! He replaces his hood and we sit quietly, unsure of what to say to each other. Then he has the nerve to try to stand up. He says he's thirsty and he wants a drink. I ignore his whining and force him to sit. I then rush to find some water. I see a stream close by and use my Poison Ivy to form a bowl. Funny, until I met up with Mimi I never knew there was so much water in the Digital World.
Poor Mimi! I'd almost forgotten about her! I hope she's okay. I carefully walk back with my precious cargo. I can tell he's visibly impressed with my apparent ingenuity, and I explain how I learned it for Mimi once when she was hurt. I kneel down and as I do, I realize I should've thought to find something to be used as a straw. Oh well, he can just sip from it like an over-sized canteen.
Suddenly, I find he has his own methods. Like shoving his face practically all the way in the "bowl", and slurping noisily with his tongue! His tongue tickles my palms, but I force back the giggle that bubbles up. For one thing, it would be very rude of me to laugh at what must be natural for him, and second, I'd be afraid I'd lose control and spill all the water on him. Either way, it'd be real embarrassing.
--Of course, so is slobbering all over someone's paws, but what's a girl to do?

Draining the "bowl" dry, he wipes his mouth on his sleeve and thanks me. "No problem, " I reply, "How are you feeling?"
"A lot better." he smiles. "I'm sorry I was such a difficult patient."
I dismiss the charge with a wave of my hand. "Oh, don't worry about it. I'm just sorry I had to threaten you like that, but you didn't leave me with much of a choice."
We smile and chuckle at each other for a moment. Then Gabumon suggest moving on again. He seems much better, so I agree and stand up, respectively withholding any offer of assistance. Using the tree as a crutch, he stands up....
And immediately lurches forward. I react instinctively, leaping forward and grasping his shoulders. He has a death-grip on my waist, but I'm so scared for him I really don't register it. After very tense, very l-o-n-g minutes, he flutters open his eyes.
"Are you okay?!"
"Yeah, yeah. I must have just stood up too fast. That's all." I mentally curse myself for not thinking about such a potential danger beforehand.
"Do you wanna sit back down?"
"No. I'm fine. Just-give me a moment here."
Standing there, the fear ebbs away. As it does, the realization that his paws are still on my waist grows sharply pronounced. I force myself to look him in the eyes and not blush. Strange, he's never looked at me like that before. Could it be maybe he likes me? No, he can't stand me...can't he? Maybe I've been misinterpreting his attitude? My heart skips a beat at that notion. I need to tell him how I feel, now, while I'm still hopeful. I might not have a chance like this again.
"Ummmm...." I begin, and immediately my brain cannot think of a coherent thing to say. Think, think, think....nothing. ACK!!!!
Hey, is it just me, or has he gotten closer? Yes, yes he has! I don't remember him moving, but he must be. I don't think it's me moving. I look back up in his eyes. The look is so foreign. Apprehensive, excited, curios...thing I've never seen in him before(all at the same time, that is). And he keeps leaning forward. Oh wait! He's not going to kiss me....is he?! My heart is practically pounding out my ears, and my knees are shaking. Thank goodness I'm still hanging on to him. I've wanted to kiss him ever since Mimi explained the concept, and now I've finally have got my chance!
He's so close. I can smell the musky odor of his fur, feel his breath on my face. All we have to do is just lean forward just a bit more......

"PALMON?! GABUMON! WE FOUND YOU!!"
"AHHH!!!" I jump and scream, as does he. TK comes tearing across the field, Gomamon close behind. It's very tempting to Poison Ivy the boy into the stream, but I manage to suppress the urge. I must have looked pretty peeved though, because Gomamon comes up meekly to me and says,
"I guess we didn't exactly show up at a good time?"
"No shit, sherlock." I hiss. I glance over at my crush, but he's not looking att me again. I lost my chance, and I'll probably never get my kiss.
You know what?
Love sucks.

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