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Chapter 5: P issed off spiders and vivid dreams

Back in the digital world the newly found partners had set off on their two day journey to meet with Rena's friend Annulmon in a place called Forgotten Valley. They had been making good time and Rena was explaining how Annulmon was a digi-historian and knew almost all there was about Digimon history; Tom also knew a lot about human history as well.

Rena lead the way; she was so used to using the trees and leaping around at high speed but with Tom here she couldn't do that. She didn't mind it much though, he was good company. The two continued on joking and laughing until the light began to dip below the horizon and visibility became poor; this is was when the two decided to make camp for the night. Rena had gathered a good amount of fire wood while Tom tried to get the fire started which with Captain Martinez's Zippo the one that he "borrowed" from him right before departing the base, just for such occasions it wasn't hard at all. Rena returned arms full of fire wood setting it down next to the small fire and took a place next to Tom who was sitting up against a tree that was about 5 feet from the fire. Tom had already taken his armor off and spread out his sleeping roll and bag, now he was going to enjoy his first hot meal in a while. The fruit and nuts that Rena and him have been eating were good, but it was no hot meal. He took out a small metal mug and filled it with water from his hydration bladder on his pack, then set it onto the fire.

"What's that for?" Rena asked with a quizzical look.

"Dinner," Tom said, taking out two light green boxes from his pack and tossing one to Rena who gave him a wired look after reading the package. "What's M.R.E?"

"It stands for Meal Ready to Eat, here, there, designed to be eaten anywhere," Tom said cheerfully, popping the plastic seal and pulling out the contents of his own dish; he then added the hot water to the main dish which was a beef stew. She did the same to hers, she had spaghetti and with tomato sauce. She took a few bites cautiously but after the second bite she let out a groan of satisfaction.

"Mmm, this is wonderful, I never had food like this before," she said, her mouth stuffed with spaghetti.

"Man, I've never seen someone so surprised by spaghetti before," Tom said as Rena began to wolf down the rest of the meal, she was starving after the days hike. When she was done, Tom started to laugh at the ring of tomato sauce that was staining her muzzle.

"What's so funny?" she asked

"Hahaha, you look like a puppy that just got their paws on a plate of spaghetti," Tom said, clutching his sides in laughter. Rena blushed through her fur and franticly tried to wipe it off. "Here, let me help you." He pulled out an old tee shirt that had been a bit tattered after constant use, but was clean enough for this and moved over to try to help Rena wipe her muzzle off. When he wiped her face off she could smell his scent on the shirt and she found herself taking it in a deep breath [that smells so nice].

"There all clean... "Rena was in a kind of trance; Toms scent was stirring something inside her she never felt before [that smell, why does it smell so good to me? It makes me just want to...] "Hey Rena, you ok?"

Rena snapped out of her sent induced trance " ...Oh, umm, yes, I'm fine just..."

But before she could come up with an excuse her ears perked up. She heard rustling and tree limbs being snapped; something was coming this way and it sounded mad, or hungry, or both. Tom must have heard it too because his face had steeled and his eyes narrowed, he was now gripping the butt of his side arm, his rifle was resting by his sleeping roll a full 20 feet away. The sound had become louder; whatever it was, it was BIG.

"POISON THREAD!" the attack erupted from the tree line striking Rena, sending her flying back into the brush.

"RENA!" Tom hopped up as a large spider emerged from the tree line, this one was bigger and nastier looking than the one he had encountered two weeks ago.

*Pop..Pop..Pop..Pop! *

He started to send rounds down range, but the bullets only bounced off the monstrous spider's thick almost armor like head.

"Ah, you little brat!" it yelled out as it tried to swat at him.

He rolled to dodge the attack and drew his blades. Tom swung, and managed to cut a gash in the spider's abdomen just as one of its eight arms sent him flying back. But before it could attack again, Rena burst from the tree line.

"DIAMOND STORM!" the attack made the huge spider reel back as it was hit by the razor shards, but it quickly rebounded and caught Rena off guard with a web attack. It trapped the digital vixen in a web net, trapping her.

Rena underestimated this one, it was a champion level. The spider loomed over her and opened its huge jaws. "Now for my main course," it hissed evilly.

Rena closed her eyes waiting for the pain, but she snapped open her eyes when a loud bang erupted from behind her. Rena saw the dokugumon reel back as Tom was able to put chips in its head plate with his rifle. He knelt down next to her.

"You ok?" he asked. She nodded. "Hold still, I'm going to get you out of that." He produced a large combat knife and cut the spiders thread. "I'm beginning to really hate spiders; lets end this bitch."

"You can say that again," Rena muttered.

"Any ideas?"

Rena saw the how Tom's attack had chipped the dokugumon's head plate and this gave her an idea. "Can you hit that same spot again when I say?"

"That should be easy, what do you have in mind?"

"I'm going to crack that things head like a large digi nut."

On Rena's go, Tom sent another round down range. Just as he shot, Rena teleported right in front of the now pissed spider and yelled "Power paw!" Her hand was engulfed in an eerie blue flame and she buried her claws deep into where the bullet impacted, cracking the dokugumons head like a giant walnut. The dokugumon collapsed to the ground, it's head was caved in and blood poured from the wound, then a few seconds later it split into a cloud of partials that Rena seemed to absorb when she was done.

Tom's Digivice beeped then announced "Data download complete." He ignored this and ran up to her "You ok?" he asked worriedly, dropping down to the the ground. "Yes, I actually feel great, thank you for saving me back there," Rena said.

"He-he, don't mention it. Ha-ha now we're even," he said with a chuckle

"Ha-ha, I guess we are."

"We make one hell of a team."

Rena nodded. "Yeah, I guess we do," she said with a smile.

Tom slumped down against a tree as his adrenaline rush from the sudden attack faded. He was exhausted from a combination of the battle and the long day of hiking; even for a Spartan candidate it was very taxing, but despite the on setting exhaustion he was stuck in a combat mind frame he was constantly scanning the area out of reflex and his hand still gripping his rifle tightly. Rena noticed this. "You can relax now, I don't think anything else will try to attack us," she said while spreading out her large blanket next to Tom's sleeping roll; the same on that she wrapped Tom in his first night in the digital world.

"How are you so sure?" Tom asked in a skeptical tone

"Because not many digimon in these woods that can defeat a dokugumon and we did, so any other digimon that might try to attack us would think twice now and any digimon stupid enough to try we could take no problem. Come on, we need to get some rest, we have a long trip to Forgotten Valley tomorrow."

Rena came over to him and helped him to his feet, and then from there he climbed into his sleeping bag and zipped it up tight. When he lay back, sleep crept up on him fast. He was truly exhausted, not just physically, but mentally as well. A lot has happened to the boy in such a short time, stuff like that could wear anyone out, even a Spartan. Rena was spreading herself out on her large blanket. After wrapping herself up in it, she turned to see Tom already asleep.

"Good night Tom," she spoke softly not expecting him to respond, but Tom mumbled in his sleep

"*yawn* good night Devin".

Rena was a bit surprised at his sleepy response [I must remind him of her in some way]; this made her smile to herself. With that, she herself soon drifted off to sleep.

XXXXXX ghosts haunt me no more

Tom was having the same nightmare, reliving the night Devin died again and just like before when she said her final good bye the cold winter forest turned into a black abyss where he sat cold and alone. He squeezed his eyes shut wishing not to be alone anymore, for the pain to stop. He wanted death to just take him. He began to cry, tears streaked down his face.

"My mom, Devin, they all left me and it's all my fault now I'm all alone." But then something changed from the normal nightmare; he felt a pair of arms wrap around him and pull him in to a warm embrace he opened his eyes and the blackness was replaced by a wooded cliff edge that opened up on to a beautiful valley and he saw that it was Rena who was hugging him tight to her chest, fur matted from crying.

"It wasn't your fault they died, and you're not alone any more. I'm here Tom, I'll always be here for you, you're my only true friend and I will never abandon you," she said tearfully. Soon Tom felt himself returning the embrace. He felt warm again, his sadness beginning to melt away.

"I'm so glad I have you Tom, I will never let anyone hurt you ever again, I swear it." Her words echoed in his mind, putting him at ease and now he had something to fight for again; and he would fight and die to keep her safe.