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Weak sparks of fire leapt from wet wood, only to fizzle out and die long before hitting cold stone.
Flamedramon prodded at the pathetic excuse of a campfire he had made with his claws and let out a low sigh. Outside of the small cave they had chosen as shelter, rain hammered against rock like a chaotic drum that would on occasion quiet down, only to start up once again before he could get his hopes too high about the rain dying down.
Xiangpengmon's awakening weeks ago had been disastrous for everyone. It had triggered a long-dormant volcano and sent all of its inhabitants into a frenzy, and ash had blocked out the clouds for days. Once the ash settled onto the ground, the sun had decided to leave, making a weeks-long night before it finally mustered up the courage to appear again. And with the re-emergence of the sun came storms so terrible you could forget the sun ever even existed. None of this was helped by the fact that digimon had been randomly disappearing for months with no trace of how or why, only that whatever force was taking them targeted specifically children.
He poked at the firewood again. Every tree was soaked to the core, and Flamedramon's attempts to find dry timber proved futile long ago. He would have to roast it slowly and get more firewood. He did not want to do so. He also knew that, unless he wanted to freeze in the middle of the night when temperatures truly dropped down to unbearable lows, he would have to.
There was a crash of lightning outside, so close that Flamedramon felt electricity tingle across his skin in the aftershock of thunder. He curled up further, ignoring the chill as wind swept into the cave. "You're back early."
"I took a detour." Lighdramon shook himself, flinging cold droplets everywhere. Flamedramon lit his hands and resigned himself to being used as a glorified heater. Taking a quick glance over Lighdramon's body, his eyes widened. He stood and walked over to Lighdramon, who refused to meet his gaze.
"This close by?"
"Yes. They set up an ambush for someone else- I can only assume they meant for Baalmon's group to be the target. Of course, with my luck, you know how it went."
"You always have had terrible luck." Flamedramon examined the long gash on Lighdramon's side. Whatever had struck him had cut through his armor, leaving it with a large break. The wound was bleeding sluggishly, data dripping down Lighdramon's side and leaving a bright red trail. It was a clean cut. "You'll be fine by tomorrow, unless you managed to get poisoned as well."
"My luck isn't that terrible." Flamedramon glared. "…No, I should be fine. If there's poison, it's slow-acting."
"Well, that's just great." He turned off the fire in one of his hands and guided Lighdramon over to their pathetic, soggy, wet fireplace. He stared at the offending pile of wood, feeling frustration surge through him like molten steel, before he released his tension with an exhale. No use in getting mad without anything to fight.
Lighdramon laid down. "You still haven't figured out the fire?"
"Everything is too wet. Unless I heat it up for an hour, it either won't catch, or will burn to a crisp." Flamedramon held his hand near the wood, increasing the heat. He shook his head. "I just can't believe they're doing ambushes now…"
"It's going to just get harder from here on out. They've gotten so much smarter since its started…Sometimes, I don't think the Digital World will survive." At Flamedramon's alarm, he smiled, although it looked sour. "Don't worry about me. We're just so close to the edge of the Forest, and I thought we might win this battle, but then they got me, and well…You know how I am, Flamedramon."
"We'll survive this." Yet, he only felt cold as he said it. Urging his hand to burn brighter, he continued, "We have to. One day, we'll be able to look back at this war and laugh about it."
Neither of them believed his words. Flamedramon made sure his grin was confident and as truthful as he could make it. "Once we make it to the forest and tell Bloomlordmon about Jazarichmon and Lamortmon, he'll help us get the town back. Then we'll be safe for a while."
"I hope so. I can't wait for a proper bed again." Lighdramon stretched before wincing and laying still. He looked out at the dark, stormy woods. "And some food. And a proper fire."
"No need to be so rude about it."
Lighdramon laughed. Flamedramon's smile came naturally this time. Outside, the storm continued to rage, burying the faint howl of creatures that could no longer be called digimon.