It had been a couple of months since one strange night, the entire Nonoka family had awoken to find themselves changed from human, to Digimon. Each of the three women in the family had become like Rika's partner Renamon, who had also become a part of the family via adoption. In some respects, something like normality had returned to their lives, but one member of the family didn't seem to be adjusting quite as well...

Rika had noticed Renamon's concerned attitude over the past few days, and as they walked back from school she opened up a conversation. In doing so, she only added another sign to Renamon's list of changes.

"What's up, Rena?"

"...Rena?" she asked in confusion.

"Yeah. Well, it's your first name now, the -mon part is in our family name. Even if our mother does want to keep calling me Rikamon... but what's on your mind? You seem kind of distracted."

Renamon sighed, not sure how to handle this one. She wasn't sure she could call herself just "Rena" very easily. For a moment she had the idle but humorous realisation this was the opposite problem from Takato and Guilimon, but dismissed it.

"Well... I'm worried things have been going a little too well. Yo... our mother has been quick to accept it all, the authorities were much less troublesome about the tests and the adoption thing..." Renamon began.

"Hmm... yeah. I expected a little worse myself. By the way, how are you handling things at school?"

"I've been doing okay. It's just a little hard to adjust to." she replied.

Renamon had been fortunate to be naturally gifted in some areas of education like maths, but unfortunately as a non-human, areas like literature escaped her. She wondered if Rika was now questioning the value of poems and books... wait, no, she always had done that especially when they were poems and books to be read in school. Languages were another unexpected strong point since even Renamon had been surprised to realise she could understand most human languages almost perfectly. Rika attributed this to the digital world's nature, and its connection to the internet. Some girls in the class had already joked Renamon was using a translation website. But that wasn't her worry. School wasn't a major problem. The future was.

"I'm more worried about the changes. If your... our family changes any more, you might begin to act less human..." she said.  

Her real worry was that less human would mean the government would be less concerned about "human" rights, and happily detain the family to perform any and all tests they wanted. Rika however didn't quite grasp the real meaning, thinking Renamon was just concerned about the ways the former humans had altered their lifestyles slightly to accommodate their new species.

"Don't worry about that, Rena. We've not changed at all, we're still ourselves. We're just adapting a little." Rika assured her as she entered their home.

"Okay, but..." Renamon began, only for Rika's blazer to land on her head and cut her off. Renamon removed it only for Rika's discarded skirt to take its place.

"This doesn't look like adapting. It's just throwing your clothes about." She sighed, Rika's skirt still on her head.

***

Renamon had, upon removing the extra clothes on her head (and being thankful that Rika hadn't managed to get her with her shirt, socks, and underwear as well...), discovered that Rumiko and Seiko had done the same thing, their clothing scattered around as well. Renamon  had gathered their clothing up, taking them to the actual wash basket. Rika was lying in front of the air conditioning, no rain providing a chance to cool off. She then looked out into the garden. Once dutifully tended, now, Seiko largely ignored it. Weeds now grew in it left unattended, the plants were in dire need of water, and Seiko herself had more often found been lounging around in front of the air conditioner. She wasn't there just now though, and there was a strange noise coming from her room. Renamon decided to investigate.

What she found was quite a shock though. Seiko was standing in front of a punch bag. Renamon also noticed that her room was now filled with exercise equipment. The oldest member of the family was striking the apparently new installation with force.

"Hello, Renamon." Seiko said between punches..

"Hello." She replied, still puzzled by the equipment.

Seiko invited her in, letting Renamon notice that Seiko's room had become more of a gym, her bedding nowhere to be seen. A treadmill, a makiwara, weights, a rowing machine... and the box that the punchbag had apparently arrived in, marked as having been delivered today. It suddenly occurred to her Seiko at least was still calling her Renamon, though come to think of it maybe Rena made more sense. Renamon Nonokamon sounded a little cumbersome...

"Do you want to use anything?" Seiko asked, breaking Renamon's brief daydream. Renamon shook her head, watching as Seiko resumed attacking the hanging red leather bag.

"Why do you have all of this?" Renamon eventually asked.

"To keep fit. I've got to keep my strength up."

"Oh. I see." Renamon said.

For some reason this felt like an especially disheartening alteration. She thought back to the garden, overgrown. Seiko's once delicate and careful tending of it was now replaced with her apparent desire to keep her comparatively more youthful body in top condition. Seiko hadn't been old for a human grandmother, Renamon had thought, but it seemed Seiko herself wasn't complaining at the chance to feel younger.

Eventually, Seiko halted, not even having to catch breath. Only then did Renamon realise that Seiko wasn't completely in the fur, so to speak, but had been wearing a sports bra. The two older members of the family had still retained that human female characteristic after all, and Renamon knew that female humans had been given some trouble without such aids during exercise.

"Renamon, can you do me a favour? Take this packaging to the trash please." Seiko asked.

Renamon obliged, picking it up, noting that now she was done excising Seiko was now removing the one item of clothing she had worn during it. And was now setting up a small white box beside the television.

***

As she removed the cardboard and polystyrene that had once held the now-assembled punching bag kit, Renamon passed the bathroom, seeing Rumiko was in the shower, covered from head to toe in shampoo suds.

"Is that trash, Renamon?" Rumiko asked. Renamon recalled that Rumiko called everyone -mon now unless corrected, and she still hadn't decided whether she should start correcting...

"Yes. I was just taking it out..."

"Can you take that bag there out for me?" the mass of suds pointed. Renamon looked inside, noticing it was full of the beauty products Rumiko had once used religiously. Skin moisturiser, eyeliner, lipstick. All alien to Renamon, but somehow the idea of Rumiko discarding them seemed bizarre even to Renamon.

"Are you throwing all of this away?"

"Yeah. About all I really need is the shampoo. And conditioner. And perfume. And the hair tongs. And the hairdryer. I need to get a stronger one..." Rumiko said, while lathering herself with the shampoo.

"Oh." Renamon noted. Well, it made sense. She pulled out a tube of lipstick, not really sure how it was used even on humans. Rika had never been one to use any cosmetics...

"Do you want it?"

"Not really." Renamon replied.

"Thought not. Not much point in them, is there?"

Renamon had a thought at this.

"What sort of things do you model now?"

"Mostly Shampoos. And I've got that job with the people who make the Digimon card game. They're apparently marketing more for some reason. And clothes."

Renamon looked at the shelves where the cosmetics once stood. Just toothpaste, tooth brushes, and shampoo and conditioner... A lot of that, in fact. There was also shower gel for Rika and Seiko whenever they wanted to take a shower, but that was only when they had gotten their fur particularly dirty. Digimon didn't need to shower, after all, for they didn't have that kind of body odour humans did. Come to think of it, this room and most of what was in it wasn't really needed. As Digimon their teeth didn't need cleaning like humans, and they also didn't need to use the toilet. She and Rika did shower after gym class in school, but it was largely just to fit in since the other girls showered as well. She picked up the bag of useless cosmetic and was about to leave when Rumiko spoke again. She was now washing off the suds.

"Hey, Renamon, when you've put all this trash out, can you come back? I want to try something..." Rumiko asked.

***

"Rika would never let me try this with her." Rumiko noted.

"I don't imagine she would..." Renamon agreed, but also wondered why she'd let herself get into this.

Renamon was now standing like Rumiko had been before, having been given a full shampoo by her adoptive mother. She had asked Renamon to help her dry off using another two extra hairdryers, and Rumiko had then suggested maybe trying to give Renamon's fur some volume and shine. Naturally though, Rumiko had elected to comment on Renamon's "baldness" often...

Eventually, when dried off, she padded back to Rika's room, wondering what other changes might occur.

"...Renamon, did you shampoo your fur?"

"Um... Well, I didn't want to say no..." she admitted.

"Well, at least you didn't get any perfume put on. It's bad enough when our mother walks around covered in it..."

***

The next day, after Rumiko and Rika had spent the day lounging in front of the air conditioner again, and Seiko had been beating the punchbag senseless, there was a knock at the door. Renamon elected to answer, since no one else seemed to want to move. Ryo and Takato were both at the door

"Uh, hi, Renamon. Is Rika there?" Ryo said, looking concerned.

"Yes. Shall I get her?"

"Is she okay?" Takato added.

"Yes. Is there something wrong?" Renamon asked, puzzled.

"Well, she missed the tournament today."

Rika herself then emerged. She hadn't yet really spoken much to Takato, Ryo, or any of the others since the transformation, but they were of course aware of it. Ryo especially seemed to be somewhat impressed rather than disturbed by the change, though judging by his blush, Renamon assumed Takato had equated the fact Rika was as usual devoid of human clothing with nudity. But to the surprise of all she actually bowed to Ryo.

"Uh, Rika... you missed..." Ryo began, taken aback by this.

"I know. I'm sorry, Ryo, but I'm no longer interested in that. I have respect for your prowess in it, but I'm afraid I'm not able to play it any more." Rika said, surprisingly politely and formally.

Confusion only grew when Rika turned to regard Takato, staring at him for a few moments.

"...is there something on my face?" Takato pondered, before Rika leaned in closer and began sniffing him, to the shock of all, especially the boy in question.

"Rika! What are you doing?!" Renamon asked in surprise.

"He smells nice..." she explained. Renamon had sympathy for Takato who by now was brighter than the sun with embarrassment.

"That's not really how he smells, it's uh... that stuff like perfume in the spray cans..." Renamon said. Did human males use perfume? From experience the male humans she'd met never smelled like most of the human females. Even Rika used a rose-scented spray can after she'd showered when she was human, though Renamon was fairly sure it was because it was the only deoderant ever bought in that wasn't overpoweringly scented.

"His deodorant?" Rika asked.

"My deodorant?" Takato repeated, slightly alarmed.

"Yes, deod... that stuff. Did you sniff people because they smelled nice before?" Renamon continued

"No, but I didn't realise it before. My nose wouldn't have been as sensitive."

Ryo meanwhile watched with his confusion now replaced by amusement.

"Okay, I think maybe we should leave, Takato. Glad you're okay, Rika." Ryo said. Takato quickly agreed and followed, leaving Rika and Renamon to it...

***

'I need to change deodorant...' Takato thought as he left.

"Well, that puts you in trouble, doesn't it? You've got your crush on Jeri and now there's a foxy lady sniffing you..." Ryo quipped once he was sure the two were out of earshot.

"W-What?! I wouldn't think of Rika that way! She was okay before and I suppose she's pretty cool now but she's just a friend!" Takato quickly denied.

"Okay. But what about Jeri? You didn't deny anything about her. Maybe you'd have preferred her to have done it?"

"Shut up." Takato said in reply

They walked on before Takato realised something.

"Hey, how come she didn't sniff you? Even I can smell your aftershave. Why are you wearing it anyway?"

"...Shut up." Ryo echoed Takato's earlier comment.

***

Later that night, Renamon was surprised to find Rika and Seiko were together in front of the small shrine in the house. Renamon had never paid it much attention, as puzzled by Seiko's Shinto beliefs as she was with most other Human religions, but neither had Rika. But now grandmother and granddaughter apparently shared their faith.

Renamon didn't want to intrude, so she went away quietly, but it occurred to her the shrine seemed to have changed a little. She could have sworn there were cards lying in front of it...

***

A few days after Rika's apparent discovery that Takato smelled nice, a wild Digimon finally emerged in the city. In a secluded area of a park, Renamon was thankful for something more familiar to deal with (especially since the name Rena had spread to the other members of the family, and the prospect of getting her -mon back when others would address her made her feel strangely pleased), and glad to realise Rika was anxious to make sure her D-Arc still worked. Henry and Takato were already there as she and Rika arrived. Guilimon and Terriermon, if they were remotely fazed by Rika's change, didn't show it. Henry himself seemed to try and not act like it bothered him, but Renamon had a feeling Takato had warned him in advance about the sniffing incident. Renamon could tell neither of the two boys seemed to be wearing deodorant, for instance.

It didn't seem it would take long to handle the wild Digimon, and Rika was glad to find that her D-Arc was still fully functional, at least for using on Renamon. She was pretty sure it wouldn't work to use it on herself...

"Great! It still works on Rena..." she said, then had an idea.

"Rika, what are you doing?!" Henry yelled as the red-white furred former human tried to join the other Digimon in the fight.

"Joining in..."

"Awesome!" Takato commented, getting a look from Henry.

"Well, it is awesome. What else could it be? We should be happy Rika's accepted her change so well!" he defended himself.

"...Are you out of your mind?! She's never been in an actual fight herself before like this!" Henry argued.

"Yeah she has, we all biomerged..."

"That was different, we were with our Digimon!" Henry said, the two ignoring the fight as they argued this point.

"Guys, I beat it." Rika said, halting the argument that had been going on so intently.

"What, yourself?" Takato asked.

"She was awesome!" Guilimon noted.

"Yeah. Her and Renamon really work well together!" Terriermon agreed.

"Henry, why do you never bring Suzie-sama?" Rika asked, changing subject abruptly.

"...Sama?!" Takato blurted.

"Her partner is Lopmon. She'd be an invaluable asset with the strength Lopmon has..." Rika began

"Rika, Suzie is only a young girl though. Henry has his reasons for not bringing her." Renamon noted.

"It's still not using our full strengths though..." Rika whined.

"Well... Maybe we should only use what we need? After all, if Lopmon was here none of us would have to do anything..." Renamon quickly said. This seemed to work.

"Good point. Well, I guess we'd better get home."

Rika then seemed to stare at Henry for a few seconds.

"Oh no..." Renamon muttered as she saw what would happen next. A few moments later Rika was leaving, urging Renamon to follow and also commenting that Takato didn't smell as nice as before, seemingly having not actually noticed he wasn't wearing deodorant...

"I'll...I'll catch up..." Renamon said, once again glad that she didn't show embarrassment like the two red-face humans before her. It wasn't made any easier by Guilimon and Terriermon's giggles.

"Sorry about that. I thought she wouldn't..."

"Neither did we. I thought she just liked the deodorant..." Henry said as he glared at Takato.

"So did I! Well, at least I can start wearing it again..."

"I don't know why she's doing that. It's not human or Digimon behaviour." Renamon said, thinking back to Rumiko's tail-chasing...

"Maybe... Maybe it's the clash between them. Like, becoming a Digimon has afftected Rika's mind and hormones a little... So her human side is, uh... more interested in guys. And her Digimon side thinks the best way to express it is scent?"

"So, she's just a little confused and she'll grow out of it?" Takato hoped.

"Uh, hopefully..." Henry agreed.

"Me as well. Males never figured much on Rika's agenda and I was glad of that. I don't get this human obsession with gender..." Renamon added.

"Ask Takato about Jeri, that ought to help." Henry said.

"Not you too!" Takato groaned.

Renamon left, trying to catch her tamer/adoptive sister, more concerned at this latest act of Un-Rikaness than with Takato and Henry squabbling over Takato's (blatant even to a Digimon) crush on Jeri.


***

Renamon was curious now. Rika now seemed to regard Suzie as well above her in rank and power thanks to Lopmon/Antylamon, and wondered if perhaps there was some answer to this change in the shrine. The memory of what looked like cards played in her mind for some reason, and so, she quietly entered the shrine and found that she had been right.

Arrayed in front of the shrine itself, the 4 cards of the Digimon Sovereigns. She sighed, feeling uneasy at the fact Rika's cards had become objects of worship now instead of mere toys or tools...

"Something wrong, Rena?" A voice asked, making her jump. Renamon turned to see Rika in the doorway, arms crossed. Was she angry?

"I was just wondering... Why do you and Seiko worship these cards?"

"It's not the cards, it's what they represent. Grandmother asked me about the Sovereigns, and when she did, I realised... They're the gods of the digital world. We realised then that we should have been worshipping them like they deserved. Grandmother decided the easiest way would be to use the cards as idols to represent them..."

"But... Why?"

"They're gods, Rena! They created us, so we worship them!"

"But the Sovereigns never created you! You were born human! And humans created Digimon! You might as well worship humans if that's your logic." Renamon said.

"How can you be so disrespectful?!" Rika said, shocked.

"No Digimon I know of ever worshipped the Sovereigns as creators or gods." Renamon said.

Seiko's arrival ended the debate. Quick slaps on the ears made both of her granddaughters yelp.

"Enough! This is no place to argue about this, and there's no reason! Renamon is entitled to think what she wishes about religious matters." she told Rika, then turned on Renamon

"But I will not tolerate disrespect. We will respect your views on the Sovereigns, but you must show respect for ours. Nor do I disapprove debating it, but arguing will not be tolerated!" Seiko said, surprisingly angrily.

"Yes, Grandmother..." Rika said sheepishly. Renamon stared at her in surprise.

"Well? Do you understand?"

"Y...Yes..." Renamon said, still surprised at the hit. It hadn't hurt, just stung for a few seconds, but Seiko had never done that before.

***

Still feeling confused by the events of the day, Renamon wandered the house aimlessly until she found that the rest of her family had gathered together, watching the television. It hadn't exactly been a place for family gatherings when they were human, mostly used by Rumiko to watch fashion shows and shopping channels, by Seiko to watch cooking and garden shows, and almost not at all by Rika. But now all three were sitting and watching a sports channel. On the screen, two men with padded red gloves appeared to be fighting.

"What is this?" Rena asked.

"Boxing. The one in the red shorts is undefeated champion." Rumiko answered.

It made her confused. As humans they'd never have watched this. It was just two men hitting each other, competing to some rules that were quite simple to grasp after a short time watching. But it was just a long, drawn out battle. For ten rounds they fought until the man in red shorts had won.

Was this related to Seiko's use of mild violence earlier? Were the whole family now more interested in physical strength and fighting prowess? That they would sit watching a battle over nothing more than a leather and gold belt?

'Wait... I was watching it too!' Renamon realised to her surprise.

***

Rika and Renamon were walking together, heading back home from school. They had decided to stop on the way to get something to eat, leading Renamon into another question.

"Rika, I've got a question..." Renamon said.

"If it's about..." Rika sighed, but Renamon halted her.

"No, not exactly. It's about something else. Why have you been... well, sniffing people?"

"It's not people. It's just Takato and Henry. They smell nice, I told you." Rika said.

"Well, but why them? Why did you ignore Ryo?"

Rika looked at her in shock.

"Ryo?! I'd have more respect than that!"

Renamon was relieved.

"Oh good... Wait, why can't you have the same respect for Takato and Henry?!"

"Because they're the same level as me. Ryo's above me!"

Renamon sighed. It seemed that Rika was now indeed applying levels to humans.

"Okay, okay. But it's kind of embarrassing to them..."

"Why?" Rika asked.

"...I'm not sure. It's the gender thing. I gather human males aren't used to being sniffed by females. Digimon or human."

"Gender doesn't mean anything to Digimon though." Rika noted.

"It does to humans!" Renamon said, exasperated.

"Well, yeah, it does." Rika said.

"Good, you get my point. So why did you walk into the men's toilet back there?!"

"Well, my hands were sticky after that bun. I had to wash them. I thought this wasn't about that. I told you, they were closer."

"The women's toilet was just a few feet away!" Renamon said.

"I was just washing my hands..."

"The two boys in there didn't know that! Besides, it being closer doesn't change anything."

***

The next day, as the girls left for school Rumiko sighed.

"Something wrong?" Seiko asked.

"Nothing. It's just I feel strange. Like I'm homesick."

Having spent much time away from home with her career, Rumiko had known the feeling well. That sense of unfamiliar surroundings, that disconnection from things around her. That longing for home. But she was home. Why would she feel out of place here?

"I've felt that kind of feeling too. Like we don't belong here somehow. Like things are wrong." Seiko admitted.

"Well, other than turning into Digital Foxes, that's the thing. I don't know why I'm thinking this or what it is feels out of place."

"Neither do I. Maybe it's just the confusion of all this. We could use a break somewhere."

"That might be nice... Not the beach though. I don't think fur and sand mix." Rumiko sighed.

"Certainly sun and fur don't mix..." Seiko noted


***

Renamon was worried it was more than just smelling nice that had Rika interested in Henry and Takato. It occurred to her if it was something to do with a clash of Rika's human hormones and her Digimon mind, that things might actually get worse. After all, Rika's mind was still wired as a human mind... Well, mostly. When she and Rika met up with Takato and Jeri, she didn't miss the stares Rika was giving Jeri. Neither did Takato, who was getting even more unsettled. Renamon had made excuses to leave fast, worried that Rika might have decided to say something to Jeri. After all, the whole family had been more quick to be physical to resolve matters.

There was the ear clipping Seiko had performed after the debate about the new religion Rika and Seiko had found (or, apparently, founded). This morning, when Rika had complained about her school uniform Rumiko had done the same and told her she had to fit in with the rules of the school even if she didn't like it. Rumiko was apparently now making sure the shower was truly clean after she had shampooed because Seiko had punished her in the same way after seeing the mess of suds left behind.

And then came the argument in school. Rika had deliberately tried to provoke someone who had better grades than her into a fight after a test. Renamon wasn't sure about it, but she had an (incorrect) feeling that human schools didn't even have the best fighter or sportsman regarded as the best in the school, and she was certain you didn't improve test grades by beating up everyone above you. It had resulted in a letter being sent home even after Renamon managed to convince Rika to back off.

"What nonsense! You did nothing wrong, Rika. How else can you prove yourself to be the most powerful if you don't fight?" Rumiko said.

"Eh?! I thought you'd disapprove of this!" Renamon cried out, getting slapped on the ears for it from Seiko.

"Rena! Did you want your sister to be in trouble? Why would you do that when she's only working to raise the power of our family and ensuring people know to treat us with the respect we deserve. Like when that lighting man was laughing at you, Rumiko. Rika did the right thing."

"You hit someone?" Renamon asked Rumiko.

"He deserved it. Even the photographer says. I had mud in my tail during an outdoor shoot and he thought it was funny!"

Renamon sighed. This was closer to pack animal behaviour now than Digimon, but it still had some human elements to it. Maybe this was what a Digimon family would be like. A humanised pack...

***

Rika dreamt once more.

The red-and-white furred fox and her yellow-and-white furred almost-twin stood before the annoying pink bird. It was just a Biyomon. So why were they struggling so much?! This had been going on for ages!

"Rena! We can't let this thing beat us!" Rika shouted. Rena nodded, only for another spiral twister to just miss her. Rika's attack in return was also dodged, provoking an annoyed growl.

The reason this fight had dragged on was that this Biyomon dodged most of their attacks. Rena and Rika dodged the return attacks also, but this constant exchange of missed attacks was getting frustrating to the sisters. A few more missed attacks happened before Renamon's diamond storm hit the Biyomon head on. Unfortunately, the Biyomon then glowed.

"It's digivolving? great..." Rika noted as the Biyomon changed

"A Birdramon is just a bigger target." Rena noted.

To the surprise of both though, the Biyomon did not become the phoenix-like Birdramon, but the chicken-like Kokatorimon.

"What the?" Rika asked, only for the Kokatorimon to answer with a Petrifier aimed at Rena.

Unlike the Spiral Flares, Rena failed to dodge, and was turned into stone. Rika, knowing that if she could stun the cockatrice-Digimon Rena would turn back, jumped towards it. A kick to the head caused the bird to squawk in pain, and to Rika's relief, Rena turned to normal while the Kokatorimon stumbled.

"Remember to dodge!"  Rika teased as the Kokatorimon shook its head.

The two then began evading the attacks of the enemy Digimon, one drawing the fire of the Digimon (at the expense of the occasional petrified tree or patch of grass) while the other attacked.  This took its toll, and soon the Kokatorimon was defeated. By unspoken agreement, Rika was the one to delete and assimilate the defeated foe

***
What if she got it wrong somehow?

What if Rumiko Hatamon's first attempt at being a model went wrong?

There were a million things that could go wrong, she knew. She was still barely just a rookie, and she had the support of her mother, and she was sure others would kill to have the soft fluffy fur she did... but... every time she looked in the mirror she had doubts. Was she strong enough? Was she the right combination of a strong fighter but an attractive looking Digimon they wanted?

Did she have the kind of body expected from models? she wasn't so sure. Her mother said she was perfect, but she was sure her tail was too small, and her chest was too furred...

No. She was good enough. She could do this. She felt a surge of confidence restoring her calm, looked her reflection in the eye, and smiled. She just hoped she looked calm to others as she went to leave the dressing room...

***

Her daughter's excitement at her first day was evident. When she returned home, she babbled about the praise she had received from the agency and the photographer.

"They said I was perfect! Especially my tail!" Rumiko said, bouncing around and chasing her now-beloved tail...

Seiko nodded, knowing her daughter's insecurities about that part of her body too well. It had all she'd been worried about, having too short a tail. As if it made her any weaker... She would be able to find a mate very easily if she'd just use her fighting skills and actually impress the males for once rather than let them fight over her...

Years later, Rumiko's strength had failed her, but her looks had not. Though she had found a mate and the result was a red-furred Viximon they had named Rika, Rumiko's mate had gone well before Rika had become a rookie. So often in summer, Rumiko was gone on photo shoots, and Seiko was left with her granddaughter, stifling in the summer heat, wishing it would rain so they could run in the cooling water...


***

That night, another grey fog rolled in. Like before, it entered and covered the whole house. Each member of the family rose from slumber, not truly awake but not truly sleeping.  They moved slowly, each heading to the front of the house. Here, the fog was densest, just at the closed front door. Seiko, eyes open but lifeless, plodded into the middle of the thick fog. No door opened, but she did not walk into anything.

Rumiko was next, eyes open but still softly snoring as she sleepwalked after her mother. Like before, she did not open the door nor walk into it.

Ruki and Rena were next, standing side by side, the sisters walking together after their mother and grandmother. Into the fog they walked, and into the ether they vanished. The fog began to dissipate, leaving behind a sealed home with no sign of life. Like a ship abandoned at sea, only the possessions of those who had been here lay behind.

The Nonoka Family had vanished from this world and left no trace, fading with the mist.

***

Rena blinked as she awoke. Her sister was sitting beside her.

"Awake, sleepyhead?" the red-furred sister asked.

"Where are we?"

"In the garden, of course. You fell asleep."

Rena turned to look at the garden, and the house it was attached to. It somehow seemed strange. Like she'd never seen this house, but one like it... but it was their house, wasn't it? This garden of tall grass surrounded by the trees of the forest...

"Weren't we in a house like this on Earth?" Rena asked. Rika giggled in response.

"The human world? We've never even seen a human never mind been to their world! Were you dreaming about them again?"  

For a second or two, Rena remembered a human with red hair, a blue and white t-shirt with a heart motif, and blue jeans. She looked at her sister, noticing the hearts on her leg like this was the first time. Why did they seem unusual? Rika had got those marks and her fire-red fur from their father, the last real reminders she had of him. She had the same symbols as Mother and Grandmother, but lighter, more golden fur than Mother...

"Something wrong?"

"No... Just... I must have been dreaming about humans like you said..."

"You're obsessed with humans. They're not even that interesting. Our family doesn't need tamers, no Digimon does. Now, come on, Grandmother wants us to make the dinner..." Rika said.

"Rika... What do you think we'd look like as humans?" Rena asked as they walked towards the house. Rika paused.

"Well... You'd still be bald. Do you get bald female humans?"

"Rikaa...." Rena whined, annoyed her sister was taunting her over her own reminder of her father. He'd had no hair, according to Mother and Grandmother. Rena was the odd one out

"Just kidding! I'm sure you'd have hair like Mother if we were human. I think I'd want my own hair still... What about our tails?"

"Humans don't have tails." Rena said.

"They don't? Wow, I'd hate being human..."

***

It was strange. They'd been here for as long as Rena could remember but some of the other Digimon in the area had  thought they'd just arrived. Some had even been confused by the bond the four shared.

"A what?" the Patamon asked.

"Family. Me and Rena are sisters, and we have a Mother and a Grandmother. Mother is a Rumikomon and Grandmother is a Seikomon. But we're all Renamon variants, it's just Mother and Grandmother are higher in level."

"So you're a Renamon family?" the Gatomon asked.

"Yeah. Well, we're the Nonokamons. Renamon is just me and Rika's species, except that Mother had a fit of originality when she named me..." Rena sighed, remembering how often that had been a source of teasing... even though she somehow couldn't think of exact times. Just that it had happened. It had to have happened.

"Sounds crazy to me... How do you know who's the leader? You can't fight each other if you're family... Can you?"

"Me and Rika do, but we don't do anything to actually injure each other. Rika's above me just now..."

"And always, little sister..."

"And Mother and Grandmother are above us in rank."

"What about other Digimon fighting you?" the Gatomon asked.

"We fight together... We're stronger acting as one rather than letting just the strongest among us fight."

***

"How'd that happen?!" The lead Gazimon whined.

"Cause you're weak!" Another growled.

"Nah, we had them outnumbered, no way we could have lost. We're the toughest Gazimon pack around!" A third noted.

Two dozen battered and bruised Gazimon lay sprawled around the forest, lucky to have escaped the four Renamon they had fought. They'd fought in the usual way for a pack, in waves, strongest first with the weakest more of a distraction. But the Renamon pack had covered each other, and took them out one by one, even the strongest of them stood no chance. Even the difference in level couldn't be to blame.

"The way they fought...." The leader wondered.

"Those Gatomon we spoke to were right. They must have some kind of secret. The Gatomon said something about fam-lee..."

***

If anyone would have noticed, they would have said it was like a strange virus.

Pack mentality of the strongest being in charge didn't change, but leaving the weakest to fend for themselves seemed to be fading. Even the pack of Gazimon had begun to watch out for each other, almost instinctive after a battle with a group of Agumon that had begun showing the same kind of defensive tactics as the Renamon family now known as the "Nonokamons".

The Digimon that were defeated in battle and regressed to eggs had once been abandoned by packs. But now, they recovered their reborn pack members, fiercely protective of the fresh and in-training Digimon that resulted.

***

Six months later, Rena wondered why family had seemed so alien a concept to the Gatomon and the Patamon. There were dozens of families in the area now. There were some Digimon species that still were in packs, but even they were becoming families. Some of these families had to have been here before. She was sure of it...

...But when she thought about it, it really did feel a little strange. Like it was an imported idea. But she'd always been part of a family, never a pack. And they'd always be a family together as well...