Chapter 1 - A Frozen Heart

It was difficult, but she could barely make out the ebon wing tips of her target as she raced toward him through the blistering snowstorm. Ice pelted her golden colored fur as flakes of snow whizzed around the blue visor which protected her eyes. Her tail was almost frozen and her knuckles had long since stiffened around the handle bars of her vehicle, but neither of these things concerned her. The demon she was chasing had stolen something precious from her, and she was hell bound to get it back.

But as she focused on the wings of her foe rather than her own frostbitten body, she began to notice several glowing orbs through the winter wasteland. Squinting her eyes, she quickly realized a small town was approaching along with an onslaught of evergreen trees. Determined to press on, she continued her breakneck speed before quickly realizing it would be impossible. Grunting in anger, she let up on the throttle of her motorcycle as the elusive demon she had been chasing for the past hour disappeared.

“UUuugggg! Damn it! Damn it all!” swore the frozen furry rider, forced to reduce her speed as the trees and undergrowth thickened around her. Once she would have thought the snow frosted trees were beautiful, but now they were merely an annoyance between her and the goal she wanted, no, needed to reach. Thankful for the studded tire function of her bike, she navigated slowly by the faint lights until she reached the humble village with a signpost which read “Bleakburrow.”

“A fitting title,” she thought to herself while idling past the makeshift wooden shacks and igloos which served as residence for the towns denizens. But the further she went, the more something struck her as odd; the place was silent except for the puttering of her bike and the gentle falling of snowflakes. Pulling up to the largest building in the town which happened to be the inn, the young female rider parked her motorcycle before swinging off it with sore legs and aching body. The purple leotard which she wore clung to her icy fur, having done little to protect her from the elements. In the past she might have ditched it for something warmer, but now wearing the leotard was a matter of pride and remembrance. Grimacing from the painful memories the thought brought back, the yellow fox Digimon made sure her transportation was secure before fishing out her wallet from a saddlebag and heading inside.

As she stepped through the heavy wooden door, the stench of alcohol and smoke immediately assaulted her sharp nose causing her to instinctively gag. But despite this, the place was warm and she could feel the heat sinking into her frigid fur and frozen bones, breathing new vigor into them. But the warmth wasn’t the only thing she could feel, the eyes of the inn's patrons pressed into her. Some chuckled or whistled at her while others made snide comments. Despite remaining her dignified composure, the foxy rider couldn’t help but feel as if everyone in the entire town was staring at her ass.

“I need a room for the night,” she stated bluntly to the middle aged pudgy woman behind the counter who returned the demand with a kind smile.

“Of course dearie, the weather out there is particularly awful this season. I’m surprised you managed to make it all the way out here,” chatted the woman nonchalantly as she accepted the payment from the rider’s paws. “Can I get your name for the register sweetie? Then we can get you a nice warm cup of soup and some bread to chase the cold from that lovely fur of yours,”

“Aster,” replied the leotard wearing Renamon, doing her best to brave a smile which proved more difficult than the journey she had just ventured. “Thanks,” she replied as the innkeeper handed her a dull key attached to a worn piece of wood engraved with her room number. Thankful to get away from the lustful eyes, Aster headed to the second floor of the inn retreating to her room, shutting the door, and flopping down on the bed. The room wasn’t fancy by any means, with many of the furnishings looking handcrafted or cheap, but it was clean and it gave her a place to think.

However, despite Aster’s best efforts to plan about the battle to come, she hazily succumbed to sleep before a gentle knock awoke her from her catnap. “Come in,” welcomed Aster coldly, groggy from her lack of sleep.
The door opened and another friendly human face smiled at her, this one belonging to a young man similar to someone Aster considered very dear to her. “H-hi,” greeted the young man shyly, as he carried in a wooden serving try holding a bowl of steaming soup and half a loaf of bread. He set it down on the makeshift table, which resembled a tree stump more than anything else, before giving a polite bow. “I-if you don’t mind me asking, you’re a Renamon, aren’t you?” inquired the young, dark-haired man as he organized the dishes and utensils for Aster's meal.

“Yes, I am a Renamon,” replied Aster while rising to a sitting position on the rented bed. “Why do you ask?”

“I was just curious. We don’t really get Digimon like you stopping by too often. And I was wondering why someone as p-pretty as yourself would make a trip out to Bleakburrow,” blushed the waiter as he tried to focus on his task and avoid eye contact with the attractive creature beside him.

“My business is none of yours,” glowered Aster, her piercing emerald green eyes colder than the weather raging outside the inn.

“I’m terribly sorry!” apologized the dark haired young man quickly before standing up and bowing for forgiveness. “It’s not my place to pry, please forgive me,” he half asked, half begged before retreating and shutting the door before Aster could respond or throw anything at him.

“Stupid kid,” muttered Aster before focusing on the humble meal which had been served to her. Taking a deep sigh, Aster brought the spoon to her mouth and gave it a taste, pleasantly surprised by the flavor. Gobbling up the meal, Aster’s mood gradually improved before another wave of drowsiness overcame her, her body finally catching up with the exhaustion brought on by her journey. Tossing her bag and visor to the side, she flopped once more onto the bed and buried herself under the covers, thankful for the warmth. Closing her eyes, Aster’s mind flooded with images of another young man from long ago as tears invaded her eyes. “No, now is not the time for tears. It's the time for strength,” she scolded herself, curling into a ball with her soft tail. As time slowly ticked onwards marked by the antique clock on the wall, Aster relaxed as the comfort of sleep embraced her.
Aster wasn’t sure of how long she slept, but she was certain that a large group of people were screaming in terror. Her eyes darting open, Aster’s heart began to accelerate as she hopped out of bed and grabbed her visor and wallet. Hurrying out the door, she noticed other inn patrons doing something similar as they funneled out the front inn door and into the cold. Uncertain, Aster flowed with the chaos and into the elements where the people of the village had gathered. Floating down from above was the sinister Ice Devimon she had been so intent on tracking earlier. But the frosty demon was not alone. His Icemon minions were eagerly awaiting him.

“Hey! Give back what you stole from me!” shouted Aster above the panic as the Icemon herded the village humans and Digimon back from their boss.

“You again? My, my, my. You Renamon are persistent little pests aren’t you?” grinned the white and black Demon as his boots touched the snow covered ground. “I thought you would have frozen by now, or did that furry ass of yours keep you from freezing to your little tricycle?” taunted the demon, bringing a laugh from his icy minions.

“I want my Digivice back, Hail!” she demanded again, calling the demon by name as she strode forward, ready to take the precious item back by force if necessary.

“Why do you want it so badly? Sentimental reasons perhaps? You do know this thing doesn’t work after your tamer is dead, right?” grinned the lengthy-armed demon as he dangled the blue and white Digivice from a string around his claw. “Besides, now that he’s dead you can find a new partner right? Maybe someone stronger and much better looking?” winked Hail suggestively, twirling the Digivice around in a circle to provoke a reaction.
Clenching her paws into fists, Aster bit back her tongue from replying to the demon’s snide remarks, trying to focus on her objective. Planting her feet firmly on the ground, Aster readied herself before charging forward and attempting to use her Power Paw attack.

“Such a brave, yet foolish rookie!” laughed Hail as he nimbly dodged to the side, raking his clawed hand across the vixen’s leotard and backside, drawing blood. “Come now, surely you can do better than that!” he pressed, feeling confident as his minions clapped and cheered in encouragement, with some forcing the townsfolk to join in.

Aster yelped when the sinister claws tore through her soft fur and into her flesh. The pain making it difficult to stand up but not impossible as willpower and hatred fueled her to rise. “Give me back the Digivice!” she screamed, jumping into the air before launching a Diamond Storm attack, sending a flurry of jagged bits of ice towards the cocky demon.

“Truly pathetic! Leather Wing!” cackled Hail in response, sending a violent dark wind to intercept Aster’s attack. The burst of air knocking her ice shards in a variety of directions causing villagers to dive for cover. “Ha! You’ve done more damage to innocent villagers than you have to me!”

But as he boasted, Aster rushed forward, slashing the IceDevimon’s spindly legs with her claws. She stayed still too long though. And the long reach of her opponent had found its way around her neck.

Lifting the yellow vixen up from the snow by her neck, Hail look his time examining the attractive Renamon as she struggled and kicked fruitlessly to escape. “Your markings are different from other Renamon I’ve seen. I was hoping you might've been special because of that. Guess not,” he observed casually, clamping down ever tighter around her furry neck. “Plus I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Renamon wearing clothes beyond gloves before. That human you served truly corrupted you didn’t he?”

“D-don’t talk…about…h-him that way!” wheezed Aster as the world around her grew splotchy then faded to black as her body went limp with unconsciousness.

“It’s not even worth dragging your body home as a trophy,” snickered Hail, using the claws on his other hand to finish tearing through the back of Aster’s leotard before tossing her fluffy limp body against a nearby everpine. “Grab anything valuable in the village! If anyone resists…well, you know what to do.”

“Sure thing boss!” grinned the Icemon, eagerly starting to raid and loot the houses of Bleakburrow as the citizens watched silently in horror, none daring to challenge the demon of ice. Human and Digimon alike stood by, watching as their town was ransacked. After the Icemon had completed their plunder of the town, they fell into rank behind their leader with spoils in hand.

“Now then, let us return to our frozen hearth and enjoy our spoils!” cheered Hail, once more holding up Aster’s Digivice as a rallying trophy as he directed his troops into the blizzard amidst the forest.

The villagers morbidly began to salvage what they could from the Icemon’s thieving, attempting to return Bleakburrow to some sense of normalcy. All the while, they avoided the body of the girl who challenged the demon. However, there was one who dared venture towards the defeated vixen. He wrapped her seemingly lifeless body with a blanket before gathering up her ruined leotard and bringing her back to the comforting warmth of the inn. Gingerly, the young human waiter from before lowered Aster into her bed, doing his best to check her vitals before fetching extra blankets to keep her warm. Giving the beautiful vixen a momentary stare, the young man quickly shook his head before leaving with the leotard in his hand.

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The first chapter in the tale of Aster, a motorcycle riding Renamon set in an alternate Digital World. Let us know what you think!

Art, Aster and general scenario by  AtticusKotch
Story, chapters, dialogue, and all the meaty stuff by Thornwolf33 (https://www.deviantart.com/thornwolf33)