"Has the Digiworld gotten larger?" Joe whined for about the hundredth time.

"No Joe." The others chorused as they continued to trudge along the
seemingly endless beach.

"Hello all." A dark cloaked figure said softly, before stepping out of a nearby stand of trees.

"Myotismon?" Tai asked anxiously as the digimon took up positions to protect their human partners

"Hardly." The figure said moving further out of the shadows. He was a teenager, perhaps 16 or 17, dressed in simple black jeans and a turtleneck with a plain black cloak fastened about his neck and a black duster draped over one arm, and a black cane in his hand.

"Who are you?" Matt asked.

"That, my friend, is the wrong question. Names have power, and that should not be given so freely."

"Then what do we call you?" T.K. asked as his brother stepped in front of him.

"That is the right question. Call me? " The dark stranger paused a moment, as though this encounter had not been entirely expected. "Raven Caine."

"A hollow name. Without power and without honor." Gabumon said glaring at the stranger who dared disrupt their journey.

"Perhaps. But it serves my purposes." He said lightly, as his ebony eyes dancing over each of the chosen children.

"Look Mr. Caine, we're really very busy, so if you could please just cut to the chase." Tai said with exasperation.

"Tai my ? acquaintance. I want to offer a little hospitality. Is that such a crime?"

"How do you know my name?" Tai asked his eyes narrowing with suspicion

"I know all of you, and I can guess what most of you are thinking. Matt there just wants to punch my lights out. T.K. is a little scared but he knows that Matt will protect him. Sora, hmm. Sora is still trying figure out how to end this before it becomes a real fight. Joe, if you don't mellow out you're going to age before your time. Mimi is thinking how I look like I'm dressed for a funeral."

"Hey!" Mimi protested.

"Izzy is wondering exactly what I am. Kari is hoping I don't see her. And Tai is wondering if I'm a threat or not." Raven finished. With lightening speed he was in Tai's face. "Trust me, I'm not." With that same inhuman speed he was back at the tree astonishing them all.

"You leave my brother alone!" Kari said darting past Sora to Tai's side.

"I have no intentions of harming any of you. I have seen far too much death and destruction for any world." He said wearily. For a brief moment he looked not like a teenager, but like something far older. Something timeless.

"I'm interested as to the source of your knowledge about us." Izzy asked.

"Always investigating eh, Izzy?" Izzy flushed. "I'd expect nothing less from the bearer of the crest of knowledge. I've actually been searching for you for some time." He said rolling back his sleeve to reveal a jet-black digivice.

"I'm one of you."

Izzy arched an eyebrow. Both Tai and Matt had to pick their jaws up off the ground. Kari took a step back and T.K. ducked behind Matt's legs.

Finally Sora broke the silence. "That's like no digivice I've ever seen."

"You don't know, do you?" Raven said.

"Know what, Raven?" Matt asked fighting his fear.

"Not here and not from me." He said looking into the trees. "My offer of hospitality stands. Not much, mind you. Do you accept?"

"We need time to-" Tai began.

"Times up." Raven cut him off, his gaze shifting from the trees to a point just over Sora's right shoulder.

"We don't need this guy Tai." Matt said. "We can camp here on the beach."

You could, but I recommend against it." Raven said with a deadly calmness in his voice that made his vague warning all the more frightning..

"Well, I'm going with him." Sora said, shivering. "Someone just walked over
my grave."She said softly, rubbing her arms.

"I'm curious as to his origins." Izzy said shouldering his computer.

"Any other takers?"

"Have you given any thought to the fact that this could be a trap?" Tai said.

"It could be but it isn't." Kari said impulsively. "I'm going with them."

"Do you trust me?" Raven said suppressing a grin.

"No." Kari said glaring at him.

"Good answer."

"Then we'll stay with you." Tai said.

"For tonight." Matt said, menace and suspicion drowning his words.

"As you wish. Shadowmon!"

"Yes, Raven?" A black bird digimon with five clawed fingers and toes drifted from the tree.

"Take them to the camp. I'll be along shortly. And avoid her feathers, they're sharpened digisteel." Raven said.

As the digidestined headed into the woods and Matt shot him a dirty look, Raven turned his back on the setting sun and his unseen enemy.

"You were not to interfere, Raven." The unseen presence whispered on the wind.

"And I care why?"

"Your continued interference will not be tolerated."

"There isn't anything anyone can do to stop me."

"Sora Takenouchi will die, intervention or no. You have only have prolonged
the inevitable." The presence whispered as it faded.

"Not on my watch. No more death." He said to the wind.

"No more." He vowed quietly, turning towards camp.