Chapter Text
We were only having our normal lazy day like we do every day. Chilling in the rays brought forth from the window our demon care-taker left open earlier, which is strange because he never seemed to like the sun very much. Ruby, although a different species than me, had taken over the window frame while I had to suffer with the itchy carpet, but it was still in the rays so I didn’t entirely mind too much. She was already half asleep while I was just basking and being lazy.
Both of us come up to the demon’s room to get away from the loud sounds of him banging on a metal representation of a human, we think he’s got a grudge on the species but he can’t understand us when we try talking to him. He says he’s “training” and knows that we dislike loud noises, said he doesn’t like it either, even though he’s the one making the noise.
I don’t really know how Ruby came into the picture, the demon only said that she was found injured like he found me and took care of her, now she doesn’t want to leave because of how good the demon’s food is. To be fair, I didn’t want to leave for the same reason, but I was here first and it’s rude to take from others. Doesn’t matter anymore though, since Ruby had forced the demon into spending more of that precious paper the humans adore so much, it was funny seeing his reaction to having to spend so much on two random foxes that entered his life so unexpectedly.
Speaking of food, neither Ruby nor me ever see him eating. Recently when I’m downstairs at night wandering around, the demon’s always wide awake or just completely gone from the house, and in the day time he’s dead asleep like we are. We know he’s a demon, but he’s not a demon that would sleep during the day, he says he’s a Celestial monkey. As far as I know, monkeys are not nocturnal. Plus, monkeys eat a lot, seeing him eat not even once is so weird, as if he isn’t actually a monkey.
And there goes me ranting in my head, being lazy as ever. I do that a lot, especially during this hour when we have the window open, all we can do is just think and rant in our head to pass the time, though we sleep like over half the day.
Ah, this is life. Not having to worry about anything like predators or having to hunt for my own food, the only downside is that the demon doesn’t allow us outside so our own hope is that he accidentally leaves the window curtains open for some sunbathing. He said he’ll let us outside some day, but not today, that was around a month ago. Perhaps we need to ask him again and see if we can go outside. Eh, too lazy for that right now.
I wonder if the demon’s done with his “training” or whatever banging on metal is.
Maybe I should go check, I am quite hungry. I'll annoy him by begging for food.
Sitting up and stretching both my front and hind legs, I yawn as I strut to the creaked door. My ears twitch and I pause, looking behind me, Ruby is wide awake looking around. She heard it too, I guess. Both of us felt trepidation upon the house. But no one or thing ever comes close to this specific house, we both know that from our window watches, every animal that comes near always runs off as if it was jump scared out of nowhere. We haven’t seen humans so we suspected it's the same thing, they don’t come near the house because of something. So what is that noise?
Ruby sat up, ready to jump down from the window seal to figure out where the noise was, but I think it was easy to tell but the way a hand with a hammer peaked out and smashed open the window and sent the red fox flying to the comfy structure the demon rests on before she could even jump down. I immediately feld, hoping that Ruby would follow me because we know where the demon is, he can help. But when I looked behind, the fox was nowhere.
The glass or hammer had probably hit her, either she’s bleeding or knocked out. Either way, I hated both possibilities and ran faster towards the “training” room where the demon was at. When I reached the door, it was closed, I couldn’t open it. I looked around, for something that will help, because I know clawing at the door will do nothing against the loud sounds from inside.
Looking at the weird door handle, remembering how the demon opened it, I hopped up to the table beside it and tried turning it with my mouth. I could barely get it to move down, so I switched and tried to bounce on it with my paws, hoping it would at least crack it open a smidge. I don’t know how doors work, man.
The knob finally pushed downwards and opened the door, with me falling off the handle when it opened. I scrambled to my paws and ran inside to pounce at the demon. I locked onto him and jumped at him full force to get his attention. The demon fumbled back at the force, turned around to look at me confused and worried.
“Fenny? What the hell are you doing? I thought you hated noises.”
Ah, right, the thing named me Fenny because of my breed, how ironic and so original.
Anyways, task at paw.
I looked back and forth from the door to him, trying to communicate with my actions since he can’t understand Foxian. When he was about to say something - his expression seemed to understand what I was saying - he suddenly shut his mouth and stared at the door with a focused look, one that slowly turned into an angry one. He seems to have understood quite quickly what I was telling him.
He hurriedly picked me up to place on his shoulder and ran towards his room, stopping at the opened door but out of sight from the inside. He leaned over to peek inside, I tried to as well but he pulled back and took me off of his shoulder to be put on the ground. I looked up and saw the demon had pulled out a knife out of nowhere, he probably had it from the “training” room, there’s a lot of deadly weapons in there.
I watched carefully as he stood there, eyeing his every move to see what he’ll do. He backed away from the door just a bit, his ears moving around as if he was listening to the intruder’s movements (I never really questioned the six-ear thing). Then he looked at me and motioned his head as if he was telling me to get out of sight, so I did, knowing that if he tells us that without words then it’s something important or serious that we don’t need to hear or see. He does that every time someone comes over to the house, which is strangely only demons that visit him.
Though, with what happened to Ruby, I can’t just go away and not watch what happens. So instead of actually getting out of sight and leaving, I just walk behind the demon, it is kind of out of sight honestly. I peeked from behind his leg to watch the shadow of the intruder come closer to the door. Our demon care-taker gripped his knife and lowered down a bit, as if mimicking an animal's way of hunting prey - though he technically is an animal, monkeys I don’t believe do that, at all .
That’s when I realized he was going to pounce at the intruder and kill him.
But a shadow never came into view and the monkey demon softened his stance. He put his knife away and walked inside the room, me following and realizing that the intruder had left back through the window.
What a coward.
I looked back up at the demon, who sniffed the air.
“Cody. Of course it’s them who tries killing my beloveds. Coyote demons, gang despises foxes.”
Coyote demons? No wonder. I guess he knew them then, perhaps last time they met they had smelt fox scents on him and hated it.
“I knew they would try, didn’t think they would be foolish enough to actually do it knowing what I can do to them,” he came up towards the comfy resting structure to where Ruby had been thrown too. I jumped up to investigate as well. As the demon inspected Ruby’s neck and stomach, he sighed sadly with a hint of anger.
What did that mean?
I came up to Ruby and sniffed her, noticing how she wasn’t breathing anymore and her smell was faint. As I got closer, liquid filled my paw, I backed up and looked at it. Blood. The glass had cut her and she had bled out on the comfy resting place. Least she was comfortable in her final time, but I wish I could’ve been there to make her smile as she left, not probably be scared for my life or her life.
Though, Ruby’s death wasn’t the most traumatizing in that moment.
The monkey’s death stare was. Staring down the window as if the coyote demon would pop out again foolishly so he could finish them off. He had probably stared at it for so long it could shatter itself at the intensity. My tail was fluffed up, I tried coming towards him to calm him down, but I could only yap and yip at him, my voice was blocked out. I leaned against his arm, rubbing against it to get his attention, luckily that worked and he softened his guise to look at me.
He smiled as best he could to me.
It shattered my heart.
Knowing how much he actually cares for us.
It hurts, and I know he’s holding back on his emotions right now for my sake. He knows I can understand him, he probably doesn’t think I understand the situation. I look sadly back at him, trying to show my understanding that Ruby is dead. He frowns, turning back to Ruby’s cold form. He lifted his hand and the body was dropped into a shadow portal.
I remember him telling us about that after we had snuck up on him during weird shadowy things that scared the life out of us, he explained he could control and become shadows, and like going through them like portals and stuff. Which also explained why he himself doesn’t have a shadow, because he is a shadow.
Then he got up and took the blood stained blanket with him. Before he left, I managed to jump up to his shoulders again, it was nice being so high up and not having to move around myself. When he finished up with laundry, he went over to the kitchen and picked up Ruby’s food and water bowls. I tilted my head as I watched what he was doing, for some reason he was filling it up with bags of meat, he didn’t take it out the bag though, which was weird. He sat it on the island counter and picked up one of the weird round fluffy things, suddenly picking me up off his shoulder and putting me into the makeshift luggage.
“Fenny, I’m not sure how you’re taking this situation, but I’m pretty pissed off at it.”
Eh, I am too but there’s not much I can do about it. Ruby was like a mother to me, even if we hated each other and always fought. She gave nice grooming sessions, though.
“And knowing that Cody got away with this, I’m even more pissed off because fuck those guys.”
Yes, indeed, fuck the coyote gang, all my species hates coyotes.
“So this little mystic monkey is gonna get a little bit of revenge on murdering my darling.”
Oh shit, okay. This is happening.
“Since I’ll be doing that, I can’t let you be all alone in the house and Cody do the same thing to you. I’m not letting that happen, so I’ll be sending you off to someone I know, it’ll only be a few hours until Cody’s heads in my hands. Once that’s done, I’ll come pick you up.”
Oh. So that’s what this horribly made luggage bag thing is for. I’m going somewhere unknown for a few hours while my care-taker beheads some coyote demons. That’s fun .
“Don’t worry, I know him very well, and he knows what I will do to someone who hurts my foxes. So he won’t hurt you, plus he has no reason to. He’s an old friend of mine. But, to make you excited for this, I’ll let you be outside, since Flower Fruit Mountain is too gorgeous to be stuck inside, but please for the love of Buddah, do not run off or get lost. The island is huge so please stay near the waterfall, okay?”
Uhm, okay, I can do that, I guess. As long as I’m outside, I do not give a fuck.
I nod as I wag my tail slightly to show my understanding and he smiles.
“I’ll go talk to him and then I’ll send you to him through the shadows since it… is an island.”
This is fine. I guess. Going to unknown territory on a mountain that may have predators unknown to me, and with people who are unknown to me. Hopefully I don’t get bothered, especially when I’m sunbathing.
I sat there, curling up inside of the fluffy round thing, waiting for the monkey demon who was talking through his shadows.
“Wukong,” his shadow appeared before the king, glowing purple in his presence.
Said monkey flinched as he was moving things around, “Macaque, what’re you doing here?”
“You remember that coyote demon gang?”
“Cody's? Yeah, I do.”
“Do you remember where their hideout was?”
Wukong scratched his neck, “Uhm… Somewhere between the weather tower and the interstate? I’m not entirely sure.”
“Also, I need you to look after Fenny for me for a few hours.”
“‘Fenny’?” He questioned, setting the things down and raising a brow at the shadow.
“My fennec fox, dumbass. I need to do some things and I can’t have Fenny home alone due to recent events. It’ll only be a few hours, then I’ll come back to pick her up.”
“Your fox- okay, I’ll look after her,” Wukong said without hesitation after realizing it was his fox, “I’ll take good care of her!”
The shadow disappeared and the king let his guard down in confusion, before a fluffy dog bed fell from a shadow portal in front of him and the demon returned back to the shadows to speak.
Something smells familiar here.
“Hurt her and I’ll make it seem like you never ate those peaches.”
“Wouldn’t dare to!” He laughed nervously, “But uhm- what are you doing if you’re bringing her here? You’ve always left them at home when you leave. Also where’s the other one, didn’t you have two foxes?”
The shadow’s eye twitched, “That is the reason why I am bringing Fenny to you, while I go take my revenge on the one who murdered my darling Ruby… ”
“Oh shit,” the golden monkey spurted out, “Uhm- I mean, I’m sorry for your loss..? I’m sorry, I’m really trying not to tick you off because I know how you can get when it comes to your pets-”
“My children .”
“-when it comes to your… children … and I’m trying to help but I’m not entirely sure on what to say to this. This is all so sudden and I’m surprised you haven’t done something already when someone apparently just killed Ruby.”
Macaque’s smile sent shivers down Wukong’s spine, “That’s why I’m giving Fenny to you now before I do do something, and if you don’t shut up , it’s going to end up being done to you first .”
“Right! Sorry! Uhm, you go do your thing now, Macaque! Please don’t hurt me.”
So Macaque’s his name. Wonder why he never told us. Weird haven been named after your own species. Well, he does call me Fenny, so I guess it’s not so uncommon.
“Good. Be nice to Wukong, okay Fenny. I’m going to go show a bitch why I’m not so easily magnanimous,” he smiled sadistically.
The purple faded away and all that was left was a normal shadow of the tree Macaque used to communicate. I looked around the area, noting that this was a cave on the other side of the waterfall with the top opened up like a volcano. It was cool, but I wanted to go out and bask in the sun on a flat little rock undisturbed and in my own world.
The golden monkey calmed himself down (honestly, he isn’t that scary and I’ve known him shorter than you have, mr. Wukong or whatever the fuck your name was) and looked down at me when I’m already heading towards the waterfall to leave this place.
“Woah! Hey, hey! Fenny, wait-” He ran towards me, and all I did was sit down, curl my tail, and look up at him unamused. “Okay uh- can you understand me?”
I nodded, despite not wanting to out of spite.
“Okay, that’s good. Uhm, where do you want your food, water, and bed to go? Y’know, for easy and comfortable access for you, and so you’ll know where it is. Perhaps somewhere quiet, since there are a lot of monkeys on the island and they can be really loud, I know peaceful places if you want to go there-”
Okay, that’s enough blabbering. I’m leaving the waterfall.
Sitting up, with my tail standing straight with a little bit of sass, I walk out of the cave leaving the monkey stunned and speechless. But when I finally got out, the stupid monkey somehow got in front of me again.
“So that’s how it is, huh, Fenny? I’m trying to help you get comfortable here and you just leave. You’re on my island, in my kingdom, you listen to my rules now. Besides, I know for a fact that Macaque doesn’t want me to take you out of my sight, and I’d rather not die even though I’m immortal times whatever count I’m at, I honestly don’t know anymore, but Macaque gets kind of terrifying when it comes to you little foxes. Seriously, help me out a bit, then I’ll let you go do your own thing.”
Hm.
Nah.
You’re too incisive and loquacious for my liking.
I just want to sunbathe, so please move, you weird ass monkey with a god complex.
Looking around, I spot the perfect stone to rest on and I jump out of the monkey’s way and strut over to the rock, hop on top of it and lay down, leaving the “king” speechless once again.
He sighed, “Look, I’m not trying to be deleterious to you, but it’s whatever. Do your own thing and don’t come to me complaining about the monkeys being loud. This is their territory, so it’s either you deal with it, or go somewhere quieter where I can see you.”
Please, I deal with Macaque’s loud banging sounds every week in the training room, I think I can deal with a few monkeys yapping.
...
WHY IS THERE AN ARMY OF MONKEYS ON THIS ISLAND?
Actually, it makes sense now why this ‘Wukong’ thinks he’s a king.
Because he’s the king of monkeys -
But that begs a few hundred questions. If Macaque is also a monkey, does that mean he’s under this other monkey’s rule? Then why doesn’t he live here? And why is he not afraid of what this ‘king’ can do when he rules over an island and says he’s immortal? HOW DOES HE TERRIFY THE KING?
Okay, before I question my care-takers existence, I need to move to somewhere quieter.
Hopping off the lovely stone, I run towards the water, hoping to find maybe some kind of beach there. As I got closer, I suddenly stopped. I swear from the corner of my eye, I saw something resplendent. It was bright and it was like a flash that I saw running past it. If this island beguiles me because of the new environment, I’m going to lose it.
Backing up a bit, I find that same flash of light in the trees. I decide to explore, deftly maneuvering around the trees and bushes to end up in a forest clearing, a stone sitting in the middle of it all with a vase of lovely purple flowers. Getting up towards it to get a closer look, I notice the way it is shaped - it’s a tombstone.
Someone important must’ve died on this island. Wonder if they were important to the king. But I am just a fennec fox, I can’t read the name on the tombstone.
Eh, it makes a good sunbathing rock, though. I’m sure the king won’t mind, nor whoever rests here. Besides, I’m just a tiny fox, ‘ ‘ I don’t know what things are. ‘ ‘
I hopped up onto the stone and curled up, the sun’s rays shining right on me, it was perfect.
Now back to questioning the existence of my care-taker.
Is the reason why Macaque isn’t under Wukong’s rule is because he too is a monkey demon?
Actually, it would make sense. Having only the normal monkeys being under his rule.
But why are there so many of them ? There are too many monkeys on this island and they’re way too stentorian. Rather call it Monkey Mountain instead of Flower Fruit, I have yet to see a single flower other than this purple one in a vase, and no tree has a single fruit. I call this mountain a scam.
Or whatever the hell a scam is anyway.
And of course I hear rustling in the bushes.
“There you are.”
And of course it’s the damn wannabe king.
“What are you-!” He rushed towards me and flung his hand around to shoo me off the stone, I responding by wacking his hand away and hissing at him with my ears back, “Do you even know what the fuck you’re laying on! Get off of that now!”
Yeah, it’s a stupid tombstone.
“That’s Liu’er Mihou’s! Get off of it, you’re gonna get fur all over it! I just cleaned it a few days ago!” He wouldn’t stop flinging his hand around in my face.
Who is Liu’er Mihou ?
Wait.
That translates to-
Six-eared Macaque.
This is… Macaque’s grave?
Then… who is the Macaque that took care of me and Ruby?
I hopped off of it, frozen in shock.
He… He can’t be dead right? I was just with him. But he just said he cleaned it a few days ago?
What is going on…
“Did I… stun you, or something?” The king speaks.
I come around the stone to sniff at it.
Sure enough, it has Macaque’s scent on it.
The same scent I smell nowadays on him too,
Lavender .
He always loved the smell of lavender.
Why , though?
Why does it smell like him? Why is it his grave when he’s alive ?
“Okay, you look freaked over this. I’ll uhm, I’ll explain but I need you to come back so I can take you to my training area. I have someone coming over in a bit and I can’t let you out of my sight.”
This again. Fine. Least I’ll be getting an explanation.
“Uh… How do I- are you okay with being picked up or…?”
If I could roll my eyes, I would.
I bounce up to his shoulders and sit down, curling my tail around his neck for support.
“Oh, okay, that works, I guess. You do want to hang on tight.”
Wait, why-
WHY AND HOW ARE WE ON A CLOUD FLYING?
OH MY GOD-
I’m gonna be sick.
“Monkey King! There you are! Oh-”
“Hey, MK, uh- don’t worry about this little guy. Macaque is making me watch over her for a few hours. I just needed to get her so she wouldn’t be out of my sight.”
“Okay, but is… she okay? She looks a little… dizzy.”
No, I’m not okay. I am indeed very dizzy. Please help, this monkey king is a menace. You seem nicer, please come pick me up and cradle me like one of your disgusting human babies.
Please, I don’t want to be here anymore.
“Well, uh, can you help her? She looks sick. Maybe you shouldn't have taken her on your cloud. If Macaque finds out about this-”
“Yeah, I know, I know, my life will end in an instant, I know what happens. But I wasn’t going to walk 200 miles just for the fox, flying is faster. She’s only a little motion sick, she’ll be okay.”
I want to punch you in the face but I am a tiny helpless fox, though I can gorge your eyes out.
But I am kinda dizzy.
And in need of help.
Please someone help me.
Before I murder a monkey.
Specifically a monkey king.
God, I want to go back to Macaque’s window.
I miss Ruby. I want her motherly grooms.
I wonder if Macaque will let me eat one of the heads from that coyote gang.
Would make a great meal honestly.
What was I doing before?
Oh yeah, being sick and dizzy.
I forgot I existed for a second.
Never mind, I don’t feel dizzy anymore.
“Oh, she’s up.”
“See, she’s fine.”
I hate monkeys.
I get to my paws, hissing the fuck out of the king, making him flinch away from me with his hands up, and the MK kid snorting at the king’s reaction.
“You’re scared of an adorable little fox, Monkey King?” He laughed.
Wukong gasped dramatically, “Excuse me! I have a good reason to be scared of that little devil! Macaque is terrifying when his foxes are threatened. I can’t even imagine what he’s doing to that gang that killed Ruby!”
“What?!” MK turned back, “Ruby’s killed? No, I loved Ruby! I wanted to meet her at some time! All of her pictures were so cute and I just wanted to snuggle her! I know foxes don’t like cuddles but I wouldn’t mind getting clawed in the face by that big fluff ball!”
Okay… Weirdo.
“I know! Plus, Ruby was less aggressive than this fuck, I can assure that. When I visited once, Ruby jumped up into my lap and just chilled there until I had to leave.”
So that’s what smelt so familiar when I got here.
Ruby had your scent that one time.
I would totally tell you that I immediately started grooming her after you left to get rid of the awful smell. God, it was disgusting. Least Macaque takes care of himself and smells like lavender, which helps us sleep sometimes. Especially when the sun is a bright ass laser blaring into our souls and blinding us with its heat waves.
Speaking of which, this Wukong character really reminds me of the sun.
Total opposite of Macaque, I wonder how the two are “friends.”
Eh, I guess opposites attract each other-
GASP
Nah, I don’t believe that.
Anyways, back to watching the weird ass but amusing show of two monkeys being dumbasses.
Oh, never mind, they’re now fighting each other.
I’ll go find a rock to lay on and watch who wins, my bets on the kid beating the shit out of Wukong. Although, my suspicions say that the king is his mentor, so I could be wrong.
I sat down and curled up, watching the two monkeys fight. Seeing all the weird shit like a staff appearing out of the kid’s damn ear, like what the hell is that about? Also him glitching into a human, da faq?
“Focus, MK.”
“I’m trying!”
Tch, pushy much, eh, Wukong?
“Channel your energy to the staff, focus on attacking rather your worries. You’re worrying that you can’t control this new power, so have an anchor.”
Okay, never mind, this guy’s good at mentoring, I guess.
“Right… Channeling energy. Have an anchor. Don’t stress out too much.”
He went in for another hit on Wukong, only for him to snatch at the staff but MK let go of it before the king could do anything. He slid under and knocked down his balance, the staff falling from his hands to allow MK to receive it and pin the king down. Resulting in MK’s win.
“Nice job, kid. Guess that little advice did you well? I’m getting better at this like you have.”
“Learning together, huh, Monkey King?” He reached out to help Wukong back to his feet.
“Yep! Mentor’s gotta be a student, too, sometimes. Can’t know everything, especially in this day n’ age. I’m too old for modern stuff.”
MK laughed, “Did you admit to yourself that you’re an old crusty Celestial?”
“Okay… I called myself old, that’s it. Don’t overdo it, kid.”
Celestial, huh?
“Of course, of course. Not like the stone monkey is dense or anything.”
“Excuse me, MK! What?”
They both bursted into laughter, getting ready for their next round.
The fuck’s a stone monkey?
It had been at least three to four hours by now, I hadn’t moved much from the rock, but the sun was starting to fall and the darkness rose. The two monkeys were still training together, Wukong losing only twice due to unexpected behavior and attack style from MK, the rest he predicted.
MK was sweating more than the king was, but he pushed through it, he wasn’t glitching to human as much as he was before. Using the staff as an anchor for his uncontrollable energy. It was shocking that these kinds of powers existed. I mean, I know of Macaque’s shadowy things that he does, but I never expected there to be so much more vast variety of magic in the world.
I was simply just a fennec fox in the desert who happened to have been caught in a trap and was rescued by Macaque, but injured and couldn’t walk so I was taken care of at his home. He did try to release me back to the desert, but knowing I would never have found just delicious meat that was given to me after I was set free in the desert, plus the free attention and not being bothered when I don’t want to be, it was kind of a win-win, so I stayed.
I don’t know where Ruby came from, but she too had the same incident as me, not sure how it happened though, on if it was the same trap or not, but she was beaten pretty badly when Macaque found her. I was found three months ago, Ruby came in a month after me, he hadn’t brought any others in since then. She too didn’t want to leave him.
And now this…
I wonder how much longer Macaque is going to be.
When the final round of training was complete, with a loss to MK, the kid began to pack his things after getting some water and food in him. Speaking of, I need to eat at some time. Wukong sat down next to him and they spoke, I didn’t really care what they talked about. I realized I was hungry, so I left for the waterfall.
Hopping across the stones in the lake, I noticed all of the monkeys, all sleeping together in the trees, some awake in the lake bathing, some mothers taking care of their infants. Some were even starting to stare at me, making me move faster into the waterfall.
Though, for some reason, I can not get inside.
Some weird golden seal thing appeared, blocking me from entering.
One monkey came up to me and motioned a crown upon his head and pointed to the waterfall.
Ah, seems as though only the monkey king is allowed to enter.
Great, now I have to go back. I don’t want to.
I asked the monkey if he could go to Wukong to tell him, hoping that they’ll understand me.
It only tilted its head at me.
I sighed, pointing to my mouth and chomping it, then to the waterfall.
‘My food is in there,’ per say.
The monkey nodded, moving over to the trees and then coming back down with a handful of blueberries.
DON’T MIND IF I DO.
I smiled and took the berries to the floor, eating them one by one to savor them. Though the food in my bowl is so much better, I don’t mind a handful of berries. Especially when I can’t get inside of the waterfall.
I took up the rest of the berries into my mouth and ventured back to the training area, slowly eating them as I went.
Returning close to the place, I hear a distant screaming.
Uh oh.
Either Macaque is back and Wukong didn’t see where I went.
Or Macaque is back and is already murdering him for losing me.
I should probably run now, shouldn’t I?
Yeeaaaaah…
Probably.
But I have berries! I don’t want to lose them.
…
Eh .
I’ll just let Wukong suffer as I take my sweet, sweet time.
Though, I should probably go since Wukong talks so much on how Macaque is terrifying when it comes to his foxes, and he said it himself that he’s like so many times immortal he can’t keep up so I should go before someone ends up dead.
I finish my berries quickly, sad to not be able to savor them in peace, and I sprint up the hill to the training area.
“I KNEW I shouldn’t have trusted the Great Sage! You’re always so irresponsible! You can’t even watch over a DOG FOR FIVE HOURS! How the hell are you still King of the Monkeys?! I'm almost certain you don’t even pay ATTENTION to your subjects, do you!”
“Macaque-”
“And yet you still question why I left this god -forsaken mountain.”
“Macaque, please listen-”
“FENNY COULD BE DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU, SUN WUKONG.”
MK tried to interrupt, “Guys- please, calm down!”
Shit, I need to run faster. C’mon zoomie legs, we gotta hurry!
The sun’s below the horizon, it’s no longer visible, and the moon has begun to show itself.
Arriving in the area, Macaque stands in the darkest of shadows while Wukong stands in the light of the hut that had turned on. MK in between the two trying to stop them from killing each other.
I came just in time.
I ran over to Macaque and head rubbed his leg to get his attention. He looked down and smiled, coming down to pick me up to his shoulders and proceeded to give a death stare at Wukong. I licked his face - the taste of blood was very clear - so he would stop staring and he did.
“You’re lucky for now, Wukong. We’re leaving now, have a good night.”
Though, I didn’t want to leave just yet.
I jumped off of Macaque and towards Wukong, both monkeys looking confused when I bite onto Wukong’s hand and dragged him towards the hut.
I never got my explanation, sir.
As if he could read my mind, he shut the door and sat down.
“Guess you want that explanation I promised on why that tombstone said Macaque’s name.”
I nodded as I said down in front of him on the table.
He sighed, “He did indeed die. A very long time ago. Uhm… I built that when I was… grieving. I uh, he used to go by Liu’er Mihou, before Macaque. Though they mean the same thing, it’s two different things to us.”
I tilted my head.
“Uhm… He was revived a couple hundred years ago, by someone… We don't like talking about her. He changed a lot after that, his fur had gotten a blue color and he’s always so cold to the touch, just like his shadows.”
Huh, wish I could see him with black fur.
“He… Recently he stopped visiting.”
Probably because of me and Ruby, sorry not sorry.
“And he’s stopped showing himself to me unless it’s at night, or in the darkest of shadows. He doesn’t want me to come close to him. It’s like he’s scared of my touch, like I’ll burn him.”
Well, I did unironically associate you with the sun, and he doesn’t entirely like the sun that much.
“Yeah… that’s. It. There’s your explanation.”
I smiled and jumped off the table and towards the door, screaming at him to open it. He scrambled up to open the door and I walked over with my head up, tail straight up, and strutting like I’m in a fashion walk back to Macaque.
He picked me back up and MK waved us goodbye as we fell through the shadows.
Back home, it was a mess.
There was blood everywhere.
I can’t tell if it’s Macaque’s, or the coyote demons’ blood.
Even so, I thought he was going somewhere, not like bringing them here .
“Sorry… for the mess, it got a little hectic.”
A LITTLE ?
IT LOOKS LIKE A GENOCIDE TOOK PLACE HERE.
“I have food for you, if you’re hungry, Wukong probably didn’t feed you or let you in the waterfall seeing as they were at the training arena.”
I nod hungerly.
Those berries were good but did not fill me, I need sustenance.
Skipping on over to the food bowls, only one remained. Ruby’s was gone.
She was actually gone.
I looked up at Macaque with pleading eyes as he set food in my bowl.
His hand came to pat my head and scratch my ears.
“Tomorrow I plan to bury Ruby so she can go on peacefully. She didn’t deserve the short life she lived. Hope that the revenge on the coyote’s was enough to satisfy her vengeance.”
I purred, leaning into the scratches.
I hope so too, Macaque.