It sounded foolish of him to do this, to go seeking out the one that had caused all this heartache. The one that never returned and left him to pick up the shattered pieces that he once called his home and life.
However, they all made their choices in life. Luan made his so Leto was making his own.
"If this is to be the last time I'll ever see Luan outside of possible world threatening moments then I want to make this count. I know I may not like the answers but its better then leaving something big like this unresolved."
"It's not to mend anything, he burned every single bridge he built a long time ago." The words came out in a tone of finality as he had accepted this already. Even then he still had to do this one last thing before losing the book on this chapter and starting anew.
"To get answers only he can give before I can end that chapter of my life is what I want." The answers Leto would get from this would have to be enough, regardless of if he liked what he heard.
"So would you be willing to help me get to Luan? He's supposed to be a dance teacher from what I heard but I can't read the modern language to go there myself."
nobody talks about the fact that you can have all this crazy shit in your head, and want to open up and talk about your feelings but no matter what, you just can't make out the right words and properly put your thoughts and emotions into words
"name's Vin or the nickname I go by, there's a lot of us floating around here so you'll fit right in with us. You and your wukong."
So far this guy didn't seem all that bad, he could see himself going into dancing as a type of profession. not that he had the time for that with all he had to do but the thought was nice. "Now it's your turn, what's your name?"
"My nickname is Luan and I have a feeling it's going to be interesting meeting more of me." Vin seemed like an alright kind of guy and he couldn't deny that the prospect of meeting others like him sounded nice.
"About that. My Wukong Leto? You're probably not going to be meeting him anytime soon. He's still under the mountain but I never went back after our fight.." He didn't feel bad about it. Not anymore at least. Wukong wasn't listening to him and he refused to let them drag him down anymore and he would not apologize for that.
Wukong couldn't stop the small hiss that came out of clenched teeth, it had been so long since he could move or do anything that the aching alone was a lot to take in. combined with the fact the armor and tattered clothes stuck to his fur due to centuries of neglect it was a bit of a challenge to get the clothing off of him.
But the moment he got into the water he felt a little better, the tension in his muscles subsiding. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here, that you all suffered without me to protect you." That Luan had just abandoned them all to suffer like this. That was something he could never forgive the other for should they ever cross paths again.
Hearing that name made him turn away from Liu as he saw his mothers, Hui and Jiahao running towards him. "Mom, Mama.." wanting to reach his hands up but his body just wouldn't move so he settled for the best happy chirping sound he could manage.
There was a comforting chirr from Beng, trying to soothe the other, despite there not being much he could do. A mix of aiming to soothe and apologies for any pain. They weren't immediately going in to pick his fur, simply rubbing the water into it instead.
"No need for sorrys. Heavens fault. Not your fault." Beng assured him, giving a soft bunt to the king's temple with his forehead. The other commanders went in as well to help start the clean up of Wukong's fur.
Hui and Jiāháo returned the chirps with shaky voices, nuzzling their cub with tears running down their cheeks. Hui wobbled momentarily at her sudden stop, causing her to tilt to the side she was favoring her foreleg before righting herself again.
Jiāháo helped keep her mate from toppling over while greeting their son. Though in the process, a sleepy little head poked up over his mom's shoulder.
"It's also on Macaque too, I know things weren't good between us but I didn't think he'd just abandon all of you like that." He felt like one of the only ways he managed to not freak out completely was the idea Macaque was protecting the troop. But that wasn't the reality of the matter and it was a bit of a bitter pill to swallow. He would get past it with time however, after all he had the troop and restoration of the mountain to keep him busy.
He could see how Hui seemed to only use three of her legs, a sign that she must've been hurt. Both of his moms had even got hurt because of it, making an uneasy feeling bubble up in his stomach. Those thoughts were soon forgotten though when seeing a sleepy little head peeking out from behind Jiahao's shoulder.
"Who's that mama? Is that a new cub from one of the others?"
Left?
Luan really never came back after their fight under the mountain?
Leto couldn't believe this, he had long since forgiven them for leaving them on the battlefield. Forgiving them for not coming back after their fight. but he had thought that they would've at least stayed to protect the mountain, to not let the troop needlessly suffer and pay the price.
"Razing? what happened while I was gone?" Wukong had only thought that the mountain being overrun had happened but it sounded like more had transpired. Eyes taking notice of the missing fur and burn scars as he slowly walked towards a small body of water. knowing he really, really needing a long bath and grooming session with his current disheveled state.
All four commanders helped keep their king upright, walking with him to the pool and helping him get off armor and tattered clothes so he could properly bathe.
Liu's intact ear pinned to his head at the king's question. He took pity on Beng and answered this time.
"Erlang. Before the demons, Erlang burned the mountain." The slightly older Marshal told him quietly, exchanging concerned looks with the other three.
"Baoshi!!!"
Liu fell silent when they all heard Hui, turning to see her running toward them on three legs.
The Queen Mother's had followed the four soldiers, it only took a brief glimpse of familiar golden fur before both were dashing across toward them.
Wukong couldn't stop the small hiss that came out of clenched teeth, it had been so long since he could move or do anything that the aching alone was a lot to take in. combined with the fact the armor and tattered clothes stuck to his fur due to centuries of neglect it was a bit of a challenge to get the clothing off of him.
But the moment he got into the water he felt a little better, the tension in his muscles subsiding. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here, that you all suffered without me to protect you." That Luan had just abandoned them all to suffer like this. That was something he could never forgive the other for should they ever cross paths again.
Hearing that name made him turn away from Liu as he saw his mothers, Hui and Jiahao running towards him. "Mom, Mama.." wanting to reach his hands up but his body just wouldn't move so he settled for the best happy chirping sound he could manage.
"Eyes... tossed into furnace. tried to burn my immortality away. Doesn't hurt.." Wukong said slowly, his voice being dry and cracked as he was trying to keep his speaking to a minimum right now. He could feel the effects of the adrenaline and anger wearing off and knew his body would crash hard soon.
"Was..trapped under mountain and forgotten. Sorry I... I couldn't get out sooner.." his legs finally giving out from under him as he fell to the ground face first.
"I'm ok, Im ok. Or as ok as I can be. Macaque, did he..." Wukong asks, managing to get himself onto his back after a small struggle. If they weren't here did that mean they had been killed trying to protect the mountain or did they end up caught too?
They both scrambled to help him when he collapsed, helping him turn over then shoving themselves under his arms to assist in getting back up. Ma and Beng looked at eachother uncomfortably....he didn't know.
Of course he didn't know but that didn't make the realization they'd have to tell him any more comfortable. Ma called to the other commanders to come help them---Wukong was a lot heavier than he looked after all.
Beng gave her a small scowl, as this left him to explain. That wasn't fair, Ma!
He shifted uncomfortably from side to side, scrubbing at his eyes with one forepaw. still under Wukong's arm--the abandonment still hurt even after so long. "Left." The general stated finally, after several very long seconds. "Never came back. Just us since before The Razing."
Beng did have missing fur on his back, and one foreleg. Burn scars.
There were chittering commands given by Ma to the other two, to help them support Wukong. Liu and Ba were equally overjoyed to see him--but they put helping first. Reunion greeting later.
Left?
Luan really never came back after their fight under the mountain?
Leto couldn't believe this, he had long since forgiven them for leaving them on the battlefield. Forgiving them for not coming back after their fight. but he had thought that they would've at least stayed to protect the mountain, to not let the troop needlessly suffer and pay the price.
"Razing? what happened while I was gone?" Wukong had only thought that the mountain being overrun had happened but it sounded like more had transpired. Eyes taking notice of the missing fur and burn scars as he slowly walked towards a small body of water. knowing he really, really needing a long bath and grooming session with his current disheveled state.
The state of his mountain, his home left him in a barely contained fury. Seeing the overturned trees, the uprooted earth, the signs of death and those who had hurt his troop living there? Oh his heart screamed in a mix of fury, sorrow and many more complex emotions.
Even then he somehow found the strength to give them a chance to leave, to leave his mountain and never return. He was no longer the monster that killed mercilessly when he had been wronged, he had achieved his own form of being a bodhisattva by himself.
After all those years of being under the mountain, being forgotten by the world he found his freedom again and made his way back here. Having dealt with the intruders swiftly when they rejected his act of mercy.
Now fresh blood stained cracked and dusty knuckles as one hand held his boots while the other reached through the barrier when hearing the chirping trill. His voice was dry and cracked but he managed to make a small chirping trill of his own, his footsteps remaining unsteady as this was the first time in centuries he was actually able to move his body.
His fur was caked in dust, dirt, blood both old and new, sweat and many other things on top of being unkempt and messy, his eyes being red and gold from the furnace. "Ma...Beng..."
Honestly they barely gave their king the chance to walk through the barrier of his own volition. As soon as the chirping call had been returned, and they recognized it, the two commanders positively threw themselves at him. Not caring about the dirt, blood, or sweat---they could have a proper grooming session later.
Both Marshal and General had immediately broken down into tears---relief, joy, and overwhelming grief at the state their beloved friend was in.
They couldnt even manage coherent responses, in the simian language or otherwise. Ma's long tail and Bengs short, stubby one were wagging rapidly in their joy.
They'd all feared the worst when Wukong never returned to them--that he'd been murdered by heaven. It hit the Queen Mothers especially hard. They hadn't been the same since he'd been captured and taken away.
Ma was the first to get control of herself, at least enough to look up at the king; only one eye seemed to be crying. Tears still streaming down her face, into her fur. Human speech was more difficult and uncomfortable for them--much more so than it ever seemed to be for Wukong. It wasnt often they used it.
"Youre home--!" The marshall hiccupped through her tears. They were just tall enough to reach his face when standing on their hind legs, which they were now. Her thumb ghosting over his cheek as Beng brushed a paw over Wukong's hand with concerned tittering. Trying to determine if their friend had any physical injuries that needed tending to underneath the blood that didn't seem to be his own.
"Eyes... tossed into furnace. tried to burn my immortality away. Doesn't hurt.." Wukong said slowly, his voice being dry and cracked as he was trying to keep his speaking to a minimum right now. He could feel the effects of the adrenaline and anger wearing off and knew his body would crash hard soon.
"Was..trapped under mountain and forgotten. Sorry I... I couldn't get out sooner.." his legs finally giving out from under him as he fell to the ground face first.
"I'm ok, Im ok. Or as ok as I can be. Macaque, did he..." Wukong asks, managing to get himself onto his back after a small struggle. If they weren't here did that mean they had been killed trying to protect the mountain or did they end up caught too?
The state of his mountain, his home left him in a barely contained fury. Seeing the overturned trees, the uprooted earth, the signs of death and those who had hurt his troop living there? Oh his heart screamed in a mix of fury, sorrow and many more complex emotions.
Even then he somehow found the strength to give them a chance to leave, to leave his mountain and never return. He was no longer the monster that killed mercilessly when he had been wronged, he had achieved his own form of being a bodhisattva by himself.
After all those years of being under the mountain, being forgotten by the world he found his freedom again and made his way back here. Having dealt with the intruders swiftly when they rejected his act of mercy.
Now fresh blood stained cracked and dusty knuckles as one hand held his boots while the other reached through the barrier when hearing the chirping trill. His voice was dry and cracked but he managed to make a small chirping trill of his own, his footsteps remaining unsteady as this was the first time in centuries he was actually able to move his body.
His fur was caked in dust, dirt, blood both old and new, sweat and many other things on top of being unkempt and messy, his eyes being red and gold from the furnace. "Ma...Beng..."
– how long does it take to bleed out in a field
– could someone stab you with a hairpin
– how did medieval people mourn
– would a queen notice if her ring was stolen
– did people think thunder was a sign
– how loud was it inside a castle during storms
– did anyone ever die from a broken heart in history
Well, here we are ladies and gents. Never thought this blog would get this far. As a result of this I have decided to celebrate with a little raffle, in which randomly drawn participants will receive a few things from me! Here is what you will need to know:
1st place winner will receive ten icons, an icon boarder made by me and a fully completed pic of your muse.
2nd place winner will receive ten icons and a boarder!
3rd place will receive an icon boarder!
Rules for Participating:
You must first and foremost be a follower of mine and don't just follow me to reap the rewards then ignore me. That would be very rude!
This is mainly rewards for roleplay blogs, not personals. However if you have a rp side-blog that is connected to your personal, be sure to specify it in the tags!
Now if any multis win this raffle, be sure to tell me which muse you need the rewards for specifically.
How to participate in fairly easy, simply reblog this post with the hashtag #bunnyraffle to participate. Multiple reblogs from the same person will not put you into the raffle more than once. But if you want to simply promote it, I will have no objections.
The raffle will end on October 25th, 2025
Now onto the people I wish to thank!
Special mentions:
@6em4k, @swk4k You may not be active right now sixer, but I hope you get to read this so that you know how much your warm welcome meant. I was a bit nervous making Alkebu-lan into a roleplay blog, but your eagerness to interact with this celestial primate made me feel more at ease. I love our interactions and the relationship dynamics formed between Macaque and Alkebu-lan. Plus the stuff between her and Wukong is fun as well! I adore our discord conversations and all the ways you made me laugh. I know I am not always a good communicator, so I thank you for being so welcoming.
@paracosmiist Thyyyme! It is always good to see someone from past roleplaying days! I love the dynamics between Tongbi and Alkebu-lan and adore Tongbi in general! They may not agree on everything, but they are sisters through and through! It always brightens my day to see our discord chats and here's to hoping for a few more fun years of rp!
People who I have interacted with and think are cool:
I know I may not interact with some of you much rn (mainly cause I am a shy bean), but just know I really appreciate you all giving this monkey a chance in your lives. Plus your blogs are really awesome as well!
People who I haven't interacted with, but I think are cool:
"I am sorry that you had this placed on your shoulders. You shouldn't have had to take upon this burden of protecting the mountain and what remains of the troop yet you did so anyway. So you'll always have my thanks for doing so when I was unable to do it myself."
The more he heard about the current state of affairs the more he could feel for Xiaotain, they were so young from the looks of it. Yet they had this thrust onto them and that wasn't fair to them. Perhaps that was another reason why he too was excited at the idea of an adventure.
A way to show Mk that there was a lot more to life out there, a way that they would be able to see it together and take things one step at a time.
"But I promise you that you will not have to do that anymore, Once I am back at my best and we finish our adventure I will be taking care of those left and ensure that any outsiders to our mountain are dealt with swiftly."
And with that single word uttered it was like all the air and warmth had been sucked out of the area. Or what little warmth there was, the silence that had now settled in was like the calm before a storm.
It started out soft, the creaking sound that grew into cracking. The sound growing stronger with each passing second as the ground shook and trembled from the barely contained fury of the forgotten king.
These demons had overrun his home, his troop was gone. He had lost everything, what he had wanted to be strong for was ripped away from him and nobody could fault him for the fury that gave him strength. The fury that gave him strength to grasp the rocks in his hands and force his body to move. To bend and shatter the chains that had once been his prison.
One by one they snapped underneath the strain of his power, the cracks becoming deafening in volume as the earth split as eyes glowed a blinding gold.
With a resounding scream filled with fury and sorrow the mountain shattered in an explosion of rock and rubble, small bits of it and dust falling back down to the earth as he king took his first unsteady steps for the first time in centuries.
"Take me to my home, NOW."
"You're right that I wouldn't understand your own hardships. That's what makes us different, we may be similar in a lot of things but its how our own experiences shaped us that make us one of a kind." Leto started off, having waited for the other to finish speaking before he said his own thoughts on the matter.
"From what I hear you got to see the world, you got to take in many experiences and ways of life that shaped you into the monkey king you are now. Me however? I never got that opportunity to see it, I was left behind and the world moved on without me adding to its story. That doesnt mean I didnt grow and change in my own way, I just did it differently from yours."
"You may see it as me being naive but I am seeing it as choosing to see what others may not. whether that may be because they don't understand or wont open their minds to the idea of change. Nothing will last forever, even us as immortal beings. sure we may never die but that doesnt mean we won't grow and change. And change to me is what makes life itself beautiful and worth living even now. One day I'll be out of here, might not be now but someday I will and with that I'll finally be able to see how the world grew and changed."
[tossing it to @6em4k for the impending chaos]
"Despite what you may think I am not a fool. Being trapped down here all this time with not a soul down here gives on a lot of time to think. I forgave Luan a long time ago for never coming back after our fight. Neither of us handled things well and what had occurred to get me here was the breaking point." Leto started off, knowing that it didn't sound right and maybe even blindly naive of him to think this of Luan.
"It doesn't mean I am being naive about the circumstances. what I'm saying means is that I am choosing to believe Luan wouldn't let the troop needlessly suffer. That he won't let those innocent ones that depended on those like us for protection pay the price. I can forgive him not coming back, I can forgive him abandoning me in battle. Leaving them defenseless however? That is something I will never forgive for.."
[Back to @munkussy to give Sixer time to investigate]
Leto watched as they stepped through a portal before focusing back onto Wukong, his body appearing relaxed. Or as relaxed as one could be from being trapped underneath a mountain for centuries.
"I hope that everything is ok. That even if things ended on a sour note between me and Luan that he at least helped protect the mountain from harm." He didn't blame Luan for not coming back, not anymore. That had been forgiven a long time ago, being stuck in his position gives one a lot of time to think after all.
"Look I get why you don't want to help break me out. Not happy about it but I get it. However, if something has happened to my mountain would you be willing to reconsider it? They shouldn't have to pay the price because of my shortcomings.."
[Handing it to @munkussy]
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