Short story - eclipsed hope
My attempt at angst. I swear I still love macaque, but the story needed to be written!
Also warning, implied sa and tourcher, nothing explicit. Also swearing is in here too
Clink.
Clink.
Delicate ears twitched at the insistent sound. Slowly battered hands slipped over the lotus like appendages, claws digging deep into matted fur in the attempt to drown out the ever increasing noise.
The universe hated him, Macaque was sure of it. He couldn't think of any other reason as to how he had gotten into this current mess. beaten, used and continuously drained of his magic for heaven only knows how long. He had lost track of time after what felt like a week. Sensory overload and never-ending exhaustion definitely didn't help, he was stuck in this new personal hell.
Tired eyes peered through the crystal like floor of his prison to his captor running the factory beneath him. They were some demon king he was unfamiliar with, not all that surprising given his involvement with demon politics had been nonexistent after his revival. growls of frustration sound off his crystal prison, watching as many of the king's minions fused his stolen magic into an array of devices and trinkets, gods only know what for or why.
Why had been one of many questions circling his thoughts when lost interest in the ongoing events outside of his dangling cage. Why him? Why his magic? Why did this king have beef with him? What could he have possibly done to incur all of this…
It would have at least made sense if had done something to piss the guy off, but nothing had come to mind.
The simian's attention wandered over to his reflection in the crystal like walls. He was a mess. Naked as the day he was born, blood and grim stained his matted white fur.
Wait… white fur…
Macaque felt as though his head was made of lead as he raised it up to get a better look at his reflection. Six once vibrant lotus shaped ears, now dull and listless. white fur that had been immaculately cared for once upon a time, was littered with matts, blood, grime and… other fluids macaque didn't want to think about. His fur did nothing to hide the bruising that littered his skin. And finally his dead eye on full display, along with every other shameful scar he possessed.
He looked no different from a starved stray…
His glamors must have failed after he fell asleep… or was it passed out? He wasn't sure anymore.
Wukong would have a field day if he ever saw the state macaque was in. He didn't even want to think of how the sage was going to relentlessly mock the shadow for his many failed attempts at escape.
Not that it wouldn't be deserved… he should have escaped by now. It was just a giant crystal bottle suspended about 40 feet in the air. It should have been simple, easy even. Yet every attempt failed and now… now he was just too tired.
Did Wukong even notice that he was missing?
Would he care?
He looked away from his reflection, lowering his head back down before tightly curling into himself again.
Probably not… Why would the sun care about a worthless moon?
Mk might have noticed…
That thought sparked a sliver of hope in the warrior. Mk was a good kid and often too kind for his own good. He might notice that macaque was missing, maybe even try to look for him…
It was unlikely, but a nice thought at least.
Time dragged as the factory below kept tinkering away, macaque drifted in and out of awareness, the onslaught of noise beating down on his sensitive ears. The nameless demon king had long since wandered off. A good thing in the Monkey's opinion. If he was lucky the brute would be too busy to bother with the exhausted simian.
Clink.
Clink.
On and on the work went, never stopping, never resting, always working, slowly driving the captured warrior out of his mind. How much longer would he have to endure? He just want to sleep, was that too much to ask for,
Clink.
Clank.
Clink.
Ears twitched at the new noise. Someone made a mistake, probably dropping one of the trinkets. Macaque couldn't find the energy to look or care.
Clink.
Clink.
BANG!
The full body flinch set off every angry nerve in the shadow's body. Whoever kicked open the factory doors was an ass and the screams that followed didn't help change macaque's opinion. It was the shouts that drew his attention back to the rest of the world. He knew those voices. With what little strength he had, macaque pushed himself up to get a better look at the chaos beneath him. Hope flooded his system like a drug. They were here… all of them. Wukong, the kid, even the kid's friends.
It was absolute chaos below. Fighting, yelling, machinery being destroyed, magic infused trinkets getting crushed, minions flying in every direction. It was cathartic to watch.
Ears drooped when he was finally able to make out what wukong was shouting in the sea of noise. The hope died just as quickly as in which it was born. Slowly he curled into himself again. He was a fool. A hopeless fool. He should have known it was too good to be true. Hands covered his ears as he tried to drown out the noise long enough to go back to sleep. It was better than waiting for the inevitable…
A large hand wrapped tightly around macaque's neck then yanked him up. The sensation of being dragged through a familiar portal was overshadowed by strong fingers digging into his throat. Blood thundered in his ears as he scrambled to pull the fingers away from his airway. It was proving to be a fruitless effort as black clawed at the edge of his vision.
His stomach lurched as his body was jerked up before being slammed into cold stone. Macaque was pretty sure his head bounced after making contact with the ground. He didn't try to get up. He was tired, dizzy too and the white noise drowned everything out. Black slowly consumed his vision, he didn't fight it. He swore he could hear something as he let go, slipping into that blissful darkness.