Shades and Scales: Enter the Chaos
It was a beautiful day as always on the mountain of flowers and fruit. The sun was shining, the fruits were ripe, and the little suns were happily playing in the fields.
It’s king and protector Sun Wukong was flying high on his nimbus, till he spotted his loyal shadow in the fields and decided to swoop down for a playful chat.
“Hey, bud” Wukong cheerfully called out, with the biggest smile on his face.
The shadow monkey turned to him and said in an almost whispered tone “Hey peaches”
“Ok what’s wrong, what’s got your pretty head in a twist” Wukong demanded playfully.
“Nothing’s wrong” Mihou defended.
“Come on mooncake, I know you better than that”
“Alright, fine, I guess I’m still just a bit nervous about going up against heaven”
“My poor sweet queen you have nothing to worry about we’ll win easily”
“It’s not the fight that worries me, it’s the after”
“Oh?” Wukong stared at his mate with an a look of concern and confusion.
Mihou took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts before speaking again.
“We agreed to finally tell our brothers that we are mates and to try for a baby after we won. And well the reason I’m freaking out a bit is, what if they change their opinion of us, of me, after finding out that I’m……..not actually a man. The others I could handle it, but Bull, it’d break my heart”.
“That’s ridiculous” Wukong all but shouted indignantly “You might’ve been born female, but you’re more of a man than everyone in the brotherhood”.
Mihou gave a hearty laugh at his mate’s absurdity.
“So” Wukong began to redirect “we should figure out our future baby’s name”
“Peaches we already picked out several names”
“Yeah, but not the perfect ones for our first son or daughter” stated Wukong as if pointing out the obvious.
“Alright then” Mihou paused and thought for a moment “how about Qi Xiaotian for a boy”
“Awww, moonlight you’re naming them after me”Wukong cooed in delight.
“It just feels right” defended the shadow, trying to hide his smile.
“What about the girl’s name?”
“I picked out the boy, so why don’t you pick out the girl”
Wukong closed his eyes and thought long and hard for what felt like an eternity, before excitedly exclaiming “Yuebei-Xing”.
Mihou gave him an inquisiting look that bordered on suspicion.
“I get the moon part, but where does the rest come from”
“Well the name represents the entire night sky and you’re not just my moon, you’re my everything, and I know for certain that our little girl will be a perfect reflection of you”
Mihou stared at his mate with complete wonder and awe. Unable to come up with any words that could encapsulate his current emotions, he instead tackled his beloved king into a hug that devolved into hours of cuddling.
“Just wait and see moonflower, once the havoc is over we’ll have the perfect life” Wukong said in a wistful voice.
Silence stretched for a moment too long before Wukong heard his mate in a completely flat voice say:
“Too bad you ruined everything”
Wukong’s eyes shot open, he was no longer home, he was in a hauntingly familiar field. He looked around and saw his former companions looking at him, no emotion in sight. He then glanced down at his hands and to his horror they were drenched in blood. Wukong knew what he would find if he turned around, not wanting to face it but unable to stop himself from looking.
There in the middle of the field was Mihou, his mate, his moon, his warrior, his queen, laying dead in a pool of his own blood with his head smashed in.
Wukong’s eyes burned with tears as his mouth opened to scream with nothing coming out.
————————————————————————-
Wukong jolted up awake, he looked around in a panic, finding himself in his hut surrounded by sleeping little suns.
“Agh, that same nightmare again, guess your soul won’t ever let me forget moonlight, not that I ever could”.
Wukong slowly got up, dressed, and munched on a few peaches before heading straight out the door to start his usual routine.
He checked on the mothers and their babies, inspected the fruit trees, checked in on the various creatures that called his island home, inspected the parameters for danger, then finally sat in the field watching his troop.
Wukong began to doze off in the warm evening sun, when suddenly his four stalwart generals approached in a panic.
“Chirp chirp chitter chitter chirp” (your highness, there’s a strange looking intruder by the nectarine trees) relayed Ma.
“Chitter chirp chitter” (a celestial maiden, carrying something)
Wukong stared at his old friend in disbelief, why would a celestial, let alone a maiden, be on his island, especially without notice.
“Alright, I’ll go check it out you four stay here and watch over the others”
“CHIRP” (UNDERSTOOD) said the four in unison.
Wukong flew out to the nectarine grove, using his gold vision he soon located the maiden in question, and she was quite the sight.
She was tall, about a head taller than him if he had to guess. Her hair was a rich black, long and silky, tied back with a cream ribbon half way down its length. She had pale skin comparable to white jade, not a single blemish from what he could see. Her hanfu was made of the finest celestial silk, but was so simple in design it almost felt like the material was wasted. And her face, he could only see part of it from where he stood, but it was clear that she had a soft, feminine shape, angular eyes, and a small curved nose.
She was a true beauty, even the various goddesses couldn’t compare. What Wukong couldn’t understand is what did his generals see that made her strange.
That was until she turned around slightly and he got a better look at her eyes. Her eyes were that of a serpent with a color not unlike the finest green jade. But what shocked Wukong the most was what was in her arms.
A small monkey cub, newborn from what he could tell. He had rich brown fur, an orange face mask in the shape of a heart, and most shocking of all, golden eyes, identical to Wukong’s own.
Wukong watched as the maiden meticulously plucked nectarines, then gently fed them to the cub.
He finally decided to approach the pair, keeping his voice soft as he gave a gentle hello.
The maiden looked up at him before answering in kind.
“Hello, and who might you be good sir?”
Wukong stared at her in shock before recovering “Sun Wukong, you know the Monkey King”
She looked at him confused “I’m sorry, is that name supposed to mean anything to me?”
Wukong felt indignation rising in his chest “Uhh, the victorious fighting buddha, the scourge of the celestial realm, the greatest hero to ever be known by human kind, not to mention the king of this very island that you’re trespassing on!!!”
She looked at him for a moment longer before having a realization “Oh, you’re that monkey the Jade Emperor is always complaining about, the one who caused such a ruckus that Siddhārtha had to intervene”.
Wukong stared at her like she’d grown a second head, she had invoked Buddha’s mortal name like it was nothing. “And just who exactly might you be?!!!”
“Lady Nüwa” she stated matter of factly.
“Wait as in the goddess who created humans and monkeys?”
“What exactly are you doing here, and who’s the cub?”
“This is my harbinger of chaos” she began “he is meant to reset the world in roughly 10,000 years time. I had contained his essence within a unique stone located atop the highest mountain on this island, to be awoken when the time came. However for some reason he hatched far too early. So now as his creator, I will care for and train him here until the time comes”.
Wukong looked at the kid in awe ‘if this kid hatched from my stone doesn’t that make him my kid in a way’ he thought lovingly, before a realization hit him.
“What do you mean by him being the one to reset the world?”
“When the time comes he will jump into the pillar of creation with the five colored stones and give his life to reset the cycle”
“YOU MADE HIM TO KILL HIMSELF”
“There’s no other choice” she calmly defended.
“Then why don’t you do it” argued Wukong
“I……I can’t, I just can’t” Nüwa protested weakly.
“If you think I’m just gonna stand by and let you sacrifice the kid, you’re dead wrong!”
Wukong lunges at her trying to take the kid away. Only to be stopped dead in his tracks by a long green serpent tail. Nüwa flung him away before using a sigil to summon a cluster of thick golden vines that bound and suspended Wukong high in the air.
Wukong struggled fiercely, growling and hissing before shouting:
“YOU WON’T GET AWAY WITH THIS!!!!!!!”
“You would be wise to stay out of matters you do not comprehend” Nüwa stated with a finality before slithering away, leaving Wukong still struggling and shouting.
Night had fallen on the mountain.
Within a deep secluded cave Nüwa prepared for bed, adjusting the nest for her and her harbinger to sleep.
But her mind was far from being at ease, even as she layed down, pulling the small monkey cub close.
“What does that foolish monkey know” she stated trying to ease her thoughts “there isn’t any other way, this has to be done”
She stared at the cub in her arms “you understand, don’t you little one”
The little cub patted his tiny hands against her cheeks, giving a soft little coo.
“I knew you would, sleep well young one”
She pulled him closer as they both drifted off to sleep.
The light of the morning sun pierced through the cave. Nüwa stirred slightly, feeling around the nest, but not once did she feel the small warm body of her harbinger.
She woke up with a jolt. Scanning around in a panic, unable to locate the little one.
She took a deep breath trying to calm her racing mind. Then as if a bucket of cold water had been splashing on her, she felt a familiar chi signature.
One belonging to the being that had haunted her thoughts the previous night.
She felt her rage building up rapidly, then explode.
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