#wild crane lonely clouds

[kc-art-stuff]

HELLO EVERYNYAN im alive and i can still draw full digital pieces

the fics

#fanart #my art #genshin impact #original art #shenhe #shenjin #yun jin #digital art #au shenjin my beloveds #if you dont understand whats going on #thats bc you havent read the fics #go read them so you can kick scream and cry with us <3 #wild crane lonely clouds

[apopcornkernel]

ENCHANTED

part 1 of wild crane, lonely clouds

Shenhe/Yun Jin, 2.3k, complete

What held her gaze was as simple as this: Yun Jin, still staring straight at her. Yun Jin, only breaking eye contact when the dance required it, or when her fan obscured her face. Yun Jin, dancing as if only for her. As if the gods among them were but dust, and the adepti, wind.

Historical AU. Shenhe, mortal disciple of Cloud Retainer, is a general in the divine court of the Guili Assembly. Yun Jin, an entertainer of the Yun-Han Troupe, enters her household with an ulterior motive.

a collab with @kc-art-stuff <3 don't forget to check out her tumblr for the art!!!!!!

#genshin impact #shenjin #shenhe #yun jin #yunjin #i didnt tag them but guizhong and zhongli and cloud retainer are also here!! #guizhong actually speaks quite a bit #i just really loved exploring the guili assembly dynamics #my fics #anyways there is still more after this #hehehehehhe #wild crane lonely clouds

[idyllic-affections]

little colt.

summary. xianyun cannot help but take in another child. perhaps, in the future, they may become a disciple of hers.

trigger & content warnings. none applicable.

tropes, pairings, fic length, & other notes. fluff, found family-ish. xianyun & child!reader. 2k words. they/them pronouns for reader. prev | next.

author's thoughts. bird mom propaganda RAHHHHHH btw if you find a typo no you didn't i'm sleepy but i wanted to post this........

       Cloud Retainer has taken on many disciples in her time, and she has loved each and every one as if they were her own.

       It was, therefore, quite unlikely that she woukd cease to take on disciples anytime within the forseeable future. Her love was extensive, far beyond what most mortals would be able to comprehend, and her capacity for intimate and tight bonds was even moreso. She has taken on many disciples over the years, and she has loved them all like her own children.

       Perhaps it could be attributed to her adeptal instincts; she can recall many a time during which her fellow adepti, upon bonding closely with another being, became exceedingly protective of them. It was only natural—adepti lived for so long and were often affected by their more nonhuman instincts. It wouldn't be improbable to imagine that the need to bond with other beings would grow strong over so many years.

       ...Then again, it could always simply be attributed to her. In her mind, there was little need for any such justification like 'instincts.' She could scoff at the idea—she was no mere animal. 'Instincts' could not begin to fully explain the depth of her love and care; it was surely infinitely more complicated than the mere maternal urges that a simple crane, a wild animal, might have. She was infinitely more intricate and convoluted than an uncomplicated bird.

       (That, however, did not change the fact that she did tend to have bird-like habits. Preening, nesting in her own way... She preferred not to bring attention to that fact, however.)

       Regardless of the reason, the truth was that she was lonely, even if she vehemently denied it whenever someone brought up the idea. Mt. Aocang was... quiet, dreadfully so without the constant presence of Ganyu or Shenhe or any of her other disciples. She enjoyed the silence to an extent, but she could only entertain herself for so long without another being to share her knowledge with. Liyue Harbor was far more lively. Loud and chaotic at times, perhaps, but far less lonely than the empty nest that her adeptal abode had become.

       Maybe that was why she was so immediately invested in the little one who had accidentially bumped into her and was now apologizing profusely.

       "I'm— I'm so sorry, miss! I wasn't watching where I was going! I really didn't mean it, I..."

       'What a swift little thing,' she couldn't help but muse. She'd hardly even spotted them rushing her way before they tumbled into her legs. Their body weight wasn't even enough to make her stumble—if anything, they were the one that ended up getting thrown off balance. It was cute how small they were compared to her, really; it reminded her of Shenhe when she was a child, or even her current disciple, Shuyu.

       Ah... but she shouldn't be so quick to think fondly of them. No, surely this little one had parents of their own—a life of their own—to return to. She did not even know their name. No. Bonds should not be so quick to form.

       With elegant, poised grace akin to a gentle breeze rustling a tree's leaves, she knelt down, the motion putting an end to their sheepish yet hurried apologies. Glossy, innocent eyes stared up at her—even kneeling, Xianyun was still a bit taller than they were—with an amount of awe that would've made her feathers puff out in pride had she been in her illuminated beast form. She was not one to grow embarrassed at admiration, after all.

       "Where are your caregivers, child?"

       "Oh. Um." Their brows furrowed slightly. "...I don't know, actually."

       "Ah, are you lost? Come, then. One— Ahem. I shall reuinte you with them. I am certain they must be quite frantic in your absence."

       Before she could rise and offer her clawed hand to them, they urgently shook their head.

       "Oh, no! It's not like that, miss. Even if it was, I wouldn't want to trouble you at all! I would find my way back!" they insisted politely, waving their hands in front of their body as if to dismiss her concerns (though, Xianyun hardly thought it would be "troubling"; she was a bit surprised that they felt it so, or perhaps they were really just trying to be polite). It was then that she noticed the little wooden chick held carefully in one of their hands, but she did not yet have the opportunity to inquire about it. "I've been on my own for as long as I can remember, that's all."

       Oh?

       Oh.

       "Hm. Is that so?"

       "Uh-huh."

       "In that case, child, I—"

       A man rounding the corner and immediately prevented her from finishing her sentence. He was very clearly furious, approaching the child with such fervent determination that Xianyun could not help but wonder what nature of a troublemaker she must have encountered. Though... she really did not see them that way, which only made her infintely more curious about rhe situation at hand.

       Their expression seemed to fall.

       "You, kid!" he shouted, stopping just a foot or two away from them. "You can't just go around stealing whatever you please! Who raised you?!"

       "No, I..." They could not meet his gaze. "I was gonna bring back more mora to make up for it when I could, I just—!"

       "Don't give me excuses. I want the toy you've stolen returned, you understand? Hand it over!"

       Xianyun sighed, adjusting her glasses.

       "Enough," she said, rising to her feet. "How much mora will suffice? For reparations, of course."

       "Rep— reparations?" the man stuttered, then sighed. "No, no... look. You're the mom? Just teach your kid not to go around stealing. The toy's not worth much, but a kid who starts stealing this young will take far more important things in the future. So, teach 'em not to do it."

       Hiding behind Xianyun's legs, they couldn't help but stare upwards in wonderment. His attitude flipped completely when faced with a woman so much taller than he was, and with an air surrounding her that demanded such an impossible amount of respect. They honestly could not blame him for such an attitude change; they would too, they thought, if they were faced with someone like her.

       "Very well. You have my apologies on their behalf." She turned on her heel, holding out her hand to them. "Let us go, little colt."

       Colt?

       Bewildered but nonetheless beyond awestruck with this strange yet kind woman, they nodded, wordlessly placing their freehand in hers. Her sharp, hooked nails dug slightly into their skin; somehow, though, they couldn't be bothered to care. It didn't hurt much. On the contrary, it was oddly comforting.

       The walk was silent for a few moments, but then, Xianyun's voice demanded their attention:

       "You should pay quite the mind to your behavior in the future. Theivery is a significant offense in a land such as this—a land that regards contracts with the highest of respect. Had I withheld my intervention, it may very well have ended far worse."

       "I really didn't mean to," they whispered, little tears building up in the corners of their eyes. Even though she was someone they had only just met a few moments ago, disappointing her seemed... unbearable. Angering her would have been more tolerable. "Um... steal, that is. I didn't mean it. I just thought it looked really cool. I left whatever mora I had on me to pay for it, and I was going to try and get more so I could pay him the right amount... I swear I wasn't going to just run away with it..."

       She hummed. "Regardless of your intent, I will see to it that you do not do such a thing again."

       "Hu— huh? You will?"

       She scoffed. "Of course. Surely you did not expect me to abandon you on the side of the street again? As an elder, it is only right that I watch over little ones such as yourself, and little ones should not be cruelly left to fend for themselves."

       The tears on their lashes had dried by now. They even offered her a smile, giggling as they said, "Elder? I don't think you're old."

       "Oh? And what, pray tell, has led you to such a bold conclusion, hm?"

       "Well... you! You look very young, miss! I think elder women are very pretty too, but you look... young pretty? Um... what's the word again..?"

       "Youthful, perhaps?"

       "Yeah! Youthful!"

       As they rambled on animatedly, clutching the wooden bird to their chest, Xianyun's lips quirked upwards into an amused smile.

       It, of course, went unnoticed by them.

                       — flower of the universe !! 🌸

       In the few days that had passed since Xianyun welcomed little [Name]—they had bashfully introduced themselves to her in the middle of their rambling once they recalled that she didn't even know their name, and she returned the sentiment with greater confidence—into her home, she had put together a few simple toys for them to amuse themselves with.

       She was an inventor at heart. Even though these designs were not entirely her own, she made them hers with unique additions and more efficient features... of course, all while doing her best to keep the toys simple. They were for a child, after all. Mechanics, Xianyun's mechanics, were complicated enough for adults to understand as it was—a child would surely have even less of a capacity to grasp something too complicated, and her efforts would therefore have been wasted.

       ...But oh, how terribly wrong she now understood herself to be.

       Quietly and motionlessly, as to avoid drawing their attention, she watched with the growing warmth of fondness and excitement in her chest as the young one she took in meticulously pried open the toys she handcrafted.

       They were humming to themselves, gingerly laying out the parts in an organized manner so that nothing got lost or mixed. She was beyond impressed with the careful thought they had blatantly put into keeping track of everything; Xianyun was certain that most children would lose a small part or two, but as she surveyed their layout, she noted that every single piece—big or small, hard to overlook or easy to lose—was accounted for.

       Childish forgetfulness wasn't an inherently bad thing. In fact, it was quite amusing and endearing to those such as herself who had lived for so many millennia.

       However, she was infinitely more endeared by their sheer mindfulness.

       Their sharp gasp snapped her from her internal musings.

       "Oh— Miss... Miss Xianyun! I'm sorry, I—" They stumbled over their words, and they froze up somewhat. It was as if they wanted to hide what they had done but ultimately decided against it; she had clearly already spotted them, and they did not want to risk mixing up all the parts. "Miss Xianyun, I'm so sorry, I— I wasn't trying to destroy them, I just—"

       "—wanted to understand their internal workings, yes?"

       Their eyes went wide with that same wonderment they had displayed towards her a few days prior. "How... how did you know?"

       She almost laughed at their cluelessness. "You have taken them apart with the care and delicacy quite unusual for one of your age. This, one surmises, is only because you sought to sate your curiosity regarding these simple mechanisms and their internal functions."

       The grace with which she carried herself never failed to leave them in astonished silence. Xianyun hummed, sweeping them up into her arms as if they weighed no more than a feather (her utter, raw strength was another astounding feat in their young mind; she was so unimaginably admirable in a multiplicity of ways to them). Then, with steady caution, she kneeled to the floor and situated them comfortably in her lap.

       "Allow one to introduce you, little colt, to the basics of mechanics."

       Xianyun, they concluded, was an odd but genuinely kind woman.

       Though her manner of speech was sometimes strange and formal, and her grace seemed otherworldly in its nature, and her strength was assuredly not a feat that just anyone could achieve...

       She was tender. She was kind. She cared.

       Perhaps the world was not always so kind, but despite that knowledge, they had never felt safer than where they were now.

please consder reblogging with a kind tag or comment, it helps me out quite a lot! mama xianyun series taglist: @zeldadou, @starryshinyskies, @soleillunne, @lillonvia, @nervocat, @dragon-type-nuggetz, @starlit-dianthus. contact me non-anonymously to be added.

#aphelion writes 🌸 #astronetwrk #platonic genshin x reader #platonic genshin impact #platonic genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #genshin x child reader #platonic x reader #platonic genshin #genshin child reader #genshin platonic #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact x child reader #genshin impact x you #xianyun x reader #cloud retainer x reader

[niteshade925]

Pretty sure the name Xianyun/闲云 is a reference to the word 闲云野鹤, lit. "leisurely clouds and wild crane*" (can also be written as 闲云孤鹤, so it will be "lone crane" instead of "wild crane", but the overall meaning does not change). The word describes a leisurely and carefree lifestyle, free from worldly worries, and because it makes a reference to cranes, it's a great fit for Cloud Retainer.

This word first originated in the Song dynasty era book 《全唐诗话》.

*note: crane here refers to the red-crowned crane, which is traditionally a symbol of elegance associated with immortals, Daoism, longevity, and the literati.

#genshin impact #xianyun #cloud retainer #chinese culture

[queenlucythevaliant]

Northern Lights

.

I heard a voice that cried, “Balder the Beautiful is dead, is dead!” 

.

Who knows what to call the lonely exhilaration of gazing out into a bright Northern sky? Who can name it? 

Jill could.

It was the same feeling that came to her at the teetering edge of a cliff at the end of the world. The same feeling as when she said her goodbyes to Puddleglum and Scrubb before they freed the prince. It was the same feeling that engulfed her now, sitting in the professor’s library with a volume of poetry before her. 

.

The wild northern wastes were well named: utterly wild, perfectly desolate, and terribly Northern. 

It was lonely there and often cold, but the sky was an endless whorl of gales and gray clouds. The stones were indigo under the pale winter sunlight, and at sunset they glowed a soft gold, as though lit from within. The gorges and moors lay before her, and Jill loved them for their vastness and their distance. Little grew in that country, but that which did was full of vigor. The grass was short and coarse. Every tree was victorious. 

On a still, deep breathing winter night, Jill lay on her back beneath a covering sky. It seemed beautiful to her, rich and strong and glorious. Her eyes drank in the breadth of it until her tears began to blind her. Yet even then, she still couldn’t look away.

She felt bigger here in the wastes, like the landscape. Stronger, wider. The further she walked, the more she felt herself stretch out. One of these days, maybe, she would catch hold of herself at the edge and tug, and Jill Pole would open up clear as the Northern sky. 

.

And through the misty air passed the mournful cry of sunward sailing cranes.

.

The thing that surprised Jill most about the battle with the serpent was this: there wasn’t any yelling. Always, it seemed, whenever she read stories about people fighting with swords, the combatants would let loose some guttural yell before their blows fell. They would scream and writhe in pain as they died. They would shout instructions to their fellows, “Look out!” or “Hit him there!” But the whole affair with the serpent passed with very little noise. 

The poison-green coil constricted around the prince; he raised his arms and got clear, struck the serpent hard, and then Scrubb and Puddleglum dispatched the creature with heavy, hacking blows. The monster died writhing, but not screaming. And then it was over. 

The thing that surprised Jill most about the moments before battle was, of course, the noise. She could hear her own heartbeat in her ears. She couldn’t stop listening to her own breathing. Every footstep rang out like a gong, and any words exchanged rang with a kind of finality that made them sound louder than anything. 

“You are of high courage,” Rilian told her when it was over. 

Yet the thing in Jill’s chest just then didn’t feel like courage. It was a deep breath, a plunge, and a release. It was loud and quiet all at once, till she was standing, blinking in the night air as snowballs whizzed round her, and maybe that was something like courage after all. 

.

And now, there was a stirring in her chest as she reread the words on the page. Sing no more / O ye bards of the North / Of Vikings and of Jarls! / Of the days of the Eld / preserve the freedom only / nor the deeds of blood! 

She thought of grief. Of freedom. 

The lonely ache in her belly grew stronger. She felt herself uplifted into the huge regions of sky that were just beyond those cliffs, weightless as the breath beneath her buoyed her up, further, further…

.

When she saw Caspian up close, Jill thought that he looked like the sort of person who was meant to live in a castle. A silly thought, perhaps, since she knew he was a king– only she wasn’t thinking of Cair Paravel. No, Jill was picturing the ruins of an old British castle she’d visited once on holiday. She still remembered how the stonework had loomed over her, all towering arches and crumbling walls. That was where Caspian seemed to belong. He had an air of ancient tragedy about him. 

When Rilian disappeared, all things had wept but one. The serpent coiled beneath the earth and flicked its forked tongue, spewing poison. 

Now, the king half rose to bless his son. He whispered a few words as he caressed Rilian’s cheek, words meant only for those beloved ears. Jill saw Caspian’s lips move and wondered what a man like that could possibly say, when time ran so short. 

.

They laid him in his ship, with horse and harness, as on a funeral pyre. Odin placed a ring upon his finger, and whispered in his ear.

.

Jill furtively took Myths of the Northmen and held it up to the professor with a question in her eyes. She was still shy around him and Miss Plummer, though she wished she wasn’t. 

“Would you like to take that with you?”

“...Please.”

.

It takes a certain kind of person to be exhilarated by the heights. You’ve got to love vastness more than you fear falling. 

.

They walked to the train station with an autumn wind blowing hard, and though Jill couldn’t fathom why, she turned and saw Lucy grinning, fierce and joyful– grinning and reaching a hand out towards her friend.

Jill reached back and grabbed it. “What will you do, once we’re back in Narnia?” she asked. 

The wind blew harder. The feeling of anticipation grew and grew, until it felt so big that she couldn’t dream of containing it. And there was Lucy, holding Jill’s hand and laughing like it was easy.

.

Preserve the freedom only, not the deeds of blood!

.

The second time Jill went to Narnia, she found herself not at its edge, but at its end. 

The thing about the Norse apocalypse is: it feels believable. It doesn’t reach beyond earth’s horizon to pull down hope beyond hope. It’s only the kind of courage that hopeless humans have: you are going to die, so you might as well die bravely. 

They found the last king of Narnia bound to a tree. His eyes were faintly red from crying, and his wrists and ankles red from the coarseness of his fetters. 

In the Norse myths, Loki broke free of his fetters at the end of the world. He escaped to the helm of a ship made from the fingernails of the dead.

The last king of Narnia fell forward onto the ground when Eustace cut his bonds. Jill crouched down beside him and watched as he rubbed feeling back into his legs. He wasn’t so much older than her, she thought. Jill was sixteen years old; the last king of Narnia could not be older than twenty-two. 

In the myths, the gods were ancient, hewn from the bodies of giants old as the earth. 

Jill put out a hand and helped the last king of Narnia to his feet. Not for the last time, she shivered. Something deep inside her (deeper than her chest, than her heart, than the marrow of her bones, deep as her soul, deeper) was singing an elegy and she didn’t know why, or how, or where it had come from. The king clutching her hand, who could have been her older brother, would have no heir.

Yet when he asked, “Will you come with me?” Jill could only smile. 

“Of course,” she said. “It’s you we’ve come to help.”

.

And the voice forever cried, "Balder the Beautiful is dead, is dead!"

.

“This really is Narnia at last,” murmured Jill. The springtime wood had little in common with the wintry lands she had traveled the last time she was here– but it awakened the same feelings of Northernness in her chest. 

Their party may as well have been the only people in the world, for how isolated their little wooden path seemed. Yet it wasn’t lonely, really, cocooned in all that green with the wind in the leaves and the primroses nodding and blue of the sky peeking through above. 

Jewel told stories about what ordinary life was like when there was peace here. As he spoke, Jill could almost hear the trees' voices speaking out of the living past, whispering, stay, stay. She was caught up to a great height, looking down across a rich, lovely plain full of woods and waters and cornfields, which spread away and away till it got thin and misty from distance. 

“Oh Jewel–” Jill said with a dreamy sigh, “wouldn’t it be lovely if Narnia just went on and on– like what you say it has been?”

She needn’t be a queen, as Susan and Lucy had been, but Jill would’ve liked to stay. She would've liked it all to stay, if it could. She might have been a woodmaid in a place like this: with the turn of the seasons, the swaying trees, swords into plowshares. Oh, if only she could stay!

Ahead, the last king of Narnia was softly singing a marching song. Jill tilted her head back and let warm shafts of sun caress her face. 

.

I saw the pallid corpse of the dead sun borne through the Northern sky.

.

“So,” said the last king of Narnia, “Narnia is no more.”

He tried to send them back. Jill shook her head. It was very loud and very quiet. “No, no, no, we won’t. I don’t care what you say. We’re going to stick by you whatever happens, aren’t we Eustace?”

They couldn’t go back anyway. Neither would they flee, not south across the mountains nor North into the great wide wastes. No, they would stay. They slept in a holly grove on the edge of ruin, waiting for the bonfires to light.

Jill slept fitfully, but in between she dreamed. She was high up in the air, buffeted by clouds and pierced by shafts of silver sunlight. 

.

They all died, in the myths. Jill knew that. It seemed beautiful and brave when she read it in her book, tucked away safe in the Professor’s library. It was terrifying now– and yet it was beautiful and brave still.

The dogs came bounding up, every one of them, running up to the king and his men with their tails wagging. One of them leapt at Jill and licked her face, tongue roughly lapping up the sweat and tears that had dried on her cheeks. 

“Show us how to help, show us how, how, how!” the dogs were barking, almost ebullient in their enthusiasm. Jill bit back a sob. How lovely, she thought. How terribly beautiful. How dreadfully brave. 

.

So perish the old Gods!

.

The white rock gleamed like a moon in the darkness when Jill finally reached it. She ran back to it alone, her hands shaking, while her friends stayed forward with their gleaming swords and Jewel’s indigo horn.

The while rock gleamed like the moon. Jill’s first shot flew wide and landed in the soft grass. But she had another arrow on her string the next instant. It was speed that mattered, not aim. Speed, and turning aside when she cried, so as not to drip tears on her bowstring.

The white rock gleamed. In the myths, a wolf devoured the moon. Peter’s wolf, slain many thousand years ago in this world, opened his jaw wide and darkness fell over everything.

Her next arrow found its mark. After that, she lost track. She pulled, and she prayed that her hands kept still another minute. 

The unique thing–maybe the appealing thing–about the Norse myths, was that they told men to serve gods who were admittedly fighting with their backs to the wall and would certainly be defeated in the end. Jill let loose another arrow, felt the white rock at her back, and she knew that the clawing fear–beauty–bravery deep in her gut was the same feeling that she felt on the heights. The same feeling, but a different face. You’ve got to love vastness more than you fear falling. 

.

“I feel in my bones,” said Poggin, “that we shall all, one by one, pass through that dark door before morning. I can think of a hundred deaths that I would rather have died.”

“It is indeed a grim door,” said Tirian. “It is more like a mouth.” 

“Oh, can’t we do anything to stop it,” said Jill. Better to be dashed to the ground than it was to be devoured. 

“Nay, fair friend,” said Jewel. “It may be for us the door to Aslan’s country and we sup at his table tonight.”

A hand tangled itself in her hair and started to pull. Jill braced herself hard, for a moment, until her strength gave out. She was standing on the edge of a high, Northern cliff. She took another step, and fell.

.

Perhaps when the moment comes, our bite will prove better than our howls. If not, we shall have to confess that two millennia of Christianity have not yet brought us to the level of the Stoics and Vikings. For the worst (according to the flesh) that a Christian need face is to die in Christ and rise in Christ; some were content to die, and not to rise, with Father Odin.

.

The world inside the stable was beautiful. It made Jill’s chest ache in all the loveliest ways. 

.

Build it again, O ye bards, fairer than before!

#okayyyy so #i've been down the tolkien/lewis/norse mythology rabbit hole lately #it's a lot #but i've been picking at this piece in my head for a while now #which is more a rhapsody than anything else #but another for my narnia/classic lit sequence of pieces #the quotes are mostly pulled from Longfellow's Tegners Drapa translation #which Jack discusses in Surprised by Joy as one of the works that inspired feelings of joy and 'Northernness' in his boyhood #there's also a Weight of Glory quote in there #(paraphrased) #and one from the intro to Joy Gresham's book on the 10 Commandments that Jack wrote #(that's that last passage in italics) #i'm not really sure i was trying to make a point with this so much as just. explore that feeling of northernness #bc really northernness is two things #it's joy and exhileration brought on by beauty #and it's that beautiful hopeless courage when faced with unwinnable battles #and i love how intertwined those two things are for lewis #and let's be honest for me too #so that's what this is #hope it holds together okay #narnia #chapter one #night under narnia #dying of thirst #pontifications and creations #leah stories

[gentleeclipsey]

I was having a hard time tonight and brain was going crazy, have a bit of writing for Salem as he gathers some food!

----------------------------------------

There was a gentle breeze, a warm one that caressed the trees causing a soft cacophony among the leaves.

The trees here were old, the forest floor thick with life older than the humans that tread, though not much older than the small beast that softly trotted the old deer path beneath the canopy.

With the sky darkened by the thick clouds a soft mist of the calm before the rain blanketed the forest and the darkness allowed Salem to make his way towards the abandoned orchard. With storm grey skin that was peppered with flecks of soft blue and a thick mop of a mane that was a vivid white, he stood out among the greenery, but there was no fear in his stride. He was only as tall as the tallest humans, not built for combat and clad in only a ragged sort of skirt cardying a small bag.

His footprints were abnormal, but soon enough the oncoming rain would wash them down enough the average person wouldn't find them strange, with each step his long tail swayed softly from side to side gently caressing leaves every now and again. Raindrops that slid from the leaves gently struck the gentle troll, he felt an unending sense of ease. Peace. Tranquility. As he neard the edge of the forest, the overgrown farm grounds were a sight for sore eyes.

The house was worn, paint long faded and windows cracked and shattered, overgrown with plants Sal couldn't name. But sitting beyond that, twisted with age but bearing fruit so many years later, various fruit trees, all lined up for ease now staggered with offspring. Some had fallen years before, others simply growing weird and wild while the young ones twisted this way and that. Apples, peaches, all kinds of fruit produced in various seasons, but for Salem he was only interested in one row.

Among the overturned leaves and thick wild branches, bright yellow, orange, and green sour fruit. Sal had learned these were called citrus fruits from a few books he'd found in the home when he'd first discovered the place. He sniffed gently, the scent of humans had been vacant from the property every year and yet again as his nostrils flaired only the scent of petrichor graced his senses. With a gentle hum he crossed the small clearing of long grass and into the shade of the abandoned trees.

It was early, and a few ripened fruits had settled in the grass but Sal had no interest in these. He craned his neck, opening the empty sack he began reaching for the lowest branches. A quick twist of the wrist and the fruit came loose in his palm then was discarded into his bag. Salem took his time with the task, pruning the lowest branches of the orange trees first, then procured lemons and their green sisters, all the while his tail waved softly behind him, stirring the grass. After gathering a small lumpsum the gentle troll chuckled to himself, "A beautiful bounty this year, ladies."* he spoke to the trees themselves, "Thank you for all you do."

As though they'd heard his words, the wind swayed the branches, the wood creaking in appreciation and the leaves shuffling with joy. Hauling the bag over his shoulder the troll purred to them quietly, once again crossing the small clearing and onto the deer path as the rain began to fall.

Sal knew he'd be soaked once he'd manage to return to his isolated home, but the thought did nothing but comfort the lone troll.

#trollhunters #toa trollhunters #tales of arcadia #troll: salem #troll oc #toa oc #trollhunters oc

[marselwritertiliboop]

Swift waves, a refreshing morning and the wild pre-dawn smell of coolness and freedom, cranes singing, the ocean washing my ankles and hands, a flock of sheep grazing in the sky, seaweed tickling your back, moths, curious and playful, swimming around your feet, lemon tide the ocean on Aphrodite's curls, instead of legs there are buffalo hooves, so they smell of heaviness, and behind the back are the wings of Thanatos, they smell of steel, reeking of blood, the hay stuck to the grandfather's face is his beard, curly and hard at first glance, unkempt, enchanting forest , washed by hundreds of luminaries, the sun peeking out from one side and then from the other, lettuce ripening on the treetops, delicate petals that bloomed only yesterday, a rocker grandfather who is going to a solo concert, this is the impression he creates, Helios is grazing his sheep to the south, the clouds are floating peacefully where he directs them with his light.

July 2023.

Cotton candy in the sky, coolness in the car, calm and serenity, a soft ebb of milk on the cotton candy, a sweet peach spread its juice across the expanses of the sky, shimmering with white in a gradient, the aromas of tenderness and health filled everything around. The majestic crowns of the sages bent over you, here the color is cold and it becomes gloomy in your soul, their gray trunks reached to the very sky. The trees against the backdrop of a peach sunset in the distance look like corals on the ocean floor, the moving crowns of dark trees in the evening resemble stars spreading at sunset, the purple, fluffy path to the ground on the heavenly slope ends on the mountain, where the heavenly inhabitants descend. A long line of gentle smoke gathered on the horizon, a great wall that separated one celestial race from another. The black crowns of the trees surrounded the field, as if they had enclosed me in this union, as if I too was in this lulling embrace. Lonely burning stars of street lamps in a falling asleep village lull the local residents with their warm light.

August 2023.

I hope you too will feel the past summer, even in winter. Maybe sitting by the window and watching the snow fly through the storm. I hope you feel the smell of freshly cut grass, the warmth of the July sun, and the slow, chewy days.

#nostalgia #summer2023

[gazelessmenagerie]

😵 //Either Tater or Yams to Broly

MY MUSE HAS LOST THEIR MEMORY. SEND 😵 FOR YOUR MUSE TO VISIT THEM AND FIND OUT Send 💫 for the reverse

Draped in the cooling cloak of shadows from the overhangs of wondrous arches and great stole pillars toppled over, the harsh light from above baked the ground with a searing heat as it reflected off the hardened, beige soils below. The blazing azure tapestry overhead held feathered wisps of clouds while fleeting winds and wistful gales swept the loosened granules along their currents as the scraggly bushes gently brushed against one another. 

Nestled beneath one of the shadows cast by a toppled pillar was a lone mass of bare muscle belonging to the back of a torso stared back at whoever might’ve chanced upon the isolation of a figure. Large palms cradled either side of his head as it hung between the peaks of imposing shoulders, fingers burrowed well into the thick mass of jet black hair matted over with drying trails marring down the side. Stench of iron filled the air, small rubies dribbled to collect and fall in perfect spheres delicately painting upon silken sands. Pain crushed the space between his ears, the back of his head throbbing with a migraine to a lesser extent compared to the bleeding wound hidden beneath thick locks of wild hair. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to think he was trying to keep his skull together with how harsh the pressure wanted to escape as it continued to crash wave after wave, slowly ebbing away with grating growls to the softer whimpers caught in his throat.

Couldn’t be recalled why he was in such pain... why it kept persisting all the way until it resolved towards a constant, nagging ache even after he managed to allow tightly clenched eyes to creak open. The voice of another brought a teetering focus towards the source, hands lowering closer to the center of his chest while his upper torso remained hunched over. Craning his head towards his right, confused bewilderment plainly struck across his features as he saw movements of a mouth but understanding any of it failed to comprehend. At the very least he wasn’t alone as he looked at the other male.

“ ... Yát'éh ná ..? ”

#dragvnsovl #|| Tag: Answered #|| Tag: Gazing over the Abyss of Stars { Broly } #( not me haphazardly flinging together something )

[axl-ul]

The Flight of the Western Crane: Chapter Three

(A reupload/repost of my fic/dark retellingof Journey tot he West because the whole AO3 site, where I originally posted this, got taken down for now)

(General info about this fic/wip/retelling is here)

****

It was early morning when the indigo clouds fled away. The rain was long gone and the sun showed its glamour. Because it was summer, the temperature was rising steadily and so was the humidity. It turned into a white mourning veil of weeping flowers sitting in their place, forced to stay on the lonely mountain. Wild partridges, yellow warblers and noisy jays quickly gathered to find some earthworms before the golden light became too strong for them. Their squabble was the only noise filling up the large foggy forest. No matter how much ears pricked up, no murmur of a brook was nearby. Nothing that would satisfy the thirst of bears, wolves, deer, boars and hawks or larks. All which can be found is countless caves, cliffs, pines and bushes. Among them the undisturbed grass is like a soft blanket covering the bed of the hills. Various spirals form on straws and branches while the wind brings some fresh breath to its home. Only a rocky path tears apart the emerald meadow. For it was still covered by the haze, a dozen feet carefully considered where to step without tripping over. Only two people from the travelling group didn’t have to walk with their heads tilted over. Sanzang gladly took Mei to sit with him in the saddle. Her injury was in a significantly better condition but nobody wanted to risk anything. Circumstances concerning Sanzang, too, allowed him not to ride the dragon-horse without being judged. He walked most of their days so taking a ride here and there was understandable. Especially since the passage was eight miles long.

Starting the day with playful banters they eventually grew calmer and fell into a bothersome silence. They walked for too long in a too silent place. Wukong, naturally, was the first to doubt the decision. He opened his mouth to growl something but a low thump of a hatchet shut him up soon. The brief chat with a blind woodcutter led them to his old shed. Watching how he and his son struggled the group pitied him. They promised to repair the roof as soon as they saw the holes in it - Wujing and the woodcutter’s son brought the needed materials while Bajie and Wukong balanced on the girders. The setting sun’s warmth fell on the four men. After some time and a considerate portion of hard work they decided to drop a few layers of their jackets, tunics or vests. While the monkey danced on the rooftop he felt a set of eyes on his bare shoulders. His back straightened meanwhile he casted a sidelong glance. Although she was offering a small teapot to the rest, Wukong was certain the witch had been watching his every single step. Not only that. His trained eye noticed Márgerdra was scanning the surroundings beside him, too. “At least I’m not the only one who’s being suspicious about the mountain,“ he thought to himself and remembered the odd rustling which rang in his ears the whole way. Strangely, it stopped as soon as they approached the old man. Wukong casually fixed his eyes into the distance. The endless green and brown lay in front of him. Tiny fireflies danced under the shadows. Flaming dots emerged one after another and in turns reappeared in various spots after the light vanished. Only two of them never left each other’s side. They floated side by side on the same level. One time they went to the side, later they repositioned above the rest. Yet they never left the late evening’s darkness unlike the other fireflies which courageously came closer to the Monkey King. For a moment, he locked eyes with the insect. Their colour undoubtedly caught his attention – the light had nearly golden hew and a weak glow followed anywhere they moved to. It was so strange yet felt so familiar. Certainly, it didn’t mesmerise him as the witch’s eyes but he still couldn’t look away. Then the breeze blew around him and tickled the torso. The sudden cold was enough to drag him away from the thought process. His chest trembled especially on the parts that were completely hairless and thus exposed to the harsh weather change. He quickly put on the dark undershirt he hung on the pillar nearby. Glancing back at the spot nothing was there any longer. The pair of insects probably found a better bush or a flower. Thus, the Great Sage returned to his duty not leaving his brothers anymore.

In the meanwhile, Mei and Sanzang took care of Bai Long Ma and later joined Márgerdra to help the old man with chores such as sweeping or preparing the dinner. The small talk was inevitable, meanwhile they enjoyed the tasty cabbage soup, some vegetable rolls and wild berries. Once the old man heard Sanzang was a monk he bowed and didn’t hesitate to offer some housing for the whole night. The blind man showed them some benches and a pile of dried grass the family gathered for their goat. After that he welcomed them to a tiny room with furniture as simple as one could expect from the mountain folks. In the bright fire of candles a pleasant atmosphere fell upon them. Everybody was smiling and chatting. Not one of them didn’t sigh with delight at least once after they tasted steamed dumplings that were prepared for the guests. A proper meal after hours or days was a win for anyone. Except for one person.

Wukong glared at the witch who sat next to the young man in the dark corner. Their conversation didn’t strike him right. He hated how close Qiang became with her. Wukong noticed the affectionate looks he gave her. She returned them the moment she thought nobody was looking. Everything was there - mischievous glint in eyes, a perfect smile, arms humbly hugging torso, legs shyly clutched together. But Wukong wasn’t stupid at all - he knew it was all a game for her. She was playing with a new toy. Pinching at the right angles, trying out new possibilities. Sooner or later her soft hand would come slowly up around his neck and squeeze. The grip wouldn’t loosen, no. The woman will continue to watch as all the life escapes from the man just to throw him away and find somebody else.

In Wukong’s eyes, that’s all she’s ever been. He notices it with Bajie, he sees it with the Princess and Master, he watches it on Qiang. To his dislike, nobody seemed to believe the old monkey. His blood boiled again and the anger spread in his veins. The pounding in his ears got louder. He was prepared to leave for fresh air outside when an unexpected twist occurred.

Qiang carefully slid his hand up Márgerdra’s knee to which the witch didn’t protest at all. The strange breaking point occurred once the young woodcutter leaned over and whispered something to her ear. The advisor’s grin froze. She kindly excused herself. Although she made sure to leave discreetly the monkey saw how brisk her steps were. It took less than five steps and she was out. No further hint for the woodcutter to follow her was displayed. Using the sudden reaction to gain his own answers he promised his concerned Master to keep an eye on her - the forest was dark and full of danger for everyone.

Outside the hut a light breeze caressed his form. He sniffed and once he picked up the trail the Wolf Witch couldn’t escape the Great Sage. The Monkey King trod like a mouse. Under his feet, not a single branch was broken. That couldn’t be said about a skirt being dragged behind its owner which helped Wukong to locate the advisor. He found her sitting on a trunk, palms entangled in hair. He stopped and just watched her for a while. No sound was made so as not to startle her. Her breaths were steady, head facing the floor. Back was bent as if pure melancholic boredom hit her. To be honest, her behaviour puzzled him. Only a few minutes before, he saw a feral beast in disguise of a temptress. Now, a loner was left in that shell of a body. A question popped in front of him - is she really bad? Or does he wish for her to be like that? Is it his own need to hate?

She sighed and raised her gaze, surprising him,“What do you want?“ An exhaustion could be heard in between the lines.

“Just checking. You don’t look well, blondie.“

“You don’t look well all the time so what’s your point, imbecile? Can you not afford sticking your nose somewhere else?“ she crossed her arms. Though her confidence was back, a certain gloom remained around.

Wukong somewhat got used to her being uptight but this time it felt personal. “Now, I really can’t. I’ve been looking for someone important. All I found is just you. Not much of a win but it still counts. So take your whiny ass and get inside the hut.“

“Do you know what privacy means?“

The monkey snout drew a simple pout,“No.“ Both of them were visibly annoyed. However, the Monkey King couldn’t let go of his chance to gain more information. “Or you might have another option. I’m going to ask you several innocent questions. In return, you’re gonna be offered some time before I’ll return for you. If I may advise for your own good I’d choose the latter. A less violent pick.“

The witch eyed him suspiciously. Small fumes formed around her nostrils while she stood up. Step by step, the woman closed the distance between them,“Insolent, brutish, cheeky ape. Are you threatening me?“

His reply was nonchalant at best. “Depends on your future actions.“

A gulp silently slid down her throat where a vein emerged. She didn’t trust him in the slightest. But he seemed to respect his Master’s decision, the only seal that kept the wild fiend away from harming her. How long is it going to last until the imp breaks it?

Balancing on the thin ice, the Lady Wolf Witch returned to the trunk and with an annoyed voice slowly started undoing the two long braids hanging from her low pinned bun,“You have three questions which I will respond to truthfully. After your limit is up we’re done, Great Sage. That I swear on both my title and the Princess’ well-being.“

“Good. Let’s not waste our precious time, blondie.“ Again, Wukong disappeared. Once he emerged next to the blonde, strands of hair slipped from long fingers as the heart missed a beat. Quickly, her palm clutched the hanfu covering her chest.

“Can you not do this ever again?“

“I am asking. Not you. Get in the line,“ he smiled from ear to ear. There was a slight tremor in his words. The monkey’s tail wiggled while the small nose sniffed. Then, the husky voice spoke,“I’ve never smelt anyone like you. Your perfume is too strong…“

She wrinkled her nose remembering the sweat and mud on his tunic and trousers and uttered another snarky remark. Frankly, her robes hadn’t been in a better condition since the cliff incident. The behaviour was met with honest unconcern. “You don’t need it that much even when you’re on the hunt for lovers. Witches are mortals who possess magical abilities gifted by either a pact with a god, a demon or gained through various rituals. Yet, they still smell like humans because they are humans. That being said, it’s only a camouflage, I suspect,“ his brown eyes lingered over the view of silky hair. It looked soft. Strange but soft and so long it had to measure by the middle of her thighs, at least. Curiosity about whether it was only regular wavy hair made his palm itchy.

“What are you?“ Like being in a trance, he stretched out his arm, never leaving the place he was squatting at.

“Wow, you’re such a gentleman. My perfume disturbs you so much you need to make a whole new scheme around it. Don’t I look human enough to you, monkey?“ an eye-roll was followed by a cheeky grin. Soon, it vanished into thin air. Red lips squeezed. The woman’s intense gaze lowered to the ground once more as she spoke in a fatigued whisper,“Next question.“

“You didn’t answer.“

“I’m annulling it. You still have three left. Don’t waste it. I’m not giving you another chance.“

Surprisingly, the monkey man nodded in cooperation. After all, there was plenty of time ahead of them.

“Is the capital which you’re leading us to a trap?“

“No, it isn’t. I’d be foolish to risk angering you and leaving Mei vulnerable.“ After the realisation of her word slipping kicked in, she cringed. Alas, too late. The Monkey King has already seized the chance.

“I see you two are close. But to refer to the Princess by her name…that doesn’t sound like your typical protocol rubbish. What’s the relationship between you two?“

The advisor resumed undoing her hair,“I admit I let myself to be quite…attached to the girl. I’m not even certain why exactly. I just know I must keep her safe.“

“Sounds dangerous.“

“Anything can be,“ tiny flames burned in both blue eyes and her voice carried a sheer determination when she continued,“That’s why I don’t plan to backaway. That is not how I was brought up. She deserves a better life.“

Thin fingers were only an inch away when Wukong paused. Corners of his lips twirled up, the gaze softened though it was brief and barely noticeable. He downright hated the witch, her manipulative and calculating manners. But under that mask of a cold-hearted temptress, there was something soft, kind. Loving.

The monkey demon took a deep breath through nose when he said calmly,“While we were at the hut you were getting…intimate with the man. Then he said something upsetting. What was it?“

A moment of complete silence surrounded them. Only cicadas dared to play their loud melodies. The moonlight shone on them brightly like the second sun.

“He expressed an interest. Which would be understandable. Look, I have my needs and I try to be as discreet about them as possible. So sweet little whispers and soft touches here or there shouldn’t pose a problem but…He apparently isn’t the brightest. He…wanted more,“ she fidgeted in her place and let the strands freed from braids flow around her shoulders like a veil that mesmerised the monkey. “I know what you’re thinking. That I’m a shrew who could’ve gone after your handsome master any time. But I have some morals, though it’s hard to believe. And the woodcutter is no different… I think I feel a bit bad about leading him on, now that you’re making me think about the encounter. Strange, so far I’ve always enjoyed this chase. But rules probably change over time,“ she sighed bitterly.

For some reason, Wukong didn’t believe her words much. Rather, he felt she wanted to tell more, however struggled to find the trust in him. He couldn’t blame her. After all, they were just strangers with a boulder around their hearts.

“I don’t think so.“

“Huh?!“

“I don’t think you mind being reminded about your looks by a toady. What or how he said it wasn’t at all what affected you. The happiness of your Princess is everything in this world, am I right? Seducing a man blindly falling for you and having remorse? I haven’t known you for long but that doesn’t seem to be your style. Instead,“ he felt the delightful warmth radiating from her when his index nearly touched the light blonde strand,“it brought up a memory, didn’t it? It reminded you of something. You feel guilty. Not towards anyone but yourself.“

Her jaw dropped slightly however the Great Sage paid it no attention as he went on,“What are you running from?“

Wukong’s boldness hit the witch’s nerve. On the other hand, she couldn’t hide the pain inside. She felt how the cold grabbed her frame. It was as if the night was devouring her slowly. The unfavourable teeth of forest shadows pulled her back to reality. “You’re calling me selfish but look into the mirror. You defied the Heavens…“

“I had my reason.“

“So did I!“ she snapped her head sideways. Both eyes widened and the witch jumped away as far as she could. Her pretty face twisted into a hellish mask fueled by fury. “What do you think you’re doing? Stop touching my hair! Or I’ll cut your tongue out, brute! Besides, you’re past your limit. We're done. Imbecile.“ she shouted at him.

The sudden change in her behaviour caught him off guard. The pitch in her voice crawled under his skin so badly he, too, jumped up. Not thinking straight he yelled back. Getting back at each other’s throats the Wolf Witch rather walked away before a serious fight erupted. The Monkey King at least held onto his part of the deal and finally left her alone in the dark. Despite gladly walking the opposite direction he was fighting the urge to look behind.

****

“Finally. Almost didn’t hold it in,“ Bajie swiftly dashed towards bushes opposite the humble shed. The liquid inside splashed against his whole belly and the burning only reddened his face. He was aware how well they renewed the host’s accommodation. Considering the rest was in relatively good mood he chose to just run out to relieve himself and not disgust their benefactor. He was lucky - Bai Long Ma was led to the pen where the last goat resided. So the whole place was completely private to him - nobody to chuckle at the demon’s satisfied expression.

He flapped his ears when he was done. Of course, the pig demon made a small mental note to drink less water by the evening. On the other hand, the delicious memory of overly sweetened zhou made his throat demand a drink even by this moment.

Wide hands tied up the knot around his waist so Bajie could return, at last. As he was turning on his heel suddenly a noise of a tiny object falling to the grass caught his attention. A weak glint lay among the tall straws under the cloudless sky nearly five feet from the demon. Slowly, step by step, Bajie approached it. He was hunched over, big ears tightly stuck by the sides of head. His lungs filled only with a minimum of air so the breaths would be as shallow as it was possible. He squatted by the strange flask and took it in his hands. It was light, filled only with few drops of liquid he did not dare to identify. Several dark green threads twined around the spherical glass by which the small vessel could have been carried on the neck. 

Pigsy thought hard for a second - how was it possible for such an object to lie abandoned here just like that? There’s not a single living soul around. On the other hand, the wind is picking up and the flask is not at all heavy. Trying to remember details of his own possessions an image of balms, oils and other items obtained by the apothecary entered his vision. Surely, his clumsy Junior must have lost some of it. 

Shrugging his shoulders, the pig demon lifted himself up, the discovery trapped in between his fingers. With a wide smile and satisfaction in his mind, Bajie stepped out. Alas, the night wasn’t done with him, at all. An eerie distant whistling echoed through the space. The sound itself was weak and brief. It was enough for Bajie to start hurriedly checking his surroundings. Cold sweat poured down his cheeks. His whole body was shaking. If it weren’t for him being quite the distance from the front door he’d let out a shriek. But now, it’s only him and the dark shadows of the desolate forest.

He repeated a mantra several times under his breath, though he doubted it would be of any help. Then, it happened.

While he was squinting into the forest a herd of five or six deer ran in front of him. The stags fumed as they raced with the wind itself. Bajie relaxed. No threat, no danger. Only wild animals.

Still chuckling, he faced the hut once again. Looking over his shoulders as if bidding farewell to the cruel joke his sight was rewarded by a cute view on a pair of fireflies. They flew around freely. Their constant movement was leaving golden ribbons of light behind. 

“Strange. Those usually fly closer to the ground. Not so high among the treetops,“ Bajie snorted and entered the building.

****

The following morning was quieter than usual. Young fledglings replaced fireflies on the scenery and loudly cried for their parents to come and feed them. The ears-piercing noise woke up the hosts. Upon seeing the two monstrous demons sound asleep they no longer held their trembling breaths. Nor did they avert petrified eyes. After all, the venerable monk assured them his disciples truly meant good. 

The smooth-skinned man was lying on the nearby bench, too, just like his disciples and two women. All five of them under one roof. Wait, five? There were six of them last night, except for that odd horse outside. Where’s the…?

“Good morning, benefactor,“ like a ghost the monkey disciple whispered and leaned over Qiang’s shoulder. The poor man’s soul almost left his body. “Sorry I scared you. Didn’t mean it. Not in a bad way,“ he added mischievously,“By the way, I brought some fruit. A little token of gratitude for sheltering us. Here.“

“You have our everlasting gratitude, Great Sage.“

“No need to bow, old man. I just wanted to repay our debt. Qiang, would you mind a word?“ With a pretended kindness he shifted and grabbed the man in a tattered jacket around shoulders. He walked them outside the hut just right where the unnervingly strange horse with snake eyes awaited.

The morning dew filled the air with freshness and tickled the nostrils. The four-legged creature snorted. Its salivas mixed with the snot. The repulsive mixture hit the young woodcutter in the middle of the face. Qiang felt like puking.

“Look, I’m not going to beat about the bush. What sort of demons have you dealt with? Your home’s full of the stench. So try to keep your answer short and straight-forward.“

Qiang shifted in his spot, the cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He had a feeling as if the Great Sage saw right through him with his wild look. Clouds above them fell hard on the woodcutter’s bull neck. The cold blue cornered him and the solid floor didn’t let the body get dug in it. Sage’s gaze held smouldering coals which continued the bright of blown out candles. Needles in the man’s stomach poked him at various angles only to let him feel the string of uncertainty and dread. Indescribable stubbornness and intransigence radiating from the figure in front of him plagued every inch of Qiang’s body. He hunched even more than Wukong himself and replied,“Well, I-I think so… I’ve lived in these mountains for twenty-seven years. My mother told me stories about various demons inhabiting some peaks when she was still alive. She used to tell me not only I should be aware of vixens but lizard demons, too. Those are even worse. Also spiders…“

“Benefactor, Brother Monkey wants details about recent sightings. No need for your family’s records and tales.“ The neigh-like voice made Qiang jump up. However, as soon as he turned to the creature Wukong was already standing there and petting the elongated snow-white snout. 

He soothingly shushed the stallion and continued in his interrogation. Although his firm shoulders were rising slowly with deep breaths the hectic twitching of tail and the slight pouting gave his real mood right away. “Alright, let’s take it from another end. Did you see anything suspicious? Eyes in the shadows, stuff being placed where it shouldn’t be, claw marks? Voices after sunset?“

“Ah, y-you meant this. Yes, I did. Well, no. Sort of. There’s been a lot of animal corpses scattered around lately. Didn’t Lady Wolf Witch tell you?“

Wukong’s hand froze.

“I told her that three of our four goats had been found half-eaten in the forest. We’ve never had such a problem as they’d be locked up. But something found a way to get inside their pen. Apart from that, my father claims to have heard footsteps yesterday.“

“Do you know when exactly?“

“Around midnight. When Lady Wolf Witch returned and everyone finally went to sleep.“

“I see,“ Wukong murmured under his breath. The pointy ear with a golden circle twitched as the monkey scratched it. The hope of the mystery starting to unravel in front of him was slowly growing. He knew they were watched. He knew the witch held a grudge against him. But she really doesn’t need to endanger the whole group. Except if she were…“Listen, boy. What do you think about the blondie?“

“Excuse me, Great Sage?“

“The witch. What are your thoughts on her?“

“Oh, I can’t express how much I envy you. You can be with her all day long while I must part ways with her soon. If only she had agreed to stay. But I see I’m not fit enough.“

Wukong rolled his eyes in annoyance. His tone was irritated when he spoke,“Sure. Such a great stuff to have her by my side all day long. At least she can get on my nerves routinely.“ His ears filled with Márgerdra’s voice cracking in pitch as she yells at him for refusing to give Mei more food. “And the smell?“

“Breathtaking. Just as her eyes. She’s such a sweet and heart-warming person. Lovely.“

“Of course. What else? Don’t you think the perfume is too strong?“

“Ehm, when you’re mentioning it, yes. I think my head could have been spinning last night because of that. Otherwise, it’s pretty.“

“Her hands? Are they smooth? Or do you think you noticed something, let’s say…unusual?“ The man couldn’t be completely dense, even though he did possess an expression of an oblivious youngster blessed with ignorance.

“No. Long and milky,“ he replied dreamily. “G-Great Sage, I’m sorry. But how is this relevant? If you have something on-going with the Lady Wolf Witch then I profoundly apologise. I’m not a ladies’ man. I’d never dare to intervene in anyone’s relationship.“

It was as if somebody threw freezing water into Wukong's marked face. “What?!“

“You…don’t like her? I thought when you went for her to the forest that you two cared for each other. Now, you’re posing questions about my feelings toward the lady.“

“Moron! That shrew can’t be of any good. I went to check up on her. So what? No big deal. I had to. Otherwise I wouldn’t even lift a limb! I’m telling you she’d rather see me stuffed with my head hanging beside her from the ceiling,“ the monkey demon lashed out. Every word was spat with an evident hatred. It wasn’t enough for him, though. Bai Long Ma quickly rested his head on Wukong’s shoulder in an attempt to soothe the provoked monkey. Fortunately, the Sage quickly came back to senses. For he must always have the last word, he murmured for the last time in a prideful tone,“Besides, I’m above this nonsense. I’m a disciple of a monk. I respect our precepts. Chances I’d look at a woman are zero. And vice versa.“

Qiang’s curiosity and obliviousness to the world and manners got the better of him. He uttered before he reconsidered his words,“Because you’re ugly or because you’re short, Great Sage?“

“Both, in fact. If I may, I’d like to add a third reason - he’s nasty. Good morning, by the way,“ the royal advisor answered instead of the monkey. Two men were so occupied by their conversation they didn’t notice how or when the woman had scuttled her way toward them. Her radiant smile was shining on them both, intoxicating as ever. Looking closer, something didn’t let Wukong’s mind rest. What was it, though? Its perfection? Then, he caught a glimpse of it. He’s never seen teeth so white…and so big. His index finger twitched, the demon wanted, needed, to raise her lips so he could observe it better. Why on earth would anyone need teeth this strange, this sharp, bestial almost? 

Wukong wrinkled his brows and furiously corrected her,“I’m average height. Just hunching over. What are you doing here, anyway? I think I heard Bajie calling for you to make him breakfast.“

“He’s already doing it himself,“ she hissed back at him. Bending down, the woman pressed her forehead against his. “I heard your Master calling for you to pack our things. We’re setting off, pipsqueak.“

Qiang cleared his throat before speaking up,“I’m sorry, my lady. May I be of some help?“

Márgerdra jumped back as soon as she realised they weren’t alone. Masking her true nature with another perfect smile the witch excused herself,“Oh, my dear, thank you but such a thing won’t be needed. This charming monk over here will do. He must stay in shape and not fall lazy. Am I right, Brother Monkey?“ she petted his head,“However, the Princess asked for some water. Could you fetch some, darling?“

The moment the young man vanished for a small ceramic jug Wukong grabbed Márgerdra by her wrist. The manoeuvre was abrupt. It twisted her forearm to the side and yanked the witch back to her place. She squinted briefly while sucking on the air.

“Why didn’t you tell me about those corpses?!“

“Imbecile, let go of me. You’re bruising my arm.“

“Answer me, bitch.“

“Language!“

Wukong yanked again. Márgerdra silently cried out. “Answer me. Why?“ His angry snarl revealed a set of white fangs.

“I wanted to. But there wasn’t time or place.“

“No time or place? Alright,“ he squeezed further,“now we have some. Talk quickly. Or are you afraid I’ll find a solid proof of you not being entirely human?“

“I told you I’m. I just look different because I’m a foreigner, imbecile.“ The woman didn’t hesitate and growled at him in an equally wrathful manner.

They locked eyes. A second seemed to have become an hour as they held it. Not one of them was willing to back away. Yet something broke inside Wukong. Corners of her lips twitched once again - she was worried. About what, though? Herself? Sanzang? Mei? Him? The Great Sage still didn’t fully trust her. Whatever intention she had, the blonde would never reveal it to him. Like the tiger, whose skin he was wearing as a kilt, he had to wait a little longer. Thus he relaxed his palm before saying quietly,“Sorry. Ask Ol’ Sha for a balm when you see him.“

Márgerdra hesitated for a second. She expected for the outburst to continue. A manchild with a hurt ego to force its way to the surface. However, now it was her who felt that way. “You’re right. I should’ve told you earlier… Qiang said those goats didn’t have heads. Their organs were also removed. He found one each night. After that, nothing repeated.“

“Did he say where he found them exactly?“

“The western path from here.“

“The one we must use. Damnit.“

“We can take a detour.“

“So we'll walk another week? No.“ He put one hand on his hip and scratched his head.

Both turned their heads towards the dragon-horse who’d been standing beside them in silence until then. “Bai Long Ma? What do you think? Which way?“

He lazily chewed on hay when he decided to take the offered role in the debate,“Take the western path. Even if we chose the other one there’s still a possibility something will track us down in the forest. In other words, it’s still the same risk. Just one dives right into the eye of the storm. The latter just takes slightly longer.“ 

Rivals came to an agreement with the Dragon Prince. At that exact moment, the rest of the group marched out of the hut putting their sleepiness aside. Before their departure, they quickly thanked their benefactors once more who in return gifted them with a portion of food supplies and fresh water. Of course, the repeated warnings about local monsters and rumours had an everlasting lingering in their farewells. Tripitaka Sanzang was the holiest of them all, what a pity it would be for him to perish.

They set off in an order they were more and more getting used to - the leading scout of the pilgrims Sun Wukong, right behind him the Lady Wolf Witch, then Tripitaka with Princess Mei were both riding on Bai Long Ma and on the very tail was smiling Sha Wujing carrying the luggage and his frowning Senior Zhu Bajie. 

Rocks under their feet crumbled and fell down the steep hillside. The daylight, fortunately, didn’t plan on vanishing soon, thus they agreed to continue in their journey without a break. At least, not until they can find yet another shelter. Strangely enough, the unpleasant weather of autumn wandered into the wrong season. The sun hid its crowned head behind the grey clouds by the early afternoon and the cold spread quickly among the foggy hills as the travellers ascended to the greater heights. It didn’t take long for it to claim its first victim.

Mei trembled against Sanzang’s chest. Her tiny palm clenched onto the light fabric she wore. A second later, a squeaky sneeze escaped from her. “I’m sorry, Tripitaka Sanzang. I didn’t mean to scare you out.“

“That’s completely alright, Your Highness. No need for an apology. I myself am starting to be a bit unwell.“ He spoke to her gently, as it was usual for him. In the meanwhile Wujing quickly threw a blanket over them which he managed to dig out.

The princess’ fingers were already so numb with cold that Sanzang had to help her to hold onto the warm piece of wool. Her high pitched voice shook but she followed her thoughts anyway and spoke them outloud,“Thank you kindly, Ol’ Sha. By the way, don’t you see a good cover for us? A small rest could be a helpful idea…“

“We’re going on. There’s no evening in my sight, Your Highness. This place is full of monsters, too. I see that even my Shifu needs to catch a breath. But we can’t afford to look for a break until we get closer to people. Besides, the sky has only been getting heavier since we set off…“ The monkey stopped and pouted. 

“Stop giving me this look, Wukong. You know well that I won’t support your manners though you may be right. “

“And you know well I value your life more than our comfort, Shifu,“ Wukong snapped his head back to Sanzang. The disciple looked up. 

The monk shook his head with a heavy sigh. The cheeky demon is once again being stubborn and talking back. “Wuneng, lead the way, please.“

Well aware it was pointless to state another ton of facts Wukong retreated. The urge to smack Bajie when he smugly smirked built up instantly. A question full of concern stopped Wukong from doing so. A question that made his blood freeze. “Lady Wolf Witch, what happened to your wrist?! It’s terribly swollen! How blue your skin has become!“

“Oh, please, don’t worry about such a trivial matter. I probably accidentally hit myself yesterday night. When I was in the forest I must have slipped and fell on my arm so unfortunately it bruised me.“

“It’s all around, though. I suppose I can see a handprint, Márgerdra.“

“Your eyesight must be affected by the weather, Your Highness. I’m sure it happened because of my own clumsiness. In fact, if it weren’t for the monkey’s earlier directions I’d be stranded to this day,“ the advisor assured both of the protected individuals though Sanzang looked over Wukong suspiciously. For a second, the monkey’s heart stopped beating. His lips trembled. The unmistakable pressure around his head reminded him of its presence. Mentally the disciple started counting when his Master would begin to chant the mantra. He feels his eyes being gouged out by the tightening headband. It’s burying into the fur, through it and into the skin, scaring it, hot metal burning everything. His eyes water even before his skull crumbles. The feral scream forces the way out of his throat which is so sore from the desperation. Thin legs give out and he falls on his knees. Then the whole body collapses on the ground. Arms can do little more than gather fingers around the cursed object and vainly attempt to remove it. When he was younger he dreamt of immortality and eternal life. Now, all he wants is to die.

Wukong slowly shut his eyes. He is prepared.

But nothing came. Listening more to the witch’s honeyed words the monk pitied her. The mount followed his Master’s instructions and began to move forward passing by the relieved Monkey King. The Tang monk simply petted his hairy head from the horse’s back. With a warm voice he said,“Thank you, Wukong. I knew there’s some good hidden inside.“

Dumbfounded, the Great Sage stood firmly in his place not moving an inch of his body. There was still a great portion of bitterness every time he saw the blonde woman. Yet, he was willing to admit he was grateful for her approach.

Big eyes were gazing to the distance and registering nothing around. Only the sweet flowery scent pulled him out of the thoughts. He silently murmured,“Why?“

She stopped in her footsteps. “Excuse me?“

“Nothing…Thanks, though.“ The rough reply left her astonished. Immediately, Wukong turned his back toward Márgerdra and followed his Master’s tracks.

“Well, you’re short-tempered. But you were sincere with your apology. I’m sure your Master only must appreciate your effort,“ she ran up to him. She was lying. Again.

****

By the evening they were lucky again. Once they found a small path, travellers succeeded in arriving at a small inn. The place was bustling with life of fellow wanderers, from local hunters and lonely merchants to the family running the business. There were five of them - the eldest was the old lady with thin hair, then it was her son alongside his wife and their two children who were either too curious about the newcomers or downright disobedient. Those little rascals whispered one to another whether it would be funnier to scare the fragile fish monk or his pig-like brother. Once they set eyes on the first disciple their mischievous smiles froze and eyes filled with frightened tears.

“Scaring people again, Wukong?“ Sanzang sat next to him on the bench. Bald head was freed from the traveller’s hat. Sweat drops occasionally covered the face however it only highlighted his soft beautiful features. The rain drummed against the window shutters as if the Dragon King lost his mind.

“I would never, Shifu,“ he chuckled in response, lazily turned his head toward the source of the voice and put both legs on the table in front of him.

“At least they learn some manners and won’t bother us,“ he continued and scanned the surroundings. He noticed some men gathering around laughing Márgerdra even though she and her princess were covered with cowls and cloaks,“Unlike some.“ 

He didn’t blink twice when out of the blue three pairs of smooth hands landed trays on the furniture. “Hope you don’t mind, Great Sage,“ the familiar voice spoke to him when he dodged the serving by a close shave. It was the princess accompanied by the innkeeper’s wife and a merchant. To be honest, to see her eyes beaming with happiness and freedom, he was quite glad she was warming up to them. On the other hand, she could use letting go of some manners oddly similar to those of her witch protector. “Me and Már…my sister were welcomed by the sheer kindness of these strangers. They even bought some food for us. Take a look!“ She was right. There was everything the travelling monks needed - both sweet and salty congee, some noodles, a soup, fruit, vegetable dumplings, water and a small hot teapot with six cups. 

“I don’t think we can repay you in any way possible, Your Hig…Ah Xiuying,“ Sanzang bowed. The princess in undercover smiled shyly.

“We took care of the rooms, too. We’re allowed to stay overnight. But there are only two rooms for six people in total. If you’re not against it we could…“

“Oh, please. Forgive me but that is not possible. Not at all. You see I am a monk…“Sanzang blurted out and blushed.

“...split rooms among us two so you and your disciples could share the other one,“ Mei finished in a hushed voice although an amusement coloured her bright eyes. “I meant this. Of course, I will understand if you don’t agree with the proposal. After all, these rooms have three beds at best. Which means somebody will either share a bed or will just sleep on the floor. However if one of you would like to come with us I see no problem with such a solution.“

“That won’t be needed, thank you,“ the monk stuttered. Subtly, he wiped away the cold sweat from his thin eyebrows with the wide white sleeve. A gulp fell down his dried-up throat. Thankfully, his slender arm stretched out and poured a cup of tea when he registered it. With a radiant, yet somewhat nervous smile plastered on his face, Sanzang invited the rest to have dinner with him.

The first one to jump in on the invitation was Pigsy. Not only he grabbed anything in his near sight he saw no problem with talking while chewing either. Pieces of food splattered all around him, salivas flowed down his unkempt stubble. 

“So, three beds, four guys,“ he began,“I don’t have problems with sharing my bed with you, Shifu. Or you, Ol’ Sha. But if ladies truly need a protection of a strong warrior against the terrors of the night…I’m willing to sacrifice myself for the greater good.“ He smiled at Mei who rather pretended to pour Sanzang the next cup of tea.

“Ol’ Sha, you’ve been pretty quiet since we left the woodcutter’s shed. Why don’t you tell us something?“

Friar Sand put away his chopsticks and nervously rubbed his hands. “Oh, truly? I’m sorry, Shifu. I just simply have nothing to share with you. By the way, Your Highness…“

“Ah Xiuying!“ the group collectively let out. Their shout was so loud the whole tavern confusedly looked over to their table. Soon, everyone went back to their business. One monk and his ugly disciples scared them away and though two women were as kind as the monk himself the scarves around their heads made them look either funny or weird. 

Sandy let his puppy eyes fall to the floor, shiny head drawn in between strong boulder-like shoulders,“Sorry, Ah Xiuying. I was wondering whether our food is enough for you?“

Mei shot a confused look,“Excuse me?“

Bajie quickly joined in,“Yeah! Excuse me?! Is it anything about me? Or my appetite?“

“No, Brother. I didn’t mean…“

“Oh, really?“

“Brother Bajie, I’m sure Brother Wujing didn’t mean it in the wrong way. He’s just concerned about my well-being. After all, I’ve been brought up differently than the rest of you.“

“She’s right, Wuneng. What’s more than enough for us, monks, doesn’t necessarily have to meet the standards of a higher class,“ Tang Sanzang weakly smiled toward Mei who in return apologetically squeezed both Wujing's and Bajie’s hands. “We are on a holy quest. So please, behave accordingly.“ As soon as the monk finished his sentence he turned his head where Wukong was sitting. The demon had his feet back on the table. He was leaning against the wall with arms crossed behind the head, elbows faced the ceiling. Dark eyes narrowed and pierced the space in front of them.

“Wukong, you’re not an exception, please. We’re eating. Sit properly and take a bite.“

“Yes, Great Sage. You’ve worked the hardest. You deserve the cabbage soup, at least.“

“Thanks, Shifu, Ah Xiuying,“ he chewed on his cheek instead,“I’m not hungry.“

“Great Sage, are you certain? You haven’t had anything since this morning. Even yesterday, I remember you barely touching any sort of meal.“ Mei pushed a small bowl with rice and tofu. 

“Wukong, please. At least one bite.“ Sanzang was, too, getting desperate to make his eldest disciple eat something. 

Alas, the monkey couldn’t have been more stubborn than wild rams,“Apologies, Shifu,“ he finally adjusted himself properly on the bench and focused his gaze on Márgerdra silently eating her noodles in front of him,“my teeth aren’t strong enough to chew on it. Maybe a particular strange fellow could help me with this.“

Bajie pushed away his meal,“Good Lord Buddha, not this again.“ Ol’ Sha resigned similarly by putting his elbows on the piece of furniture and sighed into his palms.

“Wukong, what does this mean? Hold your tongue and eat.“

“Yes, monkey. You better eat. Or flies may land on it.“ Márgerdra finally raised her eyes. Although half of her face was covered by an old scarf everyone noticed wrinkles around the root of her nose.

“Wretched shrew. Why don’t you come out with the truth yourself.“

“What truth, imbecile?“

“First the smell. The magnolia perfume. Bah! More like a cover for your real scent.“

“It was a present. From a friend.“ She squeezed the chopsticks so hard her knuckles turned completely white. 

The Monkey King paid it less attention than to the Tripitaka who was fuming beside him. “Then the friend must be the Emperor himself. No royal advisor could afford such luxury. But let’s continue, shall we, Lady Wolf Witch? You’re so open to anyone yet you speak about yourself less than the girl you’re ‘protecting’.“

“Wukong. Stop it. Now!“

“My life. My secrets. My business,“ the Wolf Witch proclaimed confidently.

“Why don’t you tell us more about your regeneration, huh? How is it so effective?“

“Like how?“ she crossed both arms on her chest.

“Like this,“ Wukong didn’t hesitate anymore. Every dish loudly bounced against the thick wood when he stretched out for a knife which was brought with the servings. It was old, the rust began to claim parts of it by the wooden handle. Everybody’s eyes widened and jaws dropped. Mei immediately threw herself on Márgerdra. Her small frame enveloped the older woman as the princess hugged her tightly. Petrified Sanzang let out a small cry when he swiftly tried to grab the Monkey King’s arm. Wujing’s vision went black for a second. He was brought back to reality by Bajie and both of them jumped at their brother to tackle him down. The fallen warlord was too slippery for all three of them. In the heat of the chaos, he raised the blade and cut his very own palm with it. Blood started pouring from the wound. The Sage stretched out the marked hand to the foreigner. Now he was so confident in himself he remained completely calm in both voice and manners. Not even his naughty tail dared to interrupt the tense moment. Only his chest was rising heavily. The fumes filled the room deprived of noise. Guests and the family either slowly locked themselves in their rented bedrooms or they froze on the spot. The thick darkness spread around and blew out the weak candlelight.

“When I broke your nose the bleeding stopped too soon,” the cut healed with each word spoken until there was no evidence of it,“ I beat you up severely with my cudgel, yet you’re relatively fine - breathing, walking, snarling like a mad wolf that is prepared to strike because it’s being cornered.“

As it wasn't enough for him he added the last drop when the witch didn’t respond,“Show your teeth.“

“No.“

“Show them.“

Sanzang quickly shouted,“That’s enough! You swore to protect. How can you be a monk when you’re still a fiend at heart? Don’t make me chant the mantra, you hear me?!“ The monk wanted so much to distract his disciple. From day to day, he felt a disgust and a hatred building towards the headband and the spell. Although, seeing how bestial Wukong could become Tripitaka was willing to turn blind eye to it. 

Márgerdra remained silent, unfazed. The scrawny demon locked eyes with her - they were cold just like when they first met.

“Let me guess. Your fangs are elongated, sharp. Nonhuman. Demonic…“

“Lunatic…“ the princess murmured against Márgerdra’s neck.

“What did you say?“

“That you’re a lunatic,“ Mei faced him with clenched fists,“Buddha did the right thing when he cast you out under the mountain. If only your Shifu didn’t release you. If only you’d be still locked up. There’s a saying that demons don’t have a soul. Probably not even a heart. I thought it must be nonsense. They’re just as alive. They must feel. However I see that you’re nothing but a prime example. Heartless, soulless, self-absorbed devil. I pray you’ll be punished for your repeated insolence.“

Márgedra stood up and leaned over to the girl whispering,“Mei, that’s enough. Let’s go.“

The young princess was shaking from anger. She had to take a few breaths before she agreed to finally visit their humble room.

The monkey, on the other hand, didn’t see her confrontation as the end. He was right. He had to be. “If I were you I’d pray for your new ‘mother’ not to get you killed.“

That was the last drop. Márgerdra couldn’t contain herself any longer.

As they were passing another table she grabbed a big bowl with soup. The woman clawed onto it and threw the boiling liquid into the imp’s face. To Sanzang’s dismay, the eldest disciple didn’t duck down in time. After his blood-freezing howl occurred the witch leaned over his arched back. Only then Wukong caught her holding back tears.

“I know you’re trying to protect your Master. But it gives you no right to spit in my face.“

Though his vision was blurry at best he heard how women’s fast footsteps ended with a loud slamming of the door. Soon, the tavern came back to life. People attempted to forget the horrific incident by playing a game of Fan-Tan or by discussing the current state of the market.

Once the Monkey King straightened his back, his eyesight was restored with no sign of injury. The same couldn’t be said of the Sage’s conscience.

He turned to Sanzang whose lips were clenched tightly together. His tall figure suddenly burst out of the tavern, all three disciples rushing and shouting after him. 

“Shifu! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to. It wasn’t my intention to belittle you.“

“You insolent ape! You didn’t belittle me! If so you should ask for forgiveness from the princess and the protector! I thought I taught you something. That you were finally on the right path. But no. Everywhere you go you make trouble. You’ll never learn, will you?“

“Shifu…“

“I care about you, Wukong. We all do. Is it too much for me to ask you to do good?“

“Shifu, I know there's not much evidence but these are important enough. She’s a demon. The girl is either another liar or she’s being deceived, as well. You must believe me!“

“Don’t touch me!“ the monk shrugged off Wukong when he tried to stretch his hairy limb. “I should have used the mantra. But I was too foolish.“ Sanzang swiftly repositioned and focused his hands into a praying manner. Wukong fell on his knees, eyes widened with pure terror, and pleaded like never before in his life. His brothers asked for forgiveness on his behalf, too. Three demons were now a little more than three terrified children.

A heavy silence fell on their shoulders. Tang Sanzang shook his head with an ache coming from his chest,“I hate doing this. I really do. But why won’t you listen? Do you really need to see evil in anything that moves?“

“S-shifu…“ the monkey let his head down and sobbed,“I know she’s deceiving us. I saw her fangs. That wicked witch is…she is…“

“She has her ups and downs. Just like any of us. She protects her princess in the same way you protect me.“

“Wukong, I’m not going to chant the spell today, I promise,“ Sanzang finally proclaimed and helped his disciple to stand up,“but you will apologise to Princess Mei and Lady Márgerdra.“

The Sage wiped away the rest of his tears and began to reason with trembling lips,“Shifu, but…“

“Tonight. Is it clear, my disciple?“

He hesitated before giving in,“Crystal clear, Shifu.“

“I don’t know whether I should be glad you can seek out your mistakes or disappointed that you always happen to make some…“ With that being said the holy man took away to the rented room and left his disciples under the ink clouds where the harsh wind whipped their miserable bodies. Naturally, the eldest disciple still wasn’t fully back to senses. Humiliated and like an abandoned dog he arched even more than it was usual and hugged his own torso.

When an arm gently tapped his shoulder the demon jumped up a bit. It was Wujing. “Let’s get inside. It’s going to rain soon. And the tavern is more than cosy, right“

“We should get a cup of peach tea, too. What do you reckon, Brother Monkey? You like that one,“ Bajie, equally concerned about his senior, walked up to him from the other side.

An ear-rupturing thunder echoed through the high peaks. Once they stepped in, rain fell down on the ground heavily.

****

“How do you feel? Better?“ Sandy asked his eldest brother. Wrinkles around his wide lips deepened when Wukong kept on being silent instead of choosing the usual energetic yells. To think about a better idea on how to cheer up the much admired senior Friar Sand looked around for inspiration.

The majority of guests had already gone to their beds to find soothing kind dreams. Their warm blankets and general welcoming cosiness of the spacious tavern were in complete opposite of the storm raging outside. While the harsh whips of mountains made the sky-reaching treetops bound to the earth, the candles were barely affected by the slow walking of the innkeeper’s wife. Shoes unpleasantly scratched against the floor, it sent shivers down the spine. She put down the small teapot and poured simple cups from the green pottery. Massive hands with hide-like skin of Zhu Bajie took the first shot. The mighty burp made the belly bounce, which earned a disapproving grimace from Sandy. Pigsy saw no problem with such an attitude. Huge portion of scallion pancakes vanished behind the tusks at once. Pigsy ate dish after dish, not sparing a single crumb of offered pancakes, biscuits or congee. Sandy didn’t mind sharing his portions. Once Bajie started peeking at Wukong’s bowls the sand monk immediately drove him off as a fly.

“Wukong, c’mon, Big Bro. Talk to us. Y’know we can keep our mouths shut. Not even Shifu will hear what you’re about to say. I promise you that. Really. Me and Bajie just want you to know that we’re here for you any time.“

“Stop it. Thanks for the meal. But go to sleep now. And leave me alone.“

The last phrase froze the blood of both demons,“Alone?! What do you mean? No, we can’t. If we do, you'll land yourself into bigger troubles.“

“So what? Shifu doesn’t want to hear the reason. Why would he? I’m but a fiendish monkey, after all. Nothing but a ball of fur and fleas. A parentless bastard…“ He paused. Realising his tongue slipped too much the monkey hunched over once more. Tips of his ears reddened. Lips no longer formed a pout but wrinkles of shame fell upon the sharp features. Carefully, he brought his fingers closer to his cheek. Under the soft touch, he ran over the skin.

Bajie jumped in before the monkey had another chance to bury himself into a deeper hole of misery,“Stop right there, Big Bro. A few days ago you had no problem with calling yourself ‘handsome’. So show us that smile you’ve mastered so well, heh?“ He elbowed the smaller demon by his left.

“Turn yourself down, idiot. Or the princess will hear you and you’ll be in trouble just like me.“

“Are you afraid of them?“

“I’m not. What sort of a question is that?“

“Then why do you insist on the Lady Wolf Witch being a demon like us?“

“Because she is! I know it. Proofs have also been presented. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice…“ Hoping to see some indications of general understandment but finding none, Wukong shook his head and began to stand up. “Enjoy your meal. Bajie, you can have mine.“

“Are you really not hungry?“ 

“No. Even if I were, I wouldn't eat. I don’t deserve it, anyway.“ Ear-piercing dragging of the bench was stopped by one sticky hand from left and the other, pink and bulky, from the right side. Body parts made the Sage sit down at lightning speed. At the same moment, Bajie lost his nerves. He took the bowl with rice and steamed vegetables, and nodded to Wujing who fixed Wukong’s jaw so the middle brother could feed the monkey. Chopsticks rapidly went in and out the imp’s mouth who desperately tried to fight them off. Once the bowl was empty both smirked simultaneously.

The monkey was of a different opinion - being fed as a small child was enough for him to become even more irritated. Quickly, his palm scrabbled around the table for a cup that would be still filled with the peach tea. 

“Now, when your stomach finally stops with the terrible growling, you can talk with a clearer mind. Don’t you think, Brother Wujing?“

“Surely, that must be the case, Brother Bajie.“

“To hell with you both,“ Wukong coughed. Although, he felt slightly stronger than before.

Wujing opened his mouth, hope radiating from him that the Monkey King is going to listen to the youngest for the final time, “The princess needs someone who’s going to take care of her. You saw how delicate, soft-spoken and fragile she is. She’s never been completely out of her palace. Suddenly, she’s thrown into the unknown world. Our Shifu is quite similar, don’t you think? Both need somebody they can rely on. Someone strong, wise and a skilled fighter. Lady Wolf Witch…she is the one. Look at yourself. Doesn’t her oath sound familiar to you? Protect with your very own life. When you mentioned your first meeting she seemed to be willing to die for her safety. Aren’t you the same?“

Cogwheels moved in Wukong’s mind. Her wounds were bleeding, life was escaping from her shaking body but the determination to protect never dared to leave her side. Words of poison, scolding aimed towards him and his brothers, yet it is all for the girl. The witch was mean, humiliating at times. But she backed away from ratting on him. Why did she do it? On that night when it was just the two of them, the strange woman was so soft. So warm. The witch was slightly more than a fragile doll. She lost herself in that dark place. Far from anyone else. As if she wanted to escape. From who, though? When she talked to Wukong he wanted to listen to her. But he couldn’t. At last, those eyes. Her deep blue eyes scarred with tears he made her shed. Though the woman had been wounded by him physically, seemingly it had never occurred to her to curse the monkey. Only his heavy words cut into her cold chest too deeply. It broke the thick ice and ripped the beating, lonely heart. No cudgel. Only Wukong’s unpredictable nature nearly ended it all.

Another memory popped in front of the Monkey King. His monkeys. The clan who took him in and brought him up. Oh, how they played, how they joked and how they enjoyed the freedom on the sun-kissed island crowned with the colossal Mount Huaguo. His family was big and loving. Although he had no birth parents they didn’t mind. He was a gem for them. The smallest of all young monkeys and yet he had the biggest heart. Big eyes gleamed with child-like mischief every time he appeared. It was no big deal the nameless baby monkey jumped on the elder and let himself be carried further. The monkey demon thought such kindness was everywhere wherever he set out his foot. It changed upon encountering the macaques and baboons outside his kingdom he left to pursue the goal of achieving eternal life. They were marked with cruelty in the same manner as humans were. A king of what? One miserable mountain in the middle of nowhere. That was all he was for them. They’ve never heard of the place of never-ending summer, blooming with joy and laughter. Where the hibiscus and peaches bloomed every night and day and where the waterfall rivalled the roar of the lion. Wukong, still a nameless monkey, was a simple target for them. He naively believed he could hide from them in the same way he managed to escape the tigers and bears. Unfortunately, he ran out of luck quickly. Wukong’s eyelids shut tightly, his pulse quickened. It’s the middle of the night. He’s so tired of hiding. When will he finally find someone to make him and his family immortal? Suddenly, he’s grabbed by the armpit. Sticks and stones come down on him. There’s growling, yelling, screams rupture his eardrums. The big macaque male with a ripped ear grabs him by the hips and pulls him closer. In his hand, a sharp rock glistens in the weak moonlight. The young monkey knows he’s an unwelcome guest. But all he desires is to just pass through. No, he must pay. They don’t know his pure mind is oblivious to their customs. The leading male can’t let such a youngling pose a threat. For that and many other reasons the hand fell down. Wukong cried out and kicked the bigger monkey. The manoeuvre had to break the jaw. The young king used the created chaos to his advantage and fled the group which assaulted him. Running until the sun came out, his breathless shaking frame stuck to the bottom of a wide rock under which he found an abandoned den. Tears fell down his gaunt cheeks. He was ready to thank all the Gods and saints that the stone didn’t crush his skull. When he got on his knees a sharp pain flashed through his head. His left eye, the vision in it was blurry at best. What’s worse, his nose caught the ironic smell of blood.

“You’re right. She deserves some respect.“

****

Márgerdra was sitting on the old bed, her back leaning against the cold wall. Her hair was naughtily slithering around her shoulders and hips, freed from the tight braids and bun. The lightning outside illuminated her wet cheeks. Under the woollen blanket, Mei was still cuddling her. She, too, was dressed in a similar undergarment with her long hair messily splattered around.

“Is it better now?“ She gazed up at her protector. 

Mei felt a heartfelt gratitude from Márgerdra. When the royal advisor turned to her the boulder fell from the princess’ heart. The blonde smiled, at last. “Yes, little one. With you, it’s always better,“ she hugged Mei tightly and lightly kissed her forehead.

Márgerdra peeked out through the tiny slit between the wall and the window shutter. Storm was still at its best outside. The whole sky was covered in ink. Returning her attention to the long candle on the table opposite to them she sighed with disbelief. The flame was already eating the base wax. “I’m sorry, Mei. You had to listen to me for an hour at least. I should’ve let you rest after such a tiresome day.“ The blonde began to stand up.

“No, you’re not going anywhere. I don’t mind listening to my friend. Everyone needs a shoulder they can rely on. You’re no exception,“ Mei blushed upon remembering her own memories and how many times she was so embarrassed with herself. The young beauty couldn’t imagine her life without the foreign woman. “Actually, I’m quite happy you don’t mind being yourself around me. Even if that devious, nasty meanie said such atrocities about you…I’m glad you trust me as much as I trust you, Márgerdra. Since mother died, you really are a blessing from her to me.“

“Oh, stop it right now, little one. You’re gonna make me cry again,“ the witch giggled as she hugged the girl again. The impact was unexpected and they both fell on the bed, chuckling to themselves.

“Márgerdra, you’ll need to move a bit. It’s getting uncomfortable.“

“I’m sorry. I’ll be off to the other bed, then.“

“No, you silly. You’re gonna get lonely. When you’re lonely, you’ll remember that stinky monkey. When you remember him you’ll cry again.“ The princess furrowed her brows which gave her the air of a child and she tucked her head under Márgerdra’s chin.

“Alright. Then I’m staying here.“

The raindrops hammered against the building. Strong wind threw several thick twigs or something similar to it on the rooftop. As the sound echoed through the small room with a dim light green silk rustled against the rest of the white sheets. Another thunder made the princess hold her breath.

“Are you still afraid of the storm?“

“And you aren’t?! Look how dangerous it is!“ Mei exclaimed. The poor girl soon added,“What am I saying? You never fear anything.“

“I think you’re wrong about this point, Mei. I’m scared of many things.“ Thoughtful expression landed on the witch’s soft face. “I can’t stand water. I hate it.“

Mei chuckled,“So you’re like a cat?“

“Well, yes. A cat, if you will.“ She then hissed like a feline to which both women laughed.

“My oldest sister, on the other hand, you can call her fearless. Yes. A brave warrior at heart, though she’d say she has none. She’s a liar, in fact. Ulfu always gave me the best hugs. Udu, my second sister, was close behind. Though Udu had always made a better honeyed porridge, I must admit,“ she touched her chin with an index finger and rambled about her elder sisters for a while.

Mei listened to her with great interest. “Wow, they sound pretty cool. What happened to them? Where are they now?“

Márgerdra’s enthusiastic smile froze. She had to blink several times to bring herself back to reality. A gulp formed inside her throat. “They’re gone. Unfortunately, I don’t know where exactly.“ Márgerdra wiped away tears forming in her eyes.

The princess rubbed her arm carefully. “I’m sorry to hear that.“

“Yeah, me too.“ The blonde looked the black-haired girl in the eyes and gave her the most radiant smile. “But since I have you, little plum Mei, everything’s great again. Don’t worry about me, alright? I need to see my little princess proud and happy. Especially since your big day is coming closer.“

“Yeah, my wedding…“

“What’s up with that frown again, huh?“

“I’m just…I don’t know. I feel like I’m not suited for this. It feels weird. I've never met my groom before. I wonder what it is like. You know, to fall for somebody real.“

“It’s beautiful. Sometimes it cuts you until you bleed,“ the witch paused for a second. She pursed her full lips. “But then that person comes and helps you to heal. When you feel abandoned they remind you that you’re the one who saved their world and became the most wonderful part of it.“

“Sounds like you’ve experienced it.“

“Yes. I did. Multiple times. Well, you don’t need to have romantic feelings for the person. All that’s needed is when you know they’re going to have your back no matter what. Sometimes it was my sisters. Sometimes it was my friend,“ her laughter rang again. It seemed to have lifted Mei’s cheerful spirit.

“I totally agree. I feel the same thing with you. My best friend,“ the girl winked at the blonde. Then she offered her pinky and waited for a response. It didn’t take long for Márgerdra to offer hers.

“I don’t want to be nosey. But have you ever had ‘those’ feelings?“ Mei widened her eyes with flaming interest.

The witch turned to her hesitantly. She gave in after several heart beats,“Yes. Now I suppose you’d like to know more about him, don’t you?“

“Yep!“

Márgerdra sighed. Strangely enough, Mei had always had an impact on her which made her feel much younger. She couldn’t complain, though. It was a nice change from time to time.

The sparks in her burnt brightly when she recalled him,“Looks or personality first?“

“C’mon. You’re not making this easy for me. But I guess, looks first? They say the best should be saved for the last.“ She giggled and lay her head on Márgerdra’s shoulder while intently she was  listening to every word.

“He was tall, handsome, and strong with dark green eyes. He had long hair as black as a raven's feathers. Oh, when I remember how nicely formed arms he had. Beautiful shoulders too. Broad and muscular. He had probably the smoothest voice I’ve heard. It was great for singing. Though, don’t think he was too soft for the world. No. In fact, quite the opposite. I remember when I used to tell him not to rush things and to be more patient. He actually listened. Unlike some. Those were times when he’d take my hand in his, caress it and whisper to me he’d return just for me if for nothing else. He was the kindest person around. No injustice would escape his keen sight. The true leader of his people. There wasn’t one soldier who’d dare to go against him.“ Her dreamy eyes stranded in the distant warm gaze of a man. She felt the strong arms gathering around her waist. His hot breath was so close to her hair. His fingers play with her braids she let him do.

“You sound like fate brought you two together. Where is he now?“

“You know the saying. The right person, the wrong time.“ Or was it the wrong person and the right time?

****

Sun Wukong let out a stream of hot air through the nose.

“Bajie. How do you talk to pissy ladies?“ the monkey rolled up sleeves on his tunic.

“Finally! Time for my advice to shine!“

“Could you be even louder? I barely heard you over the silence, idiot.“

“Brothers, please. Not so...“

Both elders blatantly ignored him and began to form a plan,“You see, you pissed her off. Like extremely off. If I were the witch you’d already be castrated at best…“

“But you aren’t, clearly. So go on without all this rubbish.“

“Right. So where was I? Oh, yeah. Walk up to the door…“

“Alright.“

“Knock on it.“

“Can’t I just barge in?“

“Have you lost your mind?“ Bajie slapped his forehead with a palm. “You want her to scream at you and to wake Shifu up?“

Wukong unwillingly rolled his eyes. “You’re right. Go on.“

“You knock, you wait for her to open the door and then you tell her you’re sorry. That’s it.“

“Bajie,“ Wukong placed a hand on Bajie’s shoulder with a proud look,“I thought you were the idiot here. But no. It was me for the whole time. Because asking you for advice is even worse than smearing honey over my face and running head first into an anthill thinking I’m going to find sutras there.“

Pigsy’s face reddened. Big tusks protruded through his mouth. He stamped on the floor and almost yelled if he weren’t shushed by Wujing,“Fine! Next time go after Bai Long Ma and ask him.“

“Bai Long Ma?“ Wukong cast a puzzled look.

“The dragon-horse.“

“Idiot, I didn’t forget who that is. I’m just wondering why I’d go to him.“ The monkey snorted and continued,“Fine, sorry that I snapped at you. Now, how do you apologise directly? How do you word it out? Keep in mind, I want to sound sincere about the whole situation.“

The pig demon frowned. Eventually he agreed to help his senior brother in both arms and beliefs. “Prick up your ears, Big Bro. Tell exactly this. Not a single word can be different. My Lady…“

“Pff. Alright. Wujing, give me the honey.“

Wukong was ready to wave over but Bajie forcefully grabbed him by the collar and sat him down. With an irritated voice, Pigsy whispered,“My Lady, you deserve every single bit of my profound apology for my incompetence and horrible behaviour. I belittled you in front of Her Highness, my Shifu and my sworn brothers. I can only imagine how deeply hurt you must have been. You’re just as wise as you’re beautiful though the most beautiful is Her Highness herself. I humbly ask for forgiveness and I swear on my very own life, no…, existence that such an incident won’t occur ever again for such a loyal soul could never be compared to a low-life.“

When the boar was done he looked around for a well-earned recognition and gratitude. All he found, though, was Wujing walking away to check up on sleeping Sanzang and Wukong scratching his armpit while yawning. Pigsy knew this was the moment for the ace up his sleeve. His brother just needs a little push or two. With the rest of the guests already sleeping tightly the whole situation only played into his cards.

“You don’t have the courage to talk to a woman.“

“What did you say?“

“That you’re a coward.“

The word resonated strongly within the monkey. He pouted, eyes narrowed and piercing Bajie through and through,“Repeat that, idiot.“

****

“He sounds like someone out of the sweetest dream.“

“Oh, and trust me he was, Mei. Like those times when we lay under the starlit sky and he whispered sweet nothings to me…“

Both young women sighed with a dream-like state.

“And then we have those like Great Sage himself…“

“No, don’t mention him anymore. Maybe he’ll hear you and he’ll barge in with another spit into your face, Márgerdra.“

“May he suit himself and show his true colours again. I dare him.“

“Not that I want to defend him. Sun Wukong brought your wrath upon himself by his own foolishness. To count in the insolence from this evening he does deserve a punishment. But you had your own remarks, didn’t you? You may say it’s just teasing. However it often grew into something more malicious. At least, that’s what it sounded to me like.“

Márgerdra paused in thought. An invisible worm gnawed her brain. The Monkey King wasn't the kindest of people and he truly had his shortcomings. Then she recalled his look. Once again, those damned warm eyes followed her everywhere she stepped in. Horrified cries of innkeepers resounded in the Lady Wolf Witch’s ears. An ugly monster. A disgusting runt. She too poked fun at him for his height and his face. Yet it wasn’t his fault. She cruelly provoked him for the sake of amusement.

The foreign beauty lowered her eyes. She used to live a tough life. Only her sister shielded her while being called the most humiliating names. Yet, Márgerdra honestly loved and cared for her well-being despite all. Why should the monkey be any different?

‘If I were you I’d pray for your new ‘mother’ not to get you killed.’ The sentence stabbed Márgerdra’s heart every time no matter how much time had passed since. Such a hateful creature yet she can’t bring herself to banish the thought of him. Maybe because she saw someone in him. Or because they were both equally lost. The Wolf Witch couldn’t answer it.

She must act somehow. Either she’ll make their journey a walk through Hell or Heaven. The choice was solely hers. For the sake of Mei the advisor chose the latter.

“I should find him.“

Mei, caught off guard, sat up,“Wow. From all the time we’ve spent together I’d expect much longer time for you to admit your fault.“

“Would you like to help me out?“ Márgerdra threw a jacket over her nightgown,“Or should I just give him a sweet treat in hopes of him realising I’d like to put the strife aside?“

****

Dark silhouettes swiftly zigzagged among the thick forest cover. The cold raindrops mercilessly wetted their garments. Outlines of their hunched bodies resemble snakes prepared for a deadly strike. Unfortunately, their true intentions didn’t differ much.

“Hey, pst, do you think this is the place?“

“Yeah, the guy said the monk resides in that tavern.“

“But they pay us every month so we don’t attack them anymore. If we do, the ruler won’t be happy with us.“

“The ruler doesn’t need to know. And if she does she’ll only try to bargain the monk for a good deal of money. I mean it’s still not as good as immortality. We kinda promised the monk to that guy, too. But consider all the other benefits we could try to force out of her. We’d be her right hand. We’ll have riches and also bitc…“

“Yeah, you. The dude with no maidens…I don’t know. The guy still doesn’t sit right with me. A cloak over his head, never coming out of the shadows. And those eerie burning eyes like two smouldering coals…He sounds fishy. Since he mentioned some darn monkey warlord we should pack our things even quicklier. The risk is bigger than the profit.“

“Brother, c’mon. One runt shouldn’t be a problem.“

The second person with protruding cheekbones smacked his hissing friend’s head from behind,“Moron! The ‘runt’ is the Great Sage. The demon king who fought Heaven itself.“

“And he was subdued and put under the mountain for who knows how long,“ the bandit with slit pupils massaged the stinging place. “We’re younger and have strength in numbers. Right, boys?“

He looked around. At least three dozen crawling bodies surrounded the wooden building. Some of them made their way into stables where they masterfully put out all the horses. Only one of them nearly gave them away if it weren’t for a massive blow into the white stallion’s head. Strangely enough, no blood appeared around his collapsed body.

“Weird creature. I’ve never seen a horse with a webbed-like mane,“ said the one with sharp cheeks. “Hey, so what about the ape guy?“

“Calm down. Relax. The cloaked guy took care of it. He said the group should have found some weird potion. He can’t show himself much so we need to take care of the rest. That means we need to make the ape drink it.“

“How?“

“Watch,“ the snake-like man insidiously smirked and pulled out a gifted whistle from his pocket.

****

Bajie gnawed his teeth and brought out hands of pockets. There was a small dot on his hand. He shook his head. Mosquitos aren’t an extraordinary discovery during the summer, especially in mountain forests like this one. Suddenly a genuine smile plastered over his wide face. “Brother, look. This was dropped by Ol’ Sha. I don’t know what kind of medicine it is but it may help you with building up confidence!“ Pigsy cringed to himself. His brother was the last person that needed any sort of such help. At the same time, an invisible force squeezed his neck as it was a punishment for thinking otherwise.

Wukong eyed him up and down. “What are you talking about, idiot? Give it back to Wujing. You know nothing about treatments. And I can’t tell you even from standing here it’s no ‘confidence helper’ like you want to believe.“

“If not then what is it, huh? C’mon. Tell me, you overclever boaster.“

“I don’t know. But there’s no way I’m going to drink it.“

“Trust me, brother. If Wujing’s been carrying it around with telling us it must have something to do with confidence. You know how shy he can be.“

The Monkey King showed Pigsy his back and checked his nails. None of them seemed to be broken.

“You’re just being prissy. Cowardly ape.“

“I’m a monkey,“ Wukong gritted his teeth and whipped his tail around.

“Cool. So you’re a cowardly monkey who’s too afraid to say sorry to one damned woman and to carry consequences from his Shifu. Also, did you drop your boots? Seems like you’re shorter than yesterday.“

The Sage froze on the spot. Even though his face wasn’t visible to Bajie his junior was sure the furry disciple’s eye twitched uncontrollably. He was well past the phase of pouting. This was getting dangerously serious.

“Give me the potion,“ in a second he appeared next to him like a ghost. The slender hand grabbed the small flask and mixed it with the rest of the peach tea Wukong found in the green teapot. In a matter of a second, the substance was finally circulating his insides.

****

“What did you do?“

“I activated the small magical rope which will make sure the one carrying it will deliver the substance to the target,“ the whistle carrier smiled from ear to ear. Hundreds of tiny teeth flashed through the stormy night.

His sworn brother smacked him again,“How do you know the monkey will be there and not scouting the area? Or that he will drink the liquid, huh? What if he refuses and finds out about the sting?“

The snake man widened his eyes. He swallowed hard before saying,“Well, I…kinda didn’t think of that option…“

“Moron! You want to have the monk yet you can’t come up with a good plan for kidnapping?! All you can do is to rely on pure luck!“

“You can try it next time yourself! All you do for the whole day is eat, take a piss, sleep and fart!“

“What did you say?!“ Both rogues threw themselves on each other. They pulled their clothes, bit and kicked each other.

One of the dark silhouettes stopped by them and whispered,“Boss, what now? Should we prepare for getting inside and subduing the rest of the pilgrims?“

The fighting duo stopped. The taller man with wolf-like cheeks and growling voice commanded,“No, we’re going back to the cave. Tell the troop to crawl out of the ro-“ He never got the chance to finish his sentence. A cold blade slicing his neck open released his last breath which was carried away by the howl of the storm.

The rogue spat on the corpse. “Never trust a snake, brother. I warned you when you decided to make our blood pact,“ the treacherous rogue wiped off the bodily liquid and continued in his newly found leadership,“Tell the boys to kill the fishman and the pig. The princess and the foreigner will be taken hostage with the monk. They’ll be a fine snack. Oh, last thing - don’t harm the monkey. The cloaked one wants him for himself.“

****

All of a sudden, Wukong had the urge to sit down. Despite his own displeasure something inside him poked him to laugh. Cold sweat rose above his eyebrows. Both hands began to shake uncontrollably. 

Smiling widely he asked,“Bajie, what was it really?“

“An ego booster.“

“You sure? Hehe.“

“Not completely. I just suddenly had the urge to give it to you. Strange…Eh, Big Bro? You okay? Your smile’s scaring me.“

Out of the blue, Sun Wukong jumped to his feet. He boldly stepped out and kissed Bajie on his cheeks. Throughout the movement the demon nearly lost balance. “Thank you, B-Bajie. I had to give you kisses for a goodnight. Because after tonight I’ll make s-sure to give you solely nightmares.“ The senior patted him and with wobbling pace he set out for the door of the princess’ bedroom.

Once he was there he leaned over the door frame and knocked. The Monkey King didn’t forget to wink back at his middle brother who gave him uncertain thumbs up before quickly returning back to Shifu and Wujing.

Nothing. Nobody responded. Wukong pressed his ear to the door and listened. There was hectic rustling of sheets and muffled female voices.They seemed to have repeated something over and over. The little stage was put aside once the monkey knocked again.

Instead of the tall blonde a black-haired girl peeked out from behind the sliding door,“Great Sage?! What are you doing here, this late at night? It must be well past midnight.“

“Your Highness,“ he tried to bow but considering his head started spinning Wukong chose to nod his head instead,“I wanted to s-say my sorry to you and your protractor, protu-protector. It was completely wr-wrong of me. You are on your way to secure your country. The road is dangerous. And Lady Márgerdra is more than suitable with h-her skills to prot-protect you.“

Finally, he succeeded in stammering out everything in a muffled voice that lay heavy on him. Unaware of the stunned witch listening to him hidden behind a corner he continued, ignoring his rising temperature,“Speaking of whom, is she here? I mean, she’s gotta be here. It’s her room, too, after all. Can-can I talk to her? P-person-nally, I mean…Your Highness.“

Márgerdra touched the shoulder of hesitant Mei,“Yes, you can.“ She whispered kindly.

Before she walked out of the room she didn’t forget to tuck Mei back to her bed. Following the swaying monkey demon she stepped into the dim light of the empty hall. She had a suspicious look. To Wukong, it reminded of the combat zeal she possessed on the day they first met. Candles gave her beautiful face a mysterious touch. He wasn’t sure if it was the effect of the potion or her eyes really glowed in the darker parts of the inn.

“So, Lady Márgerdra? Really?“ she raised her eyebrow and sat on the bench opposite to Wukong. She crossed her arms and legs simultaneously while listening to his odd rambling.

“What’s your problem now, blondie? Look, I’m sorry I spat in your face in front of the others. That was pretty child-dish of me. I just…I’m not s-sure what to make out about you. I’m just afraid my Shifu will be hu-hurt. And I partially took out my fr-frustration on you. You’re a solid guy…woman. You know w-what I mean, blondie. You’re a strange fellow, you see. And sometimes it can be kinda d-difficult to live up to Shifu’s expectations. Oh boy, it’s getting hot here, isn’t it?“ Wukong’s shaking fingers undid the sash around his waist so he could throw away his tunic. Once he was freed of the uncomfortable layer he wiped the sweat off of his brows and continued blankly staring into space in front of him. The dark undershirt was already soaking wet with his sweat. It stuck to his body, perfectly outlining every single muscle he possessed. Márgerdra wondered how long it took him to achieve such a well-defined build.

“Monkey?“

“Yep? All ears for you, blondie,“ he puffed and leaned with his back against the table behind him.

“Did you drink?“

“Me? And drinking? Are you m-mad, blondie? Nooo,“ Wukong tilted his head with laughter and stuck out his long tongue.

Another branch hit the shutters. The storm doesn’t seem to be satisfied with the havoc it’s causing.

When Wukong thought he was done he noticed what she was wearing. The nightgown was all too revealing for his taste. What a shame it would be if somebody saw her dressed up in thin white silk. It didn’t matter that she was pulling closer her jacket. Even worse for him. A monk should be sound asleep and not engaging at such a late hour with a woman in her best years. Nobody would listen to the poor monkey and his Master proving his disciple never looked over a single skirt in his entire life. It saddened him because he knew the witch had to be aware she’d be unrightfully degraded into a similar position. She doesn’t deserve it. Not after all she went through that day. He noticed she was rather sweet now. Not once did she raise her voice or scolded him. It was quite the other way around. The advisor watched him with sympathy. Wukong was slowly beginning to get lost in her big eyes. The Monkey King couldn’t help himself but raise the corner of his lip. He has to ask her now or never again. He must know the truth.

“Tell me - are you really such a bitch you like to pretend to be?“

If looks could kill and Wukong wouldn’t be immortal his body would be lying on the ground ripped to pieces. “What did you say?!“

“Not in a bad way,“ the demon shushed her down,“I noticed you l-like to be uptight, prissy. Y’know, a lady from the upper class. But you throw pretty good blows for somebody with a different up-bringing.“

There it was again. His deep look with the smug face she despised so much. His cover up.

“Maybe. I don’t want to talk about it.“ She slowly responded and watched the monkey demon as he stretched out for the peach a guest left on the table during the dinner. 

“Alright. As you wish, b-blondie. But is it true? Now, I don’t wanna generalise but there’s a lot, and I mean a q-quant-tum, of people who achieved similar positions by doing ques-stionable stuff…“

“So now not a shrew or a demon but a low-life, as well. That’s new. Thanks a lot.“

“Whoah, hold your reins, blondie. All I’m saying is that a rat can be any of us. Not that I’m into that stuff. But I’m not blind either. I see you’re rat-ther p-pretty. So…“

He stood up with difficulties. When he hunched over her Márgerdra felt his hot breath on her neck. Oddly, his odour wasn’t as disgusting as she remembered. Although sweaty, his body possessed, in fact, a pleasant smell. It was weak but still there. It was an intoxicating mix of salt, wet fur and bitter herbs. The witch breathed it in and out. She was surprised his own smell had a similar effect as she hoped so for her perfume.

About which she was right. Wukong knew what he was doing. On one hand, what he was about to say, he wanted it to be their little secret. Also, there was a need to get closer to the irresistible magnolia.

“Márgedra…“

“Did you just say my name?“

He ignored her stunned voice. “I was harsh towards you. Sorry for that. I think we should start over. W-what do ya think?“

When she remained silent he added,“Listen, if anyone happens to bother either you or Mei…just let me know, alright? I know you can take care of yourself. But sometimes it’s better when there’s someone having your back. I’ll make sure you…that you…“ 

‘…you’ll be safe’ was what he initially planned to say. However, he couldn’t find the will to say it outloud. An image of Qiang and Márgerdra and how fast she ran out of the shed unnerved him for some reason.

“I’ll tone myself down. I promise you that, monkey. And I’ll make sure your Master stays unharmed during our travels, too.“

“So, is it a deal, blondie?“ He locked eyes with her, their noses nearly touching. For the first time, Márgerdra thought she saw not only the familiar warmth but also honesty and kindness there.

She smiled weakly. “I guess so,“ she replied with a sweet whisper and grabbed the offered hand welcomingly.

Wukong’s knees gave up and he collapsed on her. While she tapped and gently caressed his back they both let out a silent chuckle. Wukong thought his new friendship couldn’t have started out better.

“Sorry, I forgot to mention something. Though I noticed it just a few seconds earlier.“

“What is it?“

“Duck behind the table, blondie.“

The Wolf Witch gave him a puzzled look when she heard a hissing from the corner of the room,“Get’em, boys.“

Somehow she managed to throw the simian from herself and jump behind the table, shielding herself from the whirlwind of daggers. All the candles were suddenly put out leaving the witch in absolute darkness for several heart-clenching moments. Before she cast the spell to summon the blinding light another light cut the black in half.

Two flaming dots moved at a lightning speed across the whole room. Once they were in the height of the human, the next moment they lit the corner of the ceiling. Apart from the terrifying sight of two demonic eyes the hectic movements were accompanied by dull thuds of a metal.

The witch’s face twisted into unholy contours. She grabbed the nearby dagger and followed the trace she found. Fearlessly, she stabbed several slimy bodies she saw in her way. Once she took out the weapon a sticky ooze poured out from the fatal wound.

In a few heartbeats, it was all over. A strong blow and the candles were finally lit again. Both Wukong and Márgerdra were covered in the unfamiliar liquid.

“How did you know we were going to get attacked?“ she threw away the dagger. Soon, she got frustrated by her vain attempts to wipe away the ooze.

“I told you I got a good n-nose. By the way, how did you see in the dark, blondie?“ Wukong, slightly more sober, made his way toward her. He still nearly tripped over his own legs.

The witch couldn’t let out a single word as a slow clapping of hands cut their conversation in half. However, the owner was nowhere to be found.

“Yeah, he warned me you’d be a tough nut to crack.“

Wukong growled,“Who are you, demon? Show yourself.“

A tall slender person walked out of the dark corner of the hall. Their head was bald and covered in dark green scales. Their yellow eyes with slit pupils targeted both rivals. The person stopped.

“Wait, don’t tell me you’re him,“ the snake-like person had a problem to contain his laughter. The man gestured with his hand as if trying to guess out the height difference between him and the demon he was hunting down.

Wukong sighed and rolled his eyes. He threw Ruyi Jingu Bang over his shoulders,“You got a problem?“

“Not me. But you, runt.“

“Careful. You have no idea who you’re speaking with, boy.“ The monkey demon confidently took a step closer.

“That’s the catch, old man. But why don’t you introduce yourself. I can do the same.“

Márgerdra nervously shifted in her place,“Monkey, no. He’s provoking…“

She didn’t finish her sentence because the impish disciple already took off. He landed a powerful punch into the rogue’s face. Several shards of knocked out teeth sank into his knuckles. “It’s Great Sage Equal to Heaven for you next time. No old man,“ the imp shook his palm and looked down at the astonished opponent who was thrown to the wall.

“Damnit, you’re still in shape. But how? You should be poisoned…“ the snake hissed back. Blood trickled down his short chin. The rogue demon’s dismay was short-lived - Wukong managed to grab his spinning head and painfully hissed. The golden cudgel slipped from his hand.

Márgerdra then realised something. The branches falling on the roof…weren’t branches. Horrified, her eyes widened beyond belief and her breath trembled. All she was able to say was,“Mei…“

She turned to run back. But, alas, it was too late.

“Boys! Plan B!“ The snake yelled out. Gathering the last strength he spat venom into Wukong’s eyes who had to lean over a wall to catch a breath. The monkey roared in pain. Right when he thought he was finally half-sober the opponent had to play dirty tricks on him. Same as Márgerdra, Wukong, too, remembered his brothers and Shifu. Unlike her, he had no way to run. The poison circulating in him made sure he stumbled and collapsed on the cold floor. Though the venom missed his eyes by an inch, the wound still hurt. Suddenly, something as black as a coal surrounded him and blocked his vision. A stinging stench hit his nose. He tried to move but an indescribable weight pushed him to the ground. He heard screaming, both male and female. The furniture was being destroyed in absolute havoc.

The Sage’s eyelids became heavy. His head wasn’t in a better state. It fell on the ground, the circlet rang against the floor. Sanzang calling his name in hopes of waking him up was the only thing Wukong was aware of before his body gave out and he passed out.

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Taglist (let me know if you'd like to be added): @vanessaroades-author @rubywrite @aohendo @rbbess110 @jgmartin @outpost51

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List of chapters:

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-two

Chapter Twenty-three

Chapter Twenty-four

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter Twenty-six

Chapter Twenty-seven

Epilogue

#writeblr #dark retelling #jttw retelling #jttw fiction #jttw fanfic #jttw fic #jttw #journey to the west #jttw au #journey to the west au #writing community #blended with original fiction #original characters #writers of tumblr #jttw sun wukong #jttw monkey king #jttw six eared macaque #jttw sha wujing #jttw tang sanzang #jttw ao lie #jttw zhu bajie #wip: Flight of the Western Crane

[luimagines]

Waking Up Next to Him

Masterlist

Set platonically and within the adventure. It’s long so it goes under the cut!

Time

The bright sunlight winked just beyond your eyelids at an blinding angle. Your back was against warm though and was surprisingly comfortable despite the growing ache in your neck. There’s a weight over your shoulder, pinning you in place but doesn’t dig in. A thrown blanket is covering your body and the secret weight, even if half of it has ended up on the forest floor. You’re too tired to think of what the weight can be. All you know is that it’s comfortable and you don’t feel like moving. A heartbeat passes and the solid form on which you lay shifts. 

A groan.

More shifting.

Heat flushes your face slightly as you resign to get up, trying to play the whole cool, once you realize what, or rather who you passed out against.

“Mornin’ Time.”

Your pillow takes a minute to assess the situation.

It’s early, none of the others are up yet. Too tired from the journey the day prior, but the resident chef wakes up the earliest to cook breakfast on time. He’s asleep now but won’t be for long. You thank the stars and your luck that you woke up before him. No pictures for him to take this time.

Time grins, seemingly unbothered by the events and sighs good naturedly. “Good morning.”

Twilight

It was a cold night. They told you it would be. Both your traveling companions and the breeze as you settled with the day’s end.

But you couldn’t have guessed how cold it turned out to be.

Sleep didn’t come easy. Discomfort and shivers kept you awake. Your blankets were warm but not warm enough. At some point, in the middle of the night, you gain the warmth your tired brain was waiting for before drifting off to sleep. 

When you wake, you can’t breath.

Hairs tickle your mouth and nose and there’s a large and heavy being on top of you. At first you think it’s Wind because the shape is much to large to be four but smaller than some of your other companions.

Further analysis and you realize that it’s not hair but fur, that’s threating to enter your lungs and the color of the material seems awfully familiar.

“...Wolfie, I love you but you’re killing me. Get off.” You weakly push the beast away, not coherent enough to move your limbs and piece together how to be a functioning human yet.

The creatures blinks up at you, having just woken up as well and notices your open eyes. A yawn and crushed ribbed where he stepped to get off later and your freedom has been duel earned.

You take a breath of relief and grin, only now noticing the cold with the rising sun to be a little more barrable than the previous night.

“Thanks buddy, you’re a walking heater. I probably would have been a popsicle if it hadn’t been for you.” He nods in acknowledgment and swiftly turns away before you can reach behind his ears to thank him properly.

You look up and see Wild and Time already awake, not talking. Warrior looks to just have woken like you today. Not unusual but welcoming nonetheless. Wind and Sky probably won’t wake up for another hour or two and Hyrule and Four always wake up a little after them. No one knows for sure when Legend will get up because its never consistent and Twilight seems to be missing as well.

The ranch hand emerges from the tree line seconds after you realize he was gone to begin with. He smiles at you and waves in greeting.

You wave back and try to dust the wolf hairs off of your clothes.

You missed Twilight’s subtle smirk.

Warrior

It was a hard fight and not a safe place to stay put but the dungeon left you with little option. Separated from the group and low on provisions and healing items, you and Warrior realize that your both running low on fumes. Taking refuge in a secluded corner, hopefully far away from any potential monsters and threats, you rest.

Waking up is hell.

Sleeping back to back was probably not the best idea but neither of you wanted to risk an ambush. Shifts were supposed to be taken but given that you both fell asleep says something about your energy levels and the previous fights.

Your neck hurts, your legs are sore, your butt and hips are not thanking you for the treatment and everything ache will familiar but expected battle wounds. None major but each one takes its toll.

“You up?” Warrior stands up as if he wasn’t bleeding from the shoulder yesterday and he also didn’t sleep sitting for who knows how many hours.

“I am clearly sitting Captain.” You mutter. “I am not up. I refuse to be up.”

“You know as well as I do that we have to get to the others. What if they need help?”

“I’d argue we need the help. Everything hurts. We have no fairies and there’s more dungeon ahead of us with obviously more enemies and traps and puzzles...” The puzzles... were the worst. “Just five more minutes....Please?”

Warrior says your name in a way a tired mother tries to get her stubborn child to listen to reason. His face twists at the idea and when he attempts to look over his shoulder to check your surroundings, it instead contorts in a pained grimace.

So his shoulder pain was still there after all.

“Fine. Five minutes.”

Sky

As expected, Sky goes down for the count within the first few minutes of the mandated lunch break. Unfortunately after a rumble or two and strange smoke coming from the distance that decidedly wasn’t there when you first arrived, the group decided to investigate.

Legend goes to shake Sky’s shoulder in an attempt to wake him but it’s all in vain.

Sticks are drawn after a long and loud argument about what to do and yours in the shortest.

Everyone else goes to check out the commotion and you are stuck with babysitting duty. It’s not bad all things considered- he’s asleep- no actual babysitting happening. But part of you can help but grumble about missing the action so you sit non too gently next to him and decidedly not pout.

Your stomach is full and the sun light begins to feel heavy and warm and nice.

Your eyes close before you can fight it.

Some time later, you’re shaken awake. Adrenaline fills your system instantly but upon seeing the laughing face of Sky himself, you remember yourself and only marginally resist the urge punch him.

“Feel better?” You ask instead.

“I could ask you the same thing.” He chuckles and points to his chin.

You wipe across the area and your hands comes back wet, cold and covered in drool. 

“You saw nothing.”

“Oh sure, but Wind did.”

Great.

Now it’s on his pictobox. That’s blackmail material in his favor, you suppose and refuse to acknowledge it further.

Wild

When you wake up, it’s still dark. Not even close to sunrise.

The fire burns bright and warm throughout the area but it’s not the fire that’s keeping you warm.

You also find out you can’t move.

You crane your head slightly to find long hair draped over your shoulder and a familiar scarred ear belonging to the resident champion.

He wrapped around you completely, hugging you tightly and pining you down with a leg to boot. 

You attempt to shimmy out but his grip tightens instead.

You sighed and watch as Twilight comes into view. He crouches closer and squats on Wild’s side, whispering to you. “Do you need help getting out? I can wake him to take over Hyrule’s shift for the night.”

You take a minute to rethink about your position. It’s not painful. The opposite actually. It feel nice. You’ve seen Wild cling to who ever he can get his hands on when he sleeps so you’re not surprise. 

You don’t need to pee or leave anytime soon anyway.

“No, I think I’m good actually.” You reply, whispering as well. “Let him sleep, it’s been a day for everyone.”

Twilight nods and leaves, but not without looking back once or twice in case you changed your mind.

You shimmy back in place and allow yourself to be held by your friend. 

Sleep comes easier this time.

Hyrule

Gentle fingers card through your hair. Warmth, magic and the unusual feeling of safety plague your mind. Confusion hits you but the alarm that typically follows never comes.

“Oh thank goodness, you’re awake.” A voice fills your ears. It’s muffled and must have been quiet to begin with because you can’t make out who said it yet. 

Organizing your thoughts feels like traveling through knee high mud.

Your eyes blink open and the light comes through.

The Traveler is leaning over you, thankfully blocking out most of the sun from immediately assaulting you. 

“Hyrule?”

“You had us worried for a minute.” He visually sags with relief, a tired smile on his face and leans back. “You took quite a hit.”

Your head feels swollen but as Hyrule continues to push your hair back it dissipates as time passes. Your thoughts clear and with his help, you sit up.

A hand places itself by your temple. It takes a half second before you realize it’s yours.

It comes back covered in dried blood.

Sky runs over after tending to Four with what looks like a bloodied wet cloth. He sits down slowly and begins to clean your head in a familiar fashion.

“Thank you. Both of you.” You tired voice comes through and a worn out smile follows soon after.

“Anytime.”

Wind

It’s nice day. 

According to some people.

Dark clouds cover the sky, the sun nowhere to be seen. It pours cats and dogs and the only cover for miles is a lone cave where your group currently takes up residence. Everyone’s wet and your clothes feel heavy and cold. No one is happy. 

Wild, Twilight and Legend dive deeper, intending to check out if any monsters reside in the cave.

Hyrule insisted on traveling with them but Warrior’s concussion and Time’s bleeding leg call for further attention and Legend claims to have more magic restorative potions than healing potions.

He stays behind.

Four and Sky take over the food while he’s distracted, trying to make a half decent meal before he intervenes.

Wind is groaning, sore and bored but otherwise unharmed.

You don’t make any comments at your own pain, biting your tongue and taking a deep breath. As you lean against the stone wall, Wind stomps up next to you and sits down with purpose.

“I could’ve gone with them.” He slams his fist into his cheek with his elbow on his knee.

“But you didn’t. It’s not so bad.” You said.

“They didn’t want me to go.”

“You’ll live.”

“I’m just as good as them you know.”

“I know and you make a better pillow.” You says, throwing yourself sideways with your head landing on his lap. He squawks indignantly and attempts to push you off but you hold on. “Sorry, you make the best pillow.”

“NOOOO!”

“YEEEESSS!”

“Nooooo.” Wind keeps his hands on your back but you’ve misjudged your exhaustion. You’re out in seconds.

A moment passes.

“Hey, hey, hey.... wake up. You have to eat.” A small hand shakes your shoulder.

“Hm?” You blinked tiredly. There’s a bowl if front of your face and you don’t hesitate to grab it. “Thanks.”

“You’re heavy.” A voice calls from behind. The owner lets you take the bowl and begins to gently push you off into a sitting position. “I can’t believe you did that.”

“It was supposed to be a joke but thanks for letting me sleep.” You admit and smile at the pirate. 

“You trapped me.” He pokes your side, trying to look annoyed but falling flat. There’s a joke in there somewhere. You’re missing something.

The others have come back while you were out of it, all either have hidden smiles or failing to hide their shaking shoulders and snickers.

Curious and a little self conscious you looks into the provided meal, your reflection greeting you as always.

A lightbulb goes off over your head.

“DID YOU DRAW ON MY FACE?!”

Four

There’s a force dragging you down but there’s two arms under you.

It’s very concerning for a moment but then....the size of them catches up to you.

Your head snaps up and comes face to face with a very surprised Four.

“Hello.”

“...Hi.”

“Lovely weather we’re having, don’t you think?””

“You’re leading with that?” Four snorts and continues walking, unbothered by your weight in his arms.

“How...?” You trail off trying to find the right words to explain what happening to you. You don’t feel any pain and nothing feels injured....but the lack of memories is a little concerning.

“How am I holding you?” Four smirks as he guesses incorrectly. “I’m stronger than I look.”

“I was going to ask how did I fall unconscious. I don’t remember anything. I’m more surprised by that than the fact that you’re holding me despite being half my size.” You blinked and try to keeping searching through your memory.

Nothing comes up.

“Wizrobe.” Four answers causally with a shrug. “It caused some chaos, fought another wizrobe and you got caught in the cross fire between the two of them before we could intervene. Their attacks canceled each other out well enough that you weren’t actually injured but uhh..... Well I suppose you’ll figure it out sooner or later.”

“Four.” You glare in warning.

“Maybe don’t look at your reflection for a while. Legend, Twilight and Hyrule all agree that it’ll fade with time but...”

“What are you talking about? What happened to me?” You sit up a little in his grip, Your arm reach over his shoulders and something wrong catches your eyes.

Your skin is green.

Your shocked silence stills your entire body. Four winces once he follows your eye line and stops to place you on your own feet.

“It could be worse?”

You stare a little while longer and look back to Four with hopeful eyes. “Think you can knock me out again?

He’s not amused.

Legend

You blissfully wake up for the first time in a week. 

It’s been an easy week in terms of travel and attacks so the boys take it upon themselves to cause trouble and it hasn’t been merciful to your sleep schedule.

They are the very incarnation of that thing your hometown friend used to say. How did it go again? If there’s no trouble then I’ll create it? Something along those lines.

But this is different and you don’t plan on wasting it.

You close your eyes and attempt to go back to sleep while you can but hushed voices reached your ears, keeping you awake before you can tune them out.

“Should we wake them?”

“You know how Legend is. He can be as bad as Sky and he had a rough night to boot.”

“But he’s right on top of them and they promised to show me how to fight in hand to hand combat.”

“You have all day for that and they didn’t say it was going to be today.”

“But I‘m excited! I want to start as soon as possible.”

“Will you idiots keep it down?” A voice by your shoulder speaks up. It lacks the usual snark it posses but the intention for venom is there. “Some people took double shifts last night. Shut up.”

You breath a small sigh of relief as the voices abruptly cut off and don’t return for a long minute.

The body next to you stills.

Three heartbeats pass and the unnoticed weight gets off of you.

You pretend to be asleep still, not wanting him to push you away so early in your relationship. He’s just started to get used to you.

You’re determined to be his friend before everything ends.

He’s determined to avoid that.

It’s been a battle of wills.

An unstoppable force meets an unmovable object.

But this could tip the scales in his favor if you fail to play it off correctly.

“No one say anything.” Legend hisses. “Not. One. Word.”

You make the mistake of stretching. 

“You’re up! You’re up! You’re up!” Wind practically pounces on you, knocking his name sake out of your lungs and demolishing any chances for a peaceful morning. “We can start now!”

“Can I eat first at least?” You groan out, not bothering to fight him off.

“Wind. Off.” Time calls out and the boy follows the command without question. He quickly kneels by your side though, practically vibrating on the spot.

You sit up and look around.

Looks like you were the last one up.

“Morning everybody.” You smile. You glance at Legend who unluckily has the tips of his ears tinted red. His arms are crossed and he’s avoiding looking at you, even greeting you as the rest of the group return your call.

You smirk. “Good morning Legend. Did you sleep well?”

He huffs and turns away completely, taking a few steps to leave.

You get to your feet, shadowed by Wind and head to take your share of the food from Wild.

A beat passes without any words exchanged and you tilted your head innocently at the Veteran. You refuse to let it be awkward between you so you pretend you know nothing.

The blush travels down his ears to his face and neck. “I did. Thanks for asking.”

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #linked universe x reader #this one is a long one #but they're all going to be like this #when I started this I thought I would be biased #and it would easy to tell who were my favoites #but I was pleasantly surprised. by the end

[tinylethologica]

where there is dust, there is stone

Part I | Part II | Part III prompt: incognito notes: guili pains, part III. features female traveller because there is not enough of her methinks (and also because she's pretty). also plays around with Zhongli’s gender because shapeshifting powers. words: ~3.5k

After an elegant and sharp dance, the maiden was nowhere to be seen, with naught left but a pile of bloodied dust.

𒆙

The truth stems from a single question, as innocent as dust.

“Have you heard the rumours, honoured Rex Lapis?” the crane adeptus says lightly. “The mortals—they speak of a woman along the Bishui River. One whom even the glaze lilies follow.”

A spontaneous bout of reminiscence, Cloud Retainer had said in her invitation. A conversation between friends, of the recent and not-so-recent past.

Just Ping, Rex Lapis, and Cloud Retainer, she had proposed. So he had agreed, thinking her lonely in her mountainous abode. For all her praise of solitude, Cloud Retainer, of all the senior adepti left, is most likely to seek companionship. So Morax descends upon Mount Aocang, stone dragon dissolving into human flesh—though it is not Zhongli, it should suffice.

However, his assumption has led him into a trap instead. Ever since the flooding of Guili Plains, Rex Lapis prepares for everything.

But he has not prepared for this.

Wisdom still eludes me, it seems, he thinks with a self-deprecating smile. I still have much to learn from the settling dust. Morax gently blows over the surface of the tea, warm mist diffusing into stagnant atmosphere. It should be cool enough now, he decides. The perfect temperature to be enjoyed by a mortal’s tongue. He much prefers the sensitive palate of a human to that of a dragon-lin.

“One wonders which mortal was audacious enough to come up with such wild, disrespectful stories,” Cloud Retainer says with a proud tilt of her slender neck. “Glaze lilies do not move for just anyone. Perhaps one should pass punishment for these mortal lies?”

“Let us not jump to conclusion,” he says with a shake of his head, words polite and courteous. As if he were speaking of the weather, and not of the dead. “From whom did you hear such a tale?” Sometimes, diplomacy was required rather than brute strength. This lesson has been taught to him well—and he has used it well.

“It matters not,” Cloud Retainer says. “Just know it has, through certain methods, reached this one’s ears.”

However,  it appears diplomacy is all but useless in the face of an Adeptus’ anger.

Besides him, the unusually silent Ping shifts. A miniscule movement, but Morax’s sight catches on a bite of her lips. And, when she notices his eyes upon her, she offers a guilty smile. Don’t be mad, it says. No wonder Cloud Retainer has also invited A-Ping.

The same A-Ping who has heard the rumours, clearly, and was terribly fond of gossip.

Cloud Retainer presses on, unaware of the silent exchange. “You have not answered my question, Morax. Have you heard these rumours?”

Her crane-eyes, lined with vermillion red, are keen enough to cut into mountains; however, Morax yields neither to wind nor cloud. Instead, he takes a sip. Considers the question.

The ensuing pause is long as the settling of dust—transience and eternity. Both a second and a year, before he finally answers. “Yes. I have heard of such tales, in my days of travelling incognito. There are whispers that she may be a lost illuminated beast.”

“Or that she is the servant of some long-dead god,” Cloud Retainer counters, the word ‘servant’ an especially brittle note. One of many brittle words. “They say she mourns her master at night,” she spits, clearly on a vendetta against so-called master. “I wonder, between the two of us, whose tale is true?”

“Perhaps both are true,” he allows, taking another sip. Delicate sips, but even more delicate moves. It would not do well to ruffle Cloud Retainer’s feather further. “Perhaps neither.”

“This one wonders… Would this legend possess the form of a dearly departed friend? If one were to meet her, would she resemble dust that has been wrongfully stirred from the earth on which it sleeps?”

Morax stills. Ping’s eyes flit between them, caught in the middle of an unseen battle.

“Would this woman resemble the dust disturbed from her slumber? The dust risen from the dead?”

Morax tilts his head, an acknowledgment of the crane adeptus’ victory. “Ah,” he says, but he does not answer—though his silence ought to be enough. He has been caught.

“Cloud Retainer,” A-Ping says, a warning edge to her normally melodious voice, but her advice goes unheard. “Watch your tone. You would do well to remember: Rex Lapis is still Lord.”

“It is sacrilege, Rex Lapis,” Cloud Retainer hisses, a beat of her wings in rebuke. The mountain air sweeps against an immovable face of stone. “You may be Lord of Geo, but you would dare? Even if it is you, dear friend—you have no right!”

“I know,” he says simply. It is all he says.

“Rex Lapis—Morax,” she says, anger bleeding into pleading. “Do not sully her form like this. Let the dust rest where she wills. Let your heart be serene.”

I would, Morax wants to say. But without the glaze lilies, how could dust rest in peace? Without the glaze lilies, how could my heart remain serene?

But he does not. Instead, all he does is sigh.

𒆙

It starts from an accident.

It starts small—as small as a speck of dust.

It starts from a quirk of Morax’s eyebrows, after which A-Ping blurts this:

“You know, this particular female form of yours… the brows remind me of Guizhong’s.”

To wander incognito, a dragon metamorphoses into a delicate woman. That is where it starts.

𒆙

Does it? Morax brushed off A-Ping’s comment, as though it were a joke. I hope I am as beautiful, then. Ping responded with a nervous titter.

But under the moonlight, Morax peers into the clear waters of the Bishui, hoping, hoping—

Oh. It is nothing like Guizhong’s.

In the jade of the river, Morax sees a woman’s reflection. She looks lonely. She looks lost.

“Guizhong?” the reflection murmurs—and the sound is not bloomed glaze lilies. It is ragged rock shards.

Ah.

It is not Guizhong who is lost; it is Morax.

Morax falls on her back, suddenly breathless. She looks at the moon. “It seems I am the one who is lost,” she repeats aloud, fistful of grass as she rips them out by the roots. Scatters it to the sky and watches as a shower of grass blades fall to earth. A chuckle tears its way out of her throat.

She clenches her eyes shut. Stone does not weep—it cracks.

And that night, along the arteries running in her veins, Morax splits into a million pieces. That night, as she stares at the stranger in the river, Morax learns that stone does not weep. She crumbles instead.

𒆙

In the tales of traveling merchants and porters, there was once a mysterious figure that would surface in the dead of night upon the plains: it was a maiden in a long indigo robe, striding along the shallows of the Bishui River, the moon wrapping her face with silver light as the night wind carried her words up to the shimmering, sleepless stars.

𒆙

Every night, Morax returns to the river. Every night, Morax sculpts. He—She cannot help it.

A carve here, a cut there. The lines of her brows, the strokes of her lashes, the shades of her lips; Morax becomes a painter, and her body the canvas. Her hair lightens, darkens, and lightens again. Until she resembles memories come to life once more, Morax does not cease.

Geo is patient. Geo waits. Geo morphs so that Guizhong may rise from the ashes—

Only it can’t.

Geo cannot change its nature. Geo cannot raise the dead.

When Morax stares into the river, it is always glowing amber that stares back.

It is never a glaze lily. It is never a smile.

It is never Guizhong.

𒆙

“Let our Lord mourn in peace, Cloud Retainer.”

“By transmuting himself into Lord Guizhong?” A snap of beak in frustration. “This one cannot accept it. He has gone mad, surrounded by his perfect memories.”

“We all remember differently, dear friend.”

“Some do it properly.” A haughty sniff.

A chuckle, accompanied by a bell chime. “Who is the one that keeps that ancient stone table around, so neatly cared for? The one who lays out the chopsticks still, even after its owner is long gone? You do not let anyone use the table except for Rex Lapis.”

“It is different! One does it to honour her memory.”

“And he is doing the same. Are you sure you’re not just bitter at the reminder of her? Bitter at him for dredging up old memories when you’d rather lay it to rest?”

“…This one does not know. All this adeptus knows is that…” A pause, as if swallowing painful acceptance. “Lord Guizhong is gone. She will not return.”

A sigh. “Then you are the same as he. Do not judge him too harshly, Cloud Retainer. The war is over, and our Lord thinks too much. Remembers too much. He is still walking her memories. Soon, either he will outpace her footsteps or…”

“Or?”

“She will leave him behind.”

“Has she not already done that?”

A hollow laugh. “Then he will chase her but find nothing in turn. We need only wait.”

“For all your words, you are far crueler than I, A-Ping.”

“Someone has to take on the mantle, dear friend. If not I, then who?”

𒆙

Morax wears Guizhong’s shadow, Guizhong’s skin, Guizhong’s glaze lily. The flower in his hair shimmers in moonlight—but it does not sway. They never did sway to his song, even while she was alive.

Yet another failure in his metamorphism.

The amber eyes were already enough. He cannot bear to see more differences. He cannot bear to realize more of this gulf between them.

Morax walks the Bishui Plains, scattering seeds of glaze lilies, as she used to do once. Is the era peaceful enough that the wild ones will persist? Are the people’s songs joyous enough to coax their blooms? Has Morax done enough for their people? Will it ever be enough?

The Archon Wars have ended, and he has donned the Geo Archon mantle. Her memories are so long ago.

Finally, will Morax know peace? Could he?

He does not know the answer, so he walks in her footsteps, tracing the path of drowned glaze lilies.

They say the riverside maiden is a sole servant of some long-dead god, gently mourning her master only at night. Or so the tales go.

There is always some truth, he thinks self-deprecatingly, in rumours. As smoke is to fire, where there is dust, there is always stone.

𒆙

He wears that too. Slung on his hips, a sword hewn from glowing jade, its edges bathed in oceans of blood. Enough to flood plains. Enough to flood assemblies.

A gift ungiven. A bond unspoken.

He thinks a foolish thought, that perhaps her spirit will see fit to haunt him then—

But.

It is a story for another time.

𒆙

No one knows how her story began, but it ended with the tale of a certain hunter. But unlike the stories of those merchants, the hunter encountered her brandishing a sword against several perilous shadows under the merciless moonlight. After an elegant and sharp dance, the maiden was nowhere to be seen, with naught left but a pile of bloodied dust.

𒆙

“I’m telling you—” the hunter blusters, to the sound of boisterous laughs.

“Sure, sure,” one man waves off, wiping the tears from his eyes. “So you’re telling me you saw the riverside maiden wielding a sword? Against some shadows?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying, you buffoons!” The hunter crosses his arms, sweeps a paranoid look around him, before speaking conspiratorially, “Under the merciless moonlight, she fought them in a dance to the death. I watched and watched, but one second, she’s there—”

“And the next second, she disappeared?” The men laugh uproariously again. One slaps the hunter’s back. “Did she fly back to the moon? Perhaps you met a moon goddess, my friend!”

“Yes—! I mean, no! Will you just listen?” With a crazed look in his eyes, the hunter whispers, “She disappeared, but that’s not all. When I went closer to inspect what happened, all I found was—”

“Her hairpin?”

“Her sword?”

“Her clothes?” One man suggests, wiggling his eyebrows, as guffaws ripple through the rest of the men. “Perhaps she meant to seduce you—”

“Bloody dust,” the hunter interrupts, eyes dazed. “All I found was bloodied dust.”

The laughs are cut short. Silence reigns.

“Hey now,” the man who’d made the joke before says hesitantly. “You just had a bit too much to drink. And in the drink, any man lonely enough would imagine a woman. That’s all.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the people in the crowd murmur, eyes shifting.

“Enough of this foolish talk,” one man pushes. “It’s bad luck to speak of such profane things. It will offend our Lord, Rex Lapis—”

“It’s the truth though—”

“Then let us go check!” someone suggests. “Then we will see whether this tale is indeed honest, or your alcohol-fueled imagination.”

And so the men went to the riverside where the hunter had seen the maiden. There they realized: the hunter did not lie. Indeed, the Bishui River ran red that day, tainted by the corpses of Millelith and land surveyors.

𒆙

When Morax hears the story from Ping, the lines of his face turn even more sharp. Even more unmoving.

“Was that you, dear friend?” A-Ping asks, voice quiet. “The description—it could not have been anyone else. The bloody dust…”

“It was not me,” he says harshly, heart thudding in his ears. “I did not walk the plains that day. I am certain—she was not I.”

“Then…” A-Ping trails off.

“What were the Millelith doing there? And the land surveyors?” he asks, patience scattered by urgency. When Ping remains silent, he resists the urge to gnash his teeth. “A-Ping!”

She clears her throat. “It seems,” she says delicately, “they had ill intentions upon places where wild glaze lilies were rumoured to grow. Out of profit, they sought to claim it as theirs and plotted reprehensible deeds—”

“Then they have broken their contract to Liyue.” His voice is calm, but his eyes are dark. “A fitting punishment.”

“Rex Lapis. Old friend—"

“I must leave now,” he interrupts. “Do not come find me.” Morax pauses, and then adds, “Unless it is urgent.”

Ping threads her hand through her hair, helpless to his whims. “It’s not as if I could refuse a friend’s request. Just…”

Morax stares back blankly.

“Don’t be long,” she finishes with a sigh. “Azhdaha will miss you.”

“I do not intend to be,” he says. He doesn’t. Then, there are no more words; he is gone.

𒆙

One week. That is how long he waits at the Bishui River. For seven days and seven nights, Rex Lapis sits at the bank, unmoving. He does not move, and he does not blink—he dares not, for fear of missing her. Her puzzle lies in his lap, quietly moving through boundless permutations, waiting to be opened, waiting for its owner. So Morax waits.

He is patient. He will wait. For as long as possible. If his duties do not call him back to Liyue, he will wait. If that is her will.

There is no formal contract between them. Still, he keeps his oath. Has kept it. With your strength and my wisdom, this city will surely become a great one, she’d said.

This is merely a part of the unsaid, unformalized contract between them, he tells himself. With us both, she said.

So for seven nights, Morax waits in Guizhong’s skin. Waiting to be possessed.

The wisdom to leave never comes.

𒆙

The sound of boots crushing grass and the flap of wings gliding on the night wind announces the end of his wait.

“Is it urgent?”

“No. But I was worried. We were worried.” A-Ping’s voice breaks through the quiet rush of the flowing river. “How long were you planning to wait here, old friend?”

“Not so long,” he answers, unblinking. It is not a lie; not completely. A thousand years was not so long to the Lord of Geo. All he has is time. He does not peal his eyes from the riverbank, even  as he speaks. The moon hangs in its waters, its edges chaotic swirls of countercurrent eddies.

“How stubborn,” she says behind him, followed by a click of her tongue. Ah. She has caught him in his lies. “You see, Cloud Retainer? If I did not come, he would stay forever.”

“Geo does not change quite so easily,” Cloud Retainer agrees softly. “Some things always remain constant.”

“Am I to return to my duties, A-Ping?” Morax asks, placid voice belying the dust storm inside. “Is it time?”

The crane adeptus sighs, but Morax still does not look back. “Return to Liyue Harbour, Rex Lapis,” Cloud Retainer says. “Your place is not here. You will not find neither shadow nor spirit here. She is not here. The dust has long settled.”

“I see,” he says calmly. That is another lie—he sees nothing.

“Then, will you return?” A-Ping asks. The Cleansing Bell at her side seem to chime in unison.

“I will. Leave me.” Morax pauses and remembers his manners, so he adds, “Please. I will follow. Just…” He takes a deep, shuddering breath. Neither Cloud Retainer nor A-Ping comment, and Morax finds himself grateful. “Let me make peace with this.”

“…All right, old friend. Let not the Lord of Contracts forget his own promises.” The ring of a bell, a gust of wind, and Morax finds himself alone once more.

He stares into the river, into its dark depths of adeptus blood. In Skybracer’s blood, is not Guizhong that stares back.

Instead, it is diamond yellow pupils, dark with ache and longing. It is a whirlpool of grief and yearning. While he has seen them both in her—the end, always at the end—it is not hers. It is his.

She is not here.

Morax closes his eyes. The edge between almost-here and not. Between dead and alive. She is so close, yet so far. He cannot close this gap. Geo cannot change its nature. He cannot bear the thought, nor the image of her distorted visage.

Still. It is her; what was left of it, at least.

Helpless, Morax open his eyes, slow and hesitant. Just one last peek, he tells himself. One last time, and he will burn her image into his mind and depart from this place for good. He will leave her to her permanent slumber.

With an even breath, Morax stares into the bloody waters of the Bishui River and for an infinitesimal second—

Guizhong stares back.

She smiles. It is the same curve of her lips, the same smile before she—

(In his memories, she laughs; in his memories, she smiles before dying.)

Morax, entranced, reaches out with one hand toward her. Wishes he could smooth the sadness in her eyes, as one would polish jade. But when he does, when he finally makes contact…

The water ripples.

The illusion shatters.

She leaves Morax staring into amber eyes of wonder. Of despair. Every feature is hers, but the eyes—they are his.

Morax finally stands, and Guizhong transmutes into Zhongli.

Zhongli looks at the moon. He then looks down at the river. Nothing appears. Nothing speaks.

So he leaves.

𒆙

After this, no matter how many search parties the Ministry of Civil Affairs would send, no one saw that riverside maiden ever again.

𒆙

Outtake:

The Traveller—the Outlander—offers Fate’s Yearning, and the statue pulses. Resonates. Glows.

“Oh!” The small fairy-child gasps, wings eagerly flapping. “What was that?”

“Looks like Rex Lapis really likes this perfume,” Lumine murmurs with a smile, knowing golden eyes glancing toward Zhongli.

Zhongli acknowledges the stare with a slight tilt of his head. She is more perceptive than she seems; her words appear soft, but her eyes are sharp. Cloaked in the scent of ozone and stars—Zhongli should not underestimate the traveller.

“Does that mean that Rex Lapis is actually an older lady?” The pixie child asks, eyes sparkling.

And Zhongli—he can’t help it. He laughs. The sound is deep and gentle. “Perhaps,” he says indulgingly, heart aching with the memories. “Perhaps.”

“Truly?” Lumine asks.

“Rex Lapis has taken on countless forms,” he allows. Let the traveller make of it what they will. “Perhaps that really was one of them.”

𒆙

And it was.

#guili #zhongli #guizhong #genshin impact #guiligardenweek #guili pain #all i know is suffering #all i know is pain #not on ao3 #lethe writes

[kc-art-stuff]

hello animatic again <3

#genshin impact #shenhe #yun jin #shenjin #fanart #my art #original art #digital art #wild crane lonely clouds #waaaaa guess who spedran this in two days HAJSDHFKASDF #i like bookmarking tiktok audios to use for shenjin animatics #i go insane for a while trying to finish the animatic

[apopcornkernel]

DON'T NEED MUCH CONVINCING

part 2 of wild crane, lonely clouds

Shenhe/Yun Jin, 1.3k, complete

When their new client’s representative told them who her target was, Director Han had refused immediately.

“No,” he’d said, flat. “The Yun-Han Troupe does not meddle in the affairs of the adepti.”

But Yun Jin, who’d been in the middle of combing her hair, had stared at the drawing they’d brought, an ink wash of a white-haired woman in crimson robes, with eyes like steel, and she’d made up her mind, right then and there.

“I’ll do it.”

Direct sequel to enchanted.

Yun Jin reports back to the Director of the Yun-Han Troupe. (+ how Yun Jin came to be at the General's manor.)

a collab with @kc-art-stuff <3 again, don’t forget to check out her tumblr for the art!!!!!!

#genshin impact #shenjin #shenhe #yun jin #yunjin #my fics #wild crane lonely clouds

[casxmorgan]

Books Books Books

100 Years of Solitude

11.22.63

120 Days of Sodom

1491

1984

A Brief History of Time

A Canticle for Leibowitz

A Child Called It

A Clockwork Orange

A Confederacy of Dunces

A History of the World in Ten and a Half Chapters

A Land Fit for Heroes Trilogy

A Little Life

A Naked Singularity

A People's History of the United States

A Scanner Darkly

A Series of Unfortunate Events

A Short History of Nearly Everything

A Song of Ice and Fire

A Storm of Swords

A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments

A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Walk in the Woods

A World Lit Only by Fire

Accursed Kings

Alice in Wonderland

All Quiet on the Western Front

All the Light We Cannot See

All the Pretty Horses

America, the Book

American Gods

American Psycho

And then There Were None

Angela’s Ashes

Animal Farm

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Anna Karenina

Anything Terry Pratchett, But, Mort is My Favorite

Anything Written by Robin Hobb

Apt Pupil

Artemis Fowl

Asimov's Guide to the Bible

Asoiaf

Atlas Shrugged

Bartimeaus

Batman: the Long Halloween

Battle Royale

Beat the Turtle Drum

Behind the Beautiful Forevers

Belgariad Series

Beloved

Berserk

Bestiario

Black Company

Blankets/habibi

Blind Faith

Blindness

Blood Meridian

Blood and Guts: a History of Surgery

Bluest Eye

Brandon Sanderson

Brave New World

Breakfast of Champions

Bridge to Terabithia

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: an Indian History of the American West

Calvin and Hobbs

Candide

Carrie

Cat's Cradle

Catch 22

Cats Cradle

Chaos

Child of God

Choke

Chuck Palahniuk

City of Ember

City of Thieves

Cloud

Collapse

Come Closer

Complaint

Confessions of a Mask

Contact

Conversation in the Cathedral

Cosmos

Crime and Punishment

Dan Brown

David

Dead Birds Singing

Dead Mountain: the Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident

Delta Venus

Die Räuber (the Robbers)

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

Don Quixote

Dragonlance

Dune

Dying of the Light

East of Eden

Educated

Empire of Sin: a Story of Sex, Jazz, Murder, and the Battle for Modern New Orleans

Enders Game

Enders Shadow

Escape from Camp 14

Ever Since Darwin

Every Man Dies Alone

Everybody Poops

Everything is Illuminated

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Fahrenheit 451

Far from the Madding Crowd

Faust

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson

Feet of Clay

Fight Club

First Law

Flowers for Algernon

Flowers in the Attic

Foundation

Foundation Series

Foundation Trilogy

Frankenstein

Freakonomics

Fun Home

Galapagos

Geek Love

Gerald’s Game

Ghost Story

Go Ask Alice

Go Dog Go

Godel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid

Goldfinch

Gone Girl

Gone with the Wind

Good Omens

Grapes of Wrath

Great Expectations

Greg Egan

Guards! Guards!

Guns Germs and Steel

Guts (short Story)

Half a World

Ham on Rye

Hannibal Rising

Hard Boiled Wonderland

Hatchet

Haunted

Hawaii

Heart Shaped Box

Heart of Darkness

Hellbound Heart

Hellraiser

Hell’s Angels

Helter Skelter

His Dark Materials

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Hogg

Holocaust by Bullets

House of Leaves

How to Cook for Fourty Humans

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Huckleberry Finn

Hyperion

I Am America, and So Can You

I Am the Messenger

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

I Was Dr. Mengele’s Assistant

In Cold Blood

In Search of Our Mother's Gardens

Independent People

Infinite Jest

Into Thin Air

Into the Wild

Introduction to Linear Algebra

Invisible Monsters

Ishmael

It

Jacques Le Fataliste

Jane Eyre

Jaunt

Job: a Comedy of Justice

John Dies at the End

John Grisham

Johnathan Livingston Seagull

Johnny Got His Gun

Jon Ronson

Journal of a Novel

Jurassic Park

Justine

L'histoire D'o

Lamb

Last Exit to Brooklyn

Les Miserables

Lies My Teacher Told Me

Life of Pi

Limits and Renewals

Little House in the Big Woods

Lockwood & Co.

Lolita

Looking for Trouble

Lord Foul’s Bane

Lord of the Flies

Lyddie

Malazan Book of the Fallen

Maldoror

Manufacturing Consent: the Political Economy of the Mass Media

Man’s Search for Meaning

Mark Twain’s Autobiography

Maus

Meditations

Megamorphs (series)

Mein Kampf

Memnooch the Devil

Metro 2033

Michael Crichton

Middlesex

Mindhunter

Misery

Mistborn

Moby Dick

Mrs. Dalloway

My Side of the Mountain

My Sweet Audrina

Nacht über Der Prärie (night over the Prairie)

Naked Lunch

Name of the Wind

Neuromancer

Never Let Me Go

Neverwhere

New York

Next

Night

Night Shift

Norwegian Wood

Notes from Underground

Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea

Of Mice and Men

Of Nightingales That Weep

Ohio

Old Mans War

Old Mother West Wind

On Heroes and Tombs

On Laughter and Forgetting

On the Road

One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest

One Hundred Years of Solitude

One of Us

Painted Bird

Patrick Rothfuss

Perfume: the Story of a Murderer

Persepolis

Pet Sematary

Peter Pan

Pillars of the Earth

Poisonwood Bible

Pride and Predjudice

Ready Player One

Rebecca

Red Mars

Red Night (series)

Red Shirts

Red Storm Rising

Redwall

Replay

Requiem for a Dream

Revenge

Riftwar Saga

Ringworld

Roald Dahl

Rolls of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Round Ireland with a Fridge

Running with Scissors

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

Sapiens, a Brief History of Humankind

Scary Stories to Read in the Dark

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Schindler’s List

Sein Und Zeit

Shades of Grey

Sharp Objects

Shattered Dreams

Sherlock Holmes

Sho-gun

Siddhartha

Sisypho

Skin and Other Stories

Slaughterhouse Five

Smoke & Mirrors

Snow Crash

Soldier Son

Sometimes a Great Notion

Sphere

Starship Troopers

Stiff, the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Storied Life of A.j. Fikry

Stormlight Archives

Story of the Eye

Stranger in a Strange Land

Surely, You're Joking

Survivor Type (short Story)

Suttree

Swan Song

Tale of Two Cities

Tales of the South Pacific

The Alchemist

The Altered Carbon Trilogy

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

The Art of Deception

The Art of Fielding

The Art of War

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation

The Autobiography of Henry Viii

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

The Beach

The Bell Jar

The Bible

The Bloody Chamber

The Book Thief

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brothers Karamazov

The Call of Cthulu and Other Weird Stories

The Cask of Amontillado (short Story)

The Catcher in the Rye

The Chronicles of Narnia

The Clown

The Color out of Space

The Communist Manifesto

The Complete Fiction of H.p. Lovecraft

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

The Dagger and the Coin

The Damage Done

The Dark Tower

The Declaration of Independence, the Us Constitution, and the Bill of Rights

The Devil in the White City

The Dharma Bums

The Diamond Age

The Dice Man

The Discworld Series

The Dresden Files

The Elegant Universe

The First Law Trilogy

The Forever War

The Foundation Trilogy

The Gentleman Bastard Sequence

The Geography of Nowhere

The Girl Next Door

The Girl on the Milk Carton

The Giver

The Giving Tree

The God of Small Things

The Grapes of Wrath

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gilly Hopkins

The Hagakure

The Half a World Trilogy

The Handmaid’s Tale

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

The Hiding Place

The History of Love

The Hobbit

The Hot Zone

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hyperion Cantos

The Jaunt

The Jungle

The Key to Midnight

The Killing Star

The Kingkiller Chronicles

The Kite Runner

The Last Question (short Story)

The Lies of Lock Lamora

The Little Prince

The Long Walk

The Lord of the Rings

The Lottery (short Story)

The Lovely Bones

The Magicians

The Magus

The Martian

The Master and Margarita

The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect

The Monster at the End of This Book

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

The Music of Eric Zahn (short Story)

The Name of the Wind & the Wise Man's Fear

The Necronomicon

The New Age of Adventure: Ten Years of Great Writing

The Night Circus

The Nightmare Box

The Odyssey

The Omnivore's Dilemma

The Orphan Master’s Son

The Outsiders

The Painted Bird

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Phantom Tollbooth

The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Pit and the Pendulum

The Plague

The Prince

The Prince of Tides

The Princess Bride

The Prophet

The Queen’s Gambit

The Rape of Nanking

The Red Dwarf

The Republic

The Rifter Saga

The Road

The Satanic Verses

The Screwtape Letters

The Secret History

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel

The Selfish Gene

The Shining

The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer

The Silmarillion

The Sirens of Titan

The Six Wives of Henry the 8th

The Solitude of Prime Numbers

The Speaker of the Dead

The Stars My Destination

The Stormlight Archive

The Story of My Tits

The Stranger

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck

The Suspicions of Mr. Witcher

The Tao of Pooh

The Things They Carried

The Time Machine

The Time Traveller’s Wife

The Tin Drum

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green

The Wasp Factory

The Wind Up Bird Chronicle

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle

The World According to Garp

The Yellow Wallpaper

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Things Fall Apart

Thirsty

This Blinding Absence of Light

Tiger!

Time Enough for Love

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Say Nothing of the Dog

Toni Morrison

Too Many Magicians

Traumnovelle

Tuesdays with Morrie

Tuf Voyaging

Undeniable

Under Plum Lake

Universe in a Nutshell

Unwind

Uzumaki

Various

Village Life in Late Tsarist Russia

Walden

War & Peace

War and Peace

Warriors: Bluestar’s Prophecy

Watchers

Water for Elephants

Watership Down

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Wheel of Time

When Rabbit Howls

Where the Red Fern Grows

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Why I Am Not a Christian

Why People Believe Weird Things

Wizards First Rule

Wool

World War Z

Worm

Wuthering Heights

You Can Choose to Be Happy

Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

#some of these are fucked up #but #all the better

[damienthepious]

this bitch a long one. this week’s other LKT offering! horny yearning via lyrically specific music.

heart beats best (the playlist)

[spotify] [the actual fic]

01. Showyourself - Montaigne // 02. Do I Wanna Know? - CHVRCHES // 03. Stay With Me - Better Love // 04. Crane Your Neck - Lady Lamb // 05. Bad Ideas - Tessa Violet // 06. No Face - Haley Heynderickx // 07. Monster - dodie // 08. Drive Slow - ADDIE // 09. The Thunder Answered Back - Gabby’s World // 10. Mezzanine - Lady Lamb // 11. The Moon Will Sing - The Crane Wives // 12. Company - Daisy the Great // 13. Distractions - Wild Painting // 14. R U Mine? - Ratwyfe // 15. Choices - To Kill A King // 16. 1996 - Wild Child // 17. Honeydew - Small Talks // 18. Lost - Liza Anne // 19. Waiting on a Ghost - Left at London // 20. Moon Song - Phoebe Bridgers // 21. Rearview - Beach Bunny // 22. Vacation Home - Whitehall // 23. You Are the Apple - Lady Lamb // 24. Baby No More (acoustic) - Anjimile // 25. Things We Never Say - Bad Bad Hat // 26. midnight love - girl in red // 27. Please You - Montaigne // 28. His Hands - Blegh // 29. Bottles - Little Image

[lyrics breakdown under the cut because i’m! a disaster. and this is a long ass playlist and i have thoughts about every single song. i think i was kidding myself to think this would be less effort than just Writing. Subject to future change when i find yet more songs that suit this frickin story. there’s lots!!!]

01. Showyourself - Montaigne - Show yourself, shadow, I'm lonely / Show yourself / I don't know how to take care of me alone

02. Do I Wanna Know? - CHVRCHES - So have you got the guts? / Been wondering if your heart's still open / And if so, I wanna know what time it shuts / Simmer down and pucker up / I'm sorry to interrupt, it's just I'm constantly on the cusp / Of trying to kiss you / And I don't know if you feel the same as I do / We could be together if you wanted to

03. Stay With Me - Better Love - Come stay with me another night / Don't overthink / Oh, I know I just met you / But you're clouding all my dreams / Go on and set me free / I wanna see you tomorrow / Are you thinking of me?

04. Crane Your Neck - Lady Lamb - We ripped off all our clothes and this included all our jewelry / And we ran hand in hand back when you brought out the beast in me / The parts that are dormant, I wish to set them free / And in the clarity of this night I make myself believe I can sleep easily alone

05. Bad Ideas - Tessa Violet - I don't know what compels me / To do the very thing that fells me / I wake up, still high on you / But by the night, I'm crashing through, so

06. No Face - Haley Heynderickx - Tell me what's wrong here / Is it the bridge of my nose / Or the backs of my skin / Is it the pull of my hips / That you couldn't let in

07. Monster - dodie - So maybe I will talk to you / The only way I know how to / Mhm, you've said your speech / Mhm, through sharpened teeth / You break the rules and spikes grow from your skin

08. Drive Slow - ADDIE - The rush that I feel when / Our hands are intertwined / We're always together / It kills me that you aren't mine

09. The Thunder Answered Back - Gabby’s World - So here I sit, I've come to rest some weight upon your little chest / You free-for-all, you wrecking ball / Hovering next to your bed, to lay waste to your healthy head / You spider web, you dance of death

10. Mezzanine - Lady Lamb - How I ache, I ache in the pit of me / I awake, awake with this fear in me / How it makes, makes a fool out of me / With its knife how it carves the seeds out of my heart / For to plant in the soil for to feast 

11. The Moon Will Sing - The Crane Wives - We could have been anywhere, anywhere else / Instead I made a bed with apathy / My heart knew the weight / Ten years worth of dust and neglect / We made our peace with weariness / And let it be

12. Company - Daisy the Great - Tell me the truth if the truth means I'm better / Than I am in my head (I am in my head) / I hate what I want because I can't have it / I want your company

13. Distractions - Wild Painting - I'm here lyin next to you / In my mind, you're all that I really want / Claws and the marks on my favorite shirt / Got me feeling the motions, I didn't know / I had for you, you thought you knew / But you didn't / And I didn't at all

14. R U Mine? - Ratwyfe - Looking into your moonlit eyes / You look so enchanting tonight / I get scared when I see your face / ‘Cause I don’t know why you would ever stay

15. Choices - To Kill A King - He's on your doorstep / He's laden with flowers / This garden is freezing, teasing / You're leaving me for hours

16. 1996 - Wild Child - Sometimes it's more than I can take / I try to hold on 'cause I always run away / Just want to see you at the end of every day / Guess if I lose, I'll love you anyways

17. Honeydew - Small Talks - Honeydew / Don’t take it personal cause I love you too / But not the way you want me / I adore you, but not the way you want me to

18. Lost - Liza Anne - I'll be lost if I love him, lost if I won't / And I can't muster up the courage to say it's best that I leave / I can't muster up much of anything when I'm feeling you breathe

19. Waiting on a Ghost - Left at London - I was in love, I couldn't stand you / I could move on, I never planned to / Now I'm in the kitchen just making a meal you won't eat / And cooking exhausts me but I thought I'd try to be sweet

20. Moon Song - Phoebe Bridgers - You couldn't have / Stuck your tongue down the throat of somebody / Who loves you more / So I will wait for the next time you want me / Like a dog with a bird at your door  

21. Rearview - Beach Bunny - Underneath all apathy / You're woven into my tapestry / Did you ever love me at all? / Sometimes I start to lose control

22. Vacation Home - Whitehall - Sometimes, I feel like I'm a house / By the shore, oh I don't wanna be / Some kind of resort for you when you get bored / You know me, I'd rather be / Some place where you can feel happy

23. You Are the Apple - Lady Lamb - You devoured my heart / You devoured my heart like it was strawberry cake at a birthday celebration / But I still need your love / I still need your love / I need your love / I need your love / Yeah, yeah, yeah / I still need your teeth around my organs

24. Baby No More (acoustic) - Anjimile - Am I / Not supposed to hurt you? / Am I / Not supposed to make you cry? / Damn, I / I just don't know good loving / The right way

25. Things We Never Say - Bad Bad Hat - Wish I knew what you were thinking when you kissed me on the floor / But I’m not sorry that I let you, or that we did this whole thing wrong / And I never say I love you, but I meant it all along

26. midnight love - girl in red - I hope that the right time one day arrives / So I'll be willing to let this die / Able to look you right in the eyes / Say I'm not your consolation prize

27. Please You - Montaigne - I'm going to sit here in the dark / And hope one day I make my mark on you, it's all I long to do / I belong to me and to my heart / I hope one day that I can stop, can stop, can stop / Trying to please you

28. His Hands - Blegh - You're too real for me / You should go to something better / I'll give you to someone better / I have friends that'll be on earth for longer / I have friends that won't feel like monsters

29. Bottles - Little Image - I loved you, I loved you / Woah-oh / Did you love me? Did you ever love me? // Or anything anymore? / You bottle your love so tightly

#elle's playlists #heart beats best

[alolowrites]

The Nightly Adventures of a Lost Shopper

Summary: Getting lost at night is one thing. But stumbling upon some crazy beating in a musty back alley? Yeah, no thanks. 

Author’s Note: Soooooo, it’s almost been a month since my last story 😅 Work life and gym life really are keeping me busy. Anyways, I was inspired by a prompt I saw on Tumblr and like always, I had to run with this stupid idea lmao.  Please enjoy! 

Genre: Mafia!AU (if you squint lol) Warnings: Mentions of blood (just a smudge really); reader having no self-control when it comes to grocery shopping loll  Word Count: 1.6K+

You stand underneath a flickering streetlight, swiveling your head left and right as though you’re checking for some car to drive by. Everything is so eerily quiet that a squeaky noise makes you jump on the spot. You crane your neck up and sigh—it’s just a lonely traffic light swinging mindlessly in the breeze.

The yellow light blinks nonstop, unaware if it’s broken or maybe it does, and the thing really doesn’t care anymore. You don’t blame the poor traffic light; the streets are more dead than a groundskeeper working the midnight shift at the local cemetery. At least the worker knows where they are.

You, on the other hand, don’t and admit defeat. “Damnit, I’m lost.”

A hiss escapes your lips, and you grip the grocery bags that weigh like a stack of bricks. In hindsight, you should have created a shopping list. There’s a reason why you can’t be trusted with buying your groceries without some plan. Now you’re standing at an empty corner all alone in the middle of nowhere, dealing with two screaming arms and muttering a curse at your dead phone with the awful battery life.

“Alright, let’s just go this way,” you mutter and trudge forward, praying that your bags don’t tear open. You can only handle one problem at a time. Yet, your life is anything but simple. The universe always has something up its sleeve for you, just waiting for the right moment to strike.

Your bags might be intact, and there aren’t any dark clouds threatening to rain on your parade, but you do hear loud grunts in the far distance. They cut through the deafening silence almost instantly. You quirk an eyebrow and waddle closer, curiosity getting the best of you.  

Big mistake.

In front of you is a man screaming in agony, crouched over as he endures powerful punches from the red beast towering over him. The blows never stop, each one more brutal and vicious than the last. No shred of mercy given despite the desperate pleads howling into the deep night. You watch helplessly as the final punch is thrown. The sheer force alone breaks the man’s ribs so hard that a sharp pop echoes throughout the narrow alley.

The red-haired guy tugs his personal punching bag and growls, “You ready to talk now?”

“Yes-s.”

“Good, so where’s the money you owe us?”

“At a secret hideout,” he rasps, blood dripping out his swollen mouth. “I-I can take you there a-and give you the money-y. I promise!”

He gets dropped like an old sack. “Drag him to the car.”

“Got it, Big Red.”

Said man finally turns around, and your heart stops. His bright red eyes land on you, blinking in surprise. You stare back at him, wondering if you can just crawl into the disgusting dumpster and hide there. But you don’t move a muscle nor say a word, too shocked at what you’ve just witnessed.

Oh my god, am I an accomplice? You grip the bags tighter in your hands, and his eyes glance at them before looking at you again. Eventually, you mentally slap yourself out of your stupor, blurting out the first thing on your mind.

“I’m sorry!” You stumble backward, legs shaking for dear life. “I-I didn’t see anything! I’m just—gah!”

You spin on your heel, wobbling out of there before who knows what could happen to you. Getting lost at night is one thing. But stumbling upon some crazy beating in a musty back alley? Yeah, no thanks.

“Hey, wait!”

You freeze at the sound of his voice—it’s rough and commanding but not too intimidating. His footsteps falter, and you quietly count to ten before turning around, your bags rustling behind your legs. The man (Big Red was it?) stares at you, almost like he’s figuring out where you fit in this bizarre puzzle he’s trying to solve.

Meanwhile, your eyes bounce between him and the barely conscious punching bag that’s being dragged to the black SUV, leaving a trail of red droplets in its wake. You swallow a tiny gulp; this is all too much.  

“Listen, I swear I didn’t see anything,” you exclaim, jumping on the defense. Seconds later, you wince at your mistake. “Okay, that’s a lie, b-but I promise I won’t say a word! I mean, not like I can call the cops on you since my phone is dead—”

“Huh? Wait a sec—”

“—which is honestly terrible since I’m lost! Do you know how long I’ve been walking all night? I’ll tell you: an eternity! And my arms feel like they’re about to fall apart any second now because these bags,” you shake them like a pair of maracas, “ are heavy!”

“Hey—”

At this point, you start airing out all your grievances in one go.

“I think there’s a pebble inside my left shoe, rolling around like it owns the place. My house keys keep pinching me against my hip, and one of my shoelaces feels so loose that it’s probably untied, waiting for me to trip.” Suddenly, the stress becomes overwhelming that your lips quiver. “It’s super late right now. I’m all alone and scared and—and,” you thrash the bags while wailing, “and my ice cream is melting!”

You inhale sharply like a person reaching the water’s surface after a deep dive. Your face is flushed, and your heart beats a mile per second, the adrenaline soaring through your veins as you finish your explosive rant. Eventually, you calm down and remember who is standing in front of you. Big Red looks on in astonishment, his mouth gaping like a fish.

...I can’t believe I just did that.

“Oh, god. I...I-I’m sorry,” you stammer, ducking your head and closing your eyes as a feeble attempt to protect yourself. “Please don’t hurt me!”

“Hurt you?” You bravely peek at Big Red, who sports a concerned look. He cautiously steps forward with his hands raised. “I don’t wanna hurt you, trust me.”

You snap your head up in disbelief. “Y-You don’t?”

“Of course not,” he says, giving you a gentle smile that washes some of your fears away. Big Red takes another step closer. “Why would you think that I’d hurt you?”

You give him a ridiculous stare. “No offense, but you did beat up that guy into a bloody pulp; I’m pretty sure he has no ribs left.”

Big Red laughs, catching you off guard. He jerks his thumb at the parked car and gives you a lopsided grin. “Oh, him? He’s just business. I would never harm an innocent civilian, though. It’s part of the code.”

“Part of the code?” You scrunch your eyebrows. Then it hits you. “Oh...Ohhh.”

Everything makes sense now. The suspicious, burly men with fancy suits. The rather gruesome violence in a random yet bare alleyway. The vague demand for money that’s owed. Yup, you walked into an unfortunate episode with the mafia; just your luck. You raise one finger, mouth ready to say something but then decide against it.

Big Red notices your hesitation, scratching behind his neck like a guilty puppy. “Look, I’m sorry you had to see that. I didn’t mean to scare ya’ with all the blood and violence and, well, you know…” He laughs awkwardly, making the corners of your lips quirk.

His voice is so soft and gentle that your breath hitches. It’s unbelievable that this is the same man who was growling like a wild beast before. The memory fades away as you judge his words, realizing that there isn’t any malicious intent behind them; he is honest and sincere.

Perhaps Big Red is right—maybe he won’t hurt you. If he did, he would have done it by now. Instead, he flashes a friendly grin that brightens the entire block, unlike those deadbeat street lights. The grin alone is enough to make you relax and crack a small smile at him.

“Alrighty then,” you hum, tapping one finger on your grocery bag that miraculously hasn’t broken yet. Stepping back, you start making your exit. “I guess I’ll leave you to finish your, um, business.”

“Whoa, hold on!” Big Red squeezes your shoulder, stopping you mid-way. Without warning, he tugs the bags out of your grasp. You jump as his massive hands momentarily brush along your skin, making you fumble over your words like an idiot. Big Red then shouts over his shoulder to his buddies. “Go on without me, guys. I gotta help this sweet peanut here get back home.”

Your eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets. Sweet peanut? Get back home? Him carrying your grocery bags?

“Please, you really don’t need to—”

“I want to,” he cuts you off, his warm eyes and boyish grin leaving you speechless. Big Red adjusts the bags without breaking a single sweat. “Listen, you’ve been through a lot tonight; let me take you back home.”

You gawk at him. “Are you sure?”

“Yup!” He puffs out his chest and gives you a wink. “Besides, you won’t be scared or alone when you’re with me.”

Well, you can’t argue with that.

“I guess I won’t,” you chuckle, bowing your head slightly. “Thank you, Big Red.”

“Kirishima.”

“What?”

“My name is Kirishima,” he repeats, a blush creeping on his cheeks. “But-t Big Red is fine, too.”

You share your name and cheekily joke, “But Sweet Peanut is fine, too.”

Kirishima’s face lights up like the stars scattered across the night sky, absolutely smitten with you to the bone. He purposefully takes the longest route back to your house, hoping to spend as much time with you as possible. Luckily, you don’t mind—he is charming and sweet.

Guess it wasn’t so bad getting lost after all.

As always, thanks for reading! 

#kirishima eijirou x reader #kirishima x reader #bnha x reader #bnha imagines #kirishima eijirou