Chapter Text
Kung Lao was ditching his chores again, nothing new there. What was new was that he had decided to hide in the long grass outside of the Shaolin Temple, the grass that he was supposed to be cutting. Normally Lao hid somewhere like the pantry or the library, places where he had easy access to food or where he could have a nap without anyone noticing. It was especially easy to dodge his chores for today because Liu Kang was busy with Raiden’s visit and wouldn’t have the time to chase him down for being lazy. Lao lay in the tall, dry summer grass, nibbling on a vegetable dumpling that he had swiped from the kitchen. Ironically, his friendship with Liu Kang meant very few other monks in the Temple were comfortable in confronting Lao, so he could largely get away with whatever he liked, including taking extra food. But he didn’t want to take the chance that Kang, or even worse, Raiden, might catch him slacking off, so in the grass he remained.
The summer months meant a lot of things for the Shaolin Temple. It meant that meals and snacks were more frequent and less fires would need to be prepped. For Kung Lao, this meant more bugs flying in his face, eager to catch a crumb of his dumpling. Swatting them away with his arm, Lao cursed quietly, all this nature wasn’t helping him hide away. Deciding that he could no longer take the buzzing around his face, he crawled towards the edge of the grass, which overlooked a small, wooded glade. Shaolin beliefs stated that only the necessities should be taken from nature and even in desperation should never be taken in excess. So many of the lands surrounding the Temple were havens for local wildlife, annoying bugs included. Lao was sure he wouldn’t disturb any animals, though he was starting to feel like a lioness creeping through the long grass.
You were unaware of how close you were to the Shaolin Temple; the monks were rather secretive and it wasn’t marked on any maps you had. You had it on good authority that it was somewhere nearby, but you hadn’t noticed any sign of human activity. Thankfully, your ability to turn into animals meant that you could blend in perfectly if you chose to. It was your habit to travel around the countryside living off of the land around you, subsisting on berries, wild wheats and meat that you hunted. Due to your distance from ‘modern’ society, clean water for drinking and bathing was never hard to find, especially in the mountains. It so happened that you had just finished bathing and had gone towards a wooded glade to dry off. Some people may frown upon being naked in the woods, but in your relative isolation, it was perfectly natural. What wasn’t natural was the rustling you heard from the nearby long grass, alongside the tell-tale sign of birds flying in the opposite direction. Fuck, you couldn’t see what it was, you start to panic. To hide your naked humanoid presence, you quickly changed into a rabbit. You remained stock-still and hoped that a predator wasn’t sneaking towards you.
When Lao stuck his head out of the grass, he managed to finally finish off the last of his dumpling in peace. As he finished, he glanced around the little glade, before spotting a rabbit looking directly at him. Strange, normally a rabbit would’ve run away by now. “Hello!” he says, around a mouth full of dumpling, giving a little wave. The rabbit remained motionless; Lao might’ve thought it was dead if it wasn’t blinking. Poor little thing must be frightened, Lao thought, sitting up onto his knees. For a few minutes a pregnant silence fell between Lao and this rabbit as they looked at each other. With his curiosity getting the better of him, Lao shuffled towards the rabbit. When he was within arm’s reach, he paused again. The rabbit did not move, but seemed to be shaking slightly. Gently, Lao reached his hand out and delicately brushed along the rabbit’s fur. The shaking stopped. Lao peered down at the rabbit once more, “You’re a very brave little rabbit, friend. Your fur is so very soft!” he said in a high-pitched voice. The stroking continued for a while longer.
You had no idea where this interaction was going, however you did not expect this strange man to be petting you. Perhaps it wasn’t too late to run away, you were starting to feel awkward. Before you could plot your escape, the man scooped you up into his arms, petting you all the while. “I wonder if you’re a girl rabbit or a boy rabbit?” Lao says as he lifts you up and squints between your back legs. “Hmmm,” he says after some time “I have no idea. Maybe I’ll call you Mr Rabbit regardless!” he places you back in his lap, cradling you with one arm and stroking you with the other. Now feeling slightly violated, you think it may be time to bite this guy and make your escape. Before your little front teeth could render flesh, you were quickly scooped up into his chest. “I’m gonna take you to see my friends!” Lao says excitedly.
You perk your long ears up as your monocular eyes darted around wildly. As what must be the Shaolin Temple comes into sight, you think to yourself that this situation can’t get any worse. Kung Lao carries you through the grand entrance, before scurrying down some hallways and entering a solemn meeting room. Inside the room was what appeared to be another monk chatting to a cloaked figure which didn’t seem to be of this world. They both turn towards the man holding you, without noticing your presence.
“Kung Lao? What is it? Is it important?” Liu Kang says, standing up. The cloaked figure also stands, revealing a glowing set of white eyes under his broad hat.
“Look what I found,” Lao responds, gesturing to you in his arms as he pets you “This rabbit is so friendly, I’m convinced it’s used to being around humans. Perhaps it’s a pet that escaped! Please, we must keep it!” Lao begged.
Liu Kang throws an apologetic glance at the glowing-eyed man, before turning back to Kung Lao “Where did you find it?” he says with a tone that implies he’ll regret asking.
“In the glade beyond the grass. But c’mon! Look at it, isn’t it cute! I named it Mr Rabbit.” Kung Lao said, holding you out in front of him for the others to get a better look.
Liu Kang gently offers the back of his hand for your twitchy little nose to sniff, before going to give your head a rub. “It is a very cute rabbit” Liu Kang sighs in defeat as he continues petting you.
But the glowing-eyed man regards you with a concerning amount of interest, like he sees right through your rabbit-disguise. “I believe Mr Rabbit would be a fine addition to the Shaolin Temple, more than we may yet realise.” He spoke with a deep voice echoing some kind of divine reverb. Oh no, the man must be some kind of god.
“Lord Raiden?” both Lao and Kang turn to him in confusion.
“I shall leave you two with our newest guest, I suggest you make Mr Rabbit comfortable for the time being.” Raiden advises as he steps out of the room an vanishes down the hallway.
As Kung Lao and Liu Kang exchange looks, you realise that the god Raiden expects you to come out of hiding in some form or another. Well, perhaps your days of hiding have come to an end. After all, what kind of rabbit would turn down a god?