Chapter Text
Macaque groaned, he woke up with a headache that wasn’t going away. He refused to believe he was sick, he was just tired. The sun was also too bright, and he just happened to have a headache because of how loud everything was.
Definitely not sick.
Macaque took careful steps over large tree roots since relaxing on a tree branch wasn’t an option, he’d also been having balance issues this morning. He took to wandering around Flower Fruit Mountain’s lush greenery trying to get to as far away from any noise as he could. He heard Wukong hanging around near where he fell asleep last night, it was probably better not to get him involved.
It’s not Wukong would want to help him anyway. Probably just make a joke at Macaque’s expense and go off to do his own thing.
“HEY MACAQUE!! WHERE ARE YOOOUUU?”
Macaque winced and kept moving. Macaque knew the best way to get Wukong quiet was to give him attention, but he didn’t have the energy to spare today. With every step he took he found himself getting dizzier and a little more lost.
Which way was he going again…?
“Macaaaquuee…. Yo! You around bud??”
Macaque whipped his head around.
Wukong?? Why was he looking for him?
He had to get out of here.
“Macaque!!”
Macaque portaled himself to a different part of the island.
Some more time went by and Macaque no longer heard Wukong so close by. Things were ok, but he felt way too dizzy now. He needed to stop and rest for a second. Sitting on the ground, Macaque leaned back against a rock panting.
Despite how cold he usually ran, he felt like he was boiling.
“That’s not good…”
Macaque weakly pawed at the scarf around his neck, yanking it off and shivering when the cool air hit his exposed neck.
Macaque decided to just rest his eyes for a moment.
He must have nodded off because when Macaque opened his eyes again the sun was lower and was now beaming down directly on him. He was much warmer now, and he had a headache.
He needed some water.
Macaque got up and walked in a direction where he heard rushing water, eventually making it to a stream from a waterfall. He crouched down and cupped his hands in the water and brought them to his lips to drink. Macaque noted how sweet it tasted and drank greedily. Macaque had to pause when his belly felt too full, drinking that fast was probably a bad idea.
Macaque stood on shaky legs and went off to search for a new spot to rest, one with more shade.
Macaque didn’t get very far when he heard bushes rustling. Hearing his own heart race he slowly backed away.
A small white monkey sprang out of the bush and Macaque let out a shout of fear and fell on his butt.
“AAAH!-Don’t do that!”
The monkey screeched and chirped in response.
Putting a hand on his chest to settle his heart Macaque started hearing things, footsteps, loud ones then they suddenly stopped. Or maybe he couldn’t focus enough to hear them anymore. His head felt too heavy and his heartbeat was loudly booming in his ears, he was surrounded.
Macaque took off through some bushes hoping his erratic path would make him difficult to follow. He wasn’t fully sure why he had to run, but every instinct in his mind was screaming at him to get away and hide.
He eventually found himself trapped in a corner, he didn’t dare turn around but he could feel what he was running from hovering right behind him.
“Take it easy, it’s me. I’m not going to hurt you…”
“No! Get away from me!”
Macaque swiped at the figure and in all the confusion opened up another portal beneath his feet and he sank into nothing.
“Whoa!”
“Macaque!”
One second Macaque was dropping through the air, then he collided with something hard a tree branch maybe. Then he was falling again and hit another branch, this time with a loud cry of pain. His body slid off this branch and dropped to the ground with a broken whimper. Now his head was throbbing and everything else was spinning.
Macaque tried to push himself up but lacked the strength to even do that. Macaque fell back to the ground panting. He was too tired, and in too much pain, to do much else but lie there. Maybe a small nap wouldn’t hurt, at least that's what he told himself as he drifted off.