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"Monkey King!"
At his successor's call, Wukong turned out to the cliff-side and bent his knees. Digging the soles of his boots into the dirt, he braced himself for impact.
After leaping from a cloud, MK briefly slid across the ground before running into Wukong's waiting arms.
"Kid!" The king spun MK and laughed, "Nice landing! You've really got this whole cloud somersault thing down."
His student beamed at the praise as he was set on stable ground. "I've been practicing—Look!" Then, cupping his hands, he created a small cloud. A puff of wind magic swirled between his palms, dancing across his fingers. Wispy vapor weaved between the digits, and MK easily manipulated the concentrated energy around his hands before it settled around his wrists. The clouds orbited his wrists like bracelets of fog.
"I'm trying to convince Pigsy to let me summon clouds for deliveries. Think of the traffic I could beat if I could just fly everywhere!" Then, just as easily as he'd summoned it, MK dispersed the magic as he continued thinking out loud.
"Now that everyone has some kind of magic anyway, he should just let me." MK nodded to himself, putting a hand on his chin, "It's not like people didn't know about magic stuff before!"
"Pigsy doesn't let you use magic?" Wukong asked. He knew Pigsy wasn't a fan of all the magic, demons, and destiny that came with being Wukong's successor, but didn't think it was that big of an issue.
MK sighed and nodded again.
"Yeah, he's all worried I'll fly myself into the side of a building or delivery drone. But I haven't! At least, not recently!"
Monkey King mirrored the nod, then started the path down the cliff-side with a flick of his tail for MK to follow. Instead of their usual training today, he had different plans for MK's visit.
"Bud, I think he's just worried about you, period." Wukong started, "Can't really blame him after the last time we all saw you ride Nimbus."
MK grimaced at the memory, "I guess."
The last time anybody saw MK properly ride the clouds was when he'd planned to sacrifice himself in the Pillar of Heaven. Monkey King had a point there.
"But it worked out in the end. There's no more world-ending stuff, and this is just like, normal mystic monkey business instead of the crazy destiny stuff!" MK crossed his arms as he followed Monkey King into the trees.
He knew it would take more than time for things to feel normal. Everything that happened before the Pillar of Heaven collapsed still didn't feel normal.
As the pair walked the forest path, a few of the mountain's monkeys joined them. Multiple monkeys leapt from the tree branches directly onto the king, and one lucky monkey landed on his head. Small hands clung to the Great Sage's clothes, hanging off his shoulders and back. Even smaller fingers threaded between the locks of his auburn fur where it wasn't covered by cloth.
MK always thought those little fingers probably hurt pulling on Monkey King's fur, but the first time one of the monkeys decided he could be its perch, he was surprised that they were actually pretty careful.
Two monkeys clung to the student now. One hung off his chest, under his jacket, and the other sat in the hood hanging over his back. That one was combing through his wind-tousled hair, grooming and smoothing it down as they walked.
After a half-shift at Pigsy's, the delivery boy delivered himself to Flower Fruit Mountain as fast as the clouds could carry him. He liked his job, but training under Monkey King was objectively more entertaining than driving around the city delivering noodles all day.
"We're lucky it worked out that way." Monkey King's tone took on a sudden serious edge, "Everyone was worried about you, y'know."
Guilt swept through MK. He knew he should've spoken up once he realized the true purpose of the Color Stones, but he was struggling with admitting what it meant. Even now, the (ex-?) Harbinger struggled to accept he didn't need to do everything himself.
MK didn't respond with more than a meek nod, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets.
"Macaque told me, before we knew about the Pillar of Heaven," Wukong filled the silence, "That I should make sure you know it's not all on you."
Summers on the mountain were more comfortable than in the city. A breeze always seemed to flow across the land, staving off the worst of the heat and breathing sea salt between the trees. Sunlight dappled through the canopy, flecks of yellow scattering across the forest's path.
If he focused hard enough, MK could hear the river carving its path to the ocean.
"You know, I'm still figuring out this mentoring thing. But I should've told you that way before Macaque ever said anything. I'm sorry."
Discomfort continued to fill MK's chest. Monkey King shouldn't be the one feeling responsible for what happened at the Pillar. His successor was the one who decided to go off on his own, even going so far as to use the new circlet against him.
The path beneath MK's feet was compact and smooth. A few tree roots peeked into the edges of the ground, but the wide space between the trees, where centuries of walking made a trail, was free of any hazards. MK wondered if Monkey King kept the paths clear himself, moving any rocks and branches out of the way, or if it was part of the magic that flowed through the mountain.
"Hello? Earth to MK?" the auburn monkey tilted his head into MK's field of view. He didn't realize he'd stopped walking, staring at the dirt while Monkey King continued down the path.
"Yeah," He mumbled, eyes still trained on the ground, "wasn't your fault, though."
"Wasn't yours either, bud." Monkey King tilted MK's head up with a hand under his chin, meeting his eyes. "You did what you thought you had to. I get it."
Recently, Monkey King started dropping some of his glamours around the mountain. He still wore them when he was in the city, but at his home, MK could see some of the fatigue his mentor tried to keep hidden. He was careful not to let the monkeys see the worst of his injuries, ones MK knew about but likely would never see either. The Monkey King's bright orange fur was really more of a dull auburn now; pied white and cream broke up the deep, warm color. MK's current theory was that the discoloration might have come from the Lady Bone Demon's magic.
Sometimes, MK could see the barest hint of scarring at the edge of Monkey King's scalp where the original circlet dug into his skin.
"You don't have to make my same mistakes." His mentor took a step back, then started walking with his back turned down the path, "So, today we're not training!"
MK raised an eyebrow. "You don't want me to mess up… so we're not training? Sounds counterproductive."
"Okay, smartie kid." Monkey King's grin fell, and he again mirrored MK with a raised brow of his own, "We're not doing combat training. Since I'm such an amazing mentor, you're getting a day off training with the staff. Relax—Take a load off! You've earned it."
Uh-huh, sure. More like Monkey King didn't have a real plan for training today.
"Monkey King, I can relax back home. I don't need to be here to get a day free from training."
Still walking backwards, he crossed his arms, "Sure. But a day off on the mountain is totally different than in Megapolis. There's still so much you haven't been able to see between lessons!"
Suddenly, the king turned. Instead of continuing down the main path, he broke off into a run down a smaller path to his right.
"Try to keep up!" He hollered, kicking up dust behind him.
"Wha—Hey! Wait!" MK zipped up his jacket before taking off, securing the smaller monkey that clung to his t-shirt. The monkey in his hood held tight to his hair as he ran, "I thought I was supposed to relax!"
"This is relaxing!" Monkey King's voice boomed from somewhere deep in the trees.
MK laughed as he pushed himself to run as fast as he could. Despite barely making sharp corners and stumbling over his own feet to duck under lower-hanging branches, he made quick headway, catching up to his mentor.
Right as MK reached to grab either billowing end of Monkey King's scarf, he leapt into a tree.
Skidding to a stop, MK turned and scanned the branches. The two monkeys in his jacket scrambled, squealing as they leapt from his shoulders into the canopy.
"Sorry!" He called out to them. Leaning forward with his hands on his knees, MK panted as he caught his breath from the sudden sprint, eyes still trained above him.
Monkey King must have transformed before MK turned around, since he wasn't anywhere to be found.
"Two can play at that game, Monkey King!" Stretching his arms above his head and shaking his head, MK turned himself into a bird, then darted up into the leaves.
Flying between the branches, MK again tried to find Monkey King. He listened closely for any movement that couldn't come from one of the island's monkeys.
…
Then, to his left, something rustled in the leaves.
Gotcha!
Locked on his target, MK shot off. As he broke through the foliage, he transformed into a leopard cat, landing in the branches below, only to catch a few orange tail feathers between his paws as Monkey King flew out of his grasp.
"Close!" His mentor taunted, before dropping to the ground, turning into a rust-furred rabbit to take off into the bushes, "But not close enough!"
"Ohh, you're so on!" MK rumbled.
Opting to stay in his cat transformation, MK jumped down and took off after Monkey King.
Monkey King might've had the advantage of a head start, but MK had the terrain advantage. This wasn't a real training session, so MK had a feeling that Monkey King was likely holding back from transforming into something harder for him to find.
Keeping his mouth open as he ran, he followed Monkey King's scent. While the entire island smelled of ocean air and fruit, Monkey King's individual strain of the fragrance was easy for MK to pick out. Something distinctly smoky and animalic buried itself under the salty-sweet notes of Flower Fruit Mountain, and MK honed in on it as he dashed through the underbrush.
The scent led him to a break in the forest, a small clearing covered in wild grass and open to the blue skies. Not a fan of the openness, MK transformed into a snake to sneak his way through the grass.
At the end of the trail, Monkey King was still out of sight. MK circled where it ended, looking for any burrows, but was met only by smooth earth and tall grass.
Looking up to the skies, he first saw nothing. Then, as he turned to check the open air behind him, he came face to face with a hawk's talons.
With a yelp, he changed into a beetle just in time to avoid being grabbed by Monkey King.
"Gotta watch your back, bud!" The king called out again.
As he skittered through the grass, he heard a smaller set of wings flapping. If MK had to guess, he thought Monkey King probably transformed into a smaller bird. Maybe a bat.
MK liked how Monkey King's lessons could often feel like games, but pushed his strategy-making to its creative limits. He was always thinking up new ways to solve problems—in this case, how not to get caught in a game of tag when you and your mentor could turn into just about any animal you could think of.
He'd lost hours scrolling online animal encyclopedias to learn the advantages (and disadvantages!) each of his transformations gave him. Like, for example, a beetle's ability to camouflage in an overgrown field. At his new size, the long blades of grass interwove like the canopy of the forest. He was careful moving through the grass, making sure he didn't shake the blades while he kept an ear trained on Monkey King's wings.
A thud behind him, shaking the earth beneath his feet, signaled his mentor's terrestrial transformation. Loud snuffling took the place of wing flapping. The grass behind MK flattened under the weight of large, clawed feet.
Sensing an opportunity, MK turned and crawled in an arc towards Monkey King. He heard the swish as Monkey King caught the change in direction, but MK managed to be faster.
When the gap between them was small enough, he transformed into a leopard cat again and pounced.
Claws meeting citrus-colored scales confirmed his theory—Monkey King had turned into a pangolin to sniff him out. MK's claws wouldn't be able to hurt him through the keratinous defense, but his goal was to catch Monkey King, not fight him.
Monkey King took the tackle with grace, smoothly rolling to the side and out of his transformation with a toothy smile. MK kept him pinned for a moment, dark paws pressing into the cool metal of his breastplate before he shook out his own transformation.
Still sitting on Monkey King, MK halfheartedly pounded his fists on the breastplate with a grin, "Jerk! I thought that monkey was gonna rip my hair out!"
"Bah, they wouldn't do that." Monkey King waved a dismissive hand. Without warning, he hopped up into a stand, sending MK scrambling for purchase to not fall back into the grass.
Using both arms and his tail, Monkey King shifted MK around to his back, "They like you! Maybe more than they like me."
"Okay, now I know you're just saying things." MK laughed, then settled with both legs wrapped around Monkey King's waist, chin tucked beside the crown on his head.
He could never figure out how Monkey King kept the phoenix feather crown on. It didn't matter if he transformed, in the middle of combat or hanging upside down, the crown never moved from its perch upon his head. It must've been infused with some pretty particular magic.
Without thinking, MK started combing his fingers through Monkey King's fur. Dirt and leaves stuck to the thick growth, and he meticulously picked through it as Monkey King resumed their walk.
"So, what else do you have planned today?" asked MK. Transformation tag was fun and all, but if they weren't doing combat training, then surely Monkey King had something else planned, right?
"Well…" Monkey King started, "I was thinking I could properly introduce you to the troop."
"What? But I already know the troop."
MK met the monkeys across Flower Fruit Mountain during his first training lesson. He knew most of them by name, even though he couldn't really vocalize as they could. Though maybe things would be different now that he knew he had a monkey transformation?
A particularly stubborn twig was caught in a knot deep in the fur near the base of Monkey King's neck, and he dug in with his nails to untangle it. When he broke the knot, he smoothed out the fur before moving on to another section further up his mentor's head.
"Sure, you met the troop," Monkey King shrugged, tilting his head with the motion before MK pushed it upright so he could keep combing through the fur, "but you haven't seen where they all live."
MK's hands stilled as he thought. Didn't the monkeys all live on the mountain?
"Don't they all live on the mountain?" He asked, before resuming his task.
"We all do. Even Macaque." Wukong explained, "But they don't just sleep wherever."
Then, under his breath, "Except Macaque. He does whatever he wants, no matter how much I try to stop him."
Macaque lived on Flower Fruit Mountain?
"Since when did he live here? I thought he was living at his dojo back in Megapolis."
"Your guess is as good as mine," sighed the king, "But it's been his home as long as mine. It's kinda nice having him back, to be honest. Means I'm not the only monkey demon around anymore."
Monkey demon, huh.
MK tried not to think too much about what his monkey transformation meant. Maybe it wasn't a transformation, like the ones Monkey King taught and trained him with. If he was born from the same stone, did it mean he was a monkey demon, and it was his human form that was the transformation?
Sunlight turned to cool shade, and MK looked up to their surroundings. They were walking a path he hadn't seen much of, on the other side of the mountain from the harbor.
The plant life on this side of the island was more natural, less manicured by frequent foot traffic. The trees here looked a bit older, too. They seemed to stretch up forever. MK wondered how old the oldest tree was.
Would it have thousands of rings?
"Hey, Monkey King?" MK's next train of thought took him, "Are you and Macaque the only monkey demons who live here?"
"Yeah," The Great Sage nodded, the feathers of his crown bobbing into MK's face, "There were two others, but we never met them. You heard of them, right?"
"The Red-Buttocked Horse-Monkey and the Long-Armed Gibbon," MK confirmed. He remembered the names from Tang telling him Monkey King's stories as a kid.
"That's right. Neither of us met them. There are horse-monkeys and gibbons on the mountain, but none of them are monkey demons. It's always been the two of us."
Monkey King's steps faltered in a nearly imperceptible moment. If MK wasn't on his back to feel the motion himself, he probably wouldn't have noticed.
"Until me, right?" MK spoke quietly. His hands still moved through Monkey King's fur, but he'd already picked out all the dirt and grime. They moved simply to give him something to focus on.
Monkey King adjusted MK's weight on his back.
"Until you."
He didn't say anything more as they continued through the forest. For a few minutes, silence stretched between them. MK stopped pretending to clean Monkey King's fur and nestled his chin in the fur. His arms tucked in close to his stomach, and his thumb rubbed the teeth of his jacket's zipper.
The tree growth around them seemed to get impossibly thicker, and MK's earlier question passed his mind again. This side of Flower Fruit Mountain was definitely new to him, and he wondered, too, how much of the island's secrets remained unexplored to him. He heard the sound of monkeys jumping from tree to tree. Was he the troop's first visitor in centuries?
"Hey, Monkey King?"
Monkey King hummed his acknowledgement, the sound rounding out into the same coo MK had heard him use with the monkeys around the island.
"What's it… like? Being a monkey demon?"
"Mmm, tough question," his mentor answered. "It's hard to explain. Monkey demons have a lot of the same instincts as normal monkeys, but some of the same as humans. It's kind of a weird middle area. Macaque could probably give you a better answer."
MK pursed his lips at the inspecificity. He probably should've asked Macaque if he wanted a clearer answer. Pigsy didn't like to talk about his demonic nature, and MK didn't know any other demons he could ask.
"What kind of instincts do demons have?" He tilted his head, now rubbing his jaw along Monkey King's mane. A breeze blew between the trees, washing a fresh air of sea salt over MK's senses. He buried his nose in the orange locks, taking in the scent of fresh peaches and ginger. Something smoky lingered under the fruit and spice, like wood burning on hot stones.
"Depends on the demon. A lot of us are social and end up in groups of similar demons. That's extra strong for monkey demons. I mean, you've seen how big the troop is."
MK nodded, nose still deep in the fur. He knew monkeys were social animals and could have communities ranging in the several hundred, so that didn't surprise him to hear.
"Since it's just me and Macaque, it's hard to say how much of our instincts come from being demons versus being monkey demons." He continued, "Some of our behavior is more similar to monkeys, but not all of it. Did'ja know smiling is aggressive to some monkeys, but submissive for others? You wouldn't believe the number of fights we had to break up when we were younger."
MK hummed again, "Sounds complicated."
"Oh, it was! We got it figured out, though, and, for the most part, there aren't many problems like that these days. The mountains are pretty peaceful now."
They'd been walking for a while now. MK knew Monkey King wouldn't get tired of having him on his back, but he was starting to get restless.
"What monkey instincts do you have?"
"That is much easier to answer! Lots of them." Monkey King's shoulders shook with a small laugh, "Some of it seems pretty similar to humans, but turned up to eleven. Humans like physical touch, right?"
"Ehh," MK shrugged, "I think a long time ago it was more common. Not really these days, though. I think I'm more touchy than other humans."
Monkey King probably thought of older humans from when he crossed paths with them during the pilgrimage. Modern humans valued their personal space, and some people wouldn't let anyone in their personal bubble.
"Mei and Mr. Tang are pretty cool with how touchy I am, though. Mei says I'm like a magnet when we have sleepovers." MK paused, "Actually, Mei doesn't really count as a human, huh? Since she's a dragon-horse and all."
Monkey King nodded, "Probably not. I'm not familiar with dragon or horse demon behavior, either. Ao Lie stayed in his horse form for most of the journey, and when he was human, it was usually in the middle of trouble."
"Well, monkeys are much clingier than humans. We like being close to each other, if you hadn't noticed."
"I can get behind that!" MK's chest warmed thinking about all the monkeys he'd seen hanging off Monkey King or Macaque. He hoped someday the mountain residents would cling to him like that. "It's really cute, honestly! It seems comfy."
"You have no idea." Monkey King tilted his head back, brushing his fur across MK's face in a quick shake. "You'll see, we're almost there."
MK was so caught up in the conversation he'd forgotten Monkey King was taking him to the troop's home. He couldn't see out of the forest yet, but not too far ahead, there was a break in the treeline.
Monkey King continued, "Just wait 'til you see a grooming train or one of the nap huddles. Nothing beats it."
Suddenly, MK was nervous. Sure, he'd met the troop before, but he'd never been to their home. He'd seen plenty of monkeys grouped across the mountain, lounging in the treetops or playing by the river. He felt like an invader—someone who didn't belong in their space.
"Calm down," Monkey King brushed his tail across MK's nose, "I can feel you overthinking, bud."
Looking down, MK realized he held tightly to Monkey King's scarf.
"Sorry," MK mumbled, "Just…"
"Don't worry. You're already part of the troop."
He nodded softly, then realized Monkey King couldn't see the action. "Okay."
Breaching the forest, the trees fell away to a rocky clearing. Not too dissimilar from the peak Monkey King trained him on, the pale stones stood tall under open skies. At the edges of the clearing, grass grew between the crevices.
MK had never seen so many monkeys in one place in his entire life.
He couldn't begin to guess how many monkeys there were—easily over a thousand, maybe two, with all the different types of monkeys. With Monkey King leading the way, half the troop seemed to appear right in front of them to greet their king, and MK was no longer the only thing clinging to him.
"Okay—Wait!" Monkey King laughed as the monkeys clamored past him to inspect MK.
Hands of all sizes, young and old, poked and prodded him. Coos and soft sing-songy whines sounded all around MK as they pulled at his clothes and brushed through his hair.
Monkey King's tail wrapped around his leg, further anchoring him as the troop investigated him.
"Guys! Space!" Monkey King ordered in a sharp bark. MK felt his hair stand up at the sound, even though he knew it wasn't aimed at him. "You're gonna overwhelm him!"
Quietly, the troop shuffled back from MK enough for him to stand on his own feet, adjusting his jacket and straightening out his headband. Every monkey watched Monkey King, waiting for permission.
"Jeez," he started, shaking his head, "you all act like you never met him before."
Turning to MK, Monkey King gave him a soft smile.
"MK, the troop." He gestured out with one hand at the sea of monkeys staring at him, then gestured to MK with both hands, "Troop, MK. The Monkie Kid and my successor."
Being introduced as the Monkey King's successor to the mortal realm didn't feel like a heavy title compared to being introduced as the Monkey King's successor to his subjects. He didn't feel the weight of the title when it came to being a hero.
"Relax, bud. I'm not going anywhere, remember?" Monkey King nudged him with his tail, "It's just a formality."
MK nodded stiffly, staring wide-eyed out to the troop. Raising a hand, he greeted the crowd, "Uh, hi."
"Alright, introductions over! Everyone, go back to whatever you were doing!" Monkey King clapped his hands once, and the monkeys broke away. Some moved to the grass beds near the edge of the clearing, huddling close together and combing through each other's fur. Some climbed into the trees or up the rocks, also huddling close together but sharing food.
A small group of monkeys stayed near MK and Wukong, then approached once the crowd dispersed. One of them cooed to their king, tilting their head as they looked at MK.
Monkey King cooed and chittered back, nodding to whatever question he'd seemingly been asked.
MK looked between the two as they spoke, and his ears itched like he should understand what they were saying.
"Hey, bud?" Monkey King turned to him.
"Uhhh, yes?" MK tilted his head.
"Do you mind showing them your monkey form? You can say no."
His stomach dropped. He didn't mind transforming in front of others, but the thought of showing all these monkeys his monkey form felt disingenuous. He barely acknowledged it existed, and only ever really transformed when he couldn't keep his emotions in check. MK wasn't sure if he was human or not anymore.
But… maybe it'd be okay? He wanted to trust Monkey King wouldn't ask him if he didn't think it'd be okay.
"Um," MK swallowed, "Yeah. Sure."
He nodded for good measure. At the nod, Monkey King's face lit up in a way MK hadn't seen before. He smiled widely before quickly turning to the monkey before them. His tail swept side-to-side behind him as he chittered.
MK's ears itched again at the sound, and he rubbed his palms over them, trying to shake the feeling. Before he lost his nerve, he rubbed his hands across his face, too, as he shifted into his monkey form.
A long black tail curled out behind him, and the fur across his body filled out beneath his clothes. The shape of his face changed as he rubbed his hands across it, and his cheeks fluffed up with fur beside his hair.
When MK dropped his hands, all the monkeys that lingered were watching him. Several of their tails swayed low like Monkey King's. A smaller monkey took a few steps towards him with a tilted head, its tail raised in the shape of a hook. MK's tail flicked and wrapped around his leg as his confidence wilted under the scrutinous eyes. His ears twitched, and he nervously licked his lips.
The monkey stopped moving and turned to Wukong, cooing.
Monkey King vocalized back to the monkey, before facing MK again, "They want to groom you."
MK shifted from one leg to another, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. He wasn't used to the feeling of his own fur under his palm.
"Can you do it first?" He dropped his gaze to the side. "I don't think I'm ready for that."
His mentor nodded, smiling softly, "Of course, bud. Come on, let's find somewhere to sit." Then, he chirped back to the monkeys around them before offering MK his hand.
MK took the offered hand like a lifeline, grounding himself through his familiarity with the Monkey King. Monkey King trusted the troop, and he trusted MK. It was awkward, but it would be okay.
The two monkeys that had approached Wukong followed behind them. He led the group to a shaded area in the grass, with enough distance from the other groups that MK could breathe a little easier. Monkey King sat first, with MK in front of him, and the other two monkeys behind him.
It was second nature for MK to relax into Monkey King's touch as he started combing through MK's fur. It wasn't uncommon for the pair to lie close together during breaks in training or when MK came to the mountain for a Monkey Cop marathon. Monkey King had never groomed him before, but as he worked, MK realized just how often he'd groomed his mentor's fur without even knowing.
MK closed his eyes, leaning back against Monkey King's chest with a contented sigh. The king worked with surprisingly gentle hands, using his claws to pick through the locks of fur and comb through each section before moving on to the next. Something warm rumbled through him, spreading from where Wukong's hands groomed his fur, down into his chest.
His jacket began to feel too hot with all the new fur covering him, and MK squirmed to pull it off without interrupting Monkey King's task. Throwing the cloth to the side, he leaned back again with a comical, exaggerated sigh, "Alright, I could get used to this."
Monkey King's tail thumped on the ground beside them, and he smiled down at MK as his fingers combed through the fur on MK's cheeks, "The troop would be happy to have you anytime."