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kaynanarie · 1 day ago

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Eyes of Gold (Part 7)

(A WukongxReader story inspired by Beauty and the Beast and Lutung Kasarung.) (First) (Previous)

A perfect peach dangled from the branch overhead. Using your small knife, you cut it loose and gently added it to your basket.

The grove was small but overflowing with countless fruit trees. Nearby, some of the villagers were gathering, sorting, and filling their own baskets. They had brought you with them to the hidden orchard, helpfully pointing out which fruits were ripe for picking as well as various leaves for teas and medicinal herbs.

Though awkward at first, their curiosity and casual chatter quickly warmed you to their pleasant company. Human questions and monkey gossip were easily exchanged and giggled over as you worked. Your tale of banishment to the mountain invoked shock and outrage from the sympathetic monkeys. They, in turn, shared stories of their troop, detailing everything from prankster cubs to quarrelsome mates.

It was cheerful, welcoming, but still a little lonely without your peach friend.

Shihou had been puzzled but supportive of your village visit and offered to take you whenever you were ready. He even found a pack basket big enough to bring fruit for everyone to enjoy. While you looked forward to spending the day with your favorite monkey, his grim frown was not the greeting you expected earlier that morning.

Something had come up and all the guards were being summoned for an urgent meeting. Shihou was vague but apologetic about the poor timing. He promised to accompany you another day before disappearing to attend to his duties.

A few of the villagers had overheard the conversation and took pity on you. They were on their way to gather fruit and were kind enough to invite you along. It was a small gesture but your overwhelming gratitude nearly brought you to tears.

As the sun rose higher, heavy gray clouds rolled in on the horizon. The air turned cool and the light grew dim. You shivered as a sudden gust weaved through the trees, the chill cutting through the delicate silk of your robes. The monkeys were still gathering their harvest but kept a close watch on the storm brewing overhead. With apples, oranges, and peaches filling your own basket to the brim, you sheathed your knife and latched the lid shut.

The wind shifted, the sweet scent of fruit and flowers mingling with rain on the breeze. But when it settled, the stillness that followed was unnerving. No birds sang, no insects hummed, even the monkeys had fallen silent. They stood tense and guarded, glancing between the trees with nervous eyes and twitching tails.

A single eerie howl pierced the air and shattered the silence.

Shrieks of alarm followed as gray blurs torn into the grove. The monkeys scattered, some taking off on foot while others climbed to the safety of high branches. You couldn’t move as fast but managed to hide behind a tree as the intruders circled the clearing.

There were three of them, clearly demons but different from the monkeys you had come to know. While they wore similar robes and walked upright, their faces were wolflike; gray fur, pointed ears, yellow eyes, and long snouts edged with sharp teeth.

“Leave the monkeys!” the tallest of them shouted, “They’re not worth the punishment.”

“I smelled a human,” another argued, his nose up the air.

The last of the trio was hunched over, watching the fleeing villagers disappear into the forest. “Me too. Do you think they ran with the others?”

“No, I can still smell them. They’re close by.” You panicked as the sniffing wolf turned towards your hiding spot. “Over there!”

Before you could take a single step, the pack had you surrounded. Their leering eyes and sinister smiles froze you with cold dread. Everyone else was gone, no one left to help as the wolves stalked closer. The leader grabbed your arm, his grip bruising and claws digging when you tried to pull away.

“Well, look what we have here,” the wolf chuckled. “You’re either very brave or very stupid to go wandering in demon mountains, little human.”

“Let me go!” you cried, squirming in the demon’s grasp. “I’m an honored guest of the Monkey King!”

The wolves only laughed; a horrible, raspy bark full of malice. “Sure you are. And I’m the Jade Emperor.”

“Why don’t you come be our ‘honored guest’ instead?” the hunched wolf spoke with a sneer. “I’m sure you’d make a delicious dinner.”

Another round of barks and cackles sent chills down your spine. While they were distracted by their own jokes, you felt for your knife. Your shaky fingers managed to unsheathe the blade without fumbling it to the ground.

“Now,” the leader growled. His fangs hovered closer; hot, rancid breath choking you with every word he spoke. “We can do this the easy way or the fun way; your choice, human.”

In a desperate gamble, you struck, aiming the knife for the leader’s face. He yowled in pain, reeling back as his free hand reached for his wounded eye. At the same time, you yanked your arm out of his hold. Sharp claws raked your skin and tore the fabric of your sleeve. The instant you were free, you turned and ran, refusing to look back as cries of rage rang after you.

Icy drops of rain began to fall, the slow patter crescendoing to a dull roar as the sky opened up. Within seconds, you were soaked and chilled to the bone. Leaves slipped underfoot and branches tore at your clothes but you couldn’t stop. The forest was an indistinguishable blur of green and falling rain; the trail long lost in your frantic escape. The splashing footfalls of your pursuers were distant but quickly catching up. Only when your haphazard path led to the flooded river were you forced to a halt.

There was no way to cross. No path to follow. You didn’t even know where you were on the mountain. And the howls and jeers of the wolves were getting closer. With few options left, you huddled behind a rocky outcrop on the riverbank, wrapping your stinging arm with the tattered remains of your sleeve.

“You sure the human went this way?”

The voice was close enough you refused to risk peeking. You hugged your knees into a tight ball, trembling from both cold and fear. Huffs and sniffs nearly blended in with the steady downpour of the storm.

“The rain’s washing their scent away. But they can’t have gotten too far.”

“Well hurry up and find out which way they went!”

A loud crash like a lightning strike cracked through the air. The wolves’ surprised barks and whimpers were shrill in your ringing ears.

“We haven’t done anything, we’re just passing through!” The leader’s once taunting voice suddenly became defensive and nervous. It didn’t sound like he was still speaking to his fellow wolves. “None of your subjects were hurt! We were just hunting a human so stay out of our w–”

His words were cut off by a dull thump and something tumbling to the ground. Terrified yelping followed as the other wolves ran straight past you and dove into the river, the current washing them away within seconds.

You were still in shock when a touch to your shoulder startled you back into panic. Shrieking, you swung wildly. The other hands easily caught your wrists and restrained them in a surprisingly gentle hold.

“Hey! It’s okay, it’s me!”

The familiar voice cut through your fear. You glanced up, finding Shihou knelt in front of you. His golden eyes were wide and worried, his grip softening once you stopped fighting him.

Terror shifted to overwhelming relief. It bubbled up from your chest and clogging your throat in a wave of adrenaline-fueled emotion. Hot tears mixed with the rain as they streamed down your pale cheeks. “Shihou?” you managed to choke out.

“I can smell blood. Are you hurt?” he asked, scanning you over for injuries.

Instead of answering, you threw yourself against him, clutching his robes and sobbing into his chest. His arms and tail wrapped around you, pulling your trembling form into a tight embrace. The soft fur and familiar scent of peaches and stone soothed your frayed nerves.

He was warm. He was comforting. He was safe.

“It’s okay,” he hummed, soft reassurance in every word. “You’re okay. I’m here now.”

As your cries softened to sniffles, Shihou reshuffled you in his hold. In one quick move, he scooped you off the ground, your weight nonexistent in his steady arms. You wanted to argue but the physical and emotional exhaustion left you shaky and unsteady. Instead, you buried your blushing face against his shoulder, ignoring the curious gaze hovering just above you.

“Let’s get you out of here,” Shihou said, cradling you close as he carried you back to the mountain.

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(Beauty and the Beast wolves anyone? I'm a sucker for action scenes and protective tropes. Thank you everyone for reading! Glad to see everyone loves Shihou so much!

#Journey to the West #JTTW #Monkey King #Sun Wukong #Monkey King x Reader #Sun Wukong x Reader #Lutung Kasarung #Beauty and the Beast #Fairytale and Folktale Inspired #Eyes of Gold #Black Myth Wukong #BMW #KayNanArie

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