#red tailed monkey

[ryversreality]

🐚🍋‍🟩updated mainsona ref sheet 🌊🏖️

[alabastercatfish]

yesterdays badtober prompt was “money…. or…. monkey (choose)” so i did not choose because i’ve been thinking a lot about coins for faces. please enjoy

[antiqueanimals]

Brehm's Tierleben. Written by Alfred Brehm. Illustration by Wilhelm Kuhnert. 1922 edition.

Internet Archive

[garnet-cow]

My version of the two other celestial primates + headcanon and notes I have about them + their relation with my OC :

I kind of headcanon that every celestial primates have golden pupils because they grew apart from the 10 categories of life. Before becomming a celestial primates each of them had different eyes color. But the gold of their eyes is still shade with that original color ( Chikao had orange/red eyes and Tongbi had green eyes, Sun Wukong had orange/yellow eyes and Macaque had purple/pink eyes ).

About Chikao Mahou ( nicknamed Chika ) :  

-She's the oldest of all the spiritual primates and the only female. 

-Bisexual / Aromantic

-She loves administratives ! Like a lot. She adores it. 

-She's also a rider, she has plenty of horses in her domain.

-Really big lady, tallest of the group, with giant mane, and imposant aura + She has the biggest fangs of all the spiritual primates. 

( She gave me Erza Scarlet's (Fairy Tail ) Vibes )

-Don't ask me why but I feel like, she speaks Spanish

There's that fun fact about baboons that kidnap puppies and kitties to make them their pets and cubs in some region in Africa and Now I can only imagine her adopting every kid she can (plus it gave her more administrative stuff to do so there's only great point in it.). Additionally, I have a vision of her instructing each of her kids in horse riding and providing them with their very own horse.

Not the type of lady that lets males being the boss of her day. If you want to fight to prove that you're the strongest to her go on, but she's gonna beat your ass. Don't have husband/wife/mate/girlfriend/boyfriend because she doesn't want to.

She actually met Li Wei some years after she left the palace and start her journey around the world with her herd. They didn't pass many times together, but they enjoy it. She's the one that taught Li Wei how to use and control her titan form.

Tongbi yuanhou: 

-Passionate by astronomy, he passes his nights observing the sky and discovering new planets and stars and information that he kept in his journal. 

-He don't mind people but he likes his little lonely moments. 

-Always wears pullover or hot clothes because he passes a lot of times in the coldness of the night. 

-Has already met Chang'e. 

-Is the smallest of the group but can change his size if he wants, he just don't really mind. 

I want to give him a lover since I like the fact that male gibbons are loyals partners but I’m not sure. I love the idea of him being a loving husband. Like, you know, he’s not a fan of crowds and people unless it’s with his soul mate.

-Live in a giant cabin in a giant tree. 

Know about Li Wei's existence, he has met her father when he was alive but their encounter didn't end well. After learning her father's death, he searches for her in china but she was already far from the land. (Little reminder Li Wei's father was an illegal experimentation meant to defeat the 4 celestial primates, He was mainly inspired by the Long Armed gibbon, but that experiment fail and her father appears without any magical abilities).

-He doesn't want children but he likes spending time with Chika's one.

Chika and Tongbi are close friends.

[variskonna]

Here's my desings for the two other celestial primates. The long armed gibbon and the red buttocked baboon.

Yeah tbh I was a bit lazy when it came to these twos clothing I feel like I could have done a bit more research into Chinese clothing to atleast try to make these two into something that's interesting to look at. Actually im not even sure if its just the clothing itself i think its more of just the colors i used being the boring part lol

but either way it doesnt really matter that much since this was just some random doodle I made for fun.

[dragon-ball-zenoverse]

Attempting A Sitting Position

Look at Zeno Vardos. Isn't he just adorable.

[knackfandomarchive]

btw a thagomizer is an arrangement of spikes toward the end of the tail, like a stegosaurus. The obvious inspiration for the dinosaur tail is Godzilla. Curious what it might look like when he small.

I came up with scorpion because his arm horns remind me a little bit of crab chitin. You could imagine a small Knack looking fierce with that. But what about when he's enormous?

Monkey because King Kong, lol, but you know, his arms are so long he'd be great at climbing.

A fluffy tail would be harder. He seems to get fuzzy when he gets bigger, but they're spiky red relics.

Simple and short would be 'safest' because with how much Knack fidgets, at least in the first game, he'd be swinging it around and thumping it constantly if it were long. But I'm not sure what kind of relics it would be made of.

Oh and! If anyone wants to draw these, I would love to see them!

[call-me-the-candyman]

On the Red Mountain stands a god. He was one of the unmentionables: a being so bizarre that it's name is not even uttered in prayer. His red arms of flexibility can reach across the Red Kingdom and snatch up anyone that dares laugh at the god's visage.

[angstandhappiness]

ADORABLE

so after everything, macaque takes his new kids and escapes to the forest to raise them and teach them to torment isolated towns like demon nature intended happily ever after. did this before the new designs dropped, i wasnt expecting this to end up a full piece but

you know?

[kyri45]

HI KYRI I LOVE YOUR WORK THANK YOU FOR SNATCHING THE ENTIRE FANDOM IN A CHOKEHOLD ALSO

random lil bit I noticed not sure if it's intentional but I love how the way MK is leaning insinuates Red isn't even holding him up anymore and it's just MK holding on for dear simp life (unless Red's got a hand under the cape skirt or something I see you ya flaming hot simp)

pretty sure you have mentioned it but I feel like this is just one of the first instances of something MK's just gonna do anytime his bbg is in range (IE climb him like a tree like the cheeky little monkey he is)

simps the both of them I adore them (Also sorry for long winded but that scene of Red Son snatching MK like "OH FUCK no he's MINE no one gets to try and take him again!!" and MK's "oh I've been snatched" is peak-)

love your shit you awesome author, hope you have loveliest of lovely days and find a shiny sick ass rock on your next outing <3

YES!! YES!!!!!

I tried to show it and I hope It was visible, but I specifically made Red Son NOT grab MK by his thighs/butt (that's how you would usually pick up someone, you let them sit on your arms for stability, not the waist)

for 2 specific reasons:

I don't think RedSon would do that so "soon" ahah I believe he has some demon etiquette about places he is "allowed" to touch and he would maybe ask permission to grab him in an area so close to his tail.

BECAUSE IS MK THAT IS HOLDING ON HIM WITH HIS LEGS!! THAT BULL IS BASICALLY DOING NOTHING MK IS JUST CLIMBING HIS MAN AND WONT.

LET.

GO!!!!

(bro got some thight muscles and he will put them to good use if yk what i mean)

[ryversreality]

sorry for my horrible delay, finals have really whooped my ass. Here’s some self care in the form of Freeform sona art! 🤧

[autismswagsummit]

The Bracket has been set!

This year's competitor pool is hot, with 23 returning competitors and 41 new appearances. In Round 1, the matches will be broken up into 4 waves, divided by the quadrants displayed on the bracket. The matches will all be listed below the cut, for everyone's reference.

SIDE A, PART 1

Donatello Hamato (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) v.s L Lawliet (Death Note)

Mary Anta (Cemetery Mary) v.s Rui Kamishiro (Project Sekai)

Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia) v.s Branch (Dreamworks Trolls)

Snufkin (Moominvalley) v.s Futaba Sakura (Persona 5)

Gordon Freeman (Half Life) v.s Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes)

Blathers (Animal Crossing) v.s Princess Bubblegum (Adventure Time)

Jonathan Sims (The Magnus Archives) v.s Zane (Lego Ninjago)

Tomoko Kuroki (Watamote) v.s Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy 7)

SIDE A, PART 2

Frieren (Sousou no Frieren) v.s Papyrus (Undertale)

Tech (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) v.s Ferb Fletcher (Phineas & Ferb)

Stanford Pines (Gravity Falls) v.s Twilight Sparkle (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Berdly (Deltarune) v.s Gregory House (House M.D)

Data (Star Trek) v.s Idia Shroud (Twisted Wonderland)

Peridot (Steven Universe) v.s Penny Polendina (RWBY)

Sig (Puyo Puyo) v.s Marcy Wu (Amphibia)

Jotaro Kujo (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) v.s Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney)

SIDE B, PART 1

Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece) v.s Alhaitham (Genshin Impact)

Laios Touden (Dungeon Meshi) v.s Iggy Maxwell (Our Wonderland)

Dendy (OK KO: Let's Be Heroes) v.s Gin Ibushi (Your Turn To Die)

Norma Khan (Dead End: Paranormal Park) v.s Link (The Legend of Zelda)

Starfire (Teen Titans) v.s Luz Noceda (The Owl House)

Siffrin (In Stars And Time) v.s Huey Duck (Ducktales 2017)

Lilo Pelekai (Lilo & Stitch) v.s Saiki Kusuo (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.)

Woo Young Woo (Extraordinary Attorney Woo) v.s Miles "Tails" Prower (Sonic the Hedgehog)

SIDE B, PART 2

Razputin Aquato (Psychonauts) v.s Linhardt von Hevring (Fire Emblem Three Houses)

Ranpo Edogawa (Bungou Stray Dogs) v.s Entrapta (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

Murderbot (The Murderbot Diaries) v.s Kieran (Pokemon Scarlet & Violet)

Twyla Boogeyman (Monster High) v.s Marina Ida (Splatoon)

Hiccup Haddock (How To Train Your Dragon) v.s Batman (DC Comics)

Abed Nadir (Community) v.s Red Son (Lego Monkie Kid)

Uzi Doorman (Murder Drones) v.s Bingo Heeler (Bluey)

Gillion Tidestrider (Just Roll With It) v.s Spongebob Squarepants (Spongebob Squarepants)

[shadykazama]

How do you think sun Wukong would be with an affectionate or clingy partner?

Wukong with a clingy partner

❤ He's not really clingy himself and physical touch isn't his love language, but that doesn't mean he won't indulge you.

❤ If you feel more comfortable when you're close to him it boosts his ego.

❤ Let's you hold his tail if he's busy. Sometimes he's just gotta have his hands free, but luckily for you, he's got an extra appendage! Lucky for him too; he ends up holding you with his tail more than his hands.

❤ He loves the feeling of you playing with his hair. It's a very intimate and pampering thing for him, so he'd be more than happy to let you do it. You may even be able to sneak some flowers into his hair ;)

❤ Your desire to be close to him makes you easy to prank :/ But don't take it too hard, your surprised face is just too cute!

❤ Will tease you by sitting on his staff/cloud just out of your reach to make you beg or whine for him to get down. Has the most smug grin as he stares down at you like he hasn't a care in the world.

❤ If you ever ask him to carry you he'll call you an infant and compare you to a baby monkey. "Useless, just like those little things, clinging to their mothers for a full year!" He's just being dramatic of course. He doesn't mind.

❤ Not above using his clones to satisfy your needs if you complain about needing more affection. He will summon six or seven of himself just to annoy you. He'll be smug about his 'malicious compliance', but if you're somehow happy with the clones he'll be surprised more than anything. "Honestly! You may as well be a demon of endless greed! Tsk, never satisfied..."

❤ You are lovingly coined as 'little demon' from there on out :)

Art by Red, from the JTTW summaries on Overly Sarcastic Productions' YouTube channel!

[crispywaffles2]

hii, may I request macaque, wukong, and MK (seperately) x reader who likes to put ribbon bows on their tails? Thought it would be a cute idea ^_^

Hii!! Thank you so much for the request, this is such a cute thing to think about! I hope you enjoy! EDIT: I FORGOT TO WRITE MK IN THIS AS WELL, IM SO SORRY 😭

Macaque, Mk & Wukong With an S/O who likes to decorate their tails!

Wukong:

Wukong is most certainly confused by your strange habit

If you were to ask him to put a ribbon or bow on his tail, he'd give you a strange look

"A bow? Well... uh, sure bud!"

It doesn't really match his whole "Great Sage Equal to Heaven" schtick in his opinion

What would formidable enemies think if he went into battle with a cutesy bow on his tail??

His monkeys most certainly make fun of him for it, much to his dismay

He wouldn't wear it if he was about to go into battle or leave his mountain at first, because if his monkeys make fun of it who knows who else will do the same?

Eventually he'll warm up to it

If you tie a little orange ribbon at the end of his tail trust and believe he will be working it with pride

"Oooh, I like this color! Goes well with my fur,"

He'd start longingly staring at the sweet ribbons you tie on his tail whenever you're not around and he misses you because they remind him of you

He'll start wearing them out in public with a bit less shame, happily flicking his tail in peoples faces

"Look! My partner gave it to me, isn't it so cute?"

And he'll start wearing them in battles too!

Having a little piece of you there with him gives him just a little bit of an extra boost and reminds him of all of the things he's fighting for

Now he likes to think they go well with his personality

"Great Sage Equal to Heaven" whos not afraid to have a bit of a cutesy accessory while he kicks butt

If you're more sneaky with their placement though, that's a whole other story

He's out enjoying a nice bowl of noodles with his favorite mentor, only mentor honestly, and he hears them chuckle and point at his tail while uttering the words "Nice bow Monkey Princess,"

His face goes bright red and he quickly curls his tail around his leg to hide the thoughtfully tied ribbon from view

"Yeah, so what?! Maybe I was just feelin' a bit more elegant today, you ever think about that?"

But as soon as he bids Mk adieu he's right at your doorstep with his arms crossed over his chest and a pout on his face

An embarrassed scolding is in order for you, that's for sure

"Hun, you know I love you, but you can't just tie ribbons on my tail like that! Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was when my mentor called me a princess?!"

Eventually he relents and you two end up in a hug, his go-to when reassuring you that he's not mad or he's sorry

"Just don't do it without telling me. Next time I could be faced with Macaque, and you know how he is."

All in all it takes him a bit of time to warm up to it, but after that he'll flaunt them, and you, with confidence

Macaque:

Macaque is a lot more reluctant than his sunny counterpart

He has a tough bad boy image to uphold, why on Earth would he let you bedazzle him with your silly ribbons and bows?

"A bow? No thanks darlin'."

It takes lots of begging and whining before he caves in, and even then he refuses to go out in them

You couldn't waterboard the information out of him, but when you finish carefully tying up the little red ribbon on the end of his tail he's in love

It goes well with his cape and adds a sort of air of sophistication onto his overall demeanor

It's probably just the inner drama queen in him speaking but it makes him feel weirdly fancy and extravagant

But again, he's not going to tell you that

He won't protest as much when you tie them on

Will suggest different colors and ways to tie the ribbons

"Why don't we try purple this time? No it's not because I care about what it looks like- it was just a suggestion!"

Sometimes he tries to put them on himself because he's embarrassed to ask you, but he quickly figured out that he cannot tie bows for the life of him

And even if he learns, they're just not the same as yours

He will eventually come around to the idea of wearing them in public

He keeps his ribbon clad tail hidden beneath his cape most of the time unless he's feeling particularly confident or he wants to show it off on purpose

If anyone has the gall to try and make fun of it he's quick to shoot them down

"Yeah I have a bow on my tail, my partner gave it to me. Aww, don't tell me you don't have a partner of your own? Is that why you think you're funny? Because you don't have anyone at home to tell you you're not?"

He warms up to the idea so much that he begins to regularly ask you to decorate his tail with multiple bows and ribbons

One time, as a silly joke, you tied a particularly big red bow at the base of his tail and jokingly told him he looked like a show cat

It was a funny joke, but Macaque really really liked it

So much so that he wore it regularly, asking you to tie it on for him every time he went out

If you were to be sneaky and tie it on his tail without him knowing well..

He's actually not that upset

He's hanging out with Mei, probably the one he likes and relates to the most out of everyone, when she giggles and points at his tail, calling him 'coquette' or something

He's not sure what that term means, but he does find the fact that a little pink bow being tied on his tail without his knowledge to be amusing

Just for funsies he keeps it on all day

If and when he decides to go visit the culprit, which he knows is you, he playfully chides you

"Alright sugarplum, you know I have an image to uphold! You can't just slip little pretty pink bows on my tail without my permission!"

Once you two have had a good laugh he just chuckles and presses a kiss to your forehead

All in all he really likes the bows that you decorate him with and takes it as a sign of affection, but it takes a long time for him to be open about it

Mk:

Mk in his monkey form is certainly.. something

He can't quite control himself in that form yet, but that isn't to say that he's constantly violent

He just doesn't know his own strength

With his monkey form more stern and serious, he doesn't hold back, he's blunt

And, completely unrelated, his voice is like two octaves deeper

He's scared he might hurt you, or the people he cares about, so he rarely ever uses it unless he's in battle or training

In hopes of making him more comfortable and as a way of letting him know that you're okay with this side of himself, you began tying bows on the end of his tail

He's not sure how to feel about the idea at first

"Tying.. bows? Sure, I guess.."

He doesn't know if you don't take him seriously or if you're just trying to be sweet

He's still getting used to having a tail, so sometimes it gets caught on things, which will occasionally lead to your ribbons getting torn

It makes him feel horrible for some reason, and he's always presenting the torn fabric to you like it's the remains of a dead soldier or something

"I'm so sorry. It was an accident, I promise,"

He's not against wearing them out in public (not that he ever goes in public with his monkey form)

If it's after a battle and someone were to say anything about his bow he'd hardly care

"Looks like we got a funny guy over here everyone!"

And everyone in the vicinity glares at them

Much like his mentor, he slowly starts seeing the bows less as just some silly accessory on his tail and more as a subtle reminder of you

Whenever he's in his monkey form he makes sure to come to you for a bow

"I'm feeling kinda red-ish today, what do you think?"

Your plan works, and he starts feeling better about his over powered simian side

You love him no matter what, freakishly strong or just a silly delivery boy, and the bows are just a testament to that

All in all, he finds them adorable, and what they represent fuel him to fully embrace this side of himself in order to protect the people he cares about

[fanged-fanfics]

Hello! I hope you're doing alright and that you're getting plenty of rest. I've recently discovered your blog, and I love your one shots that I've read so far. I've read your Macaque x GN reader with a baby (which is cute, btw), but I was wondering if you could do one with Sun Wukong as well? Maybe in this one, while little baby is watching their daddy and MK train and witnessing Sun do an impressive move, the baby excitedly calls out Dada to him. Cue the proud, teary-eyed papa flinging them high in the air (but not too high), happy that he is their first word, while GN reader watches on, also proud of their little one

🧡👑 Little Peach Speaks �� Wukong x Parent!GN Reader Drabble 👑🧡

Genre: Fluff || they/them pronouns for reader || No warnings needed

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆˚｡⋆୨👑୧⋆˚｡⋆✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖

For quite a while, parenting wasn't something Wukong was sure he was going to do. His strongest memories of interactions with kids were the likes of Nezha and Red Boy. Both of which were mainly him fighting them violently, which did not give a good start to potential parenting. MK was a much better example of his capabilities, even if the kid was more like a little brother. Still, it wasn't perfect, but he had slowly warmed up to the idea as the years went by.

You, however, had changed a lot of that. With you by his side, he was able to feel comfort and reassurance that he had been missing. Learning to communicate with you strengthened his confidence, and after a good long while, you both agreed to have your little cub. Wukong stuck to the ideal immediately, imprinting as a father onto the cub the second they were born. He may not be perfect (he was used to the FFM cubs, which were more durable and a lot closer to keeping up with him), but several hours of watching you tend to the cub with wide and damp eyes helped him greatly.

Taking the cub along for training with MK didn't initially seem like a good idea. The training, of course, usually didn't get too bad, but there was sufficient flinging and big heroic tricks that made the area of the dojo dedicated to it one to tread with caution. So, to keep out of harm's way, you were given a special spot a few feet from where the training would actually take place, fit with you own special chair and a side mini table to rest your belongings. You were gently bouncing the little cub in your lap, the baby awake and alert. They looked around with their wide and curious eyes, taking in all the colors and new shapes the dojo provided. The gentle feeling of warm sun rays was also good for them. You had a steady hand around the cub, balancing and watching them closely.

Your eyes occasionally flicked to the scuffle ahead, seeing the two lads train tirelessly as always. You smiled, hearing your cub coo in their direction. You sat them on your lap, sitting up straighter. "I know you can't see it very well, but that gold blurr right there is your baba" you explained. The cub babbled softly, and you chuckled as you gently pet their fuzzy little head. "He's always a busy monkey. But he's training the next hero, you know" you explained. You were aware this was mostly you talking to the air, but your cub had their little eyes latched onto the training session. So you pretended they were old enough to understand, if only for a little humor. "He does this to protect you, little sprout. To protect all the people of the city. He's a very strong hero"

The cub had their fist in their mouth, gumming at it absentmindedly. You gently pulled it out for them, rubbing the itty bitty paw with a cleaning rag you had prepped. As you did so, the cub stared steadily ahead. Wukong pushed off of an attempted staff swing from MK, doing a backflip in the air before landing on his prehensile tail. He chuckled as MK stumbled back, leaning on his knees with wheezing pants. "Good job, bud! Getting a liiittle faster!" He beamed proudly. "It doesn't feel like it" MK complained with an irritated pout. Wukong chuckled, stretching his arms and rolling his shoulders before getting into a battle stance again. "That means it's working! If this was easy, it wouldn't be good training". MK groaned, spinning the staff around. After a quick chug from a nearby water bottle (one of your ideas), he shook his head before crouching as well.

Before either could charge, Wukong's ears picked up on a very small and struggled out, "Dada!". His head whipped around in your direction, seeing you looking down at your cub surprised. Wukong narrowly missed an attempted hit by MK by immediately zipping to your side, leaving the successor to fumble. "Did they-?" Wukong asked, and you nodded "They did, I swear! Just now". Wukong kneeled down, level with his cub "Can you say it again, little peach? Please? For dad?". The baby giggled, leaning forwards and putting a tiny paw on his nose and chirping out a "Dada!"

Wukong's face lit up like the sun, scooping the cub from your lap in a swift motion. He tossed them up in the air, but kept in mind his strength, catching them immediately "Yes!! Dada, that's right! Oh, good job, little peach! That's so perfect" he said, voice full of vibrant joy "Can you say 'baba'?". "Abbppt.. bb... daba!" The cub babbled. Wukong tucked them into his chest, nuzzling his cheek into the top of their head "Good enough! Oh, you're so smart already! You're gonna be the next Great Sage, huh?" He cooed. You stepped up, a hand on his shoulder as you pet the cub's chubby left cheek "Such a smart little blossom" you said gently, chuckling as you noticed a tear pricking Wukong's eye. He gave the cub a kiss on their head, before kissing your cheek "They're perfect, sunshine" he said, before adding in a teasing tone, "Told ya I'd be who they said first". You gave him a playful light nudge, heart full of pride as you looked at your grinning cub.

"Uh.. Monkey King?" MK asked nervously "Should I... go, or-?"

[kaynanarie]

Eyes of Gold (Part 1)

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

            Even in the daytime, the Mountain of Fruit and Flowers was a daunting place to be. You huddled under one of the massive trees, no idea what to do or where to go. Tears trickled down your face as you fought the urge to scratch your itchy skin, wishing you could wake up from this nightmare.

            The feeling of eyes watching you haunted your senses and sent chills down your spine. There were too many shadows to see where the gaze came from but plenty of demons inhabited the mountain, most with a taste for vulnerable humans.

            A quiet thump startled you from your thoughts. Something rolled across the forest floor, coming to a careful stop by your feet. It took you a moment to recognize what it is; a peach, perfectly ripe with a delicate blush on its fuzzy skin. You picked it up and looked around before finding where it came from.

            Gold, glowing eyes were watching from the darkness, staying low to the ground as they approached. You nearly screamed when from the bushes emerged��

            A monkey. A normal, brown furred, curly tailed monkey. You let out a relieved laugh while the creature just stared with his peculiar golden eyes.

            “Hey, cutie,” you greeted, holding the peach up. “Is this yours?”

            When you rolled the fruit back, the monkey glanced between it and you. Picking it up, the monkey hopped closer, tossing the peach back into your lap.

            “Is it for me?” you asked teasingly. The answering nod was unexpected and set you on edge. “Well…thank you, I supposed.”

            You pulled out your knife; a tiny, dull blade no bigger than your finger. The monkey watched you warily as you cut into the peach and offered a sliced piece of the fruit. “I don’t mind sharing.”

            Snatching the snack from your fingers, the monkey nibbled on his share while you cut a slice for yourself. You’d barely taken a bite when he shuffled closer, meeting your eye with a curious tilt of its head.

            “Why were you crying?”

            You almost inhaled your peach in surprise. Hearing the monkey speak nearly sent you through a new wave of panic. Instead, you found yourself too tired and resigned to do much more than stare.

            “I…” you trailed off when tears started to gather. The monkey frowned but said nothing, waiting patiently for your answer. “I’ve been curse.”

            “How so?”

            A sigh left your lips, the peach forgotten in your fidgeting hands. “It’s a long story.”

            The monkey hopped over to sit at your side, expectant and attentive. “I like stories.”

            “It’s not a happy one,” you warned.

            A small paw patted your hand in comfort. “Sharing a burden is the best way to lessen it.”

            Knowing he wasn’t planning to leave you be, you dried your eyes and began your tale.

            “My father is a noble in the village. About a month ago, he invited his friend’s son to be a guest in our house. He planned to arrange a match with my sister or I to unite the families. A few days before he arrived, though, this happened.”

            Rolling up the sleeve of your robe, you held out your forearm for the monkey to see. The skin was blotched with a red, blistery rash. Your nails scratching at the itch had left it raw and stinging, only just avoiding drawing blood.

            “When my family saw the affliction, they locked me in my room, fearing it would spread. My sister was allowed at the meeting and an engagement was quickly agreed upon.”

            “So, you ran away because of a broken heart?” the monkey guessed, no jest or mockery in his curious tone. 

            “No, I didn’t know him so marriage was not my concern,” you answered, shaking your head with a smile. “My sister’s fiancé is handsome but he is spoiled and sheltered. She already orders him about like a servant. I do not envy their union but do wish them the best.”

            “Why come to the mountain, then?”

            You sat back against the tree, the physical and emotional pain taking its toll. “Part of my sister’s promised dowry was an orchard of fruit trees near the mountain. The only problem was, they didn’t actually belong to my father. When he went to stake a claim, it angered the Monkey King. Sun Wukong himself appeared, accusing him of stealing and desecrating his mountain. My father begged for his life, offering anything in return before escaping. We barely heard the story before he had packed his things and fled, leaving my sister in charge of his estate. He’s incurred the Monkey King’s wrath and fears he will be killed for his crimes if he returns.”

            The monkey seemed surprised for the first time. “I’m sure it was a misunderstanding; easily fixed and appeased.”

            “Misunderstand or not, my father is gone and my sister took advantage of his absence,” you said, bitterness creeping into your words. “She convinced the village I was to blame. That my illness was proof of a curse that doomed our father and threatened her engagement. She was the one who sent me here, so that my death might appease the Monkey King and atone for my father’s transgressions.”

            “That’s ridiculous! You shouldn’t have to pay for the sins of your father.” The monkey climbed up to perch on your knees, shaking his head in disbelief. “Our King is not so cruel. He only wants to protect the mountain and his people.”

            “I’ve heard stories about him,” you argued. “The only reason I’m still alive is he doesn’t know I’m here.”

            “But he does know you’re here.”

            His casual reveal froze you in place, icy panic stealing your breath and quickening your heartbeat. You looked around, only seeing inconspicuous forest. “He does!?”

            The monkey nodded. “He sent me to find out your intentions. Now that I know, you’re free to stay as long as you follow his rules.”

            “But…what if he doesn’t approve?” you asked, still nervous and unconvinced. “Or what if another demon attacks me instead? Or–”

            Leaning forward, the monkey patted your cheeks in a gesture somewhere between silly and soothing. “I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you. Okay?”

            Despite the average look of the monkey, his golden eyes shown with determination and sincerity in his oath. Even such a small act of kindness was enough to put you at ease.

            “That’s very sweet of you.”

            Leaping off of your knee, he tugged at your sleeve and pointed into the forest. “Come with me. I know a place you can stay for the night. It’s not much but it’ll keep you safe.”

            You scramble to your feet, watching as the monkey scaled a nearby tree. He waited on one of the overhead branches, swinging to the next to lead you down a path only he could see.

            “Thank you,” you said, following after him. As you walked, you realized a lapse in manners that made you blush. “I don’t think you ever told me your name?”

            “Shihou!” a voice answered from the branches. The monkey suddenly appeared in front of your face, hanging by his long tail, lips curled in a cheeky smile. “You can call me Shihou.”