Post by sheriffcaitlyn on Jan 2, 2013 21:09:57 GMT -5
Hoo, friggin'...I'm only going to post three more stories after this, then I think I'm going to take a break from the posting. This is my favorite short story, because at first I thought that's all that can be done between the two of them, but I realized much more fun can be had.
Enjoy!
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The forests were a second home to him. A blur flew through the forestry, leaping from branch to branch with ease. The blur stopped, and his form was revealed. A human-sized monkey rested on a tree branch, grabbing a handful of nuts. His attire was a modified Ionian foot soldier's armor. Large fingerless gauntlets, a pair of large smooth shoulder pads held by a plate exposing his furry chest, a leg length cloth tasset wrapped his waist and over a pair of armored light chausses. All of these were ruby colored outlined by gold, the same color as his shifty eyes. A long sheath was slung across his back; a bright red stick peeked out of it.
Crushing the walnuts in his grip he greedily devoured them. He licked his lips, he was still hungry but he was more tired. Training with his master was hard that morning. He could still feel the bruises from the regiment. He went back to swinging from branch to branch, knowing his destination. A pair of golden speckled eyes followed him, a crafty smile curled.
He propelled himself at incredible speeds, coming near to his location. With one final swing he leapt to the sky, no more trees to grab onto. Water was rushing at him and quickly. Flipping in mid-air he continued his descent until he was nearly touching the water. A cloud suddenly appeared underneath him, carrying him an inch from the lake's surface. He lay back on the cloud, staring at the sunny skies. He dipped his hand into the water, a chill shivered through him. Nice and cold. He cupped his hand and sipped at the water, refreshing. Smacking his lips he lazily drifted on over the lake. A pair of golden eyes stared at him, the crafty grin still there.
The monkey was almost asleep when he felt a sudden surge of energy rush underneath him. His cloud dissipated, causing him to fall into the water. He thrashed in the lake, sputtering chilly water left and right. He heard the faintest giggle and saw the rustle of a bush. No one tricks a trickster. He energetically swam towards the shore, he saw something white peek out from a bush. He found his quarry. He swam faster, reaching the shore in mere moments. Completely drenched from head to toe he catapulted himself into the bush. There was nothing there.
He chattered his teeth in annoyance and from cold when he smelled a beautiful fragrance. He looked around, the aroma was unbearable. He licked his lips, following the smell blindly. Whatever it was, he wanted it. He parted some shrubbery aside and lo and behold the source of the smell: The world's largest fuzzy peach. It shook itself at him tauntingly, he could not resist. Leaping forward he grabbed onto the peach and opened his jaw wide. A surprised feminine voice sputtered from the peach, "W-what? Waitnodon't-"
He bit down, hard. A shriek filled the air, and the monkey snapped back to his senses. He was biting into a mouthful of white fur. Another eight tails nearly speared his eyes as the voice kept screaming in pain. He spat out the hair, wiping his tongue of the fur that he previously was chewing on. "Gah! Ow ow ow! Ow! What's wrong with you? Ow!"
He looked at the source of the voice, still spitting hair out. It was an odd looking woman. She had a pair of black fox ears and long obsidian hair. Her golden speckled eyes had catlike irises. She wore a short kimono which accentuated her large breasts and wide hips. He barely noticed the pair of red laced sandals and white socks. She looked deceptively human, save for the eyes, the ears, and the nine snowy tails that stretched from underneath her skirt. He spat out time the remaining hair, "Hey…you're not a peach."
She was dumbstruck, "I'm not a what?"
The monkey pointed at her accusingly, "You're not a peach! What's the deal with that?"
The woman gingerly rubbed her tail, "Your deepest desire is a peach?"
The monkey was in a huff, stretching his arms out wide, "Not just a peach! The world's largest fuzzy peach! It was gargantuan! It looked so juicy! And then I get you, thanks for that!"
The woman cocked her head, "What's wrong with me?"
Shrugging his shoulders, the monkey replied, "No offense, but yer kinda ugly. Maybe if you had more hair and bigger forearms. Look at those things, they're so tiny."
A shocked look spread across her face, "You don't find me attractive?"
He shrugged again, "Am I supposed to?"
She traced her body with her hands, "Not even a little?"
"Nope. Your memory's gotta be a little fuzzy, I wanted a peach, not you."
The fox woman pouted her lip, "Now you've gone and hurt my feelings."
She turned around started to cry. The monkey rolled his eyes, counting the seconds. Three minutes later she spun back and glared at him, "Oh come on! You're not even going to try and comfort me?"
"Nope. You done yet? I got some major nappin' to catch up on."
She sighed and sank to the ground. She started laughing, a devilish glint in her eyes, "What's your name, monkey boy?"
He puffed his chest out, "I am Wukong! Student of Master Yi of the Wuju style! I'm going to be the strongest there ever is!"
Wukong lifted his entire body with a single finger, holding himself in place. He playfully shrieked after flipping in the air and landed on his feet. "And I suppose I should ask what your name is."
He turned around and walked away, the woman threw her hands up in frustration. "Well? Aren't you going to ask?"
"Nope! Said I should, not that I would!" He threw a cheeky smile at her and leapt back into the forest.
He thought he goaded her well enough. He stopped running for a moment, his ears trying to pick up a sound. Not a rustle, not a step could be heard. He frowned; he thought he had someone to tease. Suddenly from above the fox woman softly landed, her eyes glinting with predatory shine. Wukong retorted with a smirk and leapt into the trees. "Oh no monkey boy, you're mine."
Ten minutes of leading the fox woman on a wild goose chase later, Wukong enacted his plan. He skidded in mid run, rolled underneath the leaping woman and headed towards a small, narrow Cliffside. He plucked a single hair off his chest. He walked to the edge of it, peering down revealed it was a mere fifteen foot drop. He turned back around and saw the woman burst from the foliage. She pointed at him, "Nowhere to run, monkey boy! And don't even think about using that cloud!"
Wukong shrugged his shoulders, "No need. I can get away with or without it."
She crouched to the floor, slowly making her way to him on all fours. She was strange, looking like a human but acting like a fox. Wukong's cheeky grin was still plastered on his face, he twitched towards her. He was about jump over her when she changed trajectories, catching him in midair. "Gotcha!"
Wukong disappeared in a puff of smoke, a single hair breezed past her. The woman was confused as she sailed over the edge of the cliff. Halfway down she saw Wukong sitting on his staff, it had elongated itself into a ridiculous length. With the same cheeky smile still on his face he waved at her as she fell past him into the deep water. The sound of water splashing was heard, and he burst out laughing. "Eye for an eye, girly! Never trick the trickster!"
She came out of the water, sputtering for air, she thrashed about feebly. He looked at her, somewhat concerned. A thought crossed his mind; foxes were reasonably good at swimming. He had heard that some humans couldn't swim, probably the stupid ones but hey he's not judging. She's part fox, part human. So if she was a decent swimmer as a fox, and a not a swimmer as a human then that meant…That definitely meant she was a shoddy swimmer at most according to his infallible math. She dipped into the water once more. It was then he fully realized she wasn't joking.
His staff shortened itself and as he sheathed it, diving into the water. He grabbed the woman's waist and started swimming towards shore. She sputtered out water, "W-what took you so long?"
He cast a cocky look at her, "I thought those balloons of yours would keep you afloat. Guess not!"
"Oh shut up." She grumbled as she spat out more water.
They eventually reached the shore. Wukong dragged her onto the sand. She coughed up more water, she was completely drenched. Her kimono clung tightly to her skin, leaving what little there was to the imagination nothing at all. He scratched his chin, "So, you can't swim?"
She blushed lightly, "Not…really. Not in this body. The hands are so big and clumsy sometimes."
Wukong cocked his head, "Not in this body? Whatcha mean?"
She laughed as she twisted her hair, expelling the water, "I didn't always look like this. I used to be a fox."
"I would have never guessed." Wukong chittered sarcastically.
She scowled at him as she attempted to dry her first of many tails. He got to his feet, threw his staff on the ground and disappeared into the woods before she could question him. She puffed her cheeks out in frustration; He throws her into a lake then promptly leaves her here alone. What an annoying little son of a… Then she realized she had essentially done the same thing to him. She sighed as she attempted to dry her second tail, the rustle of bushes pricked her ears and Wukong returned.
He carried a bunch of branches, logs and rocks in hand, waltzed over to her and threw them on the ground. He took a few steps to the side and started digging at the ground enthusiastically. Shoveling the sand as quickly as he could he dug a pit. He lined it with most of the rocks and threw the wood in. He had a few small logs next to him, they had white bark. He stripped them off and made a square within the pit. Grabbing two rocks he cracked them against one another. One crumbled in his hand, he burst out laughing, "Wrong one!"
He grabbed another rock, sniffed it, than licked it. He drew back, "Right one."
He cracked the two rocks against one another once more. Sparks flew out with every strike. A fire eventually roared to life as he cracked the rocks, puffed at the growing embers, cracked the rocks again, and puffed more. He looked at the fox woman, "Come, come! It's a nice fire, it'll help dry you up!"
She inched closer, looking at him warily. He raised his hands defensively, "No tricks, it's a fire. Come on, don't be such a sourpuss."
She scowled once more and inched closer. Wukong got up and shook the water from his fur to the best of his ability. She drew back, trying to deflect the incoming water water. He glanced at her, "So! What's your name?"
She looked at him; a smile crept on his face once more as she responded, "I'm Ahri."
Wukong had more sticks beside him, he arranged them to look like a rack. He glanced at her, "Hey Ahri, your clothes ain't gonna dry like that. Put them on the rack."
Before she could respond his armor clanked off of him, he was busy undoing his pants when she stopped him, "Wait! What are you doing? I'm not…I don't…Why are you taking off your pants?"
Wukong cocked an eye at her, "What am I doing…? Oh! The clothing! Yeah, I only wear it when I need to."
The armor pieces crashed to the ground, they had to weigh over a hundred kilograms easily. The cloth parts he stretched across the rack, he was completely naked. She looked down, expecting to see a little monkey. He shook his rear end at her, "Nice and firm, eh? That's what you need."
She broke out laughing, "How can you strip naked in front of me?"
"Naked? What?" Wukong looked confused.
Ahri pointed at him, "Not…wearing clothing. That's being naked."
Wukong mouthed his understanding, "Yeah, that's human stuff. Makes them feel comfortable so I wear it with them."
"I am human!" Ahri snarled at him.
He raised his hands defensively, "Yeaaaah…we'll talk about that in a bit. What'd ya like to eat?"
She puffed her cheeks out, "Fox stuff: Squirrels, mice, chipmunks, snakes, fruits." And souls. But she did not feel like she had to add that part in. She was trying to get over that craving.
Wukong looked around, "Mhm, that means hours of hunting. Not in the mood for that. You like fish?"
Before she could respond he ran towards the lake, leaping headfirst. He promptly rose up from the water, grabbing his head in pain. He had leapt in the shallow part of the lake. She broke out in a fit of giggles; another cheeky smile was thrown to her as he dove once more. She brought her knees up to her chest, thinking what she had said. She wanted to be human; she wanted to be human so much.
A few minutes later Wukong remerged, two large trout were in his hands while a bass was in his mouth. He walked over to her, completely drenched. He threw one of the fish at her, she caught it despite its attempts to flip flop everywhere. He bent down and grabbed a pointed stick, and shoved the bass onto it. He rested the stick near the fire, letting it cook as he shoved the other trout onto yet another stick. He was about to ask her for the last trout when he heard the sound of crunching.
She already devoured half of the fish, the gore trailing on her chin. Wukong burst out laughing, "You act like you never ate! Hoo!"
Ahri put the rest of the fish away, swallowed whatever was left in her mouth and blushed sheepishly, "I didn't eat for a few days. That's why I was trying to lure you."
Wukong raised an eyebrow, "Scuse me?"
"Ah…I'm trying to stop it but if I don't eat for a few days I…sort of fall into old habits. You see, I can lure people with their deepest desires with aroma and sight. And your life energy looked good, I just wanted a little! Not much, just a bit to satiate the hunger, not that I'm that hungry but…" She became increasingly defensive.
Wukong shrugged, "You wanted a taste? You shoulda just asked. Here you go."
He stuck his tail her face, she sneezed from its bushiness. "Come on, just a nibble, hurry it up. This is gonna hurt me a lot more than you."
Ahri looked at him, then at the tail, then back at him. She chomped down on it, causing him to yelp. Little did she know he was simply acting, he barely felt pain anymore. His body naturally repelled most attacks as if it were stone, sometimes he thought it was. He looked at her, "Happy? That enough essence?"
She sighed, shaking her head wearily. At least he is too dumb to realize what she had meant, "I…suppose. Can you put pants on now, please?"
"No way. I'm not with humans, no reason to."
Ahri growled at him, "I told you, I am human!"
Wukong condescendingly howled in laughter, "Oh really! What makes you human?"
She drew back, trying to find the words. "Well…uh...I can speak in human tongue unlike most animals."
Wukong pointed at himself, "Ook, ook. Me no speak good Common tongue. This Common tongue, or language, came from the most prolific words exhibited in most modern languages and simply converged into one language that could be understood by all, despite other languages existing in different cultures."
Ahri frowned, trying to find reasoning. "I…I am sentient. I know that I exist."
Wukong pinched himself, "Hey look at that! I do too!"
Before she could say anything else he interrupted her, "And I got opposable thumbs, and I got fur like you. Much more than you, but hair, fur, same thing. I also got emotions, but I'm not human in the slightest sense! How many other champions have you met? How many of them are human? How many of them exhibit these same things? What else do you got that you think only humans have?"
"…I also have a conscience." She bowed her head. He could sense her sadness, as if she had done something terrible and he had brought it up.
He hopped over, patting her shoulder, "Hey, I do too. Otherwise I'd have let you drown in the lake. You interrupted my nap after all, you would kinda deserve it. Now that I think about it…"
Ahri looked at him, her eyes teary, "Then what am I? If I'm not a fox, if I'm not a human…then what am I? Am I a monster?"
Wukong scratched his chin before slowly responding,
"Well, no. You're mortal. You're the same as before, but you just think and realize more. Just subtle differences really. It's hard to explain, I mean, I was born this way. My family can barely form syllables past grunts and monkey speech. Besides, why do you care so much about bein' a human? Master Yi once told me you are what you wish to be. Do you want to be human? What's so great about that? You want to look human?"
Ahri was about to respond when Wukong continued his speech,
"Why? You look fine to me, why change yourself if you don't wanna? If you want to look human and wear clothing then sure, go for it. You can't think like a human cause there's no clear definition for humanity, so you think like yourself. If you don't want to do stuff and do it just so you can fit in better, that's stupid. I mean, look at me! I wear pants, sure, but I don't completely despise them! They got pockets and all these uses, I just don't like wearin' them all the time. With that in mind, being yourself is probably the hardest thing you can do, but it's fun! It's fulfilling! You want to think stuff and have a conscience or whatever? Go for it! You wanna wear pants today? Sure thing! It's your life; choose how you want to live it! Don't feel bad for wanting to live the way you want!"
"…I thought you said I was ugly?" A playful glint now shone in her eyes.
Wukong's mirth did not disappear, "Hey, I was comparing you to the world's largest peach. Nothin's gonna beat that. 'cept maybe the world's largest banana. Mm…nah, peach is definitely better."
He pulled the fish from the fire, offering her the cooked trout. "Give it a try, it tastes pretty good!"
Ahri bit into the fish, she drew back in surprise. It was pretty good. Wukong pointed at her, "Your clothes are still wet. And it's a bit chilly outside."
She slowly came to the realization he had been hinting at, and whipped her kimono off. This was promptly followed by her underwear. She walked over to the handmade rack and laid them both across. Wukong chittered excitedly, "See? Much better! Clothing always bothers my tail. It's so stupid that there's a hole in my pants to poke it through. It's a tiny hole for a big tail, I gotta fix that."
"I don't have that problem; my dress gives my tails room."
Wukong chuckled, "That's what you think. They ride your skirt up pretty high, I knew from the getgo you got yourself a decent butt."
She glared at him, and then broke out laughing. She sat next to him, nibbling into the fish. She sighed and looked up to the sky, "It's strange. I feel comfortable. When I first started transforming, I used to run wild and free. Then I needed to integrate with humans more, so I became comfortable with their traditional clothing and their usage. Even their meaning."
Wukong shrugged his shoulders, "I don't see the big problem, it's just extra stuff to lug around. For some I can understand. It's a status symbol, like Udyr. He wears all those pelts and that dress cause he looks bad ass with it. That one chick with all those swords wears the armor 'cause it was given to her by her friends. Makes sense! With me, it's to show I'm a student of the great Wuju master. I still take the stuff off when I wanna relax, but he got me the armor to commemorate my initiation... Heeey, is that what you meant about wearing clothing?"
She sat back, a thoughtful expression spread across her face. "I…suppose it is. I guess it's to show how I've changed."
Wukong chittered, "A fair enough reason! I won't bother you anymore 'bout it then! You can put it back on whenever you want!"
Ahri smirked at him playfully, "Oh? I think I'll keep the clothing off, don't you know what can be done without clothing, do you?"
Wukong pouted his lower lip, "Mmm, pretty much the same that can be done with clothing on. Why do you act like that?"
Ahri became startled, he continued, "Why do keep up the act?"
It was just…reaction. Just how she acted to others and how they reacted to her. She had never been put in a position like this, most men and some women would simply fawn over her, especially after saying something like that. Well, that and also the fact she was naked. "Ah…what act?"
"That…creepy thing you do. It's not natural. You were good and relaxed for a few moments, than put the act back up. Relax, it's lunch, not a wrestling match."
Wukong bit into his fish, tearing off a large piece. "Just be yourself. Don't be a human, don't be a fox, don't be what you think others should see ya be. You're much better when you're yourself."
Ahri looked at the crackling fire before her, what a strange thing for someone to say. Be yourself. They sat in silence while they ate, than simply looked at the fire. She dozed off within moments and fell asleep. An hour later she woke up, Wukong was snoring loudly. She grinned evilly, grabbing his staff's sheath. After rummaging with it, she fell back to sleep.
An hour after that, Wukong woke up. He looked at her, her chest lifted and lowered lightly with each quiet breath she took. He plucked several hairs from his chest and walked over to the clothing rack. This was going to be hilarious.
A couple hours after that Ahri woke up to the sound of rustling armor. Wukong was already awake and putting the final clasps on his armor, "Well! I ate, I napped and I met a new friend! Catch ya later Ahri!"
Wukong grabbed his armor and clasped it back on, she looked at him strangely. "Where are you off to?"
"I gotta meet up with the Master, and some of his colleagues. Supposed to be a lot of talking about stuff and…other…things... I kinda stopped paying attention halfway through the explanation. Point is, I need to go, or else." He clasped his belt as his final piece of clothing.
Ahri laughed, narrowing her eyes, "Will we meet again, monkey boy?"
He stuck his tongue at her, "Only if you can catch me!"
With Wukong disappearing into the darkening woods, Ahri reclined back into the sand. She looked up at the sun setting in the sky, she felt content. Happy. She had been so accustomed to humans and their meanings she forgot what fun it was to be a little primal. What makes a human, a human? She was happy with whom she was, and though she had committed a sin or two she was fine. She was trying to make reparations. With that said, maybe she should embrace both sides of her, the animal and the human. No need for masks.
She walked over to the clothing rack and grabbed at her clothing, they disappeared in a puff of smoke. Her mouth was agape with shock, a few strands of his hair fell to the sand. She picked them up, smelling them. She smiled mischievously; oh they would most definitely meet again. Not only did she now have his scent, he would not let her have the last laugh. But first thing's first, where did the little jerk put her clothing?
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"What is that peculiar smell?" A man's voice was tinged by disgust.
Wukong cocked his head, "What? What smell?"
A woman with two kamas walked over and smelled Wukong, "The source is from your student, Yi."
"No way! I took a bath! You're crazy!" Wukong was clearly annoyed.
His master turned to him, "Wukong, the odor is most definitely coming from your sheath. The smell of blood, death and…fish?"
Wukong chittered angrily, turned his sheath upside down and half a bloodied trout spilled out, entrails and all. Everyone fell silent, and the only sound that permeated the air was Wukong's own laughter.
Enjoy!
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The forests were a second home to him. A blur flew through the forestry, leaping from branch to branch with ease. The blur stopped, and his form was revealed. A human-sized monkey rested on a tree branch, grabbing a handful of nuts. His attire was a modified Ionian foot soldier's armor. Large fingerless gauntlets, a pair of large smooth shoulder pads held by a plate exposing his furry chest, a leg length cloth tasset wrapped his waist and over a pair of armored light chausses. All of these were ruby colored outlined by gold, the same color as his shifty eyes. A long sheath was slung across his back; a bright red stick peeked out of it.
Crushing the walnuts in his grip he greedily devoured them. He licked his lips, he was still hungry but he was more tired. Training with his master was hard that morning. He could still feel the bruises from the regiment. He went back to swinging from branch to branch, knowing his destination. A pair of golden speckled eyes followed him, a crafty smile curled.
He propelled himself at incredible speeds, coming near to his location. With one final swing he leapt to the sky, no more trees to grab onto. Water was rushing at him and quickly. Flipping in mid-air he continued his descent until he was nearly touching the water. A cloud suddenly appeared underneath him, carrying him an inch from the lake's surface. He lay back on the cloud, staring at the sunny skies. He dipped his hand into the water, a chill shivered through him. Nice and cold. He cupped his hand and sipped at the water, refreshing. Smacking his lips he lazily drifted on over the lake. A pair of golden eyes stared at him, the crafty grin still there.
The monkey was almost asleep when he felt a sudden surge of energy rush underneath him. His cloud dissipated, causing him to fall into the water. He thrashed in the lake, sputtering chilly water left and right. He heard the faintest giggle and saw the rustle of a bush. No one tricks a trickster. He energetically swam towards the shore, he saw something white peek out from a bush. He found his quarry. He swam faster, reaching the shore in mere moments. Completely drenched from head to toe he catapulted himself into the bush. There was nothing there.
He chattered his teeth in annoyance and from cold when he smelled a beautiful fragrance. He looked around, the aroma was unbearable. He licked his lips, following the smell blindly. Whatever it was, he wanted it. He parted some shrubbery aside and lo and behold the source of the smell: The world's largest fuzzy peach. It shook itself at him tauntingly, he could not resist. Leaping forward he grabbed onto the peach and opened his jaw wide. A surprised feminine voice sputtered from the peach, "W-what? Waitnodon't-"
He bit down, hard. A shriek filled the air, and the monkey snapped back to his senses. He was biting into a mouthful of white fur. Another eight tails nearly speared his eyes as the voice kept screaming in pain. He spat out the hair, wiping his tongue of the fur that he previously was chewing on. "Gah! Ow ow ow! Ow! What's wrong with you? Ow!"
He looked at the source of the voice, still spitting hair out. It was an odd looking woman. She had a pair of black fox ears and long obsidian hair. Her golden speckled eyes had catlike irises. She wore a short kimono which accentuated her large breasts and wide hips. He barely noticed the pair of red laced sandals and white socks. She looked deceptively human, save for the eyes, the ears, and the nine snowy tails that stretched from underneath her skirt. He spat out time the remaining hair, "Hey…you're not a peach."
She was dumbstruck, "I'm not a what?"
The monkey pointed at her accusingly, "You're not a peach! What's the deal with that?"
The woman gingerly rubbed her tail, "Your deepest desire is a peach?"
The monkey was in a huff, stretching his arms out wide, "Not just a peach! The world's largest fuzzy peach! It was gargantuan! It looked so juicy! And then I get you, thanks for that!"
The woman cocked her head, "What's wrong with me?"
Shrugging his shoulders, the monkey replied, "No offense, but yer kinda ugly. Maybe if you had more hair and bigger forearms. Look at those things, they're so tiny."
A shocked look spread across her face, "You don't find me attractive?"
He shrugged again, "Am I supposed to?"
She traced her body with her hands, "Not even a little?"
"Nope. Your memory's gotta be a little fuzzy, I wanted a peach, not you."
The fox woman pouted her lip, "Now you've gone and hurt my feelings."
She turned around started to cry. The monkey rolled his eyes, counting the seconds. Three minutes later she spun back and glared at him, "Oh come on! You're not even going to try and comfort me?"
"Nope. You done yet? I got some major nappin' to catch up on."
She sighed and sank to the ground. She started laughing, a devilish glint in her eyes, "What's your name, monkey boy?"
He puffed his chest out, "I am Wukong! Student of Master Yi of the Wuju style! I'm going to be the strongest there ever is!"
Wukong lifted his entire body with a single finger, holding himself in place. He playfully shrieked after flipping in the air and landed on his feet. "And I suppose I should ask what your name is."
He turned around and walked away, the woman threw her hands up in frustration. "Well? Aren't you going to ask?"
"Nope! Said I should, not that I would!" He threw a cheeky smile at her and leapt back into the forest.
He thought he goaded her well enough. He stopped running for a moment, his ears trying to pick up a sound. Not a rustle, not a step could be heard. He frowned; he thought he had someone to tease. Suddenly from above the fox woman softly landed, her eyes glinting with predatory shine. Wukong retorted with a smirk and leapt into the trees. "Oh no monkey boy, you're mine."
Ten minutes of leading the fox woman on a wild goose chase later, Wukong enacted his plan. He skidded in mid run, rolled underneath the leaping woman and headed towards a small, narrow Cliffside. He plucked a single hair off his chest. He walked to the edge of it, peering down revealed it was a mere fifteen foot drop. He turned back around and saw the woman burst from the foliage. She pointed at him, "Nowhere to run, monkey boy! And don't even think about using that cloud!"
Wukong shrugged his shoulders, "No need. I can get away with or without it."
She crouched to the floor, slowly making her way to him on all fours. She was strange, looking like a human but acting like a fox. Wukong's cheeky grin was still plastered on his face, he twitched towards her. He was about jump over her when she changed trajectories, catching him in midair. "Gotcha!"
Wukong disappeared in a puff of smoke, a single hair breezed past her. The woman was confused as she sailed over the edge of the cliff. Halfway down she saw Wukong sitting on his staff, it had elongated itself into a ridiculous length. With the same cheeky smile still on his face he waved at her as she fell past him into the deep water. The sound of water splashing was heard, and he burst out laughing. "Eye for an eye, girly! Never trick the trickster!"
She came out of the water, sputtering for air, she thrashed about feebly. He looked at her, somewhat concerned. A thought crossed his mind; foxes were reasonably good at swimming. He had heard that some humans couldn't swim, probably the stupid ones but hey he's not judging. She's part fox, part human. So if she was a decent swimmer as a fox, and a not a swimmer as a human then that meant…That definitely meant she was a shoddy swimmer at most according to his infallible math. She dipped into the water once more. It was then he fully realized she wasn't joking.
His staff shortened itself and as he sheathed it, diving into the water. He grabbed the woman's waist and started swimming towards shore. She sputtered out water, "W-what took you so long?"
He cast a cocky look at her, "I thought those balloons of yours would keep you afloat. Guess not!"
"Oh shut up." She grumbled as she spat out more water.
They eventually reached the shore. Wukong dragged her onto the sand. She coughed up more water, she was completely drenched. Her kimono clung tightly to her skin, leaving what little there was to the imagination nothing at all. He scratched his chin, "So, you can't swim?"
She blushed lightly, "Not…really. Not in this body. The hands are so big and clumsy sometimes."
Wukong cocked his head, "Not in this body? Whatcha mean?"
She laughed as she twisted her hair, expelling the water, "I didn't always look like this. I used to be a fox."
"I would have never guessed." Wukong chittered sarcastically.
She scowled at him as she attempted to dry her first of many tails. He got to his feet, threw his staff on the ground and disappeared into the woods before she could question him. She puffed her cheeks out in frustration; He throws her into a lake then promptly leaves her here alone. What an annoying little son of a… Then she realized she had essentially done the same thing to him. She sighed as she attempted to dry her second tail, the rustle of bushes pricked her ears and Wukong returned.
He carried a bunch of branches, logs and rocks in hand, waltzed over to her and threw them on the ground. He took a few steps to the side and started digging at the ground enthusiastically. Shoveling the sand as quickly as he could he dug a pit. He lined it with most of the rocks and threw the wood in. He had a few small logs next to him, they had white bark. He stripped them off and made a square within the pit. Grabbing two rocks he cracked them against one another. One crumbled in his hand, he burst out laughing, "Wrong one!"
He grabbed another rock, sniffed it, than licked it. He drew back, "Right one."
He cracked the two rocks against one another once more. Sparks flew out with every strike. A fire eventually roared to life as he cracked the rocks, puffed at the growing embers, cracked the rocks again, and puffed more. He looked at the fox woman, "Come, come! It's a nice fire, it'll help dry you up!"
She inched closer, looking at him warily. He raised his hands defensively, "No tricks, it's a fire. Come on, don't be such a sourpuss."
She scowled once more and inched closer. Wukong got up and shook the water from his fur to the best of his ability. She drew back, trying to deflect the incoming water water. He glanced at her, "So! What's your name?"
She looked at him; a smile crept on his face once more as she responded, "I'm Ahri."
Wukong had more sticks beside him, he arranged them to look like a rack. He glanced at her, "Hey Ahri, your clothes ain't gonna dry like that. Put them on the rack."
Before she could respond his armor clanked off of him, he was busy undoing his pants when she stopped him, "Wait! What are you doing? I'm not…I don't…Why are you taking off your pants?"
Wukong cocked an eye at her, "What am I doing…? Oh! The clothing! Yeah, I only wear it when I need to."
The armor pieces crashed to the ground, they had to weigh over a hundred kilograms easily. The cloth parts he stretched across the rack, he was completely naked. She looked down, expecting to see a little monkey. He shook his rear end at her, "Nice and firm, eh? That's what you need."
She broke out laughing, "How can you strip naked in front of me?"
"Naked? What?" Wukong looked confused.
Ahri pointed at him, "Not…wearing clothing. That's being naked."
Wukong mouthed his understanding, "Yeah, that's human stuff. Makes them feel comfortable so I wear it with them."
"I am human!" Ahri snarled at him.
He raised his hands defensively, "Yeaaaah…we'll talk about that in a bit. What'd ya like to eat?"
She puffed her cheeks out, "Fox stuff: Squirrels, mice, chipmunks, snakes, fruits." And souls. But she did not feel like she had to add that part in. She was trying to get over that craving.
Wukong looked around, "Mhm, that means hours of hunting. Not in the mood for that. You like fish?"
Before she could respond he ran towards the lake, leaping headfirst. He promptly rose up from the water, grabbing his head in pain. He had leapt in the shallow part of the lake. She broke out in a fit of giggles; another cheeky smile was thrown to her as he dove once more. She brought her knees up to her chest, thinking what she had said. She wanted to be human; she wanted to be human so much.
A few minutes later Wukong remerged, two large trout were in his hands while a bass was in his mouth. He walked over to her, completely drenched. He threw one of the fish at her, she caught it despite its attempts to flip flop everywhere. He bent down and grabbed a pointed stick, and shoved the bass onto it. He rested the stick near the fire, letting it cook as he shoved the other trout onto yet another stick. He was about to ask her for the last trout when he heard the sound of crunching.
She already devoured half of the fish, the gore trailing on her chin. Wukong burst out laughing, "You act like you never ate! Hoo!"
Ahri put the rest of the fish away, swallowed whatever was left in her mouth and blushed sheepishly, "I didn't eat for a few days. That's why I was trying to lure you."
Wukong raised an eyebrow, "Scuse me?"
"Ah…I'm trying to stop it but if I don't eat for a few days I…sort of fall into old habits. You see, I can lure people with their deepest desires with aroma and sight. And your life energy looked good, I just wanted a little! Not much, just a bit to satiate the hunger, not that I'm that hungry but…" She became increasingly defensive.
Wukong shrugged, "You wanted a taste? You shoulda just asked. Here you go."
He stuck his tail her face, she sneezed from its bushiness. "Come on, just a nibble, hurry it up. This is gonna hurt me a lot more than you."
Ahri looked at him, then at the tail, then back at him. She chomped down on it, causing him to yelp. Little did she know he was simply acting, he barely felt pain anymore. His body naturally repelled most attacks as if it were stone, sometimes he thought it was. He looked at her, "Happy? That enough essence?"
She sighed, shaking her head wearily. At least he is too dumb to realize what she had meant, "I…suppose. Can you put pants on now, please?"
"No way. I'm not with humans, no reason to."
Ahri growled at him, "I told you, I am human!"
Wukong condescendingly howled in laughter, "Oh really! What makes you human?"
She drew back, trying to find the words. "Well…uh...I can speak in human tongue unlike most animals."
Wukong pointed at himself, "Ook, ook. Me no speak good Common tongue. This Common tongue, or language, came from the most prolific words exhibited in most modern languages and simply converged into one language that could be understood by all, despite other languages existing in different cultures."
Ahri frowned, trying to find reasoning. "I…I am sentient. I know that I exist."
Wukong pinched himself, "Hey look at that! I do too!"
Before she could say anything else he interrupted her, "And I got opposable thumbs, and I got fur like you. Much more than you, but hair, fur, same thing. I also got emotions, but I'm not human in the slightest sense! How many other champions have you met? How many of them are human? How many of them exhibit these same things? What else do you got that you think only humans have?"
"…I also have a conscience." She bowed her head. He could sense her sadness, as if she had done something terrible and he had brought it up.
He hopped over, patting her shoulder, "Hey, I do too. Otherwise I'd have let you drown in the lake. You interrupted my nap after all, you would kinda deserve it. Now that I think about it…"
Ahri looked at him, her eyes teary, "Then what am I? If I'm not a fox, if I'm not a human…then what am I? Am I a monster?"
Wukong scratched his chin before slowly responding,
"Well, no. You're mortal. You're the same as before, but you just think and realize more. Just subtle differences really. It's hard to explain, I mean, I was born this way. My family can barely form syllables past grunts and monkey speech. Besides, why do you care so much about bein' a human? Master Yi once told me you are what you wish to be. Do you want to be human? What's so great about that? You want to look human?"
Ahri was about to respond when Wukong continued his speech,
"Why? You look fine to me, why change yourself if you don't wanna? If you want to look human and wear clothing then sure, go for it. You can't think like a human cause there's no clear definition for humanity, so you think like yourself. If you don't want to do stuff and do it just so you can fit in better, that's stupid. I mean, look at me! I wear pants, sure, but I don't completely despise them! They got pockets and all these uses, I just don't like wearin' them all the time. With that in mind, being yourself is probably the hardest thing you can do, but it's fun! It's fulfilling! You want to think stuff and have a conscience or whatever? Go for it! You wanna wear pants today? Sure thing! It's your life; choose how you want to live it! Don't feel bad for wanting to live the way you want!"
"…I thought you said I was ugly?" A playful glint now shone in her eyes.
Wukong's mirth did not disappear, "Hey, I was comparing you to the world's largest peach. Nothin's gonna beat that. 'cept maybe the world's largest banana. Mm…nah, peach is definitely better."
He pulled the fish from the fire, offering her the cooked trout. "Give it a try, it tastes pretty good!"
Ahri bit into the fish, she drew back in surprise. It was pretty good. Wukong pointed at her, "Your clothes are still wet. And it's a bit chilly outside."
She slowly came to the realization he had been hinting at, and whipped her kimono off. This was promptly followed by her underwear. She walked over to the handmade rack and laid them both across. Wukong chittered excitedly, "See? Much better! Clothing always bothers my tail. It's so stupid that there's a hole in my pants to poke it through. It's a tiny hole for a big tail, I gotta fix that."
"I don't have that problem; my dress gives my tails room."
Wukong chuckled, "That's what you think. They ride your skirt up pretty high, I knew from the getgo you got yourself a decent butt."
She glared at him, and then broke out laughing. She sat next to him, nibbling into the fish. She sighed and looked up to the sky, "It's strange. I feel comfortable. When I first started transforming, I used to run wild and free. Then I needed to integrate with humans more, so I became comfortable with their traditional clothing and their usage. Even their meaning."
Wukong shrugged his shoulders, "I don't see the big problem, it's just extra stuff to lug around. For some I can understand. It's a status symbol, like Udyr. He wears all those pelts and that dress cause he looks bad ass with it. That one chick with all those swords wears the armor 'cause it was given to her by her friends. Makes sense! With me, it's to show I'm a student of the great Wuju master. I still take the stuff off when I wanna relax, but he got me the armor to commemorate my initiation... Heeey, is that what you meant about wearing clothing?"
She sat back, a thoughtful expression spread across her face. "I…suppose it is. I guess it's to show how I've changed."
Wukong chittered, "A fair enough reason! I won't bother you anymore 'bout it then! You can put it back on whenever you want!"
Ahri smirked at him playfully, "Oh? I think I'll keep the clothing off, don't you know what can be done without clothing, do you?"
Wukong pouted his lower lip, "Mmm, pretty much the same that can be done with clothing on. Why do you act like that?"
Ahri became startled, he continued, "Why do keep up the act?"
It was just…reaction. Just how she acted to others and how they reacted to her. She had never been put in a position like this, most men and some women would simply fawn over her, especially after saying something like that. Well, that and also the fact she was naked. "Ah…what act?"
"That…creepy thing you do. It's not natural. You were good and relaxed for a few moments, than put the act back up. Relax, it's lunch, not a wrestling match."
Wukong bit into his fish, tearing off a large piece. "Just be yourself. Don't be a human, don't be a fox, don't be what you think others should see ya be. You're much better when you're yourself."
Ahri looked at the crackling fire before her, what a strange thing for someone to say. Be yourself. They sat in silence while they ate, than simply looked at the fire. She dozed off within moments and fell asleep. An hour later she woke up, Wukong was snoring loudly. She grinned evilly, grabbing his staff's sheath. After rummaging with it, she fell back to sleep.
An hour after that, Wukong woke up. He looked at her, her chest lifted and lowered lightly with each quiet breath she took. He plucked several hairs from his chest and walked over to the clothing rack. This was going to be hilarious.
A couple hours after that Ahri woke up to the sound of rustling armor. Wukong was already awake and putting the final clasps on his armor, "Well! I ate, I napped and I met a new friend! Catch ya later Ahri!"
Wukong grabbed his armor and clasped it back on, she looked at him strangely. "Where are you off to?"
"I gotta meet up with the Master, and some of his colleagues. Supposed to be a lot of talking about stuff and…other…things... I kinda stopped paying attention halfway through the explanation. Point is, I need to go, or else." He clasped his belt as his final piece of clothing.
Ahri laughed, narrowing her eyes, "Will we meet again, monkey boy?"
He stuck his tongue at her, "Only if you can catch me!"
With Wukong disappearing into the darkening woods, Ahri reclined back into the sand. She looked up at the sun setting in the sky, she felt content. Happy. She had been so accustomed to humans and their meanings she forgot what fun it was to be a little primal. What makes a human, a human? She was happy with whom she was, and though she had committed a sin or two she was fine. She was trying to make reparations. With that said, maybe she should embrace both sides of her, the animal and the human. No need for masks.
She walked over to the clothing rack and grabbed at her clothing, they disappeared in a puff of smoke. Her mouth was agape with shock, a few strands of his hair fell to the sand. She picked them up, smelling them. She smiled mischievously; oh they would most definitely meet again. Not only did she now have his scent, he would not let her have the last laugh. But first thing's first, where did the little jerk put her clothing?
--------------------------------------
"What is that peculiar smell?" A man's voice was tinged by disgust.
Wukong cocked his head, "What? What smell?"
A woman with two kamas walked over and smelled Wukong, "The source is from your student, Yi."
"No way! I took a bath! You're crazy!" Wukong was clearly annoyed.
His master turned to him, "Wukong, the odor is most definitely coming from your sheath. The smell of blood, death and…fish?"
Wukong chittered angrily, turned his sheath upside down and half a bloodied trout spilled out, entrails and all. Everyone fell silent, and the only sound that permeated the air was Wukong's own laughter.