A Secret Journey ( Wukong X Sanzang )

Chapter 10: Fangs, Claws & Trust

Author's note: Wow! It's been... months since I updated... Which I apologise for! I took a break from JTTW as a whole because-- a lot of things happened. Mostly, because of the growing hatred for SunTang in an... unspecified community (iykyk shh). It kinda just bummed me out, and the negativity eventually got to me, causing me to drop the fandom as a whole-- But I am back, more resistant and obsessed over Buddhist monks than ever before! I made sure this chapter had some substance to compensate for my long absence! And I'd just like to thank everybody for the support-- This place's a lot better than Twitter I must say, haha! I deeply appreciate the time you've taken out of your day to read this silly fanfiction, and leaving comments and likes- your love and sweet words for my work motivates me to put aside the unjustified hate against SunTang, because they're undeniably a cute pair!

( people have been calling it ''problematic'' like... my goodness, just a couple years ago, it was the most beloved ship ever! And now people are getting harassed and called out for it?! Times have changed... can we go back, please? )

~

The much anticipated winter had arrived, and it hit the travelers with a spiteful power. The snow, propelled by an invisible army of archers, mercilessly pelted their faces and bodies, leaving no exposed skin untouched. Each step they took towards the safety of the cave seemed to be met with a malicious force, as if the snowflakes themselves conspired to keep them at bay.

Sanzang, a slender and dainty young man who had led a life devoid of physical exertion, save for the occasional temple sweeping, was the first to succumb to the whims of the snow covered slope. With every clumsy fall, he transformed into a rolling ball of fumbling limbs. His exasperated companions; Wukong, Pigsy, and Sandy, would then together produce a cacophony of animalistic screeches and squeals blended with the furious gusts of chilly wind, as the fish, pig, and monkey demons embarked on a moronic downhill pursuit, desperate to rescue their master... again.

"I don't think we're making much progress." Sandy attempted to voice out his observation above the tempestuous uproar.

"What?" Pigsy shouted back, his words instantly swallowed by the fierce gusts.

"I said, I don't think we're making much progress!" Sandy reiterated, his voice louder now.

"WHAT?!" Pigsy's hollered back, drowning in the frost, frustration creasing his pig-like features.

"I DON'T THINK WE—" Sandy began to yell once more, but was abruptly cut off.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Wukong's thundering voice pierced through the snow storm, his tail swishing furiously from side to side in irritation. With one arm tightly clutching the vulnerable teenage monk, he struggled to maintain a firm grip, preventing Sanzang from soaring away like a flimsy sheet of paper caught in the wind.

Wukong cast a disdainful glance back at his "squishy, mortal human" who posed as their Master, and noticed him in the grip of violent shivers. His fingers clutched desperately at his own arms, seeking solace from the biting cold that penetrated his layers upon layers of robes. Sanzang's futile attempts to snuggle deeper into his holy garments were met with uncontrollable sneezes, his nose becoming a faucet of unwelcome drips.

"Ugh, this weather is horror!" the Buddhist monk grumbled, his teeth clattering together as he spoke, as though his very tongue risked getting nipped off if he wasn't cautious.

"If we make our way to that cave, we'll be fine," Wukong hissed, his strained smile concealing his seething irritation. He couldn't bear another moment of Sanzang's incessant whining, which seemed to serve as a not-so-subtle demand for Wukong to rectify the problem. Yet, hadn't he been diligently attempting to do just that for the past agonizing twenty minutes? It was as if his efforts went unnoticed, taken for granted, while the monkey was left to suffer the assaults of Sanzang's complaints.