Once Bitten

Wukong

 ~Sixteen Years ago~

Wukong hated it here. He hated being with so many kids and he hated his stupid parents who had just left him. At first, he'd thought they would come back, but it had been over a week now and he was pretty sure they'd abandoned him. To make things worse, they'd even taken his little brother with them, and Wukong had barely even gotten to see his little brother since they left right after he was born. 

He'd been so small with barely any hair, though the tiny, whispy tufts Wukonng could see of it had looked a soft brown colour and his whole hand had been no bigger than one of Wukong's fingers. He hadn't seen him open his eyes in the short time he'd had with him, but Wukong liked to imagine they were just like his, a hazel so bright they almost looked gold. He'd taken one look at the tiny baby and had decided then and there that he loved him. 

He'd always wanted a little brother. Someone to play with when his parents were busy. Someone that would look at him and think he was cool. 

He wondered where he was now and why their parents had taken him with them and not Wukong. Was he not good enough? Didn't they love him anymore? He kicked the wall and huffed, crossing his arms with an angry scowl. 

Whatever, he'd show them.

At night, in a room filled with other left-behind kids, Wukong pushed his face into his pillow and shed a few tears for the family he had loved, and had thought loved him.

Two weeks later Wukong was starting to get used to the orphanage. He still hated it here, but at least he knew the routine now and no one messed with him. He didn't have any friends, mostly because he'd been sulking and angry the whole time he'd been here so far, but at least he'd stopped thinking so much of his parents, and how much he resented them for leaving him. He was still planning on finding them though, if only to ask why they left him, and to take his little brother back. 

I mean, it wasn't like they deserved him. If they'd left Wukong, who's to say they wouldn't leave his little brother too when he was older and break his heart as well? Wukong wouldn't let them. He'd be a great big brother, find him, and make sure neither of their parents could hurt him the way Wukong was hurting now. He'd never leave him, and they could be together, which was all the family Wukong needed.

With a goal in mind, Wukong in all his nine-year-old wisdom decided to try and find his little bro. 

But to do that he needed information.

The first thing he did was go to the caretaker and ask her, standing tall and asking his question. 

"Where are my parents?" He asked, hands clenched into fists and the lady smiled sympathetically at him, kneeling down to his height patronizingly.

"Aw, I'm sorry sweety, we still don't know, but I promise if there's any news on them I'll tell you right away, okay? I'm sure they didn't mean to leave you alone on purpose." She said, tone sugary sweet and Wukong hated it, resisting the urge to roll his eyes and stomp his foot. He hated that they treated him like that, like some baby! 

"I don't care, how can I find them? I have to find my little brother." He told her, but other than her sympathetic look she didn't have any information for him, and nothing useful at all. Fine, there had to be someone that knew how to find people.

Wukong didn't get anywhere but he did spend time playing with some of the other kids. He didn't much like any of them, but they seemed to like how he could hang upside down on stuff like a monkey, and it was fun showing off. 

Time passed, and Wukong never got any closer to finding his parents or brother. He'd just turned thirteen and had spent four years in the orphanage at this point. Some of the kids had come and gone, with families adopting them but anytime a new couple came in smiling and pretending to care Wukong would glare as hard as he could and make sure to be as awkward as possible. They just reminded him of his parents, and Wukong didn't want to be left behind again. Adults couldn't be trusted. Wukong only needed himself, and his little brother.