Between a rock and a hard place.

''A bone shattering crunch sound filled the immediate surroundings of that cursed cave on the day of the incident. It almost rivaled the sound of the boulder that crashed down onto him after slipping out of his hand. An instant later, a panicked voice called to the heavens in distress. ''

''"My tail!"  The youngest child and only son of the legendary Shin Mao cried out in despair, his leaf green cape now stained with crimson red from the blood of his pinned and shattered tail. Though he was painfully aware of what had happened, the pain hadn’t set in yet, his mind shielded from it through the adrenaline that pumped through his brain. He attempted to reach behind him to get a grip on the boulder in order to lift it once more, yet found no success. His grabs became more desperate as they quickly devolved into aggressive clawing at the boulder behind him,  but no matter how hard he tried,  he couldn’t get a proper grip. Desperation quickly faded into hopelessness, as now all he could do now was wait… Bao Bao would come back. He didn't abandon him. He couldn't have. He was his best friend… his only friend. He wouldn't betray him like this. He would come back for him. All he had to do and all he could do was wait…''

''And he waited, as he had before. Waiting for the love and warmth of his only friend. Yet, with each passing moment,  the adrenaline faded. With each passing moment this… feeling grew. An all-consuming alarm alerted his brain that something was very wrong. As he waited longer and longer, it was calling ever stronger. An intense ringing which spread from his crushed tail through his spine to every part of his body. It was toxic, corrosive, it kept screaming at him, it wouldn't stop. With every passing moment, the pain grew worse, encasing his mind to such a winding degree that no sound could escape him any longer. The feeling, the struggle, it was too much. He couldn't take it anymore. ''

''He had waited for a time that felt like an eternity, but none came for him, no one was there to free him, not anymore. He was abandoned, left behind again, left to rot all on his own after being betrayed by the only person to ever show him love for some amulet.  Perhaps… this path was always meant to be his own…''

''The only one who he could ever truly trust was himself… he had to escape. What else could he do but cut himself free,  losing a part of him in hopes of making this screeching pain finally come to an end. Initially hesitant, he grabbed onto the handle of his katana, causing it to glow gently with a radiant shine. He looked back at his tail with trembling eyes. A sight that would forever be burnt into his mind. He unsheathed his blade, then brought it to the base of his tail, the heat from its light radiating onto the skin beneath his fur… no more waiting… He clenched his teeth, pinched his eyes closed, brought down his blade…''
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''It felt like an eternity and a day had passed, but it was merely a few minutes… and throughout this loss, all he could do was fixate on the image of being loved by his family, trying to remove himself from his suffering with the one thought that has always motivated him… in this desperate fantasy he held onto, he was in the arms of his loving family and father, and not forgotten. Not abandoned and alone in a pool of his own blood… though, he couldn't live in this delusion forever…Now that he was free… he had to find his way home, alone. Mao Mao attempted to get back to his feet, however, upon placing pressure on his legs an surge shot through his spine, causing his fur to stand on end and his teeth to clench. This pain combined with the imbalance caused by the lack of his tail immediately sent him crashing like a wave, collapsing forward onto the ground almost immediately, landing flat on his chest.Once again he pinched his eyes closed while taking deep breaths, he was left with no other option but to crawl home across the rock and dirt… to return without his tail and without Bao Bao… what would his father think of him…? Would it even be worth making the journey to return… the constant ringing and stinging agony that pulsated out from where his tail once was took him out of these thoughts… anything was probably better than remaining here…''