Before he was Taken (Prologue)

Heart of a Youngling

Is it possible to physically experience the moment you give your heart to someone? Macaque couldn't help but wonder, as he was certain he had given his away when he was just a youngling.

It was the day he first laid eyes upon the legendary Monkey King, Sun Wukong. Though, back then, the "Legend" was nothing but an unruly cub. Always running off and getting himself into no good, sending the tribe into spirals.

The elders who had discovered him perched atop the mountain one sunny day had taken him under their wing. But despite their constant chirping of warnings and reprimands, he paid them little attention. Life was calling to him, and he would never not heed it's call.

To witness Wukong in all his glory was to experience true freedom in its purest form. His untamed spirit roared like the winds, his actions wreaking havoc like a destructive tempest. Yet, amidst it all, there was an undeniable charm to him, his smile as captivating as a sunset over the horizon. He roamed freely and fearlessly, unbound by rules or expectations, truly living in the moment.

Macaque himself had been welcomed into the tribe in a similar fashion, found in the middle of the night beneath the light of the full moon- bathed in its glow. The perfect counterpart to their outgoing and sun-kissed monkey, Liu'er Mihou was like a ghost, moving through the shadows with grace and stealth. His fur glistened under the moon's ethereal glow, a quiet reflection of serenity amidst the chaos of the jungle.

The Sun and the Moon.

Although they were both discovered in unusual circumstances, the tribe still loved and accepted them wholeheartedly. This particular tribe was ancient and wise, having dated back hundreds of years. Their lands had gone untouched by war and conflict, allowing them to prosper and spread out across the entire mountain's peak.

It was due to this distance that it had been quite some years before Macaque encountered the soon to be King.

He could still remember the first time he spotted Sun Wukong with vivid clarity, as if it had happened only yesterday. He was swinging from branch to branch, lost in the green of the forest, when he spotted a figure sitting cross-legged atop a rocky outcropping.

His golden fur rippled like fire in the dappled sunlight, his cheeks rounded and sweet- dusted in the softest pink Macaque had even seen. Wukong was always looking outward to the distance, seeking something Macaque couldn't fathom in his youth. Yet this soon to be Legend, who's destiny had yet to reveal itself, seemed eager for it all the same.

As Wukong turned and saw Macaque peeking out from under the canopy, he greeted him with a friendly call, curious to who he was since he had never seen him around before. His smile was wide, his eye lashes fluttering and curling- Macaque didn't know what "pretty" meant until that day.

"Hey~! Why don't you join me?"

Liu'er Mihou immediately disappeared into his Shadow, feeling a heat rise to his cheeks and an irregular pulse in his chest. It was burning. So frazzled he fled before Wukong could get out nother word.

After that embarrassing encounter, he frantically sought out the first elder he could find, unable to control his emotions as he collapsed into their arms and begged for help, convinced that he was on the brink of death. Of course, an hour later, he had certainly not died, but was positive there was no good to come from running into that pretty monkey ever again.

But, as fate would have it, their paths kept colliding time and again. No matter where Macaque went, Wukong's boisterous laughter echoed through the forest, reaching his ears. It was as if the universe itself conspired to bring them together. Every glimpse of the vibrant monkey was like a stab to Macaque's heart, a sweet pain that kept him up at night, repeating Wukong's voice and words endlessly in his skull.