Journey West 5000

Chapter 11 - Family Planning for White Dragon

Brother Mender turned to a nearby monk who was carrying an armful of sabers to a crate, and said "Brother Gentle Wave, please inform the Abbot that there is a Sister of the Faith here to request shelter for the night. Do let him know about her... special associate here too."

Brother Gentle Wave grinned and nodded. "Sure Brother Mender!", he said, as he dumped his load of sabers into the crate, and immediately began running towards the other end of the courtyard, and presumably, the Abbot's quarters.

"Sister Trip, I apologise, but we do not have any stables in which to quarter your horse. I'm afraid that horses are beyond rare in these parts. Perhaps --"

"That's alright. White Dragon can stay here. He won't get in your way."

White Dragon nodded and walked to a spot beside the wooden wall, nearest to the sheds. He faced the sheds, but did not move any further.

Brother Mender stared at White Dragon. "... Sister Trip, that is one intelligent horse you have right there! Obviously, he understands human speech! I have so many questions! Was he trained or born this intelligent? Are there any other horses like him? Would any foals sired by him have his intelligence?"

"He was like this when I found him. He's one of a kind. As for siring any foals, you'll have to ask him."

White Dragon looked at Trip, bowed his head, and winked.

Brother Mender looked as though he really was going to go ask White Dragon some questions. Trip reminded him "Brother Mender, let's go see the Abbot."

"Of course! I beg your pardon, I do tend to let curiosity get the best of me. Please follow me!"

Trip and Wukong walked behind Brother Mender, as he headed for the other end of the courtyard. When he reached the stairs leading to the highest plateau, Brother Mender paused and leaned against the wooden banister as he turned halfway around and started giving them a verbal tour.

"The stairs to our left lead to the living quarters, warehouses, storage rooms, and our libraries. The stairs to our right lead to our workshops, training rooms, and our trading area --"

"Oho! What a nice quarterstaff!" Wukong exclaimed in delight as he ran towards the next landing area.

Trip scanned the area, but did not see anything resembling a quarterstaff. Other than the landing area and steps carved into the mountain rock, there was a section of the banister that was metal instead of wood...

... which was what Wukong laid his hand on. As easily as one would lift a cup, Wukong lifted up the thick metal rod that formed the top of the banister, and started twirling it around while passing it from one hand to the other. Although it was a little thicker than the wooden quarterstaff that Wukong had, it was more or less the same length. It looked like it was made of a dark grey metal that gave off an impression of denseness.

"Ah! It's still light, but much better than a wooden one! Hey, Monk Mender, I'll be taking this --"

"Wukong! Don't go around snatching other people's property! Are you a bandit?"

"It's alright! It's totally alright! In fact, you'd be doing me a favour if you replaced that metal rod with the wooden quarterstaff you have. I was just using it as a placeholder until proper repairs could be done."

"Is it really alright, Brother Mender? Wood for metal does not seem like an equal exchange."

"It is, if you're doing me a favour by taking away that metal rod. It's been an eyesore to me for many years, but I could never just throw it away. Giving it to you as a gift, however, is perfectly justifiable." Brother Mender grinned widely, until his eyes had narrowed into thin crescents.