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Chapter Text

The world came back to Tang in bits and pieces. 
His limbs were heavy and sore and there was a terrible ringing in his ears. That wasn't too out of the ordinary considering some of the battles he's managed to survive with his little ragtag family but that didn't change the fact that he felt like a truck hit him. 

Tang rubbed his eyes behind his glasses as he lay on the hard ground trying to remember what happened. He wasn't dead and there wasn't any yelling so it makes sense that they won whatever battle they were fighting. 

They had been...chasing a thief. They stole... something important from the Monkey King's treasure room. Some kind of powerful artifact... a sharp pain stabs through his head. 

His headache pulsed as he tried to remember more. 
MK got targeted- he... they were- 

A groan of pain sounded a few feet away from him. Tang opened his eyes and saw... "MK? Is that you?" 
The kid had a long tail and he looked so much like the Monkey King that Tang had to do a double take just to make sure it really was his kid and not the Great Sage. 

Tang sat up fully adjusting his glasses to get a better look as MK shot upright himself and looked over with shock. 

"I- YOU- MR.TANG??!" MK shouted as he scrambled closer to Tang causing the man to lean back at the suddenness.

"MK we've been over this, It's just Tang. No need to add a 'Mr', or you could just call me Tangsy" He added with a chuckle, Pigsy would hate that nickname so much but it- 

"YOU HAVE A TAIL!!! YOU'RE LIKE THE MONKEY KING!!! " 

Tang's eyes snapped open,"What." He looked behind himself where MK was poinyting and saw a very long dark fluffy tail. Tang grabbed the said Tail in shock,"WHAT???" 

He could understand if MK looked like the Monkey King since he was his successor and he'd been perfecting the transformations but- BUT- TANG HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ALL THAT. WHY DID HE HAVE A TAIL?? 

Tang stared at the tail in his hand in shock as he mind ran in circles trying to understand it. 
Tang inhaled a stuttering breath and released it slowly as he stared at his hand that was holding his new tail. It had fur on the back and running his fingers through the fur it continued up the arm. With a shaking hand he reached up and felt his ear, it was pointed. 

He dropped his hand quickly and looked over at MK, he could think about this later," Do you remember who we were chasing?" 

"ummm... I- I think they were a demon? They had...a thing...and..." MK scrunched his face up in pain before shaking his head frowning,"...it hurts to think." 

"Then let's not think about it for now. First we need to figure out where we are and how to get back home." Tang nods his head and finally lets go of his tail to stand up," I don't recognize this area.. weren't we in the city?" 

"HNMM yeah! There were buildings all around us and OH We were close to the harbour!" MK leapt to his feet with a wide grin,"I mean we're still close to the ocean so maybe we're just outside the city! Maybe we just got teleported!!"

"It's decided then! We'll go to the ocean and see where we are!" Tang nods sagely as he sniffs the air smelling the salt in the air. The ocean was indeed close,"Okay MK lead the way!" 

The smaller monkey nodded happily before sniffing around in a circle and then pointing dramatically towards a few trees,"IT'S THIS WAY!" 

MK bounced forward on all fours with his tail held high before popping back up to his full height looking back to grin at Tang. 

Tang tried to bury the worry that churned furiously in his gut. He ran his claws nervously through the fur on his other arm as he followed MK. He hoped to the heavens and back that things would just be as easy as just finding the city and going home... He didn't know if he really had another adventure left in him. 

Chapter Text

MK halted sliding to a stop,"WAIT-" He turned around and grabbed his own tail,"I'M A MONKEY TOO?!" 
His grin shined brightly as he locked eyes with Tang,"DO I LOOK LIKE THE MONKEY KING?! OH OH WHAT ABOUT MY FACE PATTERN?!!" 

"WAIT WAIT WAIT!!" MK fumbled his phone out of his pocket and turned on selfie mode to take a few shots of himself,"OH MAN!! MEI IS GONNA BE SO JEALOUS OF HOW COOL I LOOK!!! I'M NOT GOING TO LIE MR.TANG I WAS PRETTY JEALOUS WHEN I SAW YOU BUT NOW- NOW!! WE CAN BE COOL TOGETHER!!!" 

Tang sighed with relief, at least he didn't have to worry about MK having a break down over this,"Hey MK. Do you think-" 

"GROUP SELFIE!!!" MK snapped several photos of the two of them. 

"MK focus," Tang sighed as MK muttered a quiet apology,"Do you think you can transform into a human again?" 

MK stopped and looked down at his clawed hands still clutched around his phone,"Back into a human... I've mastered a couple of the Monkey King's transformations but this.. I've uh, never been able to transform into anything like this..." 

MK's swiped slowly through the photos,"I mean I can try but.. but what i I can't change back into this?" He looked back at Tang with big sad eyes almost pleading. 

Tang felt bad. It wasn't like they needed to know right away,"It's not terribly important. It seems we still have quite the way to travel so you may as well enjoy yourself." He pulled out his own phone as MK whooped and cheered, there was no signal which was odd but not anything concerning, it just meant they were too far from the city. Tang tucked his phone back into his pocket and followed MK's joy filled chatter as they plucked their way through the trees towards the ocean. 

--

It took them an entire hour and a half to tripping and climbing through the dense foliage and rocky terrain before they stumbled onto the sandy beach of the coastline. The beach sparkled golden in the afternoon sun for miles on either side with Megapolis city nowhere in sight,"We might be farther from the city than I thought...." His phone still didn't have a signal.

MK ran excitedly out onto the hot sand and sent some flying up left and right as he spun in circles for fun. The kid was already used to his new monkey form having fully embraced his new instincts early on. His tail was already a third limb to MK while Tang still struggled with his own,"Mr.Tang!! Look a fishing boat!!" 

"Just Tang is fine MK.. That's a good sign, maybe there's a town nearby!" Tang smiled with the good news and started to walk along the beach towards the little dot of a boat,"Come on MK! I'm sure they've seen us so maybe we can at least get pointed in the right direction!" 

In the end the people on the fishing boat wouldn't look at them no matter how they tried to wave them down. It took another good hour under the hot sun for them to find the village that was tucked behind a rocky hill that had been shielding it from view. 

"Finally! I thought this beach would go on foreeverrr," MK whined as they entered the village with a few cautious looks from the villagers,"Do you think they'll have a landline or something? My phone still doesn't have a signal..." He pouted. 

Tang hesitated as he cast a wary glance around them, everyone felt a bit off. The outfits were rather basic but really old. The style was too old for this to be anything but intentional and Tang didn't know how to feel about that. There was something else too, it wasn't that there was anything wrong it was just- 

Everyone here was human. Tang's tail puffed out rather suddenly as he tugged MK gently back towards him by the kid's tail,"Hey stay close," His own tail shook a bit before he held it with his other hand to keep it under control as a few villagers looked over at him warily. 

"We should get our directions and then head out. I don't want to spend too long here," Tang muttered quietly to MK as they headed towards what seemed to be a small market under the shade of a few trees. 

----

That had been the plan but Tang was having difficulty communicating with these people,"City. Town. Large Gathering People." It appeared the only thing this village spoke was ancient Chinese, which was a problem because Tang only understood a smattering of it, maybe every fourth word if he was lucky. It hadn't been his best subject and only interesting enough for him to understand how to read most of it. 

The man sitting in the stall frowned deeply in annoyance as his face contorted a bit probably due to Tang's horrible accent or the fact they appeared to be two demons in a very human village,"[][][][][] [][][][] trees [][][] grassland [][]" the man pointed away from the ocean towards the forest and Tang hoped he meant to show them the road. 

"M- Tang, I don't understand anything anyone is saying," MK muttered behind him as a small crowd of people went along their day buying and selling. Tang's tail wrapped tightly around MK's arm and while Tang wasn't sure how that happened he was glad MK couldn't wander away so easily. 

"People? Villages?" Tang pointed in the same direction as the man. 

The man nodded,"Villages." 

Tang sighed in relief,"Thank you," He pulled out some coins and placed them on the man's stall before pulling MK away towards the forest, leaving the strange village and the odd people behind them. 

"Mr.Tang why are we leaving so soon? Shouldn't we call someone to get us or- or something?" MK spoke in a confused voice. 

Tang pointed back at the village now behind them,"That village didn't have any demons in it. They were all just human or at least human passing. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I didn't feel safe there." 

"maybe the demons had a holiday or something? or maybe it was a roleplay village, you know like those Europian medieval festivals! Except it's just a boring old fishing village?" MK pondered before puffing up,"ANYWAY, if anyone DID try to hurt us I'd totally win!" 

"I'd rather not fight anyone right now MK," Tang sighed at the kid's eagerness to battle,"I have a feeling we won't be able to go home so easily" Tang admitted as he stopped in the forest to peel his tail away from it's death grip on MK's arm with his own hands. 

His tail immediately wrapped around his own arm and Tang sighed tugging at the misbehaving limb,"We can forage for food in the forest and head towards this next village. Maybe we can finally find a signal to call Pigsy." 

"Oh yeah! I'm great at finding food! The Monkey King showed me a bunch of edible plants on Flower Fruit Mountain! It shouldn't be tooooo different from a regular forest!" MK grinned as he followed behind Tang before quietly asking,"Do you think they're looking for us?" 

Tang stopped and turned around at MK, who was looking forlornly at the ground,"Of course they're looking for us. I know for a FACT Pigsy won't leave any stone unturned or any demon unbothered until we're found!" Tang reached over and ruffled MK's hair with a grin,"So We better find a signal soon to call them before Pigsy sets fire to the city!" 

MK laughed,"Okay we better hurry then!" 

Tang smiled at the kid before looking forwards again his face growing worried,"yeah.." 

Chapter Text

Tang slumped against a tree and tried to keep it together. 

They'd already spent three nights in this forest and they weren't any closer to getting out of it. Tang knew theoretically that they could be walking through the forest for weeks but somehow he figured the city would just show up by now. That being said, this forest barely even made sense, there were too many strange kinds of plants and animals that Tang couldn't even recognize and that wasn't even mentioning the strange crackling howls that echoed nearly endlessly through the trees at night. They didn't sound even remotely like an animal and demons had stopped howling like that centuries ago. 

Tang gripped his beaded bracelet and counted each bead slowly in an attempt to ground himself through his screaming anxiety. He would be useless if he got worked up into an anxiety attack and while MK was technically an adult, he definitely wasn't ready to take care of himself, let alone see Tang at his most pathetic. No. He needed to be strong for MK and act like the responsible and knowledgeable adult he was supposed to be. 

Tang ran his claws through the puffed fur along his face and head trying to flatten it but it refused to stay down as it sprung back to its fearful position. He sighed and gave up, knocking his head against the tree lightly. He needed to get his shit together while MK was out on a food run. 

For the time being they were making camp near a river they found. Without any sign of civilization they needed to gather their bearings and gather supplies. MK was currently off finding anything that smelled or looked edible to take with them. This forest wasn't really all that dangerous in the daytime even with the strange animals that milled about and MK had insisted on going. There wasn't much Tang could do to stop the kid before he was already bounding off through the trees. 

On the thought of food, Tang had already tested a handful of strange bitter fruits they had found a few days ago and a few mushrooms that looked vaguely familiar but they weren't at all as tasty as the ones that their city had. He knew the mushrooms were probably iffy at best so he only ate a few and kept them away from MK just in case. It was a troubling subject that he didn't know a terrible lot about but he was almost certain they were fine. He hoped that they'd be at least.. 

Tang sighed, he missed Pigsy's noodles something fierce. 

"MR- UH- T-TANG!! I found some weird raspberries!!" 

Tang leap to his feet with a strangled squeak of surprise as MK rushed out of the foliage with a shirt-full of small berries. He sighed and lowered his arms from where they leap up into a fake fighting stance," MK you scared me. I-I thought you were a wolf for a moment or something." 

"I mean, I probably COULD be a wolf but I haven't exactly tried that yet," MK considered as he dumped the berries on a flat rock they found,"I uh- I couldn't see the city from the treetops.. I think- I think we might be farther than we thought." 

Tang picked out a few rotten berries quietly before turning to MK,"It'll be alright. As you know I'm VERY well read! And I know exactly how to survive in a forest like this so no matter how far the city is we'll find our way back! It's just a matter of time really!" 

Tang gave MK what he hoped was a reassuring grin, "We'll keep to the plan for now! Camp here for a few days to gather some supplies and then keep going for another day up the river and if we don't find anyone we'll follow the river wherever it breaks off in a new direction! And this way we'll find a town or village or even the city much faster than just walking in random directions!" 

MK dug his shoe into the ground lightly,"Hey Uh- Tang, Why can't we just go back to that weird cosplay village? Someone there has to have a phone that we can call Pigsy from." 

"....I don't think we'd be safe there. The people there... well I don't think they like demons much...and like it or not we're demons right now...", Tang adjusted his glasses before popping a berry in his mouth before pushing the rest closer to MK," Have you eaten yet? They don't taste too sour but I'd eat them slowly if you can." 

"-I- but-" MK cut himself off and sat down beside the flat rock, biting at his lip as his tail curled around himself,"But.. They wouldn't have hurt us... would they? I mean we weren't even doing anything.. " He looked over at Tang searching for answers. 

"I'd rather not take chances with things like that...,"Tang gave a tense chuckle before turning around averting his gaze from MK,"I"m going to go find us some fire wood while we still have daylight. Stay here, okay MK?" He glanced over his shoulder back at the worried kid. 

MK rolled a berry around on the rock for a moment," I'd protect us.. but okay.", he chewed a few of the berries and nodded,"I"m really glad you're here Mr.Tang." 

Tang swallowed the sudden lump in his throat and waved at MK before heading out into the trees. MK shouldn't be glad Tang was here, he was the most useless out of all of their little family, he was constantly lying right through his teeth. He was only good for reciting odd stories and old myths. Sure he read a lot but most of it was just a hodge-podge of random subjects. Anyone else would have had MK back home at Pigsy's by now and safe from harm. 

Tang paused in his slow tromp through the forest and dropped his head into his hands breathing erratically. He had to be better than this. He HAD to be! He was SUCH an idiot, they could be walking for weeks before finding another village and that's if they even head in the right direction. They really should go back to that weird village and try asking again for better directions but.. the atmosphere was.. bad. His new found instincts were screaming at him that it was dangerous and they needed to stay away from those villagers. He shuddered. 

Taking a deep breath Tang suppressed his thoughts and focused. 
They just needed to keep their eyes open for any kind of travelled roads or signs of human or demon life. As long as they followed the river they wouldn't get lost and could always backtrack the way they came. They'd be fine. 

Tang ran his claws through his hair and stood straighter to start actually collecting dead wood for the fire like he said he would. It wasn't until ten minutes later that he realized something was wrong as all his fur stood on end. Someone was watching him. 

He hastily spun around but no one was there. 
Tang shuddered now thoroughly creeped out at how silent the forest was now. He reached down to pick up another branch before dropping half his pile and bolted through the foliage. He zig-zagged his way through the forest randomly as he ducked low rushing around until the watched feeling went away. His heart pounded in his ears and he haphazardly collected a few more sticks and dead branches before quickly making his way back to camp as quietly as he could. They would need to be on alert, maybe even hide in a tree all night. 

Would a fire even be safe like this? 
Tang's gut churned as he worried the entire way back. 
The forest wasn't as safe as he first thought.  

----

The night seemed to come quickly as Tang got the two of them as hidden as he could in a densely branched tree. 
MK was dubious of Tang's encounter but it was Tang's cracking composure that made him agree in the end even if he kept saying how he could protect the two of them and that he was strong. Tang had no doubts of this but in a place he didn't know and without any kind of back up well Tang figured this was a chance they didn't have to take. 

The night was colder without a fire but they had fur and Tang made sure to shield MK from the wind, it was cold on his back but he would survive. The kid sat beside him and watched the darkness with keen eyes and twitching ears. It was another couple changes Tang found himself easily getting used to, how much more they could hear and see, especially at night. 

"MK you should sle-" Tang reached out to MK just as the kid twisted suddenly around speaking in a low whisper. 

"I hear something, over there! "

Tang was alert in an instant and his tail curled around MK's wrist as he leaned over to look through the darkness. 
It was a group of tall humanoid cat demons that appeared at the edge of their campsite and touched almost everything that the two of them left on the ground. 

Tang found himself with a strange snarl on his face but taking a quiet breath he counted his lucky stars that they hid. It was safer this way. They could always just gather more stuff later. 

"OUR STUFF!! STOP IT!!" Tang was jerked half out of the tree as MK jumped down on the back of one of the demons who had been scattering their firewood logs not far from their hiding spot.

Tang grabbed for MK's jacket but the kid was already too far, his tail had unravelled from MK's wrist with gravity, Tang's claws gripped the branch tightly,"MK!!" 

The kid began to fight the group alone. Even without the staff MK was a whirlwind of limbs and attacks, always moving and dodging and flipping between the four demons with wry comments and remarks that the four didn't seem to understand. They were shouting at them and each other in the same ancient language as the village before but Tang was too distracted to really catch any of it. 

He lurched forward when MK was thrown to the ground the demons surrounding him with low laughter. 

Quickly Tang leapt from the tree landing next to MK causing the four cat like demons to draw back away from them with low hisses,"MK can you stand, we need to get out of here. We can't fight them." His tail swished around anxiously as he took in their opponents. He wasn't much of a fighter but he knew when they were outclassed. 

MK rubbed the blood from his nose, rolling back to his feet,"I can still take them! We don't have to run!" 
The cat demons were prowling forwards again, asking questions that Tang was too stressed out to follow. He grabbed the back of MK's jacket as the kid made to rush forward pulling him back only for the Kid to twist out of it.

"MK STOP!" He threw the jacket aside and tried to grab the kid's arm but he was already back in the fray. 

Tang watched, tail puffed and shaking, as the demons tried to grab at MK but the kid was dodging well and he was even getting some good hits in too. Tang had to help. He quickly spun and grabbed one of the heavier firewood branches from their pile sprinting towards the kid to give him some time to recover but stumbled as pain erupted from his shoulder. He dropped his branch with a shocked cry and clawed at the demon sinking their claws into him, scratching at their arm. 

The demon chuckled and tossed Tang to the side like a rag doll, trailing blood. Tang hit the ground hard breath leaving him for a moment before he rolled onto his better side with a wheeze trying to recover as quick as he could but froze when one of the cats pulled hard on MK's tail from behind. The kid shouting in pain and stumbling onto the ground. 

The next moment Tang was sinking his teeth into the demon and taking a chunk out of their arm forcing them to release his kid's tail. He hunched over MK protectively, his tail lashing around furiously, growling loudly. 

The demon he bit snarled back at him and struck too fast for him to follow, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him high. They were yelling something at him but Tang growled louder and clawed at their arm, trying to swing his legs around to relieve the pressure, his vision darkening. 

MK was shouting at them. His kid was still trying to fight, he wouldn't win,"M-mk-- Ruh--nn." 

"BIG BIG BIG THINK BIG!!" MK chanted as he threw his arms out towards the demon holding Tang but stumbled as an electric jolt shot through him making his fur stand on end,"w-what? Why aren't I- OOF-" MK tumbled down as one of the demons punched him hard. Tang squirmed in the demon's grasp trying to keep his eyes on MK and help him. His grip on the demon's arm was weak and his claws were losing strength. 

He could hear MK shouting in pain- 
Tang jolted awake with a wheeze and fell backwards unable to keep himself upright, his throat burned as he searched around the barren campsite for MK, but neither his kid or the demons were anywhere to be found. 

Stumbling to his feet Tang steadied himself against a tree looking for anything that would say where they went. There was blood on the ground but it was only a little bit, most of it was probably his, his shoulder radiated pain which made his dizziness worse. He shook his head gently trying to focus. He had to- He had to find some sort of trail or- 

"MK!! MK!!! WHERE ARE YOU" Stumbling around in a circle Tang shouted into the forest. 
"MK!!!" He looked at the ground hoping to find some kind of obvious tracks but there's nothing he can easily follow. The place had been a chaotic field of battle and Tang had never done this before. He snatched up MK's jacket from the ground clutching it tightly as he paced back and forth.  

"MKKK!!!!" Screaming out into the night Tang ran into the forest at random zig-zagging around hoping to catch a glimpse or some sort of sign of his kid or those other demons. His voice hit a panicked pitch as he tripped and fell to the ground,"M-MK!!! KID!!! JUST-JUST SAY SOMETHING!! ANYTHING!!! KID!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!!" 

Tang strained his ears listening but there was no reply, his heart fell into his stomach as panic fell in, his breath hitching around a sob. The kid was his responsibility and he failed miserably. Digging his claws into the dirt he screamed into the night. His voice was strangled with misuse, pain and terror as he gripped the ground trying to anchor himself to something. 

He barely noticed when a figure crashed its way through the low branches of a bush and froze in front of him. 
It was another monkey demon who looked almost as panicked as Tang felt. 

Chapter Text

"[][][][] [You] [][][][] [Careful] [][][][] [Hurt] ?" The tailed man paused for a moment when Tang flinched before he slowly crouched down with his hands in plain view. The man bent a bit trying to catch Tang's gaze as he spoke more of the old language. 

Tang dug his claws into the dirt frustrated at the language, at himself and at the whole situation. What kind of place did they land in that they'd play act at such a time?! 

Tang jerked forwards as he desperately searched the man's eyes,"Please! I NEED TO FIND MY KID! D-DEMONS TOOK HIM- I-I don't know where they went! I need to- I need to be Looking." 

The monkey demon only looked confused at his words and Tang clenched his teeth in further frustration. 

"I don't have time for this," With a rough shake of his head, Tang stumbled to his feet heading off into the trees,"M-MK!! WHERE ARE YOU!! KID JUST ANSWER ME!! PLEASE!! K-KID I- AEK-" Tang spun around to jerk his arm out of the grip of the strange demon who had been gently tugging at it.

"Look just- If you aren't going to help me than don't get in my way. Just GO AWAY," Tang growled barring his teeth trying again to turn away to return to his hopeless search. But the demon was persistent and spoke again as he tugged MK's jacket enough for Tang to feel it. 

"L-LET GO, I DON'T HAVE TIME TO FIGURE OUT YOUR WORDS O-OR W-W-WHATEVER YOU WANT" Tang tore the jacket away and snarled at the man with a lash of his bristled tail. 

The man was speaking with a calm slow tone as he tried to sign something out to Tang with a concerned look on his face. 

Tang hissed lowly as he shook MK's jacket,"I NEED to find MY KID. WHAT DO YOU WANT?! YOU WANT ME TO PLAY ALONG?! FINE. [SAPLING. MINE.] Demons TOOK HIM-" He swung his arm towards the forest,"[FAR]. ARE YOU HAPPY?! IS THIS ENOUGH!? JUST- STOP! " Tang bit his lip to try and refocus himself.  

The man only looked more confused. Tang had played along and chose to translate the key words but it seemed he'd chosen wrong,"This is a huge waste of my time. I don't have the luxury to figure out words that'll work with you." He tried to turn back around to continue his search but the man's tail had grabbed his own likely so he couldn't run off. That was it. 

Tang dropped MK's jacket and flung himself at the man with his claws ready to scratch at whatever he could grab but the man ducked out of the way speaking quickly as he tried to talk to Tang again, but Tang didn't care. They danced around like that for awhile, their tails locked together as they circled around, ducking and pouncing. The man lead them in circles while Tang did his best to give the demon a reason to leave him alone. 

After mere minutes, Tang was reduced to a wheezing mess as he stood with his arms braced against his legs, he felt like he was going to be sick... he just couldn't catch the stupid monkey. He was sweating and his shoulder burned with pain and- and there was a third person here. Tang snapped his head up to see the man speaking with a shorter monkey demon who looked deadly serious at whatever was being said. 

Tang tried to tug his stupid tail free while the man was distracted but failed as the demon looked over his shoulder at Tang and the demon's face softened. Tang couldn't move away when the man placed his hand on Tang's unharmed shoulder, hunching slightly so their eyes could meet. The man spoke slowly with a determined expression," [][][][][][] [][][][][][]  [][][] [Sapling?]" The man reached out and pointed to MK's jacket now laying in the dirt a ways off.

Tang nodded ecstatically wiping at his face quickly to try and stop them from watering with relief," YES [S-SAPLING!! AWAY!!]"  He gripped at the monkey man's sleeve and tried to convey his panic to him. Anything to just make the man release him. 

The man's face hardened into furious anger as he barked a word over his shoulder causing the shorter demon to leap away into the forest causing a great cascade of rustling from the branches above. Tang caught sight of a handful of agile tailed shadows in the treetops before everything fell silent again. 

Tang sucked in a breath as he released the demon's sleeve to turn and pick up MK's jacket. The demon followed behind him like a shadow before walking in front of him," [][][][] [][][] [][][][] [][][][][]" 

Tang scrunched his face up in confusion for a moment and wiped his face tiredly with a hand,"I don't understand you..." Perhaps the man wasn't playing a game of words after all...

The demon paused for a moment before pointing to MK's jacket and then out to the forest as he tugged at Tang's sleeve guiding him forward. They were going to search for MK! Tang immediately nodded in understanding and nearly dashed full speed into the forest before getting tugged back by his tail once more. 

Tang growled but quieted to a low rumble when the demon lightly touched his arm before looking at the ground around them. Clearly this demon was trying to find the trail! Tang fell back and let the man take the lead and guide them through the trees and bushes in slow circles before he stopped suddenly and crouched down to look closer at the dirt. 

"[][][] [][][]" the demon carefully took Tang's hand in his own before dashing into the bushes causing Tang to stumble but the man's grip made sure he never fell as they made quick time through the forest shadows. 

In a sudden stop Tang tripped into the man and wiped the sweat from his own face fur as he tried to catch his hitching breath. They were by a wider part of the river now and the trees were a little less clustered around it but it was empty of anyone but them. Tang glanced up with confusion at their stop but by the look of the man's frustrated appearance the trail had been lost. 

Tang cast his eyes along the rocks and water trying to find some kind of disturbance to find the trail again but ultimately it all just looked like a regular river bank to him.  

Tang pushed himself up off the distracted man to try and look back at the trail they had been following not a minute before. The stress of it all was just starting to get to him when he felt a thumb rub the back of his hand. The demon glanced worriedly back at him with a reassuring rumble. Tang loosened his grip a bit and realized he himself was making a strangle keening noise. 

Tang snapped his head to look back the way they came with an expression that was definitely very stoic because this was not a time for embarrassment over his new body as he tried to stop the sound he was making. He clenched his teeth and gripped MK's jacket just a bit tighter. 

Tang was pulled out of his musings with a loud crashing of leaves in front of him and scrambled backwards behind the other man when the shorter monkey demon from before dropped into the area behind them.

Tang tensed up readying himself to fight again. 

Chapter Text

"[MACAQUE]" The red furred monkey demon stopped beside them and gestured into the trees," [][][] [][] [] [][][][] [][][]!!" The demon paused to glance at Tang's and... Macaque's joined hands before continuing to speak. Well at least Tang had something to call the dark furred monkey now, other than demon. 
Though... there was something about the name that bothered him.... something about the name set him on edge. He knew it somehow... but.. 

Tang shook his head and refocused on the current situation. 

Macaque had replied to the shorter demon with a scowl before he lightly tugged their joined hands to catch Tang's attention and pointed up the river with the other. Tang's ears twitched but he nodded and prepared himself to run with a rattled breath but the world fell sideways as Macaque picked him up like a sack of potatoes!!
Tang squirmed trying to escape but with how fast everything moved he gripped tightly onto Macaque instead. The wind roared as they sped along the river faster than anything Tang had ever experienced. It was terrifying and exhilarating and suddenly they had stopped. Macaque pulled Tang from his shoulder and the scholar slowly sagged back to the ground as he released his death grip on Macaque. 

Macaque crouched beside him in the tall grass and spoke with a quiet voice,"[Snail] [Safe]" He pushed down lightly on Tang's good shoulder before standing and walked through the grass away from him. 

"... Snail??" Tang shook his head, he seriously regretted not paying more attention in class, maybe... to be slow? quiet? Snail like?? Tang growled in frustration and flinched when his bloodied shoulder flared in pain. He had to focus! 

"[YUEDAO!!]" 

Tang jolted to his feet at the shout and all but dashed through the bushes and right into the outer edge of a battle. There were three weary monkey demons surrounded by the other four cat demons from before,  and though the monkeys snarled right back, they were bloodied and clearly panicked as they huddled together as close as they could low to the ground. Tang turned back to Macaque who had been the one to shout as he glared with wide eyes at a white furred cat demon. They were arguing but seemed to be at a standstill as Macaque snarled words at them but took no further steps forward towards the other monkey demons. Tang looked everywhere but where was- There was bloodshed across the grass but-

The other monkey demons screeched and thrashed when a tabby cat demon suddenly dashed forward and grabbed at their pile yanking a bloody MK out of the center. The cat cheered with the victory and quickly skipped out of the way of the exhausted monkey demons when they tried to yank the younger one back. 
MK!! Tang straightened at the sight as the tabby cat demon tossed MK to another cat demon who was closer to the river and time slowed to a crawl. MK was struggling but weakly and he couldn't seem to keep his eyes open, his face was bruised and he was bleeding from small cuts and deeper gouges along his torso.

Tang felt an enraged rumble brew like a storm in his chest. 

Time sprang into motion when MK was shoved under the river surface,"NOOO!" Tang snapped as the storm broke free and a fierce howl surged up from within. Nothing else mattered as Tang shot across the battlefield.

Fighting broke out around him but it blended together into a loud buzzing static as his vision tunneled around his kid struggling below the surface. Tang's claws dug into the ground as he raced around the cat demons, throwing river pebbles at them from under his claws and snarling making them recoil and dodge out of his way. MK was right there! HE was- Tang flung himself at the cat demon drowning MK, sinking his claws and teeth into them, making the cat scream and thrash. 

The river was behind them now as the cat demon ripped at Tang's back trying to dislodge him as blood flowed down their own neck. Distantly Tang could hear the splashing of water and rough coughing but his jaw locked around the cat's neck holding tighter so it couldn't get MK again.

Tang refused to be removed, and bit down harder, feeling the bone crunch slightly between his teeth. He could hear MK trying to shout at him but he didn't budge until the cat fell to the ground and stopped moving. He held on for a minute longer to make sure it couldn't ever get back up, it wouldn't ever be able to hurt MK again. He released it from his jaws and slowly crawled over to where MK had dragged himself from the water, crouching over his kid to survey the area for further danger. 

The battle raged on as Macaque's fight was joined by two other monkey demons, They were shouting at Tang but neither of them would add anything to this fight. He dragged him claws through the wet rocks below him closer as if to make a shield around MK. Macaque was holding his own, but having to keep the cats away from both the trio of injured monkey demons from before and Tang and MK seemed to be taking everything-

Tang screeched as he was lifted into the air by the back of his neck. His claws lost his grip on the ground and was held high in the air over MK.
"MR TANG!!", MK tried to stand to help, his expression frantic and desperate as he reached for Tang but he stumbled and could only growl angrily from where he'd fallen on the ground. He desperately tried to push himself but his arms shook with the effort as he grabbed the cat demon's leg, digging his claws in as it hissed down at him. Tang scratched at its arm best he could and growled loud and menacingly trying to draw its attention back to him but the cat only squeezed his neck harder cutting his growl off as he gasped in pain. 

The cat demon raised its arm and Tang's world blurred as the river came into view once more. He thrashed trying to free himself before he could be thrown but crashed into the ground suddenly as the cat demon screamed and recoiled away from him. 
But its hand was still around his neck.. He reached up to grab the arm and it let go easily gushing blood, it was no longer attached to the other demon.

He let go of the arm and it fell to the ground beside him as blood rained down from above the cat demon stopped moving and its body collapsed under its own weight. Tang reacted quickly and grabbed MK, pulling him away to shield him from the blood. 

"[][][] [][][][]  [][][]" Macaque reached down and plucked Tang off the ground with MK. Tang let a low hiss but before he could do anything more they had been gently chucked to the opposite end of the battle near the other monkey demons waiting by the trees. They rolled along the ground as Tang tucked MK further in his arms, taking the brunt of the damage before hunkering down protectively over his kid again when they stopped moving.

Tang gave a low growl at the other monkey demons as they nervously moved closer around them in a tight circle. 
MK struggled," MR.TANG, Let me go I need to help! I can't just sit here and do nothing! I can still fight!!" 

Tang looked down and shook his head almost violently, pausing before shaking his head again with a confused expression and churred at MK soothingly. 

"Mr... Mr. Tang? What.." MK's tail twisted up nervously as he tried to look up, "Why aren't you talking? What's wrong? Are you okay- Are you hurt?!" MK wiggled more furiously.  

Tang scrunched his brows before glancing around with a low nervous rumble. The battle was still going on, Macaque and two other monkey demons seemed to be overpowering the remaining few cat demons chasing them further and further from their protective circle.  

MK wiggled and tried to crawl out from under Tang,"TANG JUST LET ME- I WANT TO SEE-" MK pushed at Tangs arms that caged him in but he was tired, exhausted. MK collapsed back on the ground with a weak growl of his own. The other monkeys crouched close around them, obscuring MK's field of view. All the better. MK didn't need to see this much blood, he was still a kid he shouldnt have to fight like he was.

Tangs gaze unfocused as the battle quieted, the remaining cats out of sight now. Tang quietly released his breath and loosened his hold on MK but bristled with a wary growl as the monkey dreams reached out for them. 
He was so tired but if they wanted his kid theyd have to kill him.

They backed off with low murmurs and Tang relaxed a bit watching wearily as Macaque approached wearing a tired expression himself. 

He kneeled down a few feet from Tang, much like he had the first time and spoke in a comforting tone, his hands in plain view and gently gestured for MK. 
 Tang twitched and bit Macaque when the demon reached closer. 

Macaque eye's flinched but he kneeled silently as Tang's gut went cold, biting down a bit harder. Macaque reached out with his other hand and wiped some blood from Tang's cheek gently. 
Tang flinched violently waiting for the blow but slowly squinted in confusion when there was only the soft touch and looked at the demon more closely.

Blood was running across Macaque's eye, he had been hurt too. 
There was a tightness in the demon's face that spoke of pain.  

Tang slowly released Macaque's hand. 

He wasn't hurting them, 
He protected them, 
and he saved them both. 

They were safe. His kid was safe. All at once Tang felt his fight leave and he collapsed on top of MK. 

Macaque yelled and rushed forward to grab Tang but Tang could only react with a small puff of air in reply as his vision blacked out. 
The last thing he saw was Macaque arguing with someone behind Tang with his teeth bared.