This chapter, described in a few words? What happens when you don't communicate SHIT to one another.

Also, dragon-boi is here!

~~~~

The fresh layer of snow on the ground reflects the light of the winter sun, the frigid landscape ahead of you mirroring the ice cold silence that holds your group in a vice-like grip. The last few days have been extremely quiet, it isn't as though there is much for the three of you to talk about. It's only unfortunate that the silence is as tense as it is.

If anyone has anything to say, it is usually the Tang Monk asking about taking a break to stop and eat, or setting up a place to camp for the night. The Monkey King has barely said anything, still fuming in silence over the incident with the gold that now encircles his head. You can feel his glare from time to time from where he walks, carrying his master's luggage. Despite the angry looks he sends your way, you keep your head up.

It doesn't stop the guilt that bubbles up into your chest and twists in your stomach, but you have to push that down. You have to remind yourself there was no other way. It isn't as though the demon would have complied with the Tang Monk otherwise, you just have to accept that this was the best outcome for continuing with the pilgrimage.

As you walk alongside the monk's horse with the reins in your hold, you begin to feel hints of familiarity from the land around you. The sound of rushing water catches your ear, and you soon find yourself and your travelling companions facing a wide river. Have you stopped by this area before?

When travelling east with Moksa and Guan Yin, the three of you moved swiftly over the continent with little breaks. It took little time to make it to Chang'an when travelling via cloud, so there weren't many places you stopped. However, something itched at the back of your head, an inkling of remembrance. "I remember this river..." You mumble softly with a slight frown.

It's been so long, what was here again? There must be a reason for you to remember this place, it's just slipping your mind. The monk looks down at you, his expression as curious as you feel. "Do you remember a way to cross it? It seems much too deep to wade in."

You frown, its familiarity still bothering you. "No, I flew over it the last time I was here... Oh, of course!" It finally hits you, and you light up before looking back at the monk. "If my memory serves correct, Great Monk, your next–"

The rest of your sentence is left unsaid as a massive spout of water erupts from the river. All three of you shield yourselves from the sudden rain as a low growl rumbles from the direction of the water. Looking up, you're nearly blinded by the glistening white scales of a dragon leaping out from the river. There are green scales scattered sparsely over his serpent-like body, some shades lighter than the green of his dark mane of hair that a pair of horns poke through. His long whiskers fling back as he races towards you, fangs protrude from his snout, the razor-like teeth look to be half the size of your head! That's right, this is the river where you came across the dragon prince, Ao Lie.

The dragon charges in your direction, his claws digging into the ground and showing no signs of slowing. There's a thump you hear from behind, and when you look back at Tripitaka, you see– no Tripitaka?!

You are holding onto the reins of a horse with no rider, barely able to catch a glimpse of the blur that whizzes away. Sun Wukong is gone, the luggage dropped and Tripitaka nowhere to be found. Did he seriously just run off without you?! He left you!

There's barely a moment for your shock to simmer into anger before you're forced to jump back, Ao Lie hurtling straight for you. You are barely able to dodge in time, falling onto your back as the dragon captures the horse with his teeth instead.

The horse lets out a terrified screech as it's thrown into the air, its body hanging in the air for a split second before gravity pulls it back down into the waiting jaws of the dragon. He swallows the horse whole, eating it, harness and all.

What the hell?! He ate the horse?? Why?!

Lifting yourself up to your feet, you take hold of your bow and nock an arrow. You waste no time in lining up your shot and releasing the string. The arrow whirs past, just nicking the back of the dragon's neck to get his attention. You can see he feels it, his head jerking with a roar in response before his head whips around to glare at you. His green eyes narrow as sees your bow. "How dare you..."

Dropping your bow, you take dove form and fly up to the dragon. He blinks a little in surprise at your transformation. Recognition finally takes hold as you fly closer. "Oh! It's you, the strange bird-woman travelling with the bodhisattva." He lifts up his tail and turning back, you land on it. "You shot me!"

"I grazed you, Ao Lie." You cross your arms, fixing the dragon with a stern look. "Do you really have the gall to be offended when you just tried to eat me, again?!"

"Apologies, I did not recognise you from beneath the river." He looks down and you pinch the bridge of your nose.

"Whether you knew or not it was me should not matter, you aren't supposed to be eating people at all! And not their horses, either!" You rest your hands on your hips, you still can't wrap your mind around his actions.

Ao Lie frowns. "I was hungry! Do you know how difficult it is for a dragon to keep a vegetarian diet?" He gestures to himself while you groan in frustration. This is the last thing you need right now.

"Well, now your new master has no steed to continue the journey on. Not to mention that you frightened him off!" You gesture back to where the monk and his disciple once stood. With how fast Sun Wukong is, you have no clue where he might have run off to, or how far he might have gone.

Despite your clear annoyance over the situation, Ao Lie perks up. "Wait, it's time?! The Tang Monk is finally here?" He lifts his head up to look around in search for the pair, his tail shifting when he does. The action makes you lose your balance on the dragon and fall back with a yelp.

Ao Lie turns back when he hears you, and his head quickly moves down to you. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I have just been waiting for so–"

The dragon prince is unable to finish his sentence before a foot collides with the side of his jaw. Monkey King kicks the dragon in his face mid-flight, Ao Lie falling to the side from the impact. His tail whips back in reaction to the hit, sending you flying into the air. You barely have a moment to react before Sun Wukong catches you, rolling a bit as you both hit the ground.

"Goodness, woman, do you not know how to run?" He hisses, pulling you up to your feet before dragging you off with not a moment to recover from the whiplash of his appearance.

He pulls you through the snow, away from the river and weaving around trees and fallen logs. You can barely keep up with how fast he runs, your arm tight in his grip. "Sun Wukong, what are you–"

"Master thought the beast ate you." He looks back at you, rolling his eyes before slowing down. Stopping by a taller tree, you find the Tang Monk crouched down and hidden behind its large roots. The Monkey King pushes you over to the monk and takes his staff from his ear. "Now, stay here with Master. I will deal with the dragon."

He turns to leave but you grab his arm. His tail flicks sharply as he looks back at you with a glare. "No, you don't have to fight him!"

"What, do you want to trick it into taking one of your cursed crowns, too?" He snaps, pulling his arm from your hold. You freeze at his harsh tone, and before you can find the words to respond, Monkey King is already leaping into the air to fly off.

Once he's gone, you throw your head back with a groan, wanting to scream into the air in exasperation. What is it with these disciples of the monk jumping to such extreme actions without a second thought?! "Can he not be still for more than a second at a time?!"

With your gaze still where Monkey King flew off to, you address his master. "Great Monk, I will return in a moment. I just need to diffuse the situation..." As you speak, you turn to the monk who sits behind the tree. You trail off when you see the man shaking and hyperventilating.

Tripitaka is scared senseless, his wide eyes pleading as he looks at you. "Please, don't leave, too. I... I can't–" You take a knee by his side before he can spiral too much.

Putting a hand on his shoulder, you use your gift to calm his shocked nerves. "It is alright, there is nothing to fear." The monk's panicked breaths slow as he begins to calm. You look back up to the sky and push down your own anxieties. You have to go and stop those two idiots, but you can't really leave the monk here, either. "I apologise, Great Monk, I hadn't realised how close we were to your next disciple."

"N-Next disciple?" The monk repeats your words, frowning with confusion.

"The dragon," You elaborate, "he was stationed here by Guan Yin to help you cross the river."

It seems your words sink in, though the news makes the monk give you a look of astonishment. "My next disciple is a dragon?!"

"Heh... I guess I never actually told you." You realise aloud, somewhat embarrassed.

"What's next, a ghost?!"

"No, but the rest of them are demons."

"They are?!" This was definitely something that should have been brought up beforehand, a mistake on your part.

With a sigh, you push yourself up to your feet and offer a hand to the monk. "Why don't I give you more details once we stop this dispute between the two disciples you have now?"

"Is it safe?" He asks timidly, careful as he takes your hand. You pull him up before looking out in the direction of the river.

"I'll keep you out of the way, but I need to stop them before one of them hurts the other." Or before Monkey King kills Ao Lie.

The two of you run back together, rushing to get back and stop the demon and dragon's battle. The snow crunches under your feet as you rush back to the river, and you find it to be surprisingly quiet. There is no loud clashing, no shouts or roars you might expect from an intense battle.

Has their fighting ended already? Fearing the worst, you run with the monk behind you, the two of you finally reaching the river. You can see Monkey King in the air as he, immediately, spots the two of you.

Sun Wukong is quick to fly down, touching the ground before marching up to you. "Are you insane?!" He snaps at you. "What do you think you are doing, bringing him back here?"

You don't let his anger phase you, already preoccupied with holding back your own irritation. "Sun Wukong, please grant me the pleasure of your silence and listen to me. That dragon is the monk's next disciple."

Your words seem to snap the demon out of his disgruntlement. "He is?"

"I was in the midst of diffusing the situation when you barged in!" You roll your eyes, the tone in your explanation enough to make the demon bristle in annoyance.

"It looked like the beast was about to eat you." He defends, pointing back towards the river with his staff. "I'm not willing to risk another migraine if you get yourself eaten and Master decides to blame me for it."

You shoot him with a sharp glare that he returns, the two of you narrowing your eyes before you look away with a sharp turn. You just want to clear this whole mess up so you can keep moving. "Where did he go?" You ask, walking back out towards the rushing water.

"I was looking for him before you two came back." Sun Wukong explains, stepping up to join you as he shrinks his staff back down to tuck away into his ear. "He turned himself into a snake and slithered off somewhere under the snow." He gestures out towards the cold blanket covering the river bank, and you let out a tired sigh.

You walk out to where the demon points to, looking around yourself only to see nothing out of the ordinary. The snow isn't deep, but it's enough that searching for the dragon-snake will be a fruitless effort. With a sigh, you call out to the hidden disciple. "Hello, Dragon Prince? Come out, I swear we are done fighting." You look around as you call for him, hoping to spot anything that might show you where he is. It's difficult to scan the area well, the light of the sun reflects off the snow and into your eyes.

You have to squint to get a better view, and that's when you notice a small head poking out of the snow. A small white snake blends in with the ground, the green scales flecked over its body the only thing helping you to distinguish the animal from the snow it's surrounded in.

The little dragon-snake slithers towards you, and you crouch down to offer your arm to climb up. His tongue flicks out to smell you, the snake's round eyes boring into yours before coiling around your arm. He actually looks sort of cute like this. "I apologise for the misunderstanding, Sun Wukong had no idea you were a disciple of the Great Monk." You offer the dragon-snake a polite smile, bringing your arm up to your face.

Before you're ready for it, Ao Lie returns to his dragon form, nearly crushing you from the chest down. "First you shoot me, then that monkey hits me with his iron staff! Why must my master travel with such violent companio–" The dragon prince looks down with a frown, finally noticing you wheezing for air beneath him before moving. "Oh, sorry."

He backs up enough for you to back up and get onto your feet while Monkey King stomps up to the dragon. "Hey, you're the one who came charging at us!"

"You kicked me for no reason!" The dragon argues, and before the two can step any closer to one another, you step between them.

"Alright!" You hold out your hands to both dragon and demon. "We all made a few mistakes, can we please move on now?"

Sun Wukong scoffs, ears flat against his head as he turns his back to the both of you. An annoying knot in your stomach twists, but you do your best to pay it no mind as the Tang Monk takes a cautious step closer to the dragon. "H-Hello, I hear you are one of my disciples?" He smiles up nervously at the new companion.

"Oh!" The dragon quickly lowers his head to greet the monk. "Hello, Master! My name is Ao Lie. I was told to help you cross the river." He explains, the two of them looking out to the river while your eyes linger on Sun Wukong for just a moment longer before turning as well.

The Tang Monk lights up at the dragon's words. "That is wonderful! I was worried about how we would cross, I don't believe my horse would have been able to make it across..." He trails off as he speaks, his eyes wandering around the area while you and the dragon lock eyes. "Did my steed run off?"

You and Ao Lie give each other a nervous look, the dragon letting out a nervous chuckle. "About that..."

"Why don't we cross the river? We can worry about your new mode of transportation once we are on the other side." You cut in with a slightly forced smile, and before the monk can ask any other questions, you begin guiding him over to the riverside.

Ao Lie gets into the water first, allowing the Tang monk to mount his back. You take dove form and sit on the monk's shoulder for the crossing while Monkey King follows behind on his cloud. The dragon prince explains to his master the fate of his horse. "I am so sorry, Master, I shouldn't have eaten your horse. Allow me to become your steed instead."

Tripitaka leans over to the side in an attempt to face Ao Lie properly. "Would that be alright?" He asks, a little timidly. He still seems to be amazed by his new dragon disciple.

"Of course!" Ao Lie beams as he turns his head to face his master. When he does, one of his whiskers swings towards the monk, nearly hitting him in his head.

The man acts quickly, ducking down so quickly you nearly lose your footing on his shoulder. "Hey, watch it!" Monkey King barks from behind, the dragon's eyes widening when he realises he almost decapitated the monk.

"Sorry." He frowns, turning back to face forward again. "I, uh, I meant to say that I am much stronger than any of man's steeds. I can go a hundred times farther without break. It would be an honour to help you in this way."

He clears his throat a bit as he continues. "It may also help if I am a smaller size anyway."

"Why is that?" The monk frowns, and Ao Lie lets out an awkward laugh.

"I have been told that I tend to be a bit, um, clumsy." He admits guiltily, and you think of when you first met the dragon with Moksa and your master. Ao Lie was about to face a... severe punishment for burning down his family's home. Guan Yin stepped in on his behalf and had him stationed at the river here to wait for the scripture pilgrim.

Monkey King scoffs from his cloud. "I can see why." He mumbles just loud enough for everyone to hear. You shoot the demon a sharp look while Tripitaka and Ao Lie glance away awkwardly. Does he have to be so nettlesome?

...You suppose you know why he is. While you are happy with the fact that the Monkey King has been less chatty as of late, the reason for it and his vexed attitude make you unable to enjoy it. You hate it, even when you've gotten a sense of payback for his actions in the heavens, his sour mood leaves you incapable of revelling in it.

An uncomfortable silence falls over the group until you manage to cross the river. Once on the other side, you turn back while the Tang Monk dismounts from his dragon disciple. Once the two of you are off of him, Ao Lie takes on his transformation into a white horse.

Tripitaka walks over to the horse, petting his snout gently with a smile. "Why don't we rest here and prepare to camp for the night?" He asks, looking back at you and Sun Wukong as he does. "I feel as though I could use a rest after the fright I've had today."

You nod, stopping here sounds good to you. Besides, Ao Lie has no harness or saddle for the monk to ride on yet, and you doubt he will want to ride bareback. You can cross that bridge when you get there, though. "Alright. You stay here with Monkey King and take out our blankets. I can start looking for firewood and–"

"I'll get the firewood." Sun Wukong interrupts before jumping off into the sky. The three of you watch his takeoff into the air with his cloud before disappearing, and you huff a bit in frustration.

The monk looks back at you awkwardly, and you shrug. "Okay, then. I'll help you with the blankets." You smile, moving towards the luggage before the Tang monk joins you. Part of you wants to look back up at where the demon jumped away to, but you keep yourself focused on the task at hand. You can deal with things one problem at a time, and right now, that means unpacking for the night.

...Maybe it would be a good idea to talk to him, though.

~~~~

It's quiet once Monkey King returns, the tense silence coming back as though it never left. The scare with Ao Lie was a nice break, but with the dragon now a horse and Sun Wukong still in no mood to do anything, there is a sort of awkwardness that hangs in the air.

The Tang monk retires to bed after the fire is started. Whether his desire to sleep came from exhaustion or just a want to avoid his irritable disciple, you wouldn't know. You sit atop your blankets around the fire with the monk and Ao Lie, the stone monkey resting opposite of you and further away from the fire. His back is to the group, sitting beneath a tree and looking out for any potential threats.

You look down to your bag for a moment, then back to the demon sitting in the cold. This has gone on for long enough, but not because you can feel the knot in your stomach twisting. You're just tired of this moping, and you're sure the Tang Monk is, too.

Taking your bag, you walk over to join the monkey demon by the tree. "Does being immortal make you resistant to the cold?" You muse, crossing your arms once you're close enough to the demon sitting by the tree.

"Yes, it actually does." He hums, his back still facing you. "A shame you don't know anything about that, hmm?"

His remark makes you huff a little under your breath, he's such a prick. Still, you remind yourself not to feed into his attempts to provoke you. "Listen, I... I had no idea the circlet would do that." You admit, the grip you hold over your arms tightening.

He laughs dryly in response, looking back at you with a sarcastic smile. "Tell me, Dove, what did you think it would do?"

You look away for a moment. "I don't know." He scoffs at the answer, turning his back to you again. When you're able to find it in you to look back at him, you frown. "Hey, I may not like you, Monkey King, but I didn't think it would hurt you like that. You're immortal five times over, I didn't even think you could feel pain like that."

"Is that supposed to make it better?!" He snaps, standing up to face you now. His chest rises and falls with anger in each breath, his eyes brimming in resentment. The knot in your stomach twists tighter, but you refuse to look away and instead face him.

"...No. But your misery isn't making this any easier for the monk. Be upset with me all you want, but if your master has to deal with you for however long this pilgrimage will take, then I won't have him put up with your temperamental attitude." Reaching into your bag, you rummage through it before finding three willow leaves tied together in a bundle.

"What I did was back-handed, so take these to make up for my trick." You hold the leaves out to the demon, who looks down at them with a frown.

He takes a moment to observe them in your hand before his eyes go back at you with a scornful look. "Do you take me for a fool?"

"Yes, I do, but that is besides the point." You smirk, the response making the Monkey King scowl. "My master left these for me to use in case of an emergency. They are leaves from her willow branch. I had planned to use one if the monk or I ever faced a near-death situation. Or if you tried killing me in my sleep."

"A reasonable assumption for you to make." The demon hums with a slight nod, though his eyes only narrow at the offering in your hands. You can't find reason to blame him for his scepticism, the last offering you gave him from your master is now stuck to his head. But there's no trick this time.

"You can take them." You insist, looking away with a pang of annoyance. "Despite the fact that you left me behind, you acted quickly today and got the monk away from danger. You are faster than I am, and I believe you can use them wisely enough in the case that we ever need them."

The Monkey King frowns, his eyes almost like daggers in the way they pierce into you. He's still for a moment, but just as your arm begins to tire from holding out your offering, he slowly reaches out to take it. "I will not be using them if you are the one in danger, I hope you know that."

"I was not expecting you would, just consider it a trade-off for my deceptions." You roll your eyes, crossing your arms once he's taken the small bundle and looking away. "They're not your freedom, or taking back what I did, but I am... sorry." It takes you a moment to get the word out. Apologising to the Monkey King of all people, it just feels weird.

Even Sun Wukong looks a little surprised, and you look down when you feel his eyes on you. Damn, this feels uncomfortable, saying sorry to someone like him. You aren't even sure if he deserves an apology after what he did to those bandits, but you still feel as though it is in order. "I have made my feelings about you clear, that is obvious. But I really had no idea... I did not think it would cause so much pain."

You can still feel his gaze on you, and when you look up to meet it, you see his eyes narrow. Sun Wukong looks down at the leaves and for a brief moment, you see a sort of golden flash in his eyes. It's gone in an instant, and he looks back at you with a huff. "Be grateful you tricked me at all, woman. I won't be fooled twice."

He walks past you towards the fire, pushing past your shoulder a bit as he does. You watch him for a moment before moving towards the fire as well, back to your spot between Ao Lie and the monk.

Sun Wukong sits opposite of you, and when you sit to get ready for sleep, you notice him looking down at the leaves again. The Monkey King places the bundle of leaves on his arm, the greens turning ochre as they transform to blend in with the hair over his limb.

You turn away when he glances over at you and pull your blanket over yourself a little before taking your own transformation into a dove. Sleeping in your avian form is something you find easier to do during winter, your feathers keeping you warmer on colder nights. Sleep finds you easily, and the knot in your stomach loosens just so slightly as you drift into slumber.