#cs!?

“Oh shit!”

Yínhóu is quick to wrap his tail around your waist, pulling your teetering body back from the edge of the makeshift wooden pathway along the side of a cliff, holding you against his solid and lithe frame. For a moment, all you can do is blink, your breath catching in your throat as you feel the firm warmth of Yínhóu’s chest against your back, your cheeks heating up in response. His grip is steady, his tail tightening ever so slightly around you.

You swallow, glancing down at the forest below. That… would have been a nasty fall.

“Well,” You breathe out, a nervous chuckle escaping your lips, “That would’ve sucked.”

Yínhóu doesn’t respond, but you feel the slow exhale against your shoulder that sounds like a sigh of relief. His tail lingers around you for a moment longer than necessary before it finally loosens, slipping away from your person. However, he doesn’t simply step back and continue on like you would’ve thought. Instead, he wordlessly grabs hold of your hand and pulls you along with him, making sure you don’t slip again.

You think he might be angry at you for almost falling by the way his hand is rather tight around yours, but then you catch sight of his tail.

It’s curled at the tip and flicking sharply—something you see every time you nearly get hit. Of course, you come out unscathed from each battle without fail, but that doesn’t stop him from checking if you’ve sustained an injury. His tail always relaxes after he looks over you.

You know what this is.

It’s worry.

The realization makes you feel all warm inside as he continues leading you forward.

You tighten your own grip just a bit around his to reassure him that you’re fine.

His hand squeezes yours briefly in response.

You smile.

Consciousness trickles back into your mind as you wake.

You feel like you’re floating, like all your senses have been dulled.

It takes a few minutes, but eventually, everything sharpens as your awareness returns.

The cool night air makes goosebumps rise on your skin and you shiver as the cold hits you exactly like a bucket of freezing water.

And then, the scent of the rural outdoors assaults you—soil, grass, and the fresh air along that's tinged with something faintly sweet.

…

Wait, outdoors?

Breathing in slow and steady, you open your eyes to be met by the most breathtaking sight you’ve ever seen laid out before you. Millions of stars shining in the sea of the night sky—unmarred by the light and air pollution the cities normally produce.

Your wonder is cut off when it finally hits you.

You’re outside.

Now, how in the fuck did that happen?

You suck in a sharp breath, eyes widening in the realization that something was very wrong at that moment.

You swallow heavily, feeling adrenaline coursing through your body to prompt a fight, flight, and freeze response.

Don’t panic.

Slowly, you sit up, and as you do so, it’s only then that you register that you’re surrounded by a field of white flowers that shine with an otherworldly glow.

Despite your situation, you can’t help but be awestruck at the ethereal sight.

However, you’re not given a chance to bask in its wonder as the sacred silence that surrounds you is broken by leaves crunching under footsteps.

Your gaze snaps up to the source and you see…

It may be dark, but with the light emanating from the flowers, you’re able to make out the figure that stood deathly still mere feet away from you, as if paralyzed by your piercing gaze.

The person was very obviously humanoid but with… simian qualities.

It’s a monke.

A very familiar monke.

It’s unmistakable who he is.