I knew I ’ ve struck a nerve . he tensed up , tightened his jaw and furrowed his brows . Then he lifted his head with forced confidence and nodded in agreement . Behind his bravado , it was clear that he was hesitant about letting me go with him . Gears were turning behind his eyes . ‘ Does he have something he wants to hide from me ?’, I suspected . A sly grin tugged at the corner of my lips as I was one step closer my rightful scroll .
Chapter 3 : Demise
WuKong gathered his friends and we started our journey at the crack of dawn , hiking through smooth valleys effortlessly yet adrenaline had blinded me , I discovered , as the surroundings shifted without my acknowledgement . Harsh winds sliced through my thick spotted fur mercilessly , leaving a trail of burning pain behind . Each time we dragged our feet forward , the air grew hotter and heavier . The surrounding leaves rustled . I shrugged it off , dismissing it as a small forest animal moving through the bushes , ignoring the unease at the pit of my stomach .
It rustled again . This time louder . Quicker . Closer .
My comrades must have heard the rustling too . WuKong stopped abruptly , extending a protective arm to stop us from walking . BaJie , still oblivious to the possible approaching danger , whistled nonchalantly and was immediately cut off by an urgent hush from SaTsang . Being well experienced with BaJie ’ s wonted stupidity , I shut my eyes in frustration and exasperation .
Another rustled in the bushes made every single strand of my fur stand up . I was on guard , ready to pounce any second . SaTsang had drawn his spear . His eyes darted from corner to corner . It was strange , how in this threatening situation everything slows down . A crystal drop of sweat rolled down WuKong ’ s rosy cheek . Our breaths were in sync . We waited , but nothing came . Partly I was relieved that I didn ’ t have to fight , but a distant voice in my head cursed furiously - cursing at the missed opportunity to injure , to kill that damned monkey . My attempt to suppress this desire only worsened it .
“ What are you doing ?” it hissed . “ Are you forgetting your mission ? You dim-witted leopard . That ’ s why you ’ ll never be anything great . That ’ s why the Master didn ’ t trust you with the scroll .” I was seeing double at this point . It continued , “ Now you ’ re trying to push me away ? Sweet , sweet little leopard , you ’ re losing your vision . Come on , remind yourself , why are you here ?”
“ Protect the scroll . The scroll . It ’ s mine .” I whispered through clenched teeth . It laughed menacingly . “ That ’ s right . Little leopard . That ’ s right !”
I swayed slightly as darkness impaired my vision . The only thing I could see was WuKong staring at me with his concerned eyes . But it only fuelled my anger , feeding to the voices inside my head .
Nothing happened and we pressed on . However , an air of tension hung between me and WuKong . I have been trying to convince myself the tension was not my fault , but the voice inside my head nagged me .
“ Stop lying to yourself , Little Leopard ,” it used its nickname for me again . One that would ’ ve felt warm and accepting otherwise . “ Stop ignoring the hostility . This is happening because he knew you lied . You , Little Leopard , lied to them ! WuKong must hate you , and he is going to tell BaJie and SaTsang what a demonic hag you are .”
I wanted to scream at it , but my frustration would only strengthen it . I am tethered to the voices in my head - there ’ s no two ways about it . I looked everywhere to find a temporary distraction . WuKong trekked in front of me , but I thought he would turn around any second to kill me . Of course he would kill me , the evil