Incarnate

Beginnings

Wukong blew into the stone, golden hues swirling around the crevices and the small face it held. The statue crumbled, bits of hardened clay falling away to reveal fur. The king smiled, chirping softly, "Hey, bud."

Small, amber-brown eyes blinked open, staring up at him. The sage placed the cub against his chest, beaming, "Xi Xioatian. You will be amazing." The brunette in his arms cooed, small hands gripping Wukong's curls. The king laughed heartily, gently prying the hands away, "Come, you must meet some people."

He walked down the mountain, carefully navigating with the bundle of fur in his arms. Xiaotian cooed again, squirming against the king's chest to look around. Wukong snorted, finally reaching a temple, "Behave, kid. I promise you'll have fun." He stepped into the structure, and was immediately greeted.

"Brother! Come, we-- Oh? And who is the little one?" Tang Sanzang smiled sweetly, waving at the cub. Wukong lifted up Xiaotian, showing him off, "Qi Xiaotian, the promise Heaven has granted me."

His wish...

Sun Wukong had been offered a wish for protecting the group on the journey and extracting the Samadhi Fire successfully. And the monkey, knowing how alone he'd eventually become, asked for a companion. Someone to fight alongside him, again and again. And so he was granted a small statue and a small, carefully crafted soul.

"Is Eldest Brother back yet? I-- Oh." Wujing stared with wide eyes at Xiaotian, grinning widely. Baiji, confused, was next to emerge. He stared for a while in disbelief, followed by Ao Lie who loudly began to coo and beg Wukong to hold the baby.

Wukong huffed, letting the dragon hold the small monkey, laughing as Xiaotian managed to snag some of Ao Lie's white locs. Sanzang snorted in amusement, a small twinkle in his eye, "He is wonderful, Wukong." The king nodded in agreement, "Yeah. He is."

---

Demons usually grow up slowly over time. A hundred years for them would be two for a human, or even newborn. Wukong himself reached maturity at over five hundred before traveling outside the mountain. And even then, he would be considered quite young.

Qi Xiaotian, however, grew like a human.

Each year added onto his growth, and Wukong was pleased it meant his brothers would be able to grow up with the little one. They themselves were not immortal, so they could grow old or ill. Maybe even lose themselves in battle one day. So Wukong was glad they could see his boy change over the years without worrying about missing anything.

"Baba." The little one poked Wukong, puffing his cheeks. The cub, knowing he and Wukong were family, had taken to calling him all sorts of names. Some were fatherly titles, others were nicknames that came from his name, and the rest were brotherly words. Wukong, in turn, called him names meant for sons, brothers, and even cousins at times.

"Yeah, lil man? What's up?" Wukong looked down, snorting at the leaves stuck in the child's curls. Xiaotian pulled out a stray leaf, holding it up, "Present! For you, Wu!" The king took it graciously, bowing his head, "Thank you, Bao Bei."

Delighted, the boy ran off to give away more of the foliage in his hair.

---

Xiaotian was curious, the same way any monkey tends to be. He spoke loudly and swung on tree branches without care. And he began to experiment with his name.

"I think you should call me Xiao." The brunette nodded to himself, smiling up at his guardian. Wukong pouted playfully, "But dìdì is a way better name!" The child whined, pushing his small hands against the other, "No! Xiao!"

"Monkey, don't tease your little one so readily." Sanzang grinned despite his words, as if only playing. Xiao leaned away from his brother, waving his hands around, "Tell him I'm Xiao! Xiao!" The monk kneeled down, patting the boy and straightening his clothes, "Wukong, please listen to Xiao?"