༻ CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT | 雨林
- 38 | ANIMAL CHALLENGE. 🪵
One last fluffy chapter before the
tournament :D leave a vote and
comment, this chapter was
hard AF to write...
I slowly walk towards the caged animal before me with light footsteps. A dragon, just like the one illustrated across my fan. It scatters around its box in the middle of the room, showing off its scales and fiery beard.
"So you're my dragon..."
I bend over and inch my face closer before gently tapping the glass box and chuckling at its size.
"You're... A lizard."
The bearded dragon sticks its tongue at me with her claws on the glass. I look down at my fan once more and turn it around to read what's on the back.
與動物結合. [Bond with your animal.]
Bond with it?
I slowly lower the fan and clear my throat awkwardly at the thought of talking to an animal. Nevertheless, my knees sink into the cushion with a shy smile.
"Um... I guess I should open up so you can get to know me, huh?"
The lizard sticks her tongue out again, nothing but silence filling the room. I place my hands on my lap and give a hopeless sigh. This is going to be a challenge...
༻ JIMIN ༺
Jimin's focus narrows into a squint when he notices the view across the field from a farmhouse. A majestic brown horse, standing perfectly while leashed to a wooden fence and helping itself to some hay.
Jimin gets close enough to stroke its velvet skin before tilting his head.
"Well hello. What are you doing out here?"
The horse exhales through its nostrils, giving Jimin a moment to turn to the farmhouse and answer his own question.
"Hm... You have a saddle so I assume I'm meant to ride you. Problem is, I don't know how." He sighs.
"Alright, uh... I'm just gonna untie this leash—"
The second the horse is free, she rear-kicks Jimin in the chest and trots off. Covered in dirt, the silver-haired fighter props up on his elbows before jumping on his feet and running after it.
"Hey! Get back here! This is NOT bonding!"
༻ YEONJUN ༺
Yeonjun's path leads him to stand on a big rock near the highest point of the mountain. The young boy holds onto a vine whilst leaning forward slightly and taking in the stunning, cloudy view.
He tugs a calm grin and closes his eyes, letting the wind brush through his hair... That is until something is thrown at his head.
"What the... A banana peel?"
Picking up the yellow peel, Yeonjun looks up and gasps at the sight of some monkeys surrounding a distant pond before instantly running over with a huge smile.
The pond water is sunlit with shimmers bouncing off of it, pairing with the willow trees that lightly dip into the water with curtain-like leaves. The small and furry animals pause from bathing each other to blink at Yeonjun in silence.
"Oh, sorry." He covers his eyes.
But to his surprise, the monkeys all flock to him like he were a new species, some lifting his arms and swinging from them like tree branches whilst a couple sniff him and pinch his clothes.
"Hehe, that tickles!"
The monkey crouched on Yeonjun's back runs their fingers through his hair intriguingly before swinging onto a large rock and holding his hand out for Yeonjun to take. When he does, the monkey leads him to a fruitful tree and climbs it effortlessly.
Yeonjun giggles and reaches for the lowest branch to prop his foot on.
"What's up here?"
The monkey squeaks adorable when Yeonjun makes it to the same branch and passes him a fresh banana, then proceeds to peel his own. Yeonjun chuckles once more and joins it for a snack, the two gazing over Chinese drawing-like clouds that wrap around the green horizon.
༻ CAMMY ༺
"My challenge should be around here somewhere... *Gasp!*"
Cammy gasps at the pen of pigs not far from a farmhouse. The pigs all oink loudly whilst rolling around in the mud, though Cammy isn't disgusted at all. The joyful blonde tosses her fan behind her and immediately skips towards the fence.
"Whoa! Hi everyone! My Sensei said I have to spend time with you."
The pigs all ignore her of course, causing her to pout before effortlessly hopping over the fence and trying to talk to each one without being ignored.
"Well um... I'm Cammy! Hey you! What's your name? Hmm, I'll call you... Mr. Pig."
The moment Cammy tries to pet the pig with the harness, it runs wild around the pen, causing her to scream and get dragged through the mud. Eventually it stops and sniffs her mud-smeared body with an oink, but she only bursts out into laughter and cuddles it.
"Oh my gosh that was so fun! You're a wild time Mr. Pig. Oh look, I can see my friend Jimin!"
"Yahhhhh!" Jimin wails from the distance. The sight of such a small boy chasing after a big horse makes her blush and chuckle.
*Oink!*
"*Gasp!* Mr. Pig, how dare you insinuate that! Jimin and I are just friends, okay? Yeah... Just friends!"
༻ YANG༺
Yang follows his guide to a tranquil waterfall, guarded by large rocks and a Chinese pine tree. All is silent except for the murmurs that leave his lips as he steps through the shallow water and aimlessly kicks pebbles.
"Man, I wanna go home. First frogs, then fish, then spiders, now—"
Yang lifts his chin and inhales the loudest ball of air upon witnessing a Panda bear that sits on one of the rocks and peacefully chews some bamboo.
"PANDA!"
The young twin runs over so fast that tripping doesn't phase him. The panda stays calm and focuses on his food despite Yang bouncing around him like a hyper bean.
"You're a real panda! What are you doing out here?! Duuude we've gotta show the others!"
Yang skips away, but stops and turns back round to notice the Panda just sitting there chewing slowly. He walks back and signals his arms dramatically.
"C'monnn, we gotta go rub you in Yun's face!"
Yang's face slumps the more the Panda peacefully ignores him, causing him to sit beside the bear with crossed legs.
"Alright fine. I'll let you eat first but then we're showing you off to Yun and proving I'm the cooler brother."
༻ YUN ༺
Yun finds himself entering a small wooden shack with sealed windows. He looks around the small interior that consists of only a table and chair in confusion.
"Okay, I'm here... What's my challenge?"
Expecting something to happen, he's met with silence, causing him to read the back of his fan in even more confusion.
"Bond with my animal? ...What animal?"
*Squeak!*
"DAH!!!"
Yun leaps onto the table when a white mouse reveals himself and runs towards him. He picks up the wooden chair and holds it in the air to act as a weapon whilst weeping desperately.
"Oh God... Sensei?! Senseiiiii! You can't possibly leave me with this thing..." His sentence drifts into more weeping, hands sliding down the window dramatically before he squeaks, "Help."
༻ YANG༺
"Ughhh Panda I'm bored! Don't you do anything other than eat bamboo??"
*Chomp... Chomp...*
Yang exhales and removes his fist from under his chin, uncrossing his legs and circling the Panda before pushing his hip.
"If you're not gonna walk, I'll have to use force! Argh, MAN are you chubby! I can't get you to budge... Rrrrr... Get... Up!"
*Fart!*
Yang freezes completely and straightens his posture before looking at his own butt. "...Was that me?"
*Toot!*
His brows shoot higher when he realizes that it was the Panda passing wind without a care. Yang allows a moment of silence before breaking into laughter and flopping onto the bear's fluffy lap.
"Hahaha, I've never heard a Panda fart before." He wipes a teary eye. "You know Pan, I had you all wrong. You and me, we just might have something... *Fart!* Hehe."
༻ VIPER ༺
Viper's trail guides her to a rooster pen on the other side of the farm Cammy's on. The bashful coop of roosters clucking and squawking only grows louder the closer she approaches, making her expression flatline completely.
"This has to be a joke."
Nevertheless; the fearless fighter inches closer to see if another fan awaits for her, only for the family of roosters to crowd around her and peck at her clothes.
"Ouch! Hey get away! Don't touch me! God you're so loud!"
Their squawking doesn't die down one bit, causing Viper to crouch onto the floor with her knees to her chest, her teeth gritted in annoyance and hands shielding her ears.
*Cluckadoodledoooo!*
"Shutupshutupshutupshutup!"
Viper stands up in frustration and storms through the farm, but the roosters only follow her. She groans and holds her arms whilst muttering and grumbling. "Stupid oversized chickens... Stupid Sensei..."
Viper's footsteps slow down however when she witnesses Cammy laughing and rolling in the mud with some pigs.
"You know, I like you Mr. Pig, but you could use a shower... Anyways, what are your thoughts on pork?"
Viper pauses and blinks at Cammy blankly. Finding her almost as annoying as the roosters, and a whole lot weirder, she turns around and heads back to the rooster pen.
༻ JIMIN ༺
Jimin continues to sprint after his horse in large circles to retrieve the rope getting away from him. With his chin held high and chest out, Jimin begins to lose his breath and stops with his hands on his knees.
"Oh my GOD would you just stay still for two damn seconds?!"
The horse continues to gallop. It doesn't take long for Jimin to run after it again before finally catching the end of the rope which causes the horse to gradually halt.
"Now you listen here... *Pant...* I'm gonna get on your back and we're gonna bond. We're not gonna run off or kick me in the chest, we're gonna ride like normal people. Okay?"
He takes a pause and watches the animal who stares at him in return. Because of his smaller height, Jimin uses the wooden fence to prop himself up and finally throw one leg over the horse's back.
"See? That wasn't so hard. Now we just— OH FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST!"
The horse instantly trots off again, wilder and free-er than before. Jimin desperately hugs the horse's neck and lets out a wail of fear. "WHY DID I HAVE TO GET THE STUPID HORSE?!"
༻ MEI ༺
"And that's my life... I'm doing this for my family, especially my mom, but there's that guilt of leaving Gramma and Pa behind. I don't wanna be a broken record by stressing this, it's just... Words can't describe how much I miss them, you know? I wanna help in the noodle shack, take care of Pa..."
The reptile walks around in its box, making me watch blankly before laughing.
I just poured my heart out to a lizard.
"You know, Mushu from Mulan is a small dragon-like you. You could be cussing me like he does and I wouldn't even know." I chuckle. "But my secrets are safe with you, right?"
She presses her claws against the glass whilst staring at me, causing me to press my hand upon the other side... Beyond my vision, a large, ghostly shadow of the lizard reflects onto the wall from the sunrays hitting its glass box... Only not a lizard's silhouette, but a Dragon's...
━━━━💮━━━━
One by one, everybody meets back at the entrance of the rainforest where Sensei waits patiently.
"Welcome back students. I hope you enjoyed your time with the animals. Once Cammy and Jimin get here, we'll be leaving for tomorrow's tournament try-outs."
"I'm gonna miss the monkeys." Yeonjun pouts, making Yang nod along. "Same, I don't wanna leave."
"Must be nice. I can still hear my ears ringing." Viper slaps her ear repeatedly.
"Yeah, and I got trapped with a mouse! This was the worst challenge ever."
I turn to Taehyung who seems zoned out, leading me to touch his shoulder, "How was your time with the Tiger?"
"Perfect." He shrugs my hand off, his tone flat and stubborn. I frown with parted lips and slowly back away... What was that all about?
It's then that Cammy and Jimin join the circle from different directions, both looking a filthy mess. Cammy is covered in smelly mud despite looking so happy while Jimin's hair is ruffled with dirt all over his clothes and a hoove-print on his chest.
"Whoa, what happened to you guys?!" Yun asks.
Jimin dusts his sleeves, "I got buckerooed, that's what. That had to be the most stubborn horse in fricking China."
"I take it you didn't bond much." I chuckle at his tired eyes. "And Cammy? What happened to you?"
"Oh Mei, it was so messy. Mr. Pig was cheating on Mrs. pig with Ms. pig. It was a whole drama."
"That kind of messy..."
"Well, now that you're all here, I hope you were able to form a bond you didn't imagine possible. It's natural to become a burnt-out machine with the tournament this close. This challenge was to bring you back down to Earth. Viper learns tolerance, Jimin learns freedom, Yang learns patience, etc... Now come, the bus is waiting for us with your luggage."
"Wait, Sensei! Can I shower at the campsite first?" Cammy raises her hand.
"No."
"But—"
"No more questions. The bus is waiting."
━━━━💮━━━━
"Sensei, can we please open the curtains? It's dark in here." Jimin groans.
"Yeah, I'm still covered in mud."
"And it does not smell pretty." Yang pinches his nose.
"No. We're nearly there, you'll ruin the surprise."
"Surprise?" I repeat.
Only minutes later, the coach comes to a stop before Sensei stands before the opening doors.
"Students, we've arrived at where you'll be staying until the tournament is over. Please make yourselves at home."
"Finally." Taehyung groans.
Exhausted from the dark, three-hour drive, we all sluggishly collect our backpacks and get off the coach, squinting slightly to adjust our eyes to the daylight. The moment we do, our eyes crash open and jaws drop at the beautifully luxurious, Japanese-style vacation home that stands before us.
"Oh my gosh." I cover my mouth.
"Sensei is this a prank?!" Yun wheezes.
"No prank. You kids deserve a nice place to stay. Make yourselves at home."
"AHHH!" Cammy sprints into the house with muddy footprints trailing behind. "Dibs on the biggest bedroom!"
"Dibs on the second biggest!" The twins shout and race simultaneously.
I let out excitedly laugher and run inside myself, passing the beautiful bushes out front that are trimmed into different animals. The house is guarded by Hokoras; little houses for guardian spirits, as well as wooden floorboards that wrap around the house like a balcony.
Walking along the platform feels so satisfying. I trace my hand along the wooden railing before leaning both arms against it and smiling at the beautiful view of greenery, big rocks, a bridged-pond and distant mountains. I can't believe I'm really here... It doesn't feel real.
"Whoaaa!! This place has a sauna!" Cammy squeals from inside. "And these showers are way better than the public ones at the campsite! See you guys in two hours!" She immediately shuts the door.
I chuckle and head inside also. Each room unveils through a slide-open door. In one room, the twins jump on the bed while Jimin and Taehyung relax in another. Everyone excitedly checks out the house until Viper comes in.
"Yeah so um, two things to point out. 1, the boys have way more space than us and 2, one of the rooms doesn't have a bed."
"I guess someone's gonna have to share." I answer awkwardly. At the sound of that, Cammy slams open the bathroom door in her robe and towel-head wrap.
"Do I hear a sleepover part 2?!"
"Oh no..." I groan playfully while the blonde pulls me into one of the bedrooms. We both bring in our luggage and unpack our things.
"Can you believe we've made it this far? I mean try-outs are tomorrow. And by the end of next week, this whole tournament will be over."
"I know, it feels surreal!" Cammy bounces. "And if one of us wins, we'll be expected to stand in front of the most important people in China. I'm not very good at speeches, but I can try."
Cammy unpacks a textbook and balances it on her head whilst fanning herself with a paper fan and slowly cat walking with fluttering lashes. "Everyone, quiet down, quiet down please."
Her enactment mixed with that robe make me cover my mouth with a snort. "You look ridiculous."
"It's fun! Here, you try." Cammy hands me a book. I chuckle and stand before balancing the book on my head and wobbling slightly.
"...H-hi China. I'm Li Mei and um... Thanks for letting me win."
Cammy laughs and hits me with her pillow. "That was awful."
"Well so was yours!" I catch the book falling from my head and hit her also.
Before we know it, the two of us are whacking each other like giggly teenagers until feathers fly and we fall on the floor. Cammy and I look at each other silently before bursting into laughter under the rainfall of feathers showering down on us.
Out of our vision, Viper leans on the wall behind the door, eavesdropping on our fun. With a scowl and folded arms, she silently walks off.
. . .
Question: who's animal challenge would you have loved to take on and who's would be your worst nightmare? 😂