[hr][hider=Part One][center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/654438713455149084/654440104013725706/image0.png[/img]

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A swift breeze washed across his face as he bent backward to dodge a swiping rod. A foot extended outward in the same motion for his opponent’s stomach. Though, opposed to it being an attack, it was a means for further evasion, the boy pushed off and leaned into a back handspring.

With the distance made, the lad stared down the giant man. He stood firm in his defensive stance, raising his staff with one end aimed at the boy’s chest. The child with hair of the rising sun lowered his stance, clawing his fingers as though a tiger. His tail swayed back and forth slowly behind him like a pendulum, with the tip trained on his boulder built opponent.

[color=f9ad81]“Hoooah!”[/color] He yipped.

His approach was a pounce forward from on all fours, and a small exchange ensued. Aggressive, clawed strikes were blocked and countered by the man easily. He was clearly more experienced. Though, when he went on the offensive due to a strike with the staff, the boy drew his fingers together to form a snake’s head. In a fluid motion, he zipped the fanged beast directly into the man’s front wrist and simultaneously kicked his back hand. Loosening his grip on the weapon, the sun child’s tail came in and wrested control, snatching it.

Retreating once more, he cartwheeled several feet away. Dancing in a in an impressive display of dexterity, he twirled on one foot and spun the staff from his tail to the right hand above his head. A smirk glimmered his features with a giggle. As soon as he was to finish with a pose, he was met with unexpected speed. 

A heavy shoe was aimed at his head, and in a desperate measure he raised the staff to block. Though, it wasn’t much help, as the bigger man still launched him from his feet. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he couldn’t even fly away as the man caught his foot in mid air. Dangling upside down by his foot now, the light haired child dropped the stick. Fumbling, he raised his hands to protect his face from an oncoming punch...but it never came. 

Hesitantly, he opened his eyes to see disappointment on the man’s face.

“You have lost focus again, Xiao.” 

His voice matched his body, aged and burly. Xiao went limp, and the man let him go. The kid dropped on his head, displacing some dust, but it didn’t seem to hurt in the slightest. Simply lying there, the preteen looked up at him from the forest floor.

[color=f9ad81]“I...I am sorry, Sifu…”[/color] The student addressed the master, though Yuan shook his head.

“You may have the ability to apologize to me, but your enemies will not be so gracious. Your theatrics mean nothing in true battle.” Master Yuan critiqued, stern in his delivery. Xiao stood up but his face did not leave the ground.

[color=f9ad81]“Yes...I know…”[/color] His voice was more diminutive in comparison. The older man sighed, pulling his stick up from the ground.

“You remember why I teach you these things?” Master Yuan took on a more compassionate tone.

[color=f9ad81]“To learn myself and grow strong?”[/color]

“Yes, and that strength, to defend.” He explained resting the staff on his shoulder, slowly raising his open palms. Xiao remembered this exercise, and took a neutral stance. He threw a snake jab, but Master caught his wrist and took the opening to jab a finger into the boy’s side gently. Once there, his finger waggled. Tickled, little Xiao wiggled and giggled a few paces away. 

His eyes closed for a second, but as he opened them, he noticed his master staring off into the distance. His expression was very serious, and it shrunk the little one’s smile. He wanted to ask what he saw, but the boy was afraid of the answer. 

Yuan turned back to Xiao, and smiled. 

“Come, let’s find food.”[/hider][hr]
Darkness. Utter darkness that Xiao could no longer see through. Dreaming? It had been a while since he did that. It was likely because he was more comfortable in the outside world. Or at least the part of it natural to the planet in which they lived. Over the years of residing in Cloud’s Reach, he found that he was more at peace with himself here rather than in the building. It was why he was laid up in this tree in the courtyard. He had often slept here instead of in the dorm room provided for him. Though, temperatures at night more recently, had changed his mind.

Xiao was reclined in a branch toward the top of the tree, near one of the watchtowers. That way he could feel the comforting heat of the sun occasionally peeking through the heavy winter clouds. It was nice and quiet....maybe a little too quiet. 

There was the question of wondering what he was doing before he got here, but waking up was bringing memories back quickly. He was a tutor to other students in the realm of physical combat, as it was more or less his strong suit. His job was to teach them how to learn about themselves more from it, as well as to defend themselves, just as Master had taught him. It was what he was doing earlier up until about an hour ago. Though he felt like needed his meditation time...or nap time, whichever came first.

Besides, there was always a mess among some of the teenagers socially. The rumors and 'backstabbing' happened, the drama that came with adolescent mercenaries. This business with the job slowness didn’t help.

In his own experience, he had maybe a year of so of that under his belt before his abilities experienced a monumental shift. After that, some looked at him differently, like he was a strange person. Of course he did get taller, and his hair grew longer, and his ears grew somewhat pointed...and sometimes his eyes glowed in the dark. However, he didn't pay much attention anymore. His new masters told him not to indulge those ones and to continue on in learning.

Xiao decided that maybe it was time that he actually did something other than sitting. There were many students, but the intensity of the sun above implied sometime near afternoon, which meant that he couldn't bother them. It was around the end of lunch time and he had to wait until they were finished. You put egg shells in a kid's sandwich one time and you never hear the end of it! Still, he didn't want to just sit here bored like this....

A feeling of slight change in wind direction met his skin. He turned his head towards the east, where the gust was going. It was always about this time that it switched in direction, and his tail flicked freely in the breeze. One picks up on little things like that when--

Wait...his tail was holding something when he went to sleep…The mask! Xiao’s eyes jolted open and he looked around, then down. All the way down. Toward the bottom of the tree, on a low hanging branch, was a white kabuki mask hanging by the strap. It was very reminiscent of his best buddy Rin’s. Granted, hers came all the way from her home, Xiao tried to make it really detailed to match. Monkey see, monkey do. It was supposed to be his art project but it was kind of fragile. He didn’t want it to fall on the ground, but if he climbed down slowly, it’d get blown by the wind.

So, he rolled off of the top branch. Free-falling for a few moments he felt the many branches in the air around him, many thin. Because of his weight, Xiao didn't try to grab just any old limb as he didn't want to hurt the trees that the birds lived in. Though, just as he was nearing the target, his eye caught indicated a big one just to his right. He bounced off of a stone wall to his left and latched to the limb above the twig holding his mask. 

The monkey boy hung upside down like a sloth at first, causing his waist length hair to droop like a cape. 

An arm extended for a hand to reach for it. It was [i]just[/i] out of reach. 
So, he flipped around and hung by his knees to reach it. It was [i]still[/i] out of reach. 
So, he took it a step further and held himself upside down only by his feet. 

Now able to reach, he jostled a tad to pull it off, but he didn’t take into account the weight of snow on the branch too. Just as he managed to grab hold-- [b]SNAP![/b] 

Just one capuchin yowl later, down went the monkey and into a snow pile he went. A poof of white powder later, and Xiao was grounded, but the mask was safe in his arms. Well that could have went worse. He could have knocked the Owls’ nest out of the tree. The Hooters wouldn’t have been too fond of that.

He stood up and shook his head of the cold, trying to warm his fur back up. Likely a good time to go back inside...He had a little mask lady to find.