"Looks like rain tonight." Mr. No-Hands said as he and the remaining members of First Squad approached the gates of the Humming Bat Kingdom with Woo the Wise and Second Squad in tow. The sky above them was slowly growing darker as the sun set and thick storm clouds rolled in. The smell of ozone was slowly filling the air, filling everyone with an uneasy feeling.
"I hope the party doesn't get rained out." Sonia said as they passed through the gates..
"I don't think that will be an issue, look." Woo said.
The main courtyard of the castle was covered in a thick canopy of honeysuckle, grapes and purple passion flower vines being held up by thick columns of bamboo that were carved to resemble fruit bats and hummingbirds. Soft yellow lanterns hung from the vines, giving off a warm and inviting feeling to the whole area. To one side was a large banquet table covered in various sweets, fruits and savory dishes as well as both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and to the other was a massive ice sculpture of a young woman reaching to the sky with a bat and hummingbird resting in his outstretched hand while a coyote sat at her feet, staring up at the sky.
"That sculpture is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my life!" Sonia exclaimed.
"Better than any of Lin Chung's old wood carvings." Kowloon said, only for Jumpy to slap him upside his head for insulting his best friend.
Just then a black hummingbird came down from the vines and hovered in front of them
"I'm glad you are enjoying the sculpture, the princess made it herself. I'm Onyx, the princess's attendant. If you would, please follow me to the foyer where the other guests are waiting." The bird said. "You may leave your turtles here if you wish."
The two groups followed the black hummingbird inside the castle. Various species of animals and humans milled around,chatting, drinking and having fun. There were a few species of animals who hadn't chosen a side during the war, such as mice, goats, sun bears, wolverines,panthers, monkeys and others that couldn't be identified. The Mouse King, who was no bigger than a small apple, stood on top of a pillar telling stories about his latest escapades to steal food from one of the animal kings on High Roller's side while an amused panther laughed. One yellow monkey was showing off their various gymnastic moves to a small group of goats and human children. It felt like the days before the war, back when everything was in harmony. Well, almost.
In the back corner of the room sat a lone female zebra with dark purple and yellow stripes and shiny golden hooves, her blind eyes scanning the room, appearing as those she could see right through people. Her short gray mane was decorated with black and white ribbons for the occasion along with some golden hoop earrings that decorated her nicked ears. She was the former zebra queen, Sparky Night, also known as The One Who Watches. She sipped her wine and talked with someone who wasn't there. It seemed everyone wanted to stay as far away from the old zebra as possible.
"Why is she here? Aren't the zebra's on High Roller's side?" Archer Lee whispered to Mr. No-Hands.
"Only the Zebra Brothers are, the rest of them want nothing to do with the war." Mr. No-Hands whispered back.
Before anyone else could ask any more questions their attention was drawn to the center of the foyer where a group of fruit bats were playing tiny trumpets to announce the arrival of the royal family.
"Announcing the royal family, the honorable Shuǐguǒ the king of all fruit bats, his wife the heavenly Huā the queen of all hummingbirds, their royal knight, Sokka the Lionhearted and their daughter, The Enchanting Princess Ai." A scarlet hummingbird announced.
The royal family descended the staircase, the two monarchs perched on their daughter's shoulders, each wearing small golden bands around their heads. The princess wore a floor length dark green dress that resembled a mix between a saree and traditional chinese court robe. The outer robe was dark green with gold embroidery of bats and hummingbirds along the bottom with gold cuffs at the end of the batwing sleeves. The inner dress seemed to be an inverse of the robe, with the base color of the dress being a soft almost white yellow with the pattern of dark green leaves trailing up the sides of the bodice and around the collar. Upon her head she wore her circlet and a matching dark green head scarf that covered her forehead. Golden gloves adored her hands and arm. She wore no make-up, as was custom for the women of the kingdom, and wore no jewelry except for the necklace Blayze had given her. Ai was the embodiment of regal, the impediment of the kingdom, its crowning jewel. At least, that's what everyone else saw, but inside Autumn could only think about how tight the dress was and how uncomfortable her shoes were.
As her adopted parents welcomed everyone, Autumn scanned the room, feeling a sense of unease. It was a full moon that night and while that should have made her feel more at peace, something wasn't sitting right. Members of various kingdoms as well as Big Green were in attendance, some smiling warmly at her, some seemingly sharing her distaste for formal wear, but there was one she locked eyes with; The One Who Watches.
The old zebra tapped softly on the table she stood at, but even though it was muffled by her father's jokes, it was the only thing she could hear. The rhythmic tapping was almost hypnotic, as though the former queen was trying to calm her nerves, but then she mouthed the words "You are not safe." making Autumn's blood run cold. She was suddenly snapped out of her trance by her dad.
"Ai, would you like to say a few words to your guests?" He asked.
"Oh, uh right." she said and cleared her throat. "Thank you all for coming. I hope this evening will be enjoyable for you all, please make your way to the courtyard. There's plenty of food and drinks to go around."
The crowd made their way to the courtyard where the party really started. Autumn hung back to try to talk to Sparky Night, but the old Zebra had vanished, leaving a hollow pit in her stomach. What did the old mare mean? Why wasn't she safe? This was her home, of course she was safe. Right? Her musings were broken when she felt someone approach her from behind.
"Are you alright princess?" A deep, strong voice asked.
Autumn turned around startled, and came face to face, (well more like face to chest) with The Panther Prince, Bào Fēng.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." He said and bowed. "I am Bào Fēng, its an honor to meet you princess Ai."
Autumn felt her face flush red and for a moment she forgot where she was. It wasn't just because the prince was extremely handsome, but it was also because he managed to sneak up on her, something no other human had accomplished. Although, as she looked at him more closely she could tell he was more than human.
The prince had very distinctive eyes, a sharp yellowish green with pupils that were vaguely almond shaped. His canines were slightly longer and sharper than an average person's, same went for his fingernails that had been painted black. He was also much taller than other humans she knew, which was saying something since Autumn herself was taller than the average human of Hidden Kingdom. Despite all this, the prince didn't scare her. His black hair was pulled into a topknot and kept in place with a pin that was oddly paint brushed shaped. His robes were dark purple and he wore no shoes. His skin was a few shades darker than her own (though that wasn't saying much because she had been told she was as white as rice) revealing pale spots along his neck.
Autumn snapped herself out of her thoughts and quickly returned the bow.
"My apologies Bào Fēng, I was in my own world." She said, her face flushed with embarrassment.
The young prince smiled and stood up. "Perhaps you could tell me what is bothering you so much."
Autumn opened her mouth to say something when thunder boomed overhead. Looking up she saw storm clouds rolling in. The sinking feeling was back.
"An omen." She thought as a shiver went up her spine.
The prince looked up too. "I have a bad feeling about this." he muttered. Autumn looked at him sharply.
"What did you say?" she asked.
He cleared his throat and looked at her. "I said we shouldn't keep your guests waiting," He said and offered his arm to her. "May I escort you?"
"Sorry bub, that's my job." Tempest said as he came between the two. The coyote looked up at the prince. "And Ai is more of a dog person than a cat person."
Pursing his lips the prince nodded and went to join the party. Normally Autumn would have scolded her companion for his rude behavior, but right now she felt comforted by her friend's sudden appearance.
"Are you okay Autumn? You aren't looking too well."
"I'm fine, let's join the party before the food runs out. I heard that Mighty Ray can put more food down than a hungry bear." She said with a forced smile.
Tempest, unconvinced, nodded softly. He knew when his human was putting up a front but this night was important to all of them, it was imperative that everything go off without a hitch. He walked with Autumn to the courtyard as she played with her necklace, though somehow the necklace felt much heavier than before.
Just off of Hidden Kingdom's coast was a small island sat being beaten by heavy waves and rough winds. On the highest point of the island sat a large mausoleum made of white marble and jade. Etched into the metal slab that acted as a door read in a long lost language "The Eternal Resting Place of Sun Wu Kong, the first Monkey King.". There was a sudden crash of thunder and flash of lighting as the metal slab was sent flying. A disheveled figure slowly made its way out of the mausoleum, stiffly shuffling along as it looked towards the mainland. With a flick of his wrist, gold and red armor flew from inside and onto the figure's body. He stretched and popped his back and cracked his neck.
"Ten-thousand years….. Man, it gives you such a crick in the neck!" He moaned as his tail swished back and forth in an irritated manor. Thrusting his hand up to the heavens a chunk of cloud suddenly flew down to his side. Jumping onto the cloud he flew straight for the mainland, and to Humming-Bat Castle.
"Last of the Moon Soldiers, I hope I'm not too late."