I have a lot of events coming up soon, such as a couple AP tests as well as a piano recital. I’ve been thinking about trying out something else for a while, so this week my blog is different.

This is one of the songs I’ll be playing for my recital, which is called Cat and Mouse by Aaron Copland. Hope you enjoy!

The monkeys panicked when they saw soldiers calling for their king with demands for surrender. When Sun Wukong heard about the situation he did not hesitate in preparing to fight. He put on his golden armor and prepared his cudgel, and strode out into the sunlight. 

The head of the vanguard stepped forward to make the faction’s stipulations. “Remove your armor and weapon immediately, and come back with us. And if you attempt to resist, every living thing here will be killed. You can’t beat me.”

The Monkey King was furious at the arrogant warrior. He called forth, “What a joke! I would kill you right now, but I have some demands of my own and need you alive to carry my message. I have great power, far greater than that which you possess, and your leader made me the “protector of the horses”. If you want me back, you’ll have give me a far better title than that!” 

What followed was a magnificent battle as the scornful soldier swung a giant battle axe which the golden cudgel easily blocked. They clashed several times before the monkey ended the fight and subdued his opponent. The loser fled in terror, which melted to shame upon seeing the temple and admitting defeat.

The Great Sage sent forth another soldier, who also failed despite its monstrous abilities. When it returned and told of the monkey’s demands and overwhelming strength, the Sage decided to capitulate once again and offered the chaotic beast the title he wanted. It was only an empty title, after all; he could swallow his pride for the sake of pacifying the demon. 

The temple they arrived at was resplendent, but the title Sun Wukong received was far less so. His job was to watch after the livestock. He performed diligently until he learned exactly how irrelevant his position was, after which he raged and returned to the kingdom he ruled. 

The Monkey King’s subjects celebrated his return with massive feasts and were excited to hear tales of his exploits. When he explained the indignity he suffered by the insolent rulers of the temple, they were confounded that their leader’s tremendous power had been ignored so blatantly. 

On the other hand, when the officials at the temple reported Wukong’s departure the Supreme Sage was livid. The monkey had refused his mercy in a petulant fit, the nerve! The Sage issued the order he should have originally given.

“Capture him.”

When the Supreme Sage received reports on the actions of Sun Wukong, he was not pleased. At first he wanted to punish the greedy monkey by sending fighters to defeat him, until someone else at the hearing spoke up.

The speaker stepped forward and stated their argument. “This being can access the power of the world, just like us. If we show mercy and have him work for us, he can be controlled without resorting to violence.”

The Supreme Sage was pleased with the idea, and sent the speaker with an invitation.

Upon hearing the news Sun Wukong was pleased. Not surprised, of course, it was bound to happen eventually with his strength. He offered a feast to the emissary, who politely declined and insisted on leaving immediately. The Monkey King was unperturbed and accepted. He was going to be a high-ranking officer in the most powerful organization that existed, what was there to miss?

I claim no ownership of the image.

Upon his return Sun Wukong quickly started showing off his new weapon. As an award for their advice, he made the oldest monkeys generals.He 

For a time afterwards all the Monkey King and all his subjects feasted. He invited several powerful demon rulers with whom he was well acquainted to celebrate as well.

One day as Sun was falling asleep in a drunken stupor he looked up to see two figures approach him and tie him up. They dragged him until they reached a city, at which point he began to recover from his drunken stupor. He recognized the the lands surrounding him to be in the realm of the dead and struggled to break free from his captors. The Monkey King was able to reach his weapon and quickly escaped and beat the guards to a pulp.

Raging, Sun Wukong stormed through the gates, terrifying all the residents in the process. Messengers quickly alerted the ten Lords of the Dead, who emerged from their palace to confront the assailant. They managed to talk him down from his attack and invited him to see the book in which they kept track of the deceased. When the Monkey King crossed out his name and those of his subjects, nobody dared to complain for fear of an attack.

Wukong returned to reality easily when, while rushing out of the city, he tripped and hit his head. He came to surrounded by guards telling him to wake up as he had slept in. Unconcerned with quaint concerns about “schedules”, he took the opportunity to regale them on his unconscious exploits and the immortality now available to his subjects. There was no worry about consequences; after all, he had successfully had fended those off the previous night.

At least he thought so.

I claim no ownership of the image.

Fearful of the armed monkeys, several other inhabitants of the Mountain joined their group. The Monkey King had a grand army and the trappings of a court, but still he was not satisfied. The sword he had taken after defeating the Demon King of Confusion was clumsy, and the weapons he had stolen were too weak for his taste. He asked the oldest monkeys for advice.

“The stream by the bridge leads to the palace of a powerful Dragon. If you ask it might have something that suits you.”

Sun Wukong departed hastily and swam to the palace, where he encountered a demon guard. “Who are you, and what power do you have that allows you to swim so fast?” The Monkey King told him, with more than a hint of indignation. The demon went to the dragon and described the encounter.

The dragon quickly prepared and invited Sun in. When asked of his business, he answered, “I have trained to become an Immortal and taught my family to fight, but I have not been able to find a weapon for myself. I heard of your great power and magnificent home, and thought you surely must have magical weapons to spare. I beg of you to help me.

The request was acceptable, so the dragon sent the general to bring back a giant sword. Wukong was dissatisfied, and refused the next offer-a spear weighing more than a ton-as well on account of insufficient weight. The host was disturbed by the nonchalant act, and had an even heavier halberd brought in.

It was still nothing to the monkey, which terrified the dragon. It desperately pled that there was nothing heavier in the palace. Before Sun Wukong responded, some of the dragon’s servants arrived. “Lord, the Anchor relic is glowing. Do you think it could be related to the visitor?”

The procession headed towards the treasury, wherein stood a thick pole several times the height of the Monkey King. It shone brilliantly as he approached and grabbed it, but still he complained the unwieldy size. As if it heard him, the rod shrunk to a comfortable size and dimmed so he could see it. Most of the cudgel was black iron except for two gold bands.

Sun Wukong was greatly pleased with the weapon and returned to the hall. Despite his professed gratitude, though, he wanted still more from the dragon. “I’ve got this cudgel, but I still don’t have the clothes to go with it. I’d be most obliged if you give me some armor.”

When confronted by the dragon’s insistence on lacking the desired armor, the monkey quickly resorted to threats. Filled with fear for its life, the host offered to invite other dragons to provide the suit.

When the dragons arrived and were explained the situation, one of them-Ao-raged to fight the Monkey King but was stopped by the first dragon’s description of his power. Another guest suggested that they provide the armor then report him to the Astral Council for punishment.

And that is how Sun Wukong bullied a dragon into giving him not only a powerful and versatile weapon but also a resplendent gold suit. He did not thank them for the gifts, of course; the cudgel was obviously meant to be his.

I claim no ownership of the image.

Sun Wukong began teaching the other monkeys to fight so they could defend themselves. They made primitive spears and learned military strategies, but advanced civilizations still posed a threat to the inexperienced apes. Fearful of an attack from neighboring kingdoms, one of the elders made a suggestion: “Your majesty, over the lake is a city that trades with some of the most influential planets in our system. If you bought some of their technology we could defend ourselves easily.”

Wukong was thrilled by the idea, and enthusiastically agreed. He flew to the capital, but upon seeing it he decided not to buy the tech. After all, his magic was more than sufficient as a distraction.

With an incantation and a breath, the monkey summoned a massive storm. The city quickly deserted as the seas tossed and a powerful gale blew. Everyone stayed inside as the thunderstorm arrived with brilliant lightning and sheets of rain. Sun Wukong flew around until he spotted the palace, at which point he blew down the doors and searched for the armory. What he found was more than sufficient for the relatively small group of monkeys. After a little more application of magic, the Monkey King was surrounded by thousands of tiny clones that held as much and more weapons than they would ever need. Satisfied by the load, Sun and his workers carried it back to the Mountain.

I claim no ownership of the image.