A Brief History of the one known as The Handsome Monkey King, Sun Wukong

Part 1
Birth of The Handsome Monkey King: Rise to Power

Thousands of years ago, upon the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, there rested a stone, which was forged from the primal forces of nature. One day, this stone gave birth to a child of incredible power, a monkey whose eyes shone as bright and yellow as the sun. Amazed by the incredible works of the universe, the monkeys of the mountain came to discovered the newborn with the rubble of the stone, and took him in and raised him as part of their clan. Growing up, the monkey came to be known as a trickster, always playing pranks on the other monkeys, both young and old, earning him displeasure among the clan. Due to his antics and strange powers, the monkey grew up a loner, a sort of outcast among the other children.

One day, when the monkey had grown to maturity, some other monkeys of the clan discovered a waterfall. Excited, all of the rest of the monkeys raced to see it. Curious as to what secrets the fall held, the monkeys wished to see what was behind it, but all were too cowardly to venture inside. Boasting, one of the young monkeys shouted out, "If anyone is clever enough to go through the fall, find the source, and come out in one piece, let's make him our king,” to which everyone agreed. Upon hearing this, the monkey raced and leapt through the fall to see the other side. Upon entering, he discovered that it was a grand cave, with a bridge leading across a gap to a fair sized island with a small stone house resting upon it.

The monkey returned to the entrance and told the others of his discovery, to which they all shouted in delight and ran inside to see that what he said was true. They all raced across the bridge and entered the house to find it fully furnished with stone appliances and dishes and all of the like. After things settled, the monkey, with a proud smirk upon his face, asked aloud so that all could hear him, "Gentlemen, A man who breaks his word is worthless. Just now you said that if anyone was clever enough to come in here and get out again in one piece, you'd make him king. Well, then. I've come in and gone out, and gone out and come in. I've found you gentlemen a cave heaven where you can sleep in peace and all settle down to live in bliss. Why haven't you made me king?" The monkeys gave a moment of thought and then, in unison, bowed before their new king and rejoiced. The newly made Monkey King accepted his praise, and then proclaimed himself as Handsome Monkey King. The Handsome Monkey King and his subjects lived a long time happily within the cave, living off the bounty of the mountain and within the safety of the cave, which they named The Great Water Curtain Cave.

Part 2
Beginning of the Quest for Immortality: Monkhood

For a time, Handsome Monkey King lived happily with his clan, until one day he realized that despite his great powers, he was still only mortal, and that he would one day die. When asked about why he felt so depressed, he answered, “Although I am happy now, I am worried about the future. That is what’s getting me down.” The other monkeys laughed and said, "Your Majesty is being greedy. We have parties every day; we live in a mountain paradise, in an ancient cave in a divine continent. We are spared the rule of unicorns, the domination of phoenixes, and the restraints of human kings. We are free to do just as we like−−we are infinitely lucky. Why make yourself miserable worrying about the future?" To this the Monkey King replied, "Yes, we don't have to submit to the laws and regulations of human kings, and we don't live in terror of the power of birds and beasts. But the time will come when we are old and weak, and the underworld is controlled by the King of Hell. When the time comes for us to die, we won't be able to go on living among the Blessed, and our lives will have been in vain." All the monkeys covered their faces and wept as everyone of them thought about death. It was at this moment the Monkey King decided that he would leave his home, and search out immortality. He announced his departure, and to this the other monkeys decided to throw him a great feast before he left. They filled their bellies with food and drink, and celebrated until the morning sun rose. The Monkey King then departed upon a raft that the monkeys had crafted, and he left the mountain. He would travel for days on the open sea, until he finally reached the land of humans. Surely he would find the secret to immortality here. He would spend ten years roaming the land, searching for answers. During this time he learned the language of humans, and became quite fluent in the language. One day, as he was resting, eating some pine seeds, he heard a magnificent tune. He investigated the source and found that it was a man singing. His song spoke of a great monk who was immortal and knew the secrets of the universe. The Monkey King approached the man and inquired about his song, and was eventually directed to a monastery to the north. The Monkey King thanked the man kindly for his information and went on his way. He finally reached this destination and found the monastery. He was met by two disciples at the doors and told them of his quest, and they happily led him inside. When he reached the inner sanction of the monastery, he discovered a circle of monks, and in the center, he saw the one who would become his master. Monk Subodhi.

- DarkMonkey21