Heavenly Creatures
CHAPTER 15: Mother

“Why Seoul?” I asked.

“I sensed that’s where your mother is,” Sun said.

I glanced between Sun and my dragon-turned-sister. “I have a question,” I said.

“Yes?” Sun asked.

“Which one of you is older?” I asked. “I mean, you’re Sun, the Monkey King who’s been trapped in the Hand of God for a thousand years. And you’re my brother from three thousand years ago—now a dragon and my sister. If you two battled, who would win?”

Sun and my sister looked at each other.

“That’s a strange question,” Sun said. “And the answer is unclear.”

“Well…” my sister said.

Sun folded his arms in front of himself, looking uncomfortable. My sister glanced at him.

“It’s complicated,” they finally said in unison. Sun looked notably relieved.

I nodded, getting the gist. Apparently, my sister could whip Sun’s butt, and he was feeling hostile about it. “Just wondering,” I said.

Sun scoffed, then snapped his fingers. In a moment, we had left the woods and were standing on the side of the road as a large bus pulled up to the curb. People milled around us, and some gave us the stink eye as they pushed past to get on the bus.

“Wow,” I said. “That’s hard to get used to.”

“What now?” my sister asked, looking around and stepping away from the curb.

“Let’s look at some pet shops,” Sun said.

“Pet shops?” I echoed.

Sun was already crossing the street to get to a window, where several cats and dogs were displayed.

“Poor things!” I said, rushing to the glass. The owner scowled at me, and I discreetly tried to wipe my handprints off the pane. “They just stay like this all day?”

Sun nodded. “She’s not here, though.”

He was already walking away, towards a park. We followed him, marveling at the trees with pink and white blossoms. Sun stared at each dog that passed. One small white dog began growling at him, and he growled back. Embarrassed, I pulled him away.

“Sun, you can’t just growl at the dogs,” I said. “Also, even if one of them was mother, we can’t steal someone else’s dog.”

“Sure, we can,” Sun said. “I’d just make the owner forget they ever had a dog.”

“Okay, but what would they make of the dog supplies back home?” I asked, hands on my hips.

Sun shrugged. “That’s their problem.”

“You’re really going to separate a pet from their owner?” I asked.

Sun waved his hands dismissively. “You worry too much. They’ll get over it. And anyway, your relationship with the dog—your mother—takes precedence…”

Sun suddenly stood up straighter, then disappeared, and a loud noise made me look around. In the nearby mountain, where Sun had presumably teleported, the trees rustled and a flock of birds took flight.

My sister laughed. “There’s never a dull moment with this one.”

“I like him too,” I said.

My sister raised her eyebrows at me, but she was smiling. “I guess you could do worse,” she said.

We walked over to the tree line and saw Sun walking out with a fat black cat under his arm.

“I found her!” he said, sounding entirely too proud of himself. “I found her. No need to thank me.”

“We weren’t going to,” my sister said, taking the cat from him and cuddling it in her arms.

“It’s so cute,” I gushed, scratching its chin. My hands came back dirty.

“It needs a bath,” my sister said.

“Where would we go?” I asked. Then I hit my palm with my fist. “I know! Let’s go to a capsule hotel! I heard they have those in Japan, and I always wanted to go to one.”

“Good idea,” Sun said. “But no pets allowed. Don’t worry.” He whipped out a Korean credit card, and I gaped at him.

“Where’d you get that?”

“The old man gives out perks,” he said. He held up a finger. “Give me a moment, and I’ll get a rental for us.”

Sun popped out of existence, and I sat down on a park bench with the cat. A white butterfly flew past my nose, and the cat swatted at it.

“I thought we would replace a dog,” I said.

“I guess not,” my sister said. She turned to me, her expression serious. “Tara, I feel like I probably can’t stay long. For some reason, you going on this journey with Sun has made me open my eyes, after so many years. I think it’ll only be a matter of time before I have to go.” She pointed up at the sky, and I felt a dull pain in my chest.

“I’m sure they’ll let you stay,” I said. “They have to.”

My sister shook her head, but she said no more.

Sun popped back into existence in front of us, and the cat scratched my arm as it scrambled to get away.

“Hey! Why the blue faces?” Sun asked.

“Why don’t you take the cat?” I asked, pushing the animal towards him before inspecting my arm. “This hurts.”

Sun snapped his fingers, and the wound disappeared. I turned my arm this way and that, marveling at the new skin. “Wow.”

“Let’s go,” Sun said. “Brace yourselves.”

I took a deep breath, and before I could let it out, we were in front of a ramshackle building. Sun led us up the stairs, and at unit 201, he opened an electronic keypad and typed in some numbers. The door beeped and opened, and he gestured inside with a flourish.

“Your accommodations,” he said.

I walked inside and looked around in awe.

“It’s… so tiny,” I said.

“Welcome to South Korea,” Sun said. As if on cue, the cat jumped down and began exploring its surroundings.

“I even got a litter box,” Sun said. “And some toys.”

“Who’s going to wash the cat?” my sister asked.

“Not me!” Sun and my sister spoke at the same time. “Jinx.” They hit each others’ arms, then looked expectantly at me.

“Ugh, fine,” I said. I picked up the cat, smiling at its pudgy stomach.

“We’re going to get washed up, aren’t we Mr. Pudgy Wuggles,” I said. Sun pretended to gag. I pretended not to see him and kept my head high until I had entered the bathroom, where I put the cat into the tiny sink and sighed. Thankfully, the shower nozzle was handheld.

As I washed the soap off the cat, I noticed something strange. It seemed to get thinner and thinner, and the color of its coat began to change.

By the time I dried her off and brought her out, the cat had turned into a sleek white feline.

“Wow,” Sun said. “Did you give it a makeover?”

Too tired to answer, I slumped onto the couch and lay my head back. “Hungry,” I said.

“Oh right!” Sun said. He whipped out his smartphone, which he had gotten the hang of rather quickly, and pushed some buttons. His fingers typed incredibly fast. “Done! The food will be here in a bit.”

By the time the food had come, all three of us had picked a room, if we could even call it that. The room I had was as small as the bathroom back home. Thankfully, each one was equipped with a bed and a nightstand.

I thoroughly enjoyed the crispy pork with sweet sauce and pickled radishes we ate. By the time my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.