By the time Ling returned to his part of Mt. Colubo, most of the afternoon still remained.
Blackie followed through the branches overhead until Ling reached the clearing near his temporary camp. The monkey dropped from a tree a moment later and landed several meters away, already wearing the familiar grin that usually appeared before their sparring sessions.
Ling set his things aside and rolled his shoulders. The soreness left by cutting the ironwood that morning had already eased considerably during the trip back, though his arms still felt heavier than usual.
"Ready?"
Blackie slapped both hands against the ground.
Ling smiled.
"Come on."
The monkey charged immediately.
Blackie crossed the clearing and swung toward Ling's head, but Ling shifted aside before the fist reached him. The monkey changed direction and followed with another attack, only for Ling to step inside his reach, catch the extended arm, and use Blackie's momentum to pull him off balance.
Blackie's feet left the ground before he tumbled across the dirt. He rolled once and quickly scrambled upright before rushing Ling again.
After several days of sparring together, Ling had become familiar with most of Blackie's habits. The monkey's speed through the trees, longer reach, and unpredictable movements had given him plenty of trouble when they first met, but seeing the same tricks repeatedly had made them easier to recognize.
Blackie jumped toward a nearby trunk, pushed off it, and came down from above. Ling moved before the attack reached him, then turned as the monkey landed behind him and lightly tapped the back of Blackie's head.
Blackie froze.
Ling grinned.
"Too slow."
The monkey spun around with an angry shriek and attacked again.
Several exchanges later, Blackie was sitting in the dirt with his arms crossed, glaring at Ling.
Ling lowered his hands.
"You're getting predictable."
Blackie's glare deepened.
"I didn't say you're weak."
The monkey made an irritated noise and turned his head away.
Ling scratched his cheek. Fighting Blackie was still useful, but the difference between them had become obvious. One opponent no longer put him under enough pressure.
His thoughts returned to yesterday, when six wolves had surrounded him in the forest and forced him to deal with attacks coming from several directions at once.
Ling looked back at Blackie.
"Do you have cousins?"
The monkey blinked.
"Friends? Family? More monkeys like you?"
Blackie tilted his head.
Ling gestured around the clearing.
"I want to fight more than one of you at the same time."
Understanding gradually appeared across Blackie's face before the monkey broke into a wide grin.
Ling narrowed his eyes.
"Why do you look so happy about that?"
Blackie turned, jumped onto the nearest tree, and disappeared through the branches before Ling could say anything else.
Ling watched the shaking leaves trail farther into the forest.
'That grin wasn't reassuring.'
He used the time to rest beneath one of the trees while the remaining strain in his arms continued fading. It wasn't long before distant shrieks echoed through the forest, followed by the sound of several animals moving quickly through the canopy.
Blackie appeared first, jumping from one branch to another before dropping into the clearing with six more baboons following behind him.
Ling stared at the group.
"...You really brought six."
Blackie puffed out his chest proudly.
Several of the newcomers looked Ling over while the others glanced toward Blackie, apparently waiting to see why they had been called.
Ling counted them once more. Blackie and six others—seven against one.
A smile appeared on his face as he stepped toward the middle of the clearing and raised his hands.
"Perfect. Come at me."
Blackie shrieked, and all seven moved at once.
Two baboons rushed Ling directly while the others spread around the clearing. The first swung toward his head, and Ling shifted aside, but before he could fully recover, the second came from the opposite direction and forced him backward.
Another was already moving toward his right.
Ling changed direction before it could reach him, only for Blackie to drop from a low branch behind him. He heard the movement and started turning, but Blackie's fist struck his shoulder first and sent him stumbling several steps across the dirt.
'Fast.'
Three of the baboons were already coming after him.
Ling avoided the first attack and blocked the second, but the third slipped around his guard and struck him in the side. He staggered away, only to find another baboon waiting in the direction he had moved.
A fist caught his arm, and another struck his back before he could turn. Ling stumbled forward as Blackie rushed in again, barely managing to duck beneath the monkey's swing.
'One second.'
The world skipped.
When Ling returned, Blackie had already passed through the place where he'd been standing. Ling stepped toward the opening, but one of Blackie's cousins crashed into him from the side before he could take advantage of it.
Ling hit the ground and rolled across the dirt before pushing himself back onto his feet. His breathing had already grown heavier as the seven baboons spread around him again.
Blackie stood among them with a grin so wide that Ling almost laughed.
'He's enjoying this way too much.'
All seven came at him again.
This time, Ling tried to move before they could completely surround him. He slipped between two baboons and struck one across the side as he passed, but another immediately changed direction and followed.
Ling turned to block just as Blackie came from behind and struck him hard enough to send him stumbling forward. Before he could regain his footing, another baboon moved into his path and sent him tumbling across the clearing again.
Blackie's excited shrieks followed him the entire way.
Ling pushed himself onto one knee and looked over.
The monkey was practically celebrating.
"You've been waiting for this, haven't you?"
Blackie slapped both hands against the ground and answered with another series of delighted cries.
Ling shook his head as he stood.
"Come on, then."
They didn't hesitate.
Against Blackie alone, Ling could recognize an attack, respond to it, and still have time to think about what came next. Against seven opponents, that breathing room disappeared almost completely. Every time he committed himself to one baboon, another appeared from somewhere else, and whenever he created enough space to recover, two or three worked their way around him before he could take advantage of it.
Ling slipped past one baboon and tried to move through an opening between two others, only for Blackie to drop directly into his path.
Ling's eyes widened.
"Oh, come on—"
The monkey struck him in the chest and knocked him backward.
Ling landed against the dirt and remained there for several seconds, staring through the branches overhead while his chest rose and fell rapidly. His arms ached from blocking, his shoulders hurt, and fresh bruises were already beginning to form beneath his clothes.
Blackie appeared above him and looked down with unmistakable satisfaction, both hands planted on his hips.
Ling stared at him.
The monkey's grin widened.
"...You're really enjoying this."
Blackie immediately erupted into laughter, and several of his cousins joined him.
Ling closed his eyes for a moment before a smile appeared on his face. He sat up, rubbed one sore shoulder, and pushed himself back onto his feet.
"Again."
Blackie blinked.
Ling raised his hands.
"I said again."
The monkey stared at him for another moment before his grin returned. His cousins began spreading out once more while Ling watched them move and caught his breath.
He hadn't asked Blackie to bring six more opponents because he wanted an easy fight.
'Let's see how long it takes me to change that.'
Blackie shrieked, and all seven charged again.
The sparring continued for hours. Ling was knocked down again and again as Blackie and his cousins attacked from different directions, but each time he got back up and called for another round.
By the time they finally stopped, everyone was exhausted and hungry.
Later, Ling, Blackie, and the six other baboons sat together near the clearing after finishing the fish Ling had caught from the nearby river. Very little remained of the meal by the time the group was done eating.
Ling leaned back against a tree and looked around at them.
"Satisfied?"
Blackie gave an approving hoot while several of his cousins settled around the clearing.
Ling smiled.
"Good. Tomorrow, same time."
Blackie's grin immediately returned, and the others answered with a mixture of excited shrieks and hoots.