You Are Not Ape

Chapter 11

This is useless!

Why are we still here?

Why aren't we leaving?

The human soldiers had come, and days had gone by, and the apes began to settle in, albeit very reluctantly, to the human ruins. But the low rumbling of discontent was getting worse every day, the same question being repeated again and again by more and more apes.

This was the only question in Mary's mind, too. Her Father had wanted to move them permanently in to the human city, and Mary understood that all too well, but Caesar did not intend for them to stay here, did he? So, why were they going through so much effort to find a place to bed down and make shelters? Why was Caesar risking lives by fighting so hard to defend a place where he, presumably, did not intend for them to live? It just did not make any sense! And too many apes were dying or being maimed for life because of it.

In the back of her mind, Mary began to wonder if her Father had not been right, at least in his doubts. Maybe Caesar really was no longer fit to lead the apes.

One day, after treating more of the injured and laying many of the dead to rest and comforting their grieving friends and relatives, Mary felt so angry that she almost worked up enough nerve to approach Caesar directly and demand some real answers. Then, she would take a deep breath and remember. She remembered her Father's death and remembered that she was not speaking to Caesar any longer. And if Cornelia or Maurice could not get real answers out of Caesar, what chance did she, daughter of Koba, have in getting him to explain the nonsense! He would, likely, only see it as another challenge.

And so, without really thinking much about why, Mary began to find much solace and some small comfort in the company of some few other apes who also questioned recent events. Some had been her Father's most staunch followers, Red and gray being among them, and some had never supported Koba. Many of This troubled Mary somewhat, but for now she brushed that aspect aside. At least, with these people, her father's name could be spoken without hateful looks and fear of retribution.

It was even worth putting up with the closeness of simpering and complaining Cedar, Gray's wife, and a longtime nemesis of Mary. The older ape female had been oddly silent towards Mary since Koba's death. The young ape girl had expected the exact opposite from the annoying older female. But by doing this, Mary did not realize how she was gradually distancing herself more and more from many of those who truly loved her the most. Lake had tried topoint this out to her, but Mary had gently brushed her concerns aside as much as she could without hurting the girls' feelings. She had just gotten Lake's friendship back. She definitely did not want to loose it now.

But it seemed that almost everyone was starting to notice the change in Mary. And it took a young human, and a young human male at that, to finally point this out to her one morning.

"You know Caesar's gonna toss us out," Alexander grumbled.

Mary did not know how the boy's Father or Ellie felt, but Alexander was clearly not happy about leaving.

"I know." Mary sighed and laid a hand on Alexander's shoulder. Malcolm's son had been such a great help to Ellie and Maurice these last few days.

"Go talk to Maurice," Mary advised him as the boy stood close beside her and gently stroked baby Hope's head. The infant reached up and locked one tiny fist around the boy's finger.

"she really likes you," Mary commented with a little smile.

"I always wanted a little sister," Alexander said almost to himself as he prtended to try and pull his finger out of the infant's grip. "And I have talked to Maurice," the young human boy complained. "He says that Caesar just wants us to be safe. Like there is anywhere that is safe. It doesn't exist, Mary."