Tarzana

A Fight To The Finish/"My Daughter"

Warning this chapter has somewhat graphic mentions of unintentional suicide.

Normal speech

Thoughts

Talking aloud to self

Phil Collins Singing

Monkey language

Clayton follows Tarzana up the tree. He eventually gets onto a branch and starts searching for Tarzana. Thunder rumbles as she drops down from above him, knocking him to a lower branch. The two begin to wrestle until Clayton plays dirty and hits her arm where she was shot. She shouts out in pain as Clayton tries to strangle her. She tucks her legs in and uses them to pushes Clayton off of her. He falls off the branch they were wrestling on, to one below. He shakes his head to reorient himself and smirks upon seeing his rifle tangled in some vines hanging in front of him. Clayton reaches for his rifle, but Tarzana grabs him by his legs pulling him away from the rifle. She jumps over him and grabs the gun. She aims it at Clayton as he stands to go after her. He backs up against the trunk of the tree and starts to egg her on.

Clayton: Go ahead, shoot me. (He chuckles as he breathes heavily in anger. She looks at the rifle as the reality weighs on her. That she is now in possession of a very deadly weapon. If she wanted to, she could end him right there.) Be a human. (He laughs haughtily until Tarzana shoves the barrel of the riffle further into his chin.)

Tarzana makes a gunshot noise, scaring Clayton. He flinches away in fear believing that she had shot him. Tarzana responds to his statement by being a better person than him.

Tarzana: Not a human like you!

Tarzana smashes Clayton's rifle on the tree branch. The rifle breaks into pieces, destroying it as it falls down to the ground. She looks at him righteously furious. Enraged by her actions, Clayton pulls out his machete and attacks Tarzana. She backs away from his attempt to slice her and grips a vine. Clayton then slices it causing her to fall. Thinking quick she grabs a new vine and heads into a large cluster of vines to get away. Clayton fallows after her slicing vines as he goes. She backs up until she hits a tree trunk. Clayton cuts the vines that where blocking her from his view. Clayton goes to stab her, but she dodges causing the machete to get stuck in the tree. She touches a vine and gets an idea. By then Clayton was able to free his machete from the tree and goes to stab her again. She throws a vine at his incoming hand causing it to stop midway to her. She throws another trapping his leg in place. Finally she uses her legs to reach above them and pulls down several vines tangling him completely up. Tarzana stares at him challengingly. In retaliation, Clayton proceeds to bite on the vine holding his machete to free it. Once free he uses his machete to cut the vines to free himself. In his onslaught of cuts, Clayton partially cut the vine he was holding and neglects to see one wrapped around his neck. Seeing this Tarzana tries to warn Clayton not wanting him to die.

Tarzana: Clayton! (The vine around his neck tightens slightly.) Clayton, don't!

She reaches to stop him, but he ignores her. Clayton then cuts the vine that he was holding and begins to fall down. Tarzana's vine snaps causing her to fall down as well. Clayton yells out as he grips his throat unable to breathe.

Clayton: AAHHHH!!!!

A single vine that was slack becomes taught. Clayton's machete is seen falling into the ground. Tarzana falls to the ground safely but looks up to where Clayton was. She looks on in horror as she sees him hung in the vines like a noose. Thunder resounds once more before the rain begins to pour. Tarzana looks at Clayton sad that she couldn't save him.

John comes up to Tarzana, comforting her as she grieves for Clayton's loss. The two look then towards the gorillas. Tarzana sees the gorilla clan surrounding Kerchak. Her mother is seated beside him. Guilt-ridden Tarzana slowly makes her way over to them. Kala caresses her mates face trying to comfort him in his pain. Kala hears someone approaching and sees her daughter looking sadden. Kala walks to her daughter hugging her before Tarzana makes her way to the gorilla leader.

Tarzana stands before her father. She looks down upon him filled with regret. If she'd never brought the humans to the nesting grounds he wouldn't be laying here dying. Kerchak opens his eyes to see Tarzana. He calls out to her in their language.

Kerchak: Tarzana.

She places a hand on Kerchak begging for forgiveness.

Tarzana: Kerchak...forgive me.

He speaks up his voice low and rasping.

Kerchak: No. Forgive me not for understanding...that you have always been one of us. Forgive me for the times I ignored you and yelled. It took me a while to realize but I did. I'm so glad that Kala found you and took you in. I was a fool to have made you an outcast. Our family will look to you now.

Tarzana: No, Kerchak. (Her voice breaks as tears well in her eyes.) Please! (She begs.) Don't go, Father!

Kerchak: I'm proud of you. Take care of them, (He places his hand on her shoulder lovingly.) my daughter. (Tarzana hears the words she's waited her whole life to hear. She realizes that she'd give them up to have him healthy. She places her hand over top his as the tears fall from her eyes.) Take care of them. (He says with his last breathe as he closes his eyes.)

Kerchak's hand slips off Tarzana's shoulder, falling down and lands onto the ground dead.)

With mournful grace, Tarzana hugs him like the father she's never had. She puts all her emotions into the hug with tears streaming down her face. Terk, the other gorillas, John and Professor Porter watch sadden over Kerchak's demise and bow their heads in respect.

With that, Tarzana gently lays Kerchak down before looking over her shoulder. She sees her family looking to her for guidance. Steeling herself in determination and following her father's dying wish, she dries her eyes and stands tall before the clan. They look at her in understanding. She hits her chest before roaring so they all know that she is leader and will protect her family. The gorillas follow their young new leader as she heads further into the jungle. Porter and John are baffled by this. John speaks his mind.

John: Can she do that?

Porter: It's completely unprecedented. There have been theories of the ape species going from patriarchal to matriarchal, but there has never been a documented case. I believe that due to Kerchak's passing, he chose Tarzana has his successor to which the ape colony has agreed to and then therefore has become the new leader.

John: Phenomenal!

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Hey everyone! I'm back from the holidays. This book has come so far from when it first started. Just one more chapter then its done! Thank you all for the reads. I hope you're enjoying it so far.