Surviving

Chapter 9

The peace of the dusk-tinged evening was shattered with the return of the apes. It was obvious they had been on another hunting party and their painted faces reminded you of your first encounter with them, 3 days prior.
The apes on foot arrived first, announcing their arrival noisily and dumping the carcasses of the elk in the centre of the clearing. They dispersed leisurely, hooting excitedly with the apes that had been left behind. It seemed that most of the females had stayed behind for the hunt. You wondered if this were a part of ape culture, an instinct in their animal nature to protect the caregivers in this society or was it due to the apes increased intelligence that they were mimicking the social hierarchy of humans?
The drumming of hooves pulled you from your musing and signalled the arrival of Caesar and, on his tail, Koba and Rocket. You were struck temporarily mute at the sight of them. Caesar was astride a massive black Frisian and it reared as he pulled it to a stop. The late evening sun shone through the leaves, illuminating the two black furred creatures and tinging them with golden fire. It was wild and dangerous and breathtakingly beautiful. Caesar’s face was painted in white and red; primal and terrifying. It was then that you truly realised you were looking at the king of the apes. Something about his carriage was majestic in a way you had rarely seen before, even in humans. He was self-possessed and poised in a way no animal ever was. You were suddenly aware of how fitting his name was.
He dismounted swiftly, enviously graceful despite his speed. Holding his mount steady, he glanced around the village, face set in the perpetual near-scowl that seemed to be his primary expression. As his gaze landed on you he seemed, for a moment to brighten, handing his horse off to a nearby ape and beckoning you over. You hesitated for a moment, sending a confused glance towards Maurice. At his encouraging nod you headed over despite your slight feeling of apprehension. As you got closer he jerked his head towards his hut and turned away, gesturing for you to follow him. Your nervousness increased but you pushed it down, following him up the winding staircase to his home.
The sun was beginning to sink below the horizon as you ascended and across the village the flickering light of the burning poles sent out their illumination to combat the encroaching darkness. Caesar’s hut was darker than ever, so much so that you could barely see your hand in front of your face. A sudden burst of light caught your attention and you turned to see that Caesar had lit one of the lantern-like devices. You nodded your thanks, knowing that he was doing it mainly for your benefit as you had noticed that none of the apes seemed to be obstructed by the darkness, their eyesight far better than the one your boasted. A thin wail turned your attention to the nest towards the back of the hut. To your surprise, Caesar made no move towards it. Your confusion increased as he continued to ignore the wailing of his son, instead busying himself with seemingly menial tasks about the hut. The wailing began to rise in volume and urgency and with a questioning look, you turned towards Caesar.
“Do you want me to?..” you gestured towards the nest where his son continued to cry. A gleam of satisfaction seemed to light Caesars eyes at you question, though it could have been the reflection of the flickering firelight. His lips curled up into something closely resembling a smile as he waved his hand in an unmistakeable gesture to go ahead. Still somewhat confused you headed towards the crying child, picking him up gently and cradling him to your chest. “Its okay,” you crooned, swaying gently, “You’re fine now” to your delight the baby burrowed deeper into your chest, his wailing fading to whimpers as you held him close. Looking down at the warm little bundle in your arms, your heart felt as though it were melting. After a while you became aware of eyes on you and looked up, a dopy smile still on your face. Caesar’s green eyes burned into you, penetrating but with a warmth that could not be blamed on the flickering firelight. “What?” you asked stupidly, caught off-guard, as usual, by his intensity.
“He needs a mother” Caesar replied. You blinked, not processing. “He needs you” You blinked again.
“You’re kidding” you said finally. “You want me to be his…?”
“Mother? Yes” Caesar replied. “You saved his life when no one else could. He trusts you” as if in response, the baby in your arms let out a tiny whuffle and burrowed deeper into you. Caesar’s expression softened more. “I trust you” he said, his voice nothing more than a low whisper. He reached an arm out and it was only then that you realised how close he was to you. His rough hand caressed your cheek and you shivered involuntarily. “Please” he whispered. You stared back at him, still barely comprehending the situation. Your eyes dropped back to the scrawny form of Blue Eyes as he snuggled in your arms. In that moment a fiercely protective feeling shot through you, a feeling that you would protect this tiny creature with your life.
“I’ll do it” you murmured, more to the baby in your arms than to Caesar. “I’ll be your mother. And I promise, I’ll take my last breath before I let anything happen to you”

Xxxxxx

The weeks passed in a blur. Your time was taken up primarily with the care of Blue Eyes but, through that, you had also managed to make a few friends. It had taken a while for the ape populace to warm up to you but now, seeing how their king trusted you with his son, they were beginning to be more friendly and open around you. A group of females with children around the same age as Blue Eyes had taken the first step to making you feel welcome. First of these was Tinker, a small, stocky ape with bright eyes and a wicked sense of humour. She had a little son whom she named Ash, just a month older than Blue Eyes and they had become fast friends. She introduced herself as the mate of Rocket and was constantly making her gratitude known despite your discomfort.
She had first introduced herself about a week after you had the conversation with Caesar in his treehouse. You had been sitting off to the side, away from the apes when she approached you. You had been wary at first, unsure of what you had done to attract her attention. To your relief and discomfort she had introduced herself as the mate of Rocket, given you a bowl of fish and started to groom you. Although you appreciated the gesture, you were uncomfortable being at the centre of attention and breathed a sigh of relief when she finally moved away.

Rain was another chimp female you soon got to know. She had just given birth to a beautiful baby girl named Lake. She was a quiet-mannered, gentle chimp and you immediately trusted her. Pine was the final ape that had taken an interest in you. She was a large lowland gorilla with a reserved nature and a steady eye. She had a boisterous little boy she had named Luca who was constantly getting into trouble. You had seen them both together with the large gorilla that had taken you to Caesar the second day you were here. Buck, you believed his name to be. He didn’t seen to be terribly happy that his family was associating with you and glared constantly whenever you were near his son, but so far he had kept his distance, which you were thankful for.

Overall, you were beginning to feel as though you were fitting in. Blue Eyes was a joy to care for and to watch him grow was a blessing you couldn’t believe you had been given. The females were always happy to help you out whenever you had a problem and you were increasingly thankful to have friends like them and, of course, Maurice.

You hadn’t seen much of Koba since that night and you weren’t sure what to make of that. He seemed to return to his treehouse only after you were asleep and was always long gone before you woke in the morning. The only evidence of his presence would be the absence of some of his weapons or some item or other had been moved about the hut. If he were a better tempered ape you would feel bad for having ultimately kicked him out of his own house but as it stood, you were hard-pressed to be remorseful until you were aware of what you had done to deserve such treatment. As it were you had a horrible feeling he was just biding his time to find a way to be rid of you, and you had a sinking feeling that, if that were the case, you wouldn’t be here for much longer.