𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝟗𝟗𝟏 | 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬

V. Caged Fury

Chapter Five
Nine

It's been an interminable stretch of time since I, a creature of the forest, was unjustly captured and imprisoned by the animal handlers at this oppressive zoo. The air here is thick with the scents of fear and despair, a stark contrast to the sweet, earthy aromas of my home. The apes surrounding me in this concrete jungle are not the benevolent kinfolk like Caesar, but rather, a mix of species thrown together by the cruel whims of humanity. They're a motley crew of gorillas, orangutans, and chimpanzees, their eyes filled with a sadness that mirrors my own, yet they are less hostile to me than the two-legged beasts that dare to call themselves my keepers.

Now, it's that dreaded time of day when the food carts clank and clatter down the aisles of our confinement, bringing with them the foul, unidentifiable mush that we are forced to endure. The smell alone is enough to turn my stomach, a far cry from the rich, bloody feasts I used to share with Will, my former guardian, back at the house that felt like a sanctuary compared to this hellish cage.

The blonde zookeeper's son, a young man whose smugness is only outmatched by his ignorance, saunters in with his pack of equally callous friends, each one reeking of a foul beverage that Will had once described to me as 'beer'. They're clutching bottles of the amber liquid, their laughter echoing off the cold steel bars, a taunt to the despair that has become our symphony.

Their entrance is heralded by the cacophony of metal on metal, as the bars of our prisons rattle under their drunken assault. I look up from my meager meal, my gaze locking onto the intruder's, and let out a low, menacing growl. One of them, a boy with a face flushed with the same fear that fuels their torment, stumbles backward, his eyes wide with shock.

"Ah, don't mind her," the blonde one says, his voice dripping with spite. "Father says she's as docile as a kitten. But, watch out, she's got a temper that could rival a mama grizzly's." He winks, raising his beer bottle in a twisted salute. "Cheers to that."

A girl, her top revealing the roadmap of scars that crisscross her arms, speaks up, her voice a mix of sarcasm and resignation. "We really should go. Your rage is giving me a migraine, and I don't think our heads can take much more."

The blonde boy laughs, a sound as hollow as the echo of our own pain. "Yeah, we should." He turns to me, his grin a challenge. "But remember, bitch, I'm the one with the power here. You're just a sideshow attraction." He slams his beer bottle against the bars of my enclosure. "If I get bored, I could always have you sent to the butchers. Bet you'd make a fine meal."

My blood boils at his words, and I rise to my full height, my powerful limbs coiled like springs, ready to strike. The sharp points of my neck spines scrape against the unforgiving metal roof of my cage, a silent declaration of war. I snarl, the sound rumbling deep within my chest, and my nostrils flare, sending plumes of smoke into the stale air.

The blonde boy's friends exchange nervous glances, their laughter dying in their throats. The biggest of the bunch, a hulking mass of a boy, grabs the blonde's arm and yanks him away. "Let's go, man," he says, his voice tight with fear. "Now."

I watch them retreat, the sound of their footsteps fading into the distance, and then I let out a long, slow exhale, my body sinking back to the cold, hard floor. The orangutan across the way, his eyes wise with the understanding of our shared fate, signs to me, "You okay?"

I nod, my tail swishing back and forth in a slow rhythm that speaks of my unease. Tomorrow, we face another day of captivity, another round of humiliation and suffering, but for now, we stand unbroken, a silent alliance in the face of our human oppressors.