Angel Of Mercy

Chapter 6

"What have you got there, Daughter?"

Koba came in to their home without making a sound. His daughter nearly jumped a mile at the sound of his voice.

"It's not nice to sneak up on people," she complained. "You made me poke myself. And, it's just a stick, Papa," she hurried on, holding up the almost perfectly rounded piece of wood.

Koba frowned down at his adopted child. It was not like Mary to lie to him. For what he was almost certain he had seen in her hands was not made of wood. It bore the faint metallic gleam of a human-made object.

For a second, the fierce anger, always so close to the surface, welled up in him. Any child of his ought to know not to bring any human objects in to his home. But still gazing down at the slight form of his daughter, he squashed it. It was usually quite easy for him to control his temper when looking at his little darling. Mary was still so very slight and small and fragile-looking for her age. But while she did not look as robust as the other Ape girls in the Colony, Koba knew she dwarfed them all in her sheer intelligence. And he was proud of her for that.

He knelt directly in front of her, and gently drew her forehead to his own.

"Not nice to lie either," he told her firmly. "But too tired to argue with you tonight, Mary."

"Was it a good hunt, Papa," Mary asked as her Father released her and went to settle in to his bed.

He yawned as his daughter came over and idly picked a few leaves out of his fur.

"Very good," he told her. "But hard. Why weren't you there to watch our return?"

"I was working on something for class tomorrow, Papa," Mary said. "I lost track of time. Uncle Maurice likes how I am handling the little ones in his class. Uncle says I might be Teacher for the village someday

"Maurice is very proud of you. Told me so himself," Koba said, trying not to sound too boastful. "And, you will be more than just Teacher someday, Girl. You will lead all of our females."

Mary laughed her sweet light laugh.

"That's silly, Papa. Only the Leader's wife will lead the females. I don't want to be a Leader's wife. I want to teach."

"We'll talk about it later," Koba said through another yawn. "Now try and keep your lesson making down while you're poor old Papa sleeps, Daughter."

Koba smiled as Mary sat on the side of the bed and began to sing softly to him. There weren't many words involved, but he thought she had the sweetest voice of any Ape he had ever heard ... not that he had ever heard any Ape sing before. Leave it up to his Mary to be different. He lay back, and let the soft sounds of her voice sooth him in to a deep sleep.

And, sometime while he slept, the third ear that never seemed to close for Koba not even in his sleep heard his Mary slip quietly from their home. But she was back almost immediately, her soft coming and goings not enough to wake him.

The Ape Leader awoke early the next morning. He felt no ill effects from the dried food he had eaten the night before. So, this was not the cause of Maurice's sudden sleep disorders.

Cornelia and Blue Eyes still slept soundly. Moving carefully so as not to wake her, Caesar slipped out of their bed and stepped in to the faint light of dawn. He was surprised to find Koba's young daughter, Mary, waiting outside his home.

"Good morning Mary," Caesar greeted the young Ape girl. "You're up and about early this morning. Is everything alright? Koba having a bad night again?"

Mary looked up then bowed her head respectfully to Caesar.

"Good morning, Uncle Caesar," she said in her quiet voice.

At his question about her Father, Mary shook her head. Caesar thought she looked unusually agitated, though.

"Papa still sleeps," she went on out loud. Mary never signed unless she had to, always preferring speech over the usual sign language. "I ... I wanted to show Aunt Cornelia something."

Caesar came down and stood directly in front of the young Ape.

"Cornelia sleeps," Caesar told her. "Can you show it to me instead?"

Mary frowned, but offered Caesar her small hand. What was in it nearly made the Ape leader gasp in surprise, but he managed to stop himself.

"Where did you find this, little one," he asked very gently, taking the object from her hand.

"A couple of days ago. It was a little ways away from the Gifting Tree," Mary told him. "There was a little blood on it, I think. But the rain washed most of it away."

"It's a ... a human thing, isn't it, Uncle," the girl almost whispered, half in awe, half in fright.

Caesar nodded gravely.

"It ... it makes light," Mary went on, still speaking in a hushed voice. Caesar noticed how her eyes kept darting in the general direction of her home.

"Does Koba know about this?" Caesar asked.

"Oh, no!" Mary's eyes widened. "I ... I didn't show it to him. Papa does not like human things not at all."

An understatement, Caesar thought. The girl was wise beyond her years.

He patted the girl's head affectionately.

"Thank you for telling me of this, Mary," he said softly. 'Now you run along and have some breakfast before classes start."

As Mary hurried off, Caesar made his way to the home of his oldest and dearest friend. But Maurice still slept soundly in his nest, and Caesar did not have the heart to wake him just to ask about a human flashlight.

But he was terribly worried about his friend now.

Oh, Maurice, just what have you gotten yourself in to, I wonder, Caesar mused to himself.

He left his friend there to get his much-needed rest.