You Are Not Ape

Unspeakable Gift

3

The Unspeakable Gift

"Alright," Mary answered them finally. "I—I will come back and help the wounded. But I make no promises after that," she said, speaking ostensibly to them all, but looking directly at Maurice.

The old Orangutan gave her a grave nod.

"That's fair enough," he signed to her sadly.

"Well, why are we still standing here?" Mary demanded. "If we're going, let's go then. Has Caesar moved the wounded? Are any of the females or children hurt?"

Having sneaked away from the group of females and young almost as soon as her Father and the males were out of sight, no mean task with Cornelia practically keeping Mary clamped by her side the whole time, Mary did not know the condition of that group.

"I don't think there are any serious injuries," Maurice signed as they began to move. "Just some minor scrapes, and some very old and very young are exhausted."

Mary ground her teeth. She gave an uncharacteristic low growl of suppressed fury. How could her Father have done all this? How could everyone's life get turned so completely upside-down in so short a time. Was it just a few days ago when the humans got their pretty lights back on, and things were looking so hopeful for them all, apes and humans alike?

Mary was so upset that she even entertained the unthinkable idea that it might have been her Father who shot Caesar. She had seen Koba and one of his friends start the village fires. Could he also have shot Caesar and blamed the humans?

Mary half turned to Blue Eyes and opened her mouth, ready to ask him that horrible question. But the distraught Ape girl could not bring herself to ask it. Even after all that she had seen her Father do, all the horrible cruelty and brutality to the humans that he both allowed and even participated in himself, she just could not ask that question. She was not sure she ever wanted to know the answer. Not yet, maybe not ever.

Blue Eyes gave her a questioning look, but Mary simply shook her head and said nothing at all.

They all moved on.

Just as it appeared Mary would meekly follow the males back to the main gathering of apes, she froze in her tracks.

"What?" they all started to sign at her, but she interrupted them with a horrified gasp.

"Oh, no! I forgot about—"

Whirling to one side, Mary suddenly broke from the three males and tore off in completely the opposite direction. How long had it been? Was she too late?

It occurred to her, even as she ran and jumped and swung in her near panic, that she might need help from these males. So, reluctantly, Mary slowed her pace, but not by very much, and looked to see if they were following her.

"Mary!" Blue Eyes and Rocket called after her. They all feared she had decided to bolt after all.

"Come," the young Ape girls light voice came back to them. "Come, please. Help?"

Maurice and Rocket both looked at Blue Eyes. They did not need to sign their question, both their faces said it all.

Blue Eyes simply shrugged. He had no idea what was going on. He usually did not know exactly what was going on with Mary. They did not call her Mystery Mary sometimes for nothing. Getting in to Mary's head was always Ash's department. Blue Eyes and Mary were good friends, almost like brother and sister, but as far as the young Ape prince knew, only Ash was her private confidant among the children. And Ash could not help them now.