War Technicalities [UNDER REVISION]

The Use Of Truth

[Unrevised. 5 Years Old. Prepare for inconsistencies with previous chapters.]

Haley was still dumbfounded by Blue Eyes' unexpectedly sweet and comforting words, even after he escorted her all the way back to the village, but as she sat with him on the fallen tree beside the rocky outcrop at the center of the fort, she realized he didn't deny the fact that she was human, like those he wanted his father to banish – he may be unaware, but he said she was family, a human sibling. The notion sounded ridiculous to even her, and while she swayed weakly in her spot from exhaustion and wounded disorientation and he kept catching her when she threatened to fall asleep, the ridiculousness amplified. "You say I am family," She spoke up and wasn't surprised when Blue Eyes gave her a confused look – after all, it had been more than an hour since he brought it up – compelling her to pause for him to catch up, his puzzled frown fading as an indication that he knew what she was referring to.

"—and friend." He confirmed and added in the hand language Maurice had taught him when he was a child. That, Haley knew all too well he acknowledged her as – since she arrived at the village, Ash and Blue Eyes were the two apes she enjoyed spending her time with, even if only to have some random fun. The blue eyed ape is mischievous and disobedient and Haley pitied Caesar in that regard, and she had a suspicion that his reason for approaching her was initially to rebel against the others, but now she treasured their friendship immensely. Ash was still his closest companion, but she couldn't blame him for it – Ash was just as dear to her as Rocket, both impossibly understanding, kind, and moral, even if the youngest was a bit troublesome as well.

"I'm still human." She explained; there was no distain or anger in her voice, just the expression of fact and the desperation for him to understand, though his returning frown said otherwise, "I am human and you consider me a friend, not to mention family, so how come you can't even consider than other humans could be like me, too? Koba has a hatred for all humans and crave for their death, and although you mindlessly agree, you were worried when he hurt me, weren't you?" He gibbered, irritated, and looked away to avoid the truth, but still she carried on, dropping to a whisper when she saw apes starting to return through the gates, "Why did you accept me and why are Ellie, Malcolm, Foster, and Kemp so different?" She hesitated, "Honestly, I am asking because I need to know more than you do..." She was tired of trying to figure out where she belonged most: with humans or with apes.

Still, her confession only bought her a concerned look from the prince, making her divert her gaze hastily. Reality was, she was also terrified for the young ape, and seeing Koba skulk through the village ahead of her with scowls following him closely after everyone heard about what happened in the warehouse, it made her all the more worried. She knew Koba was manipulating Blue Eyes on every chance he seemed to get, enforcing a hatred of the humans into the young ape's head – it was obvious after the way Blue Eyes had been behaving for the last few days and Haley was growing desperate to stop it. Whether Koba did it deliberately or not, she wasn't sure, but it didn't matter. She needed to put an end to it, and when she spotted Caesar entering the village and heading over, she knew she had to do it quickly, especially with an inkling growing inside her that things are only going to get worse tomorrow. "Tell me," She continued, eyes following the ape king closely to make sure she doesn't speak within earshot, "why do you think Koba hurt me?"

"Was angry," Blue Eyes signed immediately and briskly, determined to make her see his reasons – he didn't want Haley to hate Koba forever, not with how guilty the bonobo looked when he saw what he did, "Thought you were another human – thought you were going to hurt him like they did back in human village – was afraid." To him, everything he said made perfect sense and satisfied him, and he knew they would have persuaded him to recognize Koba's point of view, but a sudden lack of confidence fell on him when her expressionless and unreadable face didn't change – only a dead stare studied his father as the ape approached them in what felt like a snail-like pace.