Clova *COMPLETE*

Chapter 44- The Final Stand

"Caesar has no place here!", barked Koba. "Apes follow Koba now!"

Caesar eyed all the other apes in disgust, most of them lowered their heads in shame before he looked back at Koba.

"They follow Koba to war.", he stated. This made his blood boil.

"Apes win war!", he yelled victoriously. Some of his followers hooted in agreement earning looks from Blue Eyes and Maurice.

"Apes together strong!", he quoted using Caesar's peace phrase against him. Koba walked towards him and poked Caesar's chest wound with the gun he held in his hand.

"Caesar...weak." Both of them made eye contact for a brief moment and Caesar responded with a straight face.

"Koba weaker."

 "Ooooo...", Clova said as she continued to dangle from the post.

Most apes in the crowd gasped as the tension between them rose dramatically and Koba snapped his head toward her and snarl. He then looked at the gun her held in his hand and looked back to Caesar, debating whether to kill him there and then. 

Koba pounced on Caesar and everyone watched in shock as they fell to the next floor and continued fighting. Blue Eyes and Maurice got Clova down and untied the ropes she was tangled in.

"Are you alright?", Blue Eyes signed worriedly as he grabbed and examined her face for any bruises.

"I'm fine."

Just as she said that she stumbled onto the ground, feeling that her legs were numb. Maurice being the gentle giant he was, carried Clova on his back and turned back to the fight. Clova watched in horror as Koba grabbed a cement block and hurled it in Caesar's direction, she gripped onto Maurice's ginger fur in panic but to her relief, Caesar dodged it.

Koba roared angrily and grabbed a long pipe, he began swinging it in every direction like a madman, letting out furious war cries. Caesar missed his swing every time and when Koba swung the next time, he grabbed it and used his free hand to strike his face. Most apes cheered causing Koba to fight harder, all his rage pouring out like a fountain. 

"You can do it, father!", Clova cheered. Maurice, Rocket, Luca and Blue Eyes also hooted in encouragement. 

They fought for a few more minutes and in that time, Koba had bruises, many pounds to the face and a large gash on his side from the fall they had. He looked at Caesar in fury, unlike him, he was still standing. He wasn't finished.

Everyone then gasped as Koba pushed a large rack over in hopes to crush Caesar, but he rolled to the side, once again dodging his attack. The ground began to tremble as an eruption was heard from down below. Soon after, a series of explosions travelled up the tower and the unstable building began to collapse. Luckily, the tower had only crashed a few floors and the large crane that was on top fell, crushing a few apes.

"We have to help them.", Clova signed.

She jumped off Maurice's back, feeling the blood flow travelling down her legs and started rescuing any trapped apes. The others also helped, freeing those who were crushed under and building pieces. Clova struggled lifting a wall piece  until she felt another hand. 

"Father!", she said happily. 

He gave her a smile as they tried to lift it up so those stuck had enough time to crawl out. Unfortunately, another certain ape survived and wasn't pleased with what he saw. In fact, he was rather livid at the sight. 

He turned when he heard a pained moan under a thick cement piece, there was an ape trapped under the piece reaching out a pleading hand to Koba. Koba too reached out his arm but was after something else, he raised up the wall and the ape looked hopeful but instead, Koba grabbed the rifle that was trapped with him and abandoned the helpless ape.

As they continued to free more apes, gunshots were fired, startling everybody. They all turned to where the gunshots came from and down below they spotted Koba shooting it recklessly. Koba's gaze then met Clova's and she widened her eyes in fear, Koba gave a sick, hearty laugh as he aimed the gun at her. When the shot was fired, Clova was suprised when she didn't feel anything and opened her eyes to find Maurice wincing  and lying in pain right in front of her.

"MAURICE!", she cried.

Caesar growled, he's had it. With a loud warrior cry, he pounced on Koba and tackled him to the ground causing Koba to fall into a hole. All the apes looked down to see Koba gripping onto the side for dear life, grunting in pain as he held his bleeding rib. He then felt a shadow loom over him and he looked up, Caesar stood looking down at him with a scowl.

"Ape not kill ape.", he reminded in hopes that it would save his life. Intending, it would work, Caesar took his hand and lifted up slowly until they were face to face and everyone watched completely stunned at this.

Caesar looked deep into Koba's lifeless eyes and simply stated. "You are not ape.", with that he slipped Koba's hand off his own and watched as he plummeted to a painful, slow death. When he looked back up to his tribe, seeing his friends safe, Maurice holding the side of his head being supported by Clova and most apes turning away in regret. Caesar looked down hearing sounds and saw the group of females and children making their way into the tower and climbed down, the rest following behind.

When he reached the bottom, he saw Malcolm smothered in ashes being hauled out of the darkness by a few apes.

"Leave him!", Caesar demanded and immediately, they left him alone. Malcolm walked up to Caesar with a distressful look on his face.

"Caesar you've all got to go now, they've already made contact up north soldiers are coming.", he warned. Caesar just looked at him. "You've got to go, now." He just shook his head.  

"Caesar if you don't go, it-it will be all out war."

"War has already begun.", Caesar said. "Apes started war...and humans...", Caesar had a down hearted look on his face. "...humans will not forgive." Malcolm looked just as sad.

"I'm sorry, my...friend," Malcolm smiled slightly at his words, 

"I...I thought we had a chance.", Caesar nodded.

"I did too."

They then turned to the side when they heard shuffling from a corner and saw Clova making her way over to them. Malcolm knelt down so they made eye contact.

"I really am going to miss you, Clova.", she gave him a forlorn look.

"Your leaving?"

He simply nodded. "You all should go, soldiers are coming and they're not coming in peace.", he told her. 

Clova nodded in understanding and looked down to hide and force back the tears in her eyes. Malcolm noticed this and gave her a hug and Clova didn't hesitate to accept it.

"I'll miss you.", she whispered. He hugged her back tighter. 

"Same, kiddo."

Clova broke away and nuzzled into her father's side for comfort. Caesar turned back to face Malcolm and grabbed the back of his head gently and brought his forward until their foreheads touched. They stayed like that briefly and Caesar loosened his sign of affection and walked back with Clova, she waved him a goodbye one last time as they walked back to their tribe. 

They two stood at the top of the stairs and saw Blue Eyes enter with Cornelia and Cornelius. "Mother!", Clova signed as she embraced her in a tight hug, she did the same with her younger brother after being parted with them for so long. Caesar and Cornelia also shared a brief and loving hug with one another, happy to be in each other's arms again. 

From the background stood Malcolm and he watched with a smile on his face as the family embraced one another dearly before he faded into the shadows giving way for the now dominant species on the earth. The apes began to kneel at their king, their leader as he began to walk down into the crowd, some holding out their arms to him as a sign of mercy for how they betrayed him. 

"Father,", Clova asked. "What are we going to do now?"

Caesar looked at his family then at his fellow ape tribe and rubbed her shoulder. 

"We prepare for war."