On this warm midday, within the grand Ape colony, Caesar's two sons, Blue Eyes and Malcolm were admiring what is known as the 'Story Rock' which told of the Ape's journey to freedom. The rock had various symbols drawn with white chalk. The story begins from the Ape prison to the city battle to their ever flourishing human-free home in the Muir RedWood forest.
Ever so often, Malcolm was always fascinated with the tale.
He was more intrigued than he was letting on. He pointed to a chalk drawing of the Golden Gate bridge and signed to his older brother. "Can you believe every ape crossed it?"
Blue Eyes signed back, "Not every ape. Some were killed by Humans with... guns." Blue Eyes shuddered when signing the word 'gun'. He knew the damage and power of what the weapon could do. His best friend/cousin, Ash, was almost killed by a human. His little brother was even attacked by the same human who wielded a gun and tried to hurt him too. That human was Carter.
Not to mention his once beloved bonobo uncle Koba shown how powerful the weapon was. Koba shot at nearly every ape, determined to kill his father, Caesar.
Malcolm grunted at Blue Eyes, snapping him back from his thoughts. He signed, "Where is father? I want him to tell the story."
Blue Eyes rolled his eyes and smiled, signing, "How many times must you hear this story? You know it backwards and forwards!"
Just then, Caesar rode into the colony on horseback. He had done his daily patrol with the members of the Ape council around their territory. He jumped off and handed the reins to Zeke, who took the horses to the stable shacks.
The two boys approached their father. Blue Eyes was the first to sign. "Hello Father. Has the patrol gone well?"
Caesar grunted with a nod, signing, "Yes. Everything is well. Herds are in good numbers for hunts. We will go out to hunt sometime soon. I don't know when."
Blue Eyes signed with a look of worry, "What of predators? If the numbers are as good as you say, then large herds might draw in more predators to hunt."
"Don't know. Predators will sometimes hunt alone or in packs. Depends on what they choose to hunt." Caesar signed. In all matter, it was the truth. They can't really expect to know which of all animals every predator will hunt, let alone 'when' or 'how many'.
Malcolm waved off the conversation to his favor and signed to his father. "Since there is no hunt now, can you tell us of the Story Rock again?"
Caesar lightly smiled and ruffled Malcolm's hair then signed, "Again? This is the tenth time I told it over and over!"
Malcolm pulled his most desperate look. His green eyes getting wide while signing, "Please, Father? I promise this will be the last!"
Blue Eyes panted with laughter and signed, "You keep telling him that!" He received a glare from his little brother but didn't notice it for he was too busy laughing.
Ignoring Blue Eye's shenanigans, and teasing, Caesar signed to his son, "I have a better story to tell. You may like it." Malcolm nodded and led him and his father away from Blue Eyes to sit up near the Story Rock. Blue Eyes managed to stop laughing long enough to catch up with his father and brother.
"So what is this story about?" Malcolm signed with now curious green eyes.
Caesar could see the excitement in his son and signed, "I will tell you of my Human family."
Malcolm's eyes went wide again. Already he was intent on asking questions but held back for he knew the answers will be in the story.
"I was raised by Humans alongside their society. My human father was named 'Wil' and I had a human grandfather too. His name was 'Charles'." Caesar's expression dropped a little as he continued on. "But it wasn't always like that..." He paused for a bit. "I had an Ape mother. I can barely remember her. My human father said she was a smart ape. He gave her this medicine which affected me and gave me intelligence."
He eyed his two sons closely, who were both sitting quietly, lost in the just the beginning of the story.
"Wil told me my mother's name was 'Bright Eyes'. She died... She was shot... by humans."
A slight chill ran through Malcolm's body. His eyebrows furrowed sadly.
"That's when Wil took me to live with him. He took good care of me and taught me sign language. He was very protective of me. Never angry with me. It was my curiosity that got me in trouble. One day, I played with another human's bike. It looked fun to me. The human who it belonged to attacked me and I hurt myself. Wil took me to a doctor. A female doctor."
Caesar smiled as he recalled the memory. How Wil blushed when he kept looking at Caroline.
"I thought she would be a fine mate for my human father. They were together for five years. She became like my human mother. She knew a little sign language."
Malcolm raised his hand. He felt a bit guilty for interrupting the story but he wanted to ask something. He signed, "What was grandfather Charles like?"
"Grandfather Charles was a ill human. Not 'sick'. He kept forgetting certain things. Wil said we needed to keep watch on him. I was protective of him. Which goes into my earlier story. My human father gave him medicine. He got well and everything was great for a while. But then... I don't know why but, the human next door was getting angry at grandfather. I fought the human to protect Charles."
Blue Eyes and Malcolm could only imagine what the human looked like their father fought. Blue Eyes could remember the strength his father had when he took on Koba. If he fought like he did with Koba, what could he do to a human? He knew humans were strong in their own way and apes were too.
"I could not control myself. After seeing the human afraid, I realised what I done." Caesar bowed his head in regret. "I... almost killed him."
He continued on. "My human father let these men take me somewhere. It was Ape prison. There, I met Maurice, Rocket, your mother and some of the future Ape council. Never knew why there so were so many apes at that place. All I wanted was for my family to come and take me home. I was scared, treated badly."
Caesar could still recall it like it was yesterday. Being alone. He missed home so much. He drew, with a small piece of chalk, his symbol. A four pointed star in a large circle with the tips of the star meeting at four curved ends that connected. That symbol stood for his hope and freedom and was etched upon the back wall of his cage. Desperate to be looking out that window again.
"At last I got my wish... or so I hoped. Wil and Caroline came to see me. Figured I was going home. Wil promised he would free me. He never did. Felt abandoned too long. If I was to escape, I would have to do it on my own. Now, Malcolm..." Caesar pointed and made a slight small nod to his son. "You already know of me freeing the apes, so I will skip ahead."
Malcolm frowned. The 'Ape Rebellion' was his favorite tale.
As Caesar was about to continue, he was interrupted by Zeke. "Forgive me. Am I troubling you three?" Zeke signed, looking at the trio but mostly toward Caesar who looked back at Malcolm. Malcolm gestured toward his father to focus his attention to Zeke.
"No. Not at all. What can I help you with?" Caesar signed to his friend.
"Need help. There are many wolves scaring the horses. No matter how many we scare some away, more come back!" Zeke signed with alarm.
Caesar turned back to his sons, signing, "I have to go. I will continue with the story when I get back." And he went off with Zeke who gathered many other apes with their spears. Blue Eyes grunted and stood up to his feet and signed "Wait, I'm going with you."
Blue Eyes signed to his brother, "You coming?" Malcolm shook his head, signing, "No. I'm going to find Uncle Rocket." He went into search of his uncle as his brother and father grabbed their spears and exited the main entrance.
...
"So, after the flying machine was destroyed, we made sure all surviving apes made it safely to the forest." Rocket signed proudly.
"It's so amazing!" Malcolm signed with happy green eyes.
In the distance, the hooting of excited apes alerted others of the group coming back. "Seems like your father and brother have returned." Rocket signed, nudging his nephew on his shoulder. As usual, Caesar was the first to arrive in. Behind him, apes carried two wooden stretches with several bodies of killed wolves.
"With food!" Malcolm signed while mentally counting how many wolves bodies were laid out. Ten.
Members of the ape council set to work, skinning and cutting up the meat from the wolves. Malcolm ran up to Blue Eyes and his father. "Shame I didn't go. But I rather fish than hunt." Malcolm signed.
Blue Eyes nodded his head. Caesar signed to his son, "Why didn't you come along?" Malcolm turned to his father signing, "Uncle Rocket was telling me the story of the Ape Rebellion."
"You and that story..." Blue Eyes signed as he rolled his eyes.
"Father, can you continue telling of your Human family?" Malcolm questioned.
Caesar agreed, signing, "Of course! But let's get some food first." He turned to Blue Eyes. "Do you still want to join us?"
Blue Eyes couldn't help himself. He failed to stifle his smile and signed, "Sure."
The trio got their bowls of food and took their positions back at the Story Rock. 'Where was I?' Caesar thought for a moment.
"Apes had just arrived in the forest. Wil followed us. I heard him call my name. Koba was about to attack him. Told him to go join the other apes." Caesar paused for a bit and ate some food.
"Wil asked me to come home. Would protect me if I did. But I could not. I was with my own apekind. I told him I stay with apes and did so."
Blue Eyes remembered holding the picture of Caesar and Wil. Now he wanted to ask a question. "Father, did you ever see him again?" He signed.
"And your human mother, Caroline?" Malcolm added.
"Once. Before you two were born." Caesar's green eyes went soft and his lips formed a frown. "Found out Humans were dying. Wanted to make sure my father was well. Went to the city. Everything looked destroyed. Saw him but not Charles or Caroline. He said that grandfather became sick after I was taken away. His sickness returned. He died."
The trio fell silent. Caesar had welled up, making his green eyes look glassy. Blue Eyes and Malcolm didn't know what to do... or say for that matter. They just peered at one another with sad expressions.
"Wil was sick. He was coughing a lot. Said he took medicine but it didn't help. He was very weak."
Malcolm signed once more asking again, "What about Caroline?"
"She died. Wil said the sickness was strong and kills quickly. It wasn't an ordinary sickness. I stayed with him for three days. He got weaker and weaker. Finally, he said for me to leave him. Other humans were coming to check on him. I wanted to take him with me, here, to the colony. But... He was weak and wouldn't make the journey. We said our final goodbyes and that was the last I saw of my father."
Caesar wiped a lone tear away.
"The next day, I returned. Wil was gone. The house was empty... I had a feeling he died. And that's the story of my human family."
The sky had turned to dusk. Members of the colony retreated to their huts for sleep. The night patrol apes dawned fire torches and trekked up and down the wooden walkway platforms. "Well, I am going to sleep now." Caesar signed to his sons.
"Goodnight, Father." The boys signed.
"Don't stay up too late." Caesar added as he eyed them playfully. He ascended the spiral steps to his hut. Blue Eyes and Malcolm sat chatting more about the story.
"What a story." Blue Eyes was the first to sign. He felt that he had a much deeper understanding of humans, and why his father wanted peace, with the exception of the past humans that came long ago to work on the dam. Ellie, Malcolm and Alex were their names.
"Yeah." Malcolm signed. "I had two big stories in one day."
"I think I will also go to sleep." Blue Eyes signed, making his way up toward the spiral steps. Malcolm yawned and tagged alongside his brother, signing, "Me too. Maybe tomorrow, I will find another ape to tell me of the Ape Rebellion."
Blue Eyes shook his head and rolled his eyes once more as he and Malcolm laid down onto their makeshift animal skin bed to sleep.
Caesar looked up into the starry sky that night, thinking of his human father. He shut his eyes and drew in a deep, heavy breath and said silently, "I miss you, Wil. I miss you, Caroline... And you too, Charles."