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Urko and Elta: A Gorilla Love Story
A Short Vignette Based on "The Planet of the Apes" (T.V. Series)
[Note: I do not own "Planet of the Apes"...the apes own it.]
Urko, the tireless Chief of Security for Central City and its surrounding area, had finished his rather lengthy tour of duty and had returned to his family home for a well-earned furlough. He dismounted from his white-grey mare, Moagga, and gave the reins to his chimpanzee servant. He had been a long time away from his wife Elta, and he longed to make love to her in fine gorilla fashion.
"Papa!" Ursa, his eight-year-old daughter, cried in delight as she ran to him and flung herself onto his back, climbing up to his shoulder in one effortless motion.
"Urk!" grunted Urko, "You're getting too old to greet me in such a manner, Ursa!"
Ursa ignored his admonishment and took the large helmet off his head, placing it on her own. The head-piece was much too large for her skull and it covered half of her face; but she did not mind in the least.
Urko lifted his daughter from his shoulders and placed her on the ground before entering his house. Ursa eagerly followed him in, throwing his helmet in the air and catching it several times until finally letting it clatter unceremoniously to the floor. The energetic simian child had gone far enough, as far as her father was concerned. He sternly directed her to put his helmet away and she obeyed, albeit reluctantly.
"Elta!" he bellowed.
A beautiful gorilla woman in a scarlet gown descended the stone stair-case. Urko himself was not wealthy enough to afford such luxurious architectural adornments, but Elta's family were upper-class artisans who excelled at carving elegant stone furnishings. The steps and upper-level bedroom had been built into his spartan soldier's abode as a wedding gift to the couple from her parents.
"Urko," she greeted him, "I had almost forgotten that you were the patriarch of this house. Have you been off on another one of your obsessive human-hunts?"
"I am attempting to capture some fugitives," Urko explained, "They are proving to be very wily quarry, my love."
"Oh, they probably just snatched a bit of bread for their children!" Elta scoffed, "Why don't you leave them alone, you Big Beast?"
His wife simply did not understand the threat which the two human creatures, known as Virdon and Burke, posed to simian cultural dominance. The outlaws were unnaturally intelligent and crafty, to the degree that they could easily influence other humans to rebel against their ape masters.
"No, Elta," Urko cautioned her, "These humans are dangerous...and they are accompanied by a chimpanzee traitor named Galen."
"Oh, my!" Elta replied sardonically, "A chimpanzee named Galen—well, that's even more hazardous, then. I had better hide under my bed in terror."
There was little use in frightening his mate with the facts of the case, but she and the children were the main reasons he sought to kill his elusive prey. He was determined to protect his own and other ape families from these devious monsters; but right now, it was time to rest his mind from such worries and focus his attention solely on the love of his life.
"Never mind about my work," Urko replied with a chuckle, "You and I have more important business to attend to, do we not?"
Little Ursa chirped at them, interrupting their conversation in order to let her parents know that she was still there.
"Are you and Papa going to make me a baby sister now, Mama?" Ursa asked slyly, "I need her to help me capture my big brother."
"You go and play with Boba next door, Ursa," Elta commanded her daughter, "You and he can make plans to trap your brother when he comes home from training."
Ursa let out a screech and ran outside.
"Is Zonda not home from training school yet?" Urko asked his mate.
Zonda was their fifteen-year-old son, who was training to be a part of the same security force that his father led.
"No, he's not," Elta told him, "I think Zonda was going to try to see Zielle this afternoon after his drills...so it's just you and I, Big-Boy."
Urko let out a growl and pounded his chest a few times as Elta favored him with an encouraging smile. He picked her up in his arms and the pair ascended the stairs together. It was good to finally be home.