Here's chapter two of Iridescent. Thanks for the reviews and follows/favorites! :)
Hope you enjoy!
Amazing. Absolutely amazing. I stood in Caesar's home marveling at the view below; the Ape Colony. It was breathtaking. I knew they'd built a home here but I didn't think it would be like this. It was natural. It was peaceful. It was beautiful.
This could be our home.
"What is this?" I turned around to find the orangutan, Maurice, holding up a canister of baby formula. The apes wanted to search my backpack for weapons and other potentially harmful objects.
"That's what I feed the twins. You mix it with some boiled water, wait for it to cool to body temperature and you got milk." I explained. The orange ape looked intrigued. He then pulled out one of their baby bottles.
"I remember these. Used to feed young." Maurice said. Caesar nodded in agreement.
"Uh-yeah. Since I'm currently not naturally producing milk, I had to improvise. It's kept them alive and well so far." I said rather awkwardly.
Hope let out a loud, cute yawn and snuggled closer to my chest, her little hands hanging on tightly to my Captain America hoodie.
"Looks like little one getting sleepy." Spoke a soft, feminine voice. I looked towards the entrance to see a female chimp with a crown of flowers on her head.
Unsure of what else to do, I turned to Caesar to tell me who this kind stranger was. "My wife, Cornelia." He said with a smile.
Oh shit, she's the queen. "Oh hello, Cornelia." I bowed my head in respect. I decided to sign as I noticed that most apes found it easier to communicate using sign. "My name is Nina."
Maurice and Caesar both gave me a look of disbelief, and...worry?
"You know sign?" Maurice was the first to ask. I nodded.
Caesar seemed concerned. "So you know what Koba said?"
"Yes. I do not take offense to what he said. I understand the suffering my kind has caused to apes. It is only natural for those who suffered to not trust us." I kept a straight face. I didn't want to show them that I feared the scarred bonobo and what he could do to me.
The angry bonobo stood outside the entrance of Caesar's home. Along with him was Rocket. Luca had left on sentry duty. The apes knew humans rarely travelled alone, so they had to keep an eye out for any others that might have been traveling with the newcomer.
Koba suspected the female human was a decoy to get them to lose their guard. His whole body burned with hate as he remembered what the humans did to him. The cutting, the pain, the abuseā¦
He startled when Rocket touched his shoulder. "You okay?"
Koba nodded. "Am just worried about human."
The chimp grunted. "I am as well. Caesar is wise so we mustn't worry too much." He tried to assure the bonobo.
Koba didn't voice that he didn't think Caesar would make a wise decision. He knew it by the simple fact that Caesar brought her to the apes' home, hell to HIS own home. So what are the chances he will kick her out?
He should've taken the babies home and chased her off, better yet he should have killed her. That's what Koba wanted to do, that's what Koba would have done, but unfortunately he was not the leader. It frustrated him greatly. Being a member of the Ape Council sometimes wasn't enough.
By the time Caesar and Maurice came out, it was sunset. They were in there for at least three hours. Koba hoped that was enough time for Caesar to make a decision. Caesar approached the bonobo.
"Assemble the council. We will discuss what to do with Nina." Caesar signed. Rocket ran,off to collect Blue Eyes and his son, Ash, for the meeting. Koba frowned at the human's name.
"Where is the human?" Koba asked Caesar. He wanted to know if she was contained before he set off to fetch Luca and the gorilla's brother, Harambe.
Caesar sighed before replying, "In my spare room. Sleeping with young ones." Koba nodded, keeping his boiling anger from seeping out. He then ran off to complete his task.
As he ran on all fours to Luca's post, he already knew Caesar had made his decision. Regardless of what the council said.
It didn't matter to Koba. He'd take care of the human himself.
I woke up to hoots and shouting coming from outside. It took me awhile to figure out where I was and why.
"Sleep well?" Cornelia asked. I looked to my left and found her sitting in an ape-made chair. She held Hope in her arms, rocking her back to sleep. I guessed the baby woke up because of the commotion outside too before me.
"I wouldn't say well. How long have I been asleep?" I signed, tiredly getting out of the bed full of animal furs. I was careful not to wake up Hunter who was sleeping next to me.
"Not very long." The Ape Queen paused, then added, "Maybe one hour." I can see why it took her awhile to add that. I doubted the apes knew how to tell time given the only clocks we have are the sun and the seasons. But she was right. My dad's watch proved it.
"Well one hour or not, it was still helpful. Thank you for letting us sleep here." I politely signed. Cornelia told me it was no problem. She was happy to give us a place to rest.
Cornelia gently put Hope on the bed, next to her brother. The little ape immediately cuddled close to Hunter who didn't seem to mind the extra warmth.
"I must go to the meeting. There is food on table over there," She pointed to one of the corners of the room. My backpack was there as well. "Stay here until Caesar comes back."
I waited a couple minutes after she left to gorge myself on the meal left for me. The meat was most likely elk, with a side of berries. I hadn't had a meal this good since I lost my troop.
As I ate, I recalled our conversation earlier. I told them everything. Almost my whole life's story. I told them about how my father and mother taught me sign language because they wanted to communicate with me sooner rather than waiting for me to speak my first words. I told them about how, when I was four, my parents were murdered and that the killer was never caught.
I told them about having to move in with my uncle and his wife after their deaths. But only a year after I moved in with them, my Aunt Clara went missing.
I didn't tell them how it devastated Uncle Zaius who turned to booze to deal with his pain. I didn't tell them how he would neglect me. He never hit me, he only never noticed me. I was on my own. I had to feed myself as best I could after my uncle lost his job. I was a five year old trying to take care of an adult and myself. It sucked.
And then another year later the Simian Flu happened. I remember seeing the escaped apes incident on the news with my uncle. Something changed in him and he told me we had to leave Portland. So we did. We went into his hunting cabin in the Oregon forests. It was stocked with enough supplies to last us several years.
My uncle died soon after moving in. I found him on his favorite couch, blood on his mouth and hands.
It took me a week to finally bury him.
Things got better though. A year later a troop of apes stumbled upon my cabin. They, at first were wary of me, but their leader, a female bonobo named Zira grew fond of me the moment she saw me. So I let them live in my cabin with me. I wasn't alone anymore and I even taught them sign. Zira already knew sign so she helped teach too.
I did tell them about Zira and her troop. I told them how Zira adopted me as her daughter and I adopted her as my mother.
Long story short, I spent most of my life with apes. So you could say I was raised by them.
After I finished eating, I went back to bed.
I tried not to wake up the twins who were still sound asleep. Soon I'll have to start teaching them to sign. I've already seen Hope trying to do it.
I sighed as I got into a comfortable position, holding my kids close. I hoped I'd be allowed to stay here.
The human was going to be allowed to stay.
Despite Koba's best efforts to convince not only Caesar but also the other members of the council to evict the human.
Surprisingly many of the members voted to take her into the Colony, including Rocket, Maurice, Luca, Harambe, and even Cornelia. Though there were many who opposed it.
Koba and his two friends, Grey and Stone, were not at all happy with the decision. They were the ones that started the uproar among the apes who opposed the choice. As usual, Caesar was able to silence them before they could wake up every ape in the village.
Now Koba sat near the main fire with Grey and Stone at his sides. All three of them ate in sulking silence. What do I do?
Koba didn't know. He couldn't kill her. Did he want to kill her? He didn't know that either.
He sighed, feeling defeated but not willing to accept it. He stood up.
"Where are you going?" Grey asked.
"To speak to Caesar." The bonobo replied with a grunt.
As he turned in the direction of Caesar's home, he bumped into Harambe. The huge gorilla was unfazed by the bump since he still stood tall and proud, almost like a statue.
"Caesar requests your presence." The silverback signed. Koba nodded in response.
He quickly knuckle-walked to Caesar's home tree, wondering why Caesar summoned him.
Caesar, Cornelia, and I waited for Koba to arrive. I was grateful and relieved that Caesar allowed me to stay. But Caesar's summoning of Koba was making me quite uneasy. Why would they want us to be in the same room?
"Caesar?" A hoarse voice asked. That voice gave me chills and not the good kind.
"Koba. Sit down." Caesar gestured to the chair next to me. Koba looked offended at being told to sit next to a human but he obeyed.
Caesar took a deep breath. I had a feeling that he knew Koba wasn't going to like what he had to say. What if I don't like it either?
"I know the human staying in the colony angers you. I know you just fear for the apes' safety." Koba grunted in confirmation. Caesar continued, "In order for you to feel secure about our new member, I have decided to have her and her children live with you." Koba was too shocked to reply. I was as well.
The ape that hates my very existence is going to be my roommate? Great. I tried to control my shaking hands.
"Before you voice your protests, it will only be temporary. We are building her a hut near the edge of the colony. Away from most apes. In the meantime, she will live with you. You will be her guardian and mentor. You must teach her our ways." The chimp finished.
We all sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity. Until finally Koba spoke, "Why?" His voice was eerily unflustered, as if it was the calm before the storm.
Caesar made sure to keep eye contact as he signed, "Because you have learned nothing but hate from humans. Hate leads to destruction," The Ape King glanced at me. "Destruction leads to death. I want you to find peace. This is your chance for it. Maybe from her, a human, you'll learn it."
He paused before adding, "Go to your dwelling and decide where you want your new company to sleep."
Koba quickly stormed out of there. I could tell he was pissed. He looked tense as Caesar spoke to him, like a spring waiting to unwind.
Cornelia sighed, giving her husband a worried expression.
I turned to Caesar. "You sure this is a good idea?"
He didn't meet my eyes. "We'll see."
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