Hello my readers, I am so sorry for the late update and hopefully this chapter will please you all. I'm going to be a bit busy now so my updates will be a little slower this time but the story is not dead, that I promise. Anyways again, please post a review as they will help me a lot when writing and any kind of critiques will help out a lot, so thanks in advance, and enjoy chapter three.
Rocket was sorely mistaken to think that things were not going to get worse as he helped Caesar out with the search and rescue. After the fight at the top of the tower, the group had taken time to rest and mend wounds, both physical and mental. Thinking back, Rocket remembered how Blue-Eyes sadly informed him the demise of his son, Ash. Rocket grieved greatly at learning that his son was tossed to death by an ape who he had considered as a brother and friend. He was there when he watched Caesar let Koba fall to his death, but this infuriated him - Rocket should have been the one to end Koba so that his son would be avenged.
Huffing out a grunt, the gray chimpanzee flipped over a piece of dry wall, only to find nothing underneath it. Rocket could see no signs of any apes within this room he was in, and left. He recalled that their new addition to the clan, Milo, had made his way towards the tower. Grunting to himself, he should have known better - that was the area where most of the apes were gathered at, and was bound to have stragglers still within it. Rocket made his way out of the building, and rushed towards the remains of the human tower. Upon entering, he noticed that some of the others were already helping apes out from the wreckage. When Rocket had asked for Milo though, one of the apes merely pointed downwards, indicating that he had went to check the base of the tower. Thanking them, Rocket followed the direction so that he could find Milo and inform them that they were almost done. As he rounded the corner into a giant hallway, he was greeted with the most unexpected sight - Milo and... Koba.
...
The three apes stood frozen, eyeing one another. Rocket's breath quickened, recognizing Koba's familiar face, standing just a mere few feet away from him. Gnashing his teeth, Rocket slammed his fist onto the ground, and let out a bellow.
"Koba!" Rocket snarled as he charged towards the injured Bonobo, bulldozing right through Milo. He Slammed hard into his target, knocking all of them down into the ground. Taking the initiative, Rocket quickly got on top of Koba and began an assault of heavy blows. Just as Rocket was going to go in for another swing, Koba somehow placed his feet onto Rocket's abdomen, and launched the furious chimpanzee off of him. He flew backwards, and collided with Milo, who in turn broke his fall. Releasing a furious growl, Rocket quickly pulled himself up and charged towards Koba once more, who only had a moment to recover himself from a coughing fit before he was slammed into again, and landed on the rough ground once more. Before Koba could retaliate, Rocket reached for Koba's neck, cutting off his air supply, and for good measure, pulled Koba's head up slightly before slamming it back down onto the ground, dazing the bonobo.
Rocket turned his head when Milo had approached him and grabbed onto his shoulder, pleading for him to let the other ape go. Rocket growled in reply, and shoved the other chimpanzee away with his shoulder, resuming his strangulation on the one who murdered his son. However, a set of fingers latched onto both of Rocket's shoulders and forcefully yanked him off of the bonobo. Although he landed with a loud thud, Rocket swiftly recovered and glared up at Milo, who now stood between both him and Koba.
"Stop!" Milo yelled as he stood in the center, eyeing both Rocket and Koba, who was starting to come around from the lack of oxygen. Rocket looked like he was ready to plow through him again to obtain vengeance. Milo knew that he was in mortal danger, but he was not willing to let another ape die, especially after seeing so much death already. Turning back to check on Koba, he was relieved when the bonobo had sat up coughing and wipe away at his bloodied nostrils.
"Move!" Rocket ordered, glaring at Milo.
"No - Apes. Should not. Do this," Milo replid, shaking his head. "Already lost. too many apes. Must stop. No more - Please."
"Koba! Is not! Ape!" Rocket roared as he stomped towards the bonobo, but stopped when Milo intervened again. Growling, he rose to his feet, and glared down at the other chimpanzee, who merely stared back with sympathetic eyes.
"No more. killing," Milo pleaded, hoping that his words would reach the furious gray chimpanzee.
"Rocket?" Caesar's voice echoed from the end of the hallway, making all the other apes turn their heads.
...
Caesar approached the scene, and was astounded at what he saw. Within the corridor stood Rocket, who was heaving loudly, his knuckles dripping with blood. Standing next to him was a weary-looking Milo, who appeared to be shielding something out of view behind him. Approaching closer, Caesar's eyes widened - it was Koba, standing there with his head held down, wiping away at his face.
"Koba?" Caesar's breath hitched up slightly at the sight of the injured Bonobo, who merely glared up at him with hate-filled eyes.
"Move," Rocket growled in a low voice, this time to which the other chimpanzee turned to Caesar for help.
Caesar stared into Milo's pleading eyes before looking away slightly, heaving out a sigh. What was he suppose to do in a situation like this?
"Enough!" Milo shouted, and began to sign. "No more fighting, no more killing; Apes must stick together."
"Apes together. Strong..." Caesar breathed as he stared at Koba, and remembered when Cornelia had shown him Zira and her newborn. Looking back at Milo's hopeful eyes, he turned towards Rocket, knowing his friend was going to hate him for the decision that he was about to make. "Rocket - let's go," he said, turning around before making his way back towards the surface.
...
Rocket was shocked at Caesar's words. Why - why would he simply just let Koba - the one who caused chaos among their ape brethren, the one who murdered his son, the one who almost killed him - live? Staring down at his bloody knuckles, the gray chimpanzee let out a frustrated growl, following Caesar.
"What are you doing? Why let him live?" Rocket signed angrily as he caught up with Caesar, who merely heaved out a tired breath.
"No more fighting. If you kill him, it will only make you like him." Caesar replied, now staring at him.
"I do not care - What makes you think that your words will stop me?"
"Because... Ash would not have wanted this."
...
Caesar finished slowly before moving on, leaving a wide-eyed Rocket behind. He felt terrible for using his deceased honorary nephew to stop Rocket's rage, but if would make the gray chimpanzee stop, then Caesar would do, as painful it would be to bear or say.
...
Slumping down the side of a wall, Rocket slowly covered his face and quietly wept to himself. How could Caesar say that to him? Why did everything happen to him? Was what he wanted really going to turn him into another Koba? Then he thought of his son and remembered the young ape, bringing a slight, sad smile to his lips. Caesar was right - deep down, he knew that his son would not have wanted his father to go for revenge, but instead be happy, forgive and move on. Ash never took after his father, and was instead more like his mother: kind, selfless and forgiving. He never even thought of vengeance when the human had shot him not long ago. Instead, he was more worried about the apes and Caesar's decisions. Lifting his head up from his hands, Rocket stared at his bloody knuckles and huffed out mournfully.
...
Milo's shoulders drooped as the tension faded with Caesar's and Rocket's leave. Going over to Koba, Milo stretched out a hand and tried to help his friend, but instead was swatted away by the other ape.
"Don't. Touch me," Koba managed to wheezed out. He was indeed injured, but his pride was hurt much more. He suddenly felt a smack on his head, and shot his head up to see Milo glaring down at him.
"Don't push me away; I am trying to help you. Come," Milo irritably signed, trying to get the other to follow, who decided to stay put. Milo heaved out a sigh, making a bee-line back to the other ape, and performing a combination of dragging and pushing a resisting Koba towards the surface. Along the way, the two saw Rocket slumped down by the wall, staring into his hands with fresh streaks of tears running down his face. Milo Stopped by the fellow ape and tried to offer a helping hand, but the gray chimpanzee gave an insulted look in response instead. Milo retracted his hand back, quickly ushering a glaring Koba to the entrance.
"Don't do that; Go," Milo signed angrily while pushing Koba away. As soon as they were outside, Milo turned back, noticing that Rocket had followed slowly behind, with an appearance of being deep in thought; his eyes were blankly staring down at the ground.
...
Once Koba was out in the open, he was greeted with the many apes that had sided and gone against him in the battle with the humans. Hearing Caesar barking orders for them to move on, the bonobo couldn't help but glare at the leader ape, who was once his friend and ally. The bonobo cleaned himself up a bit, and was now noticing that Rocket was now eerily quiet. What Caesar had done to the gray chimpanzee was beyond him. He knew why Rocket was angry at him - he did after all kill the chimp's son. Closing his eyes tightly, feeling remorse as he remembered tossing the helpless, young ape over the ledge to his death. He was supposed to be an uncle, a friend, and a brother to his ape brethren, who now see him nothing more than a monster.
As they marched their way back towards the woods, Koba was quietly followed by Rocket and Milo, while Caesar lead the group at the front. Passing through into the deeper parts of the forest, they eventually came upon the spiky, wooden trench that lead into the colony. Koba noticed how Milo was marveling at the woodwork the apes had done to build their home, now slightly scorched by fire. Before Koba entered the ape home, however, he was stopped by both Rocket and Caesar.
"You. Stay. Here," Caesar announced to him with a cold stare.
Koba bared his fangs menacingly, but was stopped when Milo placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head. He then noticed that Caesar had pulled some apes over, and conversed with them - all turned and glanced at Koba cautiously before moving on. Growling, Koba slumped down next to a tree, and crossed his arms in annoyance. To his left, he saw Rocket placed on watch duty, and was now staring at him with eyes filled with hatred, sadness, and pity. Unable to keep eye contact, Koba forcefully turned his attention elsewhere while he waited for what Caesar had in store for him.
...
Caesar entered into their home, and was greeted by both Maurice and Luca. He frowned upon the damage the fire had done to their peaceful village, but moved the thought at the back of his mind for later, and turned his attention back to the two apes before him.
"How goes your search? I see you have brought back many others," Maurice signed with a smile.
"That and more..." Caesar huffily replied
"More?"Luca signed, curious.
"Help me bring everyone to the center."
The two apes needed no further direction, and were now hooting to call for a gathering. While he waited for Maurice and Luca to round up the apes into the courtyard, he was greeted by his family. Caesar smiled warmly as Cornelia made her way towards him with their youngest son in her arms, followed by Blue-Eyes. He was quickly hugged by his mate, and turned to look down at their youngest, rubbing the infant's head shortly before acknowledging his oldest.
Now that most of the colony had gathered, he turned away, stood on top of a rocky platform, and made his announcement - the traitorous Koba was still alive. Upon this revelation, several of the apes that were guarding the bonobo had brought the ape up towards the center on his knees before the colony, inciting angry cries from the colony as he was presented. Caesar held up his hand to silence them all, telling them that the ape should not be harmed, as there had already been too much death among their kind. Instead, Koba would be confined to where they could keep an eye on him at all times. At this, the apes began murmuring amongst themselves, and Caesar quickly silenced them once more before it escalated to deafening levels again. He reminded them that the humans are approaching, and that they needed to focus on preparing themselves for the events that were to come. As Caesar finished with his speech and dismissed them, he observed his apes dispersing to go about their business. He turned to look at Cornelia, bringing their foreheads together in a silent, hopeful thought that they would pull through when the humans came.
"Zira will want to go see him," Cornelia signed when both she and Caesar had broken contact.
"I do not know if that is a good idea," Caesar replied, finding the conversation's subject among the crowd.
"She will go anyways."
"... I will take a group of apes and go with her then," Caesar hesitantly gave in as he turned to look back at his mate.
"What will you do with Koba?"
"I ... I do not know."
...
After Ceasar had finished his announcement, the ape guards had taken Koba and threw him into a small section of the colony consisting of a broken down hut, where they could keep a watchful eye on him. Growling at his guards, Koba looked around and exhaled defeatedly as he sat down with his back turned to the ape colony, letting his mind wander. As the day passed on, Koba heard approaching footsteps and noticed that Caesar had led a small band of apes towards him. Turning to face the ape leader, Koba watched as Caesar gave the guarding apes a slight nod before stepping aside to allow another ape slowly emerge from within the group. Koba instantly recognized the face - Zira. She rushed over towards him, and gave him hug while weeping into his shoulder. The other apes moved to stop her, but Caesar merely held his hand up to stop them from interacting with the female ape.
"I. Had thought. You died," Zira whispered while letting out whimpers of joy as she pulled Koba into a crushing hug. "Are you hurt?" she signed as she looked Koba over, noticing many of his new scars.
Koba could only let out a tired sigh, slowly returning the hug while his mate fussed over him. Turning to glare at Caesar and his troops again, he instead found that they had stepped away to give them privacy. Letting his eyes fall back to hers, Koba gave her a warm smile. He had considered himself very lucky when he met his mate, and remembered when the two had met each other. It had been nearly four years after they had escaped from the humans, and he was growing accustomed to socializing with other apes. He did not know what to do, however, when he was in the presence of the females, and instead often keep to himself and watch from afar how they acted around each other.
He had tried to interact with others, but it did not help as most, if not all, of the bonobos would avoid him due to his aggressive look. One day, however, while it was raining, Koba had return from hunting with a band of other apes. When they were done dividing the meat evenly, he watched as the others left with their mates and cuddled within their huts. He glared up at the rainy sky in hatred - it made him envy his fellow ape brothers, who had someone to go back to, while he was all alone. Standing in the middle of the rain, Koba heaved his share of meat over his shoulder and sauntered off towards his hut so that he could perhaps repair his broken spear, or make a new one for the next hunting trip.
On his way back though, he couldn't help but notice a small ruffle of laughter. Turning his head slightly, he noticed a small group of females to his right, laughing and signing to each other sporadically. He cocked his head in confusion, shook his head, and decided to move on... until he heard something approaching him. Koba turned around and was rather surprised at the sight - a female, who appeared to be slightly smaller than himself, had timidly stepped out into the rain and made her way towards him. She stopped just a few feet away, appearing to be either too embarrassed or afraid to come near him. She glanced back to her friends, who continued giggling and signing to her. Looking back at Koba, the slightly smaller female bonobo came closer, and slowly held out something from the palm of her hands; it was a small vine of berries. Dropping his broken spear, he reached out slowly and took it. Not knowing what else to do, he took the meat share from his shoulder, ripped a piece off, and offered it to the female ape, who gingerly took it. As they made eye contact, Koba couldn't help but feel slightly warm when the female had smiled at him, and before he knew it, she had turned around and ran back to her friends.
This series of events happened to him again over the next few days with the same female, but she would give him something different each time; seeds, strange shells, colored stones, pears, some odd trinkets the females had started making. Taking the thought into consideration, he eventually began to return the favor by giving the female more meat from his hunt, along with fruits and nuts that he had also found. As time went on, this process of exchange continued, and he would always look forward to returning from the hunt, just to see the female bonobo as he was walking back to his hut. It was sometime later that the female introduced herself to him.
"My name. is Zira," the female bonobo said quietly with a warm smile. Koba was slightly surprised that her voice was rather soft, not like the other apes that spoke. So in turn, he gave her his name as well.
"Koba," he grunted, causing the female to gasp at his rough voice, but quickly gave him a warm smile. The female's smile was so moving that he couldn't help but return it with a smile of his own.
Before long, the two started to constantly be at each others' side when he came back from his hunts. He would return his weapons and meat into his hut right before running off to meet the female bonobo by the watering hole, or with her group of females. They would often go off to a secluded area within the colony, or into the forest, and be enthralled with each others' company. Zira would often groom Koba in which he would grunt and awkwardly sit there; not being used to the grooming, as it reminded him of the prodding and touching while he was a lab ape. In the end though, he came to enjoy it, as her touch was soft and gentle, unlike those of the humans, who were rough and painful. While together, Zira had provided him something that he had thought he would never attain again - a sense of love and security.
"What. is your. favorite weather?" Zira had asked Koba.
"The rain," Koba simply signed back.
"Really? Why?"
"because... that was how I met you," he replied with a grin on his face.
Koba felt something moving within his middle while still embracing his mate, forcing him out of his memories. He pulled back to look down at what was causing the slight discomfort, and his eyes widened when he saw a small baby within Zira's arms. Quickly, the confused ape looked back up to his mate, and then back down to the baby.
"Do you. want to. hold?" Zira offered.
"Who... ?" Koba's voice trailed off as he took the small infant, looking into Zira's eyes, and then back down again.
"His name. is Rain. Our son," Zira replied, rubbing the baby's temple.
"I. Have... A son?"
An exasperated Koba looked into the steel-gray eyes of the baby bonobo in his arms, who yawned while his little fingers touched his father's chest fur.
"Rain," Koba spoke as he brought up his child, and rubbed both of their foreheads together. "Rain... my son. I have. a son," he chuckled, closing his eyes as he pulled Zira into a hug.
...
Milo watched as Koba was reunited with who appeared to be his mate as she presented the bonobo with a small infant. He watched as Koba's face softened significantly and his lips curl into a smile at his mate, knowing that he had become a father. Milo couldn't help but let his lips turn upwards into a grin as well, and was happy for Koba and his family. Yet, he could not shake an odd feeling that hung heavily in the air. Looking around himself, he did not see anything that was out of the ordinary until he noticed Rocket blankly staring at Koba and his family. The gray chimpanzee looked odd sitting by himself away from Caesar's group just outside of Koba's area. What unnerved Milo, however, was how still Rocket was. If he had not paid attention, he was sure the other could have been mistaken for a statue of sorts. After what felt like hours, Rocket's green eyes slowly turned and locked onto his own before the gray chimpanzee slowly got up and moved away. Scratching his head, Milo couldn't shake this odd feeling that was in the air - was something going to happen? He couldn't pinpoint what it was, and worriedly glanced back at Koba and his family.