A/N: So, as promised, time jump! And we'll also get a brief look at the human side of things to meet a very important character to the story. You'll see a few of these every so often in order to build up to the summary's promise of apes and humans converging again. It will be a while from now, but rest assured, it won't be without build-up.
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CHAPTER 9
Two Years On
Two years went by like batting an eyelash. And in time, Ethan found that he did think about the human colonies less and less. It wasn't hard, given after the destruction of the boarder colony, the apes had went dark on information. In that time, Ethan grew into a competent hunter, and horseback rider. He'd grown to be taller, and stronger as well, given his time spent out in the woods with the other apes. Who in two years, had come to accept Ethan much more easily than they had in his first months in the colony.
Though Ethan continued to follow his parents teachings, he carried himself, and acted mostly like the other ape children. These days, he honestly felt more like an ape than he did a human anyway. Such as today, as he trudged through the forest with the other apes on their hunt. Ethan felt excited about it today, holding his spear tightly and staring around. It was his first hunt with a hunting party, much to the pride of Maurice, who had seen him off with a wide smile and the best of luck.
He and Milo had prepared for their first hunt for months. With Milo paired with his father of course. Ethan, given Maurice was not usually a part of the hunting parties, was paired with Rocket, as all children needed to be guided during there first hunt. Ethan didn't mind being paired with Rocket, despite how tough and hard he was said to be. He was a part of Caesar's inner circle, much like Maurice, and had been an uncle to figure to him much like Caesar was. What's more, he had lost his son, and seemed keen, and excited to get the chance to take a young "ape" out again.
Ethan had to admit, unlike when he'd gotten there, he was excited to go on his first hunt. It was a right of passage among his adoptive culture that every young ape went through. Which was why Ethan, Milo, and the other newcomers were painted up in beautiful paints as in any ceremony. Rocket held up a hand to stop him after they'd gone a few feet, knowing to make non-verbal commands when Caesar gave his verbal ones. "Flock of deer, four feet ahead," Rocket signed to him. "Stay close, and follow my lead."
"Yes uncle Rocket," Ethan signed to him.
It wasn't as strange referring to Caesar or Rocket as uncles anymore. In fact, after a while, he'd forgotten that they weren't his uncles on most days. Quietly he followed Rocket, his eyes looking around around, until he could finally see their target. Most of the apes remained in the trees, but Ethan simply hid behind one, keeping an eye on Rocket's position on the tree branches above.
Ethan waited quietly for his signal, gripping his spear tighter. As Rocket dropped his paw, and they leaped out of the trees, Ethan pushed himself out, rushing along with the rest. It was chaos, with apes running all around him and Rocket carefully keeping up with him. Ethan kept his eyes on one of the deer carefully, keeping his steps even. He turned to Rocket quietly, who nodded, and pointed towards it quietly, nodding. Ethan took a deep breath, he had not killed a dear before, and honestly, the big game made him nervous.
But finally, he leaped forward, bringing his spear up, and closing his eyes. He was quick to pierce the Dear in the side, the spear colliding hard with a flow of crimson blood. He could tell it was pained as he ripped the spear out, and carefully jabbed it into the heart of the animal, as he had been instructed. The apes did not like to see animals dying miserably, and in all honesty, Ethan didn't either. Ethan watched as the creature went limp, and nodded his head slowly, raising his spear with his best cheer, as he knew all apes did upon a successful catch.
Taking the spear out, he watched as Rocket went for a nearby stag, taking it down much more easily. But Ethan knew the skill came with time, and he would learn. "Very good," Rocket told Ethan as he approached him. "Your father will be proud."
Ethan smiled, he hoped he did make Maurice proud. In the two years that Ethan had lived with the apes, he'd stopped even referring to Maurice by his name to others. Maurice had simply become "father", and he was proud to be his son. And equally proud to know that tonight, they would be feasting on the meat of a deer he had caught in Maurice's honor. That almost made Ethan cringe, remembering the days when he could not even bring himself to kill something like a rabbit.
It still hurt him, admittedly, to do it, but he also now understood it was the circle of life. Without them, the apes, including him, would starve to death, and he couldn't have that. He knew that the humans were already on the verge of extinction, the last thing that he needed was to have his adoptive species be hurt as well. Ethan sighed, carefully helping to drag the deer alongside Rocket as they headed back towards the rest of the apes.
...
Maurice waited for him at their home, where Ethan was proud to motion towards the deer he was helping to carry. Rocket had helped with that, knowing Ethan was not as big as the ape children and would struggle. Maurice patted Ethan on the back, and carefully hugged him tightly to his chest. "I am so proud of you," He finally signed, confirming Ethan's hopes. "Bring it up, bring it up. We'll start work on it right away."
Ethan grinned as they brought the deer up the steps, and through the threshold to the home. Maurice had expanded his home a little bit now that Ethan was getting older. And he'd expanded Ethan's bed as well, as he had grown a few inches since he'd come to live with him, and outgrown his first bed. Ethan's area was also growing a bit as well, with his human family's pictures hanging on the wall, an area for spirit's saddle, and assorted items from San Francisco from multiple trips, including a few stuffed animals he'd had to clean up.
Ethan and Rocket carefully set the deer down as Maurice carefully examined it. Ethan carefully reached for one of his shirts which hung on a small hook above his bed. It was still slightly chilly, given it was the middle of March, and they had a few hours before they were expected at the ceremony for the new hunters. Ethan had learned that the Apes liked to celebrate many things, especially rights of passage such as joining the hunt. Or the thing most Apes looked most forward to: coming of age at the age of fifteen, when they finished their education, and, though still living with their parents mostly, became "adult" members of the tribe.
Ethan was pulled from his thoughts by light tapping on the side of his arm. He turned his head to see Maurice nodding towards Rocket. Ethan, in his rush of emotions, had nearly forgotten to thank his uncle. "Thank you so much again, uncle Rocket," Ethan signed. "You were a huge help."
"Anytime," Rocket bowed his head. "We will see each other tonight."
As the chimp exited the home, Maurice nearly immediately started to prepare the kill. Ethan knew they would be feasting on it tonight, as would the whole colony. That was the way it went, the new ape hunters always shared their catch in yet another big feast in the colony. Ethan strode over, helping the older ape by grabbing its legs to lift the deer onto the table. "Lay down, you're probably exhausted. You've earned the rest."
Ethan gave his adoptive father a look, as if to say "you're not getting any younger". And it was true, he knew his father was one of the oldest apes the colony had. So he helped when he could, even if it was probably overreaction at the thought. "Father, a little help never hurt anyone," Maurice rolled his eyes slightly at his son. "Alright, I'm going to lay down. But come get me if I can help."
"This feast is about you, Milo, and the other ape's your age," Maurice told him, before shaking a finger at him. "So don't go around acting like I am already in my twilight years. Go lay down and relax, I'll let you know."
Ethan waved his hand at the ape, but finally sprawled out onto his bed. Admittedly, his body was more tired than he had expected it to be, and he could feel himself growing tired. Of course, Maurice wasn't surprised when he saw that Ethan was, indeed napping. Rather he had a small smirk on his face, the little, timid boy who had been afraid of apes certainly was growing into a tough, stubborn, and feisty little thing more and more every day.
Maurice himself honestly couldn't believe he was looking BACK on things like that. It seemed like less than two days had passed since he had carried that beaten, and scarred child into the colony. And now here he was, growing before his very eyes, calling him father, and having become an ape in his own right. And he also thought quietly of the other humans: whether they were alive, whether Ethan was, and would be the last human alive.
In the past two years Caesar had debated whether or not to send apes to the east. But eventually, a scouting party had been sent from another colony, and they brought back their own warnings. The humans were at war, a fact known only by the ape council for the other apes own good. It was a brutal war being fought between the rich and the poor, and many had died already. The thought of sending apes out there to try and help, well, could end in an even worse war.
They'd decided that Ethan was better off not knowing of what was happening in his species. If Ethan asked about it when he was older, they would explain. But until then, Ethan was better off being in the dark, and simply not thinking about it. After all, the boy hardly thought about them those days, and it was better to keep it that way. Better he possibly never want to reconnect with the humans then eventually end up finding out they had all killed each other. It killed Maurice to think of how he'd react, given he still mourned his parents every day.
As he kindled a fire and cooked the deer meat, he carefully strode over to Ethan. Pulling his blankets further over him, and making sure he was comfortable. Yes, Ethan may, eventually, be found to be the last human left on Earth. But at the very least they had saved one, and given him a life. He sighed a bit, and tried not to think any more of that, tonight was a night of celebration for his son, and he was determined to remain in good spirits.
He stroked the bangs from Ethan's hair, and gently lowered his head to kiss his forehead gently. No matter what the case, he was proud to be Ethan's father, and he hoped this would be the case for as long as he lived.
...
Darren Alcott had been through hell since San Francisco. First losing the city he loved to the war, then, being cast out on the streets for his poor standing. And then, little more than two years ago, he'd lost the last thing he had ever had in his life: his family. His sister, Jenny, his brother-in-law, Jonothan, and his nephew, Ethan. And it had been all for one reason, the reason that he hated to this very day: the apes.
As a leader of the side of the human-based war that was being waged, he tried to ignore the suggestions of his troop to side with them. He knew that it would be useless, if the apes had not hated them, his brother-in-law would have come back from the west, telling them of the land they settled on as he'd told him he would. But no, instead, he'd never come back, and the poor had, indeed, as the apes had heard, waged war against the rich. It wasn't much of a war, with a little over five hundred humans on each side per colony, but it was a war none-the-less.
Shouldering his rifle, he stepped into the underground bunker where the humans had based themselves. It was, for the most part, a series of tunnels just outside the Boston colony. With secret exits, and entrances into the city that allowed them to strike upon the rich at will. His eyes moved through the forlorn, dirt covered faces of most of the other humans. He hated to say it, lord knew he did, but he didn't know if they could win the war, at least, not like this. But they had no choice but to keep fighting on, to keep pushing forward.
Every time he felt his resolve shatter, he'd take out the picture, and look at it. The picture of his family, the family that had tried to find a more peaceful solution. The family that he could never forget, but had been ripped from him so harshly. Most of all, he reminded himself of his nephew, the child that, like so many in this godforsaken time they lived in, had never had a real chance at life.
As for the apes, he had no question in his mind they had killed them. He'd seen how cruel they could be in San Fansisco, and then during the war. And in all honesty, if he could prove it, and if their numbers weren't vast as opposed to theirs, he might try a siege on them in retaliation. But he knew it was a moot point, for the moment, he could only fight to ensure that no one would have to go searching for a home again. Their home was here, and equal rights was something everyone, children especially, deserved.
He'd make sure of that for his sister, brother-in-law, and his nephew. Because he knew they wouldn't have it any other way. "General Alcott," A man brought him out of his thoughts as he looked over the picture again. "You're being summoned by the others. They need you in the briefing room."
Darren slowly, but surely nodded. "Thank you."
He slowly folded the picture back up, and walked after the man, his eyes full of resolution.
...
A/N: Yep, Ethan's aforementioned human family will be in this (well, just his uncle but still). And will be our eyes and ears in the chapters where I sprinkle in bits of the human side of things. :) Also, I know, it's a shorter chapter, but I thought that was a good place to leave it at. Hope you all agree!
