I know I haven't really had a big problem with this, but I figured I'd say it just in case.
If you're reviewing this, please please please do not spoil anything for others. There are those readers who read reviews before the story so having big things mentioned in them could take out some of the suspense and fun of finding out yourself...
In any case, input from readers is my lifeblood when writing so keep 'em coming ;)
Frozen
Though neither party showed any sign of an ease in anxiety between each other, it turned out to be a relatively quiet night. The gorilla, Luca, one of Caesar's close friends, remained vigilant in his watch over them. However, by the time Alex and Riley got the tent repaired enough to stand, Luca had sent most of the other apes back to the colony, leaving only enough for the night's rotations.
To Alex's relief, the gorilla, like Maurice, held a place in his heart for those who gained the trust of their leader's son. And, though it took a good deal of slow, mainly one-sided conversations, Luca agreed to remain at the entrance of their tent as a 'duel guard'. Alex knew the ape wouldn't be able to stay awake the whole night, but the knowledge of him staying close to them gave comfort enough to gift a few hours of sleep, to him at least.
One look at Riley the next morning showed she didn't have the same luck as he did in the area of sleep. With the dark circles under her eyes and her tenser-than-usual nature, it was clear that the calm, quiet demeanor she showed throughout his interactions with Luca the night before was just a ruse. This was especially apparent when they were told Caesar had agreed to meet with them within the colony. Alex surmised it was Blue Eyes who finally convinced his father that he and Riley were not the enemy, that, or Caesar wanted them inside the colony to use as collateral in case of an attack. Hopefully it was the former. Caesar was never someone who felt like he'd use others in a way that could lead anyone to harm, but a lot can happen over a year, especially after the battle in San Francisco.
Alex pulled his pack higher on his shoulders as they weaved their way through the trees, the thought of possibilities making him shiver. Short glances to the girl beside him only served to make him more anxious.
Her eyes moved around faster than normal and her fingers didn't seem to know what they were supposed to do as they fidgeted nervously with each other. Why was she so tense all of a sudden? True, she was cautious with Luca and the others the night before, but she had been her normal 'no-nonsense, in-your-face' self whenever she had interacted with them. She was as she had been with Blue Eyes, wary but confidant. There had been those few times she showed kinks in her armor, but nothing close to this level of, well, fear. Was it the fact they were finally going to talk with Caesar? Was she worried about what was going on with Fremont back in San Francisco? Was she worried about Blue Eyes? He had to admit he was a little worried about that last question. Caesar wasn't the most welcoming with his son the day before, and the way Blue Eyes' new-found confidence had vanished with one look turned Alex's insides around.
"R…Riley?" his own nerves chopped his words, "Is…is everyth…"
"I'm okay, Alex," she said with mute assurance, "Just…thinking. With everything that's going on I…just have a lot on my mind."
Alex dropped his eyes and nodded into his hood. Maybe once all the introductions and such were done they'd relax some. Still, he really wished Blue Eyes was with them. Having the young ape with them again would be sure to…
Alex's thoughts went blank as they reached the exterior gates of the colony, the grove of redwoods opening up above them.
The construction had the same feel as the original ape colony but the expanse of rope bridges and walls around the grove showed how far the apes had advanced in such a short time. It was clear the threat of humans had been taken into account because not one but two walls separated them from the center, each with numerous armed guards patrolling their top.
Alex actually felt less afraid for the apes as they made their way through each wall. With sentries so far out from the colony's borders and the heavy precautions they took when designing its defenses, a human attack force would be hard pressed to get inside, even with guns.
It was at the second gate that Alex finally saw a hint of tenseness letup on Riley's face and a weight lift from his shoulders, for non-other than Blue Eyes awaited them there, his expressive, pale eyes showing no signs of the downheartedness they held before.
"Alex…Riley," he greeted them quickly. Alex returned with a smile while Riley gave him a short 'hey' before resuming her tense overlook at their surroundings. Taking in Riley's heightened restlessness with concerned brows, Blue Eyes grunted softly at Alex when she walked through the gate in front of them, "Is Riley alright?"
"I think she's just nervous," he hoped, "With the way your father led you away last night…and…everything with Fremont…she's just…"
Blue Eyes' sigh mirrored the feelings of worry he had in his gut. He knew their friend had a lot riding on her shoulders, still, Alex hoped that with him and Blue Eyes behind her, she could get what needed to be done done. Time was of the essence after all.
Caesar awaited them in the center of the colony, Maurice by his side. The ape leader's face was hard and cautious, Alex could feel the tension running through the apes around them and he knew Caesar could feel it to, especially with the way he shifted on his feet and glanced around him. Maurice seemed tense as well but the smile and nod the orangutan shared with Alex took another small weight off of him.
Once Blue Eyes led them up to his father, Caesar looked them over with an uncompromising stare, snorted, and then walked to what looked like a private chamber underneath the largest tree. "Follow," he ordered as he disappeared through the strings of beads.
Alex swallowed hard. Blue Eyes placed a hand on his shoulder and tried his best to give a reassuring smile, though Alex could see the ape's own apprehension behind the twitch of his lips. Strangely, Riley shocked them both when she came between them and took each of their hands with her own. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and squeezed, before letting them go and following Caesar inside.
It took a while for Alex's eyes to adjust to the darkness of the chamber. Though small, the dugout floor and raised seats for Caesar and the others showed the authority of those who held a place in his council. Caesar had already taken his seat with Maurice to his left, and Luca, along with two other chimps Alex remembered as Andy and Heston, came in behind them and took their spots as well. Strangely, Rocket was nowhere to be seen.
Shortening pleasantries, Caesar motioned to the ground beside the fire, "Sit."
Alex sat down quickly with Riley, while Blue Eyes hopped up to his seat on his father's right.
Though Caesar's green eyes may not have been as intense as Blue Eyes' were, they gave Alex a much greater feeling of awe. The leader of the apes was someone who demanded respect without a single spoken word. And even after all the time he had spent with Blue Eyes, Maurice, and Caesar himself, it never failed to amaze Alex at how much seemed to be going on behind those eyes. The intelligence that rivaled their own in something so powerful was incredibly humbling…and terrifying, yet the minor softening of the great ape's eyes eased this intimidation for just a moment.
"Thank you," Caesar's deep words were calm, "For helping my son."
Alex habitually smiled and jerked a nod, "Y…you're welcome." Riley gave a quick nod as well, though she never looked up from her hands.
Caesar noticed her disconnected behavior and shifted his eyes to her, returning to his intimidating demeanor, "You said human leader…is sending others."
She kept avoiding his eyes, "Y…yes, sir."
"When?"
"I…I don't know. A few days?"
"How do they know…we are here?"
"We…we found a map," Alex cut in, "It was left at your old colony."
Caesar shared many shifting glances between the other apes before he turned back to them, "There was no map," he growled, "Apes left no way…for humans to find us."
"I saw the map myself, father," Blue Eyes confirmed, "They do not lie."
Maurice hooted and began signing. All Alex managed to catch was 'here'. Luckily, Blue Eyes caught on to their disadvantage.
"Maurice asked if there could be a traitor here," he said, the glare from his father was short, but the ape soon realized what his son was doing and hesitantly snorted his consent.
"Do…do you think that's why we found it?" Alex asked, "S…somebody must've wanted us here, so they…"
Luca growled beside them and started to sign but Caesar stopped him abruptly with a raised hand before Blue Eyes could catch what the gorilla was starting to say. Alex saw the confused furrow in Blue Eyes' brow when he turned to his father and felt a hard pang low in his stomach.
Maurice rumbled for Caesar's attention and signed quickly before the ape leader could stop him. Again, Alex didn't catch the orangutan's words but Blue Eyes quickly turned to his father in response. "What should they know?" his words were bewildered and almost fearful.
Caesar didn't respond and shut Blue Eyes down with a stern snort. The rising worry behind the young chimp's eyes made Alex shift cautiously. What was going on?
The other apes slowly started to chime in with hoots, grumbles, and sign to voice their opinion on the matter. It seemed that Caesar agreed with Maurice and Luca to some extent, but Andy and Heston were far more cautious with the humans in the room, so Caesar was forced to mediate between all of them.
It was this slowly rising tension that made Alex realize there had been nothing out of Riley for a while. He turned to the girl beside him, hoping that she wasn't as stressed as he was and could somehow use that strength of hers to get their attention and get everyone on the same page again.
Unfortunately, she was stiff; staring off into the distance like everything going on around them was some kind of illusion. It was this distant lack of focus that sent a sudden chill of fear through his bones. He began to say her name but stopped himself when one of her hands started to ease down under her leg. He saw a shift in the fabric and the color drained from his face.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she stood, the glow of the fire glinting off the metal from the weapon she raised to Caesar's chest.
AW SNAP!
Again, big spoiler here. Feel free to be crazy but hold off a little please :D
Till next time ;)
