Blue Eyes had finally seen his chance to get a moment to himself, away from his responsibilities to the colony. It was a few days after his mother's funeral, and even then, he had not been able to slip away and deal with his emotions properly. Immediately after the ceremony, he had been forced to hand over his little brother to his wet nurse, Brook, and head out to help with the construction of some defensive measures out in the forest. In passing he had only received a gentle, comforting pat on the back from his father, who himself looked about as haggard and grief-stricken as one could possibly get at this point.

In the past, back when he had still been an easily-manipulated adolescent, Blue Eyes might have blamed his father for being too caught up in his responsibility to the village and accuse him of not taking his time to properly comfort his children in a situation like this.

Now, however, Blue Eyes knew that it just wasn't that simple – and it never had been.

Father had even less time to process Mother's death than Blue Eyes did, since what little private time the Ape King had, he had devoted to comforting his sons these past few days, providing soothing gestures and attempts at conversation and reminiscing.

For the most part, his attempts were successful, and Blue Eyes honestly couldn't remember when he had last been this close with his father.

But even if Blue Eyes was able to take comfort in this newfound unity with Caesar, there were just some aspects of this grief the young ape knew the Ape King would never be able to help him process.

Father had lost his wife – his life partner – and while Blue Eyes had never known what it was like to have someone like that of his own, he had always been able to see just how much his parents had meant to each other. Mother had been the calm to Father's storm when things didn't go right. The one with whom he could share the burden of leadership.

And she had understood him on a level that Blue Eyes knew he, as Caesar's son, never could.

They had completed each other, like two halves of a rock that had cracked down the middle – and now that Mother was gone, all of Father's jagged edges were exposed as he tried to deal with the loss while also taking care of the colony. Most days he seemed stoic to those who approached him, carrying on with his duties as a leader with the same determination and decisiveness as he always had – only now he was seeing but not looking, hearing but not listening, and all the while he sported a grim-looking frown, his eyes hard and his demeanour callous.

It was only when he sat with Blue Eyes and Cornelius in the evenings that the Ape King seemed to become his old self, at least for a while, regarding his sons with sad, but tender eyes.

With Cornelia's passing Blue Eyes had lost something else entirely compared to his father. He had lost a deeply-ingrained part of himself. His own flesh and blood. Someone he had always been able to see himself within, especially in those moments when he had felt the most disconnected from his father. Mother had always seemed to know Blue Eyes' innermost thoughts, even before he really had had the chance to make sense of them himself, and no matter how strained things got between the adolescent and his father, she had always been the rope which tied them together.

With his mother dead, Blue Eyes felt like a young tree that had been uprooted from the nourishing soil it so desperately needed to grow.

Coupled with Ash's death, which Blue Eyes still very much blamed himself for even now, the young ape felt as if he was just about to reach his breaking point. It was only made so much harder by the fact that he seemed to have more responsibility towards the colony than ever before now that the war with the humans had broken out in earnest. Clashes with the soldiers were still few and far between for now, but there was no doubt in Blue Eyes' mind that it would only get worse from this point on.

And that was yet another thing which added to the Ape Prince's worries. How many more of his loved ones would end up dead as this war continued? – was it ever going to end at all?

Would his father die? His brother? His honorary uncles? Perhaps Orion or even Lake, if the humans ever managed to find the apes' home…

These questions kept ringing through his mind day after day, distracting him and filling his heart with a sense of dread and foreboding. It was almost too much to bear for the adolescent ape, who clenched his large fists unconsciously atop his thighs as he stared at the ground beneath his feet. He had come to sit by his mother's grave, knowing that few would dare to bother him here.

Despite it being a grey and gloomy afternoon with dark clouds hanging ominously above the forest, Mother's clearing seemed as tranquil as the day of her funeral. The bouquets and garlands of flowers which had decorated the place had long since been removed and the sunlight had no chance of casting its rays through the treetops today, yet it seemed to Blue Eyes to be as beautiful as it had been during the ceremony. All around the Ape Prince the clearing was bustling with life, birds chirping and critters scurrying from the forest floor and all the way to the top of the trees, but even then, it seemed that nothing could disturb the restfulness which resided here.

It encompassed Mother's spirit perfectly – wild and unruly, yet calm and soothing all at once.

Father chose well when he settled on this place, the Ape Prince thought quietly.

He was sitting on top of one of the huge roots of the redwood tree his mother was buried beneath, his pale, blue eyes going over his surroundings appreciatively. Honestly, he had expected to be saddened and uncomfortable by returning to this place, knowing that just a few feet away lay the female who brought him into this world – his mother, who he missed so terribly it made his heart ache just thinking about her now.

And yet as he sat here, quietly observing everything around him as he let his thoughts wander wherever they pleased, Blue Eyes was overcome, not with sadness or anger, but with a deep sense of longing.

Cornelia had ushered him into a life full of responsibilities and expectations from everyone around him, and it had weighed down on him ever since he was old enough to understand this, at times making him feel hopeless and bitter. But no matter how burdened he had felt with his title as Caesar's heir, she had always been there to guide the young prince like nobody else, not even the Ape King himself, had been able to do.

It was that guidance, as well as her comforting presence, that Blue Eyes was longing for the most in this moment.

And try as he might, Father just could not know the pain Blue Eyes felt because of this. True, the Ape King had lost his human father to disease, but that had been long ago and after a long time of separation. The emotional wound he had suffered from this was no longer a fresh, open one, and besides, the Ape Prince had a distinct feeling that his father's bond with his human father, albeit still a loving one, had been completely different from the connection Blue Eyes had shared with his mother.

The Ape Prince had briefly considered talking with Lydia about it, seeing as she had lost both of her parents and would surely know what the young ape was going through, but the same problem remained as it did with his father. It had been a long time since it had happened, and Lydia had grown a lot since then. He appreciated her ability to understand, he really did, but in this, she just didn't seem like the right person either.

Just as that thought passed his mind, a rustling from within the bushes at the other side of the clearing caught Blue Eyes' attention and his body immediately tensed up. Who was it that so rudely came to interrupt him here, of all places? Could he not have just one moment of peace?

But his indignation at the intrusion was quickly forgotten once he saw who it was coming out of the bushes, a look of uncertainty clear in his bright, green eyes.

It was Orion.

All Blue Eyes' tensed muscles loosened at the sight of his long-time friend, who now stood awkwardly at the edge of the clearing, seemingly debating with himself whether it was alright to enter or not. The Ape Prince appreciated the consideration the younger adolescent showed and hooted encouragingly when icy blue orbs met forest green ones across the lush glade that was his mother's final resting place.

Orion would always be welcome here.

A soft smile appeared on his friend's features once he realised that he wasn't intruding, and he fully stepped out of the bushes to approach his fellow adolescent with respectful, tentative steps. Orion's gait had always been relaxed, yet purposeful, much like his adoptive human mother's, but right now, he seemed to step very lightly across the quiet clearing, almost as if he was afraid to disturb the peace here. This was something that Blue Eyes had always appreciated in his friend – his seemingly inherent ability to sense the mood in any situation and act accordingly, ever the peacekeeper.

This particular talent had broken up fights between the other ape children more than just a few times when they had been younger, and even back then, Blue Eyes had always marvelled at the ease with which Orion seemed to apply this skill.

The Ape Prince kept his eyes trained on the younger ape as he approached and scooted over on the huge root once Orion had crawled onto it to take a seat beside him. After that, they merely sat in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying the song of the birds and the rustling leaves above and around them as the oncoming storm continued to brew above.

To be honest, after a few minutes of this, Blue Eyes didn't think Orion was going to say anything and believed that he had merely come to enjoy the quiet as well, providing quiet comfort rather than words.

He had been wrong.

"It has not. Faded for me. Yet." Came a quiet, breathy voice beside the Ape Prince, who snapped his head from the scenery in front of them and back to his side, where he found his friend staring, not at Blue Eyes, like he had expected, but up at the symbol carved into his mother's tree. The symbol of the Royal Ape Family.

Orion had begun to speak way more frequently since Alex had become their friend, the human adolescent still being… less than proficient at signing, though it should be said that he tried very hard.

Blue Eyes stared at his friend with squinted, confused eyes, waiting for him to elaborate, and Orion directed his gaze back down to him with a serious look on his face.

"The… longing. Like something is. Missing… It has not. Gone away. For me either."

Just like that, Blue Eyes understood, and he felt his heart constrict within his chest, as if the aorta itself was wrapping around the beating muscle, trying to squeeze it into stillness. He quickly looked away from his friend as tears began prickling behind his blue orbs, his fists clenching once again atop his thighs.

"Sorry…" He heard from beside him almost immediately, the voice small and sincere.

It wasn't like he was mad at Orion for… whatever it was he was trying to do right now. Helping, probably, if the Ape Prince knew his friend well.

He just hadn't been prepared for it. At least that's what he told himself right now.

He had wanted someone to talk to about this – and, when he really thought about it now, who better than his childhood friend, who had experienced the same only a month and a half prior to himself?

They had spent almost every waking hour together since Koba's betrayal, though the only sensitive subject they had really discussed had been Ash's death. It was a pain they had had in common, whereas Orion's loss of his father had been… foreign to Blue Eyes, who hadn't known how to approach his friend about the subject to comfort him – true, he had thought Caesar had died after Koba had shot him, but in the end, he hadn't and thus, Blue Eyes hadn't had the chance to experience the… finality of it.

Still, thinking about it now – how alone Blue Eyes himself had felt with this pain then, and how alone he was with it now, he honestly felt terrible for not doing more. Being there more for his friend in this difficult time.

And Orion had taken it so well when Blue Eyes had been struggling to deal with his mother's sickness too.

With that in mind, a heavy sigh left Blue Eyes' lungs before he turned to face his friend once more, an equally apologetic expression on his own face.

"Don't be sorry." The Ape Prince replied in sign, his gestures subdued. He didn't want Orion to think he had been wrong for coming here. "I want to talk."

It seemed to brighten Orion's spirits a bit and the younger ape nodded at Blue Eyes in acceptance. Then, he tucked his lower lip between his blunted teeth, chewing on it as he chose his next words carefully. Blue Eyes didn't mind waiting.

"I think about Father. Every day… All the time. He is in my thoughts." Orion spoke softly as he folded his hands in front of him and diverted his gaze back to the scenery around the two of them. "Mother says. It will never go away. Not completely… The sorrow… And I think. She is right."

A lump formed in Blue Eyes' throat at the thought. He had suspected that when he had first felt the deep sense of loss claw at his heart.

"But… it gets easier. With time… It already has. For me… Just a little." The younger ape continued, reaching over to lay a heavy arm around Blue Eyes' shoulders.

It was hard to tell that there was an entire year between them nowadays. When they had been children, Orion had always been considerably smaller than Blue Eyes, Ash and even Lake, but now… now he was almost larger than the Ape Prince himself was, having caught up to his peers around a year or two ago. This fact was only underlined by the arm he had put around his friend's shoulders in such a brotherly fashion that Blue Eyes almost managed to crack a small smile.

"I hope you are right, Orion… I miss her very much… So much it hurts." Blue Eyes replied, growing sadder with each signed word. It really did hurt. A lot.

"It will do so. For a long time. I think." Orion spoke gently, understandingly, squeezing the Ape Prince's shoulder comfortingly. "I think for. A long time. It will feel… Like something is. Missing… A piece inside… One that makes you… you."

It was exactly how it felt.

Blue Eyes nodded solemnly and rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand, only now noticing the tears steadily trickling down his face.

"But it will help. To talk…. To remember. With someone else too." Orion spoke, offering his friend a pained, but no less sincere smile.

It was all too clear the younger ape was still very much affected by what had happened to his own father, which made Blue Eyes feel doubly guilty.

The Ape Prince drew a heavy, trembling sigh. Ever since he had discovered that his father had survived Koba's attempt at his life, it seemed like he had done nothing but apologize. To his father, for being such a stubborn, naïve child. To Lydia, for being so biased towards her when all she had ever done was care for him. To Ash, for not doing more to prevent his all-too-early death, though he knew his friend wouldn't ever be able to answer his pleas for forgiveness.

And now, he realised, Orion was next on his list.

"Orion… I am so sorry. I should have tried harder… To understand. To help. I should have said something…" The Ape Prince signed with jagged movements of his hands. He would have spoken the words to underline his sincerity, but Blue Eyes knew his disused voice wouldn't take the strain very well – especially not with the emotional state he was currently in.

"I have been a coward and a very bad friend. To Ash and to you." A raspy sob left his throat at that, and he briefly sucked in his lips to try and keep the tears at bay before raising his glossy, blue orbs to stare directly into Orion's own, bright green ones. "Please, can you forgive me?"

Orion seemed almost startled at his friend's words, staring back at Blue Eyes with his mouth slightly agape and widened, equally glossy eyes. It took a few seconds before he seemed able to even reply to his friend's pleas, and when he closed his eyes, shaking his head, Blue Eyes heart momentarily stopped until Orion began speaking.

"There is nothing. To forgive, Blue Eyes. It is a hard thing. To discuss… I do not blame you." He replied truthfully, his expression serious and imploring. "And we talked. About Ash already… He would never. Blame you either."

The arm still around Blue Eyes shoulders squeezed him yet again and shook him gently before it let go completely, and Orion moved his hand back to rest in his lap.

"You should stop. Blaming yourself… It will not help you. Or Caesar. Or Cornelia and Ash."

A soft smile found its way onto Blue Eyes features, despite the depressing subject of their conversation. Orion's words sounded very familiar to the older adolescent's ears.

"You sound like Lydia now." He raised an eyebrow at his childhood friend, offering him a crooked smile and a raised, inquisitive eyebrow.

The younger ape beside him mimicked his teasing expression at that and replied in a tone of mock-exasperation.

"Of course, I do. You always said. I am a 'Mommy's Boy'. Right?"

There was a brief moment after that utterance in which both adolescent chimps only stared at each other with growing smiles on their faces until, in the end, neither could hold back the laughter anymore and burst out into brief fit of chuckling huffs.

"Sorry about that as well." Blue Eyes managed to sign once they had both regained their composure.

Orion shrugged, still with that easy, playful smile on his face.

"I do not mind it… I suppose that. It is just. The truth."

An easy silence prevailed after that, the two childhood-friends merely enjoying the sounds of nature all around them, chirping birds, scurrying critters and buzzing insects alike. Blue Eyes had no idea how long they sat like that – it might have been hours, or it might have only been a few minutes.

It was the most comfortable silence Blue Eyes could ever remember experiencing and he was loath to be the one to break it, in all honesty.

But there was something he just had to say, and as he felt the first, tiny drops begin to fall onto his muzzle from the threateningly dark clouds looming above, he decided now was the right time.

"Orion..." The Ape Prince spoke out loud for the first time since the beginning of their conversation, his voice hoarse and breathy from disuse. It grabbed the younger ape's attention immediately, and he snapped his head towards Blue Eyes, his green gaze full of curiosity.

"Thank you."

Simple as they were, these two words, uttered with the utmost sincerity from the Ape Prince, had Orion's smile brighter than ever, and he nodded once in reply. He didn't need to say anything out loud – Blue Eyes knew what he meant. Knew that he was thanking him too, for letting him have this conversation with the Ape Prince.

And as the rain began pouring down and the two were forced to make their way back to the colony, Blue Eyes had to admit he felt immensely better, even if he hadn't done much talking at all. True, his heart still ached terribly, the empty void Mother's death had left inside of him still a painfully fresh and tender wound – but now, he had someone to share it with.

Someone who was going through exactly the same thing.

Someone he knew would always, always be willing to talk if need be.

And somehow, that fact alone seemed to make the whole world just a tiny bit brighter for the Ape Prince.