Ch. 18 You and I
Marahan was deep in the forest, reclining on top of a large boulder after having just finished bathing under a lake in a nearby clearing.
The young woman was wrapped in a long grizzly brown pelt that acted as a makeshift towel.
Her spear rested an inch from her as a safeguard from unknown dangers.
She heaved in exhaustion from the last three days of heavy lifting. That was how long it took for Caesar to get the colony back in working order.
This gave the colony time to come to terms with their current situation at the same time prepare everyone for an upcoming war.
Marahan's fingers fidgeted at the mention of the war.
The many females of the colony were forced to once again relinquish a male member of their family for a cause that could have been prevented.
The thought still burned her up inside.
Koba's actions were bad enough to drag the colony into war, but to add insult to injury Koba's followers disappeared right after his death.
All of them were gone, with the exception of Grey who realigned his loyalty to Caesar after seeing Koba's true colors.
Rumors circulated that the traitors were seeking refuge in the abandoned homes in the city to escape punishment from Caesar, their allegiance still lingering with the dead bonobo.
The apes wondered what would become of them once the soldiers reached their shores.
It didn't matter they will not be accepted back after attempting to kill both Caesar and Cornelia.
From Lake and some of the other females, she heard Koba wanted to dispatch the Ape Queen because of her influence.
The queen was the guiding light for the females and young. Similar to the king, the queen's words were law.
If she didn't approve of something, then the colony wouldn't approve.
When Caesar was shot, Queen Cornelia condemned Koba's reign and his actions toward humans.
In retaliation, Red was commanded to get rid of the queen.
What the gorilla didn't anticipate were the females to rise and defend their ruler.
Red was chased back to the human compound and remained there.
As soon as Malcolm disappeared, Caesar separated the colony in groups. Each group was given tasks that were to be completed within three days.
The group Caesar assigned Marahan to was led by Rocket.
They were in charge of locating a hiding place to shelter the females and young.
Earlier the council held a meeting to create a map with landmarks to properly establish where the battle would take place. Marahan was able to assist in filling certain gaps, thanks to the geography books Ellie bequeathed to her.
Maurice, Tinker, and Cornelia drew in the lines and markers, while Caesar, Luca, Blue Eyes and Rocket talked about the different areas of the forest and the city.
When the map was finished, Caesar guided Rocket and Marahan forward pointing to the markers that were potential sites for war.
"We need a safe place to keep our families. Must be far enough to hide from soldiers. Must have plenty of water and fresh game."
Rocket grunted in agreement with Caesar's orders.
"What about a waterfall?" Marahan asked as everyone stopped what they were doing to look at the human woman.
"Four years ago, during a hunting trip, I got lost in the woods. I came across a large clearing with mountainous ranges connected to a waterfall. There were fish, deer and other small animals living there. In my curiosity, I found an opening. Inside I found several caves and passageways. I didn't expect to find such a place!"
Caesar stared at Marahan, not knowing what to say.
By how the female described the hideout under the waterfall it seemed too good to be true.
"She speaks the truth father. Marahan, Ash, Lake and I went on a hunting trip with Rocket and Tinker. Marahan sneaked out that night and returned by morning. I was the only one who noticed her gone. When she returned, Marahan told me about the hideout. Marahan, Ash and I planned to go, but the storm came, and we had to return to the colony." Blue Eyes said.
Maurice frowned after hearing Blue Eyes' account of the hideout, his disappointed gaze bearing into his daughter.
He recalled that hunting trip, the ape couldn't go because he unexpectedly got sick. Rocket took his spot along with Tinker.
The reason Maurice was upset because the young ones were only twelve at the time and couldn't be by themselves.
Knowing his vulnerable and not yet trained daughter sneaked out in the middle of the night, did not sit well with him.
Anything could have happened that night if she hadn't found her way back.
Maurice saw Marahan punch the prince's arm for revealing the truth, but it convinced Caesar that the hiding spot was real.
"Marahan, lead Rocket and the rest of your group to the waterfall. The rest of you will stay here and go to your assigned groups. Luca take the gorilla guard to the city and gather all our fallen to the forest. We will have their burials tomorrow afternoon. Blue Eyes and I will start training the army, Tinker and my queen will forage."
After Caesar's speech, all the apes dispersed, hurrying to fulfill their obligations as none of them knew when the human soldiers were arriving and when they came their army needed to be ready.
Remarkably, Marahan was able to find the trail to the hideout.
She allowed Rocket and the group to survey the clearing before venturing inside the mountain.
Rocket separated the apes into pairs to examine the space thoroughly and with haste. The ape was exhausted and wanted the job completed. Marahan chose to stay with Rocket, while the others blissfully went their merry way.
The reason for the ape's behavior was the recurring realization of his son's passing.
Just yesterday, while sorting through the rubble of what used to be their colony, Rocket and Tinker found one of Ash's spears.
Tinker broke down as she held the spear tenderly in her hands.
It was Ash's first spear he ever made as a child.
The tip was misshapen, the pole painted with a red, yellow and blue mark.
The marks were not just premature paintings, each symbol represented his friends. The red was Marahan, the yellow was Ash and the blue was for Blue Eyes.
Blue Eyes and Marahan stood nearby helplessly watching Tinker and Rocket. Their gaze to the spear that was now another precious reminder of their beloved friend.
Ash's absence still left a whole in Marahan's heart. There was one thing she could do to honor his memory and that was to look after his family.
Hence, why she chose to stay with Rocket rather than venture with the rest of the group.
Like his mate, the male was nevertheless mourning his son's loss.
He endured by keeping himself busy on other tasks, which explained his eagerness to see Marahan's hideout.
The human woman observed the chimpanzee as he inspected the entrances. To her surprise, the ape wasn't too critical of the layout.
"How many miles is it to the city from our current location?" Rocket asked admiring the rock formations.
"Three to four miles, the nearest forest clearing is a mile from here and is large enough to build a fort for the army," Marahan stated touching the wall of the tunnels she and Rocket had discovered.
"Caesar's main concerns is the capacity and how far it will be from the battlefield. When war happens, females and young must be as far away as possible." Rocket replied narrowing his eyes to the ceiling of the tunnel looking for any weakened spots.
"Yes, but our king also wants the shelter to be close by for the ape army to easily find. I don't know about you, but this seems perfect." Marahan muttered as the rest of their group rejoined them.
Each ape gave a positive report on the caverns.
It turns out the caves outnumbered the apes in the colony.
They were impressed with the waterfall and the river below that would quench their thirst, provide fish and their basic need for cleanliness.
The forest surrounding the waterfalls was vast, teeming with animals for hunting. There were plenty of plants for herbs and leaves for building nest.
The apes chattered among themselves excited to move into this new area. They congratulated and praised Marahan for finding it.
"Yes, I admit this is a good find. Let us hope Caesar thinks so as well." Rocket said patting Marahan on her shoulder, then leading the group out of the caves.
When they returned to the apes, Rocket met with the king giving him a good report about the new hideout.
Caesar nodded at the information and went with Rocket to their horses, so he could see the place with his own eyes.
Marahan went to look for Blue Eyes, she needed to talk to him about their current relationship.
The night Blue Eyes asked Marahan to be his mate, the human woman asked Ellie some advice on human courtship rituals.
From Alex, she learned what a kiss was between couples and Blues Eyes already initiated the kiss to profess his feelings and propose.
According to Ellie, this symbolized their engagement to be married/mates.
In the human custom, her and Blue Eyes needed to have a ceremony to officially proclaim their intentions to the other apes.
Marahan felt her fingers twitch and nearly screamed.
Caesar, Cornelia, and Maurice had yet to be informed that their children were in love and wanted to be mates.
She didn't know how they would react let alone begin planning a ceremony when everyone was preparing to move.
Apes didn't do mating ceremonies.
If two apes wanted to be mates, they would confess their feelings, do the deed, then tell Caesar who would proclaim their mating to the colony.
The human woman never desired to have a ceremony until she connected with other humans, now having a wedding was what she wanted to share with Blue Eyes.
Her heart fluttered when Marahan found him talking to Maurice and Luca.
The girl walked over to a pond to look at her reflection. Quickly, she dusted her pelts and fluffed her hair for good measure.
Taking a breath, Marahan walked toward the apes.
When she was within their sights, Blue Eyes ended the conversation and moved from the apes back to the army. Luca smiled at the young woman before going to rejoin the guard for a meeting.
She paused, confused until Maurice approached his daughter.
"I need to talk with Blue Eyes," Marahan said as her father looked in the prince's direction. He was busy drilling the young apes, by having them run laps around the trees.
"He appears busy. You may see him later. Right now, Tinker and Lake need your help with injured apes." Maurice replied rubbing his daughter's back in comfort.
"Yes, father. I will see to it." Marahan hurried into the forest to find Lake and Tinker.
Around evening when the meal was being served, Caesar announced that apes would be moving to their new colony within two days.
The apes were happy to hear it and were already prepared to leave.
As Marahan ate, she caught a glimpse of her fiancée in heavy conversation with his parents and felt forlorn.
Blue Eyes always sat with the human female during meals and to have him not even acknowledge her after training the army was unusual.
Marahan slowly lost her appetite and excused herself, explaining to Maurice that she was exhausted and walked to her temporary nest.
Sleep didn't come easily thanks to her worry, but it was eased when a solution was found.
"I will ask Cornelia about Blue Eyes tomorrow," Marahan muttered allowing her eyes to shut.
The next day, everyone prepared to make tracks.
Nests were dismantled, guards were on alert for dangers and families were gathered together to mourn the loss of their loved ones.
Every ape that lost their lives during Koba's reign were buried in a secluded clearing in the forest. The colony surrounded the site leaving flowers near their graves.
There were tears among many apes as they spoke of how fondly their loved one touched their lives. The most tears were shed by the council as they gathered to honor Ash.
They stood outpouring love for Tinker and Rocket as they set Ash's spear next to his grave.
All of the council took turns saying goodbye, Marahan and Blue Eyes farewells were complex.
Ash was so dear to the human and ape, they couldn't bear to leave the grave even after all the apes went to sleep for the night.
It took coaxing from Maurice and Caesar to get them away from Ash's grave. Marahan laid a kiss on the stone, while Blue Eyes touched his spear for the last time before they went with their respective parent.
Marahan was hoping to speak with the Ape Queen, but it was too late to do so.
On the day of the move, Caesar took the lead on his horse, his queen and Cornelius seated behind him as they moved the colony out.
Marahan rode with Maurice once again going into the old routine of ignoring her fiancée, who was acting strange and avoiding her.
It took a long while, but when they finally reached the hideout the ape families went inside the mountain to pick a cave and build their nests.
Caesar and his family chose a large grotto behind the waterfall. Maurice found a cavern for him and Marahan next door to Rocket and Tinker's cave.
Within a few hours, everyone had chosen a cave and all the nests were built.
Slowly the colony returned to normality, apes went about their day doing daily tasks and exploring their new home.
Marahan at this point tried to find Cornelia, but the queen was extremely busy along with Tinker, Rocket, Luca, Caesar, and Maurice. She assumed the apes were after settling in.
The woman didn't bother to check on Blue Eyes and so decided to go off on her own, where she found a private lake for bathing.
Marahan scratched her arm from the itchiness of the grizzly pelt and yawned. It was time to venture back to the colony.
She slid off the boulder grabbing her spear when a rustle of leaves caught her attention.
Marahan pointed the spear in front of her aiming it toward some bushes, only to find nothing there.
The woman didn't let her guard down, someone was out here watching her.
Marahan moved around quietly until a loud thump was heard behind her and she aimed the spear an inch from the stranger's chest.
"It's only me."
The female human shoved the ape's legs with the spear sending him flat on his back as she growled.
"What are doing here Blue Eyes? Aren't you busy like the rest of the council?" Marahan said tracking the marks on the weapon with her thumb.
"Maurice told me you were out here. I came to apologize and to tell you there is a reason for my actions." Blue Eyes said slowly getting to his feet.
Marahan rolled her eyes, she wasn't wrong there was a pattern with Blue Eyes behavior, similar to when Koba was alive.
"Blue, you acted like this when I tried to warn you about Koba's influence. This can't be a consistent cycle between us not anymore since we are-…"
"Engaged." Blue Eyes finished taking her hands, admiring the calloused palms. "I know, that day you went to find the hideout with Rocket, I talked with Ellie. She gave me advice on how to proceed with our relationship. Afterward, I told Maurice and my parents the truth about us."
"You told them about our engagement!" Marahan yelled shocked that her father already knew and didn't bother to say anything.
Maurice made everything seem normal, but it wasn't when he would soon have to give his little girl away.
"I thought it was fair since I proposed first, and I should have been honest with my feelings earlier." Blue Eyes said holding Marahan in his arms."I have a surprise for you, but you have to be properly prepared."
Marahan wanted to question Blue Eyes, but the ape was pushing her toward the same bushes the rustling came from a few minutes ago. This time, Lake and a female gorilla known as Lily appeared.
Lily was a young caramel brown gorilla; her mate Winter was part of the gorilla guard and she was heavily pregnant with their baby.
She along with Lake carried small coconut shells filled with paints and Marahan's wolf pelt.
"What is this?" Marahan asked as her fiancée kissed her forehead.
"You will see." Blue Eyes said disappearing into the woods, leaving the females alone.
The chimpanzee and gorilla changed Marahan from the bear pelt to the silver wolf. They painted her face carefully with blue markings and put her hair in a decorative bun.
Lake placed small blue flowers along the bun, while Lily crowned Marahan's head with a wolf tooth necklace that shined in the moonlight.
When they were finished, the females allowed Marahan to look at herself in the pond.
The human woman was in awe at her appearance, the pelt highlighted her curves and the paint made her eyes brighter.
"Can you two at least tell me what's happening?" Marahan asked, but the girls giggled handing her a large array of flowers.
Lake and Lily led Marahan down the path leading to the colony when they arrived the woman was shocked to see all the apes outside waiting for her.
They stood in two rows making a path that moved to Caesar, Blue Eyes and Alex standing in front of a tall group of trees.
Lake and Lily walked down the path and stood in the front where Marahan saw the council, Malcolm and Ellie.
"Daughter." She turned toward Maurice who extended his arm. "Shall we?"
"You knew?" Marahan asked as they walked toward the Ape king and prince.
"Blue Eyes asked for my blessing and I helped him plan the ceremony. We were able to get Caesar's permission for Malcolm, Ellie, and Alex to be here."
Marahan was nearly in tears, she couldn't believe Blue Eyes and her friends did this for her.
She wiped her tears as Maurice's arm was replaced by Blue Eye's hands intertwined with her own as Caesar spoke.
"As a colony, we are gathered here for a special ceremony to join my son, Prince Blue Eyes to our secondary general, Marahan. As children, I watched their friendship grow into genuine love and am proud that my son has opened his heart. Blue Eyes, do you take Marahan as your mate?"
"I do." The prince said not hesitating with his speech. He loved Marahan and wanted the entire colony to know.
"And do you Marahan take Blue Eyes to be your mate?" the Ape king asked awaiting the bride's response.
"We have been through a lot together. Blue Eyes is stubborn, brave and is sometimes naïve, but he loves me, and I am not ashamed to say I love him and will love him as long as I live. I am proud to call him my mate." Marahan proclaimed.
Her speech touched the hearts of the apes and Cornelia nearly cried at her words.
Blue Eyes took her hand and slipped a ring on her finger. It was a silver band with blue and red paint designs, representing their union.
"Bearing witness in front of friends and family, I proclaim you mates. I present to you, Crown Prince Blue Eyes and Crown Princess Marahan of the Ape colony."
Cheers echoed through the forest and the apes celebrated the union feasting in their new home. Blessings and good wishes were given to the newly mated pair including a few gifts.
Marahan during the party embraced Ellie, Malcolm and Alex. Thanking them for attending the ceremony and wishing them safe travels as she bid the family goodbye.
After the party ended, everyone went to bed with full bellies and sweet dreams. The newly mated couple retreated to the top of the mountainside to admire the stars in the night sky.
Marahan and Blue Eyes held each other tightly leaning closer until their lips met in a tender kiss.
The new princess giggled as the prince leaned in for more only to be stopped by his new bride, who placed the wolf tooth necklace around his neck.
"Think of this as my gift of devotion. I will never take the ring off and you never take the necklace off." Marahan whispered.
Blue Eyes' response was to kiss his mate and carry her bridal style to their cave.
"I love you and no matter what happens with this war. I will always be with you."
"Love you too Blue," Marahan muttered kissing him back.
For now, there was peace within the colony and in the back of her mind, Marahan hoped it would last.
Thank you all for reading the first story in the Marahan series and all the reviews I have received, it is because of your continued support I was able to write these stories.
Thank you again and I hope to see you for the sequel, Finding Peace During War and my alternative story, A Traitor's Reprieve.