Cornelia makes faces and little cries of pain as she grabs her belly, it's definite, the baby is going to be born.
Kim is scared as she has no idea what to do in these cases, she was very young when Tarzan, Flynt and Akut were born and they took her out of the house when Ari was born, despite her efforts to want to help.
"Ok, lie down." Kim helps her lie down. "I'll go get help."
"Find Tinker and Caesar! Please!" Cornelia made an effort to sign.
"Yes, Yes." Kim runs out of the hut.
Se looks around and can't find Tinker and with many less apes, she was getting desperate because she was worried about Cornelia's pain, so she looks at Lake talking to Ari before the next class starts and runs towards them, they can surely help her.
"You mean that the first apes are in Africa and Asia?" Tinker asked, surprised.
"They are actually Old World Monkeys, but yes, there they are." Ari clArified while reviewing the book.
"And where are those two places?"
"Well, far away, it's the only thing I can tell you."
"Girls!" Kim runs towards them.
"Kim!" Ari quickly walks up to her. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Have you seen Tinker an Caesar?" seeing them desperate.
"No why? What happened?" Lake asked.
"Cornelia going to have your baby."
"What?!" Ari asked in surprise.
"My God, I just remembered that Lake and the obas were out today looking for medicinal plants." Lake said worried.
"And Caesar along with a group of apes went hunting." Ari said, a little annoyed to remember that they did not allow the female to accompany them
"Oh my God, what are we going to do?" Kim asked scared.
"Do not worry, I'll get to Tinker and the Obas, you two help Cornelia." Lake said.
"We?" Ari asked incredulously.
"Yes, ask for some hot water and wait for us." Lake is leaving quickly.
Ari looks at how Kim was scared, she couldn't deny that she was too since they have no idea what to do in these cases, much less Kim since she knows that they didn't let her participate in the birth of her brothers or hers.
"Calm down Kim." Ari grabs her shoulder. "Take care of Cornelia, I'll get hot water and tell Maurice not to wait for me at the next class and I'll catch up with you."
Kim nods and quickly runs back to Cornelia and Caesar's cabin while Ari goes for water.
Kim looks at Cornelia sitting up, gasping for air trying to resist the pain.
"It hurts me a lot". Cornelia signs. "It is more painful than the birth of Blue Eyes."
"From what I remember, through television, every pregnancy is different." Kim sits next to her. "Now inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale."
"Where are Tinker and Caesar?"
"Lake went looking for her and as for Caesar, he's still hunting." Kim responds trying not to sound scared, Cornelia lets out a little cry of pain. "Don't worry, he will be back."
"I managed to get some water." Ari walks over quickly, sits down on the other side of Cornelia and puts down the water bottle. "Maurice will take care of the class alone."
"Perfect, now what do we do?" Kim asked nervously but Ari shrugs.
"I want my husband with me."
"I know, take it easy Cornelia." Kim grabs her hand.
"Didn't any of this appear on the TV shows you watch?" Ari asked.
"Only the first steps, at the time of delivery they always skipped it."
"Ok, use those first steps."
"She's already doing it." Kim blows Cornelia air. "Easy, think that in a few moments you will have your baby in your arms."
Cornelia lets out another cry of pain.
"Ok, think about that and think that you are putting in their place all those apes including your husband that women need more freedom and show that we are better than them." Ari said and Cornelia slowly calms down. "It worked." pride
"What happened that made you so angry to say that?" Kim raises an eyebrow.
"I'll tell you later."
"Come on, quick!" Lake enters quickly followed by Tinker and the Obas. "Luckily I found them when they were coming back."
"How are you feeling Cornelia?" Tinker asks
Cornelia lets out another cry of pain.
"Does that answer your question?" Ari asks sarcastically.
"We didn't know what else to do, we blew air into it and it inhaled and exhaled." Kim said nervously.
"You did well, take it easy Kim." Tinker grabs her shoulder. "They did very well, Cornelia is not very dilated." look at Ari. "Good to see you here Ari, I see you did a good job too."
"What else can we do?" Ari asked. "Cornelia wants her husband to be here."
"We know, that's how she was at the birth of Blue Eyes, she didn't give birth until Caesar arrived."
"But that is dangerous!" Kim said scared.
"Don't worry, we brought a mixture of medicine to help her ease the pain." Lake approaches with a plate.
"It's not dangerous?" Ari asked, unsure.
"No, it is the best to reduce the pain." Tinker touches Cornelia's forehead and makes some noises.
Kim and Ari followed Tiker's orders and helped with the delivery, after almost two hours the time came and Cornelia began to push, although she insisted that she wanted to wait for her husband.
"Very good Cornelia, you are doing very well." Kim said while putting a wet cloth on Cornelia's forehead. "Already arrived?" she looks at Lake and she denies. "Damn!"
Lake beckons to Ari as he walks away and she moves closer, moving a little away from Cornelia, Kim and the Obas.
"Something must have happened, they must have returned by now." Lake signed, concerned.
"Do not say that." Ari whispered. "Surely they were delayed or had a setback, something can always happen during the hunt."
"I don't remember that it took so long, the baby already wants to be born, but knowing Cornelia, she doesn't want her baby to be born without her having Caesar present." Lake looks at Cornelia with concern.
"My mother told me the same thing, that she did not want my father to be absent at my birth or that of his brothers." Ari folded her arms in concern. "I'd better go find them."
"No, no," Lake says with difficulty and grabs her arm. "The forest is very big, and you don't know it, you can get lost."
"If they don't come the baby can die." Ari whispered looking worried at Cornelia. "I have to go, you guys try to get Cornelia to go through with the delivery." leaving the hut.
Ari leaves quickly but stops when she sees Caesar, Blue Eyes and the rest of the apes entering the village, she sighs in relief as they returned just in time.
"Caesar!" Ari approaches quickly, Caesar turns to see her and when he sees her worried face he approaches "Caesar, your wife is giving birth now."
Caesar looks at his hut and quickly climbs the tree, Ari turned to see Blue eyes and is surprised to see him hurt.
"What happened?" Ari gets closer to get a better look at his injuries.
"A bear." responds crestfallen.
"Oh my God." Ari kept seeing the wound, they were from claws, luckily they weren't deep since if they were, now he would be dead. "You were lucky."
"You call this luck?"
"Yes, because surely you would now be dead." Ari raises an eyebrow, Blue Eyes is silent because he knows that she is right. "You have to go to your parents' hut, your mother is giving birth."
Blue Eyes nods and goes up to the cabin, followed by Ari, they both stop when they hear a baby cry. They look at each other and slowly enter the cabin and see Cornelia hugging a little baby ape, Caesar next to her and Kim, Lake, Tiker and Obas next to them.
"Come meet your new brother." Caesar looks at Blue Eyes.
Blue Eyes does not say anything and slowly approaches, Ari looks at the baby, she had never seen one in her life and the scene seemed very beautiful. She imagined her parents at her birth and that of her siblings, she was sure that if they were alive they would have had another baby.
Kim looks at the scene with a smile but then looks worried at Blue Eyes, slowly approaching Ari.
"What happened?" whisper.
"A bear attacked him." Ari responds while still watching the scene. "Never in my life did I think I would see such a beautiful scene." smiling.
"You know, I don't remember the birth of Tarzan and Flynt, but I do remember Akut and yours." Kim smiles. "You two were so small and fragile and beautiful."
Ari smiles while watching the scene, she did not know why but the hatred towards her species diminished just by seeing the baby, surely for the moment but for some reason, she did not feel any hatred towards the little one if not an extreme affection.