It's been eight years since the outbreak of the Simian Flu and it seemed as if things have begun to calm down. Wars have been fought, soldiers have died, and the population has dwindled significantly - everyone has suffered a loss and knew it needed to end. And, as we know, Haley wasn't unaffected. It's been years since she left her home, nothing and no one left to keep her there, and since then, her only goal has been survival, which has gotten easier and easier after the passing years. Back when the Flu was still the world's biggest problem, a casualty befell her city almost every week, whether it be by sickness of violence, and with every passing life, it became easier for her to find fresh food, the competition becoming less common. Today, she barely sees another human every six months or more, giving her free reign to eat whatever she pleased from the broken-windowed stores and personal greenhouses, but unfortunately, meat, fruits, and vegetables don't last forever or grows throughout the year, so she needed to take precautions and teach herself how to find alternatives. Thus, every few days, she climbed down her nest atop one of the apartment buildings, the only place she was able to find asylum from the rampaging people at the time, and scampered away from the city.
Slowly, Haley took a breath from where she stood atop the shallow cliff, one hand tightly wound around the center of a bow while two fingers elegantly pinched the feathers of a homemade arrow and pulled the bow's string to her cheek with great force. With her back straight and chest puffed, the powerful muscles in her shoulders, arms, and stomach pulled to where their outlines were clear, the fragile young body she once had long-since lost underneath her disheveled, nineteen-year-old figure. Unfortunately, redwood forests were dimly lit and dark, making it nearly impossible to spot the wildlife inside of it, not to mention that most of its furry creatures were nocturnal, but still she was able to hope. Below her, never so much as thinking of looking above its head, a Black-Tailed Deer foraged for its next tasty meal and remained ignorant to its observer. Taking another steady breath, careful not to make a sound, Haley paused with uncertainty of her aim before she finally let the string go, allowing the arrow to whip through the air with a blurring speed. The deer raised its head and it's ears perked up at the unsuspected sound, but it was too late – with a dull and ironically gentle jabbing sound, the deer fell to the mossy ground, birds screeching violently from above as they sped into the sky for safety.
Back when Haley finally realized the food was going to expire, she had set out to find something that would help her hunt, but she only ended up staring at the guns in stores with innocent, young, and fearful eyes for what felt like hours before she made her decision to focus on something a bit more... 'primitive'. Yet, it took her at least four years to teach herself how to hit a moving target with something as complicated as archery, and then another two years to master the technique. Even then, she waited until she was in dire need of food before she finally dared to go into Muir Woods, knowing exactly what, and who, claimed the property as their own.
Smiling proudly, Haley slid her bow and arrow back into the holster on her back before she jumped from the cliff and into the trees in front of her, swinging like an ape from branch to branch without any trouble, and made her way to the dying deer before she jumped back onto the forest floor, causing a painful wave of electricity to shoot up her bare feet, forcing a groan pass her lips. Still, she quickly moved to the animal's side and repeated the same process she's done too many times, swiftly pulling a blade from the strap around her leg and sliding the sharp steel into the animal's neck, putting it out of its misery with one slick motion. However, just as she was about to pick the small deer up from the ground, a loud crack interrupted her, and almost immediately she had her bow and arrow aimed again. She whisked around to where the sound came from, but no one and nothing was there to see; nevertheless, she kept her guard up. Torturously slow, she shifted on her knee, keeping her guard up, and looked around her, her own breathing loud in her ears while she searched for the cause to the alarming sound, but the farther she turned and the more she saw, the more she seemed to prolong those last few degrees. High above her head and leering down at her from in the trees, they began to grab her attention one by one. First there was one, but the farther she looked, the more they became; one, two, three, four, five, fifteen, twenty – she counted. She grew terrified underneath their painted scowls, even their wet and sweaty fur aiding in her terror, but nonetheless, her arm slacked on the string of her bow as she gulped. Staring into their apish faces and eyes, she knew she wouldn't be able to attack, even if her intent was to protect herself, not after her personal experience with their kind, but when she saw no familiar face in between their dozens, she made a choice she knew was dangerous: she shot to her feet and ran, slipping the bow and arrow back in their holster. She heard one of them scream before the leaves rustled violently around her, the sound staying on her heels no matter how far she ran. Closer and closer, they swung; it was only by luck that she soon reached another steep hill, compelling a grateful smile to her lips before she, once again, leaped into the air. She latched onto the branches and swung as fast as she could, but alas, something soon collided with her side, a powerful arm wrapping around her like a cage. For a moment, she thought she was reliving the memory of Caesar saving her from a deadly fall like he did so many times, but this theory shattered the very instant that it felt as if her ribs were being crushed by her savior's arm, making her grunt and writhe underneath the ape's hold – Caesar's nature was never so rough. Yet, she had a sinking feeling that he was the very ape they were taking her to for trespassing on their property, but it was hard to be sure from all the thrashing and tossing she was forced to go through mid-air, almost like a sack of potatoes, which made it impossible to even glimpse at their signing.
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