Haley was still dumbfounded by Blue Eyes' unexpectedly sweet and comforting words, even after he escorted her all the way back to the village, but as she sat with him on the fallen tree beside the rocky outcrop at the center of the fort, she realized he didn't deny the fact that she was human, like those he wanted his father to banish – he may be unaware, but he said she was family, a human sibling. The notion sounded ridiculous to even her, and while she swayed weakly in her spot from exhaustion and wounded disorientation and he kept catching her when she threatened to fall asleep, the ridiculousness amplified. "You say I am family," She spoke up and wasn't surprised when Blue Eyes gave her a confused look – after all, it had been more than an hour since he brought it up – compelling her to pause for him to catch up, his puzzled frown fading as an indication that he knew what she was referring to.
"—and friend." He confirmed and added in the hand language Maurice had taught him when he was a child. That, Haley knew all too well he acknowledged her as – since she arrived at the village, Ash and Blue Eyes were the two apes she enjoyed spending her time with, even if only to have some random fun. The blue eyed ape is mischievous and disobedient and Haley pitied Caesar in that regard, and she had a suspicion that his reason for approaching her was initially to rebel against the others, but now she treasured their friendship immensely. Ash was still his closest companion, but she couldn't blame him for it – Ash was just as dear to her as Rocket, both impossibly understanding, kind, and moral, even if the youngest was a bit troublesome as well.
"I'm still human." She explained; there was no distain or anger in her voice, just the expression of fact and the desperation for him to understand, though his returning frown said otherwise, "I am human and you consider me a friend, not to mention family, so how come you can't even consider than other humans could be like me, too? Koba has a hatred for all humans and crave for their death, and although you mindlessly agree, you were worried when he hurt me, weren't you?" He gibbered, irritated, and looked away to avoid the truth, but still she carried on, dropping to a whisper when she saw apes starting to return through the gates, "Why did you accept me and why are Ellie, Malcolm, Foster, and Kemp so different?" She hesitated, "Honestly, I am asking because I need to know more than you do..." She was tired of trying to figure out where she belonged most: with humans or with apes.
Still, her confession only bought her a concerned look from the prince, making her divert her gaze hastily. Reality was, she was also terrified for the young ape, and seeing Koba skulk through the village ahead of her with scowls following him closely after everyone heard about what happened in the warehouse, it made her all the more worried. She knew Koba was manipulating Blue Eyes on every chance he seemed to get, enforcing a hatred of the humans into the young ape's head – it was obvious after the way Blue Eyes had been behaving for the last few days and Haley was growing desperate to stop it. Whether Koba did it deliberately or not, she wasn't sure, but it didn't matter. She needed to put an end to it, and when she spotted Caesar entering the village and heading over, she knew she had to do it quickly, especially with an inkling growing inside her that things are only going to get worse tomorrow. "Tell me," She continued, eyes following the ape king closely to make sure she doesn't speak within earshot, "why do you think Koba hurt me?"
"Was angry," Blue Eyes signed immediately and briskly, determined to make her see his reasons – he didn't want Haley to hate Koba forever, not with how guilty the bonobo looked when he saw what he did, "Thought you were another human – thought you were going to hurt him like they did back in human village – was afraid." To him, everything he said made perfect sense and satisfied him, and he knew they would have persuaded him to recognize Koba's point of view, but a sudden lack of confidence fell on him when her expressionless and unreadable face didn't change – only a dead stare studied his father as the ape approached them in what felt like a snail-like pace.
"Then why did he hurt me many times before?"
A suddenly rush of cold air hit Blue Eyes' lungs, his breath blocked in his throat behind a rough and scratchy lump, his body frozen stock-still. He couldn't have heard right, he tried convincing with himself, but as he stared at his friend, his eyes flickering over her shaved temples and the braid of blonde locks that marked a line down the middle of her head, he found himself wondering if the stitched scar on the other side of his view was as bad as he remembers and if Koba could have really done something like that to her before. And Haley could clearly see what was going through his head when she glanced his way; it wasn't surprising – Blue Eyes seemed to have a blind respect for her mate.
"I'm with him because he raped me, Blue." She confessed with a tactless nickname and openly cringed, the words leaving a bitter and sickening taste on her tongue after being said for the first time, as if reality only dawned on her then. Though, she didn't have much time to process or regret her admission before she interrupted. "And if you tell your father this, I will murder you without hesitance. That's the one truth I can't allow him to know." She snarled under her breath – she knew she'd never be able to hurt him, but the tremble he gave made it clear that he at least understood her need for secrecy, making her calm again, even if just to tremble herself under a sudden rage vibrating off her friend. Looking to her side again, she saw the chimp's face contorted with burning fury, his eyes drilling into Koba in front of him, but quickly she placed a tender touch to his shoulder and his tensed body slacked, his glower falling to watch her with a new sense of sympathy and worry – she wanted to mention how his scowl made him resemble his father like a mirror, but she knew it wasn't the time. "I didn't tell you this to make you feel sorry for me, nor to hate Koba." She explained curtly, glimpsing at Caesar's still-growing figure as it grew dangerously close, "I just need you to think of that the next time you think Koba is without flaw."
Blue Eyes hesitated, anger still strong in the depth of his soul, but despite the urge to pummel his father's close friend, if he still was that, and his fist clenching painfully, he nodded stiffly against his will, just in time for his father to reach them, both of them thinking he seems unsettled. "Son," He grunted out warily, and in that single word, Blue Eyes knew what he was there to talk about – the look Caesar gave him was the same one as in the warehouse—and the fact that Haley shifted away, feeling out of place, only succeeded in proving his suspicion. He must be there to talk about the fact that he was allowing the humans to work again, and to discuss the fact that Blue Eyes was against it.
Making Caesar bemused for a few seconds, Blue Eyes looked away to study his human friend for a while, eyes narrowing as he tried to sense if she was telling the truth. Was Koba really capable of such a thing, even towards his own mate, he wondered. Somehow, he knew Haley wouldn't lie, and that fact made Blue Eyes uneasy. He knew Haley would never harm an ape, she'd kill herself before doing such a thing, so he's always loathed all humans except for her, but Koba seemed to crave for her hurt as well… so was the bonobo's hate really as blind as his father was trying to tell him it was?
Blue Eyes could still not understand everything Caesar did in the humans' defense, but he will surely open himself to the words of Haley and the ape king a lot more now, not wanting to be as blind as Koba supposedly is. Shutting his eyes, he took a breath before peering back up at Caesar. "It alright, father." He signed with obvious uncertainty, but was immediately comforted by the hint of a satisfied smile pulling at Caesar's blunt and dry lips, though his gold-flecked eyes moved to Haley. Blue Eyes knew his father must have realized Haley had spoken to him and explained things, and his urge to tell him what she said pushed like bile against his throat, but with it came her warning and the persuasion to resist the pull – he prefers living longer.
"Need… place… to sleep." A deep and rumbly voice suddenly interrupted and grabbed everyone's attention, Haley's most of all. Everyone could see how her face lit up like a child's when she saw Maurice. "Can sleep with me; can wake Haley every two hours like Ellie said to." Maurice offered with an explanation, even if they all knew it was only because she shouldn't live with Koba in his hut for the next few days, if ever again. "Grabbed coat already." He added before holding up the familiar bear-skin pelt, which Haley took without a second's pause. To the rescue as always, Haley thought with overwhelming gratitude while pulling the large piece of clothing back around her body – it was still a bit damp, but she could live with that, mainly because of the growing chill in the darkening sky, the warm sun seemingly abandoning her. "Thank you, Maurice." She thanked as an acceptance of his kind proposal. Despite her fear for the first night without Koba in two years, she was almost excited to be able to snuggle back into Maurice's warmth and long, orange hair, just like her first few weeks in the village. No embrace is a comforting as his fatherly one.
Making herself comfortable on the large stump again, she motioned for the orangutan to join her, patting the wood surface opposite her from Blue Eyes, and he took his place without complaint – it was his spot most of the time anyway. Still, while everyone prepared for the night's meal, Maurice's eyes kept glancing to Haley's newest blemish, until finally, he said something that drew an unwillful and oddly-timed fit of laughter from the female:
Hair looks good.
At least he was able to hear her laugh again, even if it was because she found his comment amusing – it felt like months since she bellowed with the pleasant sound. He didn't quite understand what made his words so funny, though, because he meant it: the style made her appear to be the warrior he knew she was, despite her submission to Koba.
Particularly proud of this one, but who knows, you guys might not feel the same, so sorry if that's the case. Either way, remember to comment again! The last two chapters got so much heat that I literally squalled, so thank you all so much! And they were all so sweet... Seriously, you are all the sweetest things in the world! LOVE YOU AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL~!
