Dusting themselves off, Maurice and Rocket looked above themselves.
"We don't want to dig too much. The human soldiers will start noticing the holes," Maurice informed with Rocket nodding and grunting in agreement.
"Help!"
The two apes jumped at the sudden loud voice of someone calling and leaned down quickly, picking up their respective flashlights before shining them down the tunnel. To their surprise, they saw Bad Ape frantically running down the dark corridor, arms flailing about in a hysterical manner.
"Help! Help!" Bad Ape said loudly as he finally paused to catch his breath.
Maurice tilted his head and observed the lanky chimpanzee over before he noticed that the girl was not with him. His beady green eyes searched the surroundings for any sign of the child, but she was nowhere to be found. A look of concern grew upon the orangutan's face before he met Bad Ape's eyes, needing to know what had become of the child.
"Where is she? What's become of her?
As if already knowing what Maurice was thinking, Bad Ape cleared his throat and shook his head desperately.
"She go! She-" Bad Ape started but then caught himself. "Come! Come! No time, come!" he wheezed as he led the way.
Without another word between them, Maurice and Rocket quickly followed Bad Ape back down the tunnels. Once they had exited the dark pit, Bad Ape led them to the edge of the outcropped rocks and pointed a finger at the uncompleted wall before turning back to face them while throwing his hands up on either side.
"She go in!" Bad Ape announced.
Maurice froze in shock as he grasped at what Bad Ape was saying, even as he struggled to understand why the child would do such a thing. Turning to look at Rocket, Maurice could see that the bulky chimp appeared equally stunned by the news from Bad Ape. Maurice knew well that his friend had not grown as attached to the child as he had while on their journey, but even so, Rocket understood the severity of the situation.
That the girl was now in danger too.
Reaching out, Maurice had then snatched the binoculars from Bad Ape and turned them toward the wall, where the human soldiers were working through the dark of the night to secure the heavy artillery in place.
"W-what you see?" Bad Ape asked curiously.
Through the binoculars, Maurice could see that the humans were hoisting rocket launchers and machine guns up the wall. The searchlights, instead of slowly shining down on the camp as they usually did, were all concentrated on the soldiers, to assist them in their labors. Intent on the arduous operation that they were doing, Maurice could see that none of the human soldiers appeared to notice as the girl entered the camp, undetected.
Dropping the binoculars within his hands, Maurice could not believe the child's luck.
"What happened?" Bad Ape asked.
…
Koba had watched desperately as they dragged Caesar away from him and tossed the ape leader into a cage that was several feet away from them, isolated from the other apes. As much as it pained him to see the disgusting humans and ape traitors treating Caesar as such, he was just glad to see that they had not harmed him much more than they already have.
At least he was okay… for now, Koba thought, and that was enough for him.
Koba had then rounded his indignant glare back upon the humans and turncoats as they marched away in the dark, leaving them to the cold of the night. Watching them take their leave, Koba then slowly let his gaze fall back to where Caesar was, who simply just laid there in his cage, not moving a single muscle. Koba opened his mouth to call out to his friend, but thought better of it and simply closed his jaw back up.
Caesar needs as much rest he could be offered, after what he's been through. If this was the moment that Caesar should get that, then Koba was going to let the ape leader have that in peace.
Koba knew naught of how long he stayed silent, once they had moved Caesar. However long it was though, it was long enough that a bit of light rain started to fall from the sky, showing his already freezing body with more cold. If he gets any colder, Koba was sure that he himself might not make it through the night. Sleep and wakefulness eluded him as he hovered in a semiconscious daze, dreading whatever the Colonel and his soldiers had plans for all of them. Closing his eyes, Koba couldn't help but shudder at the thought while trying to ease his mind.
Just as he was drifting off again, Koba felt soft small fingers touching his face. Puzzled, Koba was confused as to what or who was touching him. Opening up his eyelids slowly, Koba had then looked up and was surprised to see the human girl standing there, gazing at him with a worried expression on her petite face.
"What?" Koba gasped.
Baffled by the girl's sudden appearance, Koba wondered to himself if he were seeing things or dreaming. Looking around anxiously he saw no one else there, just the girl. Letting his gaze wander on over to Caesar's cage, he could see the chimpanzee, half laying down and looking back at them, clutching the child's little doll in his hands. Curiously, letting his eyes wander back toward the girl in front of him, Koba then knew that she was really here, looking at him with sad blue eyes.
How was it possible? Where did she come from? How did she get past the patrols?
Koba had wanted to ask the little girl how and why she was here, or ask where Maurice, Rocket and that other chimp was. However, no matter what he would have asked of her, Koba knew that the girl couldn't answer him, even if she wanted to. For some reason, the child was afflicted with something that had taken away her capacity to speak, much like the soldiers that they had found while they were trailing after the Colonel. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to have any effect on the apes, which was a good thing at least. While they both were looking at one another, Koba had broken eye contact as something crossed his mind and he looked around himself quickly.
Where was Maurice, Rocket and Bad Ape? Koba wondered to himself quickly.
If the little girl was here, then most likely the others were close by. Hadn't Caesar tell them to flee though? Or listened to Koba himself when he told them to stay so that he could bring their friend back? So, why was the girl out here all by herself? He glanced around once more just to make sure, but like before, saw no sign of his friends and allies. Koba then quizzically looked at the girl and was astonished when she turned to look at both him and Caesar while sliding a finger down her neck, tentatively mimicking the sign Maurice had tried to teach her before.
Thirsty? She signed.
Koba blinked once and was quite dumbfounded by the child's query. He knew that Maurice had tried to teach the girl how to sign but thought that it was to no avail, only seeing it as a waste of time and effort on the orangutan's part. However, he had not thought that the girl was capable of communicating in such a manner and it seems as if Maurices' efforts had paid off. Before Koba could respond, the girl had abruptly turned and wandered out of sight, leaving him there in the middle of the yard.
Letting his gaze fall on over to the pen, Koba could see Caesar craning his neck, looking anxiously for the girl, but was unable to see where she had gone. Koba knew that Caesar was looking for the child out of concern, wondering where she had disappeared off to. To be honest though, Koba would had never thought of it possible, but his heart had suddenly started to pound within his chest as his concern had taken him by surprise for the human child too. They all had not wanted the girl along on this quest of revenge in the first place, knowing that it was too dangerous. However, for reasons or another, they had allowed the child to come with them, who is now putting herself in great peril for their sake. They waited tensely until the human child finally returned, lugging a heavy pail of water in both hands.
The girl at first was making her way on over towards Koba with the pail. The water sloshed over the sides of the bucket as she carried it. Koba however, gave a quiet bark at the girl, causing her to stop in her tracks in surprise. He then shook his head quickly and then nodded towards Caesar in his own cage.
Him first.
Koba could see an emotion forming on Caesar's face as they made eye contact. Quickly however, he had turned away from the other ape and met the girl's curious gaze once more, indicating that she give the water to Caesar first. As if understanding, the child quickly brought the bucket on over to where Caesar was and held it up to the bars.
Koba observed as the sight of the water gave Caesar the strength to lift himself from the ground and crawl on over to where the girl was standing. Before Caesar began drinking from it though, he glanced back in Koba's direction, quietly meeting the bonobo's golden-green and milky colored eyes.
"Thank you," Caesar gestured.
Koba merely nodded once in Caesar's direction before the ape leader pushed his face against the bars as the child tilted the pail, spilling water into his gaping mouth. Caesar drank thirstily from the bucket, reducing its weight and relieving it within the child's arms. Soon enough, the child was able to hold onto it with just one hand, using her other to reach through the bars to fondly touch the parched chimpanzee's head. As hardened as Koba's heart was about the human race and how they've treated apes in the past. The sight of the girl rubbing Caesar's head and giving him what he needed in order to survive had caused his heart to melt, if slightly.
Once Caesar was done, the girl lifted the pail, still half empty and quickly made her way over towards Koba. Once in sight, Koba lowered his head as the girl lifted the bucket to his own lips. He guzzled down the water in large gulps, rejoicing as it soothed his parched throat and tongue, which had been without a drop of water for days. Even if the water had a tinge of metallic taste to it the moment it filled his mouth. To Koba, it was the sweetest thing he's ever drank as some of it spilled out over the sides of his lips and onto the still frozen ground.
As he himself drained the bucket of its contents, Koba had finally moved his head away and took lungfuls of air. He had not drank like that for ages and found the cool water filling his stomach already rejuvenating him. Once he had recovered himself, Koba slowly turned to look up at the girl as she stared at him, looking content with what she had done for both him and Caesar.
A few grunts and quips came from the ape enclosure across the yard. Pulling his head back, Koba turned to see that the other apes were pressing against the bars of their pen, staring in wonder and curiosity at the girl who had just gave the two apes water. The apes all beckoned silently to the girl, who turned toward them and made her way over to them.
…
Oh, please don't let the human soldiers see you, Maurice thought to himself.
The fearful orangutan spied on the serene scene from around the edge of the camp's front gate. He, Rocket and Bad Ape clung to the shadows at the base of the wall after creeping out from behind the nearby outcropping protruding from the plain. Maurice was a bit torn by mixed emotions as he watched the child come to both Caesar and Koba's aid; he was very proud of her bravery and compassion to his two friends, finding himself deeply moved by the sight, while on the other hand he was also quite terrified for her safety.
It also didn't help that Bad Ape kept whimpering and squirming right next to them too.
When the girl had left Koba's side and made her way over to where the other apes were, at their beckoning, Maurice and Rocket both glanced at each other worriedly for the girl's safety. Again the child seemed oblivious to the danger that she was in as she strode across the yard, leaving Maurice only to worry so much more for her as he watched on.
…
Caesar watched with mounting anxiety as the girl stood with the apes on the other side of the yard, still trapped within their pens. The child's back was turned to him, so he couldn't quite see if or how the girl was communicating with any of his fellow apes, but the longer she lingered by the pen, the greater the risk that she would be caught infiltrating the camp. His worried glances met Koba's, who seemed as equally worried about the girl before the bonobo had let his eyes wander upward. Following Koba's gaze, the both of them swept around the area, to look at the guards posted by the walls. Luckily the soldier's seemed unaware of the child's presence, directing their attention off at the direction of the walls were distant noises could be heard. Glancing back down, Caesar knew that the girl was tempting fate by remaining in view. She could be spotted at any moment.
And then…?
The girl could expect no mercy from the Colonel once he realized that she was infected. The man had killed his own son and ordered his soldiers to kill their very own families. He would not hesitate for a moment before having the girl put down like a sick animal, which, now that Caesar thought of it, might explain why that ragged deserter had been hiding out in the ramshackle farm by the beach side. Had that man been a former soldier? Concealing the mute child from the Colonel and his troops? The more he thought about it, the more Caesar felt a twinge of regret for shooting the man. Not that he gave Caesar much of a choice…
After what felt like an eternity, the girl finally turned away from the other apes and wandered back over to where Koba was, cradling something within her small hands. Puzzled, Caesar looked at the other apes, whom were all watching expectantly for reasons he couldn't quite grasp. He then perked up his head when the girl showed the scarred bonobo something within her hands, noticing a surprise look overcoming Koba's features. Koba then immediately snapped his head in the direction of the other apes and looked at them for what seemed like a long while. Caesar couldn't see Koba's face or what was happening, but he did see many of the apes offering warm smiles at the bonobo. As Koba turned back to look at the girl- eyes red and puffy-he quickly shook his head and nodded in Caesar's direction once more. Caesar didn't quite understand what was going on still, but the girl obeyed nonetheless and made her way over toward him.
When the child had finally stepped up to his cage, she reached through the bars with her hands and waited patiently for Caesar. Curious, Caesar reached out with his own bigger hand to see what the girl was offering to him-and a long stream of grain gently poured into his outstretched palm.
Food!
Caesar slowly looked up at the girl who only smiled sweetly at him as she gave him the oats and grains, pouring it into his hand. Turning back around the girl then crossed the yard yet again to the apes once more and received another handful of helpings from them. The child then steadily made her way over to where Koba was tied up and offered him the grains as well. Caesar watched as the scarred bonobo looked at the girl, emotion still set within his eyes before he slowly turned to look back at the apes again. As Caesar followed Koba's gaze, they both could see that the apes were nodding in encouragement, letting them know to eat. It was then that Caesar realized that the apes must have been hoarding the oats, perhaps to stretch them out in case they were not fed again, and had seen an opportunity to share their meager stores with both him and Koba, using the girl as a conduit to do so.
Slowly, pale colored knuckles and hair as white as snow, slowly rose from among the apes, along with the individual. Caesar watched as Winter slowly stood up, face set with determination and fists pressed together.
Apes together strong.
A wave of emotion, even more powerful than his hunger for the grain, washed over Caesar as he hastily wolfed down the food within his hand. Koba did the same as he bent down and ate out of the child's hands, his limbs still tied behind his back. Pride filled Caesar's heart as, one after another, the other apes raised their fists together as well, joining in solidarity despite their pain, their suffering and their captivity.
Once Koba had finished eating, the little girl had turned to look at the other apes, watching the exchange with interest. Turning to look at both Caesar and Koba, the child raised her own tiny fists as well and pressed them together too, just right above her chest. A smile broke out across her face as she successfully signed along with the others.
Caesar himself needn't correct her that the sign was only used for apes, nor did Koba. They had already both seen that she had risked death to ease their suffering, and was in just as much danger from the Colonel as any of the other apes around them would generally. To both Caesar and Koba's eyes, the child had earned the right to consider herself an ape with them.
…
The child had then curiously looked Koba over once more. As he watched her, the girl had paused for a brief moment before she timidly reached out with a hand toward his face. As she did so though, Koba immediately knew what she was doing and had flinched away. The action had caused the girl to stop what she was doing, a look of surprise and sadness within her blue eyes. Meeting the child's gaze, Koba felt something within his chest sink a little.
He knew that the girl had only wanted to touch his face and scars out of innocent curiosity. But the cause of those scars, pain and torment so long ago. That were etched upon him, were all made by human hands and still affected him to a certain degree. However… this child before him had proved to show nothing but kindness to him. Like the very few humans who had only wanted to help him.
Maybe this was not so different?
Taking a look at the girl's face once more and then at her still outstretched hand. Koba took in a deep breath, closed his eyes tightly, before slowly leaning his head forward. Expecting hot searing pain and cold freezing metal, he instead felt warming small touches. Nothing like his past experiences, when humans had handled him as such, so very long ago. This was much different. Something nicer and inviting, calming even. No longer recoiling from the child's touch as he thought he would, Koba was quite surprised when the girl's fingers gently traced the scars on his face.
Breathing deeply from his nose, he finally opened up his eyes slowly and was met with the curious blue eyes of the human girl, who was smiling innocently at him. Koba couldn't help himself as his own features soften at the sight of the girl and leaned a little more into the child's tender hands. Gentle touches that reminded him of the oh so very small amount of humans that had treated him kindly in the past.
Much like Mary, Amol, and… Ellie.
The girl stopped what she was doing and watched Koba curiously, seeing the older ape shiver ever so slightly in the soft rain around them. Knowing how cold it could get, the child slowly wrapped her arms around the bigger ape's neck and hugged him close to her. The action surprised Koba, causing him to go stock still. Unsure of what to do he stayed like that for a few moments before he let out a deep breath he didn't even know that he was holding. Closing his eyes, Koba then leaned his head gently into the smaller girl's shoulder, feeling her small body warming him up a bit. It was not much, coming from the girl, but to Koba, she was like the warmest rays of sunlight that shone that filtered through the trees of a cold morning.
…
Maurice was emotionally amazed as he saw the girl sign along with the others, from his hiding place with Rocket and Bad Ape. Deeply moved by the poignant scene playing out in the prison yard, he wasn't sure what he was more proud of: his fellow apes' perseverance in the face of adversity or the human child's loyalty to her newfound tribe. As it is natural, male orangutans, by instinct, did not play much of a role in raising their offspring, but Maurice couldn't have been more touched by the girl's spirit and compassion as if she had been his own child. It was then that he resolved to keep teaching her to the best of his abilities. No matter what it took.
That was, assuming that any of them survived until dawn.
The warm glow in his chest turned into cold ice however, as he spotted the Colonel and his lieutenants heading toward Caesar, Koba and the other penned apes, who did not yet appear to be aware of the soldier's approach. The humans conferred with each other as they marched across the camp, apparently finished with their bringing the artillery up onto the wall for the evening. Rocket stiffened beside Maurice, having clearly taken notice of the Colonel and his men as well. Looking at Rocket, Maurice gestured at the girl, who was still standing right in front of Koba in the middle of the prison yard. He could not imagine that the ruthless Colonel would tolerate any unwanted intruders aiding the apes.
"If they see her," Maurice signed worriedly. "They will kill her."
…
In their moment the sounds of footsteps crunching across the frozen yard alerted Koba barely in time. Craning his head back as far as his body would allow him to, he saw the shadowy figures of the Colonel and his officers coming towards them, accompanied by Red and a few of the other turncoat apes. Turning back to face the girl urgently, Koba startled the child.
"Run!" he ushered in a hoarse voice. "Hide!"
The girl fearfully looked up past Koba and could see the ominous figures coming closer and closer towards her. Without another word from the scarred bonobo, the child ran quickly past Caesar's own pen and hid herself behind a long steel leg from one of the towers and pressed her small body against it just as the Colonel and his men paused along the route passing Caesar's cage and where Koba was still tied down by the pole.
All of the apes, including Caesar and Koba kept quiet, hoping to avoid attracting the Colonel's attention, but fearing that the girl was bound to be discovered before long. Quiet as she was, she was deep behind enemy lines. The odds were not on her side.
The Colonel paused briefly by Koba and noticed the water pail sitting next to the bonobo.
"Who left that there?" the Colonel asked as he turned to look behind him, causing a few soldiers to glance at one another.
"Don't know. Sir," Preacher spoke up, sure that the bucket wasn't there earlier.
"Well, we're not animals are we? Pick it up," the Colonel ordered as he turned to the turncoat apes.
One of the Donkeys did what was ordered and bounded to Koba's side, snatching the metal pail and returned back to the ranks.
…
"The human soldiers! They will kill her!" Maurice signed in panic.
Looking back and forth from Maurice and to the girl, Rocket growled lowly as he bit his lip for a moment before turning to sign.
"I know what to do!" he signed quickly.
"And what is that?" Maurice asked hesitantly.
"Make sure that to know where apes are under the tunnels. Now go!" Rocket signed before taking his leave.
As Maurice and Bad Ape took point behind Rocket, the bulky chimpanzee slowly rose from his spot and walked towards the front of the camp, letting out a series of hoots to announce his presence.
"No Friend!" Bad Ape called out.
To his surprise though, he was held firmly by the arm and the lanky chimpanzee looked behind him to see the concerned look upon Maurices' face. He knew that Rocket was doing this to protect the girl, putting himself in danger, but why? Turning his head back around, Bad Ape watched as the scene unfolded before him.
…
Caesar had glanced behind him and waved the girl off, telling her to hide deeper in her own cover, lest she be found out. He and the others were on high alert now but there was only so much that they could do to protect the child. Should the humans just walked past his own holding cell even just a little, they would have no doubt see her.
Before long, angry shouts from the direction of the wall came to the girl's rescue, distracting the Colonel and his lieutenants. The Colonel lifted his head at the commotion, and Caesar looked to see what was causing the disturbance.
A squad of soldiers, toting rifles, advanced towards the noise and now shadowy figures that was emerging from the darkness. Caesar nor the others could see who it was. However, Caesar did see that the soldiers were roughly prodding at the captive with their weapons. Although, grateful for the distraction, Caesar couldn't help wondering what the uproar was all about. Had one of the apes attempted to escape? Or was another human showing signs of the virus that cause them to not speak.
Caesar hoped that it was the latter.
As the soldiers neared, he eventually managed to peer and who it was that the humans had captured. His heart sank as he saw who the new captured prisoner was.
Rocket.
Outnumbered and held at gunpoint, Rocket held his arms up as he was slowly brought before the Colonel. The bald man then cast a suspicious look at Caesar and then at Koba, no doubt suspecting that the bulkier chimp had braved the camp on their behalf. For himself, Caesar was dismayed to find his friend in the hands of the enemy, as the girl's arrival had already suggested, it was obvious that Rocket and the other had not fled the region as he had ordered, but what about Maurice and Bad Ape? What had become of them?
Caesar and most likely Koba as well, longed to question Rocket, but that was impossible with the Colonel looking on and the girl hiding only a few yards away from them. Both Caesar and Koba endured the Colonel's scrutiny hoping that the madman's gaze did no drift to where the girl was concealing herself. It was bad enough that Rocket had been captured; Caesar and Koba did not want the girl's execution on their conscience. Especially after what she had done for them.
Getting no reaction from the two captured apes, the Colonel then examined Rocket from a safe distance. Making sure that he did not let the same mistake happen to him twice, especially when Caesar had almost gotten to him before. Taking a lungful of air, the Colonel nodded at Red, indicating that he should take custody of the captive chimp.
With a grunt, Red approached Rocket, who stood stock still as the gorilla approached him. The moment Red had laid his hand upon Rocket's arm it provoked the bulky chimpanzee to retaliate with the smaller of the two headbutting the gorilla in the face. Red stumbled backwards, clutching his snout, before being tackled in the midsection by the other ape. Gaining his bearings, Red angrily drew up his arms and swung them heavily down upon Rocket's back with a loud grunt, before being tossed onto the ground violently.
Snarling at each other, the two simians battled viciously, pummeling each other with their fists and rolling across the wet ground, while the soldier stood by, keeping their guns trained at the grappling apes. Cries from the other side of the pens roared with life as the two apes fought with one another while the humans soldiers merely looked on, some enjoying the show, others watching on apprehensively.
As the savage brawl continued, Caesar saw an opportunity and furtively signaled to the girl whom was still hiding in her spot, to make a run for it. It pained Caesar himself to make use of Rocket's solitary struggle, but perhaps some good could come from the violence that was distracting everyone else. There was nothing he could do for Rocket right now, but the girl at least had a chance to get away from here.
Responding quickly, the child darted away from area she was hiding behind from and crossed the yard to the crumbling multistory barracks along one side of the canyon. Watching the girl disappear behind the accumulated rubble and debris, he could see her small frame sprinting into the wall and into the safety of the darkness outside.
All of a sudden Caesar heard Koba yelling a resounding "no!" loudly before the sound of gunfire echoed from behind, causing Caesar's heart to stop.
No.
Fearing for the worst, Caesar turned his head back around slowly, hoping with all of his heart and being that Rocket was not killed. As the scene finally came into view, Caesar had first saw Red standing there with the Colonel just a few feet away with his gun drawn. Swallowing hard, Caesar let his gaze then fall on over to where Rocket was and his heart started to beat again as he could see that his good friend was very much still alive and glaring up at the Colonel.
It was just a warning shot, not a kill shot.
The fighting had stopped and the Colonel walked on over, gun still in hand. He loomed over Rocket for a bit and saw that the chimpanzee merely kept a defiant frown upon his features as he stared him down. Leaning onto his knees the Colonel gave Rocket a look over and then tilted his head at the nearly hairless chimpanzee.
"Are there others out there?" the Colonel asked slowly.
Despite the soldiers and guns still surrounding him, Rocket kept silent. His face betrayed no hint of fear, only stubborn resolve. Caesar and Koba both knew that no power on earth could get Rocket to betray Maurice, Bad Ape or anyone else for that matter. This was hardly the first time Rocket had risked death for his fellow apes. He could not be threatened into talking.
The Colonel might have sensed this from Rocket, too.
The man slowly rose back up and simply looked out at the darkness beyond, eyes still hidden behind those dark sunglasses of his.
"Sweep the area," he ordered, then glanced back down at Rocket. "Put him in the pen with the others."
Before Rocket could react, Red had surprised the chimpanzee by harshly backhanding him, effectively knocking the wind out of him. As the Colonel walked off, Red and a fellow turncoat had grabbed Rocket roughly by the ankle and dragged him away.
Caesar and Koba could only watch as their good friend was moved to the enclosure with the other chained apes. The both of them then turned their furious eyes upon the Colonel who simply turned to regard them for a mere moment before moving onwards. Watching the man take his leave, the sounds of fists pounding on flesh alerted both Caesar and Koba once more. They then watched in horror as Red began assaulting Rocket, once he was chained up. Heavy set fists rained down on the bulkier chimp, hammering him relentlessly. Caesar himself winced slightly at every heavy blow that came down upon his friend.
During Rocket's torture, one of the apes from among the crowd came rushing up at the rusted haired gorilla. That ape of course, was none other than Ash, who would not stand to see his father continue to be punished. Before he could reach Red and the other turncoats however, the other apes held him back, warning him that he too would be hurt in the process. Caesar and Koba could see the pain on the younger chimp's face but he held himself firm as his father was continued to get beaten up by Red.
Once Red was satisfied with what was done, he and the other turncoats made their way outside of the pens. Passing on by Rocket, Red then gave the downed chimpanzee one more kick for good measure as he strode out of the enclosure, nearly causing Ash to go after them.
Caesar could feel a growl forming at the back of his throat as he watched Red and the other traitorous apes. He couldn't think that he would hate another ape as much as he hated Koba, when he had misplaced the blame and the death of his family upon the scarred bonobo. Red however, had proved him wrong about that. Deep down, Caesar knew that what Koba did, even at his worst, had always been on the side of the apes, but Red? He brutalized other apes in the service of a human who wanted to exterminate his own kind.
At the thought of Koba, Caesar felt his heart sank more as guilt overcame him. Letting his gaze wander on over to Koba he could see that the bonobo's hackles stood on end over his straining body. Even if he couldn't see Koba's face, he knew that the bonobo was fuming with deep seated hatred and anger. Of all of the individuals, Koba, like him, would do anything for the apes, and to treat them like this? This was not the way apes should be treating each other.
Once the turncoats had departed, leaving their fellow apes behind. Caesar and Koba stared ruefully at their injured friend. Rocket slowly stirred and reached up to take a hold of the bars of the pen, the bulky chimp then pulled himself up shakily onto his feet, bloodied but unbowed. The nearly hairless chimpanzee was bruised, torn and bleeding; Caesar and Koba had never seen Rocket in such a worse shape. However, the nearly hairless chimpanzee still stayed standing after taking such a beating. This was a testament to Rocket's indomitable nature.
Ash had then quickly rushed on over toward his father and held the older chimp steady. As Rocket turned his head to see who was helping him his face lit up when he saw the smiling face of his eldest child. Without a second thought, Rocket immediately wrapped his arms around his son and embraced him tightly, more than happy to see that Ash was okay. The younger chimp hugged his father back just as strongly before releasing him and both touched foreheads.
"Your mother? Your Sister?" Rocket asked as he pulled back.
"Cinder is fine. She is with the other children," Ash reassured the older chimp, easing his father's mind. "Mother…"
Ash had then looked behind him, to which Rocket followed his son's gaze. Looking pass Ash and toward the crowd of apes behind them, Rocket's throat went dry and his heart skipped a beat when he spotted his dearly beloved, standing just a few feet away from them. With her hands held close to her bosom, Tinker's eyes welled up as she tentatively took several steps forward.
"I see you, Rocket," she had signed.
Rocket blinked but then a warm smile crossed his features.
"I see you, Tinker," he signed back affectionately.
The petite female then quickly closed the distance and embraced her sweet Rocket, letting out small cries in relief. Rocket then wrapped his arms around Tinker and held her close to his body, letting out soft apologetic cooing noises to calm her down. Closing his eyes tightly, Rocket then placed his snout upon Tinker's head as he held her firmly. He was deeply sorry for leaving his family to suffer like this but he was here now and he is going to make sure that they are protected.
After Rocket and Tinker had their moment, Rocket lifted his head back up and saw Ash standing next to them, an apologetic look upon his face.
"Son?"
"Father… I am sorry. I failed you, uncle Caesar and everyone else," Ash suddenly signed. "I could not lead the apes to our new home. I…"
Before Ash could continue on, Rocket had reached out and took a hold of his son's hand, stopping him from continuing. The younger chimp met the apologetic eyes of his father, whom shook his head slowly from side to side.
"No, Ash. This was not your fault," Rocket then signed. "We entrusted you with too much responsibility when it was ours. I'm sorry, son."
Ash took in a deep breath as he saw his father's hand signs and emotionally met the older ape's eyes.
"You did a good job protecting the apes. I am so proud of you," Rocket finished, reaching out and placing a knuckled finger upon the younger chimp's chest, right over his heart.
"We both are," Tinker chimed in, knowing well that Ash was still beating himself up about them being captured.
Ash couldn't help but smile in relief at his mother and father, before quickly rubbing at his eyes with the back of his arm. Sniffing loudly and gaining his composure, Ash then met his parents with a stern look to his features.
"Father. Apes are being used as slaves here. What are we doing to do?" Ash asked.
To Ash's and Tinker's surprise, a soft chuckle escaped Rocket's lips as he met their eyes before rounding himself to look back at both Koba and Caesar.
"You two feeling better?" Rocket had asked.
Caesar and Koba were a bit stunned to being addressed by their friend but both of them nodded at Rocket. The food and water the girl had brought to them had indeed restored them to a degree.
"Good," Rocket then continued. "Then we can talk about escape."
While Rocket had signed that, he made sure that everyone saw what he was saying, confusing many of the apes, even Caesar and Koba.
"How Rocket?" Tinker asked. "How are we supposed to get out of here with the human soldiers all around us."
"We have a plan," Rocket simply stated.
A determined look had set upon his features, Rocket had then brought his fists together.
Apes together strong.
I hope the explanation of how Nova had gotten into the camp unnoticed was a bit better in this one. In this chapter I also wanted to portray that Koba finally trusts Nova now, after what she does for both him and Caesar. Also I wanted to show Rocket reuniting with his family again, well... to a certain degree I suppose.
Characters Introduced:
Amol - An employee at Gyn-Sys and was Koba's friend before he was fired by Jacobs.