Maurice
"Sparrow, please, just let me deal with this myself first." Lydia's patient voice sounded through the hut where Sparrow usually treated the injured. They had just come home from their, eh… excursion, if you will, and Cornelia had told Tinker to take Lydia to the infirmary the moment the Queen saw exactly what kind of state the woman was in. Maurice had to admit, that wound on her hip did look quite painful.
Now, stripped of her coat, she was sitting in the nest in the middle of the hut, trying her best to keep Sparrow, the female ape in charge of healing, at bay. She had asked Roy kindly to go fetch her "the bottle in her backpack". Maurice had a faint idea of what exactly that bottle contained. He had, after all, looked through her backpack when she first arrived here all that time ago.
"You must let Sparrow do her work, Lydia." Caesar signed beside Maurice. They were standing near the entrance to the hut, Rocket and Koba nearby. The bonobo was looking at the woman strangely and Maurice couldn't help but wonder if Koba had, at last, found a shred of respect towards the woman within himself.
The two had avoided each other ever since she joined the colony, the mutual dislike clear whenever they crossed paths, though neither acted on it. Now, however, Koba seemed to see the woman in a different light. The dislike he always regarded Lydia with had dissipated in favour of a look of mild wonder. After all, it wasn't every day someone killed a mountain lion.
"I will, I promise, but I would like to deal with the wounds my way first." She stated simply, before Roy re-entered the hut holding a bottle and a square item Maurice recognised as a med-kit. Travel-size, the orangutan noted.
"Thank you, Roy…" Lydia said as he handed her the items.
The apes looked on with raised eyebrows as she opened the med-kit, took out a few pieces of gauze and proceeded to open the bottle Roy had brought. She had already cleaned the cuts thoroughly with water, so Maurice, as well as the rest of the present apes, were all very puzzled as to what she had in mind.
All except Roy, that is. He was regarding the woman with calm eyes as he followed her movements. He stayed close to her, seemingly ready to spring forward if something were to happen.
The strange, piercing scent of alcohol filled the hut and Koba immediately recoiled with a hiss, obviously remembering the scent from his time in the labs. Sparrow, too, seemed to connect the scent with something unpleasant as she took a step back from the nest. Caesar, Rocket and Maurice himself only wrinkled their noses in distaste.
The old orangutan knew the smell of alcohol quite well, as his caretakers in the circus would sometimes reek of it on certain days of the week. Once he had even witnessed one of them drinking it while cleaning out the cages. He understood that it made humans act… differently, and that the effect on behaviour often differed from human to human – some would be more carefree and affectionate, others would be emotional and teary-eyed, while others still would turn aggressive.
What he couldn't understand, however, was why Lydia would need it now.
Almost as if reading his thoughts, she turned to the apes and fixed Caesar with an almost apologetic look before explaining herself.
"It's used to minimize the risk of infection in wounds. It's supposed to kill germs that cause it." She stated simply. Out of the corner of his eye, Maurice saw Caesar nod slightly in understanding.
Lydia returned to her strange task and held the pieces of gauze over the mouth of the bottle, tilting it to soak the fabric with the tangy liquid. She then put the bottle down after screwing the cap back on and took a short moment to look at the item in her hand in obvious trepidation.
"This is gonna hurt like hell…" Was all she said before she put the soaked pieces of gauze onto the cuts on her hip and rubbed it against the wounds.
The reaction from her was instantaneous and made all the apes in the room, except Roy, who seemed to have been expecting the reaction, jump slightly in surprise.
Her eyes widened momentarily before squeezing shut as she launched her head and torso forward with a strained groan of pain. Roy immediately put a supporting hand on her back and held onto her upper arm with the other while hooting comfortingly. It was obvious that he had witnessed this before.
"Yep… That hurt…" Was all that came from Lydia as she straightened her posture. She proceeded to take new pieces of gauze from the med-kit to repeat the process.
"Are you sure this is necessary?" Maurice signed with worry on his face. It didn't look to be the least bit helpful. She smiled slightly at him as she replied.
"Might be that it isn't, but it's how I've always dealt with it since I left human civilization and I haven't had an infected wound yet, so I don't fancy taking any chances."
Well, he could see the logic in that… Still, it seemed counterintuitive to him to cause pain in order to get better.
Once again, she seemed to read his mind, though.
"No pain, no gain, Maurice." She said as she dabbed the cut on her thigh through the rip in her pantleg. She continued this process with the rest of the cuts that littered her right forearm, now only hissing when the gauze made contact with the skin.
When she was done, she finally allowed Sparrow to treat her wounds the way the apes did, with homemade ointments covered with leaves. As Sparrow finished up, the council members left with Roy and emerged from the hut to find Tinker and Cornelia sitting not far from the entrance with Ash, Blue Eyes and Orion, the latter looking lost and anxious without his parents.
Lydia emerged from the hut only moments later, still limping and now with leaves covering her skin in various places. The ones on her hip were tied in place with gauze to make it stay put.
She thanked Sparrow with a kind smile of gratitude before turning her attention to the apes, her eyes finally landing on her son.
"We need to talk." Was all she said as she trudged toward the hut she shared with Roy. Her limp was more profound now that the wounds had been treated and were getting used to the ointment and leaves grinding against the cuts, but her strides were still purposeful and dignified. She nodded briefly to Caesar and Rocket as she passed them, Orion following her dejectedly.
Roy didn't follow, which struck Maurice as odd.
"You do not go with your family?" Caesar signed to the male beside him. Seemed like he had the same thought as Maurice and the orangutan almost panted out a chuckle at the notion.
"Some things Orion needs to hear from his mother. Others, he will hear from me." Roy signed calmly at his leader, adding with a meaningful look, "Lydia was the one who got injured today, so Orion needs to hear this from her."
Caesar nodded with a thoughtful look on his face and Roy went in the direction of the hut where they skinned the kills from the hunt, probably intending to be of use elsewhere while Lydia spoke with their son.
Cornelia and Tinker left the infirmary-hut with their own sons, going to their separate homes while Caesar, Rocket and Maurice moved toward the Law-Stone to sit and talk. Koba had long since left the group in favour of getting something to eat, an unusually thoughtful look plastered across his face.
Maurice let out a laboured huff as he sat beside his leader and long-time friend.
It had been a long and eventful day and it was not even time for the evening meal yet.
He turned to sign some uplifting words to his friend when he noticed the verdant stare was focused on something and followed Caesar's gaze. Not far from where they sat, in front of their hut, which conveniently neighboured Maurice's own home, Lydia had just sat down, with some difficulty, on the edge of the wooden walkway. Orion, looking to his mother with worry, sat down beside her.
The woman's sigh was so heavy that it made her shoulders slump visibly, as if she was steeling herself for a complicated task, and she turned to her adoptive son with a hard look.
From where they sat, the three apes were only just able to hear the woman as she spoke.
Lydia
"Orion, I am very disappointed in you." Lydia made sure her voice was stern. Today's attack had frightened her beyond belief and she wanted to make sure that Orion understood the severity of the incident.
"You could have been killed today. You, Ash and Blue Eyes broke one of the most important rules for apes your age. This is the very reason you're not allowed to go alone."
She kept her voice calm, though she felt anything but calm on the inside. Ever since Orion's scream had pierced through the air, her insides had been a whirlpool of shifting emotions, from fear to fury, hurt, confusion, anger, pity and everything in-between. For now, she had settled for the emotion she knew would convey her point best to her son: Disappointment.
The small chimp bowed his head in obvious shame.
"I know, mother…" He signed timidly in reply, still not meeting her eyes. She knew he could feel her stare on him, though.
"If you know, then why did you do it anyway? I know Ash said it was his idea, but at some point, you must have agreed. Otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation."
It was really beyond Lydia's understanding. Orion was usually very reasonable for a child his age and though he did cause mischief on occasion, he never outright defied the rules. He never rebelled before and had always asked an adult for permission when in doubt. It was a habit she had made sure to imprint on him ever since he was thrust into her arms that faithful day two and a half years ago. In the beginning she had been constantly worrying, afraid that he would wander off and get lost or taken by predators and so, she had made sure to go the extra mile to make him understand the importance of staying together, telling others where he was going and asking permission from his elders. So far, it hadn't been an issue.
Until now.
He looked up at her, finally meeting her eyes with a pleading expression and Lydia fought the urge to just reach out and pull him to her chest to comfort him. She had to get some answers before she would do that. She had to make sure he understood.
"They said it would be fine… They know the forest… Said we would be home before dinner…" Orion hesitated before adding, "Please do not be mad at Ash and Blue Eyes… They are my friends."
She almost let her stern mask slip at his plea. Even now, when she was reprimanding him, he was worried that his friends would get in trouble. Perhaps he feared losing them as friends, Lydia thought. After all, these were the first friends his age that Orion had ever had, and she knew that he viewed them as some kind of older brothers. They had introduced him to the Ape Village in their own, childish way and Orion finally had someone who saw things from his perspective, that much had been clear to his adoptive parents. Lydia and Roy could play and tumble with him all they wanted, but they'd always be adults. They could never understand him in the way that his peers did. And it wasn't their place to do so.
She sighed again.
"It's not my job to be angry at Ash and Blue Eyes. Their parents will talk with them, just like I'm talking with you now, so don't worry about that, sweetie." She added the endearment as a small form of comfort. Yes, she was angry and yes, she was disappointed, he needed to know that, but he also needed to know that she still loved him. He sniffled a bit beside her.
"I just wanted to be with friends… Did not want to say no to them…" Orion replied.
Ah, there we have it… Lydia thought, my son has a hard time with peer-pressure, it would seem.
It made perfect sense when she really thought about it. Orion never having had friends his age, he would never have had to stand up for himself to his peers. It was a skill he simply lacked due to his upbringing. Lydia suddenly felt guilty for not having had this talk with him before.
She should have seen this coming, really.
"Listen, Orion, I know it's difficult to say no to your friends, trust me, I do." She laid a hand gently on his shoulder and rubbed his soft fur with her thumb. "But it's something you need to learn how to do. I promise, true friends will still want to be with you even if you don't follow their lead every time they get an idea. Sometimes, that actually makes friendships stronger."
He nodded so subtly the movement was barely caught by Lydia. She continued, now with a slight smile on her face.
"To stand up to your friends when you know something isn't right is a sign of great strength, Orion. More so, I would say, than standing up to those you don't like in the first place."
Orion eyed the areas where he knew her injuries were. Then he looked up into her eyes and Lydia had a feeling he understood now.
"I'm sorry, mother… you got hurt because I was not strong…"
Or maybe not, Lydia thought. She had forgotten how easily Orion blamed himself sometimes.
"That's not what I meant, dear. I'm just trying to tell you that next time something doesn't feel right to you, stick to what you believe, no matter who it is that came up with the idea." She shook her head before continuing. "And it's not your fault that I got hurt, that mountain lion had it coming." Lydia grabbed hold of the necklace she was wearing with her other hand and looked meaningfully at the little chimp.
"No one threatens my family." She said while looking her son in the eyes.
She knew he probably didn't even remember the incident that led to them wearing their necklaces. After all, for him, it was literally half a lifetime ago.
He understood it all the same, though, and grabbed hold of his own necklace with a nod. Even if he didn't remember it anymore, the story had been told enough times for him to, at least, understand the meaning behind his mother's actions.
Lydia smiled, satisfied that her point had been made clear to the little chimp, and opened her arms to him.
"Come here, you little rascal, I think we both need a hug after being scared half to death today, right?"
That was all the encouragement Orion needed and he readily crawled into her waiting arms, mindful of her injuries, and breathed a sigh of contentment as Lydia's arms closed around him.
Much better, Lydia thought as she too was filled with a sense of peace at the contact, finally being able to comfort her child the way she wanted.
She lifted her gaze and caught Roy's eye halfway across the village as he was putting aside the skin of a deer. Lydia knew he had been discreetly observing them the whole time and nodded at him. He smiled slightly at her before returning to his work and Lydia knew the matter was resolved.
Cornelia
Cornelia sat with her husband by the Law-Stone later that evening, eating her share of today's kill. Blue Eyes was keeping near her, still shaken from the incident with the mountain lion and very much ashamed after Caesar had a talk with him. She had to hand it to her husband, though. He handled it quite well. Better than she'd imagined he would, in fact.
It had been the first time Blue Eyes' life had been threatened and Cornelia had been sure that Caesar's temper would get the better of him when reprimanding their son. She loved her husband dearly, but also knew his moods all too well. He often reacted outwardly when his loved ones were threatened.
He had told her long ago about the reason behind him ending up in the San Bruno Primate Facility where they had first met all those years ago. Back then, it had been his human grandfather who had been harassed, which Caesar had explained led to him biting the offending human's finger off. Even though this was ultimately what had led him to discover the horrid conditions other apes were living in, which in turn was why he had ended up freeing everyone, Caesar still regretted the attack itself to this day. He had told Cornelia as much.
Yet this time, he had sat down and talked calmly with Blue Eyes, explaining to the young ape that he, as one of the older children, should have been more responsible and not have aided Ash in putting pressure on Orion.
The conversation had been quite long, longer than any other conversation Cornelia had witnessed between the two, and had ended with father and son embracing.
When Cornelia had inquired about the reason for Caesar's change in approach, he had told her about the conversation he had witnessed between Lydia and Orion earlier, and explained that he thought Blue Eyes would benefit from that more than an outright scolding. Caesar had often been using that method with Blue Eyes in the past when the child had misbehaved and it only ever seemed to work for shorter amounts of time.
Perhaps this approach would have a greater impact on him, Caesar had said.
Cornelia had to admit she was proud of her husband, even if she also found it amusing that the inspiration for this had come from a human.
Speaking of Lydia, she was sitting beside Roy and Orion together with a group of other apes, one of them being in the middle of a captivating story about a fishing-trip gone wrong. They were all smiling and huffing out laughter while eating and it struck Cornelia how well the human woman had come to fit into their community. Even if she hunted differently, wore clothes and spoke out loud more often, she really did blend into the Ape Colony nicely. Not that she wasn't noticeable, but her interactions with the apes around her were so natural that it seemed she had lived all her life among them and not her own species. Also, her relationship with her child was something Cornelia could strongly relate to and it warmed her heart whenever she saw Orion run up to his mother as she returned from her hunts.
Cornelia was glad her husband had reconsidered letting the woman stay.
When most had finished eating, Caesar rose to address the crowd, all falling silent as he stood in front of the Law-Stone. Cornelia got up as well in support of her mate. Then, he began to sign for Lydia to come forward.
The human woman looked surprised but otherwise did as she was told and approached the King and Queen with a respectful bow. Then, Caesar began to sign.
"Today Lydia has done what few apes ever have. She has killed a mountain lion, one of the most dangerous animals in the forest. She has proven herself as true warrior and saved ape children. She did not hesitate to put herself in danger." He paused and looked at Lydia while Cornelia moved to fetch something from behind the Law-Stone.
She was sure Lydia would appreciate it. The surrounding crowd was hooting quietly in agreement with their king.
"That is why we honour her now, by giving her the pelt, claws and skull of the animal."
Cornelia took out the items and presented them to Lydia. The pelt had been neatly folded and the clean-picked skull and claws were lying on top of it in Cornelia's hands. She handed it to the woman, who seemed to be more than just a little touched by the gesture, if her slightly teary eyes were anything to go by.
She bore it with dignity, though, cradling the items in one arm, while extending the other to Caesar, her palm upwards in the supplicant gesture that ape customs dictated be used. He swiped it gently and spoke, so low that only Lydia and the council members around them could hear.
"Thank you. For. Saving. My son."
Rocket grunted beside him in agreement.
Lydia could only smile and incline her head at the royal couple before she turned around and limped back to her family. The surrounding apes hooted in acknowledgment. Cornelia noted that there were still those who chose to remain silent and skulk at the human, no doubt still feeling that her presence was somehow an affront to them. The Ape Queen could only sigh and shake her head at their inability to accept the woman.
As Caesar had said, Lydia had proved herself.
Luckily, she did not seem to pay those apes any heed as she sat back down by Roy and Orion, the latter examining the skull with a strange mix between curiosity and apprehension in his eyes.
The next day, the skull had been fixed above the entrance to the family's hut, the pelt was put aside for Lydia to deal with later and two of the beast's claws were added to each of the trio's necklaces.
