Maurice
Maurice was still quite shaken from yesterday's events at the dam, witnessing Koba and Caesar fight each other in such a savage way. Their screams and thrashing had scared the apes just as much as it had the humans and especially young Alex had seemed nervous for the rest of the evening because of it.
Part of Maurice thought that Koba had deserved the humiliation he got from Caesar taking him on. The bonobo had gone against the king's orders and acted out on his own. Add to that how he had insulted Caesar, not only in front of his own loyal apes, but in front of the humans as well. Everyone in that room needed to see Caesar as the undisputed leader and Koba had challenged that.
And what was worse, he had challenged everything Caesar was and what he stood for. Had dared to question what everyone who was close to the Ape King knew was most sacred to him: His love for his children.
"Humans attack your sons. You let them stay! Let her stay! For years now! Put apes in danger! Caesar loves humans more… Than apes! More than your… Sons." He had said it with such venom, his wish to challenge clear in the way he carried himself.
The not-so-subtle hint at Lydia's staying with the apes as proof of Caesar's love for humans had been a low blow as well, as Koba very well knew that Lydia had been working harder than any ape to earn her place in the colony. It had even seemed that he had come to terms with it for the past few years.
Seems like the arrival of more humans had rekindled his mistrust for her as well.
Caesar would have seemed weak if he hadn't reacted like he did. It had been the only thing he could do in this situation to set Koba straight and re-establish himself as superior. In Maurice's humble opinion, the bonobo had overstepped the line by miles and could probably benefit from a few days of not being in the council. He was clearly not in an emotional state fit to have influence on Caesar's decisions.
But the orangutan knew that Caesar would not go that far. Even if Koba had spoken out of turn, Caesar still considered him something akin to a brother and probably believed that this whole thing would blow over once the humans finished their job and went home for good.
Maurice was not so sure that was the case.
When he had stepped forward to protect Alex and Malcolm, the undiluted hatred that had burned in the bonobo's eyes had told Maurice that Koba would even attack his own if he deemed it necessary, and the orangutan's warning rumble had done little to deter him. Only when Caesar had entered the room did the scarred ape turn his attention away from the humans and Koba's hateful eyes became accusatory as the Ape King just stood there and took the insults until he could take no more.
Luckily, Koba's threatening approach and the violent scene between the apes that followed had not made the human boy unreasonably scared of all apes and Maurice had very much enjoyed the reading session he and Alex had had the morning after it had happened. He was a very pleasant young human, something Maurice could scarcely remember ever having encountered while living in the circus. Also, his father and step-mother (Lydia had later explained the relation between Ellie and Alex) seemed quite sincere as well. Ellie seemed genuinely concerned for the Ape Queen and was very soft-spoken when addressing the apes. Also, her affection for her husband and step-son was quite obvious in every look she cast their way – it reminded Maurice greatly of Lydia, though she had a more rugged appearance and an air of authority about her that Ellie did not possess.
Speaking of Lydia, she seemed very hopeful about Cornelia's treatment and had therefore been asked to join them in repairing the dam rather than watching over the Ape Queen. Ellie had also joined in on the task, since the female apes could keep an eye on Cornelia as well as anyone.
Lydia had also, at last, seemed to warm up to their visitors. At least towards Ellie and, to some extent, Alex. Malcolm was still not completely forgiven for his oversight concerning Carver's hidden gun, but it was getting better as the day progressed. She seemed more indifferent towards the two other men, Foster and Kemp, who in turn were more interested in getting the job done so they could go home.
It was a relief for Maurice to see that Lydia was finally beginning to familiarize herself with her own species – not because he wanted her to leave with them when this was all over, or change the way she acted around apes, for that matter. It had simply worried him that she had been so hostile towards creatures she should feel the most comfortable with. She might be an ape inside, that much had always been apparent to Maurice – but she was still a human as well.
"Thinking hard, Maurice?" Came a teasing voice from his left.
Well, speak of the devil.
The orangutan huffed out a deep laugh and shot Lydia a look from the corner of his eye.
"Always thinking. Hard? I don't know." He signed simply, shrugging.
It made her chuckle light-heartedly and pat his shoulder.
He noticed how her clothes seemed dirtier than usual – the result of rummaging through the abandoned dam with the other humans and the assisting apes.
"I think I do, though." She spoke knowingly, glancing around the entrance of the dam.
It was late in the evening and twilight had now descended upon the forest. The humans' flashlights illuminated their surroundings just enough for the group to continue the repair job – according to Lydia, their work seemed to be nearly complete, if Malcolm was to be believed.
Maurice's eyes found Orion, sitting together with Alex a few feet away from the entrance to the dam's control room. The two were engaged in a seemingly slow, but nonetheless amusing conversation. The old orangutan knew that Orion was able to speak, albeit not as well as his father, Caesar or Koba, but he was certainly the one among the village's adolescents who had taken to the spoken word the most.
Probably due to his mother's tendency to mix sign and speech when she communicated with the apes.
Maurice and Lydia could vaguely hear the boys' conversation.
"Do you have schools or something like that in the village?" Alex asked, his voice full of interest.
"School?" Orion struggled momentarily, tasting the word. He seemed to vaguely remember it, then.
"Yes. We have… A place. To learn." He then pointed to Maurice. "Teacher. Maurice teaches. Ape children."
The orangutan huffed out a laugh and nodded at the two. Beside him, Lydia chuckled as well.
"So, you know how to read too? I read in a book with Maurice earlier today, before you guys came back with Ellie." The teenage human continued.
Alex had a certain way of carrying himself that Maurice found puzzling – shoulders hunched and an alert expression on his face. There was an uncertainty in his eyes which the orangutan knew had little to do with adolescent angst and more to do with something horrible that had happened when he had been younger. Maurice imagined it had something to do with the woman in the picture he'd found in Alex's sketchbook a few days prior.
He wouldn't pry, though. The boy had been through enough as it was. No need to re-open old wounds and add to his current worries.
Orion nodded at Alex's question, a humble smile on his lips.
"Yes. Get taught. Letters in… School… Maurice teach us. And before that. Mother." He nodded towards Lydia, who waved in a friendly manner when Alex looked towards her.
It was true. Lydia had attempted to teach Orion a few letters before arriving at the colony. She had told Maurice that she wasn't sure if the ape child had picked up on any of it, but had been pleasantly surprised when Maurice had informed her that Orion easily recognized around half of the alphabet on the stone with the letters scribbled on it.
An impressive feat for a two-year-old chimp who had been imprisoned for half of his life at the time and constantly on the move for the other half.
Alex nodded, looking impressed.
"That's pretty cool."
A crease appeared between Maurice's brows at the term, but Orion only nodded and continued the conversation.
"It's a way of saying it's nice." Came Lydia's amused voice from beside him, and Maurice concluded that she must have seen his confused expression and guessed at what the problem was.
He shot her a smirk and pushed her lightly, making sure to only use a fraction of his strength so she wouldn't topple over. She was a tough one, sure, but he was well aware that she wouldn't be able to remain standing if he applied the strength he would normally use with other apes.
Suddenly, Ellie came running towards them with a couple of apes hot at her heels. Her expression was a strange mixture between disbelief and excitement and she barely had any breath left when she finally reached the group.
"Hey! Where's Malcolm and Caesar?"
"They're still inside. Down below I think. Why? Did something happen?" Lydia replied worriedly.
Ellie's bright smile seemed to quickly smoothen Lydia's furrowed brow as both Alex and Orion got up to find out what all the ruckus was about.
"The gas station not far from here. On the way to the city. You'll see when we get there!" Ellie explained. Maurice didn't have the slightest idea what she meant with that, but he deduced that something with the dam must have started to work as intended.
Now, that would be a relief. Perhaps they would finally have some proof that their hard work with the humans was bearing fruit and the lights in the city could come back.
Ellie was quick to summon Malcolm, Caesar and the others from inside the dam and a short while later the group was headed towards the location Ellie had pointed out to them. There was an excited and expectant atmosphere among the members of the group as they moved towards their destination, which was quickly exchanged for one of awe and wonder as fluorescent lights began to shine almost blindingly between the trees as they got closer.
White, red, green – and bright as day.
The signs had everyone stop and stare for a moment as they finally reached the overgrown parking lot in front of the gas station. Some of the apes had never seen lights like these before, while others, like Orion, were too young to remember or, like Maurice, had simply forgotten them.
The old orangutan didn't feel any discomfort in seeing them again, however. They were not in San Bruno anymore, but in the middle of the forest that was their chosen home, and these lights were merely the remnants of a bygone age.
Also, there was no way he could feel anything but relief at seeing these lights when the humans beside him, who had sought this light so desperately that they'd risked their lives and faced the apes to achieve it, were now staring so entrancedly at the result of their efforts.
To his left, Maurice noticed how Orion jumped off his mother's horse and moved up beside Alex, completely mesmerized. It was clear the two had become quite comfortable with each other as the day had progressed and now, Alex began to explain to the young ape about what this station had been used for in the past. Ever eager to learn, Maurice could see that the adolescent ape was sucking the information to him like a sponge sucks moisture.
Then, music began playing, a sound so foreign and yet so comforting that none of the apes present even so much as flinched when it occurred. The humans all smiled at it and looked at each other in disbelief.
Even Lydia seemed to relish in the sound, regarding the gas station with a tired, barely-there smile.
Maurice grunted to get her attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Caesar finishing up his conversation with Malcolm, heading towards the two of them now.
He chose to keep his focus on Lydia.
"Was it this that you said you missed sometimes? Lights? Music?" The old orangutan signed discreetly.
Lydia shrugged indifferently atop her horse, pursing her lips as a thoughtful expression crossed her face.
"Partly. Not so much the lights or the electricity. We have torches and cookfires back at the village, after all." She spoke honestly. "But I do miss the music, sometimes. Like we discussed a few days ago, before the virus broke out, I used to listen to music for hours every day. There was nothing better after a long day than to just sit back and relax with some good tunes playing."
A reminiscent smile found its way to her face and Maurice nodded in understanding. There had sometimes been music playing over the radio at San Bruno, he vaguely remembered, and some of the songs had actually been quite good.
One thing apes had yet to master, the elderly ape mused, the beauty of music and singing. Perhaps, in time, they would be able to do this too. It was one thing the humans, despite their many faults, had actually gotten right, in his humble opinion.
"What did you listen to back then?" Came Malcolm's interested voice, alerting Maurice and Lydia to the fact that he had now joined the conversation, together with Caesar, Ellie and, surprisingly, Alex and Orion. The latter looked at his mother expectantly, his green eyes glinting with interest in the fluorescent light.
Maurice knew that Lydia did not speak about her life before the breakout very often, even at home. No doubt Orion was curious about his mother's past with her human family. In the days when humans were the undisputed rulers of the world and the strange contraptions rusting away around them were still in use and well-tended to.
Lydia looked taken aback for a while but seemed to think it over after her eyes passed Caesar's. The Ape King looked curious too.
"Well… It really depended on my mood, but… I guess I was mostly into alternative rock and metal. Bands like Evanescence, Blink-182, Slipknot, Slayer or Metallica. That sort of thing. Though I did spice it up with a bit of pop and classical from time to time." Lydia answered, seemingly listing the strange terms and names off the top of her head.
It meant absolutely nothing to Maurice, and from the look on Caesar and Orion's faces, they were just as lost as he was.
It was quite a different story with the humans, thought. Ellie and Malcolm both stared at Lydia with slightly widened eyes, while Alex almost seemed… impressed? Smug, maybe?
Malcolm shook his head with a chuckle only seconds later.
"I only know the last two of those. Music post the 80's and 90's is not really my expertise, and metal never really was my genre to begin with." The human man admitted with a slight grin.
"You're obviously quite a bit older than me, by the sound of it." Lydia deadpanned, making Ellie and Alex break out in good-natured laughter as Malcolm's eyes widened at the jab. Maurice had no idea how any of what Malcolm had said could indicate that he was older, but he knew from the look on Lydia's face that there was no real venom behind her utterance.
Malcolm didn't seem to take any offence either, and merely huffed out an exasperated chuckle before replying.
"I guess you're right. Though in my opinion, music quality declined rapidly after the beginning of the 90's. All the good stuff was already made in the 80's anyway."
Maurice and Caesar, despite not knowing exactly what any of this meant, both laughed when Lydia and Alex rolled their eyes in unison. It would seem that, in this regard, the two were of one mind.
In the back of his own mind, Maurice was once again pleased to see that Lydia was, at last, connecting with her own kind.
She wasn't going to go with them to the city now that they might be done, but at least she had not distanced herself so much from her species that she couldn't tell when she had met a few kind ones.
"Jeez, you don't know what you've been missing with that attitude, old man." Lydia replied teasingly as she turned her horse in the direction of the village, signalling for Orion to hop up behind her.
Ellie laughed and grabbed a slightly flabbergasted Malcolm by the arm and pulled him forward to walk behind Caesar's horse, as he too began to move his steed towards the Ape Colony.
It was time to see if the city of San Francisco had benefited from their work at the dam.
Orion
Orion welcomed the warm, living lights of the Ape Colony's blazing torches. The bright lights at the old gas station had been fascinating, but nothing could quite beat these warm, dancing flames all around the village.
The dogs greeted them first as they entered the gates, welcoming Lydia and Orion with wagging tails and a few happy barks before moving on to Caesar, Maurice, Rocket and the others, one by one. They knew all of the apes by now, and were well aware of who welcomed their touches and who would hiss and spit at them to keep their distance.
None of the latter were present now, and Storm and Blaze met everyone with enthusiasm.
That is, all but Malcolm, Ellie, Kemp, Foster and Alex, who they seemed to regard with interest, but didn't dare get close to. It helped when mother came over to crouch beside Alex, who had gone down on one knee to coax the huge, shaggy dogs closer to pet them.
"The dark one's name is Storm. She's a bit more reserved, usually. But Blaze over here is more forthcoming. Try calling his name. Perhaps it'll help." She spoke in a friendly manner.
Orion was pleased to see that his mother was finally relaxing and letting go of her mistrust. Alex was a nice human, the adolescent ape had decided. He was shy and had seemed uncertain when Orion had first approached, not knowing what to make of the interest the young ape had showed him. It had been a struggle that he didn't understand sign and Orion wasn't really confident in his voice – it was still raw. Unrefined. Brutish.
He hoped one day to be as good with words as his father or Caesar or even Koba (though he didn't exactly like the bonobo, he could at least admire his ability to form words with relatively little effort.)
It didn't faze Alex, however, as the teen seemed delighted that Orion was even able to speak at all and easily engaged in conversation once he realised this fact.
It had been great fun to talk with Alex, even if it was a bit stumped by the fact that Orion's speech was lacking in comparison to the human boy's. He told Orion about the human colony he lived in, how he lived together with his father and step-mother (a new word added to Orion's vocabulary right there) and how a normal day looked like for him back in the city.
Though he doubted mother would be in any hurry to answer his questions once in the privacy of their own hut, Orion decided that he had to ask her about her own time in a human colony for comparison.
There was nothing to do once the adolescent's curiosity had been awakened.
Blaze quickly decided that Alex was just too interesting to avoid once the teenager began calling the dog's name, and he came wagging over to sniff Alex's face, much to the amusement of ape as well as human onlookers. Storm seemed to prefer staying close to Orion and the ape petted her soft fur as she butted her head against his elongated hand.
A soft grunt alerted him to his father's presence and Orion turned his head to see Roy walk over to the group gathered at the centre of the village. The two put their foreheads gently against each other in greeting, father having to bend down a tad since he was taller than Orion.
Next came mother, who raised herself to her full height and walked over to embrace Roy as they, too, put their foreheads together in greeting. Most of the humans seemed curious at the scene, except Ellie, who just smiled at the two.
Their attention was pulled away from mother and father, however, as Caesar gestured for them to come over to one of the village's vantage points to look at the city in the distance.
The lights were on – just as they had been at the gas station.
Orion had never seen the city lit so brightly before. Since they had arrived five years ago, there had only ever been scattered flickers of light here and there, with a clear epicentre in the middle of the tall buildings that could be made out all the way from the village.
Now, they were shining bright and clear as if thousands of fires had been lit across the entire centre of the city, bathing the low-hanging clouds above in a warm light.
It was rather beautiful, in a strange way, and Orion found himself wishing to see it up close. To be surrounded by the flameless lights and marvel at what humans had achieved before their civilization had crumbled.
He doubted mother would allow it.
Suddenly, a soft hoot sounded from above and everybody's eyes landed on the Ape Queen as she appeared from inside one of the huts higher up, looking down at Caesar with eyes full of affection.
Orion noted that she still looked quite tired and that mother and Ellie were still regarding her with uncertain eyes, probably thinking she shouldn't be out and about just yet.
Even so, she looked a whole lot better than she had just a day ago and Orion felt relief on Blue Eye's behalf as his friend approached his parents hesitantly to embrace his mother. Cornelia was quick to reassure her son that she was better and for the first time in days, Orion saw the ever-present worry in Blue Eye's gaze dissipate.
Orion felt his own mother's arm around his shoulder and turned his head to see her smile brightly at him from where she stood, snugly pressed against father's side.
This was how it should be. Everyone smiling and together.
No conflict.
No mistrust.
No hatred.
And it was all destroyed when a single, deafening gunshot shattered the tranquillity of the scene.
It tore through Orion's mind like a fish through a rushing stream and the memory of Ash being shot a few days prior sprang to the forefront of his mind.
Before anyone could even react to the noise, Caesar staggered on the ledge he was standing on with his family and, after the briefest of moments, plummeted into the ravine down below. All was quiet for a few, precious seconds as everyone stared in disbelief at what was happening before their very eyes.
Everything was chaos from that point on.
Cornelia released a shrill screech in fright and desperation, Blue Eyes trying to hold her back from jumping down for her husband while fear, despair and confusion flooded his own features.
Mother gasped loudly beside Orion and father hooted angrily as he scanned the perimeter for potential threats, flashing his sharp canines.
It didn't take long for Blue Eyes to climb down from where his father had fallen, only to reappear with a gun in his hand, which he brought to the platform in the centre of the village for all to see.
How had that gotten into the colony? Where was the culprit who had shot their leader? What did all this even mean?
It was questions such as these which flooded Orion's mind as he watched on horrified while the scene before him turned from a peaceful, dream-like oasis and into a sickening nightmare.
Angry screeches sounded throughout the colony and, almost as if the appearance of the weapon had summoned him, Koba's bulky frame joined Blue Eyes on the platform. He only took a moment to examine the gun before turning to the crowd and loudly proclaiming, in his piercing, rabid-sounding voice, that the humans had killed Caesar.
That they had brought the gun and betrayed the apes' trust.
And that they had set fire to the village.
Turning around, Orion realised that the village was, indeed, set aflame and that the fires were spreading. Fast.
He looked towards mother in panic and confusion but was interrupted before he could even begin to ask what was happening.
"Run." Came Maurice's voice imploringly from only a few feet away, his gaze directed at the humans standing beside him.
They didn't need to be told twice.
As soon as they began bolting for the village gate, Maurice turned to Lydia with a stern expression.
"You too, Lydia." He signed frantically before pulling her back, into the shadow of a hut that had yet to catch on fire. Orion followed together with his father, who nodded in agreement with the old orangutan.
Mother shook her head sternly, a look of disbelief plastered across her face.
"They will blame you too. Koba will not see a difference!" Maurice continued when mother began to protest verbally as well.
Father stepped forward, then, as mother's eyes turned hard and teary, and grabbed her face in both his hands.
"Go. Be safe." He said imploringly and mother's features softened into an expression of pained sadness.
She nodded weakly and turned to Orion as Roy let go of her face, quickly hugging the scared adolescent and whispering words of comfort to him before she, too, disappeared through the gate of the village, Blaze and Storm following close behind her after she had called them to her.
And so, Orion could only look on as his mother, for the second time in his life, ventured out to go at it alone, leaving him and father in favour of the dark and dangerous woods.
And just like last time, he desperately wished he could follow her.
