Bue Eyes

"You ape prisoner now! Will know life in cage!" Koba addressed the frightened humans cooped together behind the fences. Blue Eyes saw how the young ones clung to the adults, much like Cornelius would cling to his, Cornelia's or Caesar's fur when he was frightened.

The thought of his dead father made Blue Eyes regard the humans with hard eyes. They were right to be frightened, after what they had done…

And yet… Blue Eyes was beginning to doubt that what the apes were doing was truly justice. Koba had killed Ash. Another ape. Blue Eyes' friend. Without a hint of remorse and with a total disregard for the most sacred of the laws the apes lived by.

Ape not kill ape.

But what could he do? Caesar was dead and Koba now stood in his place, with Blue Eyes too young to challenge the bonobo in any way.

"More humans out there!" Koba's voice cut through the air like a jagged stone knife through the sinewy flesh of a deer. "Go! Find them!" He ordered sharply, sending several of the armed apes on their way to chase even more of these scared, defenceless creatures.

This is not a war, Blue Eyes thought as he looked over the prisoners once again. This is a mountain lion toying with a field mouse. These humans never had a chance.

Just then, as he made his way to follow the other apes on their hunt for more prisoners, he noticed it. The big, yellow vehicle just beside the humans' enclosure. He had thought it was a prison for the more… resisting humans at first.

But now, as he got closer, he saw apes in there, chained and with a hopeless look in their eyes.

And not just any apes, either.

"Maurice…?" The adolescent ape signed in confusion as he got close to the window, staring right up at the old orangutan through the bars and the window behind them.

"Koba said… We're too loyal to your father." His teacher signed with those huge hands, the movements restricted by the chains that bound him. "Protect yourself." He added imploringly.

As Blue Eyes let his eyes roam the interior of the bus through the glass, he noticed something else… Rocket, Luca, Roy… And Orion.

Koba had imprisoned his other childhood friend!

Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen Orion since last night.

The younger ape looked at Blue Eyes with eyes full of hurt and betrayal. His hands were bound with heavy chains that Blue Eyes could see were chafing at the skin on Orion's wrists and pulling at his fur. His whole posture silently screamed defeat and hopelessness, shoulders slouched and head down. It almost made the Ape Prince hoot out in heartfelt apology – he had never meant for this to happen!

True, he had wanted the humans to pay for what they had done to his father. What they had done to apes for years before they had made their way across the bridge and away from the cruelty and suffering that Koba so often spoke of.

But this wasn't their way. It was all too much.

Too brutal.

Too wrong.

"I will." Blue Eyes signed back to Maurice once he managed to tear his eyes away from Orion's. They somehow held the same intensity as his adopted human mother's, because right now, they were as piercing and full of emotion as hers were whenever she was angry or hurt.

Lydia…

Where was she even right now? Was she still in the forest, hiding from the apes, or had she somehow managed to follow them to the city? Was she somewhere close right now, biding her time, waiting to make a move to free the loyalist apes to overthrow Koba and his violent regime? That wouldn't be all that much out of character for her, if Blue Eyes was honest with himself.

The adolescent ape was surprised to realise that he hoped that was the case. His honorary uncle wasn't in the right, he had discovered. Far from it. Blue Eyes had realised that the moment Ash had been thrown to his death by the bonobo, his friend's terrified and confused scream coming to an abrupt end as his heavy body had hit the hard, cold floor with a dull 'thud'.

The sound still rang through Blue Eyes' mind, sending an icy shiver down his spine.

And what was worse, Ash had been right. Caesar would never have wanted them to kill a defenceless human. The man had been cowering in fear, as Blue Eyes had thought was his place, but killing him while he had no way of defending himself…

They were no better than the humans by doing so.

Blue Eyes stepped back from the bus and went to join the other armed apes in their hunt for more human prisoners, the taste of bile rising in the back of his throat at the prospect now. Behind him, he could hear the shouts and cries of the humans they had already captured, and in the distance, in the streets stretching out in front of him, he could hear the frightened screams of several others as they were either captured… or shot.

The adolescent ape steeled himself as he hoisted his gun up onto his arm. What could he do? Koba was older and more dominant, and he had already imprisoned everyone that stood a chance at opposing the madness he had unleashed.

Blue Eyes' gaze darted between the windows of the buildings he was passing as he went down one street after another. His hunt for humans was half-hearted and slow now, as he searched for one particular set of deep blue eyes and the pale face that they belonged to, framed by dark, braided hair. Lydia would know what to do. She always had in the past when something had bothered Blue Eyes.

He felt his chest clench at the thought as he met a group of hunters and agreed absent-mindedly to tag along with them. He really hadn't given her enough credit for that, he thought.

Or anything else, for that matter.

In fact, he was beginning to realise exactly how horribly distant and judgemental he had become as Ash's words from a few days ago suddenly echoed through his head.

"She misses you, you know. It hurts Lydia that you don't trust her anymore. That you believe what Koba says about her."

The Ape Prince sucked in his bottom lip in an effort to hold back a distressed whimper. Ash had been right about that, too. Blue Eyes had just been too caught up in his own pride – and his idolization of Koba, to realise it until now.

Now, their home lie burnt to a crisp in the forest, Ash was dead, Caesar was dead and Lydia was nowhere to be found.

She is probably dead too…, Blue Eyes mused, full of remorse and guilt.

He didn't find her face in any of the windows.


Lydia

Caesar had asked her to stay with him, and stay she did.

He was asleep now, his breath still shallow and his brows furrowed. They had done their best to make him comfortable, Ellie, Alex and Lydia, as a team. Ellie had added an extra pillow under his head, the softest one she could find, while Alex had fetched him water from their backpacks that he could drink. He needed to stay hydrated, after all.

And Lydia…

Lydia had sat with him until he fell asleep, gently holding on to his rough hand until it went limp in her grasp.

It had surprised Lydia greatly when he had reached out for her hand, not saying a word as his fingers made contact with her own. He had regained some warmth since he had been found by the trio of humans on the forest floor, but his fingers were still cool to the touch. Lydia reasoned that it was due to the blood loss.

Even so, his grip on her hand was as strong as it had always been. It wasn't often that their hands would meet, and certainly not for extended periods of time, like now… But it felt right to Lydia. The way his fingers curled around her limb, the rough texture of his palm against her softer, warmer skin.

He had smiled at her, then. A barely-there, but still noticeable tug at the corner of his mouth as he looked at her with those intense, soulful eyes of his. It almost made her forget the horrible mess they were in – the way he looked at her at that moment.

She couldn't help but return it, casting him a tired, but no less genuine, small smile.

It was strange, how one look seemed to comfort both of them. How a single smile could convey more than a thousand words – spoken or signed.

She had looked down at their joined hands, thinking of how, if things had been different, it would probably be Roy's fingers around her limb, while Cornelia's would be firmly held in Caesar's.

That's how it had always been. How it should be now.

She had stroked his fingers with her thumb as she got lost in her thoughts. She wanted Roy back more than anything in the world, disappear in the safety of his arms and finally know that he was alright. That Orion was alright…. Goodness, she wanted to hold her son close again. Not knowing what had happened to him was the worst.

Where was he?

Was he okay?

Was he alive?

The last thought almost made her choke out a sob until Caesar's hand squeezed hers gently to pull her out of her dark musings. He must have been able to see the worry on her face, because he had reached up with his hand still holding hers, extending one, gentle finger to tuck back a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The gesture was intimate and foreign, coming from him, as was everything he had done in the last twelve hours. He had stuck close to her, pulled her to him whenever he could and grunted in displeasure whenever she went out of his sight.

It was almost like he was afraid that she would disappear, and with her, the safety of having someone around he knew. Someone he could close his eyes around and know that they would still be there when he opened them again.

He moved his hand to rest on it his stomach, still with hers clasped tightly in his grasp, and breathed a soft sigh of fatigue as he closed his forest green eyes. Or were they hazel? She wasn't quite sure, as they sometimes seemed to have golden specks floating around in their irises, while at other times, they were void of anything but that tantalizing green colour she had come to associate with the apes.

It didn't take long for his shallow breathing to even out, indicating that he had fallen asleep. What did take long, however, was for Lydia to ease her hand out of his loosened hold. She didn't want to wake him up – he needed the rest more than anyone. But she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep in this position, much less clean herself off a bit, as she had planned to do since Malcolm had left.

Finally, after much gentle tugging, Lydia's hand was free and she could move quietly out of the living room and into the kitchen. The dogs stayed with Caesar, resting on the floor beside him, as if daring anyone to come near. He would be safe with them.

She found Ellie and Alex in the kitchen, both of them turning towards her as she entered. She must have either lost her touch for stealth or her lack of sleep was making her clumsy.

"He's asleep now. Good thing too. He honestly looked like he was about to pass out." She spoke quietly, making sure not to raise her voice and wake the Ape King in the other room.

Ellie nodded, a relieved look gracing her soft features.

"That's good. He will need to rest a lot both before and after the operation…."

Lydia could literally see on the woman's face how she almost added an 'if Malcolm comes back'-part to her sentence. Instead, she left it hanging unspoken in the air, quite obvious for all to see, even if it hadn't been uttered.

"He will come back, don't you worry about that." Lydia spoke reassuringly. "I don't know him that well, but Malcolm strikes me as a stubborn man. And one that likes a job well done."

Ellie and Alex both smiled weakly and eyed each other as if to say 'well, duh', making Lydia smirk knowingly. Then, the teenager got up from his seat at the dinner table he had situated himself at.

"I'll take a round and see if there's something we can use. There's plenty of knives and stuff in the kitchen, but Ellie says we will need some cloth for the operation and some blankets for when we're gonna sleep." He spoke, seeming more confident than he had a few hours ago.

They had already done a quick scour through the house, taking anything useful that just happened to lie out in the open, but they had yet to do a thorough search for supplies. Ellie and Alex had washed themselves off with some rainwater that had gathered in a barrel out in the back. It seemed to have been placed for that specific purpose and the water, while not exactly drinkable, was clean enough for them to wash off the grime and blood on their arms, faces and clothes.

Lydia hadn't had the pleasure yet, but was happy to see that Ellie had had the sense to run the water through a sieve they'd found in the kitchen, removing the old leaves and other, larger chunks of debris that had gathered over the years in the water. It now stood in a container they had salvaged from one of the cabinet, on the table, ready for use.

"Sure thing, Alex. I'll wash off a bit and have a chat with Ellie about what else needs to be done in the meantime." Lydia answered pleasantly.

Alex was a good kid, she knew that much. He wouldn't have connected so well with both Orion and Maurice if he hadn't been. That especially made Lydia feel awful for how she had behaved previously towards the trio of humans, and she had tried to make up for it ever since Malcolm left by maintaining a more positive demeanour and actually talk with the woman and teenager. Ellie, she knew better from the day that they had spent together treating Cornelia, and she had gotten to know Alex today by asking him about the drawings that Maurice had spoken about a couple of days ago.

He had been hesitant at first, perhaps fearing that he would somehow trigger her temper by saying something wrong.

After some time, though, he seemed to open up more and the two actually had a rather pleasant conversation about music and some asshole-teens from his colony. It became evident that he was regarded as a weirdo for being such a quiet kid, which had prompted Lydia to comment that it was often the dimwits who were the quickest to target others to compensate for their own 'damn insecurities'. That had seemed to loosen Alex up and they had laughed as they shared stories about some of the 'dimwits' they had known throughout their lives. She knew the phenomenon well enough. Her brother had had to deal with a lot of shit for being deaf and needing help with people who didn't understand sign. Lydia couldn't even begin to count how many times she had found his schoolmates talking literally just behind her little brother's back, making snide comments about him and making faces when he hadn't been looking.

Why was it always the good kids who seemed to get dealt the worst cards in life's cruel game?

"Sure. I'm gonna be upstairs if you need me." Alex replied easily as he made his way out of the kitchen.

Lydia went over to the water and began to wash her face as the adolescent left the room, leaving her and Ellie alone together. The woman was in the middle of eating something from the rations they'd had in the car. Leftover food they had brought from the colony, Ellie had explained when Lydia had eyed the package containing the food with eyes full of uncertainty. She had had to take it when Ellie had offered her a plate of it (some kind of porridge, she believed), even though she found the smell quite distasteful. It had been many years since she had eaten anything else than what she and the apes had caught and prepared themselves, and this wasn't exactly something that made her want to return to processed food anytime soon.

But it was nutrition, and since she hadn't eaten since yesterday, she would take anything she could get.

"Do you really believe Malcolm will be able to sneak past the apes…?" Ellie's voice sounded from the table where she had situated herself with her food. The spoon in her hand was digging around in the unappetizing, greyish porridge, pushing it back and forth in the deep plate with disinterest.

Lydia turned to face the woman as she wiped off her face and arms with an old shirt from her backpack. Everything in the house was either eaten up by moths or smelled horrific from years of staying in a closet, so she had offered one of her leftover rags instead. At least they were washed somewhat regularly.

"I meant what I said about Malcolm, Ellie. He's stubborn, and I do think he'll manage. He knows the place better than the apes, after all, and he has you and Alex to return to. That should be quite the motivation for him, won't you agree?"

"Even the most motivated people can get caught…" Ellie replied quietly. Lydia knew she spoke lowly so Alex wouldn't hear them. It wouldn't do if the kid caught on to such an attitude from her – she needed to be strong for him and set an example.

But, in addition to being a good kid, Alex was smart too, and Lydia doubted the teen hadn't already picked up on Ellie's underlying doubt.

"True… Honestly, I don't know what to tell you, Ellie, other than that we've gotta believe in him, okay? But I really do think he's going to be fine. The man has an uncanny ability to make people trust him like that." She cracked a small smile at the woman, hoping to ease the tension.

She knew that it was natural to worry about ones' family, especially in a situation such as this one. Heck, she worried about Roy and Orion too, only she hadn't seen either of them for almost twenty-four hours and had no idea where they were at this point.

Looking at Ellie now, she wondered if she might be the luckier of the two. Ignorance was, after all, supposed to be bliss.

Nonetheless, Ellie gave a small smile of her own at Lydia's words and nodded.

There was a stretch of silence, then, as Lydia threw away the piece of cloth and went to sit on the chair opposite Ellie's, keeping the table between them. She sat crooked in her seat, facing the windows to her right, where she could just make out the waning light of the evening sun through the vegetation covering the glass. It was getting darker by the hour now and Malcolm had now been gone for several hours.

Lydia felt guilt clench at her heart as she mulled things over. This man, this human, was risking his own life, as well as his family's, for peace. He had gone to the apes in his desperation to make life better for his family, even if he knew it could get him killed. And he hadn't just done it once, but twice!

Now, he was risking his life yet again.

And here was Ellie and Alex, taking care of Caesar as best they could, setting their own needs aside to help a creature that wasn't even their own species.

They weren't so different from herself, she realised. They were helping Caesar as she had helped Orion and Roy all those years ago. The only difference was that while Lydia had had nothing to lose except her own life at the time, they had each other.

They could have left. Could have snuck out of the forest and gone north – or anywhere, really. They had the chance to escape chaos, as Lydia had done when she had left her colony all those years ago.

And yet here they were, risking everything to solve this mess.

Lydia drew in a deep breath before releasing the air in her lungs as a heavy sigh.

"Listen, Ellie," she began, making Ellie look up from her half-eaten meal. "I… I want to apologise. To all of you. I have been a real bitch ever since you guys arrived, even though you've done nothing to deserve any of it. Well, none of you except Carver…" Her voice was quiet and solemn as she folded her hands in her lap.

"I figured you guys would be exactly the same as the people I left behind at my own colony. All because you're human…" She chuckled humourlessly at the notion, realising the irony only now. "I'm a terrible hypocrite, thinking all humans are the same and still keep thinking that I was somehow different." Finally, she turned her head to look at Ellie, eyes full of regret and apology.

"I'm really sorry for everything that's happened, Ellie."

She didn't know what she had expected Ellie to say in reply, or how she had expected her to react. Perhaps offended that Lydia had basically put her in the same category as the people who murdered her father and brother, or perhaps slightly angry at the hint that she thought Carver had deserved what he got.

What she hadn't expected was for Ellie to reach out across the table to lay a hand on Lydia's shoulder, a soft, compassionate look in her eyes as she replied.

"It's okay, Lydia. You don't have to apologise for anything. You've been through a lot – more than any of us could have guessed. I suppose it's only natural to want to protect what you have after losing so much." She squeezed Lydia's shoulder comfortingly and offered a small smile. "I'm just happy you decided to trust us one final time. That couldn't have been easy."

Lydia smiled back and shook her head, turning to face the window again as Ellie removed her hand from her shoulder.

"It was actually Caesar's doing. The way he looked at me… I just couldn't not trust you after that." Those imploring, pleading eyes were still clear as day in her memory.

"Yeah. I noticed he looks at you a lot." Ellie commented, fiddling with a water bottle they had brought from the car. It was some of the only clean water they had. "And touches you as well." She added daringly. Suggestively.

Lydia fought a blush and waved her off. She knew what Ellie said was true, but the suggestion that lay behind her words was ludicrous.

"That's just his way of communicating. Caesar always had a certain way of looking at people. It's nothing new." She argued with a roll of her eyes.

"And the touching?" Ellie pressed on, not letting the subject go.

"Apes rely on touch to convey emotion much more than humans do." Lydia replied nonchalantly.

There was a short pause in which Ellie lifted an eyebrow at her as a small smirk found its way across her face, and Lydia realised how her words might be perceived.

"Okay, that didn't come out right…" She chuckled. Ellie joined in immediately and it was like all the tension left Lydia's body at that moment. It was nice to laugh a bit, despite what was actually going on right now.

"No, it didn't, but I get your point." Ellie spoke with a bright smile on her face. It soon turned thoughtful, though. "So, there's nothing? Between the two of you, I mean." She asked curiously.

Lydia shook her head softly.

"No, there isn't. I have Roy and Caesar has Cornelia. We're both pretty well-settled and I honestly wouldn't trade Roy for the world."

It was true. The two had been together so long and were so close that Lydia honestly couldn't imagine a life without the big male ape. He was kind and thoughtful, tender and loving. She really couldn't ask for more in a mate.

And yet… the way Caesar had looked at her. The way he had touched her, held her hand and refused to let go.

Perhaps he was attracted to her, as Ellie suggested, and simply couldn't be bothered to conceal it in his hazy, pained state?

The thought caused a slight tug at Lydia's abdomen and a small jump of her heart inside her chest. There had been… moments, during these past couple of years. Times when she'd felt his eyes linger on her or instances when they had maintained eye contact for just a moment too long. And then, there had been her near-fall just a couple of days ago, when he had caught her and pulled her against his body… She quickly rid herself of these thoughts. It was absurd to entertain them.

Yes, Caesar was an attractive, striking, intense male. He was strong, kind and understanding. This, she had always known. There was no way of denying something even the blind would see clearly.

But Lydia had someone she loved already. So much it almost hurt sometimes – and doubly so now, as she sat here, with no knowledge of his whereabouts or if he was even alive.

Ellie only nodded with an understanding smile and Lydia was glad that the woman chose not to inquire further. Her attraction to Caesar had been so far in the back of her mind that she had hardly noticed it was even there in the first couple of years in the Ape Colony. Not that she hadn't acknowledged it, because she had, but it had been nothing more than a stray thought here and there. A reaction to a confident, dominant – and not half-bad looking male.

It had been easy to ignore with Roy there and Caesar so utterly and obviously devoted to Cornelia.

But now, with everything that had happened, as they sat alone together, every subtle look and accidental touch that had ever occurred between them came to mind, making Lydia feel slightly guilty.

Caesar was very dear to her. He was her friend who was now hurt, vulnerable and in need of care. Adding to that, Cornelia, her best female friend, was still sick from her infection, had a small child to care for and probably still thought that her husband was dead and gone.

And then there was Roy…

Lydia shook her head to rid herself from those thoughts, not daring to dwell on them. It wouldn't do her any good and besides, once this whole mess had been settled, everything would, hopefully, return to normal.

"Anyway," she spoke, making Ellie look up from her plate, which she had just managed to empty of that disgusting porridge. "How about we figure out what needs to be prepared for when Malcolm comes back with those med supplies?"

Ellie's smile widened at the use of the word 'when' and rose from her seat in front of Lydia with a determined nod.

"Right." Came her voice, more confident than Lydia had ever heard it before. "Let's get to work."


Blue Eyes

It was a couple of hours later, as afternoon had just started to turn into evening, when one of the hunters that Blue Eyes had joined screamed ear-splittingly loud from a few feet away, having spotted a group of humans trying to make it into the abandoned colony unseen. The Ape Prince could hear several other groups of hunters approaching, no doubt coming to catch and round up the humans. The young ape didn't even bother pretending that his heart was in it as he proceeded to follow his group, trailing after his riled-up companions with calm, even steps.

The place had been trashed the first time the apes had entered the colony, prompting the humans to scatter all over the city centre in an attempt to escape capture. Now, as Blue Eyes quietly made his way through the rooms and corridors in his half-hearted search for prisoners, he noticed how pieces of glass and debris covered the floor. It was a huge mess of shattered windows and broken walls, but what lied beneath all that slowly began to create a picture in his mind of how these creatures must have lived before the apes came down from the forest. In many of the rooms, there were what he assumed must be the human equivalent of a nest, with covers made of fabric not unlike the tatters Lydia still kept for thread-making in her backpack. In other places, there were tables with stacks of papers or equipment like what Malcolm's group had brought to the dam. None of the rooms contained any humans, thought.

That suited Blue Eyes just fine. He wasn't sure he had the stomach for it anymore.

It hadn't bothered him just half a day ago, back when he had still been ignorant of Koba's faults and followed him blindly in an attempt to avenge his father.

He had wanted to make things right.

Set them straight.

Settle a score.

But all the Ape Prince had achieved was a deeply-rooted sense of hopelessness and grief.

He continued to trudge on sourly through the abandoned colony, hearing how his companions crashed through the other rooms, screeching at the top of their lungs, high on the thrill of the chase.

And they were supposed to be smart apes, Blue Eyes thought dejectedly.

Suddenly, as he made his way into another corridor, rapid breathing and heavy footsteps caught his attention as they sounded to his right. The sound of the steps had a sharp quality to them, revealing that it was a human who was making their way through the chaos.

Blue Eyes only just managed to turn his head in the direction the sound was coming from as a tall human male stumbled around the corner to press himself flatly against the wall of the hallway. He was too focused to notice Blue Eyes at first, having his head turned in the direction of the room he had run from to listen for potential threats coming his way.

It didn't take long for the human male to turn, though, and the young ape froze momentarily as he did.

This wasn't just any human male.

It was Malcolm!

Their eyes met as he turned, panting heavily and clutching something to his chest for dear life. Blue Eyes couldn't make out what it was and didn't feel particularly interested at the moment. Malcolm's stare was intense and frightened, but there was a determination as well which Blue Eyes hadn't expected to find. He didn't say anything, though.

For a moment, the two just stared at each other as Malcolm caught his breath. Recognition seemed to dawn on him after some time, but by then, Blue Eyes had already decided what to do.

He would leave this human to his fate. What he had or hadn't done didn't matter anymore. If he was lucky, he would escape Blue Eyes' group and get away with that curious little parcel he still held so firmly to his chest. If he was unlucky, he would be captured and most likely brought before Koba for the bonobo to set an example by avenging the fallen Ape King, further solidifying his power.

Blue Eyes refused to be a part of it either way. He had had enough.

"Hey, wait!" The human's voice called out from down the corridor, so loud that Blue Eyes almost cringed. Didn't he realise that the other apes would find him in no time if he was this loud?

The adolescent ape stopped to listen to what the human had to say. Not that he cared much at this point, but at least it might make the man lower his voice. It wouldn't look good if Blue Eyes was caught in the same room as a human and not doing anything to catch him.

What Malcolm said next, however, made him turn around instantly.

"Your father." The human male breathed softly. Imploringly. "He's alive."

The prince's pale blue eyes widened a fraction as he stared back at the man, a sense of relief flooding his mind. Could it be? Was it possible that his father was still alive? Despite having been shot by the humans' deadly weapons?

Almost instantly, his eyes narrowed in mistrust as his suspicion of humans reared its ugly head once again. Why should he trust what this man said? It could be a trick, as all else this human had done seemed to have been. What if he was only seizing his chance at trying to lure the Ape Prince away from the other apes, perhaps to try and use him as leverage against Koba? To make him release the humans he had caught?

And yet, Malcolm's eyes seemed sincere and the prospect of it all, the mere possibility that his father might be alive made Blue Eyes make a tentative step towards the man. His eyes remained distrustful, however.

Malcolm seemed to pick up on his hesitation immediately.

"Listen," he spoke softly, seemingly now aware of how his loud speech might attract unwanted attention. "I know you have no reason to trust me. But I'm here because of him. I'm trying to help him."

When Blue Eyes didn't make any further steps towards him, Malcolm sighed.

"Just come with me, please? I'll take you to him, I promise! And… and if I'm lying…" He nodded his head at the gun Blue Eyes still held in his hand. "Then you can kill me where I stand."

Blue Eyes pondered that for a bit, holding out his gun to look down at it in thought. He didn't know if he would be able to kill someone in cold blood like Koba, if the person didn't even try to threaten him or at least defend themselves.

But what did he have to lose at this point? Mother was still in the forest with Cornelius, so they weren't at risk. At least not right now. He didn't want them to come to the city and face the destruction Koba had caused…

If there was a chance, even a small one, that Malcolm was telling the truth and Caesar was alive, then this could all come to an end. His father could return and set the apes back on the right path!

And if he was lying… Well, he had made that quite clear already.

Blue Eyes nodded at Malcolm, finally. He just had to try.

And so, the Ape Prince followed the human male out of the colony as quietly as possible.