Rocket

It was just around the time when late morning turned to early noon that they came across a couple of human structures. Small, broken-looking wooden cabins with several of their windows shattered and rot eating at the boards making up the facades. They looked barely able to protect against a harsh breeze, in Rocket's opinion.

And yet, smoke was rising up from between the cabins, telling the group that someone was around.

"Guards think soldiers are here." Luca signed to Caesar as they rode up the nearby hill to oversee the area. "Always fires burning."

Rocket looked to Lydia for confirmation to Luca's words, not because he didn't trust the gorilla and his subordinates, but because he trusted Lydia to be more experienced when it came to humans and the signs of their presence. She was one, after all.

The balding ape grunted to gain her attention, as well as that of the others.

"What are your thoughts on this?" He asked with a heavy brow raised in curiosity.

She pursed her lips as her gaze returned to the cabins up ahead, scrutinising them for any sign of military activity.

"I don't think this is a place soldiers would camp out." She answered after a while, her eyes narrowing and her nose scrunching up. "It's too quiet for that to be the case… Still, it's worth checking out, just to be sure. If we don't find anyone we can always search for useful things."

She didn't even look at Caesar as she said this, like she normally would when providing her counsel, and this behaviour puzzled Rocket more and more as the day dragged on. They had been angry at each other ever since the group left the colony, but they had at least still talked and looked at each other.

The balding ape knew Maurice had inquired about it earlier and had been relieved to see that the silent treatment she offered Caesar didn't extend to the rest of the group. None of the ape males had been particularly thrilled to have her join them, but unlike the Ape King, the others hadn't been very vocal about it.

Besides, Rocket thought to himself, her skills might come in handy on this mission. It is humans we're dealing with, after all.

In a way, despite the tension it created, it had actually been somewhat a relief that Lydia had come along. She was the only one who seemed able to tell Caesar 'no' and get away with it, which was probably a healthy thing for the large chimp to experience from time to time.

Rocket didn't want to think too much about the implications behind this fact.

But perhaps she has told him 'no' one too many times now? Perhaps that's the reason for this avoidance? He couldn't help but ponder, though even then, Rocket had a hard time imagining what Caesar could have done or said to warrant this sudden silence.

In any case, he wasn't in a position where he felt he should pry. He wasn't good with such matters, putting more stock in actions rather than words. Words were Maurice's thing.

He could understand Lydia's motivation well enough, however. In truth, Rocket thought his leader and friend had handled the whole thing in a very uncharacteristic and insensitive manner, refraining from consulting any of his council members and simply riding off with little to no warning. The balding ape couldn't help but feel just a little betrayed by that, and he knew that Maurice, Luca and Lydia, obviously, felt much the same way.

Still, Rocket was willing to excuse this behaviour on Caesar's part because he knew what his friend was going through, even if he didn't approve of it. Especially not when the Ape King, unlike Rocket, still had another, much younger child to raise.

It was all just a big mess, really and with every day that passed, Rocket's fear for his old friend and former rival grew just a bit more, as he hoped against hope that whatever it was that had been broken inside Caesar was something that could be mended.

The Ape King nodded all the same and turned his horse to walk calmly along the path towards the cabins, the rest of the group following suit.

The place seemed quiet enough as they finally came up to the shoddy-looking buildings. Patches of tall grass and various other plants partially hid the old wreckage of a rusty car, as well as other metal contraptions stowed around the property. If it hadn't been for the fire burning and the two horses that stood bound by the largest of the cabins, the place might have seemed abandoned to the untrained eye.

Further traces of human activity were everywhere, though, if one took the time to look. Neatly stacked firewood, the well-trodden paths between the buildings, objects scattered all around that seemed to have been deliberately placed for easier access.

Everything led Rocket and the others to believe that someone was living here, but…

"No one here." Rocket informed Caesar as they all dismounted, though they drew their weapons just to be safe – even Lydia, who's eyes keenly swept across the open space between the cabins, bow at the ready in front of her.

"Search the area." Caesar merely informed them in a quiet voice as he disappeared into the building to their immediate left.

They did as they were told, Maurice stepping forward at a slightly brisker pace than the others, despite the fact that he had no weapon.

Rocket was very conscious of keeping Lydia near, preferably behind him, so he could shield her if they happened upon anyone who might mean them harm. He knew she had Storm and that she was a good shot with her bow, but with her arm still injured and his own gun being a more powerful weapon, the balding ape deemed it safer this way.

And it would seem like he was right to do so.

Storm suddenly stopped sniffing around and stood with her hackles raised, growling viciously at something, which immediately made the apes and the human woman tense up.

And sure enough, a human male suddenly appeared out of nowhere after them only having taken a few careful steps into the area. He stopped dead in his tracks the moment he saw them, eyes widened in surprise and his arms full of what Rocket could only guess to be firewood.

The gun slung around the man's shoulder didn't go unnoticed by the chimp, who's posture immediately stiffened, gun raised in preparation for a fight.

The human seemed to swallow a lump caught in his throat before he spoke to them.

"I'm just gonna put this down." Came his tense words as he gestured to the wooden sticks within his grasp.

Storm didn't stop growling.

"Don't do anything stupid…" Lydia warned calmly, and Rocket heard the unmistakable noise of her bowstring as it tightened.

That probably wasn't good for her arm.

The man eyed her and licked his lips nervously. He seemed surprised at the sight of a woman among the apes, though the presence of a fellow human didn't look to be calming him at all.

In the end, Lydia's warning was ignored, as the man reached for his gun the moment the wood he had been holding on to was dropped to the ground with a hollow clatter.

He didn't get to shoot a single time at them, though, as he was soon riddled with bullets himself, the loud bangs sounding in quick succession before the human male fell limply to the ground, staining the dirt with his dark blood.

Rocket very nearly felt his heart get stuck in his throat from the startle and out of the corner of his eye, he could see the slight jump Lydia gave as well.

They all turned to where the shooting had sounded from, only to find Caesar emerging from the small shed he had gone into moments ago, an angry frown present on his face.

He said nothing as he slowly turned his head to look at his companions and though Rocket was relieved that the threat had been dealt with, he couldn't help but feel disturbed at the look in his leader's eyes.

There was no emotion in them other than quiet fury – an expression that seemed to be permanently etched onto the Ape King's features by now.

But at least the threat had been dealt with, the balding chimp reasoned with himself. That ought to be good enough for now.

With careful steps, they all made their way towards the body to examine it and didn't stop Storm as she went forward to sniff all around it. She wasn't growling anymore.

"What's he doing out here alone?" Luca signed perplexedly as they all spotted the marking on the human male's neck.

It was the mark of the soldiers. Their letters. AO – Alpha Omega.

"Maybe he's a deserter?" Rocket suggested. It seemed plausible enough. There had been deserters among the apes as well, individuals not able to cope with the hardships of war, who had left the colony never to be seen again.

Lydia didn't seem convinced that this was the case, however, as she sat crouched by the body to inspect it more closely.

"Why would he need two horses if he's here by himself?" She asked quietly as she raised her head to give the property a critical look once more.

Rocket shared a brief look with Luca. The question made sense and served to keep everyone on edge.

And as if to confirm Lydia's words, a loud crashing sound akin to that of breaking glass came from the largest of the cabins. Rocket thought Storm would start growling again at the commotion as they all turned their gazes towards its source, but all the large canine did was perk up her ears and give a soft whimper. It earned her a comforting scratch behind the ear from Lydia, who seemed just as puzzled as everyone else about her dog's reaction.

Rocket knew Storm was trained to be wary of humans other than Lydia herself. Trained to warn the woman with growls and barks when other humans were near. The balding ape remembered the way both Storm and Blaze had reacted that day all those years ago, when a car had approached while Lydia had been sitting with them on the road.

Any signs of humans and the dogs would react.

But not like this. Not with whimpers and whines.

The apes all knew this well enough.

Lydia stowed away her bow and arrow as she got up from her crouched position by the human male's body and waited for her ape companions to lead the way to the cabin. Rocket immediately went to walk in front of her again, only briefly noticing how she exchanged her bow for her large hunting knife. He nodded in approval – a knife would be better than a bow at such close quarters, should they meet someone hostile inside.

The door came off its hinges with surprising ease and crashed to the floor, revealing the relatively dark interior of the cabin.

The place was a complete mess, really.

Thick layers of dirt covered every surface, and tiny specks of dust fluttered in the rays of sun that fought their way through the filthy window panes. Looking over Caesar's shoulder, Rocket saw that a metal shelf had been knocked over, and that several glass containers had shattered against the floor, spilling their contents. It looked to be several kinds of preserved food.

At least they knew what had made all that racket now – what was left to be answered was who had done it.

No one was in sight. For now.

Rocket walked behind Caesar as the Ape King led them further into the cabin, past rows of fragile-looking shelves with all sort of human objects stored on them. Most looked broken, but Rocket knew that humans, not unlike the apes themselves, were an inventive species. No doubt someone could make use of all this stuff, if they put their mind into it.

Behind Rocket, Luca had snuck in front of Lydia, effectively leaving her shielded between himself and Maurice, who made up the rear of the group. It had Rocket feel a bit more at ease that he only had to think about covering Caesar's back as they made their way to a closed door in the back of the building – whoever it was that had knocked over the shelves, they were most likely hiding in there.

And so, it was with great trepidation and adrenaline pumping relentlessly through his veins that Rocket stepped up behind his leader, readying himself for the worst.

One, two, three breaths and the door was thrown open by the Ape King, Rocket, Luca and Lydia following immediately after.

The balding ape gibbered threateningly as he looked around the room, which was just as dark and dirty as the previous one had been. He held his gun high in the air, ready to fire, though Rocket soon discovered that there was no danger at all.

No, there was nothing in here that could threaten them.

All that there was, to everyone's surprise, was a small, frightened human child pressing herself into the shadows in the corner of her bed, her eyes wide and her breathing laboured by her fear.

It took a short while for Rocket and Luca to lower their guns, only doing so when Maurice lumbered into the room, that calm, serene presence of his helping to dispel the tense atmosphere. Rocket didn't see Lydia lowering her knife at the sight in front of them, but he did hear her soft sigh as she sheathed her weapon.

The only one who remained on high alert was Caesar himself, who was still pointing his gun at the girl. To Rocket's immense relief, his leader's surprised face seemed to indicate that he wasn't going to shoot – he was simply shocked, having not expected to find a child here.

But he was not unreasonably hostile.

It was Maurice's hand forcing him to lower the gun that finally made the Ape King snap out of it, the change seeming almost instantaneous as his gaze hardened once more. Then, he turned away from the human child, as if she wasn't even there, and ordered them all to search the place and take what they could before he left the room.

Rocket shared a look with Maurice before he, too, turned to leave. It didn't sit well with him to just abandon a defenceless child like this, but what were they supposed to do? They were on a mission. A dangerous one.

On his way out, Rocket saw how Lydia was still staring at the girl, her expression unreadable. She looked like she didn't know what to do with herself, not even which leg to put her weight on, standing as if frozen in place. The reaction shouldn't have surprised Rocket as much as it did, honestly, but it was just so rare that he thought of Lydia in relation to other humans anymore. He hadn't thought about how a situation like this might affect her, even if she had largely rejected her own species in favour of a life with the apes.

He reached out and laid a gentle hand on her good arm, drawing her attention to himself.

It worked, for the most part, as she turned her head face him.

"Come on." He signed once he was sure her focus had shifted and inclined his head towards the exit. "We should go…"

It was with obvious reluctance that she nodded at him, and he could easily tell that she was trying very hard to resist the urge to look back over her shoulder at the child still on the bed. Rocket kept his hand on her arm, guiding her out the door and into the larger, messy room.

It didn't escape Rocket's notice that Maurice didn't follow them out, but he paid it no mind as he began to search the place with the others. The orangutan would come, in his own time.

Lydia was quiet as she began methodically rummaging through the place, occasionally picking out an item and placing it in an old leather satchel she had found. It was riddled with tiny holes and the leather's once smooth surface had cracked in several places, but it seemed sturdy enough. Rocket placed a pair of binoculars he had just found inside of it, earning a nod from Lydia.

After a few short moments, Maurice suddenly appeared at the door, seeming worried.

"Something wrong with her." He signed at Caesar. "I don't think she can speak."

A quick sideways glance at Lydia's face confirmed Rocket's suspicion that she shared the orangutan's concern. The way her brows furrowed was proof enough of that.

Caesar, on the other hand, only seemed slightly annoyed at the interruption, staring briefly at Maurice before he turned his head away from the elder ape.

"Come." Was all he said, an air of finality about the word as he walked towards the door.

The look Lydia shot at his retreating form was one of obvious disapproval as she shook her head at the Ape King's behaviour. It was clear she had expected him to at least acknowledge Maurice's words, but whether it was because she thought it was disrespectful towards the orangutan to do otherwise or because she thought Caesar ought to be concerned for the human child, Rocket could not tell.

He only hoisted the leather satchel onto his shoulder with a sigh and walked after his leader, Luca not far behind him.

They all made their way back to their horses, Lydia walking beside Maurice with a soft frown on her face before she gently touched the orangutan's shoulder in what seemed to be a comforting gesture. The aging ape grunted in thanks before she moved towards her black-and-white spotted stallion, swinging into the saddle with relative ease.

It was Storms whimpering just then that drew their attention to the fact that the girl had followed them outside.

She was walking towards the body of the human male still on the ground, her steps slow and tentative as she moved closer. She didn't seem particularly scared by the sight of the dead body, nor saddened by the fact that the one to take care of her was suddenly no more. She just seemed… lost.

Lydia looked particularly stricken by the scene and a hopeless-sounding sigh left her. Even so, she made no move to get off her horse and approach the girl. It was almost as if she was wary of getting near her. Of getting involved.

A heartfelt rumble came from Maurice as he turned to Caesar, his small, green eyes almost pleading.

"She'll die out here alone." He signed softly. Imploringly.

Rocket observed the exchange with keen eyes, trying to discern his leader's expression.

"We cannot take her, Maurice." Caesar's tone was a fraction gentler than it had been all day as he said this, but it did nothing to deter the orangutan.

"I understand…" He replied with the same, slow movements he always used. "But I cannot leave her."

And for a moment, Rocket fully expected Caesar to flat-out reject the elder ape's words. Expected him to tell Maurice that he should stay here and take care of her if he felt so strongly about this. That their mission could not be compromised because of Maurice's moral code.

But the Ape King's eyes sought out Lydia's before he answered, and for the first time that day, the human woman looked back, staring straight into Caesar's green-and-golden gaze. It was a meaningful stare, Rocket could tell. One that spoke a thousand words that the other three apes would never get to hear.

And yet the balding ape knew that look very well. Had received looks similar to it many times in the past.

From his wife.

And suddenly, Rocket felt like he had just understood something crucial. Something he had failed to understand ever since he had returned. Something that had made him wonder ever since they had begun this journey of theirs.

Caesar. Lydia… They were… They must be…

Goodness, he had missed a lot in those two years he had been gone!

He resisted the urge to stare wide-eyed between his leader and the human female, choosing instead to await Caesar's reply with bated breath. To see if he would listen to Lydia's unspoken words.

The Ape King's head turned away from her to instead stare at the little girl over by the dead body, and he pursed his lips in thought.

The reply he finally gave to Maurice seemed to send a wave of relief through everyone present – and Lydia in particular.

"Do as you wish."

And with that, yet another member had joined their mission.


Lydia

Even with Caesar's acceptance of the girl being brought along, the suspicious, resentful stares he sent her way didn't go unnoticed by Lydia, and she barely resisted the urge to ride between him and Maurice to shield the child from the Ape King's hard stare.

She refused to call it a maternal instinct. After all, she didn't know this child at all and tried her damned best to stay emotionally detached from her. Telling herself it was the best thing to do right now and blatantly ignoring the voice in the back of her mind telling her that she was just being a coward.

That she felt utterly unequipped to take care of a human kid.

The youngest human she had met since she had left the Minneapolis Colony all those years ago had been Alexander, Malcolm's son, who had been sixteen at the time. That had been alright. She could deal with a teenager, and Alex had been a mature one to boot. Besides, he hadn't been Lydia's responsibility and he had been able to answer for himself when need be.

This child, however, was something entirely different. She couldn't be much older than ten, she was completely dependent on them and she seemed to have no voice of her own at all. She had made a few attempts at speaking to Lydia as they rode away from the cabin where the group had found her, but all that seemed to come out were raspy breaths.

When she had realised that it made Lydia somewhat uncomfortable to listen to, she had stopped and snuggled close to Maurice's back, making Lydia feel equal parts relieved and awful all at once.

Theoretically, Lydia knew, she was the one in this group best equipped to take care of this child and here she was, shying away from her responsibility.

Good thing Maurice seemed more than capable of handling things on his own. Otherwise Lydia might have felt even worse.

As late evening approached, their small band came upon a path veering off from the shoreline, and riding through the relatively narrow opening, they all stopped once they saw what they had found.

Lights and makeshift structures, tents and cookfires. Men yelling and the smell of food.

Storm growled lowly beside Lydia's horse, reacting to the threat as the woman had trained her to do.

It was the soldiers. They had found them at last.

But even before their small group had moved stealthily into the wooded area surrounding the camp, Lydia could tell that there were fewer men than there ought to be.

She tended to the horses as Caesar, Rocket and Luca began surveying the camp with the binoculars the balding ape had found that day, though she kept a close eye on the three all the while. Caesar had already been reckless more than once on this trip and she didn't trust him not to be again if he managed to catch sight of his target.

He was very much a victim of his temper.

"Do you see the Colonel?" Luca asked once Caesar's breathing became laboured, which drew everyone's attention. Lydia eyed the Ape King with uncertainty.

"No." He replied darkly. "Winter."

And Lydia didn't know if that was actually worse. The white gorilla had betrayed them by giving away their location, which had quickly become apparent when he had been the only one missing after the soldiers had infiltrated their home that night. It could have been no one else.

Which meant that, indirectly, Winter was to blame for Blue Eyes' death.

That sent a pang of hurt and anger through her own heart and quite honestly, had she not already been so concerned about Caesar doing something reckless, Lydia might have gone along with the impulse to sneak into that camp and deal with the gorilla herself – however that might turn out.

When Caesar appointed Rocket and Luca to sneak in with him to interrogate Winter, Lydia didn't argue to come along like she normally would. She wanted to, goodness knows, but she was just so tired of arguing right now. She still felt like she needed some time to think things through after what happened between her and the Ape King the night before and welcomed the opportunity to not feel his penetrating gaze for just a couple of minutes.

Something she would have thought impossible just a few days ago.

"Just don't get seen, or we'll have hell to deal with." She advised without looking at them, taking the reins of two of the horses, her own and Luca's, and turning away from the soldiers' campsite. "We'll go further into the woods where they won't see us and get a fire going."

Storm followed her obediently, looking up at Lydia with keen eyes and perked ears.

Her choice to stay behind seemed to surprise the four ape males, but they accepted it nonetheless.

Maurice looked relieved as he took the reins of Caesar's and his own horse, letting the little girl take Rocket's and trusting her to follow suit.

She seemed only too happy to be included and eyed the dark steed at the end of the rough-hewn rope with gentle affection and awe as they walked. The beast was so much larger than her that it almost seemed comical to Lydia how it obediently let itself be guided by this scrawny-looking human child, but then again, Rocket's horse was a very even-tempered one.

They found a suitable spot only a few hundred yards into the dense, moss-riddled forest, where a depression in the terrain would provide them with good cover from prying eyes. Add to that the fact that it was partially surrounded by a thicket, and Lydia figured they had found the perfect temporary hideout.

She handed the reins of her and Luca's horses to Maurice.

"Here, tie them up while I gather some firewood, would you?" She asked softly, and the orangutan did as he was asked with a nod of acceptance.

The girl copied Maurice and tied the reins of Rocket's horse to a tree not far off, having the ape double check the knot to make sure it was secure.

It wasn't hard to find wood to burn, considering that the forest floor was littered with fallen branches and old, weathered logs, and Lydia quickly managed to get a nice fire going.

There didn't seem to be any animals around right now. It was probably due to the soldiers' presence – the cacophony of noises they made must have scared the wildlife off for now, so instead of wasting her time going hunting, Lydia pulled out some dried meat from the deerskin bag tied to Luca's saddle.

It wasn't much, but it would have to do until they reached an area where she would actually have a chance of finding something to kill. Besides, it was probably better for her arm not to have to use her bow for just a little longer.

She sat on a tree stub opposite Maurice and the girl, who both sat on the ground by the fire.

"Here you go." Lydia spoke easily as she offered the smaller human a few pieces of meat. She was still growing, after all, and none of them had had anything to eat all day. The girl looked curiously at the offered food for a brief second before tenderly taking it into her small, dainty hands, nodding in what Lydia interpreted to be a 'thank you'.

She smiled at her before biting into her own dried morsel, nibbling at it until it was gone, and her hunger was somewhat sated.

That's when Maurice rumbled softly at her, drawing Lydia's attention away from the flames she had been staring into as she ate.

"Hm?" The woman hummed to further confirm that she had heard him.

She wasn't aware of the curious tilt of her head. She never was until someone pointed it out to her.

"I should look at that arm." The orangutan signed before scooting over to her with heavy movements.

The little girl followed him automatically, pressing herself to his side as she studied his actions with large, inquisitive eyes. Storm, having already accepted the new little member of their group, lied down beside the girl and closed her eyes contently when the human carefully placed a hand on top of her head to pet her.

Lydia's eyes returned to Maurice.

"If it will make you sleep any better at night, go ahead." She replied with an easy shrug, offering her arm to him.

"It will." Was his simple reply as he went to work, starting by ever so gently untying the strings keeping the bandage in place before peeling that off as well.

The little girl made a sympathetic grimace at the sight of the wound and briefly caught Lydia's eyes with her own, as if to soundlessly ask if the woman was alright.

Lydia offered a gentle shrug of her shoulders and a small, careful smile, trying her best to tell the child that it wasn't a big deal – still, it surprised her that the girl seemed to show concern for her. It hadn't even been a day, after all, and she hadn't seemed too upset with the death of the man who had been staying with her back at the cabins.

Maurice threw the leaves aside after that and set about rinsing Sparrow's herbal paste off the injury with a bit of water from his gourd.

So far, he seemed to be doing an okay job, which Lydia commented on with no small amount of mirth.

"Have seen it done many times before." He repeated his words from earlier that day, still with his small, green eyes focused solely on her arm.

The wound, now cleaned, looked to be healing well enough. It was still open and had an angry, red tinge to it, and it still stung fiercely whenever Lydia moved her arm, but it definitely looked smaller than it had done when she had first received it.

She scoffed with humour at her old friend's words.

"I've seen the females forage many times before." She informed him with a roll of her eyes. "That doesn't mean I've become any better at not picking the poisonous stuff myself."

That had them both chuckle, Maurice's hulking form shaking with the action.

"You make a fair point." He conceded, a friendly smile pulling at the corner of his lips. "But I think I can manage."

"Sure. There's more of the paste in my backpack. Outer compartment on the left. Sparrow gave me some to apply it myself later on." She explained and watched as he pulled over the item and found what he was looking for.

It felt good to have a bit of banter with her friend. Especially without having to feel Caesar's eyes drill into her every few minutes.

Maurice went about applying the paste in a thin layer on top of the gunshot wound before pulling out a thin, clean piece of cloth Lydia had stored in the same compartment of her backpack and tied it securely around her arm.

The result was a rather makeshift-looking bandage, but it felt sturdy enough to Lydia and less cumbersome than the leaves and string she had had before.

"Thanks, Maurice."

"Thank me when we know it's not infected." He shrugged, politely, closing up her backpack once more now that he was done with it. "I have done what I can."

"I'm sure it's fine. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that if Sparrow could see this, she would most likely consider making you a healer full-time."

They both chuckled at that, knowing it was probably true – Sparrow rarely missed an opportunity to recruit more healers.

"Speaking of healing…" Maurice signed then, so subtly, so carefully, that Lydia almost couldn't decipher it. "You and Caesar… I will not ask what was said or done last night but… Do you think you will be on speaking terms anytime soon?"

Lydia sighed and leaned forward to rest her elbows on top of her knees, avoiding the orangutan's gaze in favour of staring into the dancing flames of their campfire once more. She should have known he would touch upon that subject now that Caesar and the others were out of hearing-range.

But at least he held true to his words about not prying into their business and after all, she supposed it was only fair of him to ask this, given the mission that lie ahead. It was hard to work together when two members of the group weren't speaking to each other and made the atmosphere even more tense than was already the case.

And besides, Lydia knew she and Caesar would have to talk things through sooner rather than later, like the adults they were, but…

"Most likely, yeah… I think we both just need some space, you know? Some time to think things through?" She spoke softly, her brow furrowing ever so slightly.

That was hard to do when they were basically in each other's vicinity around the clock, like they hadn't been in years. Maybe that was just adding to the problem? The fact that they couldn't get out of each other's space when they needed to.

It was part of the reason why Lydia had agreed so easily to staying behind with Maurice and the little girl. It provided a welcome opportunity to be apart for a while and just breathe. To not have to think about if, how or when the Ape King would pull her aside and force out an apology he wasn't ready to make, just so she would speak to him again. Look him in the eyes again.

Maurice nodded in understanding, his large cheeks gently swaying with the action.

"That is all I wanted to know." He replied before he turned his attention to the little human girl, rumbling softly at her as he pointed to her stomach with a questioning look in his eyes, silently asking if she was still hungry.

That was one of the things that Lydia appreciated the most about the aging orangutan. He didn't have a mate of his own, so he really didn't have any first-hand experience with relationships and the trials that came with them – but he was accepting of them all the same. Understood them, even when they seemed to make next to no sense to the people involved.

He gave advice when he felt that he could and listened when he knew advice weren't needed.

And best of all, he knew when to drop a matter. A subtle art neither Lydia, nor Caesar seemed able to master.

It was why their argument had escalated like it had last night, neither being able to just turn away and let it go before feelings got hurt.

A quiet sigh left the woman as she continued to stare into the flames.

Truthfully, it wasn't just Caesar who was a victim of his emotions.