Ivy
On the fourth night after they had left the caves the Ape Colony had called home for the past two years, Ivy found Orion lying on his back, staring up at the night sky as the stars reflected in his eyes. His expression was sombre and thoughtful, and his body seemed relaxed, but Ivy knew that behind those sparkling, green eyes of his, there was a myriad of worries vying for his attention.
He was so lost in his own musings that he didn't even notice her approach him, softly chewing on his bottom lip and tapping his finger against his stomach as his hand lay folded on top of it. A few feet away, Blaze was sleeping soundly, curled up in a large ball of thick, grey fur.
Ivy couldn't help but smile fondly at the sight, even though she knew Orion's mind was probably troubled – they all had a lot to worry about right now, after all.
She just hoped she could distract him, even if it was just for a moment.
Clearing her throat, she looked on as the ape male lying on the ground quickly whip his head around to face her, his expression startled.
"Ivy?" He spoke gently as he propped himself up onto his elbows, his eyes now trained on her rather than the twinkling stars above the two of them.
Blaze had also woken up and raised his head curiously, though he quickly decided she was not a threat and went back to his curled-up position once more.
He was more than used to her by now.
"Is now not. A good time?" She spoke in that soft but strained voice of hers, her tone slightly teasing.
Ivy had really hoped that she would be speaking better than chopped sentences and breathy words by the time Orion had returned from his journey, especially with how much time she had spent with Lydia while he had been away.
She had been practicing a lot, though she knew she still had a long way to go.
But no matter how limited she felt in her speech, Orion just seemed happy whenever she made the effort and never made any mention of her short, simple sentences. He never even seemed to notice how her voice would be more like a whisper than anything else because of how winded speaking sometimes made her.
He clung to every word she uttered, like they were the most precious of things.
It sometimes made her ears hot with how his eyes traced her mouth when she spoke, like he was committing the movements of her lips to memory, but then again, no other male had ever made her feel as important as Orion did.
As alive and appreciated.
And his two-year absence hadn't managed to put a damper on those feelings.
Quite the contrary, as a matter of fact – Ivy had never felt his stare as intensely as she had since his return.
Her heartbeat quickened with the mere thought, warmth spreading from the centre of her chest and out towards her fingers and toes as she stared down at him now.
Orion's expression transformed into a soft, welcoming grin as he patted the spot beside him.
"Any time is good if it is with you." He replied, and Ivy knew it wasn't just flattery on his part – like it might have been with someone else.
His tone told her as much and besides, Orion wasn't the type of ape to say something like that if he didn't mean it. That was one of the many things she had always liked about him. His honesty. His openness.
There was no hidden motives or secret agendas where Orion was concerned.
And had Ivy been one of those silly, overly-dramatic females who seemed to live solely for the praise they received from males, she would definitely have swooned.
But she wasn't one of those females, so instead, she offered a good-natured, lopsided smile in return before she sat down beside him.
"Thinking about your mother?" She asked easily, though she didn't really have to at this point.
She knew that Lydia was on Orion's mind more often than not. Especially now, given their abrupt separation and the dangerous times the colony faced – she was the last family member he had left, after all.
Ivy worried too – of course she did. Lydia was her mentor, her friend and her future mother-in-law, if all went well on this journey. If they managed to escape the soldiers through the desert and Caesar managed to come back with the others.
Orion nodded as he sat up beside her, his arms resting against his thighs.
"You know I do." He spoke quietly, pursing his lips as he reached up to grab at the necklace that lie neatly against his collarbones. "I hope she is alright…"
"She is a strong. And wise female." Ivy offered as she reached over to lay her own hand on his knee. Her emerald green eyes searched for his, willing him to look at her in return. "From the look in her eyes. When she left. It is Caesar you should. Worry about."
Orion huffed at that and he wrinkled his nose in what seemed to Ivy to be disapproval.
"He was being thoughtless. To Mother and everyone in the colony. She is right to be mad." He said in a slightly harder tone, only for both his expression and his voice to turn saddened and almost pained. "I feel for Cornelius… Losing a parent hurts, no matter your age."
A pang of sorrow slashed at Ivy's heart as Orion uttered those words, and she moved her hand up to stroke his cheek tenderly.
"But he has not. Lost Caesar yet. That is why your mother. And the rest of the council. Rode after him… They will make sure. Caesar comes back to us – to Cornelius."
Orion still looked doubtful.
"But will he make sure that Mother returns?" He asked, and it was the first time Ivy had ever heard Orion come this close to questioning Caesar and his leadership. "I saw his eyes, Ivy. He is in a dark place."
The young silvery female shook her head as she continued to brush the backs of her fingers against his cheek.
"Maybe he is… But if anyone. Can bring him home. It is Lydia." Ivy spoke with a voice full of conviction, fully believing in her friend and mentor's ability to help the Ape King back on the right path. She didn't even know exactly why she believed this so strongly – she just did. "Your mother has a way. Of setting things right."
Ivy thought back to the time Lydia had stood up for her when she had first expressed her wish to learn archery. Of how she had convinced Ivy's mother that it was okay for her to come along on Lydia's hunts.
And of how Lydia had known just what to do to get them out of that horrible situation with the three soldiers in the forest, and then known just what to do to calm Ivy down once the horror of what had happened had settled in.
Yes, Lydia would know what to do. She would bring Caesar back.
In a fashion quite similar to his mother's, Orion tilted his head curiously as he stared down at Ivy. Then he nodded.
"She does…" The young male agreed, and Ivy could tell by the brief, far-off look in his eyes that Orion was thinking back as well. Back to those times when Lydia had set things right for him too – and Ivy knew there were a lot of moments to pick from.
She spent his moment of contemplation studying his features.
He was a handsome ape, there was no two ways about this, with his luscious, black pelt, broad chest and strong arms, his pale face, heavy brow and wonderfully green eyes. They were the colour of the forest on a late day of spring, when the leaves are still new, but have lost the bright lustre of newly-sprouted vegetation.
She was so lost in them that she almost yelped in surprise when Orion spoke once more.
"As do you." He said, now with a slight, fond upturn of his lips and a teasing twinkle in those bright eyes of his. "You always know what to say. What to do."
Ivy felt a familiar, slight blush creep onto her cheeks as his arm moved to reached around her shoulders to hold her close, and she let herself be pressed into his side in return.
He was incredibly warm, as always.
"Oh, I would not say that…" Ivy replied modestly, turning in his grip so that she could place her hands against his chest. His heart was beating comfortingly against her palms, nice and steady.
Orion raised a teasing brow at her, coupled a challenging, raised brow as he moved in close to her face.
"It is the truth. Or at least I know it to be true." He persisted, nuzzling her cheek and making her huff out an amused giggle as his arm tightened around her shoulders. "And I have missed it very much."
Ivy felt how his lips brushed against her ear and how his warm breath stirred the silvery fur of her shoulder and neck. How a slight shiver ran down her spine when his hand moved to brush gently against her jaw, and how his voice, as smooth and even as the waters of a pond on a windless day, washed over her as he spoke again.
"I have missed you very much."
A beat of her heart was skipped, and she breathed a quiet, trembling sigh into his neck. They had barely had the time to properly re-familiarize themselves with each other before the apes' lives had been turned upside down and they had each had their own tasks to attend to. With Blue Eyes dead and Rocket gone with Caesar and the others, Orion was the only one in the colony who knew the way to the apes' new home. This meant that Spear, the chimp who led them all in Caesar's absence, relied heavily on Orion's help – no one had more experience travelling than he did, either.
Adding Ivy's responsibilities as a huntress and general caregiver for the colony's young ones to this equation, and it quickly became clear why the two hadn't managed to find a spare moment for each other since that horrid night four days ago.
And it had irked Ivy endlessly. Finally having Orion back, so close but still unavailable to her.
It was why she had finally chosen to forsake sleep and ignore her mother's warning hoots as Ivy had left to go find her intended mate.
Mother had been loath to let Ivy out of her sight since the attack on the colony – but when she had assured her that she would be with Orion, it had seemed to calm the older female somewhat.
Both her and Father had been fond of the young ape male from the beginning, which had relieved Orion immensely. He had feared that they wouldn't approve of their daughter being with the son of a human, even if said human was Lydia, who both of Ivy's parents respected greatly.
The young female hadn't worried too much – even if they hadn't approved, for some reason, she wouldn't have let that stop her from loving Orion.
A small smile found its way to her lips.
No, nothing would stop her from being with this ape – not tonight, not ever.
"I missed you. As well…" Ivy replied as she closed her emerald green eyes, letting herself focus entirely on Orion's scent as well as the feel of being pressed against his hard, much larger body.
She melted into his hold and let her fingers dig softly into the thick fur on his chest until the tips of her digits met the unyielding muscle underneath.
It felt safe.
Safe and comforting and enticing all at once.
Truthfully, her feeling this whenever she was close to Orion wasn't a new development – no, what surprised Ivy in that moment was the sudden intensity of it all. The sheer onslaught of emotions that bloomed within her gut as his fingers danced across her upper back and jaw, and she felt his muscles twitch beneath her hands.
They had been getting steadily closer in the weeks up to his departure with Rocket and Blue Eyes two years ago, oftentimes sitting with their arms around each other and nuzzling into the other's warmth… But they had both been younger then, and those moments had been the innocent first attempts at romance by two shy adolescents.
Now, even though their feelings for each other were the same, their circumstances had changed. Dynamics had shifted as they had turned into adults and time spent apart had made them bolder and surer of themselves.
Ivy felt it in the way Orion acted around her, touched her and spoke with her, even if they hadn't spent much time together since his return. He was more brash in his advances now, spending less time testing the waters with careful touches and tentative looks before he dived in headfirst and just hoped that Ivy would be accepting of whatever he did.
As if she could ever have denied him.
As if she didn't crave his touch with every fibre of her being.
Ivy leaned in and dragged her lips against Orion's jaw, slow and sensual as she nipped at the corner of his mouth, to which the male ape tightened his grip on her in response.
"Ivy…" His voice sounded against her cheek, darker than she had ever heard it before and with a rough edge to it that Ivy found she definitely liked hearing.
It was accompanied by his smouldering, half-lidded eyes that stared down at her as her mouth ventured across his own, barely touching him.
That is, until Orion leaned forward and pressed his rough lips firmly against Ivy's, cupping her cheek with his hand to tilt her head gently to the side, guiding her into the action.
It was a strangely wonderful sensation, his lips moving against her own in a soft, sensual manner.
The feeling of it was foreign to her, but Ivy found it to be completely natural once she had settled into it. Like it was second nature with Orion taking the lead, even if it was clear he was new to this too.
They certainly hadn't done this before.
Ivy felt herself become slightly giddy with excitement.
Most ape species, with the exception of bonobos, didn't kiss like this – like humans usually did. Ivy had seen Malcolm and Ellie do it once or twice when they had still been with the colony, and once, she had even caught a glimpse of Roy kissing Lydia like this back when the chimp had still been alive.
It had made her wonder, when she had first begun to have feelings for Orion, if he would do the same, having seen his parents kissing throughout his entire childhood.
Now she knew that this was definitely the case, but instead of her curiosity having been sated by this knowledge, it only served to make her wonder what else Orion did differently than most apes.
And once that thought had crossed her mind, it was like a small, flickering flame had ignited inside her stomach, urging her to explore this further. Demanding that she get closer. Aching to get more of this new sensation and find out what other hidden treasures her mate-to-be had in store for her.
He had already opened his mouth to nibble gently at her bottom lip with his blunt teeth, inhaling sharply when Ivy returned the favour and coupled it with a dainty hand wandering fleetingly along the expanse of his stomach.
The arm around her shoulders tightened its hold once more and had Ivy not known any better, she would have thought they couldn't possibly get any closer by now.
But they could – she knew they could.
And right now, the silvery female chimp wanted nothing more in the world than just that. Getting closer. Closest.
To be his at last, like she had imagined being for the past two years.
"Orion…" She breathed onto his lips as a pleasant shiver ran down her spine.
Not being able to help herself, Ivy dug her fingers gently into his abdominal muscles, raking her nails gently down his skin before she spread out her digits and pushed them up along his stomach, against the grain of his fur.
The groan this elicited from him was enough to set her very heart aflame with desire, but the feeling was just as soon diminished when Orion drew his face away from hers.
He let go of her jaw to reach down and gently pry her hand from his stomach, releasing his hold around her shoulders as well. Then he took both of her hands in his, placing them against her chest, presumably to keep them from wandering again.
Ivy barely managed to subdue a confused pout at the interruption, looking on as he attempted to calm his breathing enough to speak.
She was out of breath too, honestly, but hadn't noticed until now – who knew kissing could take your breath away like this?
She certainly hadn't.
"Ivy… We should not…" Orion's voice sounded softly against her cheek, gentle, but with a dark edge to it. "Now is not the time…"
His breath was still ragged as he spoke, and his heart was pumping fast and hard beneath her hands – a testament to his excitement.
At his words, Ivy gave in to the pout that had been threatening to appear on her features. Her desire was still smouldering in the pit of her stomach and she was loath to let it burn out just like that. What was even the issue? They were alone, left all to themselves as the rest of the colony either slept or guarded the perimeters. Besides, they were running from the most dangerous threat the Ape Colony had ever faced, not knowing whether or not they would still have a tomorrow together. What was the point of waiting?
"If not now. Then when?" Ivy questioned, her hands balling into loose fists against his chest.
Orion bit his lip at that, conflict clear in his darkened, green gaze as it flickered down to her mouth once more.
"I do not know… Soon…" He spoke with a sense of longing in his voice. It was also thick with lust, just as Ivy's own. "When all of this is over. When we are safe…"
When they were safe… But who knew when that would be? If it would be? It had only been four days and the colony had only just made it out of the northern part of the forest. It would take a long time before they would be safe and sound at their new home, and even that was counting on the soldiers not finding them before they even got past the mountains.
Did Orion really plan on waiting that long with all this uncertainty hanging over their heads, threatening to tear them apart at any moment? Just like their friends had been…?
Her unhappiness with the prospect must have shown on her face, because as soon as that very thought had crossed her mind, Orion spoke once more.
"Please, do not think it is because I do not want to… I do… Have for a long time now." He hurried to assure her as he brushed his thumbs comfortingly against the backs of her hands. "It is just that I do not want to rush. Not because of the soldiers… or anything else."
He didn't need to explain that to her – she could easily tell that he wanted this just as much as she did. That he wanted to make her his. His eyes were still dilated and his lips still kiss-swollen from her nibbling at them – Ivy imagined she sported a similar look.
What she didn't understand, even with his explanation just now, was why he was hesitating now. They were alone for the first time since his return, they both wanted this, and neither of them knew when or indeed if they would be able to escape the soldiers they were on the run from.
Their lives had been thrown out of the loop and the only certainty right now, in this moment, was their feelings for each other.
Ivy shook her head gently at him.
"But what if. Something happens? Like with Lake and Blue Eyes…?" She asked, staring up at him with eyes full of uncertainty and worry.
Orion pursed his lips, though his expression wasn't angered or dismissive of her worries. If anything, it was saddened by the mention of their late friend – someone Orion had come to think of as the brother he had never had before, Ivy knew.
"Ivy… I want to do this right." He insisted, reaching up to cup her cheek in his large, calloused and impossibly warm hand once more. Like he had when they had been kissing so deeply just moments ago. "I want to do right by you."
He let go of her wrists with his other hand as well, moving it up a couple of inches until he held the bear canine that was the centrepiece of his necklace between his fingers.
"Look. This is my family's symbol… And one day, I want you to wear a necklace like this." He spoke with heartfelt honesty, the sincerity in his eyes and the warmth of his voice making Ivy release a trembling breath.
She nodded up at him, too stunned to speak for now as her gaze returned to the piece of primitive jewellery resting around his neck. It was cushioned on his collarbone by the black hair covering his chest, against which the white of the fangs and the dark grey of the bear claws stood out starkly.
It was not uncommon for apes to wear such jewellery. Many not only had necklaces, but also belts, fur sashes and piercings in their ears or noses. In truth, the design of Orion's necklace was rather simple in comparison to many other apes' jewellery.
But it meant more than most adornments. Ivy knew the story behind it well enough – how, when her mate-to-be had been only a child, a bear had attacked him and his adoptive parents on their journey to the colony, and the adults had worked together to protect each other and their child. It had unified them as a family, Orion had explained to her, though he himself had been too young to remember. Lydia and Roy had both told him the story later on, using it both as a life-lesson and as a way to lull him to sleep in the night.
This necklace… It was a symbol of love to Orion. Of kinship and protection and everything that was home to him.
And he wanted her to be part of that. To have her welcomed into his family in this way as part of them becoming mates.
Ivy's heart felt too big for her chest as she stared up into his eyes again, finding only sincerity as she searched their depths.
"I want that. As well." She finally found her voice, and it came out as a soft whisper between her lips.
And it was true.
It took a while before either ape spoke again, the two of them simply enjoying each other's presence at last without the need for words – Another thing Ivy appreciated in Orion. He didn't needlessly try to fill out pauses like this with chit chat like some apes tended to do. No, he let the conversation flow at its own pace, waiting for Ivy to speak up when he himself had said what he wanted.
And speak she did, after several long moments of just leaning against him and taking comfort in simply getting to be alone with him at last. That was all she had wanted in the first place, really.
"Can I… Can I stay. With you tonight?" She asked after several, long moments, in a voice which, to her own ears, was uncharacteristically small.
He seemed to consider this, his lips parted as he stared down at her with that curious, slight tilt of his head.
"What about your parents?" He asked, seeming somewhat apprehensive. "Would they approve?"
Ivy shrugged, an easy smile making its way across her face as she stared up at Orion. Apes usually didn't sleep together before becoming mates, staying in their families' nests until they had found a partner and made their union official.
The two of them, evidently, hadn't done that and besides, Orion nurtured a healthy amount of respect for Shale, Ivy's father. She knew that the last thing her mate-to-be wanted to do was anger the older male by doing something improper with his daughter.
"I have told them. Not to stay awake. For me." She informed him matter-of-factly, though she averted his gaze shyly when she realised the implications behind her words.
Truly, she hadn't come here with the expectation of doing… well, what they had been on their way to do when Orion had stopped it. It was just that she seemed to lose all concept of time when she was with him, and Ivy didn't want her parents to stay up in case she lost track of the hours… again.
Orion knew this, of course – but he didn't pass up the chance to poke a bit of fun at her either way. Though, as always, he did so in a loving manner.
"You expected to be here for long, hm?" He inquired, his previous worry forgotten as the teasing gleam came back to his forest-green eyes. He then reached up and tugged playfully at the silvery braid at the side of her head, brushing her cheek with the small feather attached to the end of it and making her huff out a soft laugh.
Ivy had always liked when he toyed with her lonely braid, ever since that day he had first confessed his feelings to her and so brazenly reached for it, as if the action had calmed him.
Another sweet quirk of his, Ivy mused.
She winked at him then, leaning against his chest and drawing lazy circles in the black fur on his pectorals. She loved how the two of them could go from a serious conversation to playful banter so easily, adjusting to each other's mood like it was second nature to them.
Like they had never been apart in the first place.
"Perhaps." Ivy countered, craning her neck in order to teasingly brush her lips against his once more. "So… What is your answer? Will you. Send me away?"
His long, sturdy arm snuck around her lower back, pulling her flush to his chest once more, though there was no hint of lust in his eyes this time around – it was all love and playfulness as his lips met hers once again.
"Never." Orion whispered once he pulled back for air, only to place his forehead lovingly against Ivy's own.
She fell asleep against his side that night, her hand resting comfortably on his chest and her fingertips touching the fangs and claws adorning his necklace. The symbol of his family.
A symbol Ivy knew in her heart that she would wear too, one day soon.
Orion
The next day, Orion rode beside Tinker as the colony continued their journey towards their new home, the two of them riding just a few rows behind Spear, who was leading the procession along.
Due to the fact that Tinker was a member of the Royal Ape Council and one of Cornelius' caregivers, she was one of the few non-fighting apes who enjoyed the luxury of riding rather than walking. They simply didn't have enough horses for everyone, so it was mainly the warriors and scouts who were on horseback, skirting the massive group of apes to protect everyone.
Looking back over his shoulder, Orion could only just see Ivy at the very middle of the colony, helping along an elderly female orangutan by letting her hold on to her arm.
He couldn't help but smile at the scene. She looked like a proper hunter, his Ivy. Her bow and quiver were both slung across her back and around her waist she wore a hide belt, which held a flint knife inside a primitive scabbard. He knew she had been on horseback earlier that day, but that she had offered her steed to two pregnant females so that they wouldn't strain themselves.
It was a cumbersome state to be traveling in, and a potentially dangerous one, too.
Thinking back now, though it had been a struggle for him to do so, Orion was glad he had had the sense to stop his heated moment with Ivy last night. Otherwise she might have ended up in the same situation as the two females now riding her horse…
And though that thought was… stirring, the young male chimp knew that their current situation wasn't ideal for something like that. They had just barely made it out of the woods and they still had a long, harrowing journey ahead, even without the threat of the soldiers chasing them.
Besides, he hadn't lied last night. He really did want to commit to her in a proper manner. He wanted the moment of their official union to be more than just an impulsive, spur-of-the-moment night of passion. That could always come later. In fact, he was certain it would, given Ivy's nature.
But them becoming one… Becoming official mates in the eyes of everyone who knew them – that only ever happened once.
And Orion wanted that to be special. Wanted to properly make her part of his family before the two of them would one day expand it.
He knew it may seem silly to most other apes, especially given their current situation, with so much at stake already and tomorrow not being a certainty for any of them… But even so, Orion refused to rush it and luckily, Ivy seemed to understand.
An inquisitive hoot beside him caught Orion's attention, and he turned to find Tinker staring at him with one of her brows raised in a feminine arch. Clinging to her back was Cornelius, whose bright green eyes seemed to scan his surroundings for something – and the young male chimp knew well what that something was.
A pang of painful sympathy pierced his heart at the thought.
The older female reached over to softly brush the fur on his forearm before pulling her hand back to sign.
"Where is your mind today, Orion." She asked him, her expression telling him that she knew very well where it was.
He huffed a soft laugh at her. Tinker had become his honorary aunt in the same way she had been to Blue Eyes and over the past four days, the two had talked much about the journey Orion had had with her husband and the now deceased Ape Prince. She seemed to have taken it upon herself to look out for him now that neither Father nor Mother was here to do so, and even though he had assured her that he was doing fine, it was still nice to know that Tinker was there to talk to.
Then again, Orion knew that being separated from Rocket so soon after their reunion had taken its toll on her, so in truth, perhaps it was more like they were there for each other.
He decided to meet her question with some humour, and a mostly truthful answer.
"Oh, it wanders." He spoke with a shrug. "One moment here, one moment there. Why do you ask, Tinker?"
As expected, she shook her head in exasperation at him, though a soft smile found its way to her face. That was nice to see, as it seemed to be a rarity these past few days.
"You are your mother's son." She answered in mock-disapproval. Then, her eyes seemed to twinkle with mirth as she winked at him. "And you just looked far off in your own world. Were you busy looking at Ivy again?"
In the past, Orion would have been embarrassed by someone so easily calling him out on such a thing, and he would have been blushing and stammering as he hastily looked for an escape from the subject. But he wasn't a shy adolescent anymore – no, he was a grown ape male now, confident in himself and quite aware of the fact that his feelings for Ivy were plain for everyone to see. Why shouldn't they be? She was a beautiful female, after all.
The other young male chimps had only just begun to realise this as well, Orion knew. It didn't come as much as a surprise to him as it did Ivy who, to Orion's delight, had ignored any and all advances from these apes in the time he had been gone.
"I do not think I can be blamed for it, can I?" He shot back at Tinker, now with a lopsided smile, earning himself a fond huff from the elder ape.
"Definitely Lydia's child." She reaffirmed, shaking her head at him. Then, her expression changed into one of quiet contemplation as she regarded him. "She has good reason to be proud of you."
Warmth spread out from Orion's heart at his honorary aunt's words and his chest seemed to expand with the praise. Mother often told him that she was proud of him – of the ape he had become – but it was something else to hear it from someone like Tinker. Mother was, naturally, biased on this particular matter, after all.
"Thank you, Tinker. It means a lot to hear that from you." He spoke sincerely, offering the female chimp a thankful look.
Cornelius eyed him from behind the Tinker's back and reached out for him, seeking reassurance. Orion grabbed the smaller ape's hand and gave it a squeeze before he let his index finger brush across the back of the little prince's limb. Cornelius had begun to do this a lot in Mother's absence.
Seeking comfort from Orion, that is.
As if he knew there was a connection between them, even if there was no way he would remember Orion from before he had left two years prior.
Perhaps it was something intuitive. Perhaps the little prince knew that the two of them now shared a parent? Orion liked the thought of that, actually.
In his humble opinion, Cornelius couldn't have found a better adoptive mother, and in Blue Eyes' absence, Orion swore he would do his best to protect his new little brother.
"I hope she and the others are safe…" He spoke as he continued to stroke the ape child's hand, earning himself a soft gibber from the little prince.
Beside him, Tinker quietly nodded.
But before she could sign a further reply to his words, Blaze, who had been quietly trudging along near Orion's horse, started growling menacingly, immediately drawing both his own and Tinker's attention.
The canine's hackles were raised, making him look twice as large, and his fangs were bared as he stared into the trees and bushes flanking the apes on either side
And just like that, Orion knew.
Knew that something was terribly, horribly wrong.
Both Storm and Blaze had been trained to respond to the presence of humans, and differently so than when faced with a bear or mountain lion. They knew the difference between wildlife and humans, and in turn, Orion knew how to tell which of the two the canines were reacting to. Their growls would be more vicious, their stance tenser and more protective, but they wouldn't bark unless provoked. Not like they often would with bears to warn the beasts not to get near.
When dogs barked, humans tended to get closer. They went to investigate, and so Mother had taught Storm and Blaze not to do it.
And this… This was the sign of a human approaching. Maybe more than one.
Orion let go of Cornelius' hand and took a firm hold of his horse's reins, preparing himself for the worst.
He immediately wanted to ride up by Spear to warn him of the danger, whatever it might be, but no sooner had Blaze started his warning before a barrage of gunshots and human shouting filled the air.
And just like that, all hell broke loose.
It was the soldiers.
They had found them.
Ambushed them!
The shouting and shooting was soon accompanied by the high-pitched screeching of the apes, who barely had time to react before the soldiers emerged from all sides, surrounding the entire Ape Colony.
Everything was absolute chaos and the only thing Orion could do was to stay put and reach over to make Tinker lower her head. She had already pulled Cornelius from her back and onto her chest, and the Ape Prince was now pressed against the female chimp, hiding his face in her dark pelt.
Dread filled Orion's heart as he struggled to keep both his own and Tinker's horse from charging forward in wild panic, the ape female too busy holding on to the frightened ape prince to also get her steed under control.
Not that Orion thought doing so would do them much good anyway.
All around them, humans appeared with blazing guns, and in their wake came vehicles racing out to encircle the apes, making sure no one escaped.
The apes, despite their best efforts, had been ill-prepared for this sort of ambush, which became painfully obvious by the relative ease with which the soldiers managed to surround them.
The noises seemed to clash as they encircled the colony, pushing them all together in a cluster which grew more crowded with every second.
Car engines roaring, horses whinnying, humans shouting and shooting, apes screeching in fear and alarm.
And then, adding to all that, an ear-splitting gunshot sounded to Orion's left, soon followed by a pained whine and a dull 'thump'. The young ape only just managed to turn around and catch a horrified glimpse of Blaze hitting the ground, his body limp and his pale grey fur stained by splatters of dark blood.
One of the soldiers had tried to approach them and the canine had charged – as he had been trained to do. Orion hadn't had half a mind to stop the dog in time, as he had been too busy trying to shield Tinker and little Cornelius.
Now, as a result, Blaze lied dead on the ground and the young ape could do nothing but stare as the soldier who had done it was free to come closer, accompanied by two traitorous apes, donkeys, the humans called them, who went to pull the three of them off their horses.
Orion had no idea how long it took, but it seemed like mere seconds from when the soldiers had first emerged until all the apes had been forced to huddle together, on their knees and held at gunpoint by their assailants.
He, Tinker and Cornelius had been in the leading section of the colony and as such, they had a perfect view from a few yards away as one of the camouflaged vehicles suddenly came up in front of them all and a man stepped out from the passenger's seat.
And the moment Orion saw him, even without ever having laid eyes on the man, he knew it was the Colonel.
He was a tall human male, with pale skin and a bald head covered by a dark green, sloping cap. He sported a greying beard and moustache, and wore large, dark sunglasses that reminded Orion of the strange, huge eyes of a fly. His clothing didn't look too different from the soldiers surrounding him, except maybe for two or three shiny trinkets adorning the left side of his chest, but even so, it was obvious that the other humans saw this man as an authority, what with the way cleared the bath for him and saluted as he walked towards the apes.
The most revealing thing about him to Orion, however, were the angry, red scratches running across his cheek and forehead, curtesy of Mother from the night he and his men had attacked the colony.
And even though he feared what was about to happen as this ominous-looking human came up in front of them, Orion managed to find grim satisfaction in those marks.
Behind the Colonel, on the storage area on the back of the vehicle he had arrived in, three apes leapt off and walked up beside him. Orion knew all of three by name, though one in particular stood out among the others.
A large, sour-looking, red-furred male gorilla.
Red.
"Pick out their leader. I want to speak with him." The Colonel spoke coldly to the three apes, earning himself an affirmative grunt as Red stepped forward and grabbed Spear by his arms, twisting them behind the chimp's back to keep him in place for what Orion could only assume would be an interrogation.
The young ape gritted his teeth in anger and worry, feeling the urge to get up and charge at the offending ape well up inside his chest. His face contorted into a deep, furious frown and his breathing turned steadily harsher as he looked around him. Seeing his fellow apes held at gunpoint, his dear pet lying unmoving just a couple of yards away and the murderer of his best friend standing right there in front of him.
He could have done it. Could have tried, at least.
To dart forward. To Knock this man over and hope that his skull would hit something hard once he was down. To end him.
But when Orion looked over at Tinker, he saw how the older female chimp was subtly shaking her head at him, quietly telling him to stand down and keep a low profile.
He knew what she was trying to convey, her lips pressed into a thin line and her brows knitted together in worry and apprehension. Spear himself had already drawn the soldiers' attention by the simple fact that he had been leading the apes when they had been ambushed. Orion couldn't let himself get picked out from the crowd and possibly get killed.
He was the only one here who knew the way to the apes' new home, which would be crucial to their survival, should they somehow manage to get out of this place alive and escape.
The young male chimp knew the chances of that happening were slim but managed to keep his rage at bay and his head low at his honorary aunts silent imploring. He wouldn't be of any use to the colony if he was killed, much less to the people he loved.
So, Orion bit back his anger, staying on his knees and doing everything in his might to not look back and start checking on Ivy and her parents. He didn't know what sort of look would be on her face, but he knew that no matter what, it would only serve to feed the red-hot fire inside his chest.
"He's not here, huh?" The Colonel asked, and the mere tone of his voice managed to send a chill down Orion's spine.
His words had been a statement rather than a question. A disappointed conclusion as his eyes, hidden behind those large, mirror-like sunglasses, scanned the crowd of apes. It was plain to see that Caesar wasn't here, as he would have been riding at the forefront of the procession, had that been the case.
And right now, Orion didn't quite know if it would have been better if the Ape King had been here or not – but he did take comfort in the fact that Mother wasn't.
The Colonel crouched down in front of Spear and, taking off the sunglasses to reveal piercingly pale-blue eyes, he spoke to the ape in a chilling, calm voice, devoid of all emotion.
"Where is he?"
Spear frowned and shook his head, earning himself a brutal twist of his arms from Red. He didn't make a sound, though the way his face contorted in pain told Orion that he very much wanted to.
"You're making this much harder for everyone than it needs to be." The human male spoke, still in that eerily indifferent voice of his. "Let's try this again… Where is he?"
Orion inhaled sharply, barely managing from keeping his hackles down.
Spear shook his head again and this time, Red twisted his arm further up behind his back so harshly that Orion feared the limb might break. He could only look on with horror as Spear only just managed to not howl in pain, struggling to adjust to the red-furred gorilla's hold.
With a disappointed sigh, the Colonel stood up from his crouched position in front of the chimp and jerked his head at one of the other traitorous apes he had brought with him, silently ordering him to step forward with another one of the colony's high-ranking males, Arno, who rode beside Spear.
"Let me make this a bit easier for you, then." He said as he pulled out a pistol from his belt, loading it with slow movements as he stared down at Spear, waiting for him to cave. Then, when the pistol was ready, the human male slowly put the barrel against Arno's forehead.
The chimp in question breathed heavily, but the look he sent Spear's way told him to keep quiet.
"Where is he?" The Colonel asked again, and Orion just barely managed to catch a glimpse of madness flickering inside the man's eyes.
He would do it no matter what, of that the young chimp had no doubt.
Once again, Spear shook his head, to which the Colonel answered by pulling the trigger on his pistol.
Arno fell to the ground in a puddle of his own blood, having been dropped unceremoniously by the ape holding him still as soon as the gunshot had sounded.
"You're testing my patience here." Came the voice of the Colonel, who didn't even spare the dead ape a single glance. He had barely even blinked as he had so brutally ended Arno's life and Orion felt his blood boiling at the blatant disregard for another's life, be they enemies or not.
Whatever this man was, whatever he appeared to be, he wasn't human any more than he was an ape.
No, this man was neither. Orion refused to acknowledge that this… murderer, was of the same species as his loving mother.
"We. Do not. Know!" Spear gritted out, his voice jagged and hoarse from disuse. "He. Left."
The Colonel raised a brow as he stared curiously down at the chimp.
"He left?" The man asked with obviously feigned interest, toying with the pistol between his gloved hands.
Spear nodded this time, a single, resolute jerk of his head.
"Yes." He spat, barely managing to keep from sneering up into the human's face. "Days ago."
"Is that so?" The Colonel spoke as he lifted his gaze to scan the faces of the colony's apes once more, still not finding what he was looking for after several, long seconds.
Then, his cold eyes returned to Spear, who Red had pulled up to stand once more.
"Well, then I suppose he won't mind if we take you all with us, now will he?" He asked rhetorically before he turned his head to one of his men. "Make sure everyone is tied up. We're leaving."
Take the apes with them? Where? Why? Orion's mind raced as his hands were bound and tied to the ape in front of him, his mind struggling to comprehend what was happening.
What did these mad humans plan on doing with them?
Orion very nearly bristled when they went to tie up Tinker and take away Cornelius, placing him and the other ape children in too-tiny cages on the backs of the soldiers' trucks.
Even if he didn't understand why the soldiers hadn't just killed them all on the spot, the young male ape knew why they had taken the children away. They served an obvious purpose to the soldiers, who wanted the apes to come along without a struggle.
Keeping the young as hostages, the soldiers had made sure that the adult apes behaved themselves.
Orion was utterly disgusted by this but knew there was nothing he could do as the children wailed for their parents.
He couldn't help but wonder if he had cried like that as Mother had left him and Father back when they had first arrived at the colony.
He probably had…
Arno and every other ape that had been shot when the soldiers had first emerged were left as they were, exposed on the ground for the wildlife to feast on, and the closest thing to a ceremonious ending they got were the bowed heads of the rest of the colony as they all walked past.
And among the fallen lie Blaze, his light grey fur now smeared in red and his mouth open in a horrid, permanent snarl.
Orion felt a burning rage in his chest increase tenfold as he walked past his dead pet, a constant companion and loyal protector ever since the ape had been a small child. He quickly averted his gaze from it, wanting to rid his mind of the horrible sight and preserve his memory of the playful, obedient canine he had always known.
Instead he looked back over his shoulder, and as soon as he did, his eyes connected with Ivy's emerald orbs, the fright in them clear as day to Orion, who felt the knot of anger tightening further inside his chest as he saw her bound and afraid.
The young chimp didn't think he had ever been this angry in his entire life…
He tried to silently reassure her that it was going to be alright. Telling her with his eyes that it would be fine and that they would get out of this somehow. That they had to.
But as he turned back around and saw Cornelius a few paces ahead, reaching his little arm out through the makeshift metal grid of the ape children's cage, Orion became all too aware of how hopeless their situation was.
The apes weren't bound by their ropes and chains alone.
Their very future was being held at gunpoint.
And the one holding the gun was the Colonel.
The non-ape. The non-human.
The madman.
