Ivy

Ivy had watched from the side-lines yesterday as Caesar, Rocket, Lydia and Tinker had discussed the escape plan, with several inputs from the colony's other members, such as Lake and even her own father.

Ivy herself had kept silent throughout the whole thing and so had Orion, who had been sitting just beside her, a large arm draped comfortably around her shoulders and his eyes trained on his mother.

It had been decided that Rocket and Lake would be counting the steps from the adult cage and the children's' cage respectively. As it turned out, Rocket and Maurice had dug a hole up through some tunnels they had found beneath the compound and, since that was the only reference point Maurice would have from underground, their steps would be counted to this exact point.

They had done that earlier today while pretending to work like everyone else, discreetly signing the results to Caesar, who had been placed higher up on the mountainside to work by himself. The Colonel had obviously deemed it too dangerous for the Ape King to work together with his flock and running the risk of him starting yet another uproar like he had a couple of days ago.

Of course, the Colonel had no idea that this would actually work to the apes' advantage, as Caesar had been in the perfect position to sign Rocket and Lake's findings to Maurice outside the walls.

It was all approximate, though, and Ivy knew that there was still a risk of them making a mistake, but she preferred not to think too hard on that. This was as good a chance as any and, more importantly, it was the only one they had.

This had to work. It just had to.

While these secret preparations had taken place, Ivy had been occupied with helping Lydia get through the day while also trying her very best to make it seem to the soldiers that she wasn't actually doing this at all. It was a difficult task, but one the young she-ape took very seriously all the same. She had no intention of letting her already-weakened mentor succumb to exhaustion just as they were all about to bust out of here. The burdens they were all made to carry were heavy as it is for an ape – Ivy could hardly imagine what it must be like for a human like Lydia.

Now, as darkness fell, putting an end to yet another day's work, the soldiers blew the whistle and the apes were all led back inside the adult cage once more.

Lydia nearly collapsed against Ivy's shoulder the moment the gate slammed shut and the soldiers turned away but gathered herself just as quickly once Orion came over to fret over her, offering a helping hand to straighten her, to which she made no protests.

Ivy didn't blame him for it – the fretting, that is. Lydia was really beginning to look worse for wear, just like Ivy's own mother as well as several others, with her body steadily getting thinner and dark rings appearing around her eyes.

The sooner they got out of here the better.

Just then, as the last soldier had left the cage and started trudging towards the living quarters he shared with his companions, Ivy noticed how some of her fellow prisoners seemed to gather in a circle just a few steps away from where she sat with Lydia and Orion.

The three of them, just as curious as everyone else, inched their way over and just managed to squeeze themselves through the crowd immediately after Rocket himself had done so, coming face to face with…

Ivy, despite knowing about both the escape plan and the tunnels involved, nearly gasped once she saw the head of an old chimp sticking up from the ground, smiling up at them all. Like this, it looked as if he had been disembodied and hadn't quite realised it yet.

Stone, one of Koba's former followers who had elected to stay with Caesar after the bonobo's fall, had just reached out to shake the hand of the stranger when Lydia came up beside Rocket to greet the new ape.

"Hey there, friend." She spoke with warm fondness as she looked down at the stranger, a tired, lopsided smile on her face.

The old chimp's face brightened immediately.

"Friend! Friend okay! Very happy to see!" He exclaimed with such eagerness that Lydia ended up putting a finger to her lips to shush him while several others looked up at the guard tower to make sure nobody had heard the ape's surprisingly clear, penetrating voice.

"Shhh! Remember, we're trying not to be noticed." Lydia reminded him in a slightly reprimanding manner, to which the stranger rounded his lips and nodded eagerly.

"Oh! Oh! Yes! Secret! Bad Ape quiet! Bad Ape-OOOH!" His sentence was cut off with a loud exclamation, followed by him slipping down the hole, out of sight of everyone above ground.

Ivy saw Rocket and Lydia share concerned looks with one another, the former leaning over the hole in the ground to ask what had happened, while Lydia sat back to wait with everyone else for an answer to the balding ape's inquiry.

A low rumble came from down the hole, and Ivy immediately recognised it as Maurice's, feeling a pang of familiarity and longing to see her old teacher once more. He sounded concerned and soon, Rocket sat back on his haunches, signing to Lydia and Tinker, who had come up to see what was going on as well, that something had gone wrong down there that Maurice had to check up on.

That didn't sound promising, and Ivy turned to share an uneasy look with Orion. He pursed his lips and, after having laid a comforting hand over Ivy's own, turned back to stare at the little hole in the ground with an apprehensive expression.

It took several minutes before Maurice's low rumble could be heard once more, and the news he reported to Rocket didn't seem to please Caesar's second-in-command one bit.

At least his expression told Ivy as much once he turned to Lydia and Tinker, a severe frown on his dark face.

"We must speak with Caesar. There is a problem."

The underlying buzz of excitement that had been felt by the entire colony all day at the prospect of escaping was now exchanged for one of anxiety as Rocket led the remnants of the Royal Ape Council to the edge of the adult apes' cage, with Father, Orion, Ivy and several others hot at their heels.

And the news Rocket brought once they all reached their destination was devastating.

"We can't keep digging." He informed The Ape King through the bars, a hint of frustration and anger in his signing. "It will flood the whole tunnel!"

"If we don't, we can't reach the children!" Lake signed, to which everyone, especially those who were parents, began chittering in agitation.

It all stopped, however, when a single gesture from Caesar made everyone aware that the guard in the tower had come out to inspect the perimeter, prompting the apes to bite back their concern and frustration until he was gone once more.

Ivy felt overcome by hopelessness at that point. Had they really come this far just to be stopped by a flooded tunnel? There was no way they could leave without the children, and if they couldn't get to them in the first place, how were they ever going to escape…?

Was there nothing they could do?

"We must keep looking down there. Find another way to reach the children." Lake signed once the guard in the watchtower had returned to his post, but Caesar was quick to reject her suggestion.

"We must leave now!" He signed with urgency, his face stern as his lips pressed into a thin line. "More soldiers are coming. Humans will destroy each other! And us with them!"

The way he turned back to look at Cornelius and the other children in the cage behind him almost made Ivy release a whimper of anxiety.

"There has to be something we can do!" Tinker interjected looking interchangeably between Rocket, Lydia and Caesar.

Yes, Ivy thought, there has to be something – but what?!

She hated feeling useless like this, unable to give any inputs that might help solve the problem at hand. During their many lessons in archery and hunting, Lydia had told Ivy many times that she was a very resourceful ape, but what was that worth if it didn't show when her people needed her the most?!

She squeezed Orion's hand, prompting him to turn his serious, verdant stare away from the conversation at hand and shoot her a sympathetic look. He knew how she felt about this – they had discussed it many times during their imprisonment here.

And Ivy knew he felt the same.

Caesar turned back to face the adults, and Ivy briefly took note of how his and Lydia's gazes seemed to meet across the distance between the cages. There was something tender and concerned in both of their eyes – something that seemed oddly familiar to the young female. She couldn't quite place it, but it was a look she had seen before, she was certain of it.

But she didn't have time to take further note of this once the Ape King began to sign again.

"We'll have to get the children out above ground!"

"How…?" Rocket signed in a manner that seemed uncharacteristically helpless to Ivy.

The young she-ape bit her lip in quiet frustration. If even Rocket was getting discouraged like this, then…

"Well, the only way we can do that is if we get hold of the key to the cages – which we'd have to do anyway to get rid of these chains." Lydia signed after having cleared her voice to make sure she had everyone's attention. She proceeded to grab hold of the shackle around Tinker's leg to showcase it to those around her, as if to prove her point.

She was right, of course – how had they ever thought they were going to get these horrible, chafing things off otherwise? There was no way they would ever be able to do so once they had escaped anyway – it had to be done here and it had to be done with a key.

Beside Lydia, Tinker nodded in agreement.

"But how are we ever going to get a key, Lydia? This is just an entirely new problem we must solve, not a solution…" She signed dejectedly, and Rocket moved over to lay a comforting hand on his mate's shoulder.

Well, that seems obvious, Ivy thought, her heartrate increasing as she let go of Orion's had in preparation to sign.

"We will have to steal it." She signed after having let out a small huff and felt how her ears got warm with bashfulness when Lydia nodded at her in acknowledgement – never mind that everyone was staring at her as well!

She continued anyway.

"We would have to do something to make one of the soldiers come close enough for us to take it from him."

Beside her, Orion seemed surprised, yet pleased as he regarded her. From a few yards away, with his arm slung around Ivy's fretting mother, Father looked at her with obvious pride in his green eyes.

Ivy felt a warmth spread through her chest, though she also somehow felt that the recognition she received in that moment wasn't entirely justified. She had just pointed out the obvious course they needed to take and soon enough, Rocket pointed out the glaring flaw in her plan.

"But how are we going to do that? Get a soldier close enough? The only one out here right now is the one up there and I don't know what could make him come down."

There was a tense pause after that. Ivy lowered her head and hunched her shoulders. She should have thought things through before she suggested something like that.

Rocket was right. How were they ever going to get close enough to a lone soldier, much less the one all the way up there in the watchtower, to steal the key they needed?

But as she looked around their prison, thinking of how it seemed like they would all spend the rest of their lives in this tiny cage, with barely any place to lie down without getting someone's feces smeared into their fur, something seemed to click inside Ivy's mind.

The soldiers had often mocked the apes for being primitive. Nothing more than beasts, really.

In particular, Ivy remembered one or two of the soldiers use the term 'shit-hurdling monkeys'.

What if…

"We could always try. Throwing excrements at him?" She suggested out loud with an almost casual shrug, earning herself a couple of incredulous chuckles from those who thought she was only kidding.

She wasn't.

A fact which everyone quickly realised once they noticed her serious expression.

Mother's nose scrunched up in obvious disgust and disapproval, while Father seemed to find Ivy's suggestion quite amusing – though he did try to school his features when Mother looked up at him. She looked almost as if she was going to blame him for having put such a vile idea into Ivy's head.

Orion, meanwhile, looked more impressed than repelled by her suggestion, which was more than just a little encouraging. At least enough for her to elaborate on her plan and ignore Mother's look of mild shock.

"I mean it. Think about it. We have to work with. What we have here… And right now, that is this man up there and this in here." She explained while making a broad gesture with her arm towards the… droppings from the last few days.

The soldiers made the traitor apes clean the pens once every week, when the stench became too horrible for the humans to endure. If it hadn't been bothering the soldiers too, Ivy was sure they would just have let it be as it was, making the apes live in their own waste.

The donkeys were scheduled to clean the pen in two days' time, so even if they had all gotten the barest minimum of food, there was plenty of 'material' to hurl at the unsuspecting soldier...

"It could work." Lydia agreed then, arms crossed over her chest. "These soldiers, I know their type. They all think they're big alpha males, but they have really fragile egos. Doing something like that is sure to humiliate him, stir up his anger… and make him want to retaliate."

She shared a smug look with Ivy, who couldn't help but crack a small smile of her own at her mentor. It was good to know Lydia approved, even if Ivy knew the idea was rather… unrefined and, quite frankly, disgusting.

Both Rocket and Caesar's eyes seemed to widen as understanding dawned on the two apes at the almost exact same time.

"He would have to come down to reassert himself." Caesar signed from inside his small cage, and the look he regarded Ivy with just then seemed to be one of both surprise and admiration.

Either way, Lydia nodded, pride clear on her features as she turned to the Ape King. Ivy was quite aware that her ears were beginning to turn red but nonetheless, she did her best to focus on the conversation rather than the recognition she received.

"Exactly." Lydia's smirk widened. "Also, it would be a very satisfying thing to do, wouldn't you agree?"

Several apes nodded at that – Ivy did too. These soldiers all deserved way worse than that, in her opinion, but the thought of one of them getting hit in the face with dung did strike a smug chord within her. That was why she had suggested it in the first place.

Truthfully, the soldiers had it coming. Ivy's only regret would be that they couldn't give all of them the same treatment as the guard up in the watchtower.

"But what are we going to do about the soldier? How are we going to incapacitate him? Make sure he doesn't warn the others or use his gun?" Rocket inquired.

He seemed to be looking to Lydia for an answer to that, to which the woman shrugged indifferently.

"You're just as much a hunter as I am – isn't there any way we can make this place work in our favour?"

The balding chimp seemed to consider this very carefully, rubbing his chin in thought as he let his eyes scan the interior of their prison. He did this for an agonisingly long time – so long, in fact, that Ivy almost thought he wouldn't come up with anything at all.

Then, as his eyes landed on the hole where the strange ape's head was now sticking up once more to follow the conversation, Rocket's expression seemed to brighten.

"The hole." He signed with renewed enthusiasm, turning to Lydia and Caesar interchangeably as he explained his idea. "We will lure him to stand by the hole, then have Maurice pull him down from beneath and knock him out – he would never expect it. He would make for an easy target."

The Ape King only took a brief moment to consider his second's proposal before agreeing.

Ivy thought it was rather ingenious as well, but there was still one thing that bothered her about all of this.

"How are we going to get the children over here? There are too many for someone to just walk them past all the guards." She pointed out and once again, Lydia gave a nod of approval.

Nobody seemed to have a solution for that, though. As far as anyone was concerned, the only way to get from one cage to another was across the road that cut through the compound, and even if they managed to get the children across that, the gate to their enclosure was placed differently than the one on the adults'. It was tucked away into a corner near the building where the soldiers went when off-duty, and try as they might, Ivy knew they were never, ever going to get this many ape children past that place.

Just then, Orion chuffed beside her, and everyone turned to stare at him with eyes full of expectation. Just like last night, he had been quiet for the entire discussion just now, observing, nodding along and squeezing Ivy's hand in reassurance whenever he felt her getting anxious – which he had become quite good at telling these past few weeks.

"We could have them cross from above." He said, eyes now trained at the space above the cages, where Ivy suddenly noticed the metal ropes stretching across the compound, high above the apes' heads.

Over in his own cage, Caesar nodded his head as he too inspected the ropes.

"That might just work." He agreed. "As long as we keep quiet and move quickly, the soldiers won't think to look up."

All the present members of the Royal Ape Council offered brief nods of assent.

"It's settled, then." Rocket signed.

He seemed eager to get on with the plan, or perhaps he simply wanted to get back at the apes' captors.

"I will get the soldier's attention like we discussed, so don't worry about that. As long as we inform Maurice down below, we will make it work." He volunteered immediately, ignoring the disgusted look on Tinker's face, the female no doubt thinking of how her mate would have to pick up excrements and actually throw them at someone.

It wasn't even something the apes had to teach mere children not to do and so, the idea alone was appalling even to the smallest of apes.

But if the soldiers thought them to be animals, they might as well act like it – anything to get out of this place.

Everyone accepted, though, and so Rocket got to his feet, presumably to coordinate things with Maurice, and the plan was set in motion only a couple of moments later, after everyone had gotten into position.

Ivy could only admire Rocket's impeccable precision. He hit the guard on the tower closest to the adults' cage square in the back of his head, and despite the initial repulsion, the she-ape couldn't help but smirk just a bit at the look on the human male's face.

It was satisfying to watch.

And as Lydia had predicted, he was absolutely furious, yelling at the top of his lungs and immediately storming down to the ape pen to get back at whoever had done it. Initially, Ivy had worried that his little tantrum up on the walkway would attract the attention of other soldiers, but seeing as no one came to investigate, it was probably safe to assume that they were either occupied elsewhere or simply didn't care about what had made their fellow soldier act like this.

It was only when he had actually come into the pen itself and drawn his weapon that Ivy's heart began to pound with fear rather than excitement – what if the plan didn't work? What if he wouldn't follow their lead as the apes wanted him to but just shoot Rocket where he stood and then leave?

No, Ivy reprimanded herself, this has to work. It just has to!

And luckily, leading the soldier to where they wanted him to be was as easy as leading a tamed horse with a rope. Stone stepped forward first, as if confirming that he was the one who had thrown the disgusting projectile, and just as the soldier was about to take aim, Rocket threw another well-placed 'gift' in the man's face, making him turn so that he wouldn't notice the enormous hands appear from beneath the earth, right behind his feet.

A pathetic yelp of surprise was the last they all heard from him as Maurice pulled him down. The sound was followed by the keys they had worked so hard to get being thrown unceremoniously up through the hole and landing on the dirt with a soft, metallic rattle.

What happened to the man after that, Ivy didn't know, nor did she care to find out. Lydia called through the hole down to Maurice, telling the orangutan to tie up and gag the soldier so that he wouldn't cause them any more trouble, but where exactly Maurice ended up putting the human male remained a mystery.

Rocket quickly cleaned his hand in a water trough, picked up the key and showed it to Caesar, a triumphant look on his dark face. He then proceeded to unlock his own shackle around his ankle, followed by Tinker, Lydia, Lake, Ivy herself, Orion and a few others. It seemed an endless task, though – there were just so many apes.

Which Lydia had concluded as well, it would seem.

"We need to figure out who will go to get the children. And while we're at it, someone else should go and try to get hold of another key to get everyone's shackles off – it'll be quicker that way… And perhaps we can take out a few guards on the way, so we won't be discovered too soon." She said to her fellow council members, Rocket and Caesar nodding severely at her assessment.

And just as Rocket was preparing to sign back – probably to volunteer himself once again – movement just beside her caught Ivy's attention, as well as everyone else's.

"I will go get the children out." Orion's voice sounded as he got up and stepped out of the crowd, head held high and his green eyes determined.

A tense silence followed after that, though nobody seemed to be about to protest.

Ivy was dumbstruck, to say the least. As was Lydia, who stared at her son with wide, blue eyes full of concern.

The only one who didn't look taken aback by Orion's statement was Rocket, who pursed his lips and regarded the younger ape as if considering whether or not he would be able to get the job done. As if he was assessing him.

Their eyes met briefly, and in that moment, the young she-ape was sure there was a conversation going on between the two males that only they were privy to. It seemed almost like a battle of wills.

Then, after several seconds this, the balding ape gave a curt, approving nod, chin out and a small smirk on his dark features.

"He can do it." He declared as he turned to Lydia, who didn't look all that convinced.

Ivy knew that it wasn't because Lydia didn't believe in Orion. She had never met anyone who had half as much faith in their children as her mentor did, but Ivy also knew that Lydia was just as concerned for Orion as any other mother would be for their young – adopted or not.

Now, it was Lydia's turn to stare into Orion's eyes, determination met with worry and hesitation.

"Are you sure, Sweetie?" Lydia asked softly, to which Orion took a step towards her, reaching a hand up to her face.

"Yes, Mother. I am." He spoke resolutely, though his movements were tender as he brushed a stray lock of dark hair from her cheek. "I am not going to sit by and wait. I want to be of use."

Though Lydia seemed to understand, she still didn't look like she would support it. The crease of her brow, the slight twist of her mouth. She definitely had the air about her of someone who intended to answer in the negative – and as a council member, she was in a position to do just that.

"You didn't see how he grew on our journey, Lydia. I believe in him. I know he can do it." Rocket intervened in sign before she could even begin to voice a protest on the matter.

"So do I." She spoke with confidence, only for her expression to turn soft as she gave an almost rueful-sounding chuckle. "But a mother always worries."

So does a mate, Ivy thought, turning her head to stare up at Orion as he stood, tall and proud, in front of everyone. He was going to risk his life for the chance of freeing the colony. For the chance of them having a future.

Why shouldn't she do the same? Why shouldn't she volunteer as well? She was his mate-to-be, after all, and wanted to be there with him. Wanted to fight, not only for the apes' future, but for their future as well. Hers and Orion's.

Ivy just as much a part of this as everyone else and furthermore, she had had quite enough of sitting around talking.

And with that in mind, Ivy decided what to do. She wanted to help Orion with this important task. Help to achieve their common goal and keep him safe.

And so, Ivy stood as well and stepped forward to stand by her intended mate, grabbing his hand.

"I am going as well." She said, sounding much braver than she actually felt.

She pointedly ignored the way Orion's head whipped around for him to look at her. The movement was so fast that she almost thought his neck would snap, though he never let go of her hand. That, he held onto just as firmly as he always had.

But Ivy didn't look at him to see the expression on his face.

Instead, her eyes remained firmly set on Lydia, gauging her mentor's reaction. She had trained Ivy, guided her and believed in her when few others had. She was a council member and Ivy's future mother-in-law. She was a teacher, a guardian and, most of all, a friend, and there were preciously few other people in the world Ivy wanted approval from more than she did Lydia.

A low murmur sounded through the colony, the atmosphere even more tense than before as Ivy stared at the human woman.

But it wasn't Lydia who ended up protesting, nor Orion, Tinker, Rocket or Caesar.

"No." Came the simple word of refusal, deep and gritty, just a few yards away from where Ivy stood.

It was her own father, Shale, who had spoken.

He hadn't risen from his spot on the ground, Mother still pressed to his side, now with a look of horror and sadness on her face. It was rare that her parents spoke, and it was even rarer that her father didn't support her when Ivy set about doing something. Mother had always been the one to protest, while Father had always been the one to calm her down and take Ivy's side, like when she had wanted to learn archery and go with Lydia on hunts.

No matter the issue, Father had always understood that Ivy wasn't one to just sit and wait around for others to do the hard work. Had understood that she wanted to be part of it, get her hands dirty and achieve a sense of accomplishment from doing so.

He had understood that she hated being limited – and especially so by others.

All of which only served to underline how much this idea unsettled him – if the look on his face wasn't enough to go by.

Still, Ivy frowned at her parents, squeezing Orion's hand to seek reassurance.

He squeezed back just as tightly. She had his support.

"It's too dangerous, Ivy. Let someone else go with Orion instead." Father signed, while Mother merely shifted her gaze from Ivy to Orion and back. "This is not a task for a young female."

Father's expression was one Ivy had only rarely seen on him, a strange mixture of worry and sternness.

But Ivy would not be deterred.

"So, I am only allowed to speak. But not act?" She challenged, referring to how he had approved of her helping to come up with the escape plan itself, but now refused to let her help with its execution.

Ivy shook her head at her parents – her father especially. She hated such hypocrisy. She was just as capable of taking care of herself as anyone else inside this cage and she would be damned if she wasn't going to make use of that fact! Lydia was just as worried for Orion, and yet she would let him go! Why wouldn't Father and Mother be willing to do the same?

Everyone else was silent as the two of them argued.

"Father, if anyone sees us free the children. It will not matter. If I am with Orion or here. They will come for all of us. Once they know we are trying to escape." Ivy pointed out, doing her best to be gentle in her tone, even if she was simmering with anger on the inside. "I want to go. I want to be of use as well. And help make sure we succeed."

Even if Ivy knew Father could see the logic behind her words, he still shook his head.

"All the more reason for you to stay here. Let someone stronger do it. Someone more experienced."

Ivy just about fumed at that. Someone more experienced?! Did he think Lydia had trained her for nothing?! Ivy had gone with the woman on hunts and even killed a soldier with her bare hands! She might not have participated in the battles going on back in the forest through the past two years, but she was an accomplished warrior in her own right!

Had Father only agreed to letting Lydia train her because he thought it would only ever be of use with the woman's supervision? In a safe setting with experienced eyes to keep Ivy from doing something dangerous? Was that what he thought?!

"Shale." A soft voice sounded just then, startling both Father and Ivy herself as Mother straightened beneath his arm. "Let her go. Ivy is skilled enough… And Orion will be with her."

Then, she turned her face to stare at the two young apes, a hint of warmth in her green eyes.

"If he cannot keep her safe, no one can."

Ivy stood with her hand still in Orion's own, a dumbstruck expression on her face as she looked at her mother, while Father merely stared down at his mate with eyes widened in obvious surprise.

Mother had never, ever taken Ivy's side whenever she had wanted to do something even remotely dangerous or even outside the norm of the apes' culture. Be it too rambunctious play as a child or learning the art of archery and hunting as an adult, Mother had never approved. It's not that she didn't love Ivy, the silver-furred chimp knew. It was just that she didn't want Ivy to get hurt or be abnormal and end up alone.

And even though she knew this, Ivy had always considered her mother's fretting a hindrance more than anything else…

She was still standing with her mouth agape in surprise when Father turned back to her again, his expression completely changed from before. He seemed calmer now – reassured, even.

"You always had a way with words – a trait I'm sure Lydia and Orion here has helped improve… For you to convince you mother like this…" He signed while briefly regarding all three of them with a heavy, raised brow. Then, his eyes singled out Ivy once more, a look of contemplation on his face before he finally caved. "I could never refuse you, now could I…?"

Father had an air of rueful resignation about him as he once again reached a hand around Mother's shoulders, squeezing her and brushing his lips against the crown of her head in a loving and reassuring gesture. Mother leaned into it, looking tired beyond belief but with a confidence as she regarded Ivy that the younger chimp couldn't remember ever receiving from her before.

Then, Father turned his face towards Ivy one last time, giving a single nod of acceptance.

"Go, daughter."

Ivy's posture straightened as she stepped closer to Orion, her expression a mask of seriousness even if, on the inside, she was positively beaming.

And even if Mother's expression was still somewhat concerned, Ivy did also receive a small, barely-there smile once their eyes met. It felt good to finally feel her mother's confidence in her, something Ivy, up until this moment, had thought would never happen.

She made a silent vow to show her that this confidence wasn't misplaced.

Lydia laid a hand on Orion's shoulders, giving it a firm squeeze while she looked between the two apes.

"Be safe. Look out for each other, alright?"

The pair nodded in unison at their parents. It was a promise.


It was decided shortly after that Caesar, Rocket and Lydia would be going together to find another keu, free the rest of the apes and take out any guards that might wander too close and discover what they were all up to. It was almost a certainty that the guard that they had already dealt with to get this key wouldn't be the only one to be out, what with the Colonel expecting an opposing army any day now.

And so, Ivy followed Orion, Lydia and Rocket out of the adult pen, the four of them sneaking over to the Ape King's cage to let him out before Rocket handed Orion the key. The two older ape males and the human woman snuck off into another direction to secure the area after that, silent but swift as they rounded the corner of the adult's enclosure. It was a dangerous mission, and Ivy couldn't help but worry for the trio's safety – and especially for her mentor and future mother-in-law, who was still weakened from starvation and over-exertion.

But Lydia had insisted to go just like Ivy herself had and besides, the silver-furred female knew she had to focus on her own task. The colony would be going nowhere without the children.

It was like a hunt, really, as she and Orion moved through the compound, and thinking of it as such made it somehow easier for Ivy. Sneaking around corners, keeping to the shadows and maintaining a light step – avoiding detection.

It didn't matter that she was technically the prey and the soldiers were the prowling, unsuspecting predators. The procedure was just as it had always been on her hunts with Lydia back in the forest. Using your environment to your advantage, let it work for you rather than against you and most important of all: Have patience.

Orion, also being a trained hunter, seemed to be having the exact same thought process as Ivy herself, his movements as careful and calculated as her own as he took the lead, key in hand.

They rounded the corner of the children's cage and, avoiding a couple of soldiers strolling calmly towards the barracks, the two chimps descended a small stairway that lead down to a more closed-off part of the compound.

This place was covered by a roof and considerably more cluttered than the open space Ivy and Orion had just come from, crates of varying sizes, pipes and greenish brown canvas scattered all around the area.

Ivy didn't mind it too much, though. While it certainly made the place look like a complete mess, it also provided several great hiding spots for her and Orion as they inched towards the children's cage. Add that to the late hour, with most of the soldiers hiding inside tents and behind concrete walls to ward off the cold and get some sleep, it all made it a whole lot easier to reach their destination than Ivy had expected.

When they finally came up to the entrance to the children's cage, Orion was quick to whip out the key and unlock the first gate, doing his best to make sure the heavy piece of metal didn't make too much of a clang once he pushed it open.

By the time the two of them reached the second gate, just behind the first one, most of the ape children had woken up and noticed the two adults, staring wide-eyed at the them from behind the bars.

Ivy's heart clenched at their hopeful little gibbers. She put a finger up to her lips in a request for silence as Orion turned the key inside the lock, and the children all quieted down somewhat, understanding the seriousness of the situation despite their young age.

Orion finally unlocked the gate and pushed it open, allowing the two of them to rush inside to be greeted by the children, chimps, gorillas, bonobos and orangutans alike. They were all here, the future of the colony, waiting to be reunited with their parents and finally get out of this wretched place.

Ivy could hardly wait to see the children run free and play once more. Couldn't wait to see the faces of their parents as the many families were once again made whole.

And over there, in the middle of it all, was Cornelius, only just now getting up from the cold ground he had slept on and turning to face the two adults.

The young prince only hesitated for a mere second before he began to tentatively walk towards Orion, cooing once he finally reached him and Orion placed a protective arm around his adoptive little brother.

Yes, Ivy knew that that was how Orion saw Cornelius. How he had seen him ever since he had returned and found the ape child in Lydia's care. And as she watched the two of them right then, she had no doubt that the Ape Prince felt that connection as well. The two shared a mother, and in her absence, as well as Caesar's and Blue Eyes', Orion had been there for Cornelius as only a brother could.

She also knew very well that this was another reason why he had volunteered to this specific task, this very important step in the apes' escape plan. It was obvious to her, after all the late-night talks the two of them had had over in the adults' cage.

Orion hadn't just volunteered because he wanted to be useful. That was only part of it… No, he had done so because he wanted to save his new little brother.

Ivy's heart ached for the two of them, but she didn't allow herself to dwell on it for long, straightening her back with one of the smallest ape children now resting on her arm.

"Come. We must hurry." She said softly, but with an urgent note to her words that she knew would push Orion into action.

Nodding, her mate-to-be rose to his full height, now holding the Ape Prince's hand as he took one last look across the group of children, most likely trying to assess just how daunting the task of organising them for this escape would be.

It was not a small matter to move this many young apes.

Before they even had the opportunity to get started, however, a deep grunt came from behind the young pair, followed by the subdued clang of the metal door to the cage as it was slammed shut.

Ivy winced at the sound, willing it to disappear as quickly as it had come and hoping with all her might that none of the soldiers had heard it.

She and Orion whipped around in unison then, only to come face to face with three other apes – traitor apes, that is.

One of them being Red.

Ivy's heart felt like a boulder as it dropped down into her stomach at the sight of them. Two chimps and a gorilla were now standing between their little group and freedom.

This was not supposed to happen! How did they even know they were there? Had they somehow eavesdropped on the plan? Had they alerted the soldiers already?!

The silvery fur along Ivy's shoulders stood on end as that thought passed through her mind, and she hugged the ape child in her arms, a little female chimp, closer to herself in a subconscious attempt to protect her. Orion, meanwhile, bravely took a step forward, shielding both Ivy, Cornelius and the rest of the children by making himself appear larger.

With his hackles raised and his shoulders squared like this, Ivy would dare say that under normal circumstances, any single ape would have thought twice about opposing Orion.

But these were by no means normal circumstances, and Orion wasn't facing another ape one-on-one. Even with Ivy's help, the odds were stacked horribly against them.

"You two should not be in here." One of the opposing chimps signed, a young but weathered-looking male.

Ivy recognised him instantly. He was called Sampson and was only about three years older than Orion, though his haggard appearance, with bald patches all over his body and old scars across his chest and face, made him look far older than that.

Back in the day, he had been a loyal follower of Koba.

Now he was a slave to the soldiers.

How one could go from firmly believing that apes are superior to humans to becoming nothing more than a servant to them, Ivy would never understand.

Orion scoffed, though Ivy could tell he was very much on edge.

"Do not worry. We were just about to leave." He spoke severely. "We all are."

"Do you know. What soldiers would do. If you are all. Gone?" Flint, the other chimp, asked in his gritty voice, more growl than actual speech, really.

He was older than both Sampson and Red, but younger than apes like Caesar and Rocket.

"They will think. That we help you… Kill us for it." Sampson answered his companion's question, looking rather unimpressed with Orion's open display of aggression.

Meanwhile, Red remained quiet. He seemed to be staring at Orion in particular, though he didn't look nearly as agitated as his companions. In fact, he looked almost as if this was nothing more than a slight inconvenience to him.

Ivy set down the ape girl in her arms, straightening her posture as she stepped forth to support her intended mate.

"You will die no matter. If we stay or leave." She said with a sneer. "You think the Colonel. Will spare you. Just because you obey now? He hates all apes. All his soldiers do too. They will kill you. When you are no longer needed."

Flint growled and took a daring step forward, giving Ivy the stink-eye before turning his attention to Orion.

"You should learn. To control. Your female… And protect her better." He said, clearly looking to pull a reaction out of the younger male chimp.

But it was Ivy who spoke up first and, spurred on by Flint's disrespectfulness and utter insolence, she decided to hit him with something she knew would get under his skin.

Because she knew something Flint didn't. Something that, hopefully, would provide enough of a distraction for her and Orion to come up with a way to get past these traitors.

"Like you protected Rain?" She shot at him which, to her immediate satisfaction, pulled his attention straight back onto Ivy. "When she gave you children. Where were you? Out protecting her? Protecting them?"

Ivy gestured to the children she was referring to, a pair of ape girls around one-and-a-half years of age – twins born months after Flint had left the colony together with Red, Grey and everyone else who had followed Koba.

Before the bonobo's betrayal, Flint and Rain had been one of the colony's new couples who had yet to become parents.

Rain hadn't been able to bring herself to tell Flint that she had fallen pregnant before he had left with Koba's other followers, considering how he clearly still opposed Caesar's rule. She had been too heartbroken and deeply ashamed of her mate's actions and so, she had raised the twins by herself, with her mate gone and none the wiser about his offspring's existence.

"Children?" Flint growled in disbelief, eyeing the frightened pair that he had unknowingly fathered.

For a moment, Ivy's words seemed to have the desired effect as the three opposing apes paused, Sampson and Red staring at Flint with equal parts disgust and uncertainty, while the chimp in question turned his head to stare through the bars of the cages.

Ivy knew what his eyes were searching for and could immediately tell when they had found it.

Rain, still stuck over in the adult cage, was looking on together with everyone else. Her eyes were horror-struck and pleading as they met Flint's own.

"I have children…?" He breathed even if there was no way Rain would hear his words from this distance.

Ivy thought she saw a flicker of hope in the traitor's eyes. Maybe even a tiny speck of regret as well.

Maybe Flint would turn into a sort of ally now that he knew he had offspring to fight for? Maybe, just maybe, he would reconsider his options and go against his companions, giving Ivy and Orion a chance to escape with the children?

Maybe it could have happened, had Sampson not jarred Flint out of his stupor just then.

"Fool! Like it matters!" He exclaimed with a mighty growl. "They will still die here!"

Then, shoving Flint aside, the younger chimp charged at Orion, who was quick to crouch down low and ram his elbow into his enemy's gut.

The chaos that ensued after that was brief, but horrific nonetheless.

The children gathered behind Ivy all cried in unison at the violence in front of them, and it only got worse when Flint, seemingly deciding that Sampson was right, straightened and readied himself to release a mighty screech, undoubtedly with the intention of warning the soldiers about what was going on.

However, the sound, only ever coming out as a startled squeak, was cut short by none other than Red. In one swift movement, the silverback had slung his enormous, bulky arm around his chimp companion's throat and begun to squeeze, wrapping a hand around his wrist to ensure that Flint had no way to escape.

Ivy crouched down, her arms spread out to shield the children as she stared open-mouthed at what was taking place in front of her.

Orion continued to brawl with Sampson, who was still winded from having been shoved in the stomach. It was quickly becoming all too obvious that he was losing the fight, despite being an older male, as his attention was divided between his fight with Orion and his fellow traitor apes, now engaged in a very uneven fight of their own.

Red used his size and superior strength to his advantage by hauling Flint up to the point where his feet were no longer touching the ground, which meant he was now hanging by his throat in the headlock the large gorilla had him in. The chimp's legs were flailing in the air and his hands were clawing at Red's arms in an increasingly panicked manner as his green eyes grew wide with fear. Red completely ignored his victim's attempts at reaching backwards to scratc at his face, his small eyes determined and his breathing heavy from exertion as he squeezed Flint's throat.

He was choking him.

Red was choking Flint… Right in front of the children!

"Red!?" Sampson gasped in a mixture of confusion and fury. He was now caught in a standing arm lock that Ivy just knew Orion had been taught to do by his mother. Apes usually didn't fight in such a methodical manner.

"Ugh! Traitor!" Sampson groaned, and Orion forced his elbow further into a backwards bend to make him stop talking.

When he still kept growling loudly and thrashing in Orion's hold, the younger chimp seemed to have had enough and, in one swift pulling-motion, shoved Sampson's head against the wall of concrete bricks in the corner of the children's cage.

The older chimp was knocked out cold immediately, the impact hard enough to make a thumping sound Sampson's head came into contact with the unforgiving wall.

Ivy winced at the sound.

Meanwhile, Flint had stopped fighting, his body now hanging limply in Red's merciless grip before the gorilla simply let him drop unceremoniously onto the ground.

It was clear that Flint was dead.

Whereas Sampson's body had moved into a natural-looking position on its own as Orion had let him drop to the ground, Flint's limbs seemed to settle into the uncomfortable twists they ended up in once Red let go.

Ivy hushed the children as best she could, still hoping against hope that their soft, subdued cries wouldn't alert the soldiers on guard-duty. After all, she didn't know how many, if indeed any at all, Lydia, Caesar and Rocket had managed to take care of – whatever that meant.

Now, with both Flint and Sampson out of the way, all that remained was Red, who now stood there, tall and imposing, in front of Ivy, Orion and the children.

It was a tense few seconds before anyone said or did anything, the large silverback simply staring down at the two of them with a look in his eyes that almost seemed… resigned? Ivy didn't even know Red could wear such an expression.

Orion wasn't the least bit impressed, nor did he seem inclined to change his perception of the traitor gorilla just because he had helped them by dealing with Flint.

"You think this changes anything?" Orion spat vehemently, gesturing to Flint's limp body on the ground. "You did not have to kill him! He hesitated!"

Red pursed his lips and raised a challenging brow at the younger chimp.

"Do not pretend. That this is why you are. Angry at me." He spoke darkly, and Ivy thought she could spot the barest hint of… was it a sneer or a smirk?

"I have many reasons to be." Orion answered with a vicious curl of his upper lip. The expression didn't look right on his face. "You think killing another ape will make everyone forgive you, Red?"

"Orion…!" Ivy hissed, low and urgent.

It wasn't like she trusted Red, but there was no denying that he had just helped ensure that they would succeed with their plan. Now was not the time to irk the red silverback's temper. Not when they were so close to achieving their goal.

"He hit my Mother. Betrayed the apes! He has killed apes!" Came Orion's reply, the anger and indignation clear in his voice. "He might betray us again!"

"He is helping now. Leave it." Ivy instructed, her voice balancing on the edge between being stern and pleading.

Orion shot her a sullen look out of the corner of his eye before deciding to do as she said and back down.

And luckily, Red chose not to taunt him about it – Ivy knew that would only rile up her mate-to-be once more.

"You wanted to leave. With children." Red spoke in his gritty voice, staring down his nose at Orion and Ivy. "Leave… And be quiet… Soldiers' switch guards soon."

The two young chimps shared looks of uncertainty with each other, not at all trusting the gorilla.

Then again, what other choice did they have?

Orion walked up to Red, his posture straight and his scowl menacing as he looked straight up into the red-furred ape's eyes.

"If you betray us again… If you alert the soldiers-"

"You will die." Red interrupted in an almost matter-of-factly manner which made Ivy grimace, while Orion downright growled once again. "She will die. They will die. Caesar will die… And your mother too."

At the mention of Lydia, Orion's wrist made the barest hint of a twitch, and Ivy recognized it as a suppressed reflex brought on by the urge to punch Red for even mentioning the human woman to Orion's face.

The she-ape was quick to intervene before anything could happen between the two males, still determined to prevent creating another threat now that the first one had been dealt with.

But still, she couldn't deny that she was curious.

"Why do this, then?" Ivy asked, putting a calming hand on Orion's arm. He was quite literally quivering under her palm from anger. "Why help us now? Why help save us?"

"I save myself." Was the rather cryptic reply that came from Red.

If those words had any hidden meaning behind them, it was lost on both Ivy and Orion, the two of them scrunching up their faces in confusion at the gorilla's answer.

"Go." Red ordered before either of the chimps could make any further inquiries, inclining his large head towards the metal gate leading out of the cage. "I take care. Of it here."

Ivy only cast a brief glance down at the two traitor chimps that Red was referring to. They were both still lying on the ground, one unconscious, the other dead and gone. She didn't want to know what he intended to do with the former.

A part of her wanted to argue. Wanted to hiss and growl at Red, just like Orion had, for everything the gorilla had done up until now, and especially for having just killed Flint in front of his own children. Then again, the twins had no idea that it had been their father Red had killed, having never actually known him in the first place, so perhaps it was just Ivy's own sense of moral and outrage speaking…

Either way, though she didn't show it as much as Orion did right now, Ivy was just as angry and suspicious of Red as her mate-to-be clearly was. It was quite true that what he had just done did nothing to erase his past crimes against the apes and furthermore, Ivy still didn't understand why Red had done it in the first place. What reason did he have to help now?

Did he hope to escape a death by the soldiers' hands, attempting to escape together with the colony?

Did he plan on betraying the apes again to gain even more favor with the Colonel?

Or had he simply had a change of heart and sought to redeem himself now?

Somehow, Ivy doubted it was the latter option. She had never known Red to be a noble ape.

And even as she turned her head on the way out of the cage with Orion and the children, forming the group's rearguard and staring back at the red-furred gorilla as he stood over his fallen companions, she still had no idea.

And somehow, that was even scarier than being certain of his treachery.