Orion

Orion clung to the tree for dear life, unable to help Ivy further up the thick trunk. He just hoped that she would be alright, and that Cornelius would be safe with Lake over in one of the other trees.

The icy flakes hit his face so hard that it stung his very skin, and the gusts of freezing winds forced their way underneath even the densest layers of hair on his body, making him doubt that he would ever feel warm again.

And then there was the sound! One moment a deep, dark rumble, the next a whooshing howl. It was like the very world itself was erased by the white, deafening blur and all that kept Orion grounded to reality was the very tree he was struggling so hard to cling on to, even as it jerked back and forth with every new wave of snow.

Still, despite the onslaught on his senses and the distraction of trying to desperately hold on to the tree, Orion's eyes opened wide when he heard…Something.

Was it a scream? And a roar?

From where?

Perhaps it was a trick of the wind? He sure hoped it was. Perhaps a high-pitched howl as the air travelled quickly against the bare cliffsides? The morphed sound of a distant old tree snapping in half? It was so hard to tell with the winds blowing so viciously all around him that, in the end, Orion wasn't even sure he had actually heard anything at all or if he had just imagined it.

By the time the avalanche had finally run its course, ending just as suddenly as it had begun, and his vision was no longer blocked by a wall of whiteness, Orion had almost forgotten about the sound. Instead, he let his eyes shift in quick succession from one tree to the next, searching.

He found Ivy first, as she was in the same tree as Orion himself, a few feet further up the trunk. She had only just begun to blink her eyes open after having had them squeezed tightly shut as she pressed her cheek against the bark, but otherwise looked to be unharmed.

Good, Orion thought with a sigh of relief before continuing his scan of the immediate area.

Next came Lake and, by extension, Cornelius, who had taken refuge in a much larger tree a few yards from Orion's. Lake had used her own body to shield the little prince from the elements, the fine layer of white all over her back standing out against her dark coat of fur. Cornelius gave a small hoot of recognition once he spotted Orion looking at them, showing no signs of pain or even discomfort.

So, his friend and new little brother were both fine as well.

Letting his eyes roam further, he also spotted Tinker, Shale, Juniper, Rocket, Maurice and his little human girl, and many more.

Lastly, he spotted Caesar as well, whose face was the only thing Orion could see from this spot, the rest of the Ape King's body obscured behind the thick tree trunk he held on to.

Orion couldn't see his mother anywhere, though, but tried to reason with himself that she was most likely still clinging to Caesar's back – just because he couldn't see her didn't mean she wasn't there, and he did remember watching as Caesar had charged towards the trees with Mother on his back, who had been holding on for dear life.

But just as Orion had managed to ease his own anxiety, the expression on Caesar's face, one of horrified realisation, caused it to re-emerge, stronger and more ominous than it had been before. And then there was the fact that the Ape King then made his way down the tree far quicker than he should realistically have been able to while carrying another person on his back…

This… This didn't bode well, and Orion's heart instantly began racing – not with relief and excitement, as had initially been the case, but with trepidation and dread as he too began making his way down his own tree, Ivy following close behind him.

She had to know something was wrong as well. Orion was sure she could sense it, if not by Caesar's demeanour, then by Orion's own, though she remained silent as she made her way to his side once they were both down on the ground once more.

It didn't take very long for the rest of the colony to also reach the forest floor, everyone making a beeline for Caesar with concerned and curious gibbers – but no one with more urgency than Orion.

Even now, he was still trying to convince himself that it probably wasn't as bad as his own mind made it seem. Mother had always told him that while caution could potentially be a life-saver, jumping to conclusions never was, and it often caused grief more than anything else.

This, however, was hard to keep in mind as both his breathing and his steps quickened, but Orion was determined to stay positive nonetheless.

Mother was there. She might be injured, but she was there.

Of course she was there.

She had to be – she had promised him she would.

But then Orion, soon followed by the rest of the colony, rounded the tree Caesar had occupied, only to finally have confirmed what he had feared all along…

Mother was nowhere to be seen. There was only Caesar, who stood by the bottom of the tree, alone and, quite obviously, distressed. His breath came out in urgent, almost panicked huffs, his large chest heaving as he stood there, restless but unmoving.

Orion's heart sank and with much difficulty, he swallowed the lump beginning to appear in his throat as he approached the Ape King.

"Caesar…" He spoke once he got close enough for the other ape to hear him. "Where is Mother?"

Caesar didn't answer, out of breath as he was, and clearly more occupied with letting his eyes roam the sloping mountainside in an almost frantic manner. Like he was looking for something… important.

Oh no…

"Caesar?" Orion tried again, though he still didn't receive a reaction.

Bile began to rise in Orion's throat as a sickening sense of foreboding took hold of him.

"Caesar…!" Came his voice again, more forcefully this time.

Few others had ever dared speaking to the Ape King with such a tone and hadn't Orion already been too busy worrying about Mother, he would probably have felt ashamed for it. In fact, it was strange that nobody, Maurice in particular, hadn't deigned to reprimand him for his tone…

Caesar didn't seem to take immediate note of Orion's rather disrespectful manner of addressing him either, though this time, he did look back at the younger ape rather than out across the snow-covered landscape.

The look in his eyes as they met Orion's own spoke for itself, and not even the freezing winds or the avalanche's icy onslaught could rival the chill that went up Orion's spine just then.

He had lost her…

Caesar had lost Mother…

Orion's hackles began to rise instantly, even if he tried to contain himself by drawing in slow, calculated breaths, the cold air piercing and painful as it hit his lungs.

He felt someone lay a hand on his arm, instantly knowing it was Ivy without even having to look. She was trying to calm him down. And comfort him.

Orion wasn't so certain that it would work right now.

"How…?" He asked darkly, doing his best not to let his voice falter and break.

To his credit, Caesar looked just as anguished as Orion felt. His eyes were swimming with pain and regret as they returned to Orion from having frantically searched the landscape once more.

"She slipped…" He spoke, voice faint and disbelieving. "Just before it ended… Her hands slipped."

Orion squeezed his eyes shut in a vain attempt to drown out the image that came to mind with Caesar's words.

That scream he had heard…

It had been Mother… Probably screaming for Caesar as she had fallen.

Though his heart wasn't calmed at all by this knowledge, Orion knew deep down that it was senseless to be angry at Caesar for what had happened. He couldn't very well have let go of the tree to grab Mother, the younger chimp knew. That would only have resulted in both of them being lost in the snow. Still, he couldn't keep his hands from shaking as they clenched into fists at his sides.

Mother had promised him… She had promised to come out and re-join them all. Promised that she would be right behind him!

But he couldn't be angry at her either. It wasn't her fault that, in her weakened state, her hold of Caesar had slipped in the last moment. After she had done everything she could to get back to Orion… and to Cornelius.

He turned away from Caesar to look at his adopted little brother, still cradled in Lake's arms and clearly looking around for the one person he knew was missing – the one who stood out the most in all of the colony.

She had been so close to making it and yet…

The lump in Orion's throat thickened, obstructing his airways, and it only worsened with Ivy's reassuring squeeze of his hand. The look of sadness and compassion on her face was almost enough for Orion to finally break, the dreaded realisation that he had lost yet another of his parents slowly creeping over him.

But just then, before it managed to completely consume him, a distant, lonely bark reached Orion's ears.

He was the first to turn towards the sound, everyone else following suit moments later, though at first, he didn't see anything. Only a vast, white landscape occasionally broken up by dark grey cliffsides and lonely pine trees. Nothing here even seemed alive…

But then, as if out of a dream, Orion saw it - saw Storm charging through the snow a few hundred yards further up the mountainside, spearing through the sea of white with eagerness. Her shaggy, dark grey coat stood out starkly against the blinding glare that surrounded her, and her barks echoed through the valley with obvious excitement.

"Storm…" Orion breathed in disbelief coupled with fond recognition. He hadn't seen his other pet for so long and seeing her now briefly managed to distract Orion from his moment of despair.

She reached the gathering of apes before he could collect himself, though he wasted no time falling to his knees and lay his hands on her soft coat of fur as she came up to greet him with licks and excited whines. He didn't think he had ever seen her so ecstatic, not even back when he had come home from his journey with Rocket and Blue Eyes.

She greeted Ivy next, who still stood right beside Orion. Then Caesar, who's pained look remained, even as the canine pressed her muzzle against his large hand. She then went to Maurice, the little girl, Rocket and the strange, clothed chimp who called himself Bad Ape – all those she knew by both sight and scent.

And she would most likely have continued to greet the whole colony, had an idea not struck Orion at that moment, prompting him to call the dog back to himself, hope and determination taking hold of his heart as she obediently came over to sit in front of him.

"Maurice!" Orion called for his old teacher then, and the orangutan almost looked startled at his name being uttered with such urgency. "Mother's backpack. Do you have it? It was not taken from her?"

Maurice immediately shook his head and, turning to the little human girl by his side, procured the old, weathered backpack from the child's shoulders.

Orion should have seen it before – it looked uncomfortably large and cumbersome on her small form… But he had probably been too distracted to notice.

He took it with a quick nod of thanks and began rummaging through it, frantically picking item after item out, occasionally smelling them before chucking them back inside the bag with increasingly disapproving grunts. He could literally feel the strange looks from everyone present drilling into him, most of them probably thinking he had lost his mind in his despair at losing his mother.

But no, he was not losing it. Rather, Orion was sure he was onto something – if only he could find a suitable item.

But these smells were all either too faint or not Mother's at all – she had probably let the child borrow some of her clothes during their journey here.

No good, Orion thought.

He needed something with his mother's smell. Something Storm would be more likely to pick up on. If there was any chance that Mother was still alive out there, somewhere, somehow, Orion knew Storm would be their best bet at finding her. Mother had told him long ago how dogs were trained by humans for all kinds of purposes, and he distinctly remembered her telling about dogs finding people who had been lost or buried alive. Storm's arrival and subsequent sniffing at everyone present had made Orion realise that they might use that to their advantage.

He gave the canine a sideways glance. Storm was trained for hunting, not searching for humans underneath thick layers of snow, but right now, it was the best shot they had at finding Mother at all. If he could just find something – anything!

Orion grit his teeth in frustration, ignoring Ivy's insistent hand on his shoulder and Caesar crouching in front of him, probably realising that Orion had a plan – or at least the beginnings of one.

Suddenly, Storm moved forward on her own and buried her muzzle inside the depths of the backpack, only to rear back moments later with something inside her mouth.

It was one of Mother's old shirts. The dark blue one which had become so tattered and almost see-through that she only ever used it to sleep in these days.

Of course! Orion thought in tentative triumph. This old thing was sure to have Mother's scent all over it. She would never lend something like that to someone else.

He hauled the backpack over his shoulder and came over to gently pry out the shirt from Storm's mouth, only to present it to the dog for her to be able to smell it properly.

"Where is she, Storm?" Orion spoke softly as he held the fabric to the canine's nose. "Where is Mother? Where is Lydia?"

It felt weird referring to her by her name but at this point, Orion was going to use every trick he could think of in the hopes that Storm would understand what he wanted her to do. Dogs were smart, he knew.

She looked up at him with perked ears, then carefully sniffed at the shirt being held out to her.

"Search, Storm." The ape tried, his hands clenching involuntarily around the dark blue fabric. "Search…!"

At the command, Storm's tail rose high in the air and she gave a short bark, almost seeming like she wanted to play, before she turned as swiftly as a startled hare and ran off into the direction the avalanche had swept down the mountainside.

Orion's mouth opened in utter bafflement before he briefly turned his head to share a look with Caesar. His expression was one of surprise and hopefulness rivalling Orion's own.

Turning their attention back to Storm, both apes got up and scrambled through the snow to follow her. The rest of the colony followed in their wake almost immediately, creating a cacophony of curious, urgent hoots and chitters as they went.

Despite the snow having seemed like the finest of powder as it had blown past them in the trees, Orion soon discovered that it had packed itself together rather densely once the avalanche had stopped. Every time he took a step, his foot fell through until the snow reached his thigh, which hampered him greatly and made it all the more difficult to follow Storm as she practically leapt through the snow with ease.

By the time she halted, several hundred yards from the trees the apes had sought refuge in, both Orion, Caesar and everyone else was out of breath and panting harshly. Many were still trying to catch up as Storm began to circle the area she had decided to stop at, and Orion looked on with mounting anxiety and the barest flicker of hope churning inside his gut.

Beside him, Caesar was watching with equally intense eyes as Storm's tail began to wag incessantly. Many times, she would promptly stick her entire face deeply into the snow, only to pull back seconds later, move a few feet and do the same thing once more.

This behaviour continued for what seemed like an eternity to Orion but must only have lasted about a minute at most.

Then, Storm began to bark… and dig through the snow with much enthusiasm.

With a gasp, realising she had found something, Orion darted over and threw himself onto his knees beside the dog, using his large hands to practically shovel the snow out of the way.

He was so single-mindedly focused on the task that he only noticed Caesar had come over to help as well when a second pair of hands entered his field of vision. His breathing was just as laboured and desperate as Orion's own as the two of them kept digging.

A few feet down, they finally came upon something…

A piece of dark deerskin leather emerged from within the icy depths, soon to be followed by a limp, gloved human hand.

"Mother?!" Orion gasped, green eyes widening.

Storm began to whine and press her face into the snow where Mother's head would be, her shaggy tail still wagging as she pushed the snow aside with her muzzle.

The hand they had uncovered began to move, first weakly, then more frantically until Caesar grabbed it while Orion moved to carefully uncovered Mother's shoulders and head.

He almost fell over backwards when she emerged from the snow, soaked through and gasping for breath as Caesar pulled her up by her hand into a sitting position, supporting her with a palm against her back.

And there she was, heaving and gulping down air like she would be robbed of the privilege again at any moment.

She was a mess. Her eyes were wide, her hair completely out of her braid and hanging around her head in damp strands. Her skin had an almost blueish tint to it, though whether from lack of air or from the cold, Orion couldn't tell – perhaps it was actually both?

He hardly noticed the anxious, concerned murmurs and gibbers from the rest of the colony as they stood around the scene, looking on as Mother caught her breath. She was shaking from the cold, her teeth clattering audibly, and she was still holding on to Caesar's hand for dear life, though she didn't even seem to be aware of it – or anything else for that matter, as she stared down at the ground with unseeing eyes.

Looking her over, Orion discovered that her bow and quiver were, amazingly, still on her person, though the arrows had all been lost during her tumble in the snow. It didn't mean much – they could easily be replaced. Orion had half a mind to be surprised that the bowstring hadn't snapped. Goes to show that human-made weapons were still far sturdier than what the apes could produce.

Though clearly wanting to stay near and check up on her condition, Caesar backed off somewhat when Orion began moving closer and laid an arm around his mother's shoulders. Even so, the Ape King never took his keen, desperate-looking gaze off her as the younger ape pulled her close.

"Mother…?" Orion tried when she continued to stare down at the ground, still shaking and breathing rather harshly.

He gently cupped her cold cheek with his other hand, and the contact almost instantly jarred her out of her panicked state of mind. She blinked but made no move to resist once Orion slowly made her turn to face him, and his throat closed up as he saw her bottom lip quiver and her wide, blue eyes well up with tears of relief.

"Oh, Orion!" Mother said as she fell into his arms with a gasp and he immediately encased her in a bone-crushing embrace, rocking back and forth to comfort her.

It was only at this point, as he heard her voice, that Orion was truly put at ease.

Mother was okay! She was alive! Ice cold and soaked-through, but alive!

Storm seemed to realise this as well, as she whined excitedly and came upon the two of them with a wagging tail and a cold, wet nose which she continuously attempted to press against their faces.

Orion squeezed his eyes tightly shut, feeling warm trails of tears streaming down his cheeks as Mother's quiet sniffles were muffled by his shoulder. He could, however, still make out parts of her tearful apology to him, which only made Orion's hold on her that much more desperate.

"I'm sorry!"

"-should have tried harder…"

"I promised you…"

Orion hushed her as best he could as he pressed his cheek against the top of her head. It was almost like she had been able to read his mind from before, hearing his thoughts on how she had promised to make it out of there and back to him. Even though he knew that was probably not the case, Orion still felt awful for having even had those thoughts to begin with.

It wasn't Mother's fault – of course it wasn't! It was nobody's fault! Not hers, not Caesar's or anybody else's. It was an accident and it didn't matter now – because they had found her, and she was alive!

He didn't know exactly how long their embrace lasted – it could have been hours for all Orion cared, and it would still feel too short. He had almost lost her just now, and somewhere deep inside of him, instinct and memories of previous losses told him to keep holding onto her for dear life, lest she disappear back beneath the snow.

But as he calmed down and reopened his eyes, Orion came face-to-face with Caesar, who was still on his knees by Mother's side, looking lost, yet eager to help bring her comfort as he stared at the two of them. Like he was itching for a chance to also hold Mother close but didn't want to break up the moment between them.

Now, moments ago, in his desperation and grief, Orion might have had half a mind to hiss and growl at the Ape King for everything that had happened – of the negligence he felt that Caesar had showed in keeping Mother safe… But with the clarity that relief had brought him, Orion knew that Caesar had been just as distraught by the prospect of losing her.

Perhaps he deserved some reassurance as well…

And so, it was with great reluctance that Orion pulled back, if for nothing else than to allow his mother to breathe properly after having been locked in his much-too-tight embrace. She hadn't complained, though. Hadn't made any comment on how his strength had squeezed precious air out of her lungs, though she was breathing just as heavily as before once Orion finally let go of her. He almost felt sorry for having done that, though the slight sting of guilt was dispelled just as quickly when Mother's still-damp eyes connected with his own once more, nothing but love and relief in their depths.

A warm smile found its way across his features then, and Orion let his eyes wander, briefly but pointedly, towards Caesar before letting them settle back onto his mother's…


Maurice

Lydia turned slowly towards the Caesar, her eyes large and her mouth slightly agape.

Maurice almost thought she was going to begin crying again when Caesar, with little to no warning, surged forward and drew Lydia into his arms. Flush against his front, she almost seemed to disappear from view, cocooned by his sheer mass as he buried his face in her dark hair, the action tender and intimate. Lydia reciprocated by flinging her arms around the Ape King, grabbing fistfuls of the fur on his back.

Maurice shared a brief look with Rocket and Tinker, who stood beside each other a few feet away. With an arm slung around his mate's shoulders, Rocket looked on with fondness and approval, while Tinker merely smiled, her eyes teary as she pressed herself to her mate's flank.

Neither of them seemed as concerned as Maurice felt in that moment.

Because while he was deeply touched by the scene and overcome with relief knowing that both of his dear friends had escaped from this alive, Maurice couldn't help the surprise and anxiety he felt at the couple's open display of affection.

It wasn't like he felt appalled by the concept, because of course he did not, even if he had never witnessed it between the two until now. It was only a natural reaction and Maurice would actually have found it strange if the two would still manage to keep up pretences after something like this. Lydia had just had a brush with death and Caesar had thought he had lost yet another loved one. Of course, they were going to show emotion.

But no, the reason why the desperate and loving embrace between his two friends had caused Maurice to feel anxious was because it was taking place in front of the entire colony.

The orangutan didn't know what he had expected to happen, honestly. Perhaps a scandalized outcry? Accusations of betrayal and deception? Disgust?

So far, however, no such reactions came, to Maurice's relief and quiet puzzlement. In fact, the atmosphere didn't even seem tense, though a prevailing, stunned silence had fallen over the entire gathering as they watched the pair.

He averted his gaze from the strange couple to gauge his fellow apes' reaction to this startling revelation, only to find that most of the colony just stood and stared in wonder. Many quietly gibbered and shared wide-eyed looks with one another as Caesar put his forehead against Lydia's whilst tenderly brushing her cheek with the tips of his fingers, but nobody actually made any protests at what they were witnessing.

As if the desperate embrace, the comforting caresses and intimate gestures hadn't been enough for everyone to figure out what was going on, the loving gaze the two regarded each other with once they pulled apart was sure to hit home. Caesar's stare was half-lidded and adoring, the barest hint of a smile playing on his lips as he continued to hold Lydia close, while the woman herself returned his stare with still-fresh tear tracks down her cheeks.

And still no one said anything.

Sure, there was the odd shuffle of feet, awkward, averted gazes and even a low scoff that nobody paid any attention to. Overall, everyone seemed more confused than angered or disturbed at the display, and Maurice instantly found himself flooded with reassurance when he realised this.

Perhaps it would be alright after all? Perhaps what they had all just endured had made the apes more accepting of such a change? A minor surprise that didn't hold any significance when overshadowed by the fact that they had actually made it out alive?

The knowing smile Rocket shot him above the head of his mate told Maurice that his friend had expected this to be the case, and he could only subtly shake his head in bewilderment at that. Rocket never ceased to surprise him with these moments of insight.

And, looking back at the scene, Maurice realised that this didn't only apply to Rocket.

Orion, as he sat by his mother's side, silently watching the two, didn't seem the least bit surprised or upset either. Maybe a little wary and perhaps a bit awkward, as the rest of the colony, but definitely not offended, as Maurice might have thought he would be – or as Lydia had surely expected him to be.

Perhaps he has passed that stage already? Maurice speculated then, deducing from Orion's reaction that Lydia must have told her son at one point during their imprisonment. He would certainly have to inquire about that conversation later on.

Just then, an insistent gibber caught everyone's attention and Maurice turned once more, just in time to see Cornelius struggle out of Lake's arms, eyes trained on his… well, the orangutan supposed 'parents' was the correct term to use, especially given current circumstances.

Distracted, Lydia and Caesar only just managed to pull apart before Cornelius was upon them, and Lydia quickly opened up her arms as he leapt into her embrace. Cornelius' demeanour seemed to change from overly excited and eager to careful and tender the instant he was situated in Lydia's lap. His gibbering quieted down as his small fists clenched at her soaked clothes as if he was never going to let her go.

Lydia instantly began to coo softly at the Ape Prince and stroked his back with a shaky hand.

"It's okay, Cornelius. I'm here. We're all here. It's alright…"

Her voice sounded rather soft and faint compared to how it normally was, making Maurice theorise that she hadn't completely composed herself after being trapped underneath the snow. But even so, she still held onto Cornelius with the firmness and desperation of any mother reuniting with their child, this embrace just as fierce and intimate as the one she had shared with Orion.

And it would probably have continued for just as long as well, had Lydia not been jarred out of the moment right then.

Maurice didn't know what it had been – the crunch of snow underneath someone's feet, a cleared throat or an ape child chittering among the crowd, but something managed to catch Lydia's attention just then, and she raised her head curiously at whatever it was, coming face to face with… well, everyone.

She visibly tensed up, surprise and mounting realisation obvious on her face as her eyes jumped from one ape to the next.

"Oh…! Uhm…" Was all she could manage to say, shoulders hunching once she realised that she was under the colony's unrelenting scrutiny.

Maurice couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for her as she stared at them all with wide, uncertain eyes. It was one thing having been buried alive underneath the snow and almost dying, but to also have to deal with such a controversial and closely-guarded secret being revealed immediately afterwards, everyone's attention already on you, must be doubly aggravating.

Caesar, meanwhile, simply looked somewhat startled at having been caught in an intimate moment with Lydia. When that initial surprise had worn off, though, the Ape King didn't seem too fazed anymore, regarding his people with an open, unguarded expression as he held on to Lydia's still-shivering form, almost as if he was waiting for their disapproval – though more than ready to face it.

It was, after all, something to be expected, and yet the stunned, now slightly awkward silence prevailed.

That is, until movement beside Maurice caught his eye.

Something – or rather someone moved past him, their form small, scrawny and with a head full of blonde hair instantly recognisable to Maurice by now.

A curious rumble left him once he saw how the human girl he had so recently adopted as his own came up to kneel beside Lydia, reaching out to lay a small hand on the woman's arm. Her expression was one of concern as she seemed to study Lydia intently, and the woman gazed back in a quizzical manner as the girl suddenly reached for the backpack by Orion's side.

If he or Lydia had any reservations about letting the child rummage through their possessions, they didn't voice them. Undoubtedly, Lydia was glad for the distraction as she, Orion and everyone else merely continued to stare curiously until a mass of pelts were pulled out of the backpack.

By this point, Maurice had a pretty good idea of what his little human child was trying to do, and the notion warmed his heart immensely.

She pulled out the cloak that Lydia had made for her on their journey, which had been tucked away into the backpack when Bad Ape had offered up his thicker parka instead.

Stepping forward, she draped it around Lydia's shoulders in much the same manner the woman had done for her that evening all those weeks ago, and proceeded to tuck the edges of the cloak gently into Lydia's hand so that she could keep it in place.

Maurice felt warmth spread inside his chest at the scene. She was truly a kind child, little Nova, as he had named her on this very night.

Lydia looked rather stunned for a few seconds afterwards, her attention having completely shifted from the colony in favour of looking up at Nova in mild surprise.

Then, her lips quirked up into a small, lopsided smile.

"Thank you…" She breathed with a nod, pulling the cloak closer around herself and Cornelius, who seemed to relish in the added warmth as he nuzzled against Lydia's sternum.

Nova smiled brightly at her, and positively beamed when Caesar laid a hand on her shoulder a few seconds later, a grateful expression on his face. It was the kindest look he had ever spared her, and with the sight of it came the reassurance for Maurice that his king and close friend was no longer ruled by the hatred and prejudice which had previously clouded his judgement.

It was as much a relief for him to see as it had been to have Lydia emerge from the snow alive, finally seeing his old friend return to being himself once more.

Just as that thought passed his mind, a single, celebratory voice started hooting to Maurice's far right, and he turned his large head to see that the sound came from Rocket. He still stood beside Tinker, with one arm draped around her shoulders while the other was raised above his head, his fist clenched in salute to Caesar.

Tinker followed her mate's example moments later, soon to be joined by Lake, Shale, Juniper, Ivy and…

Before Maurice managed to turn around and stare at the gathering behind him once more, every ape present had joined in, creating a beautiful choir of excited hoots from young and old alike, who all held up their hands, clenched fists beside each other.

Apes together strong.

He turned back to find Caesar helping Lydia up from the ground, supporting her back with one arm as she held onto Cornelius. Orion stepped forward next, grabbing his mother's hand and the two of them shared a brief, tender smile with one another.

And with that, the happy, patched-up family turned to the hooting apes gathered in front of them, Lydia looking on with amazement, Caesar with eyes glistening from joy and relief.

It was the most unified Maurice had ever seen the colony be since the day the apes had broken out of their cages all those years ago and it served to finally convince the worrisome orangutan that everything would, at last, work itself out.