Ivy

Ivy was too young to remember the wild dogs that had plagued the colony back in its early days. But she did know the stories. Had been told of the thin, mangy beasts that had snatched tiny, vulnerable ape children and ravenously stripped the flesh from their bones. By the time she had been old enough to understand these stories, they had mostly been a means to make sure the ape children stayed within the safety of the tall, thick walls that had been erected around the colony to keep these foul predators out.

And it had worked – at least on Ivy.

These stories had scared her terribly as a child, to the point of her staying awake while lying safely between her parents in the nest at night, listening intently for distant barks. In the dark, her mind had conjured up images of large, starved monstrosities, their fur hanging off their bodies in bloodied clots. She had imagined how their large, pupil-less eyes, perfectly round and pale as the full moon, would be staring hungrily at her as rows upon rows of sharp fangs had teased her demise, and she had practically burrowed into her father's arms for safety.

But then daylight had arrived, and she had looked on in wonder as Orion played with Storm and Blaze, the small chimp completely at ease with the large dogs and fully trusting them not to tear him limb from limb, and she had begun to wonder. To doubt.

Now, Ivy had never interacted much with Orion at this point at all – only a few moments of play and the occasional, happy greeting before Blue Eyes and Ash had whisked him away to do whatever it is boys that age fill up their time with.

But one day, when she had been three years old and he had been four, Ivy's curiosity had become too great and she had walked straight up to him and asked why he wasn't afraid. Didn't he know what damage those jaws could do? Hadn't anyone told him the stories? He might have been from a strange family, but someone must have told him, right?

At the question, Orion had looked at her as if she had been the strange one, before he had let a bright smile spread across his face as he had shaken his head.

"They would never hurt anyone. Not unless Mother or Father tells them to."

Somehow, that hadn't eased Ivy's worries in the slightest.

"But your mother and father are not here now… What if they get… Hungry?" She had asked, trying to hide the slight shake of her hands as she had signed, though she had slowly started to move closer, eyeing the large canines nervously.

At that, Orion had grimaced and looked interchangeably at Blaze and Storm, the former sitting attentively by his side while the latter had been lounging on the ground, looking somewhat interested, but reserved.

To this day, Ivy still had to wonder if Orion had just been that good at putting two and two together even at this tender age, or if her attempt at putting on a brave face had really failed that miserably.

"Are you afraid of them?" He had asked her instead of answering the question, eyes narrowed at her, though not in an unkind manner. No, it had been a searching look on his face, concerned even, as he had tried to get to the bottom of this.

"No…" Ivy had denied with a frown, only to have recoiled when Blaze had leaned forward to sniff curiously at her as she had gotten nearer.

The dog too drew back, head low as he took on an almost apologetic appearance. Like he had been sorry for scaring her. The thought alone had made Ivy pause. Of course, that was ridiculous – she had been told that dogs were simple predators. Something like that wouldn't be capable of feeling sorry about something… Would it?

"Are you sure?" Orion had asked as he had observed her reaction, though his expression hadn't been overbearing or smug in the slightest. Just doubtful, really.

Ivy had pursed her lips and, after a few, long seconds of hesitation, shaken her head. No, she had definitely been afraid of them, she had just been too stubborn to allow it to keep her away any longer. She had wanted to know, finally, how Orion and most of the other ape children by now, could be so calm and carefree around creatures which featured so prominently in her own nightmares. What made these dogs different from the ones who had snatched and eaten those ape children in the past?

Orion had tilted his head at her then, his gaze thoughtful as he had seemed to study Ivy for a moment.

"You know," He had said, a small smile playing at his lips all of a sudden. "Mother always says that dogs are smart and that if you are kind to them, they will understand it and return that kindness."

Though still unconvinced, Ivy nodded in understanding. That made sense to her, being kind in return to those who showed you kindness, but… Were dogs really able to understand a gesture like that? And how could they possibly return it?

But before she could even begin to ask about that, Orion had extended his hand for her to grab hold of.

"Come, I will show you." He had encouraged her and that smile of his, soft as it was and yet so bright and genuine, had been what had finally made Ivy abandon caution and take hold of his offered hand, trusting the older ape child to keep her safe.

Gently, Orion had pulled her a few steps forward until they had both stood in front of Blaze, who had merely sat there, ears perked at the two young apes as they had approached. His tongue had been hanging out the side of his open mouth and Ivy had been able to feel the canine's hot breath on her face as he had panted softly.

It reminded her of those scary dreams. Of the times the monstrous dogs in them had caught up to her and jumped forward to snap their bloodied jowls around her arms and legs, only this time it had felt that much worse because the dog was actually there, in front of her and very much able to snatch her if he had so desired.

But Ivy, despite her increasing fear, had resisted the urge to recoil a second time, reasoning that if Orion and the other ape children could trust these dogs, then she could too.

"Blaze likes it when you scratch him behind his ears." Orion had informed Ivy and, ever so slowly, tucked her hand up to the dog's head. "Like this."

Ivy had gulped as the canine had sniffed the incoming hand, ears twitching curiously, though he didn't show as much as a hint of a growl.

And then her fingers, guided by Orion's hand, had been buried in the thick, light grey fur behind Blaze's ear and Ivy's eyes had widened in surprise and awe.

Not only had the fur been incredibly soft – softer than any ape's, in fact – but as she had begun to gently run her fingertips back and forth behind Blaze's ear, his big, brown eyes had immediately closed in what Ivy could only interpret as pure bliss. He had even seemed to lean into her touch and slowly, ever so slowly, a smile had graced Ivy's features.

And when Blaze had suddenly and unceremoniously flopped down onto his back, all four paws up in the air as Orion had begun to scratch the dog's belly, Ivy hadn't been able to hold back a joyous chitter before she had joined in as well. There was no way she could be scared of a dog like this, so kind, trusting and downright goofy as he had lied there, tongue lolling out of his mouth and his hindleg kicking senselessly into the air as the two ape children had scratched his belly. And once Storm had become interested in their antics as well, Ivy had soon discovered that this dog was just as nice.

Turns out these dogs hadn't at all been like the ones in her nightmares. In fact, Ivy had been certain that after this, these two dogs might be the ones to chase away those horrible images her mind had conjured up.

They would protect her, because she had been kind to them.

Though she and Orion had had fun together for the rest of that day, it hadn't resulted in them becoming inseparable friends like Blue Eyes and Ash. But it had certainly brought them closer together than they had ever been before and now, years later, Ivy knew that this had been the moment which had sparked her first interest in Orion. Not in a romantic way, however, as she had been much too young for that at the time, but in him as a person. He had been patient with her, seeing how she had put on a brave face and had had the kindness and grace not to ridicule her when that façade had crumbled – like she knew so many of the other boys would have done.

And aside from that, this incident had also been the first step towards Ivy completely conquering her fear of dogs.

Perhaps that was the reason why she wasn't nearly as fearful of the small pack of strays that now followed the colony as the rest of the apes were. They had trailed behind the large group ever since it had left the last abandoned town the apes had come across, keeping within sight but few of them ever daring to come closer than the distance one could throw a rock at them – which several of the more suspicious apes had already done.

It was a small pack, consisting of just five canines of varying sizes and shapes, and one in particular was quickly becoming Ivy's favourite.

A female dog with wheat-coloured fur and a sleek, athletic build. Her tail, when up in the air, held itself in an elegant curve which fanned out into near-white tufts of fur. The dog's most defining feature, however, and the one Ivy found most endearing, was her ears, the left one standing straight up in the air while the other bent forward, bobbing almost merrily as the dog trotted behind the procession of apes.

Coincidentally, she was also by far the most daring out of all the pack's members, trying to sneak closer to the apes as they sat around their cookfires each night and always coming back no matter how many times they tried to chase her away.

And tonight, as Ivy sat together with Orion and her parents around the cookfire, the entirety of the Royal Ape Council present as well, her mind had revolved around that little dog and her pack. Especially when Storm had come over to lie against Lydia's thigh and the woman absent-mindedly began to pet her.

Why couldn't they just take these dogs in? Like Lydia and Roy had done Storm and Blaze back before they had joined Caesar's colony. Wouldn't there be benefits in trying to tame these dogs and train them? They seemed friendly enough, after all.

What was the harm in trying?

Or suggesting it?

"Lydia… How did you first tame Storm and Blaze?" Ivy decided to broach the subject, making the woman, as well as everyone else sitting around the fire, turn and stare at her with raised brows. Even Orion seemed perplexed, looking between her and his mother for answers.

Perhaps sensing that an idea was stirring inside Ivy's mind, waiting to burst forth, Lydia learned forward to search her gaze, deciding to ask a question back rather than answer the original inquiry.

"What exactly did you have in mind, Ivy?"

Steeling herself for the rejection her idea would no doubt be met with by several, older members of the colony, Ivy released a slow exhale before she began to speak, being careful to not only look at Lydia, but shift her gaze between each member of the Royal Ape Council to make sure she had their attention.

"I was just thinking that. Since you took in Storm and Blaze. Maybe we could take in these dogs that are following us as well? Train them to guard us… And hunt like Storm can."

For a moment, silence prevailed, the only sound to be heard being the soft crackling of the cookfire and the distant sound of crickets' calls.

Then, Caesar cleared his throat.

"These dogs are different from Lydia's." He pointed out, earning himself a nod from several of the other apes surrounding the fire, including Father, Rocket and Ajax, the Gorilla Guard's newly-appointed leader. "We know nothing about them. They are wild and unpredictable. Untrained. We might end up in a situation similar to when we first escaped to the forest, with children being taken because we were not careful enough."

Again, many of the surrounding apes nodded, mostly the older ones who remembered the incidents Caesar was referring to.

Lydia, meanwhile, leaned forward to rest her elbows onto her knees in her cross-legged position, folding her hands together in front of herself as she began to speak.

"You can't judge these dogs to be the same as the ones who attacked the colony all those years ago, Caesar. They were used to humans, not apes. They probably saw you guys as prey animals rather than anything else." She argued, though her tone was calm and patient.

"These ones are not used to apes either, Lydia." Maurice reminded before Caesar had a chance to speak. "They follow us for the food we leave behind, but who is to say that they won't try to go for an ape child left unattended?"

It was true what Maurice said about the food, Ivy knew. Every morning, when the apes would pack up and start walking again, the small group of dogs would wait until the colony was far enough away before they went forward, sniffing through the campsite for leftover food, be it meat or bones, until they could find no more and set off to catch up with the colony once again.

"I'm not saying the risk isn't there, but it is possible to rehabilitate strays, though it takes time and patience. A lot of it." Lydia said wisely. "It also depends on the dog. Some will just never trust you completely, while others will do so almost the moment you offer them a piece of meat. Usually it really comes down to how much time they've spent with humans… and how they've been treated by them…"

Ivy nodded, hanging on to every word her mother-in-law said. The underlying comparison between apes and dogs being treated badly by humans in the past didn't escape her notice and she immediately thought of Koba. He had been treated horribly by humans and had never been able to trust them again – not even Lydia, despite her being with the colony for so long… But other apes, most of them in fact, had been able to find it in themselves to trust not only Lydia, but Malcolm, Ellie and Alex as well, even if they had never experienced kindness from a human before that point.

If they could do that then maybe there was hope for these dogs? At least Ivy wanted to believe that.

"And these ones? How good are the chances that they will be tamed?" Caesar asked, looking, as he so often did, to Lydia for answers.

The woman shrugged at her mate's inquiry.

"Hard to tell, really. We adopted a few strays back where I grew up, but I'm still not an expert… Though I think the fact that they're willing to approach us and, more importantly, hasn't tried to attack anyone, are good signs." She said, leaning back to lay a hand on top of Storm's head, the dog seeming to snuggle closer to her owner with the action. "Either way, I think it's worth a shot – and not just because it's Ivy who suggested it. Storm is a brilliant dog, but… She's getting old. At least eight or nine years by now, and I don't know how long it'll be before I can't take her with me on hunts anymore."

Ivy could tell that the topic didn't sit well with either Lydia or Orion, who both looked down at the aging canine with brows furrowed in affectionate concern. It wasn't like Storm was in bad shape or anything – in fact, she seemed as sprightly as ever to Ivy, despite the fact that her muzzle was now light grey rather than the dark shade of the rest of her furry coat. But there was no denying that age was starting to show on her, and with Blaze having been taken from them in such a horrible manner, it was no wonder that the two were extra protective of their last canine companion.

Ivy turned to Caesar then, not wanting Lydia to have to keep arguing in her favour. This was Ivy's idea, and she would reason with the king herself, even if she, technically, had no right to do so, seeing as she wasn't a member of the Royal Ape Council to begin with.

"Caesar, I know it is a great risk… I grew up with the stories. About dogs eating ape children. And for a long time, I was scared." She spoke, doing her best not to pay too much attention to her parents' stares. "But even so, I want to try… We have just as much to gain from this. As we have to lose… These dogs might help us like Storm and Blaze. They might hunt with us and guard us… But we will not know. if we do not try."

Caesar's green-and-golden eyes studied Ivy for an uncomfortably long while, though his expression wasn't set in the frown he usually wore. It was just… scrutinizing, as if he was trying to assess her resolve.

Finally, the Ape King nodded his assent.

"I will allow the attempt, though I wonder…" He spoke, voice gravelly as always, but his tone kind and mildly curious. "How do either of you plan to do this?"

The question was directed more at Ivy than at Lydia, the she-ape sensed, though Caesar was probably right to assume that they would both be in on this… well, this project, so to speak.

Luckily, Ivy had the perfect answer for that question.

"If we show them kindness, they will return it." She cited, looking over at Lydia. "It is what you always said to Orion, is it not?"

Sitting beside his mother, Orion looked rather surprised by the fact that Ivy had remembered the quote from all those years ago, though the expression was quickly exchanged for a soft, supportive smile – the same kind he had flashed her that day when they had been children, and which since then had always made Ivy all the more firm in her resolve.

"It is." Lydia confirmed. "And you might just get the chance to put that to the test now."

At Ivy's confused expression, the woman inclined her head towards the space behind where Ivy was sitting.

She turned around to see what Lydia was on about, only to be met with the sight of her favourite little stray, creeping towards the gathering on her belly, ears flat against her neck and tail wagging in a cautious manner.

A grunt from across the fire alerted Ivy to the fact that Ajax and one of his subordinates had moved to get up and chase away the persistent stray for the umpteenth time that evening. She turned to try and appeal to them herself, only for her to see Caesar unexpectedly hold up his hand, signalling for the gorillas to stand down. The Ape King's eyes were connected with Lydia's, Ivy noticed, and the woman slowly nodded her head in what appeared to be gratitude before she turned to Ivy once more, blue eyes full of expectation.

Ivy realised that the woman had made a silent appeal to her mate in that moment, urging him to at least let Ivy try this thing out for herself now and just like that, it like she was thrown straight back to the day she had first asked to try out archery.

And just like that day, Ivy now felt that she had to prove that Lydia's faith in her wasn't misplaced.

With that thought in mind, Ivy took a piece of roasted leftover-meat and, with incredibly slow movements, inched towards the little stray.

"Hello." She spoke in a soothing voice as she carefully knelt just a few yards away from the dog, feeling everyone's eyes bore into her – and imagining that most probably expected her to fail miserably.

Honestly, Ivy felt kind of silly for talking to this dog like it was a person, though she tried to assure herself that it was okay to do, since Lydia had always done the same with Storm and Blaze.

And it did seem to have a positive effect, seeing as the little stray's tail wagged with slightly more vigour at Ivy's greeting and she crept closer to the apes by about a foot.

Encouraged, Ivy's lips quirked up into a gentle smile, and she continued to speak softly as she held out the roasted meat for the dog to sniff.

"Are you hungry? Hm? I have something here for you."

The dog licked around its muzzle at the scent of the offered treat and raised her head, left ear perked up at Ivy as she continued to inch towards the group.

A low, warning growl sounded behind Ivy, and the little stray's head lowered as her big, brown eyes nervously flickered towards the source of the sound.

"Easy there, girl." Lydia's voice sounded, gentle but firm as she made Storm stand down.

Though the display of aggression made the little dog pause, it wasn't enough to completely deter her, and she was soon so close to Ivy that the she-ape could clearly see the outline of ribs along the poor dog's flanks, as well as the bald patches scattered across her body – curtesy of fleas, Ivy suspected.

It only made her all the more determined to succeed, her heart already filled with compassion for the creature in front of her, still inching closer.

"It is okay. I am not going to hurt you." Ivy coaxed further, lowering her hand so that the meat would be easier to grab as the dog kept herself close to the ground, submissive but still with an obvious interest that seemed incredibly pure and innocent to Ivy.

She felt the dog's hot breath against her hand for only a moment as it came close enough to sniff at the offered piece of meat, snatching it from between Ivy's fingers moments later and scurrying a few yards away to eat at a safe distance form the apes. Further back still, the rest of the pack looked on with keen eyes as their companion devoured her prize, but even if they all did move closer, none of them seemed ready to come near enough for a treat of their own.

Spurred on by this little success, Ivy turned to flash a bright, triumphant smile back at the gathering by the crackling fire, taking note of the way Father and Mother shared looks of fond exasperation, while Lydia offered her a cheerful grin and a none too discreet wink.

And Caesar… Well, Caesar merely chuckled to himself and shook his head.

It would take another two days before the little, wheat-coloured dog trusted Ivy enough to let her pet her, and another week and a half for the rest of the pack to do the same.

There were two dogs about the same size as Storm. The largest, a male, sported floppy ears, thick, fawn-coloured fur and a black muzzle, while the female resembled Storm a little more, with straight ears and a more wolf-like coat, though it was both thinner and flatter in appearance. Lydia said that the latter might be a husky-mix, though Ivy didn't really know what that was supposed to mean.

The two remaining dogs were the most sceptical out of the group, though they too came to give in to Ivy and Lydia's combined coaxing in the end. One of them, another male, was only a few inches shorter than Storm and had a comparatively short but dense coat of dark-gold fur. His ears and muzzle were black, though he had white markings from the tip of his nose down his throat and chest. Once he became more comfortable with the apes, Ivy was surprised to note how he took an almost immediate liking to Orion who, despite his best efforts to hide it, seemed rather content with having a dog of his own once again.

The other of the two, a pure white female dog, was only a bit bigger than Ivy's little favourite and, being timid in nature, seemed to latch on to Maurice's quiet and mild-tempered adoptive daughter, Nova, the moment the girl first approached her.

Surprisingly, out of everyone in the colony, the one who took the longest to accept the its new members weren't someone like Caesar or Ajax or even Father and Mother – but Storm.

It was mostly the other female dogs which seemed to get on her nerves and, strangely enough, it was the one that looked most like herself which received the brunt of Storm's displeasure. Though it got a whole lot better over time, once Storm had firmly asserted herself, it was eventually decided that the wolf-like stray would go to someone else, since Lydia had already decided to keep the large male dog with the fawn coat, which Cornelius had quickly come to adore.

In the end, it was Ajax who took her in, reasoning that with the proper training, she might help the Gorilla Guard in securing the perimeters, though after a while, it became obvious that he had also developed a soft spot for the canine.

As for Ivy's own little stray, she was now trailing after the she-ape wherever she went and had already been taught the commands 'sit' and 'down', impressing even Lydia with how quickly she had taken to being trained. By her estimate, it wouldn't take long before they could begin training her for hunting, seeing as she was already showing potential in that regard. Nimble as she was, Ivy's favourite was quick as a flash and had already caught several mice and small birds on her own, impressing Ivy herself… And absolutely horrifying Mother. Especially when the dog decided to play with her dead prey by throwing it high into the air only to catch it again before it hit the ground.

It was late evening and over a month since Ivy had made the first move towards the dogs. Now the two of them were sat by the campfire once more, alone this time, enjoying the quiet of the night as everyone else had gone to prepare for sleep.

"What are you going to call her?" Lydia asked as she poked around the dying embers with a branch, doing her best to garner some heat from it.

Caught off-guard by the question, Ivy looked down into her lap where the little, wheat-coloured dog had curled up after filling her belly with leftover meat from the evening meal. Some care and attention, as well as regular feedings and washings, had made her a whole lot healthier to look at, her ribs no longer visible and the bare patches of skin on her body now only a distant memory.

Despite her being the first to get properly settled in with the apes, becoming Ivy's dog without anyone even questioning it, she was still the only one without a name, having been referred to as 'little one' or 'girl' rather than with an actual name most of the time.

It made Ivy feel slightly guilty now that she had been made aware of it. Her little dog was the most affectionate and trusting out of all them, never missing a chance to cuddle up against anyone willing to offer her a treat or a pat on the head and giving 'kisses' any time she got close to a person's face. Such a sweet creature deserved a name, surely.

But what sort of name?

The dog that had been adopted by Maurice and Nova had been affectionately dubbed Snow, curtesy of her pale coat, while Ajax had given his new guard dog in-training the name Wolf – not the most imaginative of names, as Lydia had pointed out, but suitable all the same.

Lydia herself had named her new dog Remus, while Orion's had been given the name Fang upon discovering that the dog was missing one of his canine teeth.

Ivy played with her little stray's soft, floppy ear, stroking it between her fingers as she thought. What would be a good name for her? She was the fastest out of all the dogs, and she certainly had physical characteristics that lend themselves to several names, but… None of them seemed right to Ivy.

But then, just as Ivy was about to give up on her endeavour and tell Lydia that she had no idea, it struck her. The perfect name.

"I think that I will call her Chance." Ivy said softly, testing the word by saying it out loud and finding that she very much liked it. "Because she was willing. To give us a chance. Just as much as I. Gave her one."

Lydia nodded, the soft smile on her face illuminated by the slowly-dying campfire.

"You know, it was always a common saying among humans that dogs usually resemble their owners." She said thoughtfully as she pulled her coat tighter around herself to ward off the cold night air of the desert.

Amused by the notion, the she-ape raised a brow at her mother-in-law.

"You think she is like me?" She asked, honestly finding it hard to find any resemblance between herself, with her silvery fur, and the wheat-coloured dog lying so comfortably in her lap.

Lydia, still smiling, shrugged within the confines of her coat.

"Well, she's smaller than the others, but cleverer and swifter than all of them combined. Evidently, she's also quite stubborn, not unlike yourself, I think you'll agree… And, well-" Lydia said, sneaking one arm out of her coat to reach forward and grab the thin braid by Ivy's right ear, very much like Orion usually did. "You both have a little something that makes you stand out from the crowd."

Ivy paused as Lydia retracted her hand from the braid, at first not quite understanding what the woman meant, until she looked down to study her dog and noticed, now with a smile, the floppy, right ear still caught between her fingers.

Yes, perhaps this dog was quite like her, now that Ivy thought about it – at least when it came to taking chances and showing kindness.