Orion
The rough texture of the rope grinded against Orion's calloused palm as he tied the last wooden beam in place, putting the final touches to the newest hut in the village. He had done this so many times in the last couple of months that by now that Orion was pretty sure he could build an entire hut in his sleep.
He huffed as he pulled the primitive rope, tightening the knot before he pulled out his flint knife and began cutting the remainder of the roughly hewn material. Then, once the fibres separated with a satisfying 'snap', Orion got up from his kneeling position on the wooden walkway he had just finished adding to the front of the hut and let his gaze travel across the village as he stretched his tired, overworked limbs.
It was amazing what they had achieved in just three months.
What had once been a somewhat flattened plateau was now a buzzling village full of apes going about their day. Most of the colony's adult members were busy either building homes, hunting, fishing, foraging or making tools and weapons, while the children played in the open area at the centre of the village.
Orion wiped his brow with his hairy arm as he continued to admire the result of their shared hard labour. The huts, made out of round wooden beams of varying size, were pretty uniform in their design, with roofs thatched with reeds and entrances shielded by animal skins, though the size depended on the family who lived in them. Older apes with no mate, like Maurice or Bad Ape, often opted to have a smaller hut built for themselves, since they didn't need as much space as a family of, say, four individuals, and besides, a smaller space was easier and quicker to heat during cold nights.
The biggest hut, of course, belonged to the Ape King and his family, and was located further up the hillside to the west, cleverly constructed around the trunk of a large tree and with the additional support of several sturdy wooden beams beneath it. Just as it had been in the old Ape Village Orion had grown up in, a walkway leading up to the hut winded around the tree itself, though since this tree wasn't as tall as the one back in the old village, the walk up to Caesar's home was considerably shorter nowadays.
Still, it made for an impressive sight, towering over the apes' new home and letting Caesar keep an ever-vigilant eye on everything that took place down below.
That didn't mean that the Ape King now contented himself with simply lounging up there, high above everyone else on his perch and looking on as his apes toiled down below. No, Caesar was, more often than not, down here with everyone else, either leading a hunt or helping with the construction of the village, getting his hands dirty just the same as every other ape. In fact, it was only when the sun began to set each night that Caesar let himself retreat to his home together with Mother and Cornelius.
Orion nimbly jumped down from the walkway and landed with a dull 'thump' on the dry dirt beneath it.
Yes, Mother lived with Caesar now. That was yet another thing that had changed – and for the better, Orion had decided.
He had been sceptical at first, mainly because of the state of mind Caesar had been in at the time he had gotten to know about it, and also because he knew that the Ape King, due to his position, wouldn't be able to provide the amount of time and attention Orion thought his Mother deserved. But after having seen the happiness he brought her, the peace of mind they provided for each other as well as the comfort and delight Cornelius clearly felt at them finally being together as a family… Well, how could Orion ever have any protests about it?
In fact, such a relationship – at least what it had become after the whole mess with the soldiers – was something Orion thought was worth striving for. Two individuals, loving and supporting of each other, while still being able to give each other space, as well as being brutally honest when the situation called for it.
Naturally, the dynamics between Mother and Caesar weren't really the same as they had been between her and Father, though both relationships shared these same characteristics – as did Orion's relationship with Ivy.
Which was why, with this in mind, Orion felt that it was high time he made this thing between them official – at least official in the way he had promised her he would all those months ago. He had wanted to do something about it for weeks now, and preferably before he and Ivy had got settled in a hut of their own, but… Everything had happened so quickly, with so much to do that Orion hadn't had the time to execute his plan the way he wanted – with the first step being to talk to Mother about it.
But today, he had promised himself that he would do just that, and as soon as he had finished with his duties for the day.
His mind having been made up since morning, he now waved a brief goodbye to the other apes who had also worked on the hut and started making his way through the village, intent on finding his mother and setting things in motion.
And he had a pretty good idea of where he might find her at this time of day.
He sidestepped a group of rambunctious ape children as he passed by the open space at the centre of the village, laughing off their hurried apologies as they ran off with a trail of brown dust in the air behind them. It was easy for the village's youngers to catch the adult apes off-guard like this, seeing as they seemed to enjoy running underneath the huts, which were mostly built in trees or on top of sturdy wooden pillars to make sure they didn't get flooded when it rained. It had been like that in the old village too, and Orion looked on in fond reminiscence as the children who had almost ran into him managed to do just that to another adult.
Moving on, Orion made his way down to a small hill just a few yards from the huge lake that marked the bottom of the valley. It was quieter here than it was in the village itself and as such, it was the perfect spot for what Orion knew his mother was doing right now.
He spotted her figure immediately, sitting by a small, spindly-looking tree together with the other person Orion knew would be here.
Mother was sitting together with Bad Ape, the two completely immersed in yet another lesson in sign. Mother, Caesar and Orion himself were the only ones who spoke fluently enough to couple movements with words for extended periods of time, and while the Ape King was usually too busy with his duties to the colony, Mother and Orion often took turns teaching Bad Ape.
It was… A work of patience, to put it mildly.
While the old chimp was a surprisingly eager and quick learner, he was also easily distracted, which tended result in lessons dragging on for what felt like ages.
"And this sign means 'you help me'." Mother explained, placing a closed fist with its thumb pointing up against the upwards-turned palm of her other hand and gestured them towards her own chest. "And if you raise your brows while you do it, you know, like people usually do when they ask you a question, you're asking the person for help."
"Uh-uh! Like this? This good?" Bad Ape asked as he mimicked the gesture, and rather well at that. "You help me?"
"Exactly!" Mother exclaimed with much encouragement, though also the barest hint of relief, which had Orion make a qualified guess that this particular lesson had been of the aforementioned sort – the kind that just never seemed to end as Bad Ape continued to get distracted and get it wrong.
Mother's response had the old chimp practically bouncing where he sat on the ground, excitement clear on his wrinkled features.
That's when Orion's eyes met hers above Bad Ape's head as he approached the two of them, and she immediately greeted him with a casual wave of her hand.
"Hi there, Sweetie. Come to join the lesson?" She spoke amicably, making Bad Ape turn back to stare at Orion as well, recognition soon finding its way to his features.
"Oh! Hello friend!"
"Hello to both of you. And no thanks, I am done for today." Orion said with a friendly smile as he made a show of reaching up to massage a sore muscle in his shoulder. True, teaching sign wasn't something physically strenuous, but the fatigue he felt at this point was sure to have an impact on his concentration. And besides, he wasn't here for that either way.
"I actually wanted to talk with you, Mother, if you have the time?" He continued, not seeing the point in 'beating about the bush' as Mother sometimes said it.
Knowing her, she had probably been at this for hours and would appreciate the distraction anyway.
"Sure, I think we can finish the lesson for today right, Bad Ape?" Mother said with a kind smile as she turned to the old chimp. "My son clearly wants a private word with me."
"Uh-huh." Bad Ape nodded in what seemed like understanding, though he made no move to get up and leave. Instead he simply stared back and forth between the two of them with large, expectant eyes, seemingly completely and utterly oblivious to Mother's hint about this being a private conversation.
"Uhm, meaning alone. Just the two of us." Mother tried again and with a patience Orion truly envied her for. After spending the better part of the afternoon teaching Bad Ape, he wasn't at all sure he would have been able to muster it himself.
It only took a few more seconds' worth of staring before the old chimp's eyes widened even further in understanding.
"Oh, oh, oh! Yes, yes, I go. I go leave. Find girl, maybe? Yes! Thank you for teaching, Lydia-friend!" He rambled as he got up to leave, turning around to look at them at the start of every new sentence before he tripped and fell over a large, dry branch on the ground. "Ow! I'm okay!"
Used to Bad Ape's comical behaviour by now, the two merely shook their heads as he scrambled towards the centre of the village, where Nova was to be found on most days, and usually in the company of a few ape children. At least he had the wits about him to know in which direction he needed to go – that was a huge plus.
Soon, Mother and Orion were alone, with the latter standing and still staring after the strange old ape, oblivious to his parent having turned her attention to him until he heard her calm, inquisitive voice.
"So, what did you want to talk about, Sweetie?" She asked, her expression bright and open as she stared expectantly up at him from her seated position on the ground.
Orion moved over to sit down in front of her, back straight and mouth set in a thin line of determination. He didn't feel uncomfortable about discussing what he was about to say with his mother. In fact, she was one of very few people who Orion felt that he could talk with about quite literally anything – at least nowadays, as a mature adult and not an awkward adolescent.
Still, he somehow felt that the situation called for a formal approach and so, he made a conscious effort to express that as he spoke his next words.
"I want to make Ivy part of our family."
There. He had said it, simple but firm in his wording, with no room for misunderstanding… Or so he thought, until Mother tilted her head at him, confusion evident on her features.
"Haven't you already done that by now, you think?" She asked, and Orion found himself momentarily dumbfounded.
Now, as previously stated, Orion did feel that he could talk with his mother about anything, and goodness knows he loved her dearly… But that didn't mean it wasn't insanely frustrating how she always managed to catch him off-guard like this – and with so little effort to boot!
"No-, I mean, yes! But not like-…" Orion stumbled over his own words, thinking Mother would disapprove if he didn't manage to word this right. The questioning curve of her slender brow certainly made it seem that way.
Of course Ivy was a member of their family by now! She and Orion had shared a hut for months now, and a nest for even longer – though nothing like… that had ever come of it, as Orion stuck stubbornly to his self-invented principles and Ivy continued to respect them.
Heaving a great sigh as he tried to recompose himself, Orion shook his head.
"I told her a long time ago that I wanted to do this the right way. That she would wear a necklace like mine and yours one day and… I felt it was only right to ask your permission before I act on it."
"My permission?" She asked in an almost incredulous manner, wrinkling her nose at the word 'permission' as if it reminded her of something foul-tasting.
"…Yes?" Orion responded, somehow feeling like the adolescent ape he hadn't been for so long now. There was something humbling in asking his elder, his Mother, for permission to add another member to their family. A family she had started together with Father.
The fact that she seemed confused and even slightly appalled by the idea, however, made him once again have second thoughts about the way he had worded this whole thing.
For a long while after that, Mother said nothing, contenting herself with simply staring at Orion with a strange, contemplative look in her eyes.
"You know, sometimes I really don't know if these rather human-like sentiments you have are because of me or if it's something apes and humans have had in common all along…" She suddenly spoke in an almost solemn manner.
"Human-like sentiments?" He echoed as he felt a confused frown pulling at his features.
"Yeah." She said with a nod. "Across many human cultures, it was customary for people to ask their parents for permission to marry – to become an official couple, as it were. Though it was usually the man asking the woman's father for permission to take her as his wife. It was mostly just a silly tradition by the time I was born."
Orion listened intently to his mother's recount of bygone human traditions. It was, and had always been, rare that she ever mentioned anything from before the three of them had joined Caesar's colony all those years ago, and Orion had more than once made a mental note to ask her about it.
But just like every other time like that, Orion got distracted by something that would, inevitably, make him forget about it later on.
"I have not even thought of asking Shale or Juniper about this…" He remarked with a slight pang of shame. He had gone to ask his mother if it was alright, but not Ivy's parents – how thoughtless of him…
Mother immediately began waving dismissively with her hand, brows stuck in a critical furrow.
"And you don't have to. First of all because I think it's pretty clear that they approve of you being with their daughter and second of all, it's none of our business, neither mine nor theirs. It's your lives and your decision." She said with a sense of finality that left no room for argument, making Orion theorise that this was probably yet another topic that humans of the past had been very divided on.
Somehow, it struck Orion as oddly contradictory. Mother had brought him up to always be courteous and considerate of those around him, and yet in matters such as this one, he was supposed to completely disregard what other people thought – even those who were closest to him and Ivy.
But well, she was right about one thing; Shale and Juniper did approve of him, that much was obvious. His mother-in-law had expressed her joy and relief at Ivy finding a 'good and proper' mate several times, while Shale was more of the silent type, oftentimes just offering a smile or nod of approval, or a pat on the back.
"So," Mother spoke again, her voice seeming to drag Orion out of his quiet reverie by the scruff of his neck and unceremoniously dropping him right back into the conversation at hand. "I gather that you want to make a necklace for her? Like the ones we wear, am I correct?"
She leaned forward to rest her elbows against her knees as she spoke and tilted her head in that peculiar manner that underlined her genuine interest in the topic.
"Yes… I know I would have to hunt a bear and a mountain lion to get the claws and fangs I need. That is why I wanted to consult you." He informed her as he mirrored the way she sat. It must've seemed like a rather intense and down-to-business-like conversation from the outside.
Mother gave a noncommittal hum of understanding as she seemed to think over what he had said. He knew that she would never tell him that she wouldn't allow him to do it – after all, he was an adult male now, capable of making his own decision without his Mother's permission, though as it was with adding Ivy to the family, it still felt better – more appropriate – to make sure he had his Mother's approval on the matter.
"Can't say I'm all that keen on the thought of you going out on a hunt like that. These are some seriously dangerous predators, Orion." She said with no small amount of concern, which was underlined by the soft frown on her face.
She didn't need to remind him of this, though. Though he might have been young, his first-ever encounter with a mountain lion was still a vivid memory he preferred not to revisit most days, and the second time when he had been older hadn't been much better – seeing as he'd had part of his ear shot clean off soon after. Bears, on the other hand, he had little experience with and in general, the apes didn't go out of their way to hunt either of these species for food.
That was why Orion had already decided he needed at least one other skilled hunter to come with him for support. Someone with experience, who could understand the importance this held to Orion.
"I will take Rocket with me. I have not asked him yet, but I am sure he would agree." He informed her with a small, easy smile. "We hunt well together."
Mother, seemingly reassured by this, nodded her head.
"Well, that's a relief. So long as you look out for each other and come back alive. I don't want to have to explain to Tinker how you two got mauled because of a necklace." She admonished with slightly narrowed eyes, though Orion recognised the joke behind her words. It was probably a bit much to go through just for a piece of jewellery, but to Orion, this wasn't just about that – it was like a rite of passage. A way to prove to himself and to others that he deserved Ivy as his mate.
And no one would understand this better than Rocket, Orion was certain.
Still, he played along with Mother's half-joke, half-warning, letting another small smile play across his rough lips as he replied.
"I will make sure Rocket is careful, then."
Mother gave a soft chuckle, shaking her head at him in a fond but exasperated manner as she reached up to brush a stray lock of hair out of her face. Then, she seemed to school her features somewhat as she made an effort to return to the original topic of their conversation.
"Now, judging by the number of tracks around here, it isn't going to be a problem finding a mountain lion, but bears?" Mother said while scratching the back of her neck. "I've only ever seen one since we came here, and that was a black bear… I don't think they're native to this area."
Orion nodded, now with a more serious expression on his face. It was true that there didn't seem to be many bears roaming these forests, and the few tracks they had seen had obviously been from a different, smaller type than the huge, brown bears native to the redwood forest they had left behind.
Now, Orion would have preferred that the fang and claws for Ivy's necklace came from the same species of bear as the ones of his own and Mother's pieces so that there weren't any noticeable differences, but…
"If that is what is available, then that is what I will use." He spoke with finality, lowering his gaze to the ground between the two of them as he thought on it.
The claws of a brown bear were longer and straighter than that of a black one, and the fangs were larger too. If all Orion had to work with was black bear, it would mean that Ivy's necklace, while sharing the overall design, would look noticeably different from Orion's own. In a way, it did bother him, though he tried to reason with himself that it'd just look like a more feminine version of his own piece, and also signify them staring a new family together here.
And well, he was certain Ivy would love it either way.
"Right… I'm sorry I didn't think to keep the remaining fang and claws from the bear me and your father killed back when we first made these." Mother spoke ruefully, tapping the centrepiece of her own necklace as she referred to it. "That would've made it so much easier."
Orion reached over and laid a heavy hand onto Mother's shoulder, a reassuring smile on his face.
"That was a long time ago. You could not have known, Mother, and I do not blame you for it." He spoke reassuringly, only to receive a tsk in response a pair of blue eyes rolling at him.
"Couldn't have known? What, that my handsome boy would end up finding a lovely girl and want to give her jewellery?" Mother spoke as she placed her hands on her hips as she shot him a disbelieving look.
"Luckily, I did have half a mind to safekeep something else which I think will make up for it. Come with me." She said, uncrossing her legs and swiftly getting up from the ground.
Taken aback, Orion scrambled to his feet as well, following Mother's brisk pace as best he could as she made her way towards the home she shared with Caesar. Despite actually being taller than her, Orion struggled to keep up with her long-legged strides, and coupling that with the slight head start she had over him, he soon found himself forced to trail behind her like a child reluctantly following his parent home for a scolding.
No one seemed to take notice of the two of them as they walked through the village, though. Most were too occupied with other things, either being deeply invested in some task of theirs or in a conversation with other members of the colony. Well, at least the hustle and bustle of the apes' daily lives would distract everyone enough for him to keep this little plan of his a surprise. The last thing he needed right now was for one of the colony's gossipier members to alert Ivy about any unusual behaviour – she would know right away what was up if that was the case.
After a few more minutes of walking – or half-running, as Orion would prefer to categorise it – they had reached the home Mother shared with Caesar and Cornelius and, without even pausing to let Orion catch his breath, she began to lead the way up into the large hut.
Orion had been in the Ape King's treetop home a couple of times before since its construction. In fact, he had even helped built it. Nonetheless, the novelty of climbing that winding walkway around the thick, sturdy trunk of the tree and stepping into the large main room still hadn't worn off.
The entire hut had been cleverly constructed not only around the tree trunk itself, but also around its branches which provided support for both the floor and the roof above, acting as rafters like the ones sometimes seen in cabins made by humans. Contrary to those constructions, though, this wood was still very much alive and sprouting offshoot branches of their own, which would sometimes be cut off and at other times left to grow and provide a convenient place to hang up skins, weapons, bags of provisions or simple decorations. Apart from being practical, it also helped bringing the large space together and make it seem homier, with animal skins dividing the room with a few private nooks and with bundles of drying herbs giving the place a pleasant aroma.
Mother wasted no time walking across the room towards the nest she shared with Caesar and Cornelius, the sound of her leather boots against the floor dampened by the various pelts placed at random throughout the hut.
"Come now, Sweetie, don't just stand there. You can come in." She admonished once she realised that Orion had stopped to stand and wait politely after having taken just a few steps past the entrance.
It wasn't that he was nervous about being here or that he expected Caesar to disapprove of his presence within his home. In fact, the two males had become much closer as time had gone by since their little talk and nowadays, while not even remotely close to it being a father-and-son type of relation, they did share a sense of camaraderie.
But this still wasn't Orion's space and he couldn't help the slight awkwardness he felt at being in another, more dominant male ape's home without his knowledge or consent – even if it was also the home of his own mother.
Nonetheless, taking her up on the invitation, Orion stepped further into the room, letting his eyes wander towards the view across the village and surrounding valley visible through the opening that led to the hut's balcony. It was a rather picturesque view, he had to admit.
The familiar sound of the zipper on Mother's backpack being opened alerted Orion to the fact that she was on the move again, and he pulled his gaze away from the sloping mountains outside to stare at her, crouched beside the nest she shared with Caesar and Cornelius.
"How much more do you have hidden in that backpack, Mother?" He spoke with a mixture of mock-suspicion and exasperation.
It really did sometimes seem like she had an entire world of stowaway treasures hidden in that thing. By now, Orion was half expecting her to pull out an already-finished necklace for him to give Ivy – it would be very much like her to pull something like that on him.
"Now, it'd be no fun at all if I actually told you that, now would it?" She only said teasingly, shooting him a playful wink before she returned her attention to the backpack's interior.
She seemed to struggle with something inside of it for a long while and pulling her hands out from within the backpack to shake and flex them as if she had strained them from pulling too hard on something. After two or three of such attempts – whatever they were supposed to accomplish – Mother suddenly released a low, frustrated huff and pulled out her hunting knife from its sheath against her thigh.
"Uh… Mother?" Orion questioned her with a raised brow, becoming slightly concerned.
Did she intend to slice open the inside of the old thing?
"Just give me a minute." Was all she said as her hands once again disappeared into the backpack, this time with one of them holding the large knife which seemed to gleam in the light from outside the hut.
The subtle sound of fabric and string being sliced by the blade sounded just a few seconds later, followed by Mother's triumphant exclamation.
"Ah! Here we are!"
She pulled the knife back out and returned it safely to its sheath before she once again stuffed her hand into the backpack. Orion, meanwhile, simply stood there, patiently waiting for his mother to finally reveal what this was all about when, at last, she seemed to have found what she was looking for and stood up from her crouched position once more, her fist closed tightly around something.
Then, in just three long, confident strides, she was in front of him, eyes bright with equal parts mirth and fondness as she put her hand up between them and opened her fist, palm turned upwards and showcasing what she had struggled so hard to find.
And Orion… Well, all Orion could do was stand there, completely baffled – and still slightly confused – as he stared at the outstretched hand between the two of the… Or rather, the contents of said hand.
"Mother…" He only just managed to breathe, his voice nothing more than a whisper all of a sudden.
It would seem that, yet again, she had managed to completely catch him off-guard – though this time, he didn't mind it so much.
He heard more than saw the grin she wore as she spoke to him just then, having the air of barely-contained excitement about her.
"I told you I had something that might make up for it."
