Ivy
Chance nudged Ivy's thigh with her nose, big brown eyes seeking out her owner's emerald ones. It didn't seem like she was begging for food, as it was still being prepared on the cookfires dotting the communal centre of the village, where the apes always gathered for the evening meal.
Ivy was sitting here with her mother and father, waiting for the meal to be finished just like everyone else.
Well… Perhaps she was waiting for something other than that as well. For what felt like an eternity now, she had been scouting the area with her keen eyes in search of Orion, wondering where in the world he was at a time like this. He usually sat with either Ivy and her parents or Lydia, Caesar and Cornelius but today, he had been strangely absent since early afternoon.
It wasn't like him. Orion wasn't tardy like that, arriving for the evening meal at the very last moment and he certainly always told Ivy where she could find him if he decided to go and do something like hunting or fishing.
But not today. Today he had run off around noon without telling her where he planned on going and she hadn't seen a trace of him since then.
Ivy reached over and brushed her hand over the crown of Chance's head, giving a soft smile at the way the dog's eyes seemed to close in pure enjoyment at the touch. She could probably sense Ivy's anxiety at Orion's unusual behaviour. Dogs were smart like that, as Lydia always said.
The apes in charge of cooking the food were now beginning to take it off the fires and serve it out on carved wooden plates and even now, there was still no sign of Orion.
Ivy huffed, worry and slight irritation eating at her.
"He will come soon, I'm sure. It's one time he's late, Ivy, don't worry." Father signed after having gained her attention with a grunt, and Ivy absent-mindedly nodded at his words, even though she didn't exactly heed them.
The thing is, while it was the first time he was late for the evening meal, it wasn't the first time he had gone off somewhere without telling her about it, and it was beginning to irk her. It's not like she wanted to keep track of him at all times or that she wanted to control him – not at all – but… this sudden change in behaviour these past couple of weeks was starting to have her worry…. A lot.
And contrary to Ivy's expectations, speaking with either Orion or Lydia about it didn't do her much good. Her mate-to-be would wave it off as anything from Rocket needing him for some tracking task in the mountains to Caesar having ordered him to lead a small hunting party and being very vague about it at that. Lydia wasn't much help either, trying her best to reassure Ivy but seemingly making no attempt to have a chat with Orion about it. She didn't even seem to know much about these hunts Caesar occasionally sent him off on, despite the Ape King being her mate.
It was all very strange – more so with each day, in fact, though Ivy had been too occupied with her duties to the colony to do anything else about it, much to her own regret. Perhaps she should pull him aside tonight after the meal? Perhaps she should finally demand some explanation? Be a bit more assertive and show off some of that stubbornness that had first caught his attention?
That is, if he even chooses to show up at all tonight, Ivy thought almost hopelessly, only for her attention to be drawn to a figure coming up behind Lydia and Caesar, their pale features and damaged left ear instantly giving away who it was as the hunched over behind the couple to speak.
Orion… Finally!
Rolling her eyes, Ivy patiently waited for him to finish talking to Lydia and the Ape King just a few yards away, the three of them seemingly deeply engaged in conversation. After a while, Caesar gave a final nod of his head, which in turn earned him a look of gratitude from Orion, who promptly straightened from his bent stance, receiving a pat on his arm and a bright and almost…. Reassuring smile from his mother…?
Had something happened? Was he upset about something?
As he rose to his full height and stepped away from Lydia and Caesar, Ivy noticed that Orion held what appeared to be a small parcel in his hand. However, she didn't get to inspect this little detail further before she realised that he was walking straight towards her, shoulders squared, and eyes firmly set on her form. His expression was determined yet nervous and, unexpectedly, he stopped only a few steps away from her, stretching his free hand out and beckoning for her to rise and come to him.
Ivy's emerald eyes widened as she briefly cast a nervous glance to the side, looking out across the entirety of the village's communal area. Most had already stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at them, and a low thrum of quiet mumbles had already begun to sound across the gathering.
Looking back and seeing that Orion wasn't budging, standing tall and sturdy in front of her, Ivy got up almost reluctantly and stepped over to her mate-to-be, strangely, urged on by both of her parents. Chance stayed put on the ground, alert-looking and wagging her tail eagerly as she laid on her belly beside Father.
Letting her eyes trail towards Lydia, who sat a little off to the side together with Caesar and Cornelius, Ivy only received an encouraging smile and a wave, which the little Ape Prince immediately mimicked with an amused chitter.
Finally, Ivy was stood in front of Orion, looking up to meet his eyes and seeing that he seemed almost as uncertain as Ivy herself felt.
"Orion…What are you doing?" She whispered confusedly, but also with an unmistakable urgency. While she had never been outright shy by nature, Ivy wasn't too comfortable being the centre of attention for the entirety of the colony like this.
Really, what was this all about? What had gotten into him?
"What I have wanted to for a long time now… I am making this official, like I said I would." Orion stated out loud for everyone to hear as he held up the parcel in his hand, offering it to Ivy. "And making sure everyone knows."
Ivy wouldn't help the way her mouth fell slightly open in surprise and awe, at his words immediately realising what he was doing.
She had never doubted that Orion would one day fulfil his promise to her, but she hadn't imagined he would do it at a time like this, with the construction of the village not even having been completed, the apes still trying to map out the best hunting grounds and foraging trails and everything in-between. There was just so much to do still that Ivy hadn't thought Orion would be able to find the time for what she knew he wanted to do to make their union official to everyone.
Her eyes trailed down from his own, landing on the parcel that he was still holding out for her to take. It was made of a luxurious, tawny pelt, which Ivy immediately recognised as being that of a mountain lion. Keeping the parcel wrapped up was a single string of tenderised leather, neatly tied together in a loose bow on top of the pelt.
Ivy knew what this wrapping contained before she had even begun pulling at the string, her hands almost shaking as she went about slowly pulling away at the soft pelt around the item.
Everyone was still watching them, most having even stopped eating to look at the display that was taking place up on the elevated plateau where the Ape King and his family sat. Ivy could feel the entire colony's collective gazes set on her and Orion, a sea of curious green eyes trained on them like hawks.
In her mind, Ivy was both endeared and exasperated at this fact. She wouldn't have minded him doing this when they would be back in their hut by themselves, the setting being private and intimate instead of a public statement like this. He really didn't have to – but she could understand his reasoning behind it.
When she finally managed to pull away the edge of the pelt that covered up the parcel's content, Ivy's emerald eyes widened in surprise as her breath caught in her throat. The hand she had used to unwrap the parcel had frozen in place mid-air above Orion's gift.
Against the soft inside of the pelt laid a necklace very much like the one Orion and Lydia wore around their necks. A beautifully-crafted string made up of three interwoven pieces of leather, which had been decorated with polished teeth and claws – those of a mountain lion and a bear. And though Ivy did notice the slight difference in size and shape of the latter, that wasn't what had her stop and stare at the jewellery offered to her.
No, what had made her breath catch and her eyes widen wasn't the soft look of the leather string or the sheen of the teeth and claws gleaming in the light of the sunset and the cookfires. It was what had been placed on the bear canine that was the centrepiece of the necklace.
A small golden ring with a single, medium-sized stone set in its middle. The shiny metal seemed to expand towards the middle and wrap around the stone, holding it in what Ivy could only describe as a simple, yet elegant design. She had little to no clue about what kind of stone adorned the small band, though she was sure she had never seen another one like it. Clear and see-through, it should have appeared bland as the glass humans used for windows in their houses – that is, if it hadn't been for the intricate way it was cut, with multiple little surfaces that each caught the light of the cookfire in a different way, making the entire stone sparkle with orange from the flames.
The ring itself was placed like in such a way that it resembled a small crown on top of the bear fang, with the necklace's string tied to the golden band on each side of the tooth to keep it in place.
Ivy lowered the hand still suspended in the air above the gift, tracing the smooth surface of the fang in an almost revering manner.
"Orion…" She breathed softly, tearing her eyes off the necklace to stare up into at his face. "What is… How did you…?"
He smiled somewhat sheepishly as he began fiddling with the centrepiece of his own necklace, showing it to her as he finally explained.
"Mother helped me." He offered, as if Ivy hadn't already figured out that Lydia had something to do with this. This clearly wasn't meant to be worn by an ape and it certainly hadn't been made by one either. Besides, when they had still been with the apes, Ivy had seen Malcolm and Ellie wear adornments similar to this one on their fingers – so, it was clearly a human object.
"I realised there are no brown bears here, so I could not find a fang and claws like the ones we have." He continued to explain, briefly motioning towards Lydia, so looked on from her now-customary spot beside the Ape King. "This was my human grandmother's… Mother gave me that instead and said it might make up for the fact that our necklaces will not match completely…."
Suddenly, it all made sense to Ivy. Orion disappearing without telling here where to. Lydia seemingly like she was not even speaking to Orion or even concerned by the fact that he was behaving differently than usual. Caesar and Rocket backing up his explanations of hunting tasks at odd times of the day… And Father trying to reassure her just moments ago...!
They had all been part of it! They had all gone out of their way to help Orion keep this a surprise until the right moment.
Ivy didn't know in that moment if she should send a mock-dirty look towards Lydia or her father, if she should giggle or start getting teary-eyed from all of these emotions washing over her just now.
"So… does it? Make up for it?" Orion probed almost nervously, and Ivy saw a just the barest flicker of that soft, gentle and very much nervous Orion that had approached her as she had sat back in the caves all that time ago, weaving one of her many baskets. Then, in a split-second, he seemed to become aware of this too and immediately straightened his posture, taking on an air of confidence Ivy knew he didn't truly feel – she could easily tell. "Will you… Will you be my mate, Ivy?"
Ivy took a brief moment to simply stare at the ape in front of her, taking in his words – and almost ending up outright giggling once her mind had finally wrapped around it all.
Really, after all this time, after her having shown such devotion to him during his journey with Blue Eyes and Rocket, their reunion, their imprisonment, their escape – the fact that they slept in the same hut – scrap that – in the same nest each and every night and had done so for months now… After all of this and he still felt like he needed to ask? Especially after having presented her with a gift such as this one?
At that thought, Ivy's eyes travelled down to the necklace in her hands once more, where it still laid on top of the piece of soft mountain lion fur. He had gone through the trouble of slaying two of the fiercest predators known to the apes just so he could make this simple, beautiful piece of jewellery, which he had crafted with his own two hands?
And then there was the ring – an heirloom from Lydia, her friend and teacher. A sign of her approval just as much as her son's devotion.
Truly, her Orion was a strange ape, but… That was part of what had made her fall in love with him. His peculiar yet endearing way of being. How he stands by his principles, even if nobody else understands them. How he can be fierce and dominant when the situation calls for it but is otherwise sweet, calm and gentle. How he had never tried to change her into a more mellow and agreeable female, but loved her for her adventurous, independent nature.
"There is nothing to make up for, Orion. I would be your mate, even without this." She informed him with a bright smile, only for her to raise a brow as she added. "On second thought… Maybe you could make up for keeping secrets from me? And making me worry."
The smile he flashed her just then was uncharacteristically smug, almost to the point of being wicked, and Ivy had a feeling she knew exactly how he planned on making up for these things…
And somehow, just the unspoken promise in his green eyes was enough to make Ivy shiver pleasantly.
His expression changing, Orion's gaze softened as he made to place his forehead against her own, already beginning to close his eyes in preparation for the contact – the seal of their union, when Ivy, quick as a flash, grabbed hold of his jaw. Giddy with excitement and boldened by his open display of love, she then pulled his mouth to her own in a surprise kiss, barely able to keep the amused smirk off her own lips as she heard her mother's scandalised gasp behind them.
Somewhere off to the side, Ivy thought she could also hear Lydia's voice cheer something along the lines of "Atta girl!" or something along those lines, but paid it no mind as she poured all of her feelings into the kiss.
Orion had only made a brief, muffled groan of surprise against her lips before he realised what she was doing and completely settled into it as well, clearly not caring any more than Ivy did just now whether or not their intimate moment was on display in front of the entire ape colony – not even after everyone began hooting and cheering at the sight.
It didn't matter that everyone was looking, or that her necklace didn't look exactly like Orion's and Lydia's. Heck, it didn't even matter that he had kept secrets from her anymore – even if it had been to make this necklace in the first place.
All that mattered was that he was hers and she was his now – wholly and truly, as it was supposed to be.
Lydia
Still in her seat beside Caesar and with Cornelius looking on curiously from his place in her lap, Lydia regarded the display of affection between her son and his mate with a knowing grin, glad that she could play a part in this special occasion.
Thinking back, Orion's look as she had showed him the rings a couple of weeks prior had been priceless.
He had seemed so disappointed by the fact that he couldn't give Ivy an exact replica of their own necklaces that it had sparked an idea inside Lydia's head, which had prompted her to storm off into the direction of her and Caesar's home with Orion hot at her heels, confused beyond measure.
Then, when they had arrived at the hut and she had begun cutting open the interior of her old, weathered backpack, Lydia had barely been able to keep from chuckling at Orion's bafflement. He had probably thought she had gone completely nuts – perhaps something along the lines of life with the apes having finally gotten to her.
Well, it had been her own fault for hiding the things so damn well – back when she had first left the Minneapolis Colony to make it on her own, she hadn't wanted anyone to be able to find and take them, should she be ambushed, and her backpack searched through for valuables.
Not that jewellery had meant much in a world after the Simian Flu, and Lydia would readily admit that she had probably kept these things safer than she had herself in those months she had been on her own – but hey, you can't argue with sentiments.
Then, when she had finally found what she had been searching for after having ended the struggle with her own old sewing attempt, Lydia had walked over to her son with a noticeable spring in her step, eager to hear what he would say – if anything at all.
"Mother…" She had barely heard Orion say as his jaw had seemed to go slack and his arms had hung limply at his sides. His green eyes had been wide in surprise and dawning realisation as she had stepped up in front of him.
Lydia couldn't remember the last time she had felt that smug about anything, having been drinking in her adoptive son's reaction to the heirlooms she had kept safe for so many years.
"I told you I had something that might make up for it." She had spoken with mirth and excitement she had struggled to keep in check.
In her hand had been two golden rings, one rather plain, broader than the other and more masculine in its overall design, while the second was thinner and had a more feminine look to it, with the gold seemingly coming up to wrap around the diamond that was the centrepiece of the object.
"This one used to be my dad's. I'll hold on to that for now, but this." Lydia had explained as she had picked up the slightly smaller, more elegant ring with the gleaming, colourless gem. "This was my mom's. My dad gave it to her when he asked her to marry him and now…"
She had held out the ring in offering to Orion, who had quickly put out his hand to receive the object. It had looked absolutely tiny as Lydia had put it in his large, calloused palm.
"Now I'm handing it over to you, so you can ask Ivy to be yours – properly, as you say." She had spoken in an almost solemn manner, though she still hadn't quite been able to contain the humourful spark in her eyes.
She hadn't known what to do with those rings until that point. Truthfully, she hadn't even been too sure why she had taken them in the first place, never having intended to sell them for food or something similar. Her dad had kept them in a drawer after they had moved to the Minneapolis Colony and Lydia remembered having been angry at him for not wearing his own ring after her mom had died. Like he had wanted to forget about her. Or wanted to find someone new among the survivors – but he never had.
And nowadays Lydia had finally come to understand why he had done it.
Though people had come to value food, water and clothes more than luxury items like gold and diamonds, the latter had still been of value, even after the Simian Flu's outbreak. And with the Minneapolis Colony's slow descend into dystopia, status symbols like jewellery quickly became something reserved exclusively for those in charge. Dad hadn't stowed away the rings to forget about Mom – he had done it to keep them safe.
And Lydia had continued doing just that, keeping them safe in a secret, sewn-shut compartment in her backpack but never really thinking they would ever be used again.
But giving one of them to Orion – to have Ivy wear her mom's old ring together with their family necklace… The idea had seemed like fate the moment it had occurred to Lydia, pure and simple.
However, Lydia had almost thought Orion had somehow been displeased with the idea and not known how to tell her when he had remained silent for several long seconds, simply staring down at the golden band resting innocently in his palm.
But then, just when Lydia's smile had begun to freeze in place and fade, his eyes had shifted from the ring to her and she had been able to see the love and gratitude on her son's face.
"This was my… Grandmother's?" He had spoken almost reverently, sounding as if he was testing out the word.
Lydia had nodded wordlessly, watching as realisation had dawned on Orion. As he had realised the importance of this small object. That this ring would connect Orion and Ivy to Lydia's family – an heirloom passed down through three generations – and two species.
The smile on his face had only broadened at the knowledge.
"Humans wear these on their fingers, right?" He had inquired then as he had carefully turned the ring over on his palm to study it.
Lydia had nodded once more, realising that Orion must have either remembered Malcolm and Ellie wearing rings similar to these ones, or simply guessed it from the object's shape and size.
"They do. It probably won't fit Ivy's, though." She had said. "But I was thinking that you can put it on the necklace you're going to make for her. You can even exchange it for the bear tooth at the centre."
Orion's expression had turned thoughtful at that as he had continued to examine the diamond ring. It had almost seemed like he had been testing out the way the afternoon sun's rays were caught in the gem's intricate cut, and Lydia had almost been able to hear the figurative cogs turning inside her son's head, planning out how he wanted to add the ring to the design of the necklace.
In the end, he had shaken his head at the idea Lydia had offered.
"No, I think I will keep that. But I have an idea that might work – I just need the tooth first so I can tell." He had said, closing his fist around the ring as he had brought it to his chest. "Mother… Thank you for this. I… I don't know how I would ever… - I wish I could somehow thank you for how much you have given-…"
Lydia had reached up and cupped his cheek just then, brushing his cheek with her thumb and interrupting his words.
"Thanks Sweetie, but you don't have to." She had said with a fond expression on her face, willing herself to keep from tearing up right there, in front of her son. "You and your father did more for me by just being there than I could ever do in return… As long as I know you're happy, that's all the thanks I'll ever need."
The soft crinkle at the corners of Orion's eyes as he had smiled down at her and the way he had drawn her into a bone-crushing hug was what had made Lydia cave in the end and let the tears fall as she had returned the embrace. They had let go of each other after what had seemed like hours, though the smiles – and the traces of happy tears – remained on both of their faces.
"Tell me, Mother, what do you plan to do with Grandfather's ring?" Orion had inquired after having let go of Lydia, that probably being the first time she had ever noticed him doing that peculiar tilt of his head that she herself was so known for.
"Well…." Lydia had drawled as she had taken a moment to wipe the last remnants of tears from her eyes, the mirth from before having returned to them. "I have two sons, don't I?"
Lydia, lost in thought as she watched Orion and Ivy sit down together so that the meal could begin at last, smiled fondly at the memory of that day. It had been several weeks ago now, but that didn't take away the sweetness of the heartfelt mother-son moment they had shared – especially not after having just witnessed all of Orion's devotion, thoughtfulness and hard work come to fruition like this. With Ivy proudly wearing the symbol of their family around her neck for all to see and Orion seemingly having grown at least three inches because of this simple fact.
I hope you're watching, Roy, Lydia thought, though with no trace of sadness or melancholy – with the joy she felt at the moment, there was no room for such emotions. Only love, pride and a strange feeling of calmness inside her heart despite the thought of her lost first love. Our boy has made it.
And somehow, Lydia was certain that Roy knew. Even if he wasn't here, alive and with them – with her - he knew, and he was proud, just like Lydia was.
Beside her, a deep, gravelly chuckle of amusement caught Lydia's attention and she reluctantly turned her gaze away from the young, happy pair to see what her own mate found so amusing.
The Ape King wasn't staring at Orion and Ivy anymore, but at Lydia herself, his lips curved into a soft smirk and a heavy brow raised at her.
"What?" She asked him, still with a smile on her face.
"Nothing." He replied as he laid a large, calloused hand on top of the one she had placed on her own knee, the other being held hostage between Cornelius' hands. "I just like seeing this look on your face."
"Oh, and what sort of look is that?" She inquired playfully, only to feel Caesar's large, rough fingers close around her hand and squeeze it ever so gently as he replied.
"A happy one."
