Lydia

Lydia looked on in a mixture of surprise and amusement as she watched her two sons walk back into the village from their fishing trip, both completely drenched. Beside her, Caesar let out a low, warm chuckle.

"What happened?" Lydia asked, barely able to contain a snort of laughter at Orion's pointed look towards Cornelius. "I thought you were supposed to catch the fish, not take swimming lessons from them?"
Maurice, who Lydia and Caesar had been engaged in pleasant conversation with when the pair arrived home, rumbled amusedly, his hulking form shaking ever so slightly from it.

Black fur hung from both apes' bodies in glossy, wet tresses from which water still dripped, leaving a trail of wet dots behind them wherever the two walked. When they finally reached Lydia, Caesar and Maurice at the centre of the village, a puddle quickly appeared beneath both of them.

Neither of them said anything at first, Cornelius simply fiddling with the bows and arrows he had been made to carry, while Orion hoisted the rope, net and satchel for the fish further up onto his shoulder. She noticed that the latter was completely soaked through as well.

Lydia peered at Caesar out of the corner of her eye to find him with his arms folded over his chest and staring expectantly down at Cornelius. There was still an obvious hint of amusement of his face, as well as curiosity, though Lydia could tell that he was trying very hard to school his features in case a scolding would be necessary.

"Well?" He said with a raised brow. "What happened?"

Cornelius sucked in his bottom lip, looking sheepish.

"We slipped and fell into the water."

Both Lydia and Caesar looked to Orion immediately for verification, only to find him shooting an exasperated look down at Cornelius and crossing his arms. He then looked back up at the pair, but only managed to open his mouth in an attempt to explain himself before Cornelius shook his entire body, not quite unlike a wet dog would, forcing his older brother to unfold his arms once more and lift them up in an attempt to shield himself from the droplets. When the shaking had finally stopped and Orion lowered his arms once more, he and Cornelius sent a dirty look to one another, the latter sticking his tongue out.

Caesar and Lydia shared a brief look with one another. Ah, the wonders of brotherly love.

"Yes," Lydia took over from her mate. "I think that's quite obvious to everyone, Cornelius. What we're getting at is why. I assume you got distracted and didn't heed Orion's advice? About being careful around water?"

She knew that would get a reaction out of him. After years of raising these two, Lydia had learned what worked and what didn't with either. Orion had always been bad at dancing around the truth and had never been all that mischievous as a child. Cornelius, on the other hand, while never ever actually malicious in his intent, had a knack for getting into trouble, mostly brought on by insatiable curiosity, a trait Lydia had come to learn that he had inherited from his father.

And so, when her boys did find themselves in a mishap, nine out of ten times it had been because Cornelius had either been distracted, mischievous or downright bored. And yet, it always managed to slightly irk Cornelius when it was assumed that he was the one responsible.

It turned out to be a great way to wiggle the truth from him, though.

"Why do you think I did something? What if Orion forgot to tell me?" Cornelius said with a pout, looking to his father for support.

Unsurprisingly, he found none. Like Lydia, Caesar was, thankfully, well aware of his son's antics, as well as Orion's responsible nature. In fact, the two had developed a very close friendship, of which Lydia was glad.

"Is that what happened?" Caesar asked. It was obvious from his tone that he didn't believe for a second that it was. Besides, they way Cornelius began to avert his gaze and shuffle his feet only served to confirm that it wasn't.

"…No." He said. "We were arguing, and I fell onto Orion… And we lost all the fish we caught, too…"

At this point, some of the colony's other members had started congregating around the group, among them Rocket, Tinker and Shale.

Lydia and Caesar both frowned at Cornelius' phrasing, and even Maurice rumbled in confusion.

"You were arguing so much that you fell? Am I to understand that you two got into a fight?" She had a hard time believing that. Sure, Orion and Cornelius bickered from time to time, as brothers do, but Lydia had never imagined that her boys would ever get physical. With Orion being so mature and mild-mannered, and Cornelius usually acting as peacemaker among his peers, it was hard to picture how these two apes in particular could ever get into a tussle with one another.

A sigh of relief barely managed to escape Lydia when both apes shook their heads in unison.

"No, no. I leaned over and lost balance." Cornelius was quick to say while making a vain attempt to smoothen down the fur that now looked tussled after he had shaken the water out of it. It stuck out to all sides on his entire body, making him look like a wet, angry cat trying to raise its hackles.

"Then why-?"

"Because Brother has a secret, but he won't tell me what it is!" Cornelius interrupted her, folding his arms over his chest. It did nothing to make his appearance less comedic. Orion's eyes widened and his face, rosy just moments ago from the chilly air, suddenly turned pale. He reached up to pinch the flat bridge of his nose in obvious annoyance. He looked like he half-expected her to round on him and begin digging for information, though both Lydia and Caesar ignored his aggravation for the time being.

"And why do you think he should tell you?" Caesar asked, perplexed.

"Because he's already told Ivy. It's not fair."

"Son, that's what a secret is about. You don't tell everyone. Otherwise, it's not a secret." He reminded him, amusement back on his greying face. Cornelius didn't seem to find any of this all that funny. In fact, he seemed rather frustrated at the fact that nobody seemed to see things from his point of view – which, Lydia would grant, was rather understandable.

"But we're brothers!" He argued, kicking the dirt while still having his arms crossed. "Brothers don't have secrets!"

To call this a tantrum was a gross overstatement, as Cornelius seemed more annoyed and indignant overall rather than angry.

Just then, almost as if the mere mention of her name had summoned her, Ivy appeared, walking through what was now a small gathering, her mother Juniper and Lake in tow, along with a few other females. Seems like they had just come back from stowing away what they had gathered on their foraging trip that day. The moment she laid eyes on Orion and Cornelius her green eyes widened in surprise, and she rushed to the elder ape's side to take hold of his arm. Ivy quickly recoiled, however, when her skin came into contact with Orion's wet fur, no doubt freezingly cold to the touch.

"What happened?" She demanded with a furrowed brow as she looked from one to the other.

Lydia raised an impressed brow at the way her daughter-in-law seemed to immediately invoke respect in the two brothers. Both got a sheepish look on their faces and looked between each other as Ivy stood in front of them with her hands now resting on her hips. Her emerald stare demanded they give an answer and the twist of her mouth only grew more severe the longer the two remained silent, obviously weighing their words very carefully.

It wasn't so surprising when it came to Orion. Any sensible male receiving a look like that from his mate knew immediately not to aggravate her further. No, what was surprising was that Cornelius fell in line just as quickly, completely forgetting about his tirade for the time being. Then again, Lydia couldn't remember Cornelius being on the receiving end of that stare. Perhaps that was a sobering experience for the 5-year-old ape?

Orion was the first to regain his voice, shoulders slumping, and hands raised in an appeasing manner as he spoke.

"We just had a disagreement and fell in the water while fishing. Do not worry, Ivy."

"Do not try to brush it off, Orion." Ivy said with a certain firmness in her voice. "You go out to fish and I come back to the two of you surrounded by half of the village and looking like you tried to drown each other. What is so important that neither of you have gone inside to get dry the moment you came back? You will both get sick in this cold!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Lydia saw Caesar and Rocket share knowing glances, and she barely managed to withhold a chuckle at their expressions. Not for the first time, she found herself thinking that some things simply transcended species. And seeing as neither of them seemed to get tangled up in this, Lydia decided to

"It's only because you and Orion are keeping secrets!" Cornelius accused, causing Orion to cover his face with his entire palm now. Seems like even Ivy's stern eyes couldn't dissuade him from seeking the truth. As always, her youngest was as persistent as they come.

And after a second or two of utter confusion showing on Ivy's face as she stared down at the young Ape Prince, realisation seemed to dawn on her.

"What makes you think we are keeping secrets, Cornelius?" She said once she had regained her composure, to which Cornelius rolled his eyes as if to say that was a ridiculous question.

"Everyone knows Orion is bad at lying." He pointed out, earning himself a half-hearted look of offence from his older brother as well as a few, scattered chuckles from the gathered apes. "He has been acting strange all morning. Not listening, smiling at nothing and avoiding it when I ask about it. Then, when I tell him I know he's keeping a secret, he still won't talk about it and said Ivy told him not to tell!"

At this point, Lydia decided to finally intervene.

"People have the right to keep their secrets, Cornelius. You can't force someone to tell it if they'd rather not. Not even if you're family." She explained and laughed along with a few others, though the gears in Lydia's head had started turning now, tentatively putting the pieces together, one by one.

So, Ivy had a secret together with Orion that she had asked him not to tell anyone about. Well, that could be a number of things, really, and Lydia didn't want to assume. Goodness only knows how many secrets a couple can have together. Things only meant to stay between the two. She cast a sideways glance at Caesar, biting her lip. The first two years of their relationship had been like that, after all. And so far, neither of them had ever spoken to anyone else about how she might one day end up unable to speak, just like Nova. It obviously hadn't happened as of yet, and hopefully, it never would. In fact, at this point, Lydia was pretty certain she had developed a sort of immunity to it but even then, the threat always loomed in the back of her mind. The virus could change again, after all.
So, yes, there might be several things that her son and daughter-in-law could want to keep a secret. For all Lydia knew, Ivy might be crafting yet another gift for a family member, as she had a habit of doing from time to time. There was also the possibility that she might be sick, which Lydia didn't even want to consider…

Besides, if Orion had seemed happy about it… Could it be? That Ivy was? No, she shouldn't make assumptions like that. Then again, it was natural at their age to-. No, Lydia, she thought, nearly shaking her head at herself. Don't start making up theories. It might not even be what you think.

But what else could it be, then? Another voice echoed inside her head.

Still standing beside Orion, Cornelius gave a pout.

"I still think it's unfair. And now everyone knows they have a secret, so why still keep it?" He said in an exasperated manner.

"And who's fault is it that everyone knows, hm?" Orion asked pointedly as he once again hoisted the rope, net and satchel up onto his shoulder from which they had been slipping. A triumphant look appeared on Cornelius' face then as he pointed a finger at Orion's chest.

"Ha! So you admit that it is true?"

The sigh and subsequent slump of his shoulder that Orion did just then was nothing short of defeated.

"When will you let this go?!" He asked, more exasperated than ever now. He seemed about at the end of his rope and Lydia honestly couldn't blame him. Even she was surprised at Cornelius' persistence on this matter.

"When you tell me. You always told me that brothers shouldn't keep secrets from each other." The young prince pointed out yet again, and this time Lydia noticed that Orion did look sort of guilty at those words. She guessed that he had probably said it to Cornelius at one point or another to make him talk about why he was upset or something along those lines, though now it seemed that technique was coming back to bit him royally in the butt.

Luckily, in that moment, Ivy decided to speak up.

"Well... Everyone seems to be here… And since you are so bad at keeping things a secret" She paused, casting a sideways glance at Cornelius "… Perhaps we might as well…?"

Distracted, Orion looked around at the surrounding crowd to confirm that what she said was true, and then turned to Ivy with tentative, questioning eyes, almost as if to ask if she was completely sure she wanted to do this. All she did was smile encouragingly, and if Lydia's curiosity hadn't been piqued before, it was safe to say that it definitely was now. Could it be? That what that they had agreed to keep to themselves was…?

A smile of his own slowly stretched across Orion's face as he looked down at Ivy, and Lydia saw how his entire posture straightened and his shoulders squared as his mate took his arm.

Ivy didn't seem to know who to look at as she prepared to speak. One moment she was looking at Lake, the next at Juniper, Lydia, Shale, Caesar, Maurice, Juniper again, then Lydia, all while chewing on her bottom lip. It took a while before she finally decided to simply look up at Orion with eyes full of adoration, hugging his arm closer despite the cold, wet fur.

"We are going to be parents." She finally said, and the smile on Orion's face broadened in response to the words. Then, after a second or two, the pair turned their gazes back towards the gathering, anticipation and just a tiny hint of anxiety in their expressions.

Now, an ape couple telling their relatives that they were expecting a child was just about as big of a deal as it had been for humans, which quickly became apparent when, after a few moments of complete silence as comprehension settled in, the sound of excited huffs and hoots filled the air. The first one to react was, perhaps unsurprisingly, Juniper, who clasped her hands together in front of her mouth and, with already-moist eyes and a soft smile on her face, approached her daughter. At seeing this, Ivy began to tear up as well and disentangled from Orion's arm to lay her forehead against Juniper's.

Lydia, for a while, simply stood still and watched as Shale came over to embrace his daughter, then laid a hand on Orion's shoulder and, with a proud nod, congratulated him. She let out an almost inaudible giggle when she saw the tips of Orion's ears redden ever so slightly, but he nodded back at Shale in thanks all the same.

Lydia stepped forward just as Shale turned back to his daughter and wife, needing only a step or two before she was right in front of Orion with a broad smile on her face and pride blooming in her chest.

And there it was. That unmistakable twinkle of excitement, joy and pride in his eyes. How had she not noticed it before? Sure, she hadn't seen him that day up until the boys came home from their trip, but with all this talk of secrets, Lydia was surprised that she hadn't seen it. Hadn't guessed it.

She could already tell that fatherhood would suit him very well.

Lydia hugged her eldest son fiercely, though she didn't immediately feel his arms close around her to reciprocate it. Instead, they seemed to hover awkwardly in the air a few inches away from her.

"Mother, your clothes will get wet." He said, though Lydia honestly couldn't care any less about that right now. How could she? She had just been told that her son was going to have a child. She was going to be a grandmother, for crying out loud!

"If you think a bit of wet fur will stop me from properly congratulating my son, think again." She responded and squeezed him even tighter to proof her point, to which Orion finally decided to give in and hug her back, closing his arms around her in a great, somewhat wet bear hug.

Lydia immediately shivered in his hold.

"Brrrrrh!" The chill of the winter air seemed to cling to his damp fur and quickly seeped into her clothes, despite their thickness.

"I did warn you." Orion pointed out as a few, scattered huffs of laughter could be heard, most notably the deep, easily recognizable rumble of Caesar, as well as Ivy's light, easy-going giggle.

"Still don't care." She answered into his fur, clutching at his back for just a moment longer before finally letting go and allowing Maurice to approach him next. In the meantime, Lydia looked down at her clothes to assess the state of them, discovering, perhaps unsurprisingly, that her entire front was covered in a large, damp patch now. Well, what was another change of clothes compared to being able to hug her son on such an important occasion?

"Congratulations to you both." Caesar said warmly as Lydia went to give Ivy a hug next. The young female seemed to care even less about the state of Lydia's clothes than she did, and instantly reciprocated the hug. The Ape King had come forth and now stood together with Cornelius, a large hand on his son's shoulder. The Prince himself, while definitely looking happy, also seemed rather perplexed at the whole spectacle.

"That's what you tried to keep a secret?" He asked, almost sounding incredulous. Then, in almost the same breath of air, he continued. "Am I going to be an uncle, then? When will it be born? Can I teach it how to fish?"

"Perhaps when you bring home a catch and don't just go for a swim, we can talk about that, Cornelius." Caesar teased and now, it was the Ape Prince's ears that turned slightly red as those around them began to chuckle. Then, Caesar turned to the young couple. "But I'm also curious to know when it will be. Have you been told?"

Once again, Ivy and Orion looked at each other, all smiles and tenderness before they turned back to the Ape King.

"Sparrow said sometime in the summer." Ivy said, a faint blush on her pale cheeks.

Caesar nodded in approval, and Lydia had to say she was relieved by this news as well. Spring and summer were good times to have a child, especially for first-time parents. The weather was nice and warm, and food was usually plentiful. Even with all the advancements the apes had made, it was still something one needed to think about.

"I didn't 'just go for a swim'! And I did catch something!" Cornelius ranted, still stuck on the topic from before and looking rather offended by his father's little joke. "I caught the biggest fish before we fell in the water! I even hit it with an arrow!"

The look on Caesar's face was one of both amusement and scepticism. Honestly, Lydia was finding it a bit hard to believe as well, knowing this was supposed to have been Cornelius' first try at that fishing technique. Surely it had been Orion who had hit it, and then let his younger brother reel it in to give him a sense of accomplishment?

I suppose apes and humans both share grandiose fishing-tales. Yet another thing we have in common – who would've thought, Lydia mused.

Orion must have noticed the looks of disbelief on their faces, because Lydia had barely finished the thought before he came to Cornelius' defence.

"To be fair, he is telling the truth. Look." He said with a small smile, only to reach into the satchel still hanging from his shoulder and procure a large fish from inside of it. Lydia and Caesar, as well as several others, could only stare at it for a moment in mild bafflement. Cornelius had caught that? All by himself? On his first try at fishing with a bow and arrow?

Well, sure enough, Lydia thought as she examine the catch a bit closer. It did indeed seem to have a puncture wound going straight through it. Perhaps he had actually learned more than she thought from the scattered archery lessons she and Ivy had put him through?

Today really was full of surprises.

"Brother! You saved my fish!" The Ape Prince exclaimed jubilantly, and he seemed to grow about an inch or so at the surprised looks from all around him.

"Actually, it was just too big to slip out of the satchel like all the others." Orion said with a small wink. "I guess if you keep catching them this big, I might just let you teach our child how to fish."

The look of determination on Cornelius' face after those words was all the confirmation Lydia needed to know that it was already settled in the Ape Prince's mind. He was going to teach this child how to fish – along with many other things, of that, Lydia was certain.


Later that night, Lydia, Caesar and Cornelius were back in their hut in the tree on the hill, with the Ape Prince already fast asleep in the nest after a full evening of switching between bragging out his catch and asking Orion and Ivy all sorts of questions about their future child. Most of these inquiries revolved around when exactly they thought it would be born, if the child was going to have a wet nurse like he had as a baby – Lydia's poor heart nearly broke at that question – and when it would be old enough for him to teach it different things. It was clear that, after he'd had some time to think on the news, that he was absolutely ecstatic about the prospect of being an uncle – and, Lydia suspected, no longer being the youngest in the family and finally getting to be the one to share knowledge and experience.

Sitting on the balcony overlooking the village, legs dangling off the edge, Lydia looked on as a sea of stars twinkled against the dark sky high above. It was contrasted by the few hundred dots of warm, golden light from fires and torches down in the village, the sounds of which had died down quite a while ago as its inhabitants had begun to go to sleep. She had no idea how late it was, actually. By her own estimate it was probably somewhere around midnight but could just as well be several hours past. It's not like she had a clock to help her verify it, really.

Her eyes traced the wide, cloud-like strip that marked the Milky Way and, not for the first time in the years since the fall of humanity, Lydia marvelled at what had been so easily hidden by light pollution almost wherever one had gone. It was beautiful, more so on this night than it ever had been before – or maybe it was just because of the underlying contentment she was currently feeling that made it seem so?

"Are you not cold?" Came a low, baritone voice from behind her which might have startled Lydia, had she not already heard the floor creak as he had made his way out onto the balcony.

"A bit." She admitted as Caesar sat down beside her, wrapping a thick bear pelt and a strong arm around her shoulders. Lydia immediately snuggled closer, feeling his warmth seep into her. It was still chilly to sit there, and their breaths still came out as puffs of steam in front of their faces, but to Lydia, it was more refreshing than uncomfortable.

"What a day." She said after a while, to which he nodded. Then, Lydia chuckled. "I suppose I should've known it would happen sooner or later, but I was totally unprepared for it. I can't believe Orion is going to be a dad."

"It was only a question of time." Caesar said, his tone strangely sombre as he went on. "Your family has been growing fast these last few years."

Lydia's brow instantly furrowed at that, and she tore her eyes away from the starry sky to stare at her mate instead. He wasn't looking at her. In fact, he seemed to be stubbornly avoiding her gaze right now.

"What do you mean 'my family'?" Lydia asked, confused and already slightly hurt by his choice of words. "It's your family too…"

Caesar pursed his lips, releasing a deep sigh.

"I know… But you're the one who… binds this family together." He said, and though it did make sense, somehow, it still saddened her to hear him speak about it in such a detached way.

Lydia shook her head.

"Not just me, Caesar. We bind this family together." She grabbed hold of the hand not wrapped around her shoulders and placed it between her own in her lap. The move caused him to look at her, for the first time since they had begun talking, and Lydia could now see the uncertainty present in her mate's eyes. An insecurity, a doubt, that she hadn't detected before that moment.

"That may be true…" He agreed, looking down at their entwined hands. "But I'm not Orion's father... I don't think he would have his child call me grandfather."

Lydia felt a strange pang of aching fondness spread inside her chest as she continued to stare at Caesar, touched by his obvious wish to be involved – and the underlying worry that he might not get to be. At least not to the extent that he hoped.
Knowing her eldest son, however, Lydia had no such fears. True, Caesar hadn't raised Orion, but that didn't mean that the two of them weren't close. In fact, in human terms, Lydia supposed theirs was as close to a healthy stepfather and stepson relationship as anyone could ever get. Also, she knew that Caesar was eternally grateful to Orion for taking up the role of older brother to Cornelius – especially on days like this one.

Lydia shook her head at her mate, smiling softly.

"Caesar, of course he would. He might not think of you as his father, but I know for a fact that he sees you as family. There's no way he's not going to want you as this child's grandfather." She said, squeezing his hand. "And remember, this child is Ivy's just as much as it's Orion's. I'm sure that she would be able to talk some sense into him if need be. She's got him wrapped around her finger, that one."

Caesar gave a short, huff-like chuckle, nodding in agreement.

"Not just Orion, I think." He cast a meaningful look back over his shoulder towards the inside of their hut, where Cornelius still slept soundly in the confines of their family nest. Then, he turned back to Lydia. "I shouldn't be surprised, I suppose. You two are very similar like that."

"So everyone keeps saying… Though I don't think I've ever managed to garner quite the same reaction from you as Ivy did from Orion today. Might just be that the student has surpassed the teacher." She said jokingly, earning another chuckle and a squeeze of Caesar's arm around her shoulders. She leaned over then, softly petting his weathered cheek. "Seriously though, don't worry too much about it, Caesar. This child won't be born until sometime in the summer, remember? Plenty of time for you two gain some extra grey hairs so you can look the part too."

"Is this you calling me old again?" Caesar asked, heavy brow raised in question. Lydia, smiling, hid her face in the crook of his neck, reminded of their playful banter earlier that day – as well as what came after. "I told you, venerable." She said, squeezing his hand within her hold. Another low chuckle sounded, followed by comfortable silence as the two contented themselves with watching the village once more.

Lydia was glad she had been able to cheer him up. Ease his worries a bit, even if he still didn't seem entirely convinced. Lydia suspected that he wouldn't be until Orion himself had told him what role he wanted Caesar to play in this child's life. Still, it was good to see that he wasn't so concerned that he couldn't have a laugh about it.

By now, many of the lights down in the village had disappeared. Windows had been covered up by animal skins to ward off the cold of the night, and torches had been put out to save on the fuel that kept them lit. Among the many huts, Lydia's eyes easily found Orion and Ivy's. Their windows had yet to be covered up.

"Jeez, I really never would've thought I'd end up being a grandmother at 31…" She said after a long while, voice soft and disbelieving.

Caesar didn't reply immediately but hummed as he rubbed his thumb against her shoulder through the thick pelt. Then, he turned to kiss the top of her head affectionately. "You're a good mother. You'll make a great grandmother."

"Great-grandmother?" Lydia asked, smirking up at him. Now, there was a thought!

Caesar didn't falter, however. Didn't even flinch or try to tell her that obviously wasn't what he meant. Instead he returned her smirk with one of his own, looking positively impish as he replied.

"Probably that too, someday."

Well, Lydia thought, that was probably true. Heck, at this rate, I could even make a great-great-grandmother by the time I'm 60 or 70… What a wild thought.

Though for now, Lydia was more than content with what she had – and what she knew was going to come in about 6 months' time.