Iris rubbed her sore wrists that were resently tied to the chair that she was sitting in.

"Do feel better now Iris?" the man asked

She brought her head to look at him.

"I'll live.." she replied softly.

"Then let's get back to topic, what happened after you healed?" the man asked straight the point.

"They had me help out with repairs with the village...even though Koba and his followers nearly burned it down a month before there was still repairs that needed to be done..."

"How did the apes react about you working with them? I think they would have shown you prejudice.." the man asked curiously.

"Nothing I couldn't handle..." she replied nonchalantly.

Ape village, 3 years ago

It had been a week and her ankle had already been healed surprising Ellie and the Oba's, Caesar wondered about it but decided to worry about another time and give her a job to do which she gladly took do from being restless from doing nothing for the last week, she would help with the damage that Koba did to the village a month ago.

Luca didn't have to wake her up due her being awake long before him but it didn't really surprise the gorilla due to the nightmares she was having, the dark rings around her eyes where proof of it.

As they walked down to area that was being constucted Iris tied up her long hair which now had little braids with beads in it done by Cornelia as she looked around to see the damge, parts of the old wall and structures were burnt with a ugly black, apes dragged away the burnt wood while others brought new ones, it was just evidence that lead to devastation and backlash of both species and were still paying for, the apes glared and signed hateful things about as she walked by but she just ignored them and kept a emotionless face.

Iris then noticed a very familiar face across from her that made her stop walking, he was signing to a grey ape , it was red it was then he felt her gaze on him turning his head to see her causing him to glare at her, tension started to rise and everybody could feel it and they where anticipating a brawl would happen but instead Iris flipped him off, some of the apes knew what it meant causing them to screech a little and sign about her boldness while the others remained confused until they were told what she did, it was clear Red definitely knew what it meant cause rage fillled his eyes.

Luca put his hand on her shoulder to lightly guide her away before something did happen while sending a warning look to Red who quickly looked away, as the gorilla led her away her gaze eventually left the red gorilla but she could feel daggers being stared into her back.

When they got to their destination the apes that where working stopped what they where doing to stare at her. One ape a dark grey chimpanzee went over in paticalular went over to Luca and started signing to him.

"Why is the human woman here?" he signed a little annoyed.

"Caesar assigned her to help with repairs, too make herself useful" the gorilla signed back to him.

The apes screeched in protest about this, she looked at them and back to Luca and the other ape emotionless, the ape stared hard at Luca and then turned his gaze over to Iris clearly not thrilled about this order, he then huffed deeply in reluctant acceptance and turned his head back to the gorilla, Luca gestured for Iris who was standing behind him to come closer to them.

"You understand sign right?" he signed her.

"Yes..." she replied softly.

"Don't think your going to have it easy just because your human or female" he said signed bluntly to her.

"I may look like a twig but I'm stronger than I look, I can handle it" she told him plainly.

He huffed.

"I'll leave her to you for now Spear" he signed to the ape.

He then turned to Iris.

"I'll come get you later try not to get into trouble" he signed to her and then walked off.

"No promises..." she said quietly as she watched him leave.

Spear clearly annoyed by the screeching signed irritatedly to them get back to the repairs and led Iris to where she would be helping out, Iris spent most of the time cutting and tying up the wood or moving away burnt pieces stucture while the apes avoided her like the plague, she would see others sign snide remarks about her a couple of them rudely bump into her as she walked by, someone even tripped her purposely, she didn't let that her to she kept on a working with not showing any emotion. She tried help the others out but they would ethier hatefully brush her off or ignore her so she ended up working alone the whole day under watchful eyes of Spear.

They they stopped working by dusk but they would start working again tomorrow by dawn. Iris ended up at sitting on one the logs at the empty school beyond exhausted and while her whole body was sore due the days labor, she held her head with her hand as she bent over then slowly brought herself to sit straight up and run a hand through her sticky wet louse hair to get a better look at the wall with their laws.

Ape Not Kill Ape

Knowledge is Power

Apes Together Strong

She then heard a grunt from behind her she turned around to see Maurice, she watched as he walked over to her sat down next to her on the log.

"Are you alright?" he signed.

"I'm fine...just tried" she said quietly under her breath as she rubbed her eyes then brought her attention back to the wall.

Maurice could tell while she was tired from today's long work she was also tired from lack of sleep from the dark rings around her eyes.

"Did you have trouble sleeping last night?"

"I have trouble sleeping everynight..." she said softly as she looked at him.

His green eyes looked at her with concern.

"Are you uncomfortable sharing a hut with Luca...." he signed to her.

"What?...no...I just have...nightmares, I'm not uncomterable sleeping near a ape... Caesar use to get into my bed to sleep with me when we were younger so it doesn't bother me" she explained softly.

"Do you have them a lot?..."

"Yes...even when I'm awake" she said quietly as she turned her head back to the wall.

"They are our laws" he told her noticing attentively looking at the wall.

"Knowledge is Power...Knowledge also leads to a horrible death then the animals that know nothing..." she said bluntly.

Maurice looked at her a little taken back her comment.

"Did you come up with that?"

"No...William Shakespeare...because of one human thrist for knowledge that it led other humans to destroy themselves... e-even though he was only doing it for a good cause" she said sadly as she turned around to look at damaged part of the village.

"Humans had a no kill law too Maurice...and yet people got murdered everyday even before Caesar led the apes to freedom...and Your law didn't stop Koba from causing devastion and death" she said plainly.

"Koba was full of hate...in the end was blinded by it..." he signed grimly to her.

"There was always something wrong with Koba Maurice...he just finally snapped...though while I do agree humans had a hand turning him into what he was...he didn't have to follow the path he chose for himself... " she told he seriously.

She turn head back to the orangutan.

"And I know all about hate...I've been the receiving end of it for the longest time...from both sides... It hard to get ride of it..."she said depressingly as she touched her neck.

Maurice looked at her sadly at this and this made her look away from him, they sat in silence.

"Why did Caesar sleep in you bed when he was younger?" he asked curiously but also trying to break the ice.

"I probably shouldn't have told you that, he was afaird of thunderstorms when he was younger, our grandfather wasn't always feeling well and our father sometimes work late so the nights he wasn't home Caesar would come to sleep with me...he was really cute back then but he probably won't like me talking about this...he would be embrassed" she said with a small smile as she looked at him who was attentively listening to her, quite interested to hear about his leader when he was a child.

"I like what you've done to your hair" he signed as gestured to it.

Iris picked up one of the beaded braids to look at it.

"Yea Cornelia did this, I don't do stuff like this usually but...she's kind of hard to say no too" she said as she chuckled lightly.

Maurice hooted a little in laughter in agreement.

Maurice eventually left and decided to look Luca because she got tired of waiting for him she had been walking by the rocky part of village near the waterfall when someone grabbed her roughly by her arm and into a rocky inclove and slammed her into the rocky wall.

She tried to fight the assailant off only for her arms to held strongly over her head and when saw her assailant was her eyes widen in extreme horror made her attemp to them off stronger.

"ONYX!MPHHH! " she practically screamed but was quickly muffled by his hand.

"Oh Iris...I've missed you..." he said euphorically and while his eyes promised something dark.

Oh no Onyx has appeared what will happen now, I hope you guys had a good Xmas and happy holidays I also hope you guys like this chapter I would also like to thank Lmere for helping me with ideas with this chapter she's great :D if you've read her pota story If Only you should read her sequel So we Descend :)