Muir Woods, Ape Village 3 years ago
Early morning fog covered the village like a thick blanket as many apes went about their day like normally... what ever it was the females gathering or taking care their young...white tails running around or playing.. warriors patrolling or hunting...it was like the events from 3 months ago hadn't happened... though everyone acted calm Iris knew that calm was really masked by great anxiety that the half the village felt...it had been 3 months and the murders and chaos paused right after it had began...but the brunette knew it wasn't over...she knew it was only the calm before the before the storm...Mickey was still imprisoned for what he has done which no surprise...she wasn't sure if he would be out for awhile...Helios she had been staying far away from as she could...she didn't know what the religious gorilla did to her that day due her mind being very fuzzy the whole but she definitely didn't want to be close enough to him to allow him to try again.
No one believed her...they all thought she was the crazy human who took the bad medicine and hallucinated everything she claimed...and frankly Iris wasn't surprised...with her track record and how most the apes felt about humans in general...yes she was Caesar's adoptive sister and she did save Blue Eyes along with other back when the wolves attack but the hate mistrust was hard to let go of, the young woman didn't take this to offense though...she was use to being hated...being shunned
Because of all the scrunity she soon reverted back the recluse that she had become the moment she was exiled from the colony 5 years ago... avoiding most inculding her adoptive mother who she thought was dead for the longest time but reappeared, a part of Iris was overjoyed to learn that the only mother she ever knew hadn't perished from the flu or the chaos all those years ago...but the other part her held resentment, why did she leave? why didn't she ever come looking for her? Leaving on her own to defend herself and ending up in the hands of AO.
Hazel eyes gazed down from the high hut above... watching the village move about, she leaned against the hard wood entrance of the hut feeling the cold damp air nip at her skin making her huddle in her jacket for warmth, her rested on her stomach in the middle of this feeling her baby bump which had grown since the months had pass, though her pregnancy hadn't been easy... sure any pregnancy wasn't all sunshine and rainbows but with hers being a hybrid her condition was very fragile. Ellie, Caroline and even the healers of this village where deeply concerned, both species never even had fathom of thought of something like this was even remotely possible but both Iris and Mikey had proved it was. Ellie and Caroline who knew more about science then the apes knew there was high chance that the baby or the mother maybe even both in general faced dangerous conditions in health.
While the young woman had been facing the regular pregnancy systems which was normal yet she experience also lot of pain her lower abdomen and more intense nausea and fatigue, making it hard to move about or eat in general most days. Though she went through this and there where high chances of the dangerous of childbirth Iris didn't fear any of this...there was some fear of her child's life of course but what she feared the most is if she was stable enough to be mother at all or what kind of future it could have not only with name Rodman but as human hybrid, she rubbed her baby bump gently as she looked down at it.
She had no doubt her kind wouldn't be easy to accept it and as for the apes...they had very mixed views speacily about what her and Mikey did to conceive this baby.
" Iris..." A gruff but soft voice spook out to her cause her gaze look up and see Maurice.
" Hello..." Iris replied haorsly as she leaned back against the wood.
" How are you feeling?" He signed to her.
Iris groaned as she shift her body in a new position" Like shit..." She replied a little annoyed.
The orangutan looked at her with eyes of concern" It you distance yourself more recently...even from family" he sign to her with soft eyes.
Iris wasn't going to protest that because she knew it was true...Blue Eyes and Cornelia tried to have been spending time her in the last couple months...well been trying at least...most the time the young woman was quiet at most would only give short responses...not even Cornelius could help get her out the state she had become...she thought her aloof attitude would make them give up on her eventually but the queen wasn't giving up and neither was her eldest son, they didn't ask about the rumors or the events from couple months ago, instead they mostly tried to talk her about her how what happened in the day was or sometimes ask about the baby.
The brunette really appreciated that...she was getting so sick and tired ot others asking " How you feeling?" with looks of pity or if " Is true what said happened to you"... It was like she was a spectacle...the crazy nut job who needed who needed to be treated gently or treated by the other half with distain for being a lier, basically treated her like a normally. Cornelia wasn't blind, she saw more then anyone could know and Iris knew this, the queen didn't know what happened that day...while she knew Iris had...problems... she also knew as as long she knew Iris she never once lied...and Cornelia who once been one of the healers herself knew that all these rumors and pity wasn't helping Iris or her baby's health at all, only adding more stress to the fustrated woman, Iris's could see more and more why Caesar chose the female as his wife.
" Why you avoiding your mother?" Maurice signed to her as he caught her gazing down at the tanned older woman who was looking over some the apes at the healing hut, the kind human woman smiled as she sat down infront of a young ape, Iris couldn't hear what she was saying but it looked like she was looking over the young one while trying to ressured him and the nervous mother.
Not many where too keen about a human helping the healers them or their young, but many did remember how much of help Ellie had been back then so half reluctantly agreed while the other half scorned in silence, knowing they would face the wrath of Caesar if they harmed his mother.
" It's complicated..." Iris said quietly as she brought her gaze away woman.
Maurice could tell she was having mixed emotions about the woman who raised her, which he wasn't really surprised about the did after reappear when she was thought to be dead for many years...it would take time.
A thought came towards the gentle ape mind about the young woman's overwhelming shadow who had been tasked to watch over the human since she started staying here. After the incident with Helios the gorilla asked to relieved of duty of watching Iris...his excuse was he wanted to back to his previous position due being concerned about the village being infiltrated again but the orangutan knew partially it was he because he didn't want to be near Iris...the village thought he finally came to his senses and realized how insane Iris was but Maurice knew that wasn't it...he could tell that day they separated...Luca looked at Iris like he was afraid he was going to hurt her.
" Have you seen Luca recently?" Maurice signed.
Iris shrugged at this" No... he's probably happy doesn't have to deal with me anymore..." Was all Iris said, she couldn't explain to him why the gorilla was really avoiding her...doubt he would believe it she did anyways...most already thought she was crazy.
Maurice knew there was something going on but figured it just was something she and him would eventually would figure out for themselves but there was still but of concern about it in general. Maurice took deep huff for he really wanted to talk to her about which he knew she wouldn't be happy about.
"Caesar is deeply worried for you" Maurice signed getting straight to the point.
Iris scoffed loudly at this and turned her head to face him more" I find that very hard to believe considering he called me crazy and I thinks I used happy medience" Iris said with a look of irritation.
Maurice sighed deeply at this...out everyone Iris had been avoiding the king the most, while she would at least talk somewhat with Cornelia and Blue Eyes but the king she avoided like the plague, even when he tried to reach out to her himself she would just get up leave...Caesar was hurt though he understood...he had hurt her and he didn't know how long it took till she forgave him.
Maurice frowned at her" He doesn't think your crazy Iris...he does believe your suffering"
Iris only huffed as brought her knees to her chest at this.
He looked at her with sympathetic eyes" I only know few of what happened to you back then Iris and I'm truly sorry for that...no one should have suffered that...human or ape..."
Iris just remain quiet at this...watching as the fog formed grey into grey clouds, she could hear sounds of storm approaching as it echoed across the sky.
" But I also it's affecting you greatly" He continued"... enough to see you dead father" he signed carefully.
Iris still remain calm on the outside at this but her fists tightened on her pants showed something different.
" I know you miss him Iris...I know you loved him him so much...as much as you feel seeing still connects to you to him it also hurts you the same" he rationalized to her.
Iris still didn't say anything.
" There are those who are still here that love and worry very deeply for you Iris, one them Caesar" he continued to sign to her, it was really hard to get through this woman, strong she was but also very stubborn...the orangutan could see where his king got it from.
" You may not believe doesn't but he does" he eyes grew soft" You don't need to forget those you lost Iris but you need to leg go of the past...so you can have a future..." His eyes trailed towards her baby bump then" So your child can have future..." With that he got up and walked off down the steps of the hut leaving Iris alone to her thoughts.
Iris closed her eyes gently allowing tears to finally fall down her cheeks.
And here we are :D! The long awaited chapter that you all been waiting for so long. But seriously guys I'm soooo sorry it took so long ^^; I got couple others stories to update and for the longest time I didn't know what do for this chapter... but! I regained inspiration for the story again and hopefully I won't take too long for the next chapter lol XD