Humans hadn't been seen on this land for ages. It had been suspected that there were small groups scattered here and there, but the sightings were beginning to become more infrequent.. Slate had returned to the tribe's home near the opposite end of the lake, traveling along the pebbles with his spear in hand. He mulled over the item he carried, the pages fluttering in the wind and crumpled in some places. They were so delicate, so how could she even stand using this thing? Never had he seen such a weird way of reading. Sure, he had learned small words before- he had learned the alphabet like any white-tail had in their childhood. These words were clumped together and made no sense. Apes never associated themselves with human things. Slate came to his knuckles and then crouched, leaning back on a large piece of driftwood.

Not far, apes made their new home, up toward the mouth of the river where it bled out into the lake. Salvation had come at last, it seemed, but not without a cost. After Caesar's death, this had left them without a leader, and ergo Rocket had risen to act as a mock king and was playing the role of Cornelius' father, the true heir. The stoic chimp had always lead with a broad fist and a stiff upper lip; this was contrasted greatly by Maurice, Caesar's adviser and the tribe's educator. The orangutan was peaceful and wise, making up for the old chimp's moments of brisk rule. Slate recalled how the orang had called him one day, years ago, when he and his older brother Pine had been butting heads. With these two watching over the young prince, the tribe was able to function without much trouble.

Slate thumbed through the pages, tearing out a few as he went along, nosy as to what exactly had helped her read these weird letters all in their weird formations. His tawny eyes washed over the text in front of him, his eyes narrowing. At first Slate began to piece some things together, his nose scrunching up and his lips parted in thought. That's when a pant broke the silence, the brute turning to none other than his brother. Pine was dark in color, darker than he, a bear's tooth pierced through his left lobe. A long scar ran across his face and his ear was shredded from an assault during a hunt such a long time ago that had nearly gored him senseless. He had almost lost his brother, and although he hated to admit it, he loved him dearly. The stag had made a fantastic feast though. "Brother," he grunted. Pine gripped his sibling's wrist with a strong hand, greeting him firmly. The two knocked their spears together- this was something they had come to develop as their own person greeting. 'You are out late again. You'll miss dinner.' The two's parents had never really been spoken about much. Although Pine and Slate had grown up as twins, as they had matured, it was very obvious the difference between them. They were close nonetheless, having many things in common.

Pine's bicolored gaze came to fall upon the book he held, immediately suspicious. 'Just something I found,' signed Slate, shrugging and grunting. 'Figured Maurice could use it.'

Pine panted, something close to a chuckle, a smile lacing his elder brother's lips. His mood seemed to improve once more. 'Thoughful. You aren't the type.'

Slate snorted and laughed along, bringing his hands to his mouth quickly. 'Shut up,' he signed, then reached out and gave his brother's cheek a shove. Giving the novel a toss, he left it without another thought, splayed out upon the rocky complexion on the beach. The two large males knuckled away toward the other end of the bank, where the entrance to the ape's camp was.

The two traveled for a while, stepping beneath the arch of bending trees and following a path that had been worn down by many apes coming and going from camp. The vegetation grew heavier the deeper they went, eventually coming to a fork in the road. Shuffling to the right through the fronds and bracken, the pair avoided any nettles in their path. Pine had fallen face-first into a whole clump once and his eyes had swollen up like two mushroom heads, so the two brutes preferred to stay clear. Weaving their way through the trees, they began to slowly make their way down a slight slope, the path narrowing yet still showing the way. Slate followed behind Pine, taking in the surroundings as he usually would, unlike his sibling who would simply traipse forward and only forward. The two came to a large boulder standing as proud as a barge in their path, and rounded the corner. Stick-figures hung limply from where they were tied to the lichen, giving an ominous vibe, a few occasional raven's skulls flashing ivory in the spotty sunlight. They found themselves a small clear, a few apes lounging there and conversing around a fire, some perched atop the clumps of smaller rocks. White-tails played, chasing one another bravely through the underbrush.

A sheer face of rock began to expose itself from beneath the earth, crevices and crumbling crags, patchy plants and flowers scattered every now and then adding color. The babble of a river came to the brothers' attention, the proud body of water slimming to a rushing stream as it cut through their camp. The apes crossed through the rambling stream and made their way up the hill as the land ascended once again, passing beneath the arch root. It was a massive redwood whose large trunk had grown in a gnarled passageway where youngin's tended to play among it's embedded cousins. It towered high above, creating the perfect survey point for guards, and a sturdy home for the royal family. Upon the other side was another jutting set of rocky face. Chimps were settled here and there in groups around three separate fires, crackling even despite the previous rain.

Slate allowed his eyes to rise to his right, peering up at the smaller education tree, it's roots crawling out across the hard stone blocking it from the earth, yet still somehow keeping it standing. Massive sharpened logs created a fanning staircase upward until it reached the canopy, spraying out and creating room enough for class above. Observing from the top, he could just see what appeared to be Rocket settled upon the ledge, looking out over the families below.

They were settled right beside the original water source, their location also giving them acres upon acres of land to hunt in. It had taken quite some time to construct fan-trees across the canopy, enough for large families. The territory of the camp panned out greatly, giving lots of room for privacy and sleeping quarters.

Inside the camp, apes turned to greet the newcomers with curious gazes, only to return to chewing or conversing gently. Pine sniffed with interest in the general direction of a small group of bonobos, all female, that leered at the bulky male chimps. Their slender black bodies were resonating hormones; Pine invited the attention whereas Slate was put off. The male fell into step with his brother and passed him, heading for the larger group of primates. Within that ring was a young female, her dark charcoal fur giving her away, along with her dark ashen eyes.

'Poppy,' signed Slate, reaching forward and brushing his sister's crown with his mit. She was very small for her age, her breasts slightly underdeveloped. She had yet to go into heat, but she would surely make a fine mate for any male. The primate pressed her brow to his own and then the three siblings settled down next to one another, joining the group in eating venison. It was excellent meat. 'Who caught this?' gestured Pine, glancing across the way as his lips smacked in pleasure.

One of the young males, Sage, glanced up. His grey head bobbed as he signed. 'Quill did.' Their heads tilted toward the smaller light brown male to their right. He was pale-faced with a spray of dark auburn across his forearms, his right hand missing a pinkie. Slate pursed his lips and tilted his head up in praise, watching as the soft-looking male's ears flushed. 'I'll have to tell Rocket I'll be taking you on my patrols,' remarked Pine, letting out a gruff rasp. 'We can find many things. Maybe even humans.'

A scoff erupted from Poppy. "Humans… gone," she pointed out. "Last seen in forest moons ago." His brother swallowed what he had been working on, shifted and then gave Slate a look, continuing by prodding his brother in the arm with his knuckles. 'Slate knows all about human stuff. He found one,' teased Pine.

Sage and Quill both gawked at him. Alarm shot through Slate in one crashing tidal wave. Had he followed him somehow? No, he couldn't have. He would have heard him. Pine wasn't like that anyway. "Found.. Book," he corrected, giving his brother a wrinkled nose. 'It was in the forest, inside old tent. Few miles from camp. Human long since been dead.'

"Never take from old camp. Could be new," reasoned Poppy, partially scolding him.

'It was a book, not a human,' gestured Slate, repeating himself. Bringing a bone to his teeth, he stripped pieces of grizzle and scraped marrow, feeling it gum up within his sharp canines. It didn't matter that Pine didn't know. He had his secrets too, Slate was sure. It was better off that he was unaware anyway. Pine was the meddling type.

Pine's bicolored eyes flashed, his side-glance chewing into his brother. 'Smelled like humans. Fresh.' His hunched shoulders seemed to bulk more. 'Why pick it up anyway?'

'Humans smell bad,' gestured Sage, scratching his chin. 'Human dogs smell worse.' The momentary tension seemed to defuse upon the younger male's comment. Silence fell over the group, the fire snapping and popping in front of them. The sound of chattering birds up in the canopy filling the lull.

'Was for Maurice,' Pine recalled. 'That's what you said. Why drop it?'

The male's tawny eyes studied his brother, shadows cast over his features. 'Young couldn't read. That's it,' Slate responded, allowing the bone to fall to his feet. He nonchalantly sucked at his finger.

"Human things aren't ape," Pine chuffed, a hoot escaping him. The brute's hands moved briskly. 'You are ape. Act like it.'

The younger sibling's fingers twitched. 'Pine,' Slate warned, his lip curling slightly. The apes surrounding the two were noticing the hostility, glancing cautiously from one to the other. Pine was older, that was a fact, but he certainly was quick to snap and assume. He also had no filter. Fed up with his brother's bullheadedness, Slate let out a huff and rose to all quads. Pine stood as well, shoulders bristling.

"You walk away. Where?" demanded his brother.

"Hail," responded the inky grey male.

"Not stay?"

"Was just book," growled Slate, turning on his heels to face him once again. 'Learn some manners.'

Pine barked, his fur bristling along his shoulders as he was making to grab at Slate. There was a snap within the tension, and it crackled, the rest of the group letting out their own pant-hoots, although these of alarm. Before Pine could move any closer to his sibling, Poppy dove between them and forced him to take a step back, a shrill escaping her and Pine almost simultaneously as one threatened the other. The older male swung his arms and then turned, sauntering away, reluctantly withdrawing himself.

'Just book?' gestured a completely lost Quill, but Slate had already turned from the group. He wasn't looking to argue anymore.

Author's Note: So we've finally been introduced to Slate's brother and sister, Pine and Poppy.

Thank you for the reviews! I'm super excited to see people taking interest in this story. I'm hoping to post as many chapters as I can, as quickly as I can.