Disclaimer: I do not own Planet of the Apes. But, I do own my original character.

She didn't come out of her room for the rest of the day. Not even to have dinner with the others. In fact, she skipped dinner that night. Choosing to sit in her room, sitting up on her cot, with all the photos strewn out on the bed in front of her.

She had spent hours looking at them, the images re-etching themselves into her memory. There was no new information to be gained from this process. It was more about her remembering everything. Ava remembered helping prepare Caesar's bottles when he was still a baby. Then, that progressed into helping Will teach the growing chimp sign language. Ava made sure to study up on the subject until she got it perfectly down. She wanted to be able to communicate with Caesar, effectively. Before she knew it, Caesar had grown so fast, and into a strong young chimpanzee. Yet, the true amount of strength that this chimp possessed never scared Ava or her other family members.

But, that was the thing. Caesar wasn't just a chimp or an animal. He was their family. He was her family. And right now, he was the only family she had left.

Ava's eyes scanned over the weathered photos, seeing the looks of pure joy on everyone's faces. Each photo held a certain memory, and with each photo, those memories clawed their way to the surface. One photo that never failed to make her smile, was of her and Caesar when the latter was only three years old. It was during one of their family trips to Muir Woods. Ava and Caesar, after tirelessly running about, fell asleep on the picnic blanket. Will seized the moment to snap the photo. An entire moment, trapped in this one photo.

The sting on her waterline broke her concentration. She leaned back, until she was resting against the opposite wall, and covered her eyes, desperately trying to prevent herself from crying. She was allowing herself to indulge in these memories. Memories that had been stored away to the recesses of her mind for years. They were too painful to constantly think about. Pulling them back out was only causing her more grief, and tearing down the defense she had built. These were the only photos she managed to salvage during the evacuation. When it was just Ava and Will, these photos were the only thing from home. About once every week, they would look at the photos. Remembering the family, they lost during the pandemic. She didn't understand why they did this to themselves, but it made them feel closer to their loved ones. It was the only form of normalcy they had left. The last time she ever looked at them was a little before Will died, which was about seven years ago. Since then, she's had them locked away in a box, vowing that she would never look at them again. But, she finally broke that promise. And now, she was turning into a mess.

Her absence worried Malcolm. Every night, he, Ellie, Alexander, and Ava would all meet up for dinner in his quarters. But, when Ava never arrived, he found it rather odd. "Have either of you seen Ava since we got back?"

Ellie and Alexander merely shook their heads. They didn't seem to think that anything was wrong with that. "She's probably just tired, Malcolm," Ellie said, trying to ease whatever concern was growing within him.

"That's what she told me before leaving for her room."

The tone in Malcolm's voice caught Ellie's attention, and she slowly glanced up at him. "You think that she was lying?"

"I don't know."

"Malcolm, I don't think there's anything to be worried about. We all had a," she paused, trying to think of the right word to use, "interesting day, I think she just needs some time to get over it."

While Ellie was right, there was still something about her absence that bugged him. Regardless, he left it alone, at least for the remainder of that night.

The next morning, Malcolm woke up, changed his clothes, and headed for Ava's room. He had chosen to give her the remainder of the night to settle down. Now, he just wanted to make sure that she was alright. When he arrived at her door, he didn't knock right away. He leaned his ear to the door, trying to see if he could hear anything, there was nothing but silence. In response, he raised a hand and gently knocked on the door. "Ava?"

There was no answer.

He tried knocking again. "Ava, I know you're in there." Malcolm paused, waiting to see if she would respond. From the other side of the door, he could hear faint footsteps heading in his direction. He leaned away just as the door opened.

Ava appeared before him, eyes were swollen, almost like she had been crying, and hair was slightly disheveled. "What is it?" She asked, her voice sounded dry and hoarse, though she was somewhat alert. Thinking that something was wrong.

Malcolm was so gobsmacked by her appearance, all he could do was simply stare at her. What happened during last night? He couldn't be for sure, but the swollen eyes signaled to him that she had been crying, within the past few hours. "Are you okay? You didn't come out of your room for dinner, or for anything."

"Oh, yeah," she gave a nonchalant wave of the hand. "Sorry, I was just pretty tired."

He knew that was a bogus excuse. "Is everything okay?"

"I was just thinking about certain things, and it just brought up a bunch of," she paused to look at him, seeing the inquisitive concern in his eyes. Don't give any details. "It doesn't matter. I'm sorry for worrying you, but really, I'm okay. Everything's fine."

Off in the distance, the alarm was sounding off. Both Malcolm and Ava froze, their gazes moving to the direction where it was coming from. The fact that the alarm was going off meant that something was going on…something serious.

She quickly grabbed her jacket, and they both set off towards the market. On the way, they met up with Ellie and Alexander. When they reached the market, a massive crowd had already formed with worried people. Malcolm led the way, pushing through the crowd with Ava and the others towing closely behind.

On the upper balcony, Ava noticed that people were gathering up there, with their guns drawn. She nudged Malcolm in the side and nodded up at the balcony. Malcolm and Ava split from Ellie and Alexander and ran up the steps. Dreyfus was leaning against the railing, looking out into the main courtyard. When Ava and Malcolm caught a view of what was out there, they both froze. Ava's hands tightly grasped the railing in front of her.

It was Caesar and his colony.

"That's a hell of a lot more than eighty!" Dreyfus shouted above the alarm.

Her throat went dry as her eyes fell on Caesar, who casually glanced up at her. What is he doing here? There was no way that he was planning on attacking them. If that were the plan, Caesar and the other apes wouldn't be standing outside the building. They would have taken the element of surprise and stormed the building.

Without a second thought, Ava took off and ran down the steps, with Malcolm and Dreyfus chasing after her. The three of them pushed their way through the gathering crowd and stopped at the doors. Her eyes scanned over the metal, her chest was heaving with each exhale. Finally, she looked over at Dreyfus and said, "open the doors."

He was hesitant at first. There was an entire colony of apes out there, opening the doors seemed like an idiotic idea. Nevertheless, he agreed. After giving the signal, the heavy doors slowly opened to the awaiting crowd of apes. Ava felt a breath hitch in her throat. She wasn't standing on a balcony looking down on them, she was right in front of them, face to face. And Dreyfus was right, there was definitely more than eighty apes. She took the first step out, pausing to see if she could continue. None of the apes made any noise, or an attempt to stop her, so she continued.

Everyone was on edge. She didn't need to look back to confirm it, but she knew that there were several armed humans, anxious eyes scanning over the apes. But, she only saw one. She stopped halfway, and Caesar took that as his cue. He gently dug his heels into the horse's side, and the animal slowly trotted towards Ava. During this, she could hear Dreyfus frantically whisper her name, but she paid no mind to it.

When Caesar stopped in front of her, she felt as if she couldn't breathe. She was able to actually look at him without dealing with the shock. And for a split moment, it felt like everyone around them melted away. It was just her and Caesar. The ape moved his eyes over the colony of humans. And there was a hard grimace on his face. Then, he spoke. "Apes!" From that one word, she could hear everyone behind her gasping and cursing under their breaths. An ape just spoke to them. But, Caesar dismissed their shock and continued. "Do not want war! But we'll fight if we must!"

Caesar turned to one of the apes, who clambered off the horse it was sitting on, and headed towards Ava. The movement out of the corner of her eye, made her break contact with Caesar, and was taken aback by the young chimpanzee. It was staring at her with narrow eyes, and in its hand, it was Alexander's bag. The one he had dropped in the woods. The chimp reached its arm out, offering the bag to Ava, who slowly went to grab it, but the chimp dropped the bag to her feet, before silently turning around and walking away.

She paused, staring down at the bag, before bending down to pick it up.

"Ape home!" Caesar shouted, pointing in the direction of the woods. Then, he maneuvered his arm and pointed to the building behind Ava. "Human home!"

The finality in Caesar's voice made a chill go down her spine. When she looked up, their eyes locked on each other. Caesar's face was no longer contorted with serious determination. No. Instead, his features soften, as did his eyes. And in a low voice, he said. "Do not. Come back."

It felt like a punch in her gut. He wasn't just telling the other humans to not come back, he was telling her to not come back. To never go and find him.

The stinging in her eyes centered Ava, and in response, she exhaled a shaky breath, watching silently as Caesar and the other apes began to march out of the city. How could he expect her to do that? She just got him back, how was she supposed to just let him go?

A hand gently squeezed her shoulder, bringing her back to reality. It was Malcolm, sporting an anxious, concerned look. Dreyfus, on the other hand, was coaxing Malcolm and Ava to get back into the building. They both followed suit. Ava walked up the steps of the building but afforded herself one last glance of the departing party. But, when she stepped into the building, and the doors closed, that's when the panic started. Everyone started shouting, trying to make sense of what they had just witnessed. There was an entire colony of talking apes, that were living in the woods, and they knew where the humans were living.

What if they come back? What if they try and attack us?

These were the questions she heard several people throw around. They were scared. It was understandable. But, if she could calm everyone with assurance, she would. However, the last thing she wanted was for anyone in the colony to get suspicious about her involvement with Caesar.

Ava, Malcolm, and the others found a spot towards the back of the crowd. During which Ava gave Alexander back his bag, but she could see the hazed look in his eyes. In his own mind, he thought that they would never see the apes again. A foolish thought, the more he simmered on it. But, it was all just so out of the norm. Running across a colony of apes that were not like normal apes, especially with the ability to speak.

Everything was chaotic. The crowd was becoming irrational. People were starting to get angry due to their fear. Ava could only watch the people around her freak out over something they had no knowledge of. How could she blame them for behaving this way? If she did not know Caesar, if she had not gone with Malcolm to the woods and encountered the apes, she would probably be acting the same way. There was no way they could be faulted for their reactions.

Dreyfus finally got the crowd to go silent by using a blowhorn. She stared up at their leader, seeing the way his hand, that was holding the microphone, shook, and the way that his voice trembled. He was scared. He was beyond scared. Not for himself, but for the people he was addressing. All these people he promised to protect, promised them that he would lead them on the road to reclaim what they had lost to the pandemic. "Look I know why you're scared. I'm scared too, believe me. But I recognize the trust you've all placed in me. We've been through hell together. But you all know, what we're up against. We're almost out of fuel, which means no more power, which means we can slip back into the way things were. That dam up there was the answer. We just had no idea that they were up there too."

"So, what do we do now?" A woman in the crowd shouted, prompting everyone else to start throwing around their questions.

"We find another way. Because that power is not just about keeping the lights on, it's about giving us the tools to reconnect to the rest of the world, to find out who else is out there. So that we can start to rebuild, and reclaim, what we lost."

Ava's lips pressed together into a thin line. Dreyfus was trying to calm everyone down. He would've said anything. When she glanced over at Malcolm, he was thinking the same thing. There was no other energy source. No other option they could turn to. They needed that dam to work. If not, things will get worse, much worse.

There was only one thing Ava could think of. Only one solution that came to mind. She leaned closer to Malcolm. "I have a plan."

….

Malcolm and Ava left the crowd and headed for Dreyfus' office. Instead of waiting for him inside, they waited for him out in the hallway. They didn't say a word to each other. Malcolm didn't even ask for her to brief him on what her plan was. The weight of the situation they were in was mind-numbing. And the plan that Ava had conjured up only a few minutes before, may not even provide the results they needed. But, she had to try.

Footsteps coming towards them brought them both to center. Their heads turned and saw Dreyfus standing before them, still looking rattled after what had just happened. "That was a great speech." Malcolm quietly commented. "But, you know that there is no other source. That dam is all we have left."

Dreyfus hesitated, trying to weight what little options they had left. But, the words that left his mouth made her entire body go cold. "Then we fight them."

"No." Ava's response was quick and frantic. It made both Dreyfus and Malcolm look at her with surprise and confusion. "The last thing we need is a fight on our hands."

"What other option do we have, Ava?" Dreyfus questioned. "We're two weeks away from running out of fuel, you know this. Once that happens, I'm not gonna be able to go out there with a blowhorn and calm everyone down. If we don't fight them, what choice do we have left?"

"I have a plan." She said, wanting to get off the discussion of possibly fighting the apes. That idea in of itself was unthinkable to her. "Let me go up there." The response made both men's expressions turn to shock, Malcolm even began to shake his head, ready to fight against her plan. But, she persisted. "Listen, we all know that the dam is our only chance. But, if you let me go up there, and talk to him, I can try and convince him to let us work on the dam."

"No, there's no way I'm gonna let you do that." Ava opened her mouth, to try and get Dreyfus to agree, but he cut her off. "What if it gets violent? What if he, or the other apes, do something to you?"

"He won't." Her statement was bold and full of certainty.

"How do you know? How do you know that he's even going to be able to understand you?"

The young woman exhaled a breath, her eyes settling on the bag in Malcolm's arms. Silently, she nodded at the object, to which Dreyfus followed her gaze. "He brought that back to us. He told us that the apes don't want to fight." Dreyfus' eyes remained on the bag, but she could still see the uncertainty in them. She leaned closer to the man, every inch of her body now full of determination. "He's not going to hurt me. As long as I don't do anything to harm them, or threaten them, I'll be fine."

"What is it with you?" Dreyfus' question rendered her speechless. "How are you so certain that he's not going to harm you? How are you so sure that you'll be able to get through to him?"

She swallowed hard, feeling the intensity radiating from his eyes. For a brief moment, she thought about coming clean. Telling them both everything that happened in the past. Who her uncle was, and who Caesar was to her. But, she fought against the urge. No, now isn't the time for her to start spilling out the details of her past. That's not what was important. "You've trusted me this far to help with finding a new energy source," she answered calmly. "And now I'm asking you to trust me on this. It's worth a shot, rather than just going in, and starting a war. Dreyfus, please, just give me three days. Three days to talk to him."

Malcolm scanned over Ava's features, brows slightly creased. He's known her long enough to know that there's something more to this. Something that she's deliberately keeping hidden. "I agree with her." He said. "I think it's worth a try, rather than immediately resort to violence."

Dreyfus moved his gaze between both of them, trying to see if there was an opening for him to convince them that this was a terrible idea. But, there wasn't one. "I'm gonna take some men up to 4 point. I'm gonna see what's still working." He pointed a finger at Ava, and then to Malcolm. "Three days. That's all I'm giving you. And if you're not back in three days, we're going up there, and we're gonna kill every last one of them."

She worked hard at keeping her reaction neutral. To not show the flare-up of anger she felt at hearing him say those words. She had to keep herself level-headed. She then managed to say, "Very well." But, his words were still bouncing around her head. Dreyfus was hell-bent on this. Going up there and killing all of them, including Caesar, if her plan didn't work out. We're going up there, and we're gonna kill every last one of them.

Over my dead body.

She got out of there fast. After what Dreyfus said, Ava didn't want to be around him. Of course, she never said anything against him, and she didn't even express her distaste to Malcolm. There was no point in her doing that. The only thing that was on her mind was to get ready for the drive back to the woods.

Her bag was still packed from their last trip, she only had to switch out a few things. And she made sure to stash her photos into her bag as well. She thought that maybe there would be a moment where she could show Caesar, but she highly doubted it. She wasn't going up there to reminisce about the good old days. The prime objective was to go up there, convince Caesar to let them stay, get the dam working, and then return to the city. Besides, if she were to try and spend time with Caesar, the others would grow suspicious. And the last thing she wanted, was for them to start asking questions.

When her bag was packed, and she had changed into new clothes, Ava left her living quarters and headed for the main courtyard. Malcolm had told her about ten minutes earlier, that Carver, Foster, and Kemp, were getting the cars ready. Hearing that Carver would be tagging along made her dread this trip even more. Just being there was already going to cause tension, but to have Carver with them, the one who shot one of the apes, this may be more difficult than she originally thought. Regardless, she pushed the thought away and focused on the task before her. This wasn't going to be a walk in the park. Caesar and his colony expect none of the humans to return to the woods. When she sees him, she could only imagine that Caesar would not be happy that she went against what he said. She was going to have to calm him in some way, but how?

How was she supposed to talk down an upset Caesar, and his colony of apes? That was something she could figure out on the way there.

Arriving at the vehicles, Ava noticed that Ellie and Alexander were standing next to one of the jeeps, with their bags clinging to their back. She quickly approached them. "What are you doing?"

Ellie turned to Ava and exhaled a silent breath. "I'm going with you. If someone gets hurt, then you'll need me to be there."

"And I'm safer with Dad, than staying here," Alexander explained.

Ava could argue against it. But, they both had their minds made up. "You know it's not going to be safe, right?"

Both nodded their heads, fully aware of the risks that were involved with this plan. And she couldn't do anything about it. The only thing that was acceptable was to pile into the vehicles and get to the woods.

"Ava," Ellie finally spoke once they were out on the bridge. "What are you going to tell him?"

With her chin resting against her hand, Ava silently shook her head. "I guess I'll just tell him the truth. I'll tell him why we were up there, and why we came back."

"Do you think you'll be able to get through to him?" Alexander's voice pierced through the silence, forcing her to face down the possibility.

There was a slim chance, that Caesar could turn his back on her. That he could flat out deny them the permission to work on the dam. And that could lead out to a war between the apes and humans. That was the last thing any of them wanted. But, Ava hoped that, with it being just her, she could be able to convince him. Convince him that none of them are there to hurt any of the apes. Ava would do her part, it was just up to Caesar whether to believe her or not.

The time it took from the city to the woods, must have somehow been cut down. Before she knew it, the car was parked and she was staring out her window, into the silent, empty woods. It made a chill go down her spine, and she didn't move, for a good amount of time. To the point that Malcolm grew concerned.

"Ava," his voice snapped her out of her trance. "If you're having second thoughts about doing this,"

"No." She cut him off. "No, I'm gonna do this."

Picking up her bag, she sifted through the contents, pulling out a flashlight, and a light overcoat. The rain was starting to come down, and she wanted to keep her clothes dry as much as possible. Looking up, everyone in the car was anxiously staring at her, just wanting to see how she was handling all of this.

"No one gets out of the car, alright? Everyone stays here. No one move." She looked to each person, seeing them nod in her compliance, even Carver gave her a small nod. Though, that didn't surprise her. Out of everyone, Carver was the least likely to put himself in harm's way.

As she went to exit the car, Alexander breathed out a quiet, "be careful." She merely offered an assuring smile before closing the car door. Taking the overcoat, she hooked it around her body and pulled up the hood of her jacket over her head. With her gun resting in its holster and a flashlight secured in her pocket, Ava was set.

Malcolm rolled down his window, prompting Ava to step closer. "Two hours." He said plainly. "If you're not back in two hours, I'm,"

"You're going to go back to the city."

Malcolm stared at Ava, perplexed. "What? No. I'm gonna come find you."

At his statement, she vigorously shook her head. "No. If I'm not back in two hours, you get everyone back to the city. I don't want you, or anyone else getting hurt. It's not worth the risk. Got it?" She asked, raising her brow at Malcolm, waiting for him to comply. He did, much to his hesitation. Nothing else was said. Ava quickly turned and ventured into the woods. If she had stayed any longer, fear and uncertainty would have set in, and she wouldn't have found the motivation to go out and find him.

The first problem, Ava had no idea where the ape colony is. The only thing she could think to do was follow the same path they took, before running across the apes, and then go from there. She came across the ledge where they first spotted the dam. And followed up the path that led to the image of Carver aiming a gun at two chimpanzees. She shuttered as she walked past the spot where it occurred. She couldn't help but think, what if they had not come across those two apes? Could they have worked on the dam without any of the apes knowing? Probably not. Apes were already intelligent animals, to begin with. But, with the virus in their systems, they were beyond intelligent. Ava and the others wouldn't have gotten away with it.

There was a seed of doubt in the pit of her stomach. She had no idea if she was going in the right direction. What if she wouldn't be able to find the colony? Luckily, Ava came across physical markings on trees. It consisted of sticks and animal skulls. That's nice. She grimaced at the sight. But, looking ahead, she could see several more markers. These must be functioning as some sort of trail markers for the apes to follow, in case some of them got lost. She took her chance, and followed up the hill, making sure to follow the markings.

In time, Ava found herself staring up at a muddy pathway, bordered with jagged branches, and tree trunks. Her feet sunk into the muddy ground with each step. It felt like she was in some kind of horror movie, and she was the oblivious girl walking into her demise. But, it wasn't going to be a horrid monster that would greet her at the end, it was going to be Caesar. She tried to keep that in mind as she passed under an archway.

It was so quiet. To the point where it made her uncomfortable. Where are all the apes?

Just as the thought passed, there was the soft clinking of something from behind her. The noise made her stop. Then, a heavy breath broke the brief silence. She closed her eyes and slowly turned around. When she opened them, her eyes were greeted with the sight of a massive gorilla, glaring at her.

Her mouth opened, but no words were coming out. She didn't know what to say. There was a gorilla in front of her, sporting a menacing look, and she was all on her own. With only a gun to protect herself, but she didn't want to hurt the animal. That would just create more tension between the two colonies, especially since she was the one who intruded on their territory.

Taking a few steps back, Ava slowly raised her hands up, showing that she meant no harm. Then, she finally found her voice. "I need to see Caesar." Her voice was low and trembled. To say she was scared was inaccurate. She was terrified. "Please," she tried again. "Take me to Caesar."

The gorilla continued to stare at her, with an unreadable expression on his face. In a fluid motion, the animal raised up on its hind legs and belted out an ear-piercing roar. It caught her off guard. She stumbled backward, almost falling flat on her back, but caught herself.

Shrieks and calls from other apes appeared from all around her. She frantically looked around, seeing that several apes were starting to crowd around her. Again, she threw her hands up, and kept her head down, not daring to look these animals in the eyes. A vigorous shove pushed her forward, cueing her to start walking, and she did just that.

All she saw was her feet moving forward, and the sounds of apes around her. Her heart was pounding against her chest, and there was an ache in her throat each time she inhaled. Any of these apes could kill her at any moment. She made sure to keep her head down, and not do anything that would provoke them in any way.

They finally came into a clearing, and Ava allowed herself to look up. It was the colony. Rundown shelters that were made from wood surrounded the entire perimeter of the area. A huge tree towards the right had a rigged pathway that went all the way to the treetops. It was quite impressive. Despite being terrified, she took in the sight of this primitive colony.

The moment of tranquility was shattered as Ava was shoved down by one of the gorillas. She bit back a scream as she fell to her hands and knees, her face just a few inches away from the muddy ground. And she remained in that stance, not allowing herself to look up. She was simply too scared to even move an inch. The apes crowded around her, several circled her, trying to get a good look at the human. They were all barking at her if they were trying to make her feel unsafe, they were doing a good job at it.

Then, they all went quiet. It made her blood go cold.

After getting the courage, she slowly raised her head and saw Caesar standing in front of her, eyes glaring down at her. She let out a shaky breath, fully leaning back on her knees. "Caesar." Her voice was quiet, hinting at a small amount of happiness at seeing him. But, he didn't look happy, and it made her face grow tense. "I know you told me not to come back, and I'm sorry. But, I came here because there's something that I need to tell you."

He only continued to stare at her, making no verbal, or physical, display that he would listen to her, but she decided to proceed. "There's something here, in the woods. Something that is very important to us, that's on your territory. That's why we were up here because we were looking for it. It's our only chance for survival."

All the apes didn't say anything. She, especially, knew that Caesar could understand her. His silence was just unnerving. "If you'll let me show you, then you'll be able to understand why we need this."

"Human lie!" One of the apes screamed, causing her to flinch from both the volume of his voice and the meaning it held.

She kept her sight leveled with Caesar's, refusing to look away this time. "You know I would never lie to you." Her statement was met by low grunts from the other apes. "Please." The word left her mouth as a pathetic whisper, but the tone behind it was evident. She was begging with him. Begging for a chance to explain all of this. If she could do that, then maybe he would agree to let them stay.

All the apes around her started barking and hollering. They didn't trust her words. The ape that had accused her of lying, raised his spear above her head, aimed directly at her. Even though she tried to keep up a brave face, her entire torso started to shake. Her hands balled up into fists, praying that Caesar would agree.

Caesar stared at Ava, feeling that sense of caution, that he needed to be careful around her. But, why? He's known her since he was a baby. She showed Caesar nothing but love and kindness when he was growing up. There was no way that she would lie to him. At least, he hoped not. In an instant, Caesar raised a hand up, and all the apes went silent. They stared up at their leader, confused by his gesture. His eyes scanned over the colony, before settling on Ava. "Show. Me."

She released a heavy, relieved breath. All the tension in her body, suddenly melted away. The first part of this plan was done. But, it wasn't done yet. Out of her peripheral, she could see one of the apes inching closer to her. She could barely spot the scar that ran down his face, one of his eyes was also messed up. He bared his teeth and snarled at her, something about the way she looked was familiar to him. But, it wasn't a good familiar. It made him incredibly angry.

"No." Caesar's gruff voice ceased the ape's advance towards her. Reluctantly, he backed away from Ava, the scowl still present on his face. But, Caesar's eyes remained on the retreating ape, until he was a good distance away from her. As long as she was around them, Caesar would make sure that none of the apes harmed her in any way. Caesar took a step closer, prompting Ava to look up at him. "Show. Me." He repeated.

Ava stumbled to her feet, eyeing the other apes, who were still staring at her with skepticism, just waiting to see her make the wrong move. Clearing her throat, she nodded at Caesar, then turned, seeing that the apes had cleared a path for her to lead the way. And with her body still trembling, Ava led Caesar, and a few of the apes, out of their colony.

A/N: So, we got a little more Ava/Caesar interaction. I promise there will be more in the next chapter, which may include a bonding scene between Ava and Caesar! Anyways, a review would be much appreciated! Your comments are seriously what helps to keep me going! Until next time!