Blue Eyes was surprised that his father hadn't asked questions when he'd risen especially early. Usually Caesar liked to know everything he was doing but today, the King of the Colony simply gave him a look as he watched his son splash his face with a handful of water in the moonlight. The sun hadn't even risen yet.
It was early but Blue Eyes knew the woods well enough to predict the inevitable dawn. The skies may have been black when he'd first lifted his head but they were graying by the time he slipped out of his hut and Blue Eyes knew that he'd be seeing blue above him by the time he'd reached the heart of the forest. A hint of a smile stretched his lips as he used his arms to maneuver his strong body through the trees, careful to stay alert even though his thoughts were offering terrible distractions. Although he a clear head after a night of peaceful sleep, Blue Eyes still thought of the confusing moment he'd shared with Ellie in the woods. Her hand had felt strange against his chest, foreign. Her small, hairless fingers had looked out of place as she pressed the pads of her fingertips into his skin but it wasn't unpleasant. He liked it and he wanted to feel her touch again. The young ape had found his desires to be simply ridiculous but that didn't stop him thinking about nothing else but the human's touch.
His soft smile faded as he swung from tree to tree, mirroring the path that he'd taken yesterday with Ellie. It was much easier for the young age to move like this and Blue Eyes reached his destination half the time that it had taken them yesterday. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw various animals grazing in the early morning sunlight. They would bolt if they sensed his presence, no doubt, but Blue Eyes hadn't come here to hunt. He followed the route he'd taken back to the colony with Ellie and how she spoke of retrieving her belongings when he'd declined. If he recalled correctly, the location of her temporary safe place could be seen from here. Curious, he began to search through the trees, his eyes wide and focused as he looked for any unusual forms in the thick branches.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, sky colored hues landed on rolled up fabric and a large overstuffed bag. Blue Eyes could instantly tell that the human supplies belonged to Ellie. They were tied up high in the trees so even the smartest bear would face difficulty in acquiring these treasures. It didn't surprise the young ape that his human companion had taken all the precautions to avoid a possible bear attack. She had been out on her own for a very long time and not only that, she'd lost a loved one to the woodlands' most vicious predators. The bear may not have been a highly intelligent creature but it was certainly a cruel and fearless one. In all honesty, Blue Eyes couldn't believe that Ellie had made it on her own for as long as she did.
With expert ease, Blue Eyes freed Ellie's belongings from their restrictive bonds. While the human may have struggled under the weight of all of her luggage, the ape found no issue with carrying all of her things at the same time. An unusual feeling of guilt seemed to tighten a knot in the pit of his stomach, meaning that a even the brief moments he'd spent laughing with Ellie hadn't rectified his anger towards her in the woods. He was determined to amend the situation somehow. Hopefully bringing the human her things would make her smile. That was all he really wanted.
Blue Eyes hadn't even bothered to alert Caesar of his safe return when he finally came back to the colony. It was still very early morning but the huts were starting to move with life and Blue Eyes couldn't help but wonder if Ellie had also caught the early morning buzz. He approached her hut carefully, cautiously, not completely sure just where his sudden nerves had come from. With a sigh, he gently tugged on the hut's curtains but no reply came even when he called her name. She was still sleeping. She had to be.
"Ellie," he muttered again, this time a little louder but the figure in the bed didn't shift even as he opened the curtain and let in a stream of light.
As he had predicted, Ellie lay on the bed still, curled up into a tight ball in an attempt to preserve heat. Not wanting to wake her, Blue Eyes set her belongings down quietly. only keeping the sleeping bag in his arms as he approached her slumbering form. The fire had died out at some point in the night and she was cold, he could tell by her shivers. The young ape knew that he should have been more hesitant but he hated seeing her vulnerable, trembling form. He tore the sleeping bag apart in an instant, not caring about the zip as he wrapped it around Ellie's body like ape mothers did to their children. Almost instantly, her shivering subdued and he sat back beside her with a satisfied smile.
Simply sitting and watching her was a little strange but it was oddly satisfying. Blue Eyes had never broken someone's privacy like this before but seeing Ellie's slender form move underneath the covers made him stay. He liked watching her and he felt like could stay guarding her like this forever. Blue Eyes wasn't sure just how long he had waited for Ellie to wake but by the time her eyes had finally opened, the noise outside indicated that breakfast was already in full swing.
For a moment, neither ape nor human said anything as their eyes met. Ellie was confused, Blue Eyes could tell. Her small hands pushed back at the unfamiliar sleeping bag and he watched her face relax with realization as it slowly dawned on her that he'd gone back to retrieve her things. He wasn't why he'd expected her to be angry but there wasn't a hint of displeasure in her pretty face.
Instead of showing any kind of annoyance, Ellie's face was illuminated with joy. She reached for him without saying a word and for a second, Blue Eyes found himself staring into her eyes as her small hand squeezed his much larger one. "Thank you, Blue Eyes. This means so much." Her voice was soft, calm. He'd never heard a tone so soft from neither ape or human and it made his stomach tighten with unfamiliarity.
Embarrassed, Blue Eyes drew his hand away, rubbing it against his chest idly in an attempt to transfer the heat from Ellie's warm fingers onto his own body. He hadn't expected her to touch him like that. What was she even thinking?
Apes and humans could be friends. His father had made that very clear but what if there was more? Could it be possible that a human could feel attraction to an ape? Maybe even love him? An uncomfortable silence pressed over the pair as Blue Eyes mused over his predicament, occasionally closing his eyes in embarrassment. He shouldn't have been thinking such things because even if a human could love an ape, there was certainly no chance of anything more than friendship building between Ellie and himself. Friendship with a human had been a foreign concept to the young warrior and he couldn't have ever predicted that he'd grow so close to a human woman so quickly. He had already gone out of his way to keep her safe and accommodate her and now he was siting like a fool, watching her in her sleep. The thought itself was so ridiculous that the ape felt ashamed, his private battle regarding his feelings completely distracting him from Ellie's wriggling, sleepy form.
"I should... I should really change... I've been in these clothes for almost three days." The sky-hued ape couldn't tell just how much time had passed between them in silence but Ellie's voice instantly snapped back to reality and he looked at her, confused.
"Ape no need clothes," he stated without thinking, only realizing his mistake when the chestnut haired girl released a nervous laugh and instinctively looked down at her chest. Almost instantly, light hues followed her gaze and for a moment, Blue Eyes simply sat there, looking. His father had often spoken of similarities between humans and apes but the physical differences between the species were vast. Even when humans achieved impressive muscle definition, their bodies never reached the size of apes and their lack of body hair was a horrible disadvantage. Of course, their faces certainly looked different too but Ellie also had two reasons that made her very different to the female apes and those reasons caused Blue Eyes to stare until the girl coughed and snapped him back to a very embarrassing reality. Unlike female apes, female humans retained full, round breasts throughout their lifetime and not just during pregnancy. It was a phenomenon that puzzled many apes, even those that didn't find a woman's chest particularly appealing. Blue Eyes liked them, though. Even covered up they looked pleasant and he was almost a little disappointed at Ellie for not embracing the local customs. Of course, he would never say anything about his private thoughts. It was far too embarrassing.
Without another word, Blue Eyes slipped outside to wait by the hut and kept his back to Ellie. Almost immediately, he heard the human close the curtains quickly behind him and a series of noises followed. It took all of his will-power not to turn around and slip the curtains open just enough to see the hidden curves of her body. Although he had never admitted it to his father, the young ape had previously eavesdropped on conversations that other teenage males had about human females. There were a few that were naturally curious and showed great interest in seeing the human body completely free of restricting clothes. At the time, Blue Eyes considered those apes to be strange and confused but now, he was probably thinking thoughts far worse than any of them had ever thought. He didn't just want to see a female human's body out of ignorant curiosity, he just wanted to see Ellie.
After a few minutes, the human returned and the ape couldn't help but admire her form silently. While her worn-down boots remained on, Ellie's shorts had been replaced with skin-tight black trousers and a shirt that looked like it had originally been designed for a human man. Her body was a little more hidden than before but the black material clung to her legs like a second skin. Blue Eyes liked how her legs looked. Slender but strong, the thighs especially toned after years of running. Still, as much as he approved of the outfit choice, Blue Eyes wasn't about to comment on the human's appearance. She already seemed to notice that his gaze grew intense whenever he scanned her up and down. "Today, you hunt. First, we eat." the ape spoke finally, calmly. He made sure to sign at the same time, going over the term 'hunt' with his companion several times.
Ellie seemed to soak in information like a sponge. Eager and smiling, the human repeated everything he signed and tried to do it herself with her limited knowledge of hand signals. "With you?" Her eyes were hopeful and the intensity of her dark orbs made Blue Eyes turn away. He didn't want to see the disappointment in them.
"No, with children. I go with Caesar."
Blue eyes didn't need to see her gaze to sense the disappointment. Ellie's hands fell flat by her sides and a little 'oh' escaped her lips but the ape couldn't quite work out the nature of her discouragement, knowing that it could have been for a number of reasons. She might have simply considered him a reliable partner or maybe she was just nervous of venturing into the woodland without him. Blue Eyes couldn't possibly start to think that Ellie was enjoying their time together just as much as he was. "It will be fine. Children good. Big hearts. Blue Eyes see you after."
That seemed to help a little. Soon, Ellie's smile returned as the pair walked towards the communal area but unfortunately her joy was short-lived. Chatter instantly seized and hundreds of pairs of eyes turned to Blue Eyes and his human companion and the ape quickly noticed that some of the faces had friendly, welcoming smiles. Unfortunately, Blue Eyes could sense that Ellie only picked up on hostility so without even thinking, he reached out to touch her. He'd only intended to tap her fingertips with his to assure her of his support but she grabbed his had a little too tightly as soon as his nails brushed the back of her palm and it was clear from her solid grip that she had no intention of letting go.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of angry stares, Caesar rose to his feet and lifted his arms. "EAT!" His strong voice boomed through the colony and instantly snapped the apes back to their breakfast. It happened slowly but soon the chatter picked up again and Blue Eyes took this opportunity to pull Ellie gently towards his mother, father and brother even if she still refused to let go of his hand.
The act itself was not all that foreign to Blue Eyes and the young ape distinctively remembered how his mother would grab his hand when he was still a stumbling toddler. Cornelia still did the very same thing to his little brother but it somehow seemed different with Ellie. Rather than just grabbing onto his hand, the young human interlinked his much larger fingers with her own and her thumb occasionally pushed out to stroke at the soft flesh of his palm. Such a simple act stunned him and his hand gripped the human's little fingers desperately. His skin tingled everywhere that Ellie had touched and a rush of pleasure jolted straight to his stomach. It was such a simple notion, such an innocent act but Blue Eyes had practically lost all power of speech by the time the pair reached his parents. Thankfully, his father chose to talk first.
"This Cornelia. My wife. My son, Milo.' Albeit reluctantly, Blue Eyes released Ellie's hand and gave her lower back a little nudge forward. Like him, the human girl seemed to be frozen in place but his little touch of encouragement was enough to push her forward. From this angle, the young ape only had a limited view of the human but he could tell from his mother's smile that she greeted in the proper manner and his little brother's reaction suddenly had the three of them smiling softly. Children, Blue Eyes honestly believed, were the key to fundamental acceptance. Milo saw a difference in his own appearance when compared to Ellie but he wasn't scared or angry like some of the older apes had been. Instead of backing away, the confident little ape bounced over and scaled Ellie's arms until she was in the right position to hold him. This had taken his human friend by surprise, Blue Eyes could tell, because she turned back to face him with confused eyes for a moment but he reassured her with a nod. Milo had grown significantly in the last four years but he was still light enough for Ellie to hold, even if her arms were tensing slightly under his weight.
"El... ell... Ellie!" the littlest ape chirped with only a little struggle as his father pulled him off. A flash of warmth spread through his father's eyes as Blue Eyes watched his intense gaze on the human, who had now crouched in front of Milo and was teaching him how to sign her name. Excited, the young ape bounced on his feet, repeating her name over and over. It was one of the first words that he'd learned to say without issue.
Away from the judgmental eyes of the other apes, Ellie seemed to relax a little but Blue Eyes noticed that she still stayed especially close to him throughout their simple breakfast of berries and vegetables. Without even asking, the young woman settled herself beside him cross-legged and the ape had to shift away slightly because her knee had been pressed quite firmly into his thigh. It was an act that many wouldn't have thought anything of but Blue Eyes noticed his mother and father exchange a curious look. Thankfully, Milo offered a great distraction because half way through breakfast, the youngest ape decided to take it on himself to teach Ellie to sign. The rest of the breakfast had filled with smiles and even surprising laughter.
Unfortunately though, all good things had to come to an end and soon, Caesar had offered to guide Ellie to the crew of child hunters. She didn't resist but her eyes instantly found Blue Eyes, searching his gaze for a reassurance that he desperately tried to give without words. 'I'll be here,' he signed, unsure just how much she could understand in a panic. 'Everything is fine.' His head hung as Ellie disappeared with his father to join the small hunting party of teenage apes, hoping that they would greet her with the same enthusiasm as Milo had at breakfast but he had his apprehensions. The large hunting party would follow them shortly after with Blue Eyes among them and they wouldn't be far away if anything were to happen but the ape was still uncertain about leaving Ellie alone with any other apes. Some were friendly but there was an understandable, deep-rooted uncertainty in the eyes of others. Blue Eyes couldn't say that he trusted everyone in the colony completely but just like the rest of the apes, he had no choice but to put his faith in his father's decisions.
Still there was no way of hiding his obvious nerves and Caesar picked up on his son's lack of normality as soon as he returned and the team started their hunt. Tense and uncomfortable, Blue Eyes missed every single time he'd attempted to throw his spear at a deer and after an hour of this, the younger ape was not surprised that his father had pulled him side. "Blue Eyes scared," his father stated boldly, his large hands comforting on his son's shoulders. His gaze was intense and Blue Eyes found it difficult to meet his face, even if there was no difference in height or physique at this point. Uncomfortable, he signed that he wasn't scared but worried and his father let his hands fall at his sides instantly. "About human?" His tone was soft, calm. He wasn't at all judgmental and Blue Eyes finally lifted his sky colored hues to meet his father's gaze.
"Yes." His answer embarrassed him more than it should have but surprisingly, Caesar didn't show anger in response. His large hand found his son's broad shoulder again and he patted it affectionately, signing so their conversation wouldn't be overheard.
"She is with Rocket. She is safe. Caesar would not send human to danger." Blue Eyes silently wondered if his father had question his apprehensions because he showed no sign of annoyance. His eyes were kind, reassuring and he even offered a smile which the young ape tentatively returned. "Trust me."
They may have just been words but they were surprisingly comforting and along with his father's warm smile, they were enough to calm the young ape's beating heart and the second part of the hunt was significantly more successful. In the end, Blue Eyes added a young buck to the hunter's impressive collection. That was enough. His shot had been clear and the spear had aimed straight for the animal's head, resulting in instant death and excellent meat preservation. A little smile relaxed the ape's features as he quietly followed Caesar and the rest of the team back to the colony, happy to add the buck to the collection for the women to cook. What he couldn't hide was that he was much happier to see the group of young hunters coming slowly from the distance and Ellie's hairless, clothed form was clearly among them.
It took all of his self control to keep his feet stationary as he watched her approach, delighted to see a smile stretching her lips as she attempting to sign with the youngest apes of the group. They smiled too and even Rocket seemed content because every single one of the young hunters had something to attribute to the colony. One by one, the young apes walked by and dropped their squirrels and rabbits and soon, Ellie was adding her catch. Two eagles. Three squirrels. Blue Eyes beamed with pride as the girl instantly approached him.
"It was great, Blue Eyes! The apes... Rocket is so kind and so patient!" Her enthusiasm was infectious and for the first time since their meeting, Blue Eyes returned her smiles without over-thinking the situation but their shared joy was unfortunately brief. As she spoke, her small hands moved to excitedly grab at his forearms and while he didn't at all disapprove of the soft, warm thumbs idly stroking his muscular form, he could make out his mother's curious, confused eyes as she clearly tried to overhear their conversation.
Much to the human's dismay, the young ape withdrew his arms, causing her own hands to collapse by her sides. Blue Eyes only needed to look into Ellie's big brown eyes to see the confusion there but he was quick to speak and calm her nerves. "Good. Ellie did good. Now, lets walk to hut. Tell me about hunt." The enthusiasm returned to her eyes quickly despite the fact that he kept a respectable distance between the two of them. She spoke of her fondness of the other apes, of their skills and talents. Blue Eyes didn't even try to hide his smile as she clasped her hands together in excitement over their surprising acceptance. Unfortunately, the young ape knew that not everyone reflected the positive opinions of the younger apes but he didn't want to dampen Ellie's spirits with his caution. Instead he let her talk, nodding along with her story and smiling when she clasped her hands together once they reached the hut. "What do we do now? Do we help with the cooking?"
Blue Eyes shook his head no, making sure to sign slowly so that Ellie could pick up on extra words and learn as quickly as possible. "We hunt, others cook. We can sign. Maybe pick berries." Truthfully, Blue Eyes would have been happy to do anything as long as Ellie was in his company. Today had been the first day where they'd spent any real time apart and the ape had missed the way the young woman laughed. Still, he didn't want to be presumptuous. "Or... Ellie can rest or..."
A small hand reached out and touched his arm, instantly silencing him. "I don't want to rest, Blue Eyes," Ellie spoke softly. Her smile had faded and her brown eyes looked down, away from his curious gaze. "I want to go into the city. And I want you to come with me."