The stream rushed down the rock slope with all the forces of gravity behind it. The trickling sound of water added a nice touch to the surrounding forest ambience, filled as ever with many a distant song bird. A sunny day was masked by the crisscrossing layers of tree branches high above, leaf-covered limbs stretching high into the sun-soaked sky like the hands of hungry beggars. Even at high noon, a green-hued shadow was laid out across the land. Despite the calm veneer, there was much activity to be noticed. A wood frog was caught helplessly in a spider's web, the spider in question waiting patiently for the frog to tire out. A rabbit tended to her numerous new-born offspring. The sound of a woodpecker's foraging rang out, bounding from tree to tree.
And a lone, young female elk stepped to the edge of the stream, and bent her neck down to let the water flow liberally into her mouth. She swallowed as much of the water as quickly as she could. Almost everything about her life had to be lived as quickly as possible. She had to drink fast, eat fast, and – most of all – run fast. There was never any way of knowing just when a predator might set its sights on her.
Her drink was cut off by a noise; a growing noise coming from somewhere up ahead. Her neck sprang up, and she tuned her ears to the coming sound. The ears honed in as best they could, and registered the sound of galloping hooves. It was a sound that she knew all too well these past few years, and it sent her bolting in the opposite direction, bounding over fallen logs and low limbs.
Just as she cleared the scene, four horses galloped right up to the stream, each one of them carrying a single Ape on its back: one female chimpanzee, one female bonobo, and two male orangutans.
"What was it?" one of the orangs asked.
"Nothing much, deer I think," the bonobo signed lazily.
"Whatever it was, it wasn't a human," the chimp signed.
One of the male orangutans snarled and signed, "We've been searching for hours! Still no sign of her."
The chimp turned to him and signed, "Then we keep searching until we do find a sign. Caesar's orders."
The red ape looked away, flaring his lips a bit as he stared at the ground before turning back and signing, "I don't' see why it's so important that we find this human. It's just a lone female. How dangerous can she be?"
"Don't you trust Caesar?" the bonobo asked, tilting her head in a questioning way.
The male huffed in a defensive fashion, signing, "Of course I trust Caesar. I just wish I knew more," and he shrugged.
"She's human," the other orangutan signed. "What more do we need to know?"
"Not all humans are bad," the chimpanzee pointed out, more as a matter of fact than a moral or ethical decision.
"If Caesar thinks this one is, I'm not going to question," the orangutan maintained, even has his exhausted companion rolled his eyes.
"We just have to keep looking," the bonobo said as she turned her gaze to the forest scenery around them. Looking for humans was as easy as it was counterintuitive. Humans didn't need finding – if they were around, everyone in the village new. They were loud, often dressed in brightly colored clothing, with acrid smells blowing off all around them. And at any of these signs, the Apes would take off for the village stronghold. What was far less common was for Apes to actively seek out humans. At the very least, it was an easy endeavor. A simple glance at the surrounding trees would reveal if there were any humans nearby.
As the bonobo scanned the undergrowth, she caught sight of something that made her pull on the reins and bring her horse to a stand still. A few hoots alerted the other to her apparent finding. She dropped down from the horse and brushed away some of the ferns in her way. She reached down and picked up something. The other three couldn't see it at first, but as she held it up, they caught sight of a single brief flash of light that revealed a simple, golden ring.
The other three all hooted loudly at the sight. "Good spot, Jenni!" one of the orangutans signed. She brought it closer for them to see. The ring was very simplistic, with no jewels ornamenting the outer surface. It shone brilliantly under a stray sun beam.
The chimp female quivered her jaw and asked, "What is it?"
"I don't know," Jenni replied, still staring at the ring. "But it was made by a human, that's for sure.
"And I think it belongs to a female," one of the orangutans signed. "Back at the zoo, I always noticed that female humans liked to wear shiny things on their bodies. Males did too, but not as much."
"What should we do now?" the other orangutan asked. "Should we keep looking around here?"
The other male, who had already been exhausted with searching answered, "No, let's go back. We'll get more Apes to search around here."
"You just want to go home," Jenni signed, blowing a raspberry at him.
He huffed a few times but stayed true to his sentiment. "I'm not wrong, though."
In the end, they agreed, and Jenni remounted her horse. An hour's worth of riding later, and they returned to the village, passing through the arch at the Northern border. There weren't as many gorillas hanging out there as there usually were. Once they made it to the village square, they all started shrieking repeatedly, drawing attention from all corners of the village.
Maurice, in the middle of a lecture about rocks to the little ones, stopped abruptly, looking in their direction. He quickly signed to the young Apes, "Since you've all been doing so well with the lessons, I'll end class early for today. Go on and have fun, I'll see you all tomorrow." None of them saw any of his signs after he told them that class was ending early, having erupted in a joyful frenzy of hooting and shrieking.
He wasted no time in hauling his 300 pound body to where the four Apes had ridden up to. Rocket, also drawn to their arrival, galloped up to them and stood up tall, huffing excitedly. "What is it?"
"I found something," Jenni signed, showing them the ring. Both of them examined it intensely.
Maurice gently reached out and plucked it from her fingers. "Where did you find this?"
"In a fern grove, a few miles Northwest from the spot you mentioned," she signed.
Maurice nodded, signing to them, "Well done. Thank you all. You are dismissed for now." At his sign, they all turned and made their way toward the stables. Holding the gold ring in his open palm, Maurice stared at it for a moment, Rocket seemingly dazzled by its sheen. "Our first sign."
"What is it?" Rocket signed, daring to touch it.
"It's called a ring," Maurice signed. "Humans wear them on their fingers to look pretty. Mostly females."
Rocket's mouth hung open as he kept staring at it. "I've only ever spent time with males," he signed, picking up the ring and trying to slide it over his index finger. To his disappointment, the ring would not fit him. "Too small," he singed with a wave of his hand and a course huff.
"We'll have to gather the Apes, send a larger search party out," Maurice said, taking back the ring.
"Can't yet," Rocket signed. "Strongest chimpanzees are all out hunting with Koba."
"And the gorillas?"
"Still building the cage."
Maurice stared at the ring for another few moments before turning his gaze to Caesar's tree fort. He sighed heavily, twiddling the ring in his fingers.
"Should we tell him?" Rocket.
Maurice didn't answer at first, struggling with the question. Finally, he signed, "We should. It would be his first good news in over a week."
"Alright, but…let's go together," Rocket signed wearily.
They turned toward the Tree fort, which seemed dark and gloomy, even in the brightest rays of high noon. As they approached the first step to the stairs, Cornelia was sitting by, snacking on some roots. When she saw them coming, she stood up, a concerned look on her face. She asked, "What's wrong?"
Maurice shook his head and signed, "Nothing wrong. We may have found something."
She cooed softly at that sign, enthusiastically signing, "Oh good. Were you hoping to come up?" They both nodded uneasily. "For you, it'll be okay. Just be careful, and try not to stay too long."
They nodded in agreement, and she led them upstairs. As they passed Blue Eyes room, they saw an extra nest laid out beside his. When they turned the corner to Caesar's chambers, they cautiously peaked inside. The floor was littered with many discarded, bloody bones. Makeshift curtains of animal hide had been hung along all of the windows, casting a shadowy veil over the whole room. They had to wait a moment for their eyes to adjust. When their eyes were ready, they saw Caesar, hunched over in his nest, breathing unevenly and haggardly.
Maurice tried to make a quiet call, but in the stifling silence of the room, it sounded off like a clap of thunder, causing all of them to flinch. Caesar raised his head to look at them, giving them a seemingly-bored expression. He gestured for them to come forward, and they obeyed, taking slow, mindful steps toward their leader.
Cornelia was the first to address him. "How are you holding up?"
He snorted softly and signed, "Still anxious. Still….like, uncomfortable in my own skin. Like I want to rip it off." His expression seemed absolutely tortured as he ran his fingers down his face. "It's only gotten worse. The closer we get to the night of the moon, the worse it feels." Cornelia tried to reach out and give him a comforting pat on the back, but before her hand fell, he jerked back, leaving her with an empty hand and a few distressed whimpers. "What have you found?"
"Jenni found something when she was out patrolling with Rose, Mickey, and Jack," Maurice signed, as he held up the golden ring. Caesar looked at the ring, turning it over in his mind's eye. He slowly reached out and took the ring in his right hand, stroking it repeatedly in his fingers. The gold was quite cool to the touch, and precious to look at. As he stared into it, Caesar made out the vague form of his own reflection. It was at that moment that he looked away from it, back at the others.
"Where was it found?" Caesar asked.
"A few miles Northwest from where Koba and Blue Eyes first saw her," Maurice answered.
"Show me the picture," Caesar signed, pointing to the back containing the items they'd picked up over a week ago. Rocket grabbed the bag and brought it over to Caesar, who nearly tore it from Rocket's hands. Rummaging through the collection of items, he pulled out the folder containing the information on Amelia Murphy. He picked out the photo, only to find that the room was too dark to make anything out for certain. "Light," he hastily signed, not taking his eyes from the picture. Maurice reached out with a long arm and pulled back one of the curtains, exposing just enough light to illuminate the image. Caesar looked as carefully as he could at the photo, trying to discern if the ring was anywhere to be found. In fact, there were a few different rings on her finger, but the image was just too blurry to make anything out for certain. Still, the odds seemed good considering the circumstances.
"Take as many as you can. Search the area until you find her," he signed with full resolution.
"It will have to wait," Rocket signed. "Most Apes are still out with Koba, hunting."
Before a single moment could pass, a bizarre, irrational hatred filled Caesar's mind. He refused to believe that his inferior could dictate their course of action. A loud shriek broke through the room as Caesar reared up on two legs, full fangs bared in terrifying aggression. His rage-filled scream was accompanied by a lighting-fast raising of his arms as a blow was aimed square at Rocket's face. Caesar's balled fist struck Rocket's lower jaw with a startling crunch that sent Rocket's whole head jerking backwards.
Before Caesar could strike another blow, Maurice reached out with incredible speed, a flash of red that grabbed Caesar's wrist before it could come down on Rocket's skull. Caesar's whole body surged in resistance, but even with his furious jerking body, he was no match for the orangutan more than twice his size. When Caesar shrieked in defiance, Maurice curled back his lips, his orange goatee unfurling to reveal huge, yellow teeth that were flashed with an accompanying bellow that resonated from deep within Maurice's gut.
The roar seemed to do the trick. Caesar snapped his head to the side, his eyes returning to their softer state. His body relaxed to near-perfect stillness. He looked around, seeing Cornelia frozen with horror, Rocket massaging a bruised jaw, and Maurice standing over him, his hand gripped tightly around Caesar's wrist. When he saw his own stayed hand, Caesar was flooded with the memory of what he'd just done. Maurice saw this reflected in the green of his eyes, and so relaxed his hold, allowing Caesar his hand back.
"I….am sorry," he said, his voice carrying something desperate in its superficial gruffness. Maurice let out a gentle growl and put his hand on Caesar's shoulder. "The wolf…is very strong now…you should probably go."
They all nodded, and made their way quietly to the exit. Once they reached the bottom floor, Rocket turned to Cornelia and signed, "I see what you mean."
She nodded grimly and signed, "It's painful to watch. It's like he's disappearing, and a new Ape is taking his place." She looked away for a moment before turning back and signing, "But I must be strong. If I give up on him, he'll have no one."
Maurice gave her his warmest, gentlest eyes. "He is fortunate to have a mate as devoted as you."
"What should we do now?" Rocket asked.
"While we wait for Koba's return," Maurice signed, "we should go to the gorillas, see how they're making out."
"You go, I'll stay," Cornelia signed. "I don't want to be too far away."
Maurice bowed his head and signed, "Of course."
As Cornelia maintained her vigil by the foot of the steps to the tree fort, Maurice and Rocket made their way past the fort to a distant, segregated corner of the village. It was the sort of spot that fit neatly within their borders, and yet no Ape ever visited. There was no particular reason for it: there was just always somewhere else they'd rather be. As such, it made the perfect place to build the cage.
When Maurice and Cornelia arrived, there were 5 gorillas on duty, including Stone. All of them were large males, two of which were silverbacks. So far, the cage was constructed out of small tree trunks cut down fresh for the purpose. They had originally considered using fallen logs, but these were determined to be too wet and breakable. The trunks were tied together with rope and were reinforced with boulders placed around the outer edges of the cage. The cage wall was around 20 feet high in total.
When Stone saw them approach, he stopped what he was doing and went over to them, letting out a few course grunts . "Maurice, Rocket – welcome!" he signed
"Good to see you Stone," Maurice signed. "How's the cage coming?"
He nodded enthusiastically and signed, "Very well. It is almost finished. It just needs a little extra reinforcement. Come," he signed, gesturing for them to come closer. He led them around to the edge of cage and to make shift stair case made from big rocks arranged in ascending size. Stepping up to the very top, they all peered down into the interior and saw a very large gorilla, Stone's size or even bigger, with all black hair on his body.
Stone bellowed out to him and signed, "Atlas! Again!"
Atlas nodded and slowly backed up to one corner of the cage. Then, turning to face toward the opposite side, he bolted off in a rapid gallop. With momentum behind him, he leaped out and threw every ounce of body strength he had at the wall. There was a colossal booming sound that rang out from where he struck at the wall, accompanied by a fair few vibrations ringing through Stone's, Maurice's, and Rocket's bodies as they felt the vibrations travel up their bodies from where they were toughing the wall.
"How was that?" Atlas signed, seemingly unfazed.
"Closer," Stone signed. "Still some shaking." Then he turned to the gorillas on the outside and signed, "need more rope and boulders." Then Stone turned back to Maurice and Rocket, keeping his hand away from the sight of the others. "What do you think? Strong enough?"
Rocket answered, "Should be when it's done. These creatures are very strong, but not stronger than the gorillas I think."
"What about the human?" Stone asked.
Maurice shrugged. "Haven't found her yet. But one of the search parties did return with something. A human object. It's not much, but it is our first sign."
"We're waiting for Koba to return with the others out hunting. Then we'll send a large search party out," Rocket signed.
Stone nodded and signed, "Let me know when you're ready. I'll send some of the gorillas out with you."
Maurice uttered a soft growl in appreciation. "Thank you, Stone."
The moment was interrupted by a mixture of sounds from the other side of the village. Pounding hooves were joined by many whoops and hollers. Maurice and Rocket didn't even say anything to Stone as they bounded away toward the source of the noise. Turning a corner, they caught site of Koba on horseback, hooting loudly as he led a full hunting party through the arch leading to the village square. The Apes who had just arrived seemed just as excited as those who stayed behind. Toward the back of the great Ape procession, an adult male elk carcass was spread out over a stretch bed, being hauled in by some of the other Apes.
Koba dismounted his horse, accepting praise from some of the other Apes that came by to inspect their bounty. He raised his arms up high, spear in hand, pant hooting loudly. His open-mouthed, toothy grin was worn unashamedly all over his face, obscuring his scars if only for that moment. His excitement spread to the other Apes, who also thrilled in the success of the hunt.
As Maurice and Rocket arrived on the scene, Cornelia appeared there too, drawn to the commotion. When Koba was done reveling in his received praise, he approached the three of them. "Another successful hunt!" he signed to them, grinning in a way that revealed the tips of his canine teeth.
Maurice nodded. "So I see," he signed. "Well done."
Without truly acknowledging Maurice's praise, Koba continued. "We should be all caught up now from last week's failings." When he signed that last word, he noticed a lowering of Rocket's brow ridges accompanied by a snort or two. Koba put up his hands quickly and added, "Not that it was Caesar's fault. But we've finally got enough meat." This seemed to appease Rocket, who lightened up a little, though he was still just a little tense. Then Koba went on. "Now if you'll excuse me, I was planning to meet up with Trish. You know Trish, right? Jill's daughter?"
"I know her," Rocket signed very stiffly.
"We were planning on grooming after I got back, so I'm going to-,"
But Maurice interjected. "It will have to wait. We've found a sign of Amelia Murphy. We need to take the hunting party back out to look for her."
At first, Koba just stood there and stared at Maurice. There was no clear intention behind his expression – just the meeting of their eyes. Koba's jaw just hung there as his chest heaved calmly up and down. Then he signed, "Alright then, guess we should probably get everyone back together. Where are we headed?"
"A few miles Northwest," Rocket signed. "Jenni, Rose, Mickey, and Jack found it."
Koba nodded slowly. "Okay then, let's get started." Then he turned back to the Apes that were dismounting their horses, or getting ready to head back to their homes. They all looked at him confusedly. "We found a sign of the human Caesar warned us about. Need you all to help us search for her." There were a few obvious signs of reluctance from the exhausted Apes, but they did eventually follow Koba's directive.
It took a little while to fully organize the search party. Maurice and Rocket had to fetch their horses. The four Apes who found the ring had to be found and brought to the front of the line so they could lead the way. True to his word, Stone sent 12 gorillas to join in the search. Once they were all saddled up, they all rode off through the Northern gate.
Jenni, Rose, Mickey, and Jack lead them off the sparse roads they'd made over the last few years and into the thick of the woods. They had to carefully and slowly herd their steeds between the fattened redwood trunks sprouting up from the ground at every angle. The Apes on foot crowded together in the underbrush. Every so often a whoop or holler would sound out from the front, as if to remind those at the back that they had not been forgotten.
Eventually, Jenni held up her hand, triggering a similar gesture from the surrounding Apes. The effect was an immediate halting of the party. Jenni turned to Koba and signed. "This is where I found the human thing."
Koba nodded, and then he stood up on his horse's back. The horse didn't appreciate this, as it let out a low whinny and jostled a little on its legs. But Koba didn't stay that way for long – he leaped onto a nearby redwood, digging into the bark with his fingers and toes. Hauling himself straight up the vertical surface, he reached a point where all the other Apes could see him. Taking a deep breath, he bellowed out to them. "Go! Find human female! Back here by sunset!"
The dispersal of Apes was slow but immediate. They all broke off into smaller groups, mostly consisting of conspecific friends or relatives. Blue Eyes, Ash, and many of the adolescent Apes stuck to Koba, while Maurice stayed with Rocket.
Looking over his shoulder, Maurice made sure that Koba was far enough away so that he wouldn't catch any signs from the orangutan's hands. When he was sure, he crept close to Rocket and signed. "You notice something…off about Koba?"
Rocket, also making sure that no other Apes were eavesdropping, snorted and signed hard with his hands, "Do not like how he has been acting!" His frustration was evident in how he moved his hands. "Does not seem worried about Caesar."
Maurice nodded slowly, low breathes escaping like hot vapor from his nostrils. "I agree. He enjoys being leader. I…I do wonder if he actually wants Caesar to get better."
Rocket turned his head aside, whimpering a little bit before signing. "He wouldn't be that bad…would he?"
Maurice brushed away a large fern, but upon seeing nothing, he answered Rocket. "I certainly hope not, but….I'm not sure. Ever since Caesar put him in charge, things have been very good for him. The other Apes like him, and he even gets to be with the females…" Maurice paused as if wondering if he should say something more, but he shook it off and continued on, "If Caesar gets better, then he'll go back to where he was before. It's not hard to see why he might want things to stay this way."
Rocket shook his head with a snarl. "Caesar should have made me leader!"
Maurice nodded and signed, "Probably. You are definitely one of the most loyal. But remember Rocket – for all of his strength, Caesar is just an Ape. Like you, like me. And even he can make mistakes."
"Koba always seemed like a good Ape," Rocket signed. "Brave, and strong."
Maurice let out a very low sigh, which came out like a low growl. "I have always been….wary of Koba. Do you remember the first few days after we escaped to the forest?" Rocket nodded. "I remember talking with him briefly at one point. This was before all the Apes had learned Sign. For some reason, he didn't think that the Apes who couldn't sign were even Apes. He thought they were 'black, fuzzy worms.' And of course, he was filled with hatred and anger toward humans. But that's not new.
"Somewhere deep inside of Koba, there is a rage. A fury. A hatred not just of humans….but also of himself, at least a little. He hates what the humans have made him into, and it keeps him from feeling like a true Ape. And it hasn't gone away. All of those horrible feelings are still there, inside him. One day…maybe even one day soon…they'll find a way out. Nothing scares me more than the thought of that day, not even the werewolf."
Rocket didn't look like he understood entirely, but he did take away that Koba being in charge wasn't a good thing. It was something he knew all along, but it was nice to see someone else thought the same thing. And Maurice was smart, so Rocket felt even stronger in his conviction. "I just hope that we find this human soon. I hope that Caesar gets better, so Koba won't be leader anymore."
"I hope so too," Maurice signed, a single thought flashing at the back of his mind for the briefest moment. I hope it will be that easy…
The shadow of the trees began to lengthen as the sun passed ever farther into the west. Even after a few hours of rigorous searching, there didn't appear to be any sign of anything even remotely human. At least, not until the 4th hour in. All heads turned toward the North at the sound of a high pitched scream, clearly coming from a chimpanzee. In an instant, the Ape horde began converging on the source of the noise until a wall of hairy bodies had formed around it. Maurice and Rocket used their status as well as their arms to push through the horde, not stopping until they reached the screeching chimp in question
It was a lone female called Abby, who was about Blue Eye's age. She pointed forward and they saw what it was she'd found. In a small clearing of the forest, there was a single tent set up in front of a drowned campfire. A few pieces of trash were scattered carelessly around the sight. A line stretched from one redwood to another, dirty clothes hanging delicately from it. Muddy foot prints dotted around the campsite made it clear that the camper had been there recently.
As Maurice and Rocket stood in front of the human camp, they turned to their right to see Koba push his way past more Apes. Upon setting his eyes on the camp, his lips retracted in a wide, toothy grin.