Song. Light bird song. That was the first thing she heard when she woke up the next morning. Her eyes opened to a sky free of clouds and rain, with brilliant rays of golden sunlight shining down upon her makeshift prison. Looking up in front of her, she caught sight of a black bird, warbling brightly to the tune of the morning. She sat up from her rather uncomfortable sleeping position, feeling the stiffness in her limbs and neck. Upon sitting up, she felt a pang of hunger in her gut that sang even more loudly than the bird, and in fact scared it away.

It was then that she noticed something in the air – the beautiful aroma of smoked meat wafting in from outside. It was such a powerful scent that it caused her to jump to her feet and press her face against the poles. It was faint, but she noticed that it was getting closer. And closer. Until finally, she sensed that it was moving around just on the outside. It was mere feet from her nose. She followed it around from within. It reached the point of the steps on the other side, and to her delight, it was going up.

She stepped back just in time to see the face of an ape – a chimpanzee – rise from the other side. In one hand, he carried a shallow bowl of wood, and in the other was a slab of freshly-cooked meat. At first, he just stared at her, and she at him. This was by far the strangest out of all the apes she'd yet seen. His pale face was defined by two, bizarrely-human-looking green eyes that carried a density and a depth in their gaze. He was very still, and when he did move, it was much more deliberate than the others.

He lifted up the meat and nodded to her. She knew immediately what he was saying, and she nodded excitedly. He threw it down to her, and she was so happy for it that she jumped up to catch it. Once she had it in her hands, the chimpanzee held the bowl against his chest and dropped down in front of her. Once more, they stared at each other, until the ape gestured to the meat, and nodded at her. Hunger overcame her caution, and she gladly bought the slab to her lips and drove her teeth into the soft, smoked flesh. Tearing out huge chunks at a time, she relished the flavor with mouthful after mouthful as it passed quickly down her gullet. It had started out at nearly a foot and half long, but within a few minutes, there was nothing left of it. She had wolfed down the meal so quickly that she was actually out of breath when she finished.

At that point, Caesar offered her the bowl. Peering down inside, she saw that it was filled with water. She took it gratefully, bowing her head before throwing it back and putting the rim of the bowl to her lips. Cool, refreshing water began pouring down her throat, washing away the last remnants of the meat's taste from her mouth.

"I am sorry."

The statement came right in the middle of her drink, and was so unexpected that she nearly choked on the water. When she looked back up at him, she saw in his eyes many things, but at the very front was a profound sense of guilt and regret. Amelia almost felt like she could empathize, before quickly remembering her predicament. It was at least the right thing for him to say. But she had no idea of what to say herself, and so more silence passed between them.

Finally, he spoke again. "Wish it did not have to be this way."

As near as she could read ape body language, and from the sorrow in his voice, she had every reason to believe that he was genuine in his sentiment. There certainly didn't seem to be any point in lying about it. But it didn't make things any clearer to her. Picking her words very carefully, she asked him, "Then why did you bring me here?"

The ape looked down and sighed through this flattened nose. He struggled to find a good place to begin. Finally, when he seemed to have settled on a starting place, he looked back up at her. "I am leader of this village. Of these apes. I led them to freedom from the city across the bridge eight years ago."

Amelia's eyes lit up. "You're the apes from the San Francisco incident!" He nodded. "I thought they'd been fire bombed shortly after the stand off on the Golden Gate Bridge?"

He shook his head. "No. They tried. We escaped. Built a new home in the forest. That day is the day of our New Year. It was three weeks ago."

"Jesus," Amelia said softly. It was one of the first moments of reflections she'd had in years. So much of her time had been spent thinking of what to do next. So much time looking forward instead of backward.

"On that night," Caesar continued. "I was attacked….by a wolf."

Everything in Amelia froze at that instant. Every muscle in her body tensed, and her blood chilled her veins as it was pumped through her by a heart now racing. They can't possibly know….

Caesar went on. "My friend, Rocket, stabbed wolf through the side with a spear. We came back to village. Next morning, wound was gone, all healed. Friends go to retrieve spear. No wolf, but a man dead where wolf was stabbed."

She relaxed a little at the mention of a man. "What do you think happened?" she asked cautiously.

Caesar looked at her, piercing her eyes with his own, digging into her with his gaze. "I think you know."

Now her entire body relaxed as her eyes dropped to the ground with a sigh. "How did you find out?"

"Found where he was staying," Caesar said. "In a human home."

"What, you mean like a house?" Amelia said, to which Caesar nodded. "Figures…..he always did take a more…relaxed view of the wolf form." Caesar gave her a curious look. "Brendan Larsen's been following me for over a decade. Twelve years ago, I bit him during one of my…bouts. That was back before I really learned how to better contain myself. When he found out what the standard treatment is for a werewolf bite, he tacked me down, kidnapped me, and locked me up in an abandoned building on the night of the full moon. I can't really say what happened next…only that the next morning I was a long ways away, and he was still tracking me. I've been more careful ever since."

Caesar could hear weariness in her voice. She was tired; stretched to her limits, like butter scraped over too much bread. "How….were you bitten?" he asked after much consideration.

Amelia closed her eyes for a moment and took a seat on the ground. "Thirteen years ago. I was living with my parents in Connecticut. One night, on a little…sort of, weekend family camp thing, out in the woods…a wolf attacked us. My parents were killed, almost instantly. Then it moved on to me. The only reason it didn't kill me was because of a silver bracelet I just so happened to be wearing at the time. Of course, at the time, I had no idea why the werewolf burned every time I beat at it with my left hand, but….well, it was at least enough to drive it away…though not after a good few bites and scratches.

"I don't want to get too much into the details of what happened after that. They tried sending me to a few different places, but I always ran away. See, I didn't have any proof, but I knew exactly what was happening. The wound healed over night. The nightmares, the growing feelings of anger and savagery…..also the fact that my silver bracelet seemed to be giving me a rash. I knew what was going to happen to me, and more importantly, to anyone near me on the night of the next full moon. So I kept running, and eventually, they stopped chasing.

"I spent the first year on my own. I um…." and she actually started giggling as she contemplated telling Caesar, "Well, I…..I did some nice things for people….and to people…and that's how I made my money. Not exactly glamorous or anything, but I survived. During that first year, for the full moon, I would go to an abandoned house and lock myself in the basement. It worked well at first…until Larsen stumbled upon the house in a drunken stupor from God knows where. I guess I was making a bit of a commotion downstairs, and when he went to investigate, he got a nip out of me. He locked be back in the basement and ran off.

"For a few months after that, I didn't thank anything of it. There was no sign of him when I changed back the next morning. For all I knew, it never had happened. But a few months after that, while I was human, out just doing….well, human stuff, he showed up and took me away to an abandoned building. He chained me to the wall and…..well, he said some…really terrible things to me. Shit not worth repeating. He chained me up so that I couldn't get away when we both transformed. Again, I don't know what actually happened that night, exactly, but whatever happened, he was still looking for me.

"So I had tried moving far away. First to Texas, but he followed me there. Then I tried moving to Nevada, and that didn't work either. I tried hopping a few more states, but it didn't matter – he always followed me. He was one sick son of a bitch, let me tell you."

When Amelia finally stopped, she suddenly realized her heaving breast and the haggard nature of her breathing. Tears had already dripped from her chin onto the ground. She had barely heard her voice crack. Meanwhile, Caesar had taken a seat in front of her, keeping his gaze soft. A few points of her story had caused him to whimper or look down.

Amelia let out a few laughs and said, wiping tears from her eyes, "Wow…that was a little winded. Sorry, it's just….you're probably the first person I've ever actually told that to…holy fuck does it feel good!" and she smiled, but it was a painful smile. Caesar held out his hand, and she took it. She grasped very tightly, her smooth skin gliding easily over his leathery, wrinkled hand. "Thank you."

"I am sorry," Caesar said again, just as sorrowful as before.

"Oh no, no, really it's…..it's fine. I mean, if you guys killed Larsen, then that's pretty fucking a-okay in my book. And seriously, thanks for the food! That was the best thing I've eaten in months! I've been living off fucking bugs and mushrooms for the past few months," and she gave him a brave smile. "But then, what do you want with me?"

Caesar couldn't bear to look at her while answering. "My friends think if I drink your blood as wolf, I will be cured."

"Well….I don't know about that," Amelia said quietly. "I know that that's how it works if you drink the blood of the werewolf that bit you….or, that's what I've heard anyway…but I don't know if carries back along the line, so to speak."

Caesar nodded. "We have doubt. But it would be my only hope."

Amelia sighed deeply. "I understand. Larsen was a creep, and a drunk, and a violent, misogynistic pig, but I don't blame him for wanting a cure. If I had known when I was first bitten what to do, then I probably would have tried tracking down the person who did this to me, but….it's still been awful. And you've been nice and all, but I got to tell you – I'm still genuinely scared about what you want to do with me."

"Do not want to hurt you," Caesar said, with a very strong conviction. "I do this because I must. I am leader of these Apes. They depend on me, and I fail them. Wolf inside is strong. I do not feel like Ape."

"You're the leader, huh?" she asked, to which Caesar nodded. "Lucky you. How did that happen?" Caesar then gave his own lengthy recount of his tale – growing up among humans, learning that we was an Ape and that Apes are not loved by humans, and leading the escape from the primate prison, across the bridge, and into the woods. "Wow….that's actually a really incredible story. No wonder you're the leader. Fuck they must love you!"

Caesar nodded. "And I love them. Love the life we make here."

"And I guess you're probably pretty dead set on protecting it, huh?" She was answered with a nod from Caesar. "Then I sympathize with your dilemma here. This is one of those times when life just kinda fucking sucks, you know? You seem like a really cool….chimpanzee. You don't deserve this. But neither do I!" and with that, she brought a clenched fist into the dirt beside her.

The futility she spoke of was not lost on Caesar. He didn't like this plan from the beginning, and the more he learned of Amelia, the worse he felt. He had spent enough time around humans to know the good ones from the bad. This was one of the good ones. "What…is it like?" he asked her, simply.

At first, she wasn't sure what he meant, but it became clear an instant later what he was talking about. "It's hell. It is literally the worst pain imaginable. Actually, I take that back – the pain is so horrible it is beyond imagination.

"When the last little bit of sunlight goes away, your body is instantly hit with this total burning sensation. It's like your insides and outsides have been set on fire. It's the sort of pain that normally would cause you to black out from the intensity. But in this case, the same pain that's blacking you out is waking up the wolf. You start to mentally fade away as it takes over. You might catch a fleeting glimpse of fur growing on your body…well, not you of course because you already have it, but you know what I mean…or you might see your limbs start to warp and twist shapes, but the wolf takes over at about that time. You don't remember anything you do as a wolf, though you do dream about it. The worst part of all is waking up the next morning, having no idea where you are, where you've been, or where the blood on your lips came from."

Caesar sat with wide eyes as she spoke, his lips sealed shut. He gripped his own body as if to force it to remain in its current form. And yet as his heart fluttered, he felt something within – like the wolf stirring hungrily. He snorted and said, "Do not want that."

"No, you really don't," Amelia said with a chuckle. "I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy." A silence passed between them. Neither one could tell how long it lasted, but it went by in total silence. Finally, Amelia asked, "So…what are you going to do with me."

Caesar sat up and looked at Amelia. "Do not know yet…must think about it."

"Can I….?" she began, before pausing. "Would it be alright if I…made a little…suggestion?" Caesar looked her in the eye and nodded. "Okay, uh….look, I like you. I think you're a pretty decent…..person," she figured that was the right word, "and I don't want to hurt you. And I don't think we should hurt each other. If you do have any hope of being cured, it's going to be when we're both in wolf form. Would it be alright if we just kinda….let whatever happens happen then? Like, can we not hurt each other when we don't have to?"

Caesar exhaled a deep breath through his nose. "I will not let you die. Will not let you be hurt. Next full moon, we both can be tied up. Apes will take only some blood from you. Next morning, when we are both changed back, we will release you."

A small smile spread across Amelia's face. "I can live with that," she said quietly. "And I can trust you?"

"You can trust me. Do not have to, but I will keep my word."

"Thank you," she said, placing a hand on Caesar's shoulder. He placed his gently on hers. "Although….there is one slight change I would suggest…After this is all done….can I-….can I stay with you here?" Caesar cocked his head curiously and sniffed the air a few times. "I mean, I know that sounds weird, but…..I'm just tired of being on my own. I'd rather live with a bunch of apes then have to keep fending for myself."

Caesar nodded. "I understand. But it is difficult. Apes do not like humans."

Instantly, the image of the gnarled ape that leered at her so menacingly yesterday flashed before her eyes. The apes then surely did not seem anywhere near as friendly as Caesar. "Ah….right….I guess I can see that."

Caesar shrugged. "We will see. Might be able to do something for you."

"I'd really appreciate that thank you. I mean, if it helps, I'm pretty much the only human you'd have to worry about. Whole damn species is nearly extinct."

Caesar wrinkled his brow and snorted a few times. "What do you mean?"

"Guess you haven't heard. It's the Simian Flu. It's been wiping people out country by country for the last 8 years or so. There are whole major cities like New York and London that are completely empty. Hell, I don't think I've even seen another human being for about a year. Granted, I've been trying my best to stay away from other people…and not just because of my condition.

"The flu was bad, but what was worse was how people responded to it. Riots, looting, civil war, yada yada yada. Sure, if we'd kept a collective cool head as a species, we might have been able to put our best minds together and come up with a vaccine. But nope – panic. That was what people did. Fuck some people even denied the Flue even existed! Needless to say, they were the first to die." She laughed, but was clear from her voice that it was sad, and filled with contempt. "We don't handle crisis very well."

Caesar nodded. "Humans not like apes. Apes are family. Would never destroy each other."

That was something Amelia couldn't help but feel the slightest bit skeptical about, if for no other reason than his use of the word 'never.' But she didn't press it. "Well, yeah….fortunately, it's very hard for a werewolf to die from sickness. I actually got the Simian Flue a few times, believe it or not, and I'm not immune either. The trick is you just have to hold off until your next transformation. Any injuries or illnesses you have are immediately cured when you become the wolf. I can't say it entirely makes up for the curse, but…well, hey, every cloud has a silver lining right?"

Caesar nodded again, and then he got back up to his feet. "Must go now. Full moon is this week. Much to do."

Amelia stood up as well. "Yeah, yeah sure. Um…okay, this may seem like a strange request, but…..can I hug you?"

Caesar blinked a few times in surprise, but a smile crept over his muzzle, and he nodded. Amelia approached slowly at first, but when Caesar held out his arms, she walked right in. He was warm against her body, and his embrace was strong. She held back none of her own strength, and grasped his black hairy body with all that she had. "Ooohhhhh, god, fuck, I needed this. Oh this is good…this is good," she mumbled to herself.

The half moon shone brilliantly on the scene below. Two chimpanzees stood, ambling aimlessly around a shallow pit dug into the earth, surrounded by round stones. A small river flowed Southeast beside them. There wasn't a sound to be heard – no chirping crickets, no signing frogs, no swooping bats. Certainly nothing from the slumbering Ape village a few miles South. One of the chimps was a dull, brownish-gray, and the other was darker with a flat top of hair on the crown of his skull. Both of them shone a pale blue in the ray of moonlight pouring down on them.

"Where is he?" the dull one signed to the other, who replied with a simple shrug. They stayed put in that same general vicinity for more than a half hour afterwards. Then, freezing in their steps, they heard something in the forest – hooves pounding loudly against the silence of the night. Both Apes stood at attention, waiting intently as the galloping hooves grew louder and louder.

Out of a gap in the trees, a dark figure on horseback rode out into the open space, carrying something in its right hand. Letting go of the reigns, it dropped down beside them.

"What took you so long?" the dull chimp signed with a flurry of frustrated hand signals.

The moonlight revealed Koba's scarred, surly expression, and he snarled at the other Ape. Instantly, the inquiring subordinate lowered himself to all fours and looked away. "Had trouble finding it," Koba said, holding up a blow torch in his right hand.

"And you're sure this will work?" the flat-topped chimp signed.

Koba nodded. "Normal fire not hot enough. This is hotter." With that, he walked over to the pit, filled with silverware taken from the house. The blue flame shot forth from the nozzle and onto the silver utensils. They stood around the pit, watching and waiting as the silver sat there, unchanging. But after just a few minutes, it began to glow. The glow was a brilliant orange, and grew brighter the more they were burned. Finally, the shape of the silverware began to warp and sink, spilling into a thick, viscous soup of molten metal.

"Spear," Koba signed, turning off the torch. Still the silver glowed. One of the others handed him his spear, an iron harpoon at the end for the tip. Waiting a few more minutes for the soup to cool just a little, Koba dipped the spear into the thick pool of melted silver, coating the tip in a thick layer. Pulling it out, the spear tip itself also shone a brilliant orange in the night air. Bringing it to the nearby river, Koba drove the glowing tip into the water. A ferocious hiss rang out around them, as if an angry snake had been disturbed. A cloud of hot fog sprang up from the surface of the river, drifting upwards toward the stars.

When the fog lifted, it revealed Koba, standing with his spear now glistening with silver upon its tip. Koba's fang-filled grin reflected brilliantly off the silver by the moonlight.