Milo steps out of the carriage. He glances at the gorillas on horseback that is his personal security detail. He looks ahead at the tilled field, with apes in chains working it, guarded by gorillas.
A leather-clad chimpanzee approaches him. "You must be Milo," he says.
"I have heard of you, Jacques," says Milo.
Jacques takes a look at the visiting chimpanzee from Estate Levain. Milo wears a white coat and a green bowtie. "Everything is going fine," he says. "We have them planting seeds. And the toymaking?"
"Those I taught are now teaching others," replies Milo. The two of them walk around. Some of the apes use sticks to poke holes in the soil and insert seeds, while others pull plows that are yoked to their chests. "I wish we could get those tractors running. But that could take ten years or more. We have to start with the simple toys, first. And the toys that make toys."
"With these apes growing food, that makes others available to learn how to make toys."
Milo takes a look at the apes working the fields, or hauling junk towards one of the tall blast furnaces. Even the children are helping. "I will have to select some children," he says.
"To make toys, right?'
"to learn how to make toys, my friend. "Knowing to read and write, the plus tables and times tables, how to use a hammer and a screwdriver and a lathe. They will learn from those who learned from me."
"What is going on?" asks Jacques.
Milo watches as the camp leader runs to where several apes.
"She is interfering, sir," says a leather-clad gorilla serving as a watchape.
Jacques looks and sees an orangutan, and a chimpanzee child.
"He is tired," says Antionette.
"You defy me!"
"I want to look out for mine," protests the orangutan.
"Stop work!" yells Jacques.
Several apes take Antoinette and follow Jacques. All work in the fields stop. She is led back to the holding pens. Antionette is tied to a wooden post. Those who had been working the fields are taken to where he is.
"Listen up!" yells Jacques. "All of you owe tribute to the Levain! I will show you punishment for refusing to so tribute!"
A gorilla hands Jacques a barbed whip. The captive Clan looks at Antionette.
Jacques holds the handle.
With a flick of his wrist, the barbed leather lash strikes against the orangutan's back, and she feels pain traveling up her spine.
She feels the lash again and again as the other captives watch.
Jacques smiles as he whips the orangutan.
All of the apes can hear the crack of the whip against orangutan flesh.
And Hector sees this too.
He sits on top of a tall oak tree thirty meters away.
He looks at the chimpanzee wielding the whip.
He opens his finger and thumb.
As the bow straightens out, some of the momentum, is imparted into the arrow which flies at a very high speed.
The arrow flies through the air, a gas that is almost all of nitrogen and oxygen.
The wood arrowhead punches right through leather, and knocks down Jacques!
Everyone nearby looks around, wondering who attacked.
They all hear a horn blow.
The watchapes all take out their clubs, wondering who is attacking them.
"Attack!" yells Joseph, as he rides on a horse. The bonobo leaps off and tackles down one of the guards.
The others of his Clan see him, and they all attack the watchapes.
Another watchape is downed by an arrow.
The pens are opened and the remaining captives leave.
One of Milo's guards grabs him and puts him on horseback.
"We get you out of here, sir," says the gorilla even as the horse gallops away from the fight.
"We have to get out of here," says Joseph, unknowingly echoing Milo's guard.
"We take horses!" yells Pierre. He leads his fellow Clansapes to a building housing some horses. They all get on top.
"We know they will summon other Levain," says Antoinette, still feeling the pain from the brutal whipping.
A mandrill walks up, carrying a spear. "We have these," she says.
"Madeline," says Pierre. He holds up his own spear. The Levain will send apes on horses. Spear long.
"Leave no ape behind," says Joseph. "We stay together!"
And so they all leave, all tightly together. The ape children are held up by the fully-grown apes.
"Come on!" exclaims Joseph. "We must keep going."
"We have trouble," says Pierre.
They can see some horses racing towards them.
"We need to use these spears," says the gorilla, holding a spear. "I have idea."
Joseph knows the young ape has something. He holds a spear.
At least twelve apes hold spears perpendicular to the ground.
The enemy horses get closer.
Their harts race.
For Pierre, time seems to dilate.
The horses get closer.
He takes a deep breath.
"Now!" yells the gorilla.
The apes all point their spears at the horses. The animals see the points of the spears, but are moving too fast to stop. Their momentum causes them to crash into the wall of spears, some of them piercing the horses themselves, others piercing the riders. They close in and battle with the attacking chimps with clubs and daggers. It quickly ends with one of the chimps running asway.
"Go back to your Alpha!" yells Joseph.
He and his Clan know they have to keep going.
Oooooooo
On the grounds of Estate Levain, Pasdefourrure looks at the many she-mans brought before him. All of them have head-fur that reaches their shoulders. A few of them have hugely swollen chests. They are all tied together with ropes.
He looks at his master, who sits on top of Sir Lancelot.
"Which she-mans do you want, Pasdefourrure?" he asks.
The man smiles and yelps. He has enough intelligence to recognize his own name and Sir Lancelot's name, as well as Charlemagne's name. Looking at the she-mans, his heart races.
Pasdefourrure points and yelps.
"Are you sure they are she-mans?" asks Charlemagne.
"Pasdefourrure can tell she-man," replies his father. He looks at a gorilla clad in leather. "Take Pasdefourrure and the she-mans he picked to mating pen."
"Yes, your Majesty," answers his servant, who, quickly takes the three she-mans with him.
"Now you go mate and make man babies," says Arthur, rubbing Pasdefourrure's light brown head fur.
A smile on his face, the pet man follows the gorilla and the she-mans.
De Gaulle, on a horse, rides up to his Alpha. "We are ready, your Majesty," he says.
On the grounds, in front of the Main House, are over a hundred apes, armed with spears, sabers, hammers, and crossbows. Virgil and Milo look on.
And with them are the giant toys known as catapults.
"You want to do this?" asks Charlemagne.
"The Levain must display strength," replies the Alpha of Alphas. "Clans must know we can destroy enemy Clans. Now you go read the Toymaker books and practice making parts for toys." He looks to all the apes levied and ready to fight. "We fight!"
Arthur, de Gaulle, and their escort leave Estate Levain.