The man looked at Iris disturbed at what she just told him about part her past with Pope and Iris just looked him emotionless.
"Can you tell me more Iris if... your ready to keep going" he spoke calmly not wanting to spark Iris's ire.
Iris looked at the man and slowly brought up her white shirt, the man could cleary see she was no longer ashamed for anyone to see the scars on her body, that or she just didn't care anymore. He then could see them clear as day they where more faded now but still noticeable.
Did he do this?..." He pointed at her faded scars, her eyes told him everything he needed to know.
She then stood up which scared him a little thinking she was going to attack him again but what she did next surprised him, she took off her shirt and turned so her could look at her back and what he saw made his eyes widen in shock, her back was covered in scars from whip marks, slashes, including bullet scars near her left upper shoulder and one near her her lower side of her waist.
You ask why don't I hate the apes...it because humans have brutalized much more then them" she said softy as she turn around slowly to face him.
Jesus" he gasped still shocked seeing everything damaging on her skin her scar's told a story of their own, and each we're not gentle.
"I'm almost surprised your still alive" he said under his breath.
She chuckled softly " believe me I use to wonder that too...and it's not like haven't tried to end my life...but like you said...I'm not exactly human anymore..." she said grimly.
The Man could honestly say that her front looked better than her back and it had gastly scars too.
"And yet your alive, breathing, and existing.. sometimes we can thankful for that..."
"Some wouldn't want to be alive after going through what I've been through..." she said quietly with a hollow expression.
"It still interests me to this day about what makes you not exactly human"
He said to her.
"You could blame the flu for that..." she said quietly.
Ape Village , 3 years ago
Iris was quickly walking over to the hut of the Oba's, after her nightmare she was afaird to go back to sleep so she patiently waited for dawn but that also meant she had to sit in awkward silence with Luca while she did, how else would someone react after punching someone and then hugging them while crying, not to mention she exposed part of her scars to him made any better.
When Luca had gone back to sleep she had snuck out in hurry, mostly because she felt guilty for she did the gorilla, the other reasons was cause she really needed Rose Root. These emotions were getting out of hand they're overwhelmed like drowning and yet they die down like a tide, sometimes it felt better to just not feel much and yet feel something.
She hadn't used rose root in almost week and recent events made her need it more then ever, she hoped to find some far from the village hopefully, but results would be like a needle in a haystack.
Iris stopped to look around and huffed in frustration as she ran her hand through her somewhat beaded hair.
"Fuck's sake there has to be more there's got be" she sighed as she surveyed the area around herself.
She knew her anxiety was rising she closed her eyes and took deep breaths trying to calm her self down, she finally spot sight of the hut after looking around fanatically and then sped off to that derection.
"Please let there be some" she thought.
When she got the entrance she could see the Oba's mending the herbs, tending to some apes, or some just getting ready for the day, everybody stopped what they where doing when they saw her coming in all eyes turned to her.
"Can I have some Rose Root?... please" she asked the Oba's.
The oba's looked at each other confused at her request it didn't help they felt nervous and uncomfortable that the woman was in here in the frist place. One Oba did come up to her, she was a grey chimp with a white mask.
"What do you mean by rose root?" she signed to her a little confused.
"I need some Rose Root now!" she snapped, her patience was running as she looked at the grey Oba.
The chimp backed up a little and hooted in distress at this and Iris saw this making her feel a little guilty she closed her eyes sighed deeply as she rubbed them.
"I'm sorry...it just I really need it" Iris signed to the Oba apologelically. "I didn't mean to scare you..." she signed trying to reassure the female ape.
The Oba relaxed a little at this but was still unsure.
"What are you looking for?" she signed back to her, her nature to help over coming her nervousness.
"Rose root" Iris said trying her best to explain, she then grabbed a stick and started to draw in the dirt.
The apes in the hut all looked at it curiously but not too near do to their nervousness around the woman. After she finished Iris showed it the Oba so she could get better look at along with telling what color it was.
The grey female ape looked at the design in the dirt and then back to her. "I'm sorry we don't have this" she signed to her apologetically.
"Do you know any that grows around this place? she signed, the anxiety was drowning her brain and it's becoming underwhelming.
The Oba shook her head "I'm sorry...we have never used this before" she signed to her.
Iris took deep breaths, the Obas that were once nervous of her were becoming a little concern for her condition now.
"Why do you need it?...is there something wrong?..." the Oba signed to her with her green eyes full of concern.
Iris held her head and closed her eyes as the pain in her head was becoming intense.
"Ok...ok thank you...-
"Tinker..." The female spoke, her telling her name.
"Thank you...Tinker...really...thank you..." She said honestly but weakly to the female, she then turned around and sped off out of the hut, she didn't even hear Tinker hoot in protest or see someone outside the hut greet her.
Her head was pounding like church bells she must find the Rose Root soon or the pounding will get worst. She didn't notice that someone was trying to catch up to her because of the pounding of her heart was so loud. She heard rustling of tree branches and pine needles falling on the ground like snow, Iris saw the branches creaked as if someone's weight was pressing on them. The noise then left the trees and branches with a thump on the ground making Iris flinch and spin around from the the vibrations from the ground, Panic filled her eyes as she turned only to face Cornelia.
Cornelia! What are you doing here?" Iris asked the queen as she held a hand over her heart.
"I saw you run out of the hut, did something happen Iris?" Cornelia signed in concern.
Iris closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair while trying to control her breathing, she realized she since the herb wasn't in the village she was going to need go outside the village but she would have to get Caesar's permission and she needed to do it now because she could feel a incoming panic attack about happen.
"Cornelia I must.. ask you and your husband's permission.. to go outside of the village.. I promise... I will be back" Iris managed to plead to the queen.
Cornelia's green eys looked at her seriously and with concern at her request knowing her sister-in-law couldn't leave right now not with the recent events, she was even more surprised to her like this when she was usually emotionally withdrawn and calm woman.
"I beg of you...to do this...p-please" she continued to plead.
Cornelia looked at the young woman with deep worry as she trembled and held her chest, Iris felt like she could hardly breath and could feel her heart pounding hard against her hand. Iris could feel her senses heightening tenfold all the smallest noises and smells made her state much worse making her hold her head in pain, her vision started to get tunneled as her knees gave in from weakness causing her to collapse.
She could barely hear Cornelia hooting in distress over the ringing and her racing heart, Cornelia quickly came to her side speaking words but it only fell on her temporary deaf ears. She could then feel the female ape bringing her close to her chest to hold her, trying to her best to give her comfort.
Iris's eyes flashed seeing images burning into her eyes, some of them looked like apes another made a shape of a woman who she could feel was checking th pulse on her neck and along with her breathing.
"Iris! I need you to count back from 10! Do you understand me!?" the woman told her seriously.
Iris winced her eyes nodded weakly, not able to stand the light anymore.
"1-10..." She struggled to say but managed to spit out"9...8...7" she could feel her trembling decreasing and her racing heart slowing down as she countined to count along from Cornelia hooting softly to her as she held her closer, feeling the queens heart beat gave her a somewhat calm.
"6...5...4.." She realized it was becoming easier to speak now and her breathing returned so what normal.
"3...2...1..."she breathed easier as her heart rate was steadily beating normal.
She opened her eyes to see Ellie looking at her with panic and concern along with Malcolm, Luca, Cornelia, Blue Eyes, a grey chimp and Caesar who looked the most worried out all of them, Iris lifted up her head to look at Cornelia who smiled in relief as the young woman slowly sat herself up disoriented.
Someone gently took her arm and guided her to sit on a log which she didn't protest due her being lost in her own thoughts, she may have been calm now but no way she was back to normal yet if anyone would call her normal general.
She could hear couple of the individuals around trying to get her attention but it was like she was on a another planet as she kept her head lowered staring at the dirt, she felt someone stroke her arm with their finger and hoot in concern for her she had a strong feeling it was Blue Eyes, she slowly brought her hand to touch the hand that was stroking her arm and gently rubbed her thumb across their hand trying weakly to reassure them while never moving her head.
She then felt a rough leatherly hand firmly but gently grab her by the chin and brought her head up to see Ceasar who looked at her with worried eyes.
"Iris...what happen to you..?" he asked her softly.
She just stared at him with dead broken eyes with tears falling down her checks while never blinking, it shook Caesar to see her this way he knew what Malcolm told him about her going to a dark place and shutting herself away but he didn't realize how horrible it was until he looked into her eyes just that moment.
Caesar looked at her solemnly and let go of her face, Iris just stared back at the ground not processing anything that was happening around her, she could hear some talking for a little but didn't make it out and after awhile they all left leaving her alone.
She sat on the log what seemed like forever, not knowing just how much had padt. She was snapped out of her daze when she heard a loud screech she got up and walked over slowly to where it had come from.
She walked down the path and to ledge her eyes widen in horror to see that wolves where in the village and where attacking the apes, Iris felt her blood pump as she watched the scene in front of her, apes where screeching and running away while others where defending the village and occupants, it made her flashback to things she didn't want to remember.
Merciless killings
Blood everywhere
Bodies laying everywhere
Her eyes caught sight of a bow and arrows at the bottom with out gaving our having to think about it twice she slid down the ledge and ran over to grab it. When she got to the bottom she saw just how bad the chaos was, there was blood and bodies laying about along with apes badly injured.
She saw a wolf trying to tear its jaws into apes neck but could do being blocked by a spear, the ape growled and screech as he struggled against the wolf, the spear then failed after a couple of bites from the canine making it split in half and the wolf got ready for the kill and as the Ape screeched louder Iris quickly reacted and aimed and shot it in the side right in the heart, which made it fall to the ground dead. They apes that where near looked at her bewilderd Inculding the one who was about to be ripped to shreds. Iris had a dark look in her eyes, something dark had come out, something she had buried deep inside her a long time ago.
So here it is the newest chapter and wow it seems like Iris has a other side to her and it seems dangerous, I wanted to write more but I couldn't come up with anything else so srry guysby Brian almost fried trying lolXD but this one of the longest chapters I've ever did so yay!:D I would like to thank Littlexblue for making me my new cover which it amazing ^^ up you should check out her pota story The Simian Forest, I would to thank Marian of cintra for helping me with this chapter she's awsome :D you check out her story Heroine of the planet of the apes and I would like to thank Lmere who always who help me with my chapters ^^