A short time later, the small party of Apes and one human rode carefully through the forest. Caesar and Karin were flanked on the left and right by Luca and Rocket. Two other gorillas flanked a female chimpanzee called Sparrow, the camp's best Healer. They rode directly behind Caesar.

"Please tell me," Caesar spoke, his voice quiet but enough to keep unconsciousness at bay. "Tell me … about how you know Maurice?"

Karin knew there were apes on all sides of her, left right and behind. If she told Caesar, the closest apes, almost the hairless one, the big gorilla she thought of as King Kong and whom Caesar had called Luca, and some of the others would hear her story. But she figured there was no help for it. If she did not start talking soon, she would pass out. And Caesar had made it absolutely clear he was not going to let her hurt herself again, not so much as a minor scratch.

And, maybe if she was completely honest with these apes, maybe they would let her see Maurice again. This was why she started talking so much. The horse's motion was aggravating her headache enough to keep her well and truly conscious.

"It wasn't his fault," Karin began her story. "It was mine. I did something stupid and hurt myself in the forest at night. I knocked myself out. I know he should have left me to die, or killed me himself. But, he didn't. He carried me back home. He's been trying to take care of me ever since."

"Why," Caesar interrupted her, deeply disturbed by some of her words. "Why should he have left you to die … or killed you?"

Karin blinked in surprise.

"But that's your law, isn't it?" She asked.

"That all humans who come near your Colony should be killed?"

The Ape Leader's breath caught in his throat.

"did Maurice tell you that?" Caesar asked, not trying to hide the shock in his voice.

"No," Karin admitted as she directed them to the left.

"NO, of course not. Not Maurice … another Ape told me … years ago. Real angry chimpanzee, I think he was a chimp. He really hates us. He said the Apes would be coming for me someday. He said you would kill me, but …"

Her words spilled out and began to tumble over themselves as she remembered things she wanted to forget forever.

"…but if I behaved myself, maybe my child would be spared. Maybe me, too. Maybe she and I would be allowed to serve the Apes."

Caesar gave a low growl, and Karin trembled even more.

She placed one hand imploringly over Caesar's on the horse's neck.

"Please," she begged. "Please, do whatever you want to me. But don't punish Maurice. And just let me see he's okay before I die? If I know Maurice is okay, I can die in peace."

Caesar struggled to get his outrage under control before he spoke. He gave a sharp look aside to Luca and Rocket, who were also growling under their breath. If they didn't stop, Caesar was afraid the woman would die just from trembling and trying to catch her breath. What had Will called it, hyper … something

The Ape Leader carefully tightened his arms around the ragged human woman. He thought he could almost feel her ribs through her thread bear clothing. He hoped she would know he meant to comfort, not to hurt her.

"No one … is going to kill you, Karin," he told the frightened woman.

"I give you my word. NO Ape will hurt you or your daughter. And my word is Ape law."

Luca and Rocket both nodded emphatically, but Caesar doubted the woman could see them through her tears.

From behind him, he heard a gentle sob. Taking a quick look over his shoulder, he saw young Sparrow crying quietly. Sparrow briefly met her Leader's eyes, and Caesar knew what she was thinking. This Ape Karin talked about had obviously done much more than just threaten her with harsh words. Just how much more, Caesar was afraid to learn.

"Lisa's dead," the woman said. "She's been gone for well more than a year now, I figured the only reason I was still alive was because of Lisa. Since she's been gone, well, I've been expecting you guys to show up."

And yet she still ventured out two or three times a year and in the bitter cold to deliver her packages, Caesar thought.

"Not … Ape?" Caesar asked, praying her answer would be no.

"Your daughter, she was not killed by ape?"

"NO, not Ape," she answered his prayers, and Caesar let out the breath he had not realized he had been holding in all that time. "My beautiful baby girl was not well, from the time she was born. I don't' know how she lasted as long as she did, but no Ape killed her. She died in her sleep one night."

Caesar felt a sharp stab of pity for the woman. He could not help thinking of Blue Eyes at home. He did not know what he would do if his son ever died before him, but he was certain that he would never be able to get over it.

"I … am sorry … about your daughter," Caesar said simply. "I … I am a parent, too. And … I am sorry … about Apes threats. We will protect you from now on. We will help Maurice protect you."

"You sound just like Maurice," Karin gave a shaky little laugh. Then she started to cry again.

"That's why Maurice is hurt," she blurted out. "Someone threw a rock at me earlier yesterday morning. It was honed to a sharp point. It cut my face open. There was an Ape footprint by my water barrels, too. Maurice was furious. He went out looking for signs of more Apes. I begged him not to go or to take me with him if he did. It's my families land, I know it like the back of my hand, dark or not. But he made me stay in the house and lock all the doors. But, when he didn't come back, I said screw it, he's not my husband and I don't have to take his orders, and I went out looking for him. And, now he's out there, hurt because he wanted to protect me!" She finished with a heartbroken wail.

Rocket and Luca both chuckled.

"Sounds like a wife, doesn't she?" Luca signed, teasing Rocket and Caesar.

Karin thought she saw Caesar giving Luca a fond smile as the big gorilla guided his own horse one handed closer to Caesar's horse, and gently patted the woman's head with his other huge hand.

"She's a brave strong female," Luca signed after he stopped patting Karin's bent head. He had stopped embarrassed, the minute he saw Caesar watching him. "Just like a gorilla female would be."

"What's he saying?" Karin sniffed, catching the gorilla signing from the corner of her eye but not understanding all of it, except that he was talking about her.

Luca was shaking his head franticly at Caesar, but he pretended not to see it and told her, anyway.

"He says … you are a brave strong female, like gorilla females," Caesar translated.

He did not entirely disagree with Luca's assessment. To be threatened and probably much worse, and as utterly terrified as she was and still literally come barreling through the forest at night, practically hurling herself in to their arms. That told him all about the woman that Caesar needed to know. Maurice had made a fine choice, human or not.

"Not hardly," Karin scoffed. "I'm just desperate. I don't want Maurice to die! No other male has ever been so kind to me."

And, modest too, Caesar thought.

"Not you're Father?" Caesar asked, surprised. "Not your baby's Father?"

Karin snorted in derision.

"If my babies so-called Daddy is still alive, he better never set a foot on my doorstep ever again!" She declared hotly. "He never wanted Lisa, anyway. Wanted me to abort her … that means kill her before she could be born. He didn't want to have to pay child support."

"And, Dad, well he never beat me like he did my older brothers, but his praise was always a little left handed."

"You know," She went on to explain. "Stuff like, You're a real good girl, Karin, good and smart. That's a good thing, little Darlin, 'cause you're so damn ugly no man will ever have you."

Rocket and Luca both growled low in their throats again, and Caesar winced visibly. Who would say something like that to their own daughter? He could not imagine his human Father Will or his human grandfather, Charles, ever doing that to a child. Even when Charles mind was so sick, he never acted like that.

"We're almost there. Can't we go any faster?" Karin complained.

Caesar thought she was also desperate to change the subject. And, relieved, he was more than happy to let her. This poor woman had, from the sound of it and the look of her, had a miserable life even before the humans started dying off. He was ashamed of the thought, but Caesar wondered if she were not better off, now that a lot of humans were dead.

"Not safe, fast riding at night," Caesar told her. He wished they could go faster, too.

Karin grumbled a little, but she knew Caesar was right. Still, she was impatient. They were getting close.

Suddenly, she straightened against Caesar's chest, and stabbed her light to the right.

"He's over there?" Karin exclaimed.

With a sudden burst of strength that he obviously had not expected her to muster, Karin wrenched herself from Caesar's grip, nearly tumbling from the horse in her haste. She hit the ground hard, rolled over twice, then was up on her feet and running.

"This way," she called as she ran. She knew Caesar might not be happy with how fast she had bailed out, but she also knew that the Apes would follow her. She did not care if they were angry with her, if she could get to him.

When Karin reached him, Maurice's eyes were open, and she could not quite read the expression in them as he saw her.

"He's over here!" she shouted. "Hurry!"

Karin flung herself down beside her friend, placing her hands gently on either side of his face, tenderly cupping his cheek flaps.

"Karin?" The Orangutan asked weakly. "I told you to stay indoors, not to follow me.

"You're very welcome," she shot back. "And don't you dare tell me what to do! You aren't my husband."

"Besides, you're in no position to make me listen, are you," she added.

"I … I lost your flashlight. I'm sorry," Maurice said wearily.

"I … do not … believe you!" Karin stammered, infuriated.

"First you tell me I should have stayed indoors, and now you're worried about my damn flashlight? I don't care about the damn flashlight. I care about you. You are stuck under a tree, in case you didn't know. I went for help."

She saw Maurice's eyes go wide. If his arms had not been pinned down, Karin was sure he would have been grabbing her hands in alarm.

"OH, Karin! What have you done?" He asked.

"What she has done, old friend, is save your life," a low gruff voice spoke right next to them, almost right in to Karin's ear.

Karin nearly jumped out of her skin. She had been so intent on Maurice that she had not even heard the Ape's approaching.

"Caesar," Maurice breathed.

But Caesar knelt next to Karin, and put a hand on his old friend's forehead.

"Lie still and don't talk, Maurice. We'll take you home now."

"Caesar," Maurice insisted. "Caesar, promise me you'll look after Karin … until I can again."

Karin opened her mouth to protest, but Caesar did not give her the chance. He placed his other hand gently on Karin's head.

"I give you my word, Maurice. She is under my personal protection now. I will care for her."

Luca and the other two gorillas were easily lifting the tree away from Maurice. Karin was a bit astonished and a little frightened by how easily they tossed the huge thing aside.

'Oh, good," Maurice breath, then he began to cough painfully. "I can sleep now."

His eyes closed.

Karin panicked.

"Maurice?" both Karin and Caesar cried in unison.

But Sparrow was there, and she quickly hushed them both.

"Oh, Maurice! What … what's she saying," Karin sobbed, sure her friend, her crimson angel, was dead.

"She's saying we need to shut up now and let Maurice sleep. She's saying she thinks he will be okay," Caesar told her. "But he'll need quiet and rest. See, he still breathes."

Karin leaned close and could feel Maurice's breath on her face. A couple of her own tears fell in to the orangutan's tangled locks.

Caesar sat down and gently pried her hands from Maurice's face. She did not want to let him go, but knew that the Chimpanzee healer needed room to work. Reluctantly, she let Caesar cradle her in his arms as they both watched Sparrow snapping out her orders to the other apes. Luca and his gorillas were busy breaking the tree in to large sections, mostly with their bare hands, while Rocket was bringing back loads and loads of thick vines and soft leaves.

Caesar started to put Karin down, but Sparrow shook her head at him, and signed something sharply that made the Ape Leader smile and change his mind.

"What?" Karin asked.

"She told me to stay put with you," Caesar translated. "You need looking after too, Karin. You have lost much blood."

When Karin did not respond, especially with a protest, Caesar looked down and frowned in deep concern. The human woman was now lying limp and unconscious in his arms. He wondered how she would react as he lay her down and she, too, was gently lashed to Sparrow's improvised stretcher right next to Maurice. The stretcher was slung between Caesar and Luca's horses and born gently away to the Ape village. Even if he had not promised Maurice to care for her, Caesar would have brought the human woman with them. It pained him to take her in to the heart of a place filled with people he knew she feared, and not without good reason. But in her condition, and after her story, like Maurice, he dared not leave her alone.

Now came the task of finding out which Ape had harmed her. And Caesar prayed with all his might that his fears and suspicions were wrong.

A/N:

Hi to all my faithful long-suffering readers. Please keep the reviews and/or PMs coming.

Now, I have a questionf or all my readers. If I had not broken this up, it would have been one long chapter of over four thousand words. Would you all prefer to read short or long chapters? Or, as long as I update, does it matter hthe chapter length? Please let me know.