They arrived just as the dawn was breaking. Caesar watched as Sparrow ran on ahead while Luca and the gorillas followed her, carrying away the stretcher bearing Maurice and the human woman, heading for the Healer's huts. He hid his smile as he noticed that, even in their deep sleep, he did not want to think unconsciousness, Maurice and Karin's hands were firmly entwined.
Separating those two might be a problem. Cornelia was right about Maurice's attachment, Caesar thought. And, given her actions, he no longer doubted that it was returned in full by the woman. Where it might lead his old friend and this woman, where it might lead all of them, well, they would just have to wait and see.
He was in no hurry to go back home now. Cornelia would be at the Healing Hut, helping to get things ready. In the distance, he could see his son and Ash and some few of the other children stirring. The village was now truly waking up.
"Rocket, run ahead and find Koba. Tell him I'd like to speak with him."
"Caesar, you don't think that Koba is the—" Rocket started to sign.
"Just thank him for protecting my wife and son and tell him I need to speak with him alone, Rocket," Caesar interrupted, signing firmly. "Say nothing else to him."
He did not want to go in to it with Rocket or anyone other than Koba yet. He knew exactly what Rocket was about to say, and he had no answers for his friend. But he did not want to think that Koba was the Ape who had terrorized Karin, terrorized and maybe far worse.
"Yes, Caesar," Rocket signed. He didn't look very happy about it, but Caesar knew his old friend could be totally trusted to follow his orders to the letter. Even in the face of Koba's reaction.
So, Caesar was not at all surprised that when Koba came to him a few moments later that his friend was in a state of barely controlled rage.
"You brought a human in to the village?" Koba signed, looking honestly stunned. "Why, Caesar, why?"
"The human woman saved Maurice's life. She is ill and injured and alone. She needs taking care of, herself," Caesar answered simply. "And, I promised Maurice …"
"Promised Maurice?" Koba signed incredulously. "Maurice … he consorts with HUMANS!"
Koba's signs were dripping with in indignant outrage. "Maurice was hurt because he consorts with humans!"
Knowing he'd better get this conversation under control and right now, Caesar slowly rose to his full height, and fixed Koba with a stony glare. He had asked his friend to meet with him to get questions answered, his questions, not Koba's.
Caesar waited patiently as Koba gradually managed to get himself back under control. He dropped immediately in to a submissive posture, holding his palm up to Caesar for forgiveness.
Caesar let him hold that posture for a few seconds, then swiped his palm.
"I did not call you here to upset you, my friend," he signed carefully to Koba. "I wanted to inform you of our, guest, before you saw her for yourself. I also wanted to tell you that I may need Mary's help."
Koba drew in a slow deep breath, and Caesar waited.
"My Mary? Why her?" Koba asked out loud, his voice very tight but perfectly controlled.
"Mary is without a doubt the best speaker in the village," Caesar explained patiently. "The woman, Karin, does not know much sign yet. I'd like Mary to help translate for her until she picks up more of our language."
Another few seconds of tense silence passed between them.
"How long … will human female be here?" Koba growled, clearly not happy.
"I can't say," Caesar told him. "Until Maurice his better, for certain."
", but maybe longer?" Koba asked.
"Maybe," Caesar confirmed.
Caesar let a silence stretch between them for a few moments before going on.
"Koba, do you know of any recent attacks on any human women, by apes?"
Koba immediately stiffened and looked at the ground, and Caesar's heart fell through the soles of his feet. Still, he waited for Koba to answer.
"Maybe human girl lies," Koba suggested. "Lies to get Apes in trouble."
Caesar deliberately did not respond. He was not going to get in to an argument with Koba over this. But he thought that even Koba did not act as if he believed what he was saying.
"Not recent," Koba finally said. "Happened years ago."
"Koba," Caesar began quietly, but Koba just couldn't seem to contain himself any longer.
"Caesar … thinks that Koba attacked human girl?" Koba growled indignantly. He was now trembling with outrage.
Caesar did not answer, but it must have been written on his face.
Koba drew himself up slowly and looked his Leader square in the eyes. Caesar did not react as Koba chose his next response very carefully.
"Caesar knows Koba … hates humans. But Koba has never … ever hurt … any female, not human females or ape females," Koba said, speaking each word out loud and very carefully. "Not ever. Give Caesar my word … never did. Koba … helped human female. Stopped attack on her. Chased another Ape away from her. Took her back to her home and child. And left her there."
"How did you know she had a child?" Caesar asked quietly.
"child's scent was on her. And … and heard the child crying from inside the home."
"Have you been to her home recently?" Caesar asked quietly.
"NO!" Koba insisted. "Koba not see her home or her and her child in years."
"Well, someone did, just yesterday," Caesar told his friend. "Someone who threw something at her, something that might be a tip from one of our spears. It cut her face open."
Koba's hair bristled all along his back.
"And the child?" Koba growled more ferociously than Caesar would have expected.
'No, the woman herself," Caesar corrected.
Koba's face darkened even more. And Caesar could not blame him. NO one likes to be accused of things they did not do. And he was really beginning to believe that Koba told him the truth. Koba was not the sort to play the games Karin's attacker seemed to be playing with her, anyway.
Koba heaved a heavy sigh of resignation.
"Who will you send after her child?" Koba asked, surprising Caesar with the question.
"No one," Caesar answered.
"Caesar!" Koba gasped, utterly amazed.
The ape King would have laughed at the totally incredulous look he received from Koba, if the situation had not been so serious. But his scarred friends' reaction also filled Caesar with great hope for him.
"There is no need. She says her child has been dead for some time now."
Koba grew very still. He bowed his head and huffed softly, but otherwise stayed silent. If Caesar had not known better, he would have almost sworn Koba was briefly mourning the child's death. He's thinking of his own child, Caesar thought.
They stayed that way, Koba not replying for a long time. But Caesar waited, patiently. His friend was growing a bit more peaceful, and Caesar would not disturb that unless it was necessary.
"Tell human woman she is safe," Koba finally said grudgingly. "The one who hurt her is dead. I know this …. I killed him, myself.
Caesar knew of only one Ape that Koba had killed.
"Koba, are you telling me it was—" Caesar began.
"Yes, Caesar. Koba saw some of it … Pope chased human woman, beat and attacked her, nearly killed her. It was Pope."
Caesar was relieved to hear that Karin's original attacker would not be coming back, but that did not explain recent events.
"But yesterday …"
"Know nothing about that," Koba said quietly. "But it could not be Pope. And it was not me, Caesar. I swear it, on my Mary's head."
Then Maurice was right to be so afraid for her, Caesar mused worriedly. And, now Caesar was afraid for her, too.
"Then, we have a problem. There is someone else," Caesar growled.
Koba shook his head.
"No! Her problem," Koba insisted stubbornly. "Or Maurice's problem. Let Maurice protect her himself. Human woman's problem is not aping. Why should Ape help her? Helped her once, that's enough."
Caesar sighed. He should have known Better. He should have known Koba's reaction was too good to last.
"Because she may have saved your daughter's life," Caesar said gently but very firmly. "Have you forgotten how deathly sick Mary was last winter? Have you forgotten the only thing she could keep down for weeks at a time was that paste and stew the women made from the food gifts the human woman has been leaving us?"
Koba gaped at Caesar, then dropped his eyes to the ground.
"She is the one giving us the food in wintertime?" Koba asked. "That is who Maurice has taken up with?"
"Oh, did I forget to mention that," Caesar said straight faced. 'Yes, Koba, this is also the woman who has been leaving us the large packages of dried foods, which we have all eaten some, me, you, little Mary, all of our eldest … all of us."
Koba gave a low frustrated growl. Caesar knew it was time to end this before his friend could get himself worked up again.
"No, Koba … it is our problem. If this ape is willing to attack a lone human female, who is to say he wouldn't attack a lone Ape female, or ape child, sometime. So, I want you to keep your eyes open," Caesar told his second in command slowly. "and if you see anyone acting, suspiciously, towards Karin, or at all, come to me immediately."
He could see that Koba did not like the order much. But having Mary in such proximity to Karin would give him a little extra motivation. It was not why Caesar wanted the young girl there, of course, but why not kill two birds with one stone, as Charles used to say.
"Will you allow Mary to help?" Caesar asked.
"If Caesar wishes," Koba muttered sullenly.
"Thank you, Koba," Caesar signed gently, briefly placing one hand on Koba's shoulder. He took it away quickly, though. Unlike most of the apes, Koba still did not welcome touches from anyone other than his daughter.
"Yes, Caesar," Koba said reluctantly. "They … they stan in village?" he added hopefully. "Human woman will not leave village with Mary?"
Caesar nodded his agreement. That was not an unreasonable request to make at all, especially for Koba.
The ape Leader let it, and Koba, go at that. Koba's thin patience had already been tested, and Caesar felt no reason to test it even further. Still, he felt very uneasy. It was not that he thought that Koba was lying to him because he did not think that. But he did feel that Koba was not telling him the whole truth about his encounter with Pope and Karin.
Well, with her living with us now, no matter how temporary it might be, it will come out sooner or later, Caesar fretted.
Sighing, he went towards the Healer's huts. He looked in quickly on Karin to find her still unconscious and surrounded by Cornelia and her most trusted attendants, including, he was relieved to see, young Mary.
Leaving the others, Cornelia came to him. Caesar quickly embraced his wife.
"Oh, Caesar! The poor thing, She's so thin, Caesar. She needs food. And we had a time separating them," Cornelia signed to her husband.
"Well, she's in a strange place with strange people. And she is very afraid of apes, Cornelia, and—" he started to try and excuse the human woman's behavior.
Cornelia only gave a gentle laugh.
"No no, not her, Caesar. It was Maurice," Cornelia corrected him with a faint smile. "I finally had to have Luca come and pry Maurice's hand away from hers. And neither of them woke up."
"I might have known," Caesar signed with resignation.
He heaved a sigh. That news was no surprise. When Maurice got his mind on something, he might occasionally, though not for very long, be diverted. But, when he got his heart fixed on something, there was absolutely no changing things, not even by Caesar's commands.
"Don't worry. We can take care of her, Caesar," Cornelia signed to her husband. "Maybe she'll find ape females less frightening to be with at first."
He felt that Cornelia might have a good point, and since he had no better plan for what to do with Karin, Caesar left things in Cornelia's very capable hands.
Nodding at his wife, he motioned for Mary to come to him.
"Yes, Uncle Caesar?" the young ape girl said, rushing to Caesar's side.
The ape leader put his arm around the girl and gazed down at her fondly. In many ways, this child was very much like the daughter he and Cornelia did not have.
"I have a very important job for you, Mary. I want you to stay with the human woman," Caesar signed to her. "She won't know much sign yet, I think, so-"
"And you want me to say to her what the others sign?" Mary asked eagerly. "And sign to the others what she says back to them?"
Caesar nodded, grinning down at the exuberant girl. Mary would seize upon any opportunity to talk, and if there was no opportunity at hand, she'd make up one herself.
At first, Mary looked very excited. Caesar was trusting her with an important new job! Then, Caesar watched as her expression slowly darkened, and she looked worried.
"But Papa. He won't-" she began, but Caesar patted her head reassuringly.
"I've already told your Father," he signed. "He is not overjoyed about it, but it's okay."
"Yes, Caesar," Mary said out loud, hugging her Uncle. "I'll take care of the human woman. Is this Uncle Maurice's female?"
Caesar nodded. Privately, he wondered if Mary's automatic assumption should please or worry him a lot more than it did.
"Is Uncle Maurice alright?" Mary asked, one tear coming in to her eye. "Sparrow wouldn't let us in to see him yet."
"That's what I am going to see" Caesar told the girl. "But I'm sure he will be fine. He's a tough old Orangutan, Mary.
"Okay," Mary sighed. But then, she brightened visibly.
"I'll do good, Uncle," she promised. "I'll make you proud of me."
Mary threw her arms around her Uncle one more time and hugged him, then she sped back to where Cornelia and the older females were now fussing tenderly over the unconscious human woman.
Caesar watched her go with a soft smile. Such a sweet gentle child, he thought. She will make Ash, uh, some lucky male a very loving wife one day soon. He was also relieved that the main job of sorting out her potential suitors was not primarily his, but he did not envy Koba's position. Or, for that matter, the position of the poor suitors.
Pushing the thoughts of the hordes of suitors Koba must deal with any day now out of his mind, Caesar went to look in on his dearest and oldest friend.
Very Quiet hoots, soft panting and extremely gentle hands … this was the first thing Karin was dimly aware of as she started to float back to consciousness.
I fell asleep in the Zoo? She thought hazily. How in the world did I fall asleep in the Zoo?
When she finally came fully awake sometime later, the first thing she noticed was her head. It did not hurt very much, and it felt wrong, about five or ten pounds lighter. Forcing one eye open, Karin automatically looked around for either a makeup table or a mirror and froze in terror. She was not in a beauty parlor or dressing room, and it was not her wardrobe or makeup people in front of her. Instead, what she saw sitting a few feet in front of her were several apes in a semicircle, quietly signing to each other. They were smaller, for the most part, than the Apes like Maurice that Karin was used to seeing. Many wore beads or feathers or both in their fur. She did not know why, but she automatically felt that these were all females.
Her nervous eye focused on the most beautiful among them. This pretty she ape Ape sat in the exact center of the semicircle, a crown of flowers on her head and her arm wrapped round another much smaller and slighter looking Ape with blond hair that fell down her back in soft thick waves. They did not look much alike, but Karin wondered if the little one was her daughter. And, the way the other apes were paying so much attention to the one in the center, that combined with the crown on her head, made Karin think that she knew who this must be. If she were right, and Maurice's descriptions were spot on, Karin thought she even knew this apes' name.
Inwardly trembling from head to foot but determined to put as good a face on it as possible, the frightened woman drew in a slow breath, sat up, and mustered up her courage to speak to the Ape in the center of the gathering.
"Uh, excuse me, but are you Cornelia?" she asked timidly.
The apes, all but Cornelia and Mary, gave a start. They must not have realized she was fully awake.
Still holding the little blond apes' hand, the crowned female slipped forward to sit directly in front of Karin. Karin watched her let go of the child and begin to sign, then the little blond Ape spoke in a light and clear voice, obviously translating for the Queen.
Karin blinked in surprise. Talking apes did not startle her anymore, not with she and Maurice having spoken much over the last several nights. But she was amazed at how human the Ape child sounded. But then she had gotten used to Maurice's deep rumble of a voice and assumed this was the difference that had struck her so profoundly.
"She says yes, I am Cornelia. How do you know my name?" the little blond ape said.
"Uh, Maurice told me," Karin said shyly, watching the Ape queen in open fascination. "He told me about you, and about your husband, Caesar."
Cornelia smiled. Karin thought she looked pleased.
"Maurice … told me … your name is Karin?" the Ape queen asked out loud, her speech very halting but absolutely understandable.
Karin nodded. So, that was what Maurice was so hesitant to tell her last night, that he'd been talking about her with his Queen and his King, too. That explained a whole lot. She suddenly realized that was how Caesar knew who she was right away without a lengthy explanation, and why he seemed to accept her story and pleas for help without protest.
The little blond ape at Cornelia's side pouted, and Karin gave the child at the Ape Queen's side a gentle smile of encouragement. The little one was clearly disappointed by the fact of Cornelia's having spoken out loud, and her not getting to translate.
Cornelia gently nudged the child forward.
"This … is Mary," the Ape Queen introduced the young Ape girl. "She will … help you … speak with us … when I or Caesar or Maurice are not around."
Karin slowly held out her hand to the young Ape girl. The child hesitated, but Cornelia gave her another gentle nudge. The child took the offered hand and smiled shyly at her. Then, she began to gently examine Karin's hand, fascinated.
"Hello," Mary said softly.
Karin gazed at the child in wonder.
"Thank you," Karin said to Cornelia. "And, thank you too, Mary. You must be a very good speaker."
A gentle sound of soft panting laughter echoed around the small hut. Karin looked confused, and the little ape girl blushed, her muzzle turning a bright pink.
"You do not know … how … unusual … it is for Mary to be so quiet," Cornelia explained haltingly. "Most Apes … prefer to sign … not speak. But our Mary is the opposite. You'll find that out when she gets a little … less shy around you."
Mary blushed even more.
Cornelia turned to the female directly on her right. She proceeded to introduce Karin to Tinker, who was Rocket, the hairless chimp's, wife, and the other females in the room. Karin could feel all the apes looking at her. Their gazes were certainly not hostile, cautious and curious if anything. But even though there weren't many, it was still a larger crowd than Karin had been used to dealing with in years. Just their presence was making her nervous.
Karin brushed some hair out of her face. Then, her eyes widening in amazement, she deliberately ran her fingers through her hair. Not having bothered much with it for years, she'd forgotten how long and soft it was supposed to be.
She wondered which one of the Apes had worked such a miracle on her hair. She had not felt so much as a small tug or sharp pull, whomever did it.
Seeing her fiddling with her hair, the Ape called Tinker signed something to her.
"She wants to know if you like it, your hair?" Mary translated.
Karin grinned gratefully at Tinker.
"Was it you?"
Tinker nodded.
"Oh, thank you," Karin told her sincerely. "I'm … I am sorry it was such a disaster. I didn't know I'd be meeting company today."
Tinker simply shrugged as if it were nothing. Still, Karin thought that the ape seemed very pleased by her reactions.
Karin turned again to Cornelia.
"I—I'm sorry, Cornelia. Thank you all so much for taking care of me. And, I really don't mean to be rude or ungrateful, but please, can you tell me where Maurice is," she asked.
Even more gentle laughter sounded all around her again, and Cornelia and Tinker exchanged a quick flurry of signs between themselves that Karin had no hope of understanding.
"Cornelia said, see, I win. Tinker said no, it was a tie, and Cornelia said that no, it was not," Mary translated.
Karin looked blankly at the child, and finally Mary laughed a little, and seemed to relax. In fact, all the women in the hut seemed to relax more, which made Karin also feel less tense.
"Aunt Cornelia and Aunt Tinker had a bet of how long it would take you to wake up and ask about Uncle Maurice," Mary explained.
Karin took one moment to gape in awe at Rocket's and Caesar's wives, then she too began to laugh. Soon, all the females in the hut were laughing and talking animatedly.
The women were all starting to get along very well, and things were fine. Until, anxious to go and see Maurice, Karin got slowly to her feet. She had tons of little aches and pains from bruises and scratches that she must have picked up while barreling through the woods on her desperate rescue mission, but she ignored them. After steadying herself for a second with Cornelia's and Mary's gentle help, she stuck her head out of the vine-covered entrance of the hut. What looked to her like hundreds of Apes were just milling around out there, and all their eyes immediately fixed on Karin's exposed head.
Karin gave a soft cry of distress, and immediately shrank back in to the hut. She cowered against one wall while Mary moved quickly to try and comfort her, and Cornelia and her other attendants stepped outside. From the sounds, Karin assumed that the Ape Queen immediately started taking charge, sending most of the milling apes back to their own normal activities.
"We can go out now," Mary said as Cornelia and another chimp stuck their heads back in the door, signed something to the child, then left again. "They're gone. And Sparrow says Uncle Maurice is awake and asking for you. He's just next door."
He's just next door. Karin smiled, letting out a relief breath that was almost a sob, thinking that was the best things she had heard since she woke up. And those were probably the only few words that would have gotten Karin out of the hut at that time.
She cautiously approached the entrance again and peaked out through the parted vines. Only one ape was in sight, and his back was to her. He stood at a great distance away, but Karin thought there was something more than a little menacing about that stiff-backed Ape, but she ignored it. She would ignore just about anything to get to see Maurice.
Mary pointed to the left.
"Straight to your left. Just go on in there. I need to go and talk with Papa, but I'll be back."
Papa?
Karin watched as Mary ran lightly to the menacing Ape. She noticed the other's posture visibly relaxing when Mary came up and put her hand on his shoulder. The stiff-backed ape immediately put one arm about the child and drew her close. Was that really the child's Father? Then she couldn't be Cornelia's daughter, could she? Cornelia was married to Caesar. Or, were the Apes marriages open ones? Or was that just allowed for the King and Queen?
Oh, boy! I've got a lot to learn about these people and their relationships, Karin thought as she hurried in to the doorway on her left.
"Maurice! … Oh, hello, Caesar," Karin stammered, seeing the Ape King at Maurice's bedside and coming to a sudden skidding halt. She swallowed nervously. The ape king looked even more intimidating in the daylight, and it was only her sheer desperation to see and speak with Maurice that made Karin able to not automatically shrink away.
"I-I'm sorry, Caesar. I'll come back later," Karin stammered, starting to back slowly out of the door.
"No, no, you stay, please," Caesar said softly, getting up and stretching.
Karin peered around Caesar to see Maurice starting to sit up. He visibly winced in pain, and Caesar swung around to fix him with a baleful glare. Silently, the ape leader pointed to the bed, and reluctantly, the Orangutan lay back down again.
"Try … not to let him get up," Caesar added with a stern look at his orangutan friend. "Sparrow says his ribs are badly bruised, and she wants him to stay in bed for at least three or four days."
"I'll be back later, Maurice. Mary will be nearby. Just call her if you need anything," Caesar added aside to Karin as he left them alone.
With Caesar gone, Karin visibly relaxed. Then her and Maurice's eyes immediately locked on one another. Wasting no time, she moved quickly to the orangutan's side, and gazed at him, her tense expression immediately dissolving in to something far softer, and frankly amazed. It was the first time they had seen one another in something other than twilight or dim battery light or near darkness. He looked even more huge and splendid and orange to her than she first thought, and his eyes were even kinder. He returned her gaze with just as much gentle amazement, and was it awe? His tender expression brought a faint blush to her cheeks.
"Are you alright?" both she and Maurice asked one another at the same time.
They both laughed, and again Maurice tried to sit up. She put one hand firmly on his shoulder and tried to hold him down.
"Oh no you don't! I'm not gonna get in trouble with Caesar or that Chimp healer. You stay right where you are!"
"You are not my wife. I don't have to do what you say," Maurice replied, deliberately throwing her own words from earlier that night back at her with a teasing grin.
Karin took a slow deep breath.
"Okay then," she said. "If that's how you want to play this, have it your own way.
Suddenly releasing him, she stood up and turned her back on him.
"Where are you going?" Maurice exclaimed, sounding honestly startled.
"You don't want to listen to me? That's fine. I'm not gonna argue with you. I'll go and see if I can't find King Kong and bring him back here and have him hold you down, then.
She only took half a step away before feeling a gentle hand and long fingers wrap around the end of her hair. She could have easily freed herself, but waited, instead, letting the orangutan wrap just a bit of it through his fingers
"Oh, please don't," Maurice said, sounding far too pathetic and innocent for Karin to completely trust. "Luca takes those orders way too seriously, sometimes."
Karin hesitated, pretending to deeply consider His pleas. Then, she reached back, slowly untangled his fingers from her hair before turning back around to face him.
"If you'll come and sit and stay with me, I promise to behave," Maurice told her quietly. "Just please don't go and get Luca."
Karin tried to stay hard and stern, but she smiled despite herself.
"Well, I guess one huge heavy object holding you down for one night is enough, huh."
With a sigh, Karin gave in. She took his hand firmly in hers and perched carefully on the side of his bed … or nest … or whatever the apes called it. It looked like a combination of the two to her.
Maurice gently stroked her hand and rumbled softly at her.
"And don't you give me any of your orangutan sweet talk," she warned him with a faint smile.
"Tell me, is it true? Did you … did you really charge through the forest … and throw yourself at the gorilla guard, screaming Caesar's name? The orangutan sounded in total awe. "Caesar says the story about that is already going around the village."
"Oh, lord," Karin groaned. "Please tell me your kidding?"
Maurice slowly shook his head.
She gave him a hard and accusing look.
"Don't blame me, I didn't start the story going around," Maurice protested. "Talk with Rocket, or more likely, Luca's other gorillas who rode with you."
"OH, man! That's all I need! Stories told about me!" Karin groaned.
"Well, I don't know about the throwing myself part," Karin went on to tell him truthfully. "It felt more like I tripped and fell and slammed in to one of them, King Kong, I think. A great big silver-back sun of a gun, who stared at me as if he questioned his own sanity or something. But, yeah, I was calling for Caesar … just a little bit."
"King Kong?" Maurice chuckled at the reference to his old friend, Luca. He had seen bits and pieces of that human film, and though Karin could not know it yet, there were a few parallels between the human's pretend ape and Luca. He would die before admitting it to anyone, but Maurice knew that Luca held a soft spot for the children and females.
"And it's not funny, Maurice!" she exclaimed, hearing Maurice rumbling softly with laughter.
Karin was just starting to realize the danger she might have been in, and how horribly different things could have turned out.
"I—I could have really gotten myself killed, couldn't I, coming at them out of the dark like that?"
"We aren't savages. We don't make a habit of killing anyone in distress, let alone lone unarmed females," Maurice told her firmly.
"And that's a real nice way of saying, maybe, right?" Karin persisted.
"Well, I suppose accidents can always happen," Maurice said thoughtfully.
"Oh, great," Karin muttered unhappily. "So much for keeping a low profile while I'm here."
"I don't know how to tell you this, Karin, but being that you are the only human in our village—" Maurice began.
"I know, I know!" Karin groaned. "Well, at least Caesar seems to have assigned me a sweet little buddy to show me around."
"Little blond?" Maurice asked.
Karin nodded.
"Ah, that is our little Mary," Maurice looked very pleased. "Mary is the best speaker we have here, aside from Caesar and Koba."
"Koba?" Karin asked.
"Mary's Father. Koba is … well … He is-"
"Not at all happy that I'm here," Karin finished his sentence, remembering the stiff-backed ape Mary had run to, calling him Papa. "I saw Mary talking to him. I didn't need to see his face to know how he feels about humans. You live with some real interesting people, Maurice."
Karin eyed the bed-ridden orangutan with a worried frown.
"I'm sure your Healer's already done it, but do you mind if I take a look for myself?" she asked him finally.
The old Orangutan nodded, looking resigned.
Karin perched on the edge of the nest and began to gently examine Maurice for herself. Though he tried to hide it, she felt his winces as her hands traveled lightly over his chest and down his sides. But she became truly alarmed when she bent and gently laid her head against his chest, and for a second, he actually seemed to stopped breathing
"Maurice!" she cried.
The big ape jumped, taking in an involuntary deep breath, wincing visibly this time.
"Dammit, you scared me! Why'd you do that? I'll go get your Healer," Karin gasped.
She started to jump up, but Maurice reached out and grasped her hand, stopping her. Something in his touch and his look made her blush furiously and feel like she'd overreacted, not that it was strange for her to do so.
"are you having trouble breathing, Maurice?" She asked in a tone that brooked absolutely no nonsense. "And you tell me the truth!"
The orangutan shook his great head.
Karin did not entirely believe him, but she settled again on the edge of the nest with a sigh. Something about that whole thing still made her feel as if she were missing something important about his reaction, something that should be obvious, but she put it out of her mind for now.
Two shadows fell across the door. In came Mary, with the ape that Karin thought was the Healer chimp who had come with her and Caesar to save Maurice. They came to Maurice's bedside.
"Karin, this is Sparrow," Mary formally introduced the female chimpanzee. "She's our Healer."
"It's very nice to meet you, Sparrow," Karin offered her hand. The chimp hesitated for just a fraction of a second, then gently took the woman's hand in her own. "You are the person I want to talk to, then," Karin added immediately.
As Mary signed her words to Sparrow, Maurice gave a long-resigned grumble, which Karin and Sparrow both completely ignored. The two females, with Mary as translator, began an intense conversation about the orangutan, which lasted for several minutes before Maurice interrupted by sharply tapping the side of the bed and giving a far more insistent grumble that could not be ignored by anyone.
"Maurice says the tree did not fall on his eyes or ears," Mary said, hiding an obvious giggle.
Karin squeezed Maurice's hand, but the bulk of her attention was still on Sparrow.
"Has he always been like this?" Karin asked Sparrow.
"Since I've known him, and you haven't seen the worst of it yet," Mary translated Sparrow's answer.
"Well, let's talk over here, then," Karin offered, pointing to a far corner of the room.
Sparrow nodded and followed her, but Mary lingered for a second at Maurice's side.
'You are really enjoying yourself, aren't you, Mary?" Maurice signed to the girl.
"Yes, Uncle, I am," the child agreed happily, then she made as if to go join Karin and Sparrow, but Maurice stopped her with a soft touch on her arm.
"When it comes time for you to show Karin around the village, show her my home first," he told the girl.
Mary beamed at him.
"Of course, Uncle, guess she will be spending time there a lot, won't she?" the girl stated matter-of-factly.
Before Maurice could think of a response, the child gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek then she left him to tend to the duties Caesar had assigned her. Maurice turned painfully on one side to peer over at the chattering females, and knew for the next few days, he was really in for it with those three ganging up on him.
A/N:
Hi everyone,
Told you guys there would be more, but I bet you didn't believe me. LOL! I know it's been forever and a day since fresh updates. Many thanks to anyone who has been reading, and is still reading. :) Your persistence,and your great patience, is very appreciated. And welcome to any new readers. Much more to come, folks, and I will try to make updates a bit more frequent.