Disclaimer: I own nothing except this current combination of Twilight and Planet Of The Apes and any alterations to the original storyline plot this creates to various readers amusement everywhere across the globe.

Twilight Meets The Dawn Chapter 2

The next day, the Cullens set out to scout the lands in the Redwoods, searching for suitable prey to supplement their thirst.

The family split off into two groups.

Rosalie, Emmet, Jasper, Alice, and Renesmee would be going through the forest in the direction of Ana Nuevo State Park. As eager as Emmet was to take down a bear, they were excited to check out the elephant seals on that beach. They'd never tried them before and were curious to see what kind of a challenge they'd be in a fight. Male elephant seals were known to be very aggressive when their territory was invaded.

Renesmee simply wanted to get a look at them. She thought the harbor seals and their antics were funny, so she wanted to see what they were like.

Edward and Bella can't really refuse their daughter anything and they're not overly concerned about her being in danger with the others there to protect.

So, Edward and Bella went off with Carlisle and Esme away from the water and deep into the woods. They'd found traces of a massive elk herd in the vicinity and wanted to get a better idea of what else was around.

It's right after they found traces of mountain lion paw prints that a breeze from upwind carried something strange.

Carlisle caught it first.

Snapping his head in the direction where the scent originated from Carlisle turns away from the paw prints in the dirt and takes a few steps that way.

"Carlisle," said Esme.

Bella said "Carlisle, what's up?"

Breathing deeply, Carlisle said, "Do you smell that?"

The other three follow his lead in smelling the air.

Brow raised in surprise, Edward said "Humans? I didn't think there were any up here. I thought they were all down in the city."

"So did I. Perhaps this group doesn't like the idea of being around so many in a crowded space," mused Carlisle.

Getting an idea, Bella said "Since we're going to be hunting up here, we might as well check where they are. That way we know where to keep an eye out and avoid them."

"I agree," said Esme.

Smiling, Carlisle said "I don't see the harm in taking a slight detour. These are our new hunting grounds now."

And so, the four of them follow the scent trail deeper into the redwoods in order to locate the source.

As they were closing the distance Edward's mind-reading gift became more active as the distance for his range slowly decreased. And he started picking up the signal for first one mind and eventually reached the point of hundreds upon hundreds. The thoughts Edward picked up on were perplexing, at first. Like his family, Edward assumed them to be human. But with each minute that passes Edward becomes more and more astonished as realization fully impacts him.

"Oh my god," gasped Edward, eyes wide.

"What," said Carlisle.

Instead of answering, Edward disappears as he speeds away.

Worried about his reaction, Bella, Carlisle, and Esme quickly book it after him.

Edward's trail takes them to a cliff overlooking beautiful waterfalls and a clear view of the bay and the city beyond. Here they'd be able to see what is below, but no one can catch sight of them above.

That appears to be exactly what Edward had in mind as they find him lying down flat on his stomach at the edge. Right when they arrive Edward signals them to keep quiet and to join them on the forest floor.

"Edward, what is it," whispered Bella.

"You've got to see this," said Edward, pointing in the direction of the waterfalls. "This isn't what we thought."

Carlisle, Esme, and Bella peer over the edge and are shocked by what they find.

The scent they'd caught wasn't human after all.

"Apes," exclaimed Bella.

"Apes," said Carlisle. "Hundreds of them."

"I thought all the San Francisco apes were all whipped out by that fire," gasped Esme.

Before things had truly hit the fan with the plague there had been a news report about efforts to terminate the apes that contained the ALZ-113 to protect the public's interests. After the operation was complete the government had issued a statement that the "threat" was gone to divert the populace.

At statement is now clearly false.

"Looks like they lied" deduced Carlisle.

Rolling his eyes, Bella said "No surprise there. The government was known to lie about a lot of things."

Edward said "I couldn't believe it when I sensed them. I thought what I was hearing was a mistake. But as we got closer, and I could see the images in their minds clearer it was undeniable. It really is astounding the way these orangutans, gorillas, chimps, and bonobos think. If I wasn't seeing them with my own two eyes, I really would've thought they were human to begin with."

His natural curiosity and love of research and all things new taking over, Carlisle said "Just look at how advanced they've become. Creating an entire village with structures all their own. In all my centuries, I never would've thought it possible. If we hadn't come here and someone told us about this I would've called it an absurdity."

"Carlise, they use sign language to communicate with each other. And I'm not just talking about a few simple signs. It's the whole language," reported Edward.

"Incredible," said Carlisle in wonderment.

"We need to tell the others," said Esme. "Make sure they don't come this way before we decide what to do with this information."

Being careful not to be seen the four of them depart and head over to where they know the others will be at Ana Nuevo State Park.

The entire family converses as they drink from a male elephant seal.

Alice, especially, was the most surprised.

"I couldn't see them," breathed Alice. "When I looked into the redwoods, I didn't see them."

Tapping his chin thoughtfully, Carlisle said "It's probably from the changes that have mutated in their blood and biology from exposure to the ALZ-113. It's the only explanation I can think of for why your vision is blocked when it comes to these primates."

"What are we going to do, Carlisle," asked Jasper, an arm wrapped around Alice's shoulders.

Offering a solution, Edward said "From what I saw in some of their minds there's going to be a hunting party set on that elk herd we found today. Maybe we can watch and observe them during that hunt."

Nodding in agreement, Carlisle said "Very well. That's what we'll do. Hopefully, we'll get a better idea of them tomorrow."

Authors Note:

I've had people ask me how vampires would starve to death. Bear in mind, in the movies and books, we've seen that vampires can go for days maybe over a week without blood. But here, in this universe, the human population is so terribly decimated they'd still have to watch their feeding habits even more closely. Remember the Volturi would draw massive amounts of people in and then feed. Because of this those in the Volturi would no longer have any access to that and they'd run out of humans to prey on a lot faster. Another factor is that the statute of secrecy means a great deal to the Volturi and their followers. Even in the confusion of the Simian Flu Virus, the Volturi wouldn't give themselves away by annihilating whole populations to simply sate their hunger. They're not stupid. Even during the Middle Ages when the immortal children ran rampant, they never took part in that. Instead, they covered it up. In this sort of perspective the Volturi would keep their pride and would rather starve to death than move onto actual animals for food.

And for those of you who are wondering why Carlisle and the others assumed the apes to be humans at first, apes are one of the closest relatives to humans. So the mistake could've been an easy one for them to make until it was clarified by Edward.

I hope you all like this one! I certainly did while writing it for your vast enjoyment! ;D

For those of you just starting out with my stuff there are other works on my profile that may catch your interest. I highly recommend you take a look as soon as the opportunity presents itself to you. Who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.

Stay safe everyone. Especially with all of these crazy natural disasters occurring a lot lately due to global warming and climate change everywhere for sure. I swear it's like they're getting worse and worse all the time and it's like officials are simply just ignoring it or pretending it doesn't exist entirely just to go on with their daily lives. Especially those in multi-million dollar companies that rely on certain elements of our planet that we rely on to naturally keep us safe instead of adapting and finding new safer ways to keep in business. There are so many options out there where they can adapt, but they just refuse to see it because all they care about is money. Climate change is altering so much faster than anyone can really keep track of.

So, in light of all this, it is important to live life to the fullest as much as anyone can.

I know I am. ;) See you guys next time.