Hello, lovely people.
The writing for this one started off slow but really ended in a bang. I have to say, I really like the way this one turned out. I hope you all enjoy!
Lots of action, lots of drama, lots of emotions. That's all I can say.
"Kingdoms rise, kingdoms fall. Pretenders reach for the throne but only Caesar can rule. And the pretenders fade away."
-Salvatore Maranzano
Act 1 Chapter 9- Bullet
From the moment the gong sounded, Caesar knew this would be the most challenging fight he'd ever engaged in. With a bellow, Proximus wasted no breath or effort in chasing his quarry. Two swings missed the top of Caesar's head and he went on the defensive.
Never allow your opponent to strike the first blow.
It was commonly understood among apes that a leader needed to be decisive and in doing so, a leader must act first to assert his dominance. He'd missed that chance already.
Caesar backed up to the edge of the platform, Proximus in hot pursuit. He grabbed one of the overhanging metal bars, lifted himself up and kicked out with his foot, smacking Proximus backwards.
The crowd noise lowered in an audible 'oh'. From the astonished looks on their faces, no one had ever landed a blow like that on the ape king before. Perhaps no one ever dared.
Caesar smiled to himself. There was more than one way to strike the first blow.
Undeterred and more than a bit angry, Proximus charged and swung again, arms the size of thick tree branches flailing in all directions. Caesar was forced to swerve and avoid, attempting the same trick from earlier except this time he swung his body in full motion around the bar and kicked out.
Proximus tumbled backwards again. Fueled by the thrill of violence, the crowd's 'oh's' turned to approval, which unfortunately for Caesar, also fueled the rage of his opponent. The king threw another fist, which missed. The chimp delivered a crushing shot to the side but a backhand caught him in the chest and he crashed onto the ground below, splintering the wood.
Caesar winced as the wound beneath his bandages gave a painful throb. He leapt back onto his feet just before the foot of Proximus crushed it, grabbing a small piece of debris.
Staggering and swaying, the chimp sized up his options. He'd seen this before, when he and Koba battled on top of a human tower. He wasn't at full strength then either, but circumstances did not favor Caesar this time around. Proximus was three times as big and much more powerful. Koba never commanded the respect of the entire clan. Proximus enjoyed near worship. Blocked by a sea of apes in every direction, he had little room to maneuver.
"You have made a mistake," the bonobo told him with a sneer, sensing his hesitancy. "You cannot hope…to defeat me."
He put such narcissistic relish on the word 'me', a nasty trickle spilled down the back of Caesar's spine. Proximus charged like a bull, picking him up, but not before Caesar squirmed out of the hold and used the piece of wood to press against his neck.
"Apes deserve better," he growled into Proximus' ear. The hold broke as even his strength could not form a tight enough noose to bring the ape king down. He was picked up and slammed into the dirt with a sickening crack.
Breathless, Caesar had no time to react to a meaty paw, picking him up by one arm and tossing him like a rag doll five feet away.
"You should have joined my Legions," Proximus snarled, all traces of glee gone from those merciless yellow eyes. "You could have become…so much."
Caesar raised himself up, coughing and sputtering for breath. He saw that his bandages were holding up so far. However, a broken rib had been joined by two more. But he did not yield.
"I have seen…much," he wheezed. "Things you can't imagine. Things…far greater and more terrible than yourself."
"Silence!"
Proximus charged and Caesar was forced to roll away to avoid being pinned down by those murderous paws.
"You may rule, Proximus. You do not lead."
Another attack, another dodge, this one by the length of the bonobo's fingertips. Caesar circled on the edge of the crowd, many of whom jeered, shouted, and pushed him to "fight" and "meet his fate." He ignored their hysterical nonsense and honed in on attacking Proximus where it hurt most: the ego.
"These apes bow down to me!" the ape king cried.
"They bow down to a false prophet."
"I…am...leader!" Proximus punctuated each claim with a thump of the chest. "I have the power of a kingdom at my fingertips…I have the power of Caesar!"
The words acted as a drug of passion to the masses. Apes slapped the ground, screeched in approval, and bellowed their high pitched shrieks into a scream of delirium. Their king's mind was their mind. His thoughts were their thoughts. Nothing could sway them. Caesar knew better than anyone that it was faith, blind and oblivious to truth, that granted Proximus the power he wielded. He had to break that faith.
"You have my name," he said. "But nothing else."
Proximus heard him, soaking in those words as their meaning permeated into his enormous skull. The chimpanzee stared down the bonobo with such a sharp volley of hardened contempt it caused the latter to recoil with fear. A sharp hiss escaped those lips and a hush fell about the crowd.
"You think you are the Lawgiver?!" he roared. "Blasphemy!"
"'Apes Together Strong'. 'Ape Shall Not Kill Ape'," Caesar quoted to him in a dangerous growl. "These are Caesar's commands…and you break them."
Proximus, in a desperate attempt to shut down the swelling tide of truth bruising his ego, tried to grab Caesar for a third time and paid dearly for the indiscretion. Combining both hands into one, he slugged the bonobo hard in the face not once, not twice, but three times.
No ape cheered or celebrated. Proximus staggered back through the dust and brought a hand to his nose. He touched the dark red spilling over, as though it should be impossible for him to bleed.
The lull of silence detonated into explosive violence as the king tore after Caesar, willing that he should pay for the offense of striking the great leader. The chimp ducked, weaved, and carved a path through the circle. He was more agile than Proximus, but injury and approaching middle age reared their ugly heads. As he slipped through outstretched hands, his wound gave an ungodly tear, sucking the last reserves of endurance from his lungs.
The mark of Preacher's last arrow returned with a vengeance. There was little to experience but pain as it overwhelmed his senses. Caesar fell to the ground, bleeding from the underside of the chest.
Proximus snarled as he approached. Two fists rained blow after blow on the chimpanzee. Several apes among the gathering looked away in disgust, their bloodlust dissipating in the face of actually seeing it.
"You think you can steal my crown?!" He picked Caesar up and sent him flying into the dirt, ten yards away. "You think you can take over my realm?!"
A hand clamped down against his windpipe and he struggled to breathe. The mixture of hatred and fear in the eyes of Proximus verged on instability. He marched towards the back of the wooden podium and slammed the chimp into one of the poles.
"You think you can preach to me the teachings of Caesar?!"
Whatever answer he may have given was blocked by a combination of blood and brute force surrounding his larynx. The edges of Caesar's peripheral vision began to blur. He could not utter so much as a defiant scoff.
"No. I think not."
Proximus let go of his throat and dropped him to the ground. This was not an act of mercy, but a brief reprieve. A final demonstration of victory followed by the glorious kill. Seconds afterwards, Caesar was dragged into the middle of the pit and tossed in front of the crowd.
"It is finished," said the bonobo. He pressed a prehensile foot against the red stained bandages. Caesar attempted to hold in the burning scream aching to leave his lungs but as the foot pressed deeper, he shouted in agony.
"Let it be known that on this day, I, Proximus Caesar, first of my name, claimed victory over Rocket, who shall only be known…as the ape who failed."
If he'd expected more of a speech from Proximus, he was mistaken. Caesar tried to lift the giant foot off his chest, fighting through enormous pain to do so. He'd gone into this battle almost indifferent to whether he lived or died. The raw instincts of the former took over. He couldn't let this tyrant win, not with so much at stake.
"Your struggles are in vain," Proximus said, recognizing the ape beneath him posed little threat. "Good-bye, Rocket."
As he raised his fists to deliver the death knell, the ground beneath them shook and rumbled. Caesar thought he knew what this was, having lived through a few earthquakes inside of Will's house. But when a blaring horn sounded, something much louder than anything belonging to Proximus, he put two and two together.
Two vault doors opened wide.
"Shit."
Paralysis struck Noa when he saw Caesar lying on the ground, broken and bleeding, Proximus standing on top of him in obvious triumph. A thousand eyes gazed in their direction, and so did a thousand thoughts in his mind.
The dilemma brought no immediate solutions as their success hinged on several things going right and almost nothing wrong. How were they to escape? Rally Eagle Clan and make a break for it? No, the soldiers would catch up. Stand and fight? The number of apes to go through were far too numerous. Rescue Caesar? He looked close to death.
Noa looked at Mae, hoping for guidance and found her just as stonewalled. Her blue eyes went wide and she took a step back on instinct when Proximus' attention fixated on them.
Anaya and Soona were no better at offering counsel.
"What…do we do?" the latter asked, clinging to his arm in fear.
Whatever makeshift concoction they might have come up with vanished the instant Proximus rushed towards them on all fours. Noa was prepared to fight despite knowing it would be his end. But the ape king ran past them, far more mesmerized by the contents of the vault than the people who had opened it.
His posse of soldiers followed suit, including Sylva and Lightning, the latter of whom flicked Mae's hair with a threatening leer. Noa almost attacked him for the assault on her person when he caught sight of his mother and the rest of Eagle Clan.
They tried to run each other but two staff wielding soldiers pushed him just out of reach as he tried to hug her. He gnashed his teeth in anger but could do little to overcome their strength.
"You are a very useful ape, Noa," Proximus said to them, staring at the rows of tanks, planes, and weaponry in wonder. "You understand…so many things."
Proximus turned round and the expression of awe transformed one into one of utter disgust.
"But you fail to observe one of the most…important. Humans cannot be trusted," he said, pointing at Mae, who was edging away from the inside of the vault. "They are devious, deceitful…and a threat to all apes. I have tried to tell you this…tried to make you see."
Noa felt his heart being stretched in every direction. Raka, Caesar, his mother, and father, Proximus…everyone wanted to tell him what he should believe. Everyone claimed to know what was true and what was not true. Everyone was right…everyone was wrong.
"But this…betrayal has been noted. And it shall not go unpunished."
Proximus shuffled over and Noa saw that his nose was bleeding along with a slight limp to his right leg.
Reminding himself of that fact did not lessen the size and strength looming over him. The bonobo had no doubt used this advantage to bully and intimidate hundreds of others…he was the latest in a long line of victims.
"What did Mae plan to do with the tools inside my vault?" Proximus growled. "Hm? Did she tell you how to use them? Perhaps to kill me?!"
Nothing. He would say nothing. Proximus could not know and when he saw a response was not forthcoming, the tactics changed.
"Noa, do not be like Rocket. Do not be a fool. Join me…tell me Mae's plans. I will do for you what a human never will."
Proximus took another step forward until a little more than a foot stood between them.
"Your clan…shall live in paradise. We will go on to do many great things together. But failure to comply…and they will be wiped out."
Noa tilted his upward and saw the ruthless purpose in those fierce, yellow eyes. He meant every word. His clan would die. Just like his father. And he would be at fault…
He had to give her up. There was no choice. Mae had lied to him multiple times. She was a human with no love for apes. Why should this be a difficult decision?
You cannot betray her.
"Choose!" Proximus thundered. "Tell me her plans or your clan dies!"
Shrieks of panic emanating from Eagle Clan, now being boxed in by a multitude of soldiers into a corner of the vault. Anaya and Soona tried to break through to them, but Sylva backhanded the male chimp to the ground. Rather than egg on the violence, the rest of the ape crowd fell into a complacent stupor, unable or perhaps unwilling to believe Proximus would wipe out an entire village of apes.
Amidst the stakes and promise of murder, Noa searched the crowd for Mae. Where did she go?
"Choose, Noa!"
It started with a word. Two combined letters with the power to change the lives of millions, just as his ancestor had in the past. Noa couldn't know his connection to Caesar, but uttered the word with the same significance.
"No!"
The End.
Caesar figured that it had come as he faded in and out of consciousness, bleeding out on the ground. Proximus was long gone. He'd failed to deliver the final blow but that hardly mattered now.
He used the last of his draining strength to flip over onto his back, the morning sun bearing down on him. The dry taste of iron parched a bruised throat. Pain wracked the body, omnipresent in every bone and muscle.
It seemed his short time in the future was drawing to an unceremonious close, though ironic in other ways. He'd died once for the sake of apes when they believed him to be savior, he'd die again without anyone ever knowing who he was. All for the same purpose.
Caesar didn't mind dying. A part of him welcomed its dark embrace. But Noa…Raka…they'd been true friends in a world where they were all gone. If he had any regrets, it was that he could not help them any longer. And as for humans…well, maybe they could be a part of that future. If they learned…
"Caesar…"
He looked up to see a silhouette partially blocking the light from his vision. It was slender, female shaped. Could it be? Was he going to see his beloved Cornelia again? His family?
"Caesar."
The voice was clearer now. Sharp. Like the edge of a blade knife. Since when could Cornelia talk? Slowly, the silhouette took on a stronger color as it lowered down.
"Mae?"
She held a pointy object in her hand. Was this how it ended? Finished by a human woman thirsting for revenge?
"Don't make me regret this."
The sharp object plunged into his leg and he grunted in discomfort. The pain was temporary, the energy it unleashed was unlike anything experienced before. In seconds, he was back on his feet, gazing at Mae in simultaneous amazement and disbelief.
"Get him," was all she said.
Caesar looked towards the vault, which was now packed with apes who sought to see the content inside. But one figure stood above the rest, his towering presence unmistakeable…and his back was turned.
Running on all fours, the chimpanzee charged forward with the speed of a small car. Other apes reacted with hoots of shock as he barreled his way towards the vault. Most got out of the way in time. Proximus didn't.
Caesar slammed into the bonobo with such tremendous force, knocking him over like a giant redwood. He unleashed a torrent of violence, striking and punching every inch of Proximus he could reach. The ape king tried to push him off but grew weaker and lifeless with each blow.
Seeking to finish the job, he dragged him out of the vault and back onto the sandy ground, demonstrating that the once all powerful ruler was nothing more than a broken charlatan. A dethroned king.
Breathing heavily, some of the adrenaline wore off and the frayed edges of his vision went from red to normal. The subjects of Proximus' kingdom were in pure awe, looking at Caesar with the same reverence they'd once given to the ape beneath his feet. No soldier lifted a finger to help their leader, not a soul objected.
"Do it!" someone yelled.
He peered down on Proximus, who coughed blood as he spoke.
"He is…correct. Do what must be done…take my place…as king."
As things came into focus, so did Caesar's moral conundrum. He searched the crowd and found an anxious Raka, who's eyes spoke the obvious message.
Ape shall not kill ape.
A second face, this one belonging to Mae, told a different tale (the other apes seemed to have forgotten about her). Hardened and blue as the sky above, there was little to discern.
He's too dangerous to be left alive.
Caesar wished Proximus had been any other species besides a bonobo. For the longer he stared into those golden eyes, the more he saw Koba. An ape he once spared. An ape who started a war as a result. Whose death still haunted his dreams, no matter how necessary killing him may have been.
How could he chastise Proximus for breaking a sacred law when he too was on the verge of breaking it? How could he claim to be better?
Proximus flashed a bloody grin at the irony. "You cannot do it…can you? After all…an ape shall not kill an ape."
Caesar held up a clenched paw, ready to doll out the final judgment. But the judgment never came, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself of its justice.
Grinning, Proximus flicked a spray of sand into his eyes wriggled free from Caesar's grip. He lunged with both hands ready to kill.
An enormous crack split the air. One so loud that the entire crowd of apes went into a temporary panic. Hoots and panting shrieks filled the air.
The next time he glanced at Proximus there was a bleeding hole in his chest. Only Caesar had the experience and knowhow to realize that the sound had come from a gun.
He saw Mae holding a pistol with two hands as the sharp smell of pungent smoke hit his nostrils.
She hadn't wanted to use the gun. Bullets were precious. To be used for food or emergencies and nothing else.
Mae had a mission and one mission alone. To acquire satellite technology from the government's old security bunker and return to base. If any apes got in the way…silence them.
The charges were less than twenty feet away. The apes were focused on Caesar, who had pummeled Proximus into a bloody pulp thanks to her stimulant. It was the perfect opportunity. Strike a devastating blow for humanity by eliminating every monkey who posed a threat. Escape into the wilderness like a shadow in the night.
But conflicting thoughts came as her eyes wandered and found Eagle Clan pouring out of the vault to witness Caesar's triumph. They settled on Noa, who in turn found hers.
'Don't do it,' he seemed to say. Knowing that their plan was to rescue Eagle Clan and destroy the vault, the two had become mutually exclusive. The former could not exist in tandem with the latter. Destroy the vault, destroy Noa and his family. Spare them and risk fighting a potential enemy down the road.
Mae kicked herself for hesitating. The decision should have been as easy as it was logical. Humans over apes. That's the way things existed before. That was the natural order, ripped away by unnatural forces. Blowing up that dam would set things right…
The sparkle in Noa's eyes pleaded with her heart even as it battled with her brain, conditioned to follow orders without question. The heart won out.
When Caesar hesitated and Proximus tried to attack, she whipped out her revolver and fired a single round, straight and true. It struck Proximus square in the chest. The great ape, so powerful, so strong, so intimidating to everyone in his kingdom was no match for a single piece of exploding metal fired over five hundred miles an hour. In seconds, he toppled over, dead as a doornail.
When the shrieking from the confused apes subsided and the soldiers became aware of what happened, one of them, Lightning, gave a terrifying roar and rushed Mae on all fours. Unbound by the rules of non-interference, he bared his incisors in raw hatred.
With little time to spare or think Mae fired another shot, this one finding the side of Lightning's head, blowing out the entire left side of it in tiny fragments of skull and brain.
A strange sense of calm had settled in her chest and a liquid cool poured into her veins. Far from being frightened, she felt steeled, settled, ready to fire again if anyone else dared to pose a threat.
No one did. Mae peered around and saw every ape within the vicinity looking at her with a collective mixture of emotions: awe, disbelief, respect, anger but they all shared one in particular.
She saw it in Raka, who's jaw had dropped to the ground. She saw it in Noa, muzzle pressed into a thin line, now fully exposed to the power of a human weapon. Caesar was the sole ape who did not see the gun as some kind of magic instrument. He was shocked, not surprised. But like the others, he too was experiencing raw fear.
They had borne witness to a self evident truth; the power of the most dominant animal on the planet.
Caesar stood inside the vault. A once bustling center of human activity. Living proof of their genius, a gravestone to their folly.
He inhaled the wet, musty odor as he gazed inside what he figured must have been a planning area of some kind. Will had something he called an 'office'. The Colonel had a private backroom and bunk where he conferred with his soldiers. This room contained a long table, some kind of whiteboard, chairs, several electronic gadgets no longer in use, and an American flag draped on the left hand wall. Comfortable enough to fit at least twenty people.
What would his father say if he could see this right now? Or Malcolm? If any human from the past had the capability of seeing the ruins of their own hubris, what would they do to change it? Was it possible to change now?
Caesar took a few steps forward and put his hand on the table, which was covered in dust. He wiped some of it away to reveal a symbol he'd seen on TV a few times: the Presidential seal. Humans thought it to be the most important and prestigious symbol in the world. But what were symbols without meaning? Without virtue?
Nothing, that little voice said to him. You know that better than most.
No matter how angry he felt towards humans, one feature of their existence remained the same and that was the fact that they were the same. In too many ways to count. He could not condemn them and withhold the spear towards Proximus, Koba, and many others of his kind who committed acts of evil.
Caesar dropped his hand from the Presidential seal and the memory of his mark, that simple little window in Will's bedroom flashed in his mind. The one that meant so much to apes. The cause of so many great and terrible things.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment traveling hundreds of years into the future wasn't how much had changed, but how little.
His ears twitched at the sound of a metallic click behind him.
"I know you're there."
Mae stood behind him at the center of the doorway. There was no reply or movement. It occurred to Caesar that in a reversal of their first conversation, she wanted him to be aware of her presence. Aware that she now had the power.
"If you're going to shoot me…shoot me."
He pictured her aiming the gun at the back of his head, finger on the trigger, waiting to fire. 'Let her', came the dark thought. Nothing could be taken from him that hadn't already vanished into the sands of time. So many had wanted him dead he'd lost count by now.
But the bullet never came. Instead, the sound of approaching footsteps drew closer until she stood beside him, staring straight at the American flag.
"You need to leave here. This place is going to be destroyed."
That had been the original plan. Caesar understood the necessity of not allowing Proximus to have access to human technology. But his passing made the prospect of destroying the vault bittersweet.
"Proximus is dead. Such a place…could be useful. For both of us."
"That's a risk I'm not willing to take. Proximus was bad, but there are plenty of apes that could be worse."
Mae's voice was cold and ruthless. It occurred to Caesar that she was offended by his mere presence inside the vault.
"A shame," he said evenly. "It is far easier to destroy than to create."
"The last thing I need is a moral lesson about creation and destruction," she shot back sharply. "Least of all from you."
The punctuation of the word 'you' hit Caesar in the chest with the force of an avalanche. Rationally he knew Mae wasn't directly referring to his personal role in the fall of man, but such accusations touched a different nerve altogether. The sheer arrogance, the disgusting hubris of a species that refused to learn anything. So when he turned to address the woman next to him, he returned fire with a level of anger that had been building for years.
"Apes did not destroy humans. Humans did that themselves."
She opened her mouth to retort but he cut her off. He did not advance forward, to do so would have been foolish with a gun at her side and the tenderness of his wounds.
"Humans created the virus, humans refused peace, humans fought each other until there was nothing left."
Caesar lobbed hard truth after hard truth like bombs in spite of his own guilt. He'd released the virus that made apes smarter and humans sick, Koba started the war, the Colonel killed his family…but why should he own his mistakes if humanity wasn't going to?
"Mankind lost everything and yet he still believes this is his world only. You would rather flood this vault than share it with apes."
"Apes want to wipe out humans!" Mae shouted, losing her composure for the first time since he made her acquaintance. "Apes were never meant to speak! You were never meant to rule!"
Her shouted echoed off the wall and back to the center of the room where it dissipated into a tense quiet between the two species.
"If apes could not speak…whose fault is that?"
Mae had no answer to that because the answer would have been too much for her mind to handle. Caesar saw her eyes trying stubbornly to avoid connecting the branches together and come to the obvious conclusion. The world's smartest animal playing dumb. How ironic…and fitting.
He strode past her, having no intention of stopping Mae from flooding the vault. Apes could live without advanced technology. If she desired to sabotage her own people, that was her business not his.
Caesar stopped at the doorway, remembering that this woman, for all her faults, still contained a conscience. Like apes, the key to their hearts was something tender.
"I've met many humans, Mae," he said, using her name. "Some good, some bad. I am used to your nature. Noa is not."
Saying what he needed to say, he walked out in silence.
From the sandy incline of a large dune, Raka saw the concrete bridge go up in a show of spark, flame, and smoke. The rush of sea water swept away the last remnants of Proximus' kingdom and took the vault along with it.
The orangutan bowed in mourning and breathed in the scent of the sea. Knowledge of any kind was sacred. To lose it in such a needless manner added to his list of considerable regrets. He understood why the weapons needed to go. They were crass, crude instruments. But books were more precious than gold. A chance to understand the past for apes and humans alike. Gone.
Mae stood atop one of the higher levels of the ship, a small spec of beige occupying a window. Though too far away to make out an expression, Raka's instincts knew her to be staring at them, just as he stared at her.
"She'll be fine."
Caesar clapped a hand on his shoulder. He gave a tired smile. Raka inwardly sighed in relief at the fresh bandages around his chest. Aside from a few more busted ribs, a spot of dizziness, and some bruises, he had come through the fight with Proximus no worse for wear. A true miracle. Of course, this ape was no stranger to miracles.
"I know," Raka said with a chuckle. "She is…quite capable. Among other things I have learned on this adventure."
The two males found each other's eyes and shared a moment of affection. Raka bowed his head in repentance.
"I owe you an apology."
"It is I who owe you an apology," Caesar said, shaking his head. "I did not tell the truth about who I was. I let anger get the better of me at the crossing. I insulted your faith."
"You are that faith," Raka said, excitement spilling from his lips like the very waves crashing into the shore down below. "To be in the presence of the First Elder…it is an honor."
He sank to one knee. "I am your disciple. If you are willing to have me."
To his great amazement, Caesar waved the offer of submission- the outstretched palm signifying obedience to another.
"I do not want followers. Just…friends."
Instead of grazing the palm with his fingertips, the great leader clasped his hand and pulled upwards in an embrace of equals, though he winced as he did so.
"I've had a lifetime of leading," he said. "Now I wish to help apes build something. Something better…stronger."
Raka beamed in happiness. He had so many questions for this great chimpanzee. This incredible ape who defied odds, rejected dominance, and practiced compassion. His life, his origins, his journey, etc. Was he truly raised by humans? Did he fight in a war? What caused the Great Schism? Did he ascend above after his death? Why had he returned to earth?
So many questions, so many puzzles! But in addressing a leader, one must act humble and dignified.
"These past few days have been a…revelation. Many things I thought true are no longer true. Many things I thought impossible…now possible. I would be honored if you would teach me."
Caesar gave a smile. Soft and a little bit sad. But also heartfelt and exuding great warmth. It occurred to Raka why Caesar wanted friends and not followers.
"I have a story to tell you. So that you can pass it on. Continue your work."
Delighted beyond measure, the orangutan monk could have listened for hours to Caesar's tales. Alas, they would have to wait. The screech of a familiar eagle signaled the return of Noa and his clan.
"The village has been…emptied," he said as he trudged up the flowing grass. Soona was with him too. "Clan is safe."
"Wonderful," Raka said. Caesar nodded that their last objective was now complete.
"Then it is time to leave. Is everyone accounted for?"
Soona snuggled up next to Noa in great affection who looked away in slight embarrassment.
"Well…not exactly."
Noa turned around and walked a few paces west. Raka followed suit, stretching his head until he could see a clearing down below. What he saw widened his eyes as large as Trevathan's tea cups.
Hundreds of apes had gathered there in unison. And speaking of Trevathan, he was there too. A lone human among simians, awkwardly standing, as though waiting for someone or something to show him the way.
When Caesar appeared over the hill, the apes bowed low and lifted their arms. From Eagle Clan to the littlest youngling, each one showered their new leader with deference.
Raka saw the full weight of responsibility on that grizzled face. The gray marking the whiskers of his face became far more pronounced, those dark circles underneath his eyes deepened. But whatever that heavy weight, Caesar would shoulder it just the same.
Perhaps…that is what makes a true leader. Those who have no interest in power, but take it out of duty.
Whatever the fates had in store, it would seem that the book of Caesar had room for a few more chapters.
Alrighty! First act is almost done. There's one more chapter two go and then it will be the beginning of Act 2.
Again, I cannot say when the next chapter will be given that I'm juggling three different things right now but I think it will be either first or second week in October. Most likely the second.
Any questions, feel free to ask! I love chatting with you guys.
Rock on!
~The Wasp