Disclaimer: I own nothing except this current combination between Twilight and the 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 7
Waking before most of the villagers were out of their huts Blue Eyes and Ash were eager to start the day.
Last night, during the evening feast, the adolescents had conversed with Edward about going down to the river to do some fishing. Liking the idea, Edward agreed to accompany them both to act as a guard and for some added fun.
The sun had barely risen in the sky, but some apes were beginning their daily routines by the time they left. A few were even congregating around the fire pit, sharing their morning meals together.
Two of whom were Ash's parents, Rocket and Tinker.
Rocket and Tinker wave at the trio, and they return the gesture. After the alpha awakens and emerges, Rocket will no doubt inform Caesar about where their sons have gone.
They pass by Emmett and Jasper at the village boundary, and they do the same to them. Carlisle will no doubt be alerted to where they are in just a few short minutes.
The trip to the river doesn't take long.
The three of them soon were at a selected fishing spot in the river. Shallow rapids spread out into the middle of the river downstream, the deeper calm water at the outside of the bend. They'd come here multiple times and always return to the tribe with something to show for it. It's a favored position by many.
Blue Eyes and Ash were side by side together in the shallows looking at the water and patiently waiting for any trout to get within their sights. The fish camouflaged well blending in with the rocks, so it was hard to get them, but the satisfaction when eating one was worth the effort in the long run.
Edward is standing behind them, keeping a keen eye out for any predators in the vicinity since his two companions are too preoccupied at the moment to remain vigilant. Especially, with Ash's usual shenanigans added into the mix.
Blue Eyes had his spear poised arm raised searching for a target within range. He was perfectly still so he wouldn't startle the fish with any sudden movements. This needed to be done quietly and neatly.
Suddenly Ash threw his hand out thumping Blue Eyes in the chest breaking his concentration on purpose.
Screeching in indignation, Blue Eyes signed"Ash!"
Edward laughs in amusement at this. Of course, Edward could've warned Blue Eyes about what Ash was going to do, but where's the fun in that?
Ash laughed good-naturedly, signing"Hey, no big deal. You'll just have to pick another one."
Scowling Blue Eyes went to do that.
Luck is on Blue Eyes' side. Without Ash messing around anymore Blue Eyes does catch some fish. Enough for both of their families. These trout are soon strung up and hanging from his spear, hanging by their gills on some vines.
Going home with two trout was better than returning with none. The fish were hanging by their gills on some vines tied onto the spear.
Grinning, Ash teased"The bear wouldn't get me Blue Eyes. I'm quick."
"Me neither," said Edward.
"Shut up, Ash," signed Blue Eyes, punching his friend lightly in the shoulder, and smiling. "And you have an unfair advantage with how fast your kind is, Edward."
Following the path from the river, the three of them were almost home. It wouldn't be long before they came across the gates. They'd just turned a corner around a large tree when Edward suddenly stopped in his tracks, flinging out his arms to stop Ash and Blue Eyes advance.
"What is it, Edward," signed Ash.
"Is it a predator," signed Blue Eyes, scanning the area for potential danger.
"Shush," said Edward, holding up a finger for silence, shutting his eyes, and breathing in deeply to absorb the numerous scents from the air around them. Upwind of them a specific odor has reached Edward's nose. He does not recognize it anymore, but to make absolutely sure that he's not just imagining things, Edward reaches out with his mind to touch a nearby entity that is slowly getting closer. Now confirmed, Edward snaps his eyes open in alarm. "Human!"
"What," rasped Blue Eyes, speaking for the first time this entire excursion which shows how badly this information alarms him.
"Where," signed Ash, eyes, wide.
"Coming this way up the path right now. There's a whole group of them," said Edward, eyes trained on the path ahead of them that leads downhill.
"We need to get to the village now," signed Blue Eyes.
Shaking his head, Edward said "Too late. There's not enough time. They'll see us if we do that. Into the trees. Hold on tight."
Edward takes hold of both of their arms and ascends into the trees above. Reaching a point high enough to where the three of them are completely concealed and in a spot where others cannot see them unless they move or make any noise.
Crouching low on the branches, the three of them peer through the leaves and branches and spot the exact creature Edward had sensed by scent and mind.
A human. Not a fellow vampire, but an actual human living and breathing human being.
And not just a single human. There are six in total.
One teenager and five adults. Four men and one woman.
From what Edward can gather from quick and brief looks, their names are Alex, Malcolm, Ellie, Foster, Carver, and Kemp.
As they are walking by on the path, Edward does some digging through their heads and discovers their purpose for venturing this far into the Redwoods after the human colony hasn't stepped foot on this side of the Golden Gate Bridge for years.
A dam. A dam that can replace and reignite power throughout the entirety of San Francisco.
This is big. Caesar must be notified of this immediately.
The humans are almost out of the way when Ash briefly shifts on the branch and a twig snaps off, causing a tense Blue Eyes to jerk in place and Edward to wince.
The noise catches the attention of the leader, Malcolm, at the rear of the pack.
Stopping, Malcolm turns around and scans the trees.
His wife, Ellie, stops too.
Concerned, she said, "Malcolm, what is it?"
Not seeing anything, shaking his head, Malcolm said "Probably a squirrel or a bird. Come on. We don't want to fall behind."
Malcolm rejoins Ellie and the two quickly catch up to the rest of their group.
Only when the six were out of sight did Edward permit Ash and Blue Eyes to even move from their positions.
"We need to tell the Council," breathed Edward.
This time Ash and Blue Eyes didn't protest as Edward sped off with a firm grip on each of them.
As soon as they returned to the village the three of them wasted no time in relaying the news about what they saw to the higher-ups.
And it didn't take long for it to spread through the masses as others watching had deciphered the hand signs they'd been speaking in.
The whole Ape Colony was working themselves into a frenzy.
The apes that were old enough to remember were understandably afraid both for themselves and their loved ones. The majority of them didn't have any good experiences with humans. They didn't wish for their offspring to suffer the same horrors they did.
The little ones were perplexed. They knew to stay away from humans if they ever ran across them thanks to their daily lessons, but their initial fear of humankind has lessened because of their interactions with the Cullens.
Caesar was doing his best to pacify those in his charge. Needless to say, it wasn't an easy task, but he managed to neutralize them. Well for the time being at least.
A meeting is soon convened on the law stone.
On a stone platform in front of where the ape's three most absolute laws were carved for all to see Caesar's most trusted apes were gathered with the Cullens counted in their number on the outskirt of the circle. On this platform, Caesar's symbol which was a stylized diamond enclosed in a circle was carved. It represented his old home, all he held dear to his heart there, and how far they've evolved.
Everyone is speaking at once, trying to get their opinions seen and heard.
Koba is one of the most vocal, wanting to force these outsiders out at once.
"Must attack them now! Before they attack us," grunted Koba, signing angrily.
Holding up a placating hand, Maurice contradicted"We don't know how many there are. These six could be a sign of a larger group. Nor do we know how many guns do they have?"
Koba scoffed waving aside Maurice's inquiries dismissing them despite how logical they were.
"Or why they came up here," signed Luca, adding in his say.
"What about you, Rocket," persisted Koba. "Don't you want to fight?"
"I follow Caesar," signed Rocket, decisive, disappointing the bonobo.
Not what he wanted to hear, Koba releases a low mix of a huff and snarl.
Much to the surprise of many Blue Eye's shares Koba's sentiments on this issue.
Shaking his head, speaking out loud, Blue Eyes said "Koba's right!"
Despite getting to know the Cullen's and having friendly relations with them that doesn't necessarily mean that he's open to all humans around them.
Caesars is certainly displeased about this. The moment he heard the words exit Blue Eye's mouth there was a brief flash of anger on his face. But just as quickly as it appeared the anger was gone.
Arguing broke out amongst the council at Blue Eye's outburst each person wanting their own opinions to be heard above everyone else's. Caesar, Maurice, and the Cullens were the only ones that didn't participate.
As the ensuing argument reached its height he finally intervened.
"No," bellowed Caesar.
The arguing came to an abrupt halt even conversations held by apes surrounding the council stopped. The authority laced in his voice was unquestionably powerful.
Slowly, careful in making sure all got the message, Caesar signed"If we go to war, we could lose all we've built."The next part he said out loud emphasizing its grave importance gently reminding them of all they had to lose should a war arise. "Home. Family. Future."
Caesar paused, allowing what he was saying to fully sink in satisfied it was hitting home seeing a few of their heads bowed in shame for contemplating it.
All these things are serious points that everyone must consider.
Turning toward Edward, Caesar signed "Edward, when you looked into their minds, what could you make out of their intentions?"
"Okay, just to make sure there's no confusion, how many of you know what a dam is," asked Edward.
A small handful of them raise their hands in response to that.
"I'll trust you to explain it to the rest, but, basically, the humans have come up here because their fuel supplies for down below are almost depleted. They need to replace their power core with the dam in the mountains. If they somehow manage to get that working again then they won't have to worry about power again throughout San Francisco," explained Edward. "They don't seem intent on anything else other than that. It doesn't appear like they have any clue we're up here."
It's that one thing alone that's reassuring. The rest is bringing about rising stress levels and anxiety.
Maurice signed "How long do you gather they'll be staying here for?"
"Not certain. They need to assess the damage and repairs that need to be done to the dam first before deciding on any of them. It's just that small team they have with them, so it might take a while," said Edward, assessing it.
That's not something any of them want to hear.
"We will keep our presence here concealed, watch, and wait. We keep our activity to a minimal to avoid discovery. Until we know whether or not these humans are a threat to us we keep our activity to a minimum," decided Caesar. "For now, we should all get some rest. We may need it. Carlisle?"
"Yes, Caesar," said Carlisle, leaning forward so Caesar could see him.
"Your family is better at stealth than we are. Since no ape is going to be permitted to leave the village unless authorized or accompanied by one of you can all of you increase patrols and guard duty given that you don't sleep," inquired Caesar.
Nodding, Esme answered "Of course, Caesar. Whatever you all need."
"Then there's nothing left to discuss. Everyone is dismissed," signed Caesar, decisively.
With that, the meeting was adjourned.
Everyone was worried about what the arrival of this group of humans would mean for everyone. While the apes were right to be fearfully cautious after all the adults have endured from various humans' cruelty and the other points already declared, the Cullens have equal reason to be from a different perspective.
The Cullens may not have had to hide what they are from the apes, but from humans, it's an entirely different story altogether. The Volturi may be gone, but that doesn't mean that some of the rules still don't stick even with humanity no longer capable of the weapons that could potentially kill vampires when humanity was at its peak.
The Cullens must be very careful in maintaining their covers. In regard to the experience, they all have in doing so from moving around all the time it shouldn't be hard to do so if a situation arises where confrontation is inevitable.
They just hope nothing happens that removes control from their hands.
Authors Note:
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.