үσυ cαη'т нσηεsтℓү вℓαмε тнε αρεs

arabian92knight:

Emily’s heart broke for these apes. Who would kill mates and leave the mothers and white tails. She gathered the rest of the rabbit meat and started making a stew for the refugee apes.

Once the stew was started, she paused and signed. ‘Known apes to be kind and gentle, only fighting when need to. Why would apes kill off mates?? Humans call that barbaric.’

As she signed she noticed that most of the refugee apes only looked at her in confusion. Emily pressed her lips together. They didn’t sign… it was times like this she wished she had her voice.

As Emily fixed a stew for the meat-eating apes, Bad Ape busied himself by handing out the green vegetables and berries he had left over to the ones who did not eat meat. The strangers all looked happy and grateful that there was food and water being offered so generously, and Missy gave her profound thanks to Koba on behalf of her group, one leader to another.

Seeing Emily’s signs, Reuben, who was one of the few strangers who did know sign language, translated what Emily had said to his companions. It was Missy, however, who answered Goblin’s questions about the troop they had just left.

“Yes… the alpha and his queen… and those who follow them… NOT friendly. At first, we think they were. Our group… found several other groups of apes… wandering in wilderness.  We join together, travel around… hunt and search for food… when we can. Hard life, but we survive.’

Missy paused for a moment, and then frowned.

“And then we find this… warrior king, and his army. He and his queen say… they take care of us. Make village for us to live in… and they do. There good food, place to sleep. We have to work hard, but we not mind.”

Koba looked at the female chimpanzee curiously, and asked her what all the rest of his group must have been wondering by then.

“Why did you… leave his troop, then?”

Missy sighed heavily.

“He and his queen… act strange. Keep all the best food to themselves, do not work hard with others. And king especially… seem to hate children. Very rough with them, sometimes hurt them if they come too close. One day, I walk past with Tommy and Jasmine. Alpha fly at me for no reason, and knock us all flying. My mate Ted… he stand up to king, fight back. Other apes with young join in fight… king’s army come, many killed. Ted killed. Reuben’s mate Leila killed.”

She cast a sad look over her group before continuing.

“We flee that night, hoping that there other apes… who can help us. Apes who we can make strong troop with, stand up against Grey…”

Whatever words Missy may have said next were drowned out by the roar of rage that Koba could not hold back at the very sound of that name.

@aplanetofapes

The hair on Goblin's shoulders was pilo-erect immediately at the mention of that name, and the memories associated with it.

'Grey alive?!'

He signed the question to Koba with grunts and raised eyebrows that showed very effectively that this was a very urgent matter, not only for their small group, but the entirety of what remained of their tribe!

The implications of this revelation were monumental.

Goblin had never been loyal to the murderous chimpanzee, but he had bowed his head and followed Grey's leadership nonetheless. Though brief, Grey's rein had brought consequences upon the apes the likes of which they may never fully recover from. So much loss... So much... Part of Goblin would always hold shame for having ever followed an ape like Grey! He had been so certain, when Caesar had dropped the traitorous ape down the chasm of metal and fire and smoke, that the rest of them would never see nor hear from him again. And good riddance, he had thought. It had been too good to be true!

Even with the addition of these strangers, their band was small. They had not expected another potential war; how could they have known that this tribe of which Emily spoke would turn out to be lead by none other than Grey, the very ape that had started the war with the humans? And by doing so... it was Grey who had cost Goblin his family. The very thought boiled his blood all at once.

'I will kill him!'

Goblin signed this to Koba, then rose onto his feet and waddled his way over to Missy, placing a hand on her shoulder and looking her in the eye, impressing upon the unfamiliar ape just how important this information was – to all of them.

“How... many... follow Grey?”

arabian92knight:

Emily blinked at this revolation. Then she smiled warmly at Bad Ape. He wasn’t alone anymore!

Izzy snorted as she moved over to her rider and nuzzled her. The mare then turned her nose to the new comers and Emily could see how gaunt they were. They weren’t emaciated, but it was clear they were short a few meals.

She looked at Koba and Goblin, signing that they looked thin. ‘Could I get them some left over rabbit? Could make stew for them.’

Bad Ape finally pulled away from his daughter but could not take his gaze away from her. Missy, breathing a little more calmly, tried to answer some of the questions in her father’s eyes as Koba gave an affirming signal to Emily to bring food, and signed to Goblin that he no longer had to have his weapons at the ready.

‘I… thought you dead. Like Mother… and other adults. Humans… kill adults, took all us young ones – as we were then – to place called lab. There humans they call… scientists… tried to find cure for sickness that kill them and make us smart. But even they got sick, and we got away.”

Little Tommy recovered from his surprise, and came over to look more closely at this newly discovered relative.

“Are you really… my grandfather?” he asked. “Mother not look like you!”

Bad Ape smiled. “Yes. Your mother – look more like her mother. Her name was Jasmine.”

“Same as my sister!” Tommy exclaimed.

But Bad Ape was suddenly distracted by Missy giving a soft hoot – she was calling to more apes!

Out of the darkness a small group of various kinds of apes came, most of them looking as famished as Missy and her children. A straggly-looking male chimpanzee stared at Bad Ape as if he had seen a ghost.

“Is that old Thomas?” he shouted. “Thought he died like the other older zoo chimps!” He began to hoot and jump, and Missy frowned at him.

“Calm down, Ozzy!” she gently admonished. “Where is Reuben? Did his group find fruit?” Bad Ape noticed that Missy appeared to be a leader of sorts. “And yes, this my father, he is alive!”

“Here, and no – none to be found,” a voice said, and what Bad Ape initially thought to be a reddish-furred gorilla stepped out of the shadows. But as the male ape came closer, he saw the flanges and the very long arms.

Reuben was no gorilla – he was the largest orangutan Bad Ape had ever seen. His size was still impressive despite his looking hungry like the rest of the group. He carried in his arms an infant orangutan, which was unusual for a male of his kind. Where was his mate – and where was Missy’s, come to that?

Most of the group seemed to have at least one child with them…

“At first, we join other apes, their alpha took us in,” Missy tried to explain. “But he was bad… very bad… he killed my mate!”

By now Goblin was only too familiar with the idea of humans killing apes, but hearing such stories from the mouths of strangers nearly made his blood boil. The scourge of humanity had been more widespread than they had realized, but so also had apes been. It seemed that there was a lot that Caesar's troop had not known of. They had existed within their own little bubble for so long and it seemed that it hadn't allowed them as much knowledge of the world as they had thought...

Such as the knowledge of another troop of apes living so close to their own – murderous apes. Apes that killed apes. While that law had more or less been tossed to the wind with the war that had pitted apes against apes along with humans – Goblin had no qualms killing an ape if it was posing a threat to his group, these days – it was still disturbing to hear of this.

For many reasons.

Although Goblin did not enjoy, nor was he skilled at speaking aloud, he thought this an important enough subject to try his best. If Bad Ape had not known sign, these apes likely didn't, either.

“Killed... your mate?”

He asked, cautiously.

“These apes... they... not friends?”

This was a troubling revelation indeed. Goblin turned to Emily and nodded to her, motioning towards her bag which the rabbit meat had been stored in. These apes were in need of a good meal, and it sounded like Koba's group could use all the friends they could have, if they were to face the apes which Missy described.

Though, it may not be a bad idea to turn back... to know when to admit that they were outnumbered. At the very least, the band of apes needed to rethink their plan. It sounded as though peace with this troop of strangers was not going to be a realistic outcome.

arabian92knight:

Emily looked from Koba to the child, a bruise appearing on her jaw from being kicked by the little tyke. She opened her mouth to try and calm the child, but realized too late that her voice wasn’t there anymore. 

She lifted her hands to sign when she heard the female speak. She straitened like a rabbit on alert and looked in the direction of the mother. She moved closer to Izzy, putting a hand on the mares shoulder. 

Izzy nickered comfortingly at her before sniffing at the child. She kept an ear on where the mother was, but was curious about little Tommy. What a curious name for an ape. He was small and thin. She looked at Emily and nickered this report. Emily gave a nod and dug around in her pack before offering the child some dried fruits. She didn’t like how thin the little one looked, and wondered if the offering of food would settle him at least a little bit.

Bad Ape could not take his eyes from the child. He did not know this white-tail, so why did he somehow feel as if he did?

Still holding the young male ape, Koba acknowledged Goblin’s question by answering aloud.

“We see… if this female alone, and where she came from. I do not think… she sounds like enemy. But stay on guard… just in case.”

The juvenile ape’s eyes grew round as saucers at the sight of Emily, as if he had never seen anyone like her before. He shrank slightly away, writhing more in Koba’s grip, fearful despite his earlier bravado. But the lure of the dried fruit Emily held was too much to resist, and he hesitantly took it from her. He did not eat it immediately, however, but called out in response to the voice of the female ape that his sharp young ears had picked up.

“Mother – I am… over here! With strange apes! One has no voice, and two have no fur! There food here!”

The female ape came closer, and it was clear to see that she had another child with her as she approached, a younger infant clinging to her breast. Bad Ape gasped, unable to look away from the adult female chimp, and hardly able to believe what he was seeing.

It had been years – but that pattern of delicate freckles on her face was unmistakable! No other ape could have those exact same markings – this could be one ape and one ape only!

“MISSY!” the old chimpanzee cried out, and the female looked in his direction.

“How you know my name?” she began to say, and then her eyes suddenly grew wider than her son’s.

“FATHER!” she almost shrieked, and rushed forward to press her forehead against Bad Ape’s.  

Koba gingerly placed the young male on the ground, and he crept carefully closer to his mother, sister, and grandfather, finally lost for words.

Goblin's eyes were fixed on this new ape, his hands gripping the gun tightly in case she proved a threat. Maybe if she was from the troop they were looking for, it would be better for them to meet one ape first – but not if she was hostile. If the war had taught the chimpanzee anything, it was to expect the unexpected, to always be ready from violence from any direction if at all possible. Not all apes were friendly, they'd had to learn...

But it seemed as though this was not going to be the case. His brows raised at the moment of recognition between the newcomer and Bad Ape; hadn't the old chimp's family been killed by soldiers? So they had thought... Either way, he lowered the gun and huffed through his nostrils. Was suspecting every strange ape of being an enemy as harmful as Grey's thoughts on humanity had been? He didn't know... But Goblin sure did see where the traitor ape had been coming from, now.

Gaze turning to Koba as if looking for direction of some sort, Goblin remained quiet and did not make effort to introduce himself just yet. It was not his place to intrude upon this moment that Bad Ape and Missy were sharing. One that Goblin desperately wished he could share with his own daughter, with his mate... But he, unlike Bad Ape, knew for certain that soldiers had killed them. He had seen their bodies for himself...

arabian92knight:

It was Izzy’s snort that had alerted Emily to wakefulness. She sat up and scanned the dark, straining her ears to listen. Looking around, she could see Goblin was already awake and had his gun at the ready. She moved away from him and the weapon, wishing they hadn’t brought it.

She looked at her mare, who looked back. She pawed a foot and pointed her nose to where the bags were. Following her mates gaze, she could see a small shape rummaging around them.

Emily crouched and silently started moving in that direction. She was still used to hunting on her own so she hadn’t mentioned it to the other apes.

Slowly she approached the bags, staying low as she approached. Once close enough she realised it was a young ape. Still a white tail. The youth was so engrossed with her saddle bag, it didn’t notice Emily approached.

She waited one moment until the youngster had its head and shoulders in the saddle bag before Emily pounced, quickly closing the bag over the youngster and held on as the white tail yeeped in fright and started fighting to escape.

Emily grunted as her catch kicked and fought, but she was glad for the leather of the bag that protected her from teeth.

“Wraa!” Emily managed, calling to the other apes for aid. She would have signed, but she was afraid of letting go of the bag.

All the commotion brought Bad Ape to Emily’s side immediately, with Koba and Goblin not far behind. Izzy the mare had been right – there was an intruder in the camp, and Emily’s quick thinking had meant the immediate capture of the interloper who had tried to steal the scouts’ provisions.

Koba, as leader of the group, spoke first.

“I will see… who this is… then decide… what we do.”

Watching breathlessly, Bad Ape kept his gaze closely on Koba as the old warrior carefully took the writhing, screeching ape from the bag Emily had been holding… and then his eyes widened incredulously as Koba uttered a harsh bark of… laughter.

“You a baby!” he chuckled, and the youngster bristled with indignation, glaring up at the old bonobo.

The small ape who had been caught in Emily’s bag was a young male chimpanzee, and truly was a white-tail – older than Cornelius and Koba’s children, and more around the age of the bonobo triplets. His fur was pilo-erect as he tried to puff himself up to look as big as possible, and his voice was a quavering squeak that he desperately, and vainly, tried to make sound like an outraged roar.

“NOT BABY! WHO YOU UGLY APES, ANYWAY?”

Koba was so surprised he nearly dropped the ape child, but he kept himself surprisingly calm despite the insult. He was obviously used to those who were not accustomed to his appearance finding him startling.

“This our camp, and our food,” Koba said gruffly, still keeping hold of the young chimp, who was unlikely to know sign language. “Who are you, and why you try to take our food? Are you alone?”

The defiant ape child, however, merely blew Koba a raspberry and refused to say anything more. Koba looked over towards Emily. He was obviously thinking that since the human girl was good with children, maybe she could help with this one.

Bad Ape could not help but stare at the slim, wiry little ape in fascination. He had never seen the little chimp before, of course, but there was something uncannily familiar about him, just the same…

And then he heard a voice – a female voice, it seemed, calling from a short distance away.

“Tommy? Tommy? Where you go?”

Goblin kept his weapon pointed firmly at the unknown stranger up until Koba extracted it from the bag, and Goblin's eyes widened a little. A child? An ape child? All the way out here?

He lowered his gun, but did not set it down. No child that young could survive on its own for long, especially not in an environment as harsh and unforgiving as a desert. There had to be others nearby that made up his group, that or the child had run away from home. Either way, the most important detail was that Goblin didn't recognize this little ape. It didn't seem that Koba did, either. That had implications...

The chimpanzee grunted to Koba for his attention and signed, his brows lowered heavily.

'Think he from other ape troop? One Emily taking us to?'

If so... It was entirely possible that the colony of strangers were far closer than Emily had thought. And this, well, wasn't the best first introduction to them. Goblin knew only too well how protective apes were over their children. This scene would set off an alarm to any parent-

And from the sounds of it, the white-tail's mother was very near indeed. That didn't necessarily bode well for Goblin and the others, who of course hoped to avoid conflict...

'Sounds like his mother close. Koba, what we do?'

The “Main OCs” page are the OCs I use as main characters in plots.

The “Side OCs” page are OCs that can be used as side characters in plots, as needed.

The “Private OCs” page are OCs that are used only for specific plots with @ratherpickflowersthanfights.

arabian92knight:

Emily watched them sign and nodded. Maybe sleep would help. Besides, they had a long trip to make in the morning. She curled up under her blanket and looked up at Draco.

Izzy also stood watch, lightly dozing as she listened to the night around her. She knew a certain wolf was nearby, but didn’t alert the apes. She knew his smell, and knew he wouldn’t bother them tonight.

Emily looked at the apes around her before signing a good night to them. She knew she couldn’t be safer, and hoped the New Apes would be allies rather than the enemies Goblin suspected they were.

As planned, Goblin took the first watch, and then Koba.

All seemed to pass uneventfully for a while, for Bad Ape slept peacefully until he felt the bonobo gently nudging him awake.

With a small grunt, the old chimpanzee acknowledged his comrade, took a large wool sweater from among his belongings to keep himself warm, pulled it over his head and went to take up his position on watch until the dawn.

It was a quiet night, with the moon bright overhead and only a few creature-sounds, seeming to come from small and harmless animals, to break the silence. Bad Ape kept his focus mainly on his surroundings, although now and then he looked back towards his companions to make sure they still slept tranquilly.

He felt happy to have a purpose, and to be with friends who wanted and needed him. A mission such as this kept him from dwelling on memories of the past, or on the forlorn hope that somewhere his daughter Missy was still alive.

Emily’s horse Izzy occasionally awoke from her slumber and softly nickered to Bad Ape, as if letting the old chimp know that she was on watch, too, and that she was there to keep him company. Bad Ape gave her a small smile and a gentle stroke or two.

“Wish I… spoke horse,” he whispered, before turning his attention back to the expanse of dark desert out before him.

Several hours passed with very little occurring, and Bad Ape kept a watchful eye on the surrounding environment and on his sleeping friends. He took a few sips of water from his gourd every so often, waiting for the first rays of the morning sun to fall upon his face so he could go and awaken the others to have breakfast.

But just as he had settled comfortably back down next to where Izzy was, he heard the mare snort harshly with alarm. Her sharp ears had picked up strange sounds!

Moments later, Bad Ape heard them too. He crept stealthily over where Koba and Goblin slept, and carefully shook them awake.

Goblin's sleep was light, as a warrior's so often was. It didn't take much prodding from Bad Ape to wake him, and out of habit the chimpanzee went from groggy to ready to jump and kill an attacker in moments, hands finding his gun almost before his eyes had a chance to attempt to focus in the dark. His body and mind had become springs turned once too tight; the war had, and probably always would, a lasting effect.

Thankfully, Goblin realized quite quickly that it was a comrade and not an enemy who had caused him to wake, and he looked to the older chimp with concern, but also a fierceness behind his eyes that had never existed there before humans had shown up and caused everything to fall apart.

'What is it?'

He signed, but realized his mistake quickly – beside the fact that it was dark, Bad Ape was still not fluent – and gave a huff through slightly parted lips to communicate to his companion that he was ready to fight if he had to, without making too much noise as to alert whatever had alarmed Bad Ape so. Goblin could hear that at least one if not more of the horses was becoming anxious, their breathing slightly quicker, ground shifting under hooves that couldn't quite keep still. That, he thought, is not a good sign.

arabian92knight:

As the apes signed, Emily was momentarily lost in her memories. Draco had been the constellation she could see out her cell window. And it’s what she would focus on when Pota couldn’t help after she was experimented on.

Goblins gruff voice when he mentioned she was cold made her jump as if she was shaken awake from a bad dream. She took a sharp breath as she came back to the present and sat up.

Izzy looked at her rider from where she lay and whinnied an all clear. Emily relaxed again before realizing her nose was bleeding again. She groaned and grabbed her handkerchief to stop the blood and laid down again.

‘It is a bit chilly..’ she signed, hoping her signing weren’t too muddled by using one hand. ‘Would tell white tails about dragons now and then.. dragon in hobbit story. Apes lucky to have Buck though. He real Draco.’

She looked at Koba and gave a small smile under her handkerchief. ‘I’m okay. Just chilly. Think bad ape getting blanket or coat.’

Seeing Emily shiver and her nose begin bleeding, Bad Ape uttered little “ooks” of alarm and ran to his bag of supplies. The little chimpanzee was back within seconds, carrying a thick padded jacket which he draped around Emily’s shoulders. He also gave her another handkerchief which had been in the jacket pocket, in case she needed a second one.

Bad Ape sat close by Emily, his hand resting on her arm and his eyes wide with concern. He did not speak for a while, just waiting until the human girl looked more relaxed.

Finally his nervous sounds stopped and he spoke aloud.

“I like… stories Emily tell. Maybe tomorrow… Emily can tell some more. I do not have… many stories. Just… memories. Of being zoo ape… and my family.”

Bad Ape had not meant to turn the conversation back to loss, and realized his error immediately. He decided to bring up a completely different topic, and when he spoke next, he addressed Koba and Goblin that time.

“Which way… we travel tomorrow? I think… if we head further into desert… may need to hunt a bit, get more rabbits. I still have berries, but will not last long. Need to refill water gourds, too.”

He patted Emily’s arm reassuringly, then yawned.

“Think time… to sleep soon,” he said.

Koba or Goblin, no doubt, would go on watch, and Bad Ape was fine with taking a turn as lookout if they wanted him to. He decided to let them know he was willing.

“If Koba or Goblin… want to rest… I can help with guarding any time… you need,” the little ape offered. “I may… be small… but good with spear and slingshot.”

He turned his attention back to Emily then, and smiled kindly.

“I also have… extra blanket… if Emily need. Have many supplies… found in old human camps.”

After all that he had been through, Bad Ape still held as much concern for the well being of this human girl as he would for another ape. It was a puzzling concept for Goblin, who found it considerably harder to let go of what humans had done, not only to himself and his family, but to all of the apes.

But if he got into thinking too much about that, he knew, he would be distracted. And since Goblin's shift was the first, none of them could afford for his focus to be elsewhere.

'Might not be safe to go straight to other apes,'

He signed, after thinking over Bad Ape's question for a moment.

'Maybe safer to take many turns. Harder for them to follow our trail back to our home, if they not friends.'

Goblin wasn't certain that Bad Ape would understand all of his signs, but Emily and Koba would, so his point would be made. Afterall, Koba was the leader of this expedition and Emily the guide. Their opinions weighed heavy, which meant that it was especially important that they made decisions influenced by careful thought.

However, Bad Ape's offer to guard did pertain mostly to him, enough that Goblin thought it worthwhile to speak rather than sign to respond.

“Could... use... your help. Later... in night.”

Having a third guard meant that he and Koba would each get more rest, which was not a bad thing. They all needed to be as alert as possible as they traveled tomorrow, especially if they were as close to the other ape tribe as Emily thought they were. Tomorrow could well be the day they locate the village belonging to the strangers...