Lake, War for the Planet of the Apes

‘Blue Eyes right, Oak. Caesar not abandon us. Once he knows what happened, he will find a way to save us.’

Lake felt dismayed to her core at the gorilla’s petulance, but she had to keep a calm, dignified appearance. She had to try to remind him of Cornelia who had turned his loyalty back to Caesar in the first place. The apes could not afford to become divided, now more than ever!

Some apes were grunting agreement with Oak, and others, Koba included, were shooting him angry glares.

‘We must not let anything divide us. Apes together strong – these words of Caesar’s made us a community. Without community, we are nothing! Humans will destroy us if we are weak!”

Lake leaned closer to Blue Eyes and surveyed her fellow apes with weary sympathy, wondering if her signs were sinking into the consciousness of those who had the temerity to doubt Caesar.

She wondered where the king and his followers might be, and if any news of their fate could have somehow reached Caesar’s ears.

Leaning closer to Blue Eyes, she tried to remember happier times, and hoped that they would know happiness again. A vision of the little blue-eyed twins she had dreamed of swam before her eyes, and inside her mind she made these little ones a promise.

You shall be born, precious white-tails, and you shall never know a cage. Always you shall be happy and free.

As Blue Eyes had done, Lake looked up to the top of the cage and she, too, wondered if they could find a way to escape. But how could they ever distract the guards and the traitorous “donkeys”?

A traitor chimpanzee came past the cage and thumped the bars loudly, causing several of the prisoners to hoot or yeep in alarm.

“No way out… for you!” he snarled before swaggering off on his way.

@exoduswounds

It took everything Blue Eyes had not to hiss or glare at the turncoat. But he could not betray his identity. Many apes had scars – his alone wouldn’t necessarily make them certain of who he was, especially if he kept his arms close to his chest to conceal them. It was his eyes that threatened his safety. If they realized that they had the sons of Caesar in their grasp, there was no telling what they would do. They had tied Spear and his friends up to die without knowing for sure where their standing within the community was. What would they do to Blue Eyes? He didn’t intend to find out, if he could help it.

Cornelius was safe from recognition, at least. The traitors had seen him last as an infant no more than a few weeks old. He looked very different now, two years on.

‘He is wrong. We will find a way out.’

The soldiers were gathering nearby again. This demanded the prince’s attention, suspicious of their intentions. It took a few moments, but the Colonel entered the picture again, his walk slow and confident, a man who rushed for no one. Blue Eyes narrowed his eyes. The man was standing facing the adult cage, this time. He had two humans at his side, and Red, the infamous gorilla.

“They all work, or you shoot them.”

McCullough was addressing the humans, but his stare was on the apes, and he spoke with enough volume for the them to overhear. Work?

As Two soldiers approached the cage, the rest formed a line towards the unfinished portion of the perimeter wall, as if to block any path of escape. Red came with the two, and Blue Eyes couldn’t help but notice a whip in his hand. The other traitors approached also, as one man unlocked the cage. Blue Eyes had a bad feeling in his gut.

They were going to make the apes build their village? But why?

 A human barked the order as Red brandished his whip. Human soldiers waited with guns, forcing the apes into a line, forcing them to march towards the incomplete wall.

 The Colonel was waiting by the wall as the weary, starving apes shuffled in their chains to the pile of rocks that stood nearby. Red cracked the whip above the heads of the apes, uncomfortably close to Lake’s ear.

 “You will build this wall, all of you,” his cold voice said, and Lake barely repressed a shudder as she was swamped with loathing for this man. It was all she could do not to glare in his direction, and she wished that he could be struck dead where he stood.

 “If you want your children to survive, you will do it.”

 Some of the apes were already struggling to lift the heavy rocks, and many of the old did not have the strength to do it. An elderly female chimpanzee staggered under the weight of a rock, and Red’s vicious lash struck her across the back. She shrieked aloud and managed to stagger forward with the rock at last.

 Frail as she was, Koko, however, had an easier time lifting the heavy stones. She scowled as Red as he passed by her and his back was finally to the group of females around Lake.

 “Red… NOT ape, NOT gorilla – NO LONGER one of us! Should be ashamed – to breathe same air – as us!” she growled under her breath.

 Lake could not help but nod as she shot Koko an imploring look to stay silent.

 She turned her attention to her beloved Blue Eyes, who had been moved over closer to Koba and some of the other males, and prayed that her mate would not be discovered by the vile Red.

 The traitor, however, appeared to be gloating over the captive Koba, and taunting him. Thankfully, the bonobo was keeping his temper and refusing to take the bait.

Lake could not believe what she was seeing. The Colonel had already shown himself to be an evil, savage brute, but the fate he had ordered for Spear and his warriors was truly sickening.

She moved closer to Blue Eyes, also keeping her signs low so that only he could see them.

‘Yes, that is what he intends. He is the worst creature living on this earth. Caesar must return and put an end to his rule.’

Little Blossom would be forced to watch her father slowly die. Rose would lose her mate, and the child that was inside her – Lake noticed Rose’s slightly swollen belly with a sharp intake of breath – would never know his or her father.

A soft, male voice spoke in a growl, keeping low so that only Blue Eyes and Lake could hear what he said. This time, the voice was a familiar one.

Despite Lake’s best efforts, someone else had read her signs.

“If Caesar not return… and kill this Kerna… Koba do it. Kerna must die!”

Lake looked up with alarm at the old warrior, meeting his fierce gaze with a mixture of imploring love and regal ferocity. In this moment, she had to be every inch the queen.

“No,” she whispered, and her voice was as steady as she could possibly make it. “Koba not… try anything rash. We need you. If you… try attack Kerna… you end up on cross too. I will… not allow that! Blue Eyes… not allow that! We need you! Stone need you! Katya and Kanzi need you! And of course – Caesar need you!”

She looked to the prince, her mate, for support, and reverted to signing.

‘Our king will return, and he will free us. When he come, he need Koba to fight for him then. You not waste yourself on grand but foolish gestures. When we are liberated from the cages, we need our mighty Koba! Then, you can avenge brave Spear and his warriors!”

Koba sat still and stunned for a few seconds, and when he finally did move, he did something nobody expected him to do.

He offered Lake a supplicating hand.

Drawing a slow, deep breath, Lake held his gaze with gentle dignity as she swiped his palm.

@exoduswounds

Blue Eyes looked to Koba with intense sympathy, his brows pinched together in an expression of despair. He understood the bonobo’s anger, Blue Eyes felt it too, but Lake was right. If any ape, Koba or otherwise, tried anything here… They would surely be slaughtered, or strung up and left to die, or who knows what. One ape alone did not stand a chance against the Colonel and his army. But, together…

‘Wait now, Koba.’

He signed,

'We must make a plan. We will think of something.’

The prince turned his eyes once more to the open air above them. Freedom. So close, yet so far away.

A gorilla near to them grunted, apparently having followed their conversation. He was Oak, an ape that Blue Eyes knew had turned against them once before, however temporarily, to follow Red in his attempt to splinter off a group of his own and take the females with them. Oak had been so moved by Cornelia’s willingness to comfort a dying Flint despite the fact that he had sided against her, that the gorilla had turned from Red. Blue Eyes wondered where Oak’s loyalty was, now? He did not look pleased.

'This Caesar’s fault. Caesar abandoned us!’

The signs that the gorilla made were troubling. As was the number of voices which hooted and grunted their support. Blue Eyes furrowed his brows and turned to face them, attempting to channel the same demand for respect that his father always had.

'He could not have known the humans would find us before he found them!’

Blue Eyes’ movements were jerky as he signed, clearly angry, but attempting to contain it.

'We must not fight, Oak. Grey divided apes before, then Red did again, and look what happened! We must work together, or we have no chance.’

The prince’s signs quieted the gorilla, who still looked agitated. But, then, all of the apes were. They had been through a lot… Oak inclined his head and shuffled away a little bit, as far as his chains would allow, which wasn’t very much. Oak knew that Blue Eyes was right, and he was smart enough to keep his head down under these circumstances. He was afraid… Blue Eyes had to understand that.

 Lake felt dismayed to her core at the gorilla’s petulance, but she had to keep a calm, dignified appearance. She had to try to remind him of Cornelia who had turned his loyalty back to Caesar in the first place. The apes could not afford to become divided, now more than ever!

 Some apes were grunting agreement with Oak, and others, Koba included, were shooting him angry glares.

 ‘We must not let anything divide us. Apes together strong – these words of Caesar’s made us a community. Without community, we are nothing! Humans will destroy us if we are weak!”

 Lake leaned closer to Blue Eyes and surveyed her fellow apes with weary sympathy, wondering if her signs were sinking into the consciousness of those who had the temerity to doubt Caesar.

 She wondered where the king and his followers might be, and if any news of their fate could have somehow reached Caesar’s ears.

 Leaning closer to Blue Eyes, she tried to remember happier times, and hoped that they would know happiness again. A vision of the little blue-eyed twins she had dreamed of swam before her eyes, and inside her mind she made these little ones a promise.

 You shall be born, precious white-tails, and you shall never know a cage. Always you shall be happy and free.

 As Blue Eyes had done, Lake looked up to the top of the cage and she, too, wondered if they could find a way to escape. But how could they ever distract the guards and the traitorous “donkeys”?

 A traitor chimpanzee came past the cage and thumped the bars loudly, causing several of the prisoners to hoot or yeep in alarm.

 “No way out… for you!” he snarled before swaggering off on his way.

All was suddenly quiet in the cages – there was no longer even any whimpering from the children as the Colonel’s words hung in the air, cold as steel blades and just as chilling.

The kneeling apes all remained mutinously silent, except for the calm and courageous Spear.

“Caesar is… where you will never find him. He is stronger… than you. He… will never give up.”

His eyes briefly flicked to his child Blossom in the white-tail cage, then to his mate Rose and grandmother Etumbe, as if to implore them to be strong. Etumbe needed no such instructions, but Rose uttered a sound almost like a white-tail’s cry and buried her face in Etumbe’s fur.

The terrifying Colonel remained silent for several moments, cold fury in his eyes, and Lake wondered, as she had done back  in the forest, if he would strike Spear. But then something of a mocking smile seemed to play about his lips for a few moments. He gestured to his soldiers and to the traitor apes who were called “donkeys”.

“Take them.”

The soldiers seized the kneeling, bound apes and hauled them to their feet, and started dragging them away. Lake clutched at Blue Eyes in alarm.

‘What they do, Blue Eyes? Will they shoot them?’

She was grateful that Rose could not see what she was signing.

In the white-tail cage, Cornelius was huddled tightly with Katya and Kanzi, while Elvira and Jenny Lee formed an equally tight huddle around tiny Blossom. Clayton suddenly began banging on the bars and yeeping with a rage unseemly for one so young. He looked like a younger, unscarred Koba, and Lake was thankful for his sake that no one seemed to be paying any attention to the babies.

But no bullets rang out in the air. Red and the other “donkeys” were dragging Spear and his comrades over to what looked like X-shaped wooden crosses.

Lake trembled and felt like she was about to be violently ill.

@exoduswounds

The crosses were unlike anything Blue Eyes had seen before. They looked like the starts of unfinished projects, perhaps the ends to a structure that would eventually be used to store food or supplies. But it was clear that whatever they were, their use was something bad. Blue Eyes didn’t want to find out what… One could only imagine what type of cruel devices of torture humans could cook up. The elders, some of them at least, spoke of some…

‘I don’t know.’

Blue Eyes admitted to Lake, keeping his hands close to him so that she was the only ape to see them. He didn’t want to upset Spear’s family any more than they already were.

The prince hooked his fingers into the horizontal bars of the cage, which he could so easily climb. There was no top to this cage. If the apes chained together were careful and moved in synchronization… But that would be too easy. The cages would no doubt be guarded.

His attention returned to Spear and the others. The crosses were up on a cliff that overlooked the camp, in clear view of the cages. Whatever was going to happen to them, the Colonel wanted the tribe to witness without anything obscuring their vision. But why on a cliff? Why take them outside of the camp?

The traitors hauled their prisoners, one by one, onto the crosses. They were tied by their wrists and ankles, the grimaces on their faces suggested very tightly, onto the wooden structures. Why, though? They had been roughed up and beaten along the way here, but no further punishment seemed to be given, except for this. Was the Colonel going to leave them to die there? In plain view of not only the adult apes, but also the children?

‘They will die up there!’

This man had no heart, no soul. He was even worse than Blue Eyes had originally thought. He tightened his grip on the caging, brows frowning heavily over his eyes and his lips pulled back from his teeth.

Hurry, Father… We need you. Maybe more than we ever have.

 She moved closer to Blue Eyes, also keeping her signs low so that only he could see them.

 ‘Yes, that is what he intends. He is the worst creature living on this earth. Caesar must return and put an end to his rule.’

 Little Blossom would be forced to watch her father slowly die. Rose would lose her mate, and the child that was inside her – Lake noticed Rose’s slightly swollen belly with a sharp intake of breath – would never know his or her father.

 A soft, male voice spoke in a growl, keeping low so that only Blue Eyes and Lake could hear what he said. This time, the voice was a familiar one.

 Despite Lake’s best efforts, someone else had read her signs.

 “If Caesar not return… and kill this Kerna… Koba do it. Kerna must die!”

 Lake looked up with alarm at the old warrior, meeting his fierce gaze with a mixture of imploring love and regal ferocity. In this moment, she had to be every inch the queen.

 “No,” she whispered, and her voice was as steady as she could possibly make it. “Koba not… try anything rash. We need you. If you… try attack Kerna… you end up on cross too. I will… not allow that! Blue Eyes… not allow that! We need you! Stone need you! Katya and Kanzi need you! And of course – Caesar need you!”

 She looked to the prince, her mate, for support, and reverted to signing.

 ‘Our king will return, and he will free us. When he come, he need Koba to fight for him then. You not waste yourself on grand but foolish gestures. When we are liberated from the cages, we need our mighty Koba! Then, you can avenge brave Spear and his warriors!”

 Koba sat still and stunned for a few seconds, and when he finally did move, he did something nobody expected him to do.

 He offered Lake a supplicating hand.

 Drawing a slow, deep breath, Lake held his gaze with gentle dignity as she swiped his palm.

‘Yes,” Lake signed to Blue Eyes, and her gaze swept over all the apes in the cage. ‘Caesar will find us… and he has Rocket, Maurice and Luca to help him. I have faith.’

‘That is true,’ a calmer Koba was now signing, his own sense of optimism now ignited by the wise Etumbe. Although Koba was primarily a follower of Caesar, he still had great respect for the bonobo matriarch and the traditions of his own bonobo kind, although it had taken quite some time to adjust to them when he had first become a part of the ape colony. ‘Perhaps there are other apes out there, and they will join us to defeat the humans and the traitors.’

Speaking of traitors… something was going on amongst the apes who served the humans, and Lake did not like what she saw.

Lake could see Red and some of his apes moving around outside the cages, and heard a human call out to Red:

“Donkey! Over here!”

Red was being called over to where Spear and some of his warriors, all males and mostly chimpanzees, stood, still tied with ropes.  The human was gesturing to Red and his apes, issuing some sort of instructions. Rose, Spear’s mate, clutched at Etumbe, her eyes wide with alarm.

‘What they doing with my Spear? Etumbe, where they taking him?’

Her daughter Blossom was watching from the white-tail cage and whimpering, although kindly little Elvira and Jenny Lee were doing all they could to distract her and block her view, suspecting that something terrible was about to happen.

Lake wished that there was something she could say or do, her thoughts in a turmoil of desperation. Oh, Caesar – if only you were here to help!

She felt as helpless as a white-tail herself, inwardly praying for the king’s return.

@exoduswounds

Caesar couldn’t find them fast enough.

Blue Eyes watched the unfolding events with caution, ready to close his eyes at any moment. The Colonel had already issued the order to kill the injured, with blades to save ammunition. They were gone, discarded somewhere between the caves and the home Blue Eyes had tried to take them to. But Spear and the others were not injured, and there were no blades held at the ready. If they were going to be killed, it might be in a different way…

The traitors, which the humans apparently referred to as donkeys, took rough hold of the prisoners and began pushing and shoving them into a neat row, on their knees. Soldiers stood behind them with their guns. Were they going to be executed?

The Colonel stepped out in front of them, between Spear’s group and the adult cage. He stopped before Spear, and stood quietly for several moments, just looking at him. Maybe trying to make him lose his nerve. Blue Eyes once more found himself in awe of the bonobo’s courage. They were close in age, and yet Spear had so much bravery, even under the heavy stare of the most ruthless man that the apes had ever known.

“You have one more chance to tell me. Where is Caesar?”

The man spoke slowly and with the same eerie calm as before. Even the children seemed to grasp the seriousness, or at least the tension in the air. Every ape seemed to be collectively holding their breaths, wondering; would Spear comply, and betray Caesar’s safety? What would the Colonel do to him if he didn’t? Spear’s mate was growing increasingly upset and Blue Eyes found himself feeling sick. Very, very sick.

 The kneeling apes all remained mutinously silent, except for the calm and courageous Spear.

 “Caesar is… where you will never find him. He is stronger… than you. He… will never give up.”

 His eyes briefly flicked to his child Blossom in the white-tail cage, then to his mate Rose and grandmother Etumbe, as if to implore them to be strong. Etumbe needed no such instructions, but Rose uttered a sound almost like a white-tail’s cry and buried her face in Etumbe’s fur.

 The terrifying Colonel remained silent for several moments, cold fury in his eyes, and Lake wondered, as she had done back  in the forest, if he would strike Spear. But then something of a mocking smile seemed to play about his lips for a few moments. He gestured to his soldiers and to the traitor apes who were called “donkeys”.

 “Take them.”

 The soldiers seized the kneeling, bound apes and hauled them to their feet, and started dragging them away. Lake clutched at Blue Eyes in alarm.

 ‘What they do, Blue Eyes? Will they shoot them?’

 She was grateful that Rose could not see what she was signing.

 In the white-tail cage, Cornelius was huddled tightly with Katya and Kanzi, while Elvira and Jenny Lee formed an equally tight huddle around tiny Blossom. Clayton suddenly began banging on the bars and yeeping with a rage unseemly for one so young. He looked like a younger, unscarred Koba, and Lake was thankful for his sake that no one seemed to be paying any attention to the babies.

 But no bullets rang out in the air. Red and the other “donkeys” were dragging Spear and his comrades over to what looked like X-shaped wooden crosses.

 Lake trembled and felt like she was about to be violently ill.

So many apes crying out to their little ones, while their adult loved ones tried in vain to comfort them. Lake did her best to offer what solace she could to those who had young in the smaller cage, including her eldest sister, Meadow, whose son Boulder was amongst the captive children.

Many of the elders had perished on the journey, but thankfully dear Etumbe and the seemingly indestructible Koko were still with them. The elderly gorilla actually managed to defiantly beat her chest at the soldiers before Shabani frantically implored her not to put herself at risk. Her family still needed her. Reluctantly Koko sat down and tried to help Shabani comfort Clover, and attempted to spot Danny and Daisy in the smaller cage.

Koba had already caused a commotion by raging and roaring, flinging himself against the bars and calling out to Katya and Kanzi. It took a combination of his mate Stone and the mothers of his children, Rain and Eden, to pull the infuriated bonobo away from the bars lest a soldier decide to take a shot at him.

Lake’s heart ached for Blue Eyes, and she sat close to her mate, offering wordless support with an arm around his shoulders. She wished that there was something she could say to make him feel better, but no words came. The acting queen felt so helpless – she was so young, so inexperienced – what could she possibly do to make anything better.

A voice nearby said gently, “You have not failed. Either of you. You are alive… that gives hope to apes.”

Lake turned, startled. The voice sounded almost like Cornelia’s, but that was impossible, of course. She realized with a shock that the ape who was speaking was actually Etumbe. The old matriarch rarely spoke aloud, so Lake had not known what the bonobo leader’s voice sounded like.

“We hope… because we still have our princes… and our young queen. Other apes will not despair… while you live. And we grown apes… must stay calm for babies, give them hope, too. See – young as they are, they show kindness to each other. Love… of apes… keeps hope alive.”

  Etumbe had sacrificed so much, but she showed not one sign of self-pity…

One slim finger pointed towards the white-tail cage, where the triplets were going around making sure none of their companions was hurt. Katya and Kanzi had found Cornelius, and were embracing him as they had done in the forest.

Lake turned her gaze back to Blue Eyes. Could the apes even dare to hope?

@exoduswounds

Blue Eyes listened to Etumbe speak, as surprised as Lake and maybe even a little mesmerized. He had never heard the old bonobo speak, either. When any ape spoke for what might be the first time, it commanded attention. But especially when it was one so high in the hierarchy…

Her words brought the prince some comfort, in that his people hadn’t lost faith in him. What he couldn’t bring himself to tell her was that he had lost faith in himself. Blue Eyes had been too confident, too sure that they would make it. Maybe he should have been more cautious. Blue Eyes still had a lot to learn about being a leader, even with all of the personal growth he’d gone through over the past couple of years. It hadn’t been enough.

‘This would not have happened if Father was with us,’

He signed, avoiding eye contact,

'Father would have known what to do.’

Blue Eyes didn’t blame Caesar for leaving, but it saddened him, deeply. He had seen first hand what a thirst for vengeance could cause. This entire war was started because Grey couldn’t let go of his hatred for humanity, and what they had done to apes. Now Caesar had been consumed by darkness, too…

If there was any comfort, it was that the Colonel had expected Caesar to be with his tribe. This meant that there was hope. Caesar was still alive, somewhere. Looking for the man that was here. Caesar would find them…

'He will find us. Father will free apes like he did before. I know he will.’

The young ape cast his glance to the cage that held the children. They were clinging to one another in the absence of their families. At least they had eachother. That was something.

What Blue Eyes couldn’t help but notice, though, was that Spear had not been herded into a cage. He and several others had been held back, still tied with rope instead of chain. The Colonel had said to make an example out of them… but how? What did that entail?

Did he even want to know?

 ‘That is true,’ a calmer Koba was now signing, his own sense of optimism now ignited by the wise Etumbe. Although Koba was primarily a follower of Caesar, he still had great respect for the bonobo matriarch and the traditions of his own bonobo kind, although it had taken quite some time to adjust to them when he had first become a part of the ape colony. ‘Perhaps there are other apes out there, and they will join us to defeat the humans and the traitors.’

 Speaking of traitors… something was going on amongst the apes who served the humans, and Lake did not like what she saw.

 Lake could see Red and some of his apes moving around outside the cages, and heard a human call out to Red:

 “Donkey! Over here!”

 Red was being called over to where Spear and some of his warriors, all males and mostly chimpanzees, stood, still tied with ropes.  The human was gesturing to Red and his apes, issuing some sort of instructions. Rose, Spear’s mate, clutched at Etumbe, her eyes wide with alarm.

 ‘What they doing with my Spear? Etumbe, where they taking him?’

 Her daughter Blossom was watching from the white-tail cage and whimpering, although kindly little Elvira and Jenny Lee were doing all they could to distract her and block her view, suspecting that something terrible was about to happen.

 Lake wished that there was something she could say or do, her thoughts in a turmoil of desperation. Oh, Caesar – if only you were here to help!

 She felt as helpless as a white-tail herself, inwardly praying for the king’s return.

Lake, too, forced herself to look away when she saw what was to happen to the injured. Rage and sadness vied within her for supremacy. Right now, she almost understood Grey and his rage against the humans.

Why, then, had Red and the rest of Grey’s apes decided to serve this Colonel?

Cornelius clung to her, hardly daring to whimper. All of the white-tails were unnaturally silent, and Lake’s heart went out to them. She wondered if they blamed themselves for the arrival of the humans and traitor apes, although she knew in her heart that it was not their fault. This Colonel may have been evil, but he obviously had great resources, intelligence and power, and weapons that were better than what the apes had.

She wondered why the Colonel had ordered the females with young separated from the rest of the apes, and bared her teeth. If the soldiers with blades approached, she would fight to her last breath to defend the children. What kind of scum could these humans be, to want to harm precious infants?

But instead, the Colonel motioned another group of humans over to the females and young. The human who had spoken with the high-pitched voice was leading them.

The woman prodded old Etumbe with her weapon.

“You don’t fool me, old bag of bones. I saw how the rest of this lot look at you. Now get moving – and that goes for all of you! MOVE, or Grandma here gets it!”

Etumbe started walking in the direction the woman indicated, and the females and young started to follow her, Lake included.

Lake cast her eyes back toward the males, noting with relief that Red seemed to be still occupied with Koba. She tried to get a glimpse of her beloved Blue Eyes, and wondered where she was going and where the male apes would be taken. Would she ever get to see her mate again?

@exoduswounds

The journey was long and merciless, made more by the fact that the apes weren’t allowed anything to eat, or a single drop of water to drink. Blue Eyes had never gone hungry or thirsty in his life and was ill prepared for such things. In the days that it took to reach the Colonel’s base, the prince had felt his body weaken and it was beginning to have an effect on his mind as well. Some of the older apes hadn’t made it this far, and the children must be struggling the most. Blue Eyes still didn’t know what to do to help any of them. His father knew humans and their ways. Blue Eyes did not. The only thing he’d ever had to escape was an unwanted bath…

The chimpanzee squinted against the sun when the camp finally came into view. It was surrounded by a half built wall, and inside were large cages and a few buildings. Graffiti was all over, sayings and images that made Blue Eyes’ hair stand on end. There had clearly been captives here before. But had they been apes, or humans?

They weren’t given much time to think or ponder once inside. Immediately the ropes they had been bound with were replaced with shackles around their ankles and chains that connected their restraints together into several groups. Only now was it clear why the males had been separated from the females that carried young…

The children were torn from their mothers with little care and deposited into the smaller of the two big cages, crying and signing pleas to either the humans to release them or their mothers to rescue them. But the females were as helpless as the children were, chained together and herded into the largest of the cages with the males.

Anger burned deep within Blue Eyes at what he was seeing. Cornelius gripping the bars of a cage, crying out and signing his name, staring at him, unable to understand why his brother wasn’t helping him. Why Blue Eyes was letting this happen.

Blue Eyes’ anger was replaced by overwhelming sorrow at that realization. Cornelius didn’t understand. He thought Blue Eyes was choosing not to help him. The little chimp’s mother had been killed, his father had left him, and now his brother was ignoring his plight.

‘I’m sorry.’

Blue Eyes signed the words to Cornelius, but he meant them to everybody. All of the apes. He had failed. They had counted on him, and he had failed.

The prince turned and sat with his back to the bars of the cage, slumped. He could feel the eyes of the others on him as if expecting him to know what to do, to come through for them the way that Caesar had in the past. But Blue Eyes had nothing.

 Many of the elders had perished on the journey, but thankfully dear Etumbe and the seemingly indestructible Koko were still with them. The elderly gorilla actually managed to defiantly beat her chest at the soldiers before Shabani frantically implored her not to put herself at risk. Her family still needed her. Reluctantly Koko sat down and tried to help Shabani comfort Clover, and attempted to spot Danny and Daisy in the smaller cage.

 Koba had already caused a commotion by raging and roaring, flinging himself against the bars and calling out to Katya and Kanzi. It took a combination of his mate Stone and the mothers of his children, Rain and Eden, to pull the infuriated bonobo away from the bars lest a soldier decide to take a shot at him.

 Lake’s heart ached for Blue Eyes, and she sat close to her mate, offering wordless support with an arm around his shoulders. She wished that there was something she could say to make him feel better, but no words came. The acting queen felt so helpless – she was so young, so inexperienced – what could she possibly do to make anything better.

 A voice nearby said gently, “You have not failed. Either of you. You are alive… that gives hope to apes.”

 Lake turned, startled. The voice sounded almost like Cornelia’s, but that was impossible, of course. She realized with a shock that the ape who was speaking was actually Etumbe. The old matriarch rarely spoke aloud, so Lake had not known what the bonobo leader’s voice sounded like.

 “We hope… because we still have our princes… and our young queen. Other apes will not despair… while you live. And we grown apes… must stay calm for babies, give them hope, too. See – young as they are, they show kindness to each other. Love… of apes… keeps hope alive.”

 Etumbe had sacrificed so much, but she showed not one sign of self-pity…

 One slim finger pointed towards the white-tail cage, where the triplets were going around making sure none of their companions was hurt. Katya and Kanzi had found Cornelius, and were embracing him as they had done in the forest.

 Lake turned her gaze back to Blue Eyes. Could the apes even dare to hope?

Lake felt sick to her stomach as she realized that the Colonel had just discovered that Spear was not Caesar. Her limbs tensed as she clutched Cornelius to her, hoping against hope that nobody would betray Blue Eyes.

Thankfully, all remained loyal and were silent, even Spear’s mate, Rose, who held their infant daughter Blossom in her arms and remained close to the brave old bonobo matriarch, Etumbe. The elderly bonobo stayed so calm and steady, despite her own heavy grief, and put on a brave face for the followers who so desperately needed her wisdom and guidance now.

For a moment Lake wished she could burst out into wraa cries and throw herself imploringly at Etumbe’s feet, begging the older female for guidance, but she caught herself, biting her tongue and reminding herself that she was the queen now and had to be a role model herself for the white-tails.

Koba appeared to be doing his best to distract Red, and the strategy seemed to be working. The treacherous gorilla hadn’t so much as glanced in the acting alpha’s direction, and whatever wrath he was feeling he seemed content to take out on the old warrior. As long as Red didn’t spot Blue Eyes among the captives and take vengeance out on him, the young king would be safe, for now at least.

If Caesar never returned, the tribe would need his leadership.

Lake heard the Colonel’s question, and stroked Cornelius’ fur protectively as she waited to hear what the brave bonobo would say.

Of course he was too loyal to betray his leaders. He would never give Caesar, Blue Eyes, Etumbe or any of the other Council members to this vile human!

Spear looked the Colonel directly in the eye and spoke calmly, without shouting or bravado.

“I… never tell. No ape… ever tell!”

For a moment it looked like the Colonel was going to strike Spear. He leaned closer to the bonobo and said some quiet words, which Lake could not hear, but she knew in her heart that they were terrifying words. Probably about how the humans, in time, would find and kill Caesar.

The Colonel straightened up and addressed the man who had mistaken Spear for the alpha.

“Sergeant, make an example of this one when you get back to base, then take your platoon and scour the forest. I must have Caesar found!”

@exoduswounds

Blue Eyes could hardly believe Spear’s bravery, even in the face of what might as well have been death. The chimpanzee had never known gratitude to this extreme, except for when Malcolm and his family had saved his father’s life. Now, Spear was saving his. Or at least prolonging the amount of time which the Colonel would allow him to live for. Blue Eyes had no way of knowing how the man intended to ‘use’ the apes… But going by the stories of humans from the elders and what had happened the previous night, Blue Eyes dared not speculate.

It seemed that their business here was finished. The Colonel called a few soldiers who clutched sharpened blades and spoke to them quietly. When he walked away from them, they approached the wounded apes with their blades at the ready and Blue Eyes had to look away. He stared hard at the ground, at each grain of dirt, little worm mounds and small leaves of infant plants starting to grow.

The apes who were not injured were ushered to their feet and threatened to follow the soldiers as they moved out. Red seemed intent to push Koba around to make sure he complied, which spared Blue Eyes attention from being found out. The other traitors, mostly chimpanzees, focused on those who were obviously powerful warriors, the apes they thought most likely to cause trouble. This left Blue Eyes and the apes he was strung up with under the supervision of humans. He still had some time, at least.

It worried him more than anything that the females with young were all herded into one group and kept together, even as the soldiers forced the apes to move out.

His gaze sought out Lake and Cornelius, finally, a sight which pained him. His beautiful Lake, tied up… His younger brother, already traumatized, completely paralyzed with fear. Blue Eyes had been entrusted to keep the apes safe. Was there a way in which he could have failed more spectacularly? Their enemies had found them in almost no time at all, and now they were at the mercy of a man who had no mercy.

Blue Eyes wouldn’t give up… But he didn’t know what to do. What he could do.

 Why, then, had Red and the rest of Grey’s apes decided to serve this Colonel?

 Cornelius clung to her, hardly daring to whimper. All of the white-tails were unnaturally silent, and Lake’s heart went out to them. She wondered if they blamed themselves for the arrival of the humans and traitor apes, although she knew in her heart that it was not their fault. This Colonel may have been evil, but he obviously had great resources, intelligence and power, and weapons that were better than what the apes had.

 She wondered why the Colonel had ordered the females with young separated from the rest of the apes, and bared her teeth. If the soldiers with blades approached, she would fight to her last breath to defend the children. What kind of scum could these humans be, to want to harm precious infants?

 But instead, the Colonel motioned another group of humans over to the females and young. The human who had spoken with the high-pitched voice was leading them.

 The woman prodded old Etumbe with her weapon.

 “You don’t fool me, old bag of bones. I saw how the rest of this lot look at you. Now get moving – and that goes for all of you! MOVE, or Grandma here gets it!”

 Etumbe started walking in the direction the woman indicated, and the females and young started to follow her, Lake included.

 Lake cast her eyes back toward the males, noting with relief that Red seemed to be still occupied with Koba. She tried to get a glimpse of her beloved Blue Eyes, and wondered where she was going and where the male apes would be taken. Would she ever get to see her mate again?

Like lightning from the sky, the humans’ bullets struck many around Koba and apes fell from the trees, dead or wounded. And who knew what fate awaited the surviving climbers, now being pulled down by the rough hands of the vicious traitor apes, who were by now hated and feared as much as the humans?

Koba roared with rage as he felt his own legs grabbed, and he was hauled down to stand and be bound with the other prisoners. He turned to glare at the gorilla who had pulled him down, and his rage intensified as he locked eyes with his captor, recognizing the face immediately and also the voice which contemptuously spat out his name.

“Koba.”

The traitor was none other than the very same Red whose name struck fear into the little ones.

Red bared his teeth in a snarl and shoved Koba with one massive hand, stepping closer in order to tower over and intimidate his prisoner. Koba, however, was too enraged to be afraid and stood his ground. If he could keep Red’s attention focused on himself, perhaps he could prevent the leader of the treacherous apes from recognizing Blue Eyes and doing harm to the honorary alpha, who Koba had sworn to lay down his life for if necessary.

“Red traitor! Red weak!” he snarled, earning himself another contemptuous shove which nearly knocked him to the ground.

“Koba weaker! Old now… can’t fight! Kerna… have power now! Kerna… put an end to… old, weak Koba!”

Traitor chimpanzees had now hauled down Lake and Cornelius, Koba realized with a sinking heart, and were herding them over to stand with Etumbe’s group.

A babel of human voices surrounded the apes, voices shouting more alarming words which shook and sickened Koba to his core.

“Find the leader… King Kong… Colonel’s orders… no, not the white one – we need him for the wall!”

“This one?” a human with a higher-pitched voice called – perhaps this human was a female – and indicated Etumbe, who cast a withering glare in her direction.

“No – not her. They follow an alpha male.”

The calm, chilling voice which had spoken earlier rose again, and the humans fell silent in respect.

“It must be this one here.”

Koba froze as soldiers dragged Etumbe’s grandson Spear before the Colonel.

@exoduswounds

Blue Eyes had never been a captive before. He was not one of the apes that Grey had locked inside of a bus in the human city, or one of the older apes who had lived in cages under human rule. So, when he hit the ground and it knocked the air from his lungs, left gasping for air, he did not know how to process what he felt by the time he was restrained with rope. There was humiliation, shame, fear… anger. So much… Blue Eyes was feeling so much, and there was little that he could do to vent it.

He searched out Lake and Cornelius with his eyes, horrified that they had been separated from him. It seemed that the females and young were being crowded together and the males left in smaller groups, all tied to eachother by their wrists and lengths of rope. All around him, his people who had trusted him to lead them to safety and freedom were being captured by the very humans that Blue Eyes was supposed to help them avoid.

Failed. He had failed. Failed his people, failed his father…

And now the humans were looking for him. The leader. But they didn’t know that Blue Eyes was the acting alpha… That became clear when soldiers forced Spear to his feet, walked him to the Colonel and shoved him back to his knees before the man who looked at him with madness in his eyes. Caesar had faced the Colonel the previous night. He would know that Spear was not Caesar. But it would be obvious by now that Caesar was gone…

Blue Eyes kept his gaze on the ground, now. If one of the traitor apes looked into his eyes, they would recognize him straight away. For now it may be better if they think Spear was their leader. There was no telling what they would do to Spear, but it meant something that he wasn’t denying their theory. The bonobo was accepting his fate, whatever it would be, perhaps in order to protect Caesar’s son. It made Blue Eyes feel even more shame for being afraid to fess up and reveal himself.

“Caesar is not here?”

The Colonel spoke again, though it was unclear whether or not he was addressing Spear specifically, or all of the apes. Though posed as a question, it seemed to be a statement more than anything else.

“Where is he?”

This time, the question was directed to Spear.

 Thankfully, all remained loyal and were silent, even Spear’s mate, Rose, who held their infant daughter Blossom in her arms and remained close to the brave old bonobo matriarch, Etumbe. The elderly bonobo stayed so calm and steady, despite her own heavy grief, and put on a brave face for the followers who so desperately needed her wisdom and guidance now.

 For a moment Lake wished she could burst out into wraa cries and throw herself imploringly at Etumbe’s feet, begging the older female for guidance, but she caught herself, biting her tongue and reminding herself that she was the queen now and had to be a role model herself for the white-tails.

 Koba appeared to be doing his best to distract Red, and the strategy seemed to be working. The treacherous gorilla hadn’t so much as glanced in the acting alpha’s direction, and whatever wrath he was feeling he seemed content to take out on the old warrior. As long as Red didn’t spot Blue Eyes among the captives and take vengeance out on him, the young king would be safe, for now at least.

 If Caesar never returned, the tribe would need his leadership.

 Lake heard the Colonel’s question, and stroked Cornelius’ fur protectively as she waited to hear what the brave bonobo would say.

 Of course he was too loyal to betray his leaders. He would never give Caesar, Blue Eyes, Etumbe or any of the other Council members to this vile human!

 Spear looked the Colonel directly in the eye and spoke calmly, without shouting or bravado.

 “I… never tell. No ape… ever tell!”

 For a moment it looked like the Colonel was going to strike Spear. He leaned closer to the bonobo and said some quiet words, which Lake could not hear, but she knew in her heart that they were terrifying words. Probably about how the humans, in time, would find and kill Caesar.

 The Colonel straightened up and addressed the man who had mistaken Spear for the alpha.

 “Sergeant, make an example of this one when you get back to base, then take your platoon and scour the forest. I must have Caesar found!”

Shabani gave a nod of acknowledgment at Blue Eyes’ signs, and rode off to inform Winter of the acting alpha’s decision.  Soon the ape troop was moving en masse towards the woodlands, and Lake felt a sense of relief to be away from the human-made pathway and immersed in a more familiar environment.

The trees surrounding the weary tribe seemed welcoming and protective in their strength, and the shelter they offered seemed to lift the mood of everyone. Soon apes were dismounting, gathering with loved ones and sharing food and water.

Lake, too, came down from her horse and sat on the forest floor with Cornelius in her lap, offering him water and dried fruit as his eyelids fluttered open. The little prince had something to eat and drink, then cast his gaze around, seeking the cousins who were his best beloved playmates, Koba’s children Katya and Kanzi.

The little bonobos were sitting with their mothers, Eden and Rain. They were also feeding on dried fruit and chattering with their mothers and with their father Koba, who had come over to them to see if they were all right. Cornelius managed to lock eyes with them when they looked up from their meals, and he blew them a half-hearted raspberry, trying to rekindle some of the playfulness of their old life.

Immediately the bonobo children were scrambling over to Cornelius, and tenderly embraced him. Huddled together, they seemed so sweet and affectionate, and Lake’s heart went out to all of them. May the paradise that Caesar and Blue Eyes promised come soon, she thought. These innocent ones have known more than their share of suffering.

She looked across to her mate and wondered if he was thinking the same thing she was.

‘All I want… is for apes to be happy again. Especially these precious little ones.’

@exoduswounds

Blue Eyes wondered who was more grateful for the break – himself, or his mare. She wasted no time in feeding on the grasses and plants near to where he tied her. She was a veteran of long voyages at this point and had already made this particular trip both ways. She knew when to take advantage of grazing.

The chimpanzee left her to it and made his rounds to the groups of resting apes, swiping palms as they were offered to him and answering the concerns of any who had them. Many had questions about this promised land to which Blue Eyes was taking them. He was doing his best to reassure his people, but they were all badly shaken, which was understandable. It wasn’t that they didn’t have faith in him. They were all afraid… He was, too.

But Blue Eyes didn’t show it, as he made his way back to what remained of his own family. He settled into a crouch-sit next to Lake, offering a gentle smile to his younger brother. Seeing Cornelius with his cousins brought hope that maybe the little ones would have a chance at recovering afterall. They weren’t too far gone. At least, that was what Blue Eyes wished for. Lake did, too.

‘We will be,’

The prince nodded to punctuate the statement. He was sure of this. Their new home was perfect and protected and they would be free of worry, like they had been before. They could have their old life back, and they would. Blue Eyes was leading them to it.

'We just have to get there… Some older apes having trouble. I think if some younger apes give them horses, that will help them make the journey. Every ape must make it there.’

Blue Eyes had already communicated this to some apes in their prime, and made arrangements for elders to borrow their mounts. He was proud of this solution.

'Spear’s group is looking out for humans while we rest. We should be safe here, for now.’

 Blue Eyes may not have had much experience at being alpha yet, but he was working what appeared to be miracles already. He had managed to even persuade dear, stubborn old Koko not to walk the entire way. With some help from Koko’s son Shabani, Blue Eyes had actually got the senior female gorilla to agree to ride part of the way on a borrowed horse, as long as she could alternate with Clover and her infant twins.

 The young honorary queen kept a close eye on Cornelius and his cousins, who had joined another group of youngsters congregating by a tree with low-hanging branches. Some of the children were already swinging on the branches and uttering hoots, yeeps and a variety of other noises.

 Leading the group of playful little ones were the bonobo triplets who were often at the forefront of any white-tail mischief – bold little Clayton and his sisters Elvira and Jenny Lee.

 “I NOT AFRAID OF KERNA!” Clayton suddenly yelled, twirling around and around a branch. The others gasped and went wide-eyed, and Cornelius started to sign at Clayton, imploring him not to say the dreaded human leader’s name. But the older children had had enough of cowering and being fearful. Lake sat up with a start as Elvira and Jenny Lee, who were usually more sensible than their brother and would often try to stop his silly antics, actually joined in the swinging and shouting with a rapid-fire chant of:

 “KERNA SMELLS! KERNA SMELLS!”

 All at once, it seemed like every ape child who was not a babe in arms was venting their frustrations and joining in the cacophony. Little chimpanzees pant-hooted and pounded the ground or tree-trunks with their fists, and bonobo youngsters added a chorus of high-pitched yeeping. Gorilla children beat their chests, and many of the younger orangutans were loudly kiss-squeaking. Even several young gibbons were adding to the racket with their own unique calls.

 Lake could only hope that the humans had been left far enough behind so that the children could safely express their pent-up frustrations. By now, even Cornelius, Katya and Kanzi were joining in, climbing the nearest tree and calling out their own chant, which soon replaced the derogatory shouts about the Colonel.

 It was Caesar’s own motto the young ones were now chanting.

 “APES! TOGETHER! STRONG!”

 Lake could not help but smile then, and draped her arm around her beloved mate, daring to hope for the best for the first time in ages.

‘Yes, we will have a life of peace, I hope – away from humans and away from the traitors. I do not know why those apes do what they do, unless their fear of Caesar is greater than their hate of humans.’

Lake frowned, glad that Cornelius still slept tranquilly, and could not see her signs – he always looked frightened at the mention of the traitor apes, even though their leaders Grey and Cedar were gone. There were still many fearsome warriors fighting on the side of the Colonel and his troops, and their new leader was an ape whose name struck terror into many in the colony, especially the vulnerable youngsters – Red. Lake hesitated to speak or sign the rogue gorilla’s name around the white-tails, for she hated to see the fear in their innocent eyes.

“My queen… is right,” a voice nearby suddenly said, and Lake, recognizing the voice immediately, felt startled to be addressed this way by a dear friend.

The ape who had ridden closer to the royal pair was Shabani, one of the gorilla guards. He was a young silverback, only slightly older than Blue Eyes.

“They think… Caesar punish them… if they return. And this Kerna… maybe he offer to let them live… when he kill ape tribe.”

  Shabani then gave a respectful salute to the acting king and queen, and addressed his next words to Blue Eyes, signing this time.

‘Winter say to tell you, forest area close up ahead – Blue Eyes think this is good time to stop and rest? Many children and elders tired, hungry and thirsty.’

Among those children and older apes were Danny and Daisy, Shabani’s twin son and daughter (Shabani’s mate Clover had only recently presented the troop with another rare multiple birth – these two were only the second pair of gorilla twins born in the colony) and his elderly mother Koko. The old female gorilla prided herself on being tough and would never complain, but Lake ached with sympathy for the hardship she must be enduring, emotional as well as physical. For Cornelia, like her husband Caesar, had had her own inner circle of close companions, and Koko had been among them, and was deeply mourning the loss of her beloved friend.

They were so precious, the elders and the little ones, and needed the best of care.

Danny and Daisy… they were named after Shabani’s late father and Clover’s late mother. Briefly, Lake wondered what she and Blue Eyes would name their future babies before she firmly brought her mind back to the present moment.

Shabani sat back a little on his horse, awaiting Blue Eyes’ orders.

@exoduswounds

Blue Eyes furrowed his brows at this thought. How the traitor apes could trust the humans was beyond his comprehension. From what he had heard, this “Kerna” of theirs was the most terrible of humans. Ruthless enough to murder a mother without second thought. To try to wipe out an entire colony of apes, and for what? Being apes? To hate apes so much… surely the traitors were not safe with him. But that was their problem, as far as Blue Eyes was concerned. They had made their choice, whatever their reasons were. His purpose as acting king was to protect these apes, not the traitors.

‘They are stupid,’

He signed, an expression of disgust across his features that mirrored his father’s quite well.

'Humans not let them live. Only using them.’

The chimpanzee shook his head and gripped his reins to re-align his mare, who had started to drift towards the sprigs of grass that popped up on either side of the path they followed. A human path, with ground made of rock. Blue Eyes couldn’t remember the word for it, but he didn’t like it. It did not feel alive like the ground did, dirt and plants. So much of what humans made felt dead and cold.

'Yes, we rest in forest. Forest should be safe. There is cover there to hide us.’

Out here, they were exposed and vulnerable. Blue Eyes didn’t like the feeling at all. He would be glad to return to the comfort of trees and woods surrounding them. The forest had kept them safe for this long and he trusted it to continue to do so.

 The trees surrounding the weary tribe seemed welcoming and protective in their strength, and the shelter they offered seemed to lift the mood of everyone. Soon apes were dismounting, gathering with loved ones and sharing food and water.

 Lake, too, came down from her horse and sat on the forest floor with Cornelius in her lap, offering him water and dried fruit as his eyelids fluttered open. The little prince had something to eat and drink, then cast his gaze around, seeking the cousins who were his best beloved playmates, Koba’s children Katya and Kanzi.

 The little bonobos were sitting with their mothers, Eden and Rain. They were also feeding on dried fruit and chattering with their mothers and with their father Koba, who had come over to them to see if they were all right. Cornelius managed to lock eyes with them when they looked up from their meals, and he blew them a half-hearted raspberry, trying to rekindle some of the playfulness of their old life.

 Immediately the bonobo children were scrambling over to Cornelius, and tenderly embraced him. Huddled together, they seemed so sweet and affectionate, and Lake’s heart went out to all of them. May the paradise that Caesar and Blue Eyes promised come soon, she thought. These innocent ones have known more than their share of suffering.

 She looked across to her mate and wondered if he was thinking the same thing she was.

 ‘All I want… is for apes to be happy again. Especially these precious little ones.’

‘I hope so. We all need to heal – we have all been through too much,     especially the children.’

Lake managed another smile for sleepy little Cornelius. It was hard to explain, the way she felt for this precious child. Her protectiveness towards the little prince seemed more intense than an older sibling’s love. It was as if, since the tragic loss of Cornelia, she had indeed become the young chimp’s mother.

She smiled down at him, and wondered if it would be strange to want him to call her Mother someday, if he and Blue Eyes were agreeable to it and Caesar gave permission. Now was too soon, of course, and in the end, it would be up to Cornelius. Lake would always be there for him, whatever his choice might be.

Lake restrained a small chuff of amusement at how wide her mate’s namesake eyes went at the mention of her dream. It certainly sounded odd when she spoke of it out loud, as multiple births were rare among the apes – the almost unheard-of birth of bonobo triplets four years earlier had caused quite a commotion in the colony.

‘It may be only dream, but it seemed so real… the children seemed so real. I hope that it means one day we have beautiful family in new home.’

At Blue Eyes’ next question, she could not hold back a small chuff this time.

‘Yes, I think we will be good parents. We already have much love in our hearts for the white-tails, and I saw you with Cornelius when you were younger. You took good care of him. But first, we have to find them a home.’

The honorary queen tried to seem brave, but deep down she was more nervous than she was willing to let on – not so much for her own sake, but for how the precious white-tails, and the tribe’s wise elders, also valuable in their own way, would hold up against the upcoming desert journey and the hardships the apes were sure to face.

@exoduswounds

Especially the older apes… They had been human prisoners for so long, and they’d had their peace and freedom, only to be sucked into this awful war. Blue Eyes had taken his life for granted before, never knowing true hardship. His biggest concern had been his father’s expectations and that he felt unfairly treated compared to his peers. He now understood that, while it had been frustrating and disheartening at the time, there could have been worse things. And now there were.

Blue Eyes finally had his father’s approval and pride. But now he no longer had a mother.

And acting as the leader in Caesar’s absence, Blue Eyes had to project strength and confidence and not allow himself time to truly grieve until they arrived at their new home. The trials of his early life paled by comparison.

His eyes flicked again to his younger brother. Cornelius was so young, and had lost so much. They were both so lucky to have Lake… For very different reasons. But lucky all the same. She was family to both of them now. And thinking of their future children was much better than dwelling on the past twenty-four hours.

‘We will. And they will have good life… Better than this. Our new home have everything apes need. It not the same as the woods, I will always miss our old home. But at least our new home far away from humans.’

The young ape hesitated, his brows furrowing a bit and his lips pulling tight for a moment. A sharp exhale flared his nostrils before he continued.

'And far away from traitors, too.’

Blue Eyes hadn’t known until his return that the apes that had betrayed them had joined forces with the humans… He couldn’t fathom it. Grey had loathed humans, and yet, his followers had decided that Caesar was worse than humans. Worse enough that they would rather serve their own enemy rather than live with their own kind. Caesar believed that they feared him… Blue Eyes had his doubts. Some apes, he now believed, were just as terrible as humans.

 Lake frowned, glad that Cornelius still slept tranquilly, and could not see her signs – he always looked frightened at the mention of the traitor apes, even though their leaders Grey and Cedar were gone. There were still many fearsome warriors fighting on the side of the Colonel and his troops, and their new leader was an ape whose name struck terror into many in the colony, especially the vulnerable youngsters – Red. Lake hesitated to speak or sign the rogue gorilla’s name around the white-tails, for she hated to see the fear in their innocent eyes.

 “My queen… is right,” a voice nearby suddenly said, and Lake, recognizing the voice immediately, felt startled to be addressed this way by a dear friend.

 The ape who had ridden closer to the royal pair was Shabani, one of the gorilla guards. He was a young silverback, only slightly older than Blue Eyes.

 “They think… Caesar punish them… if they return. And this Kerna… maybe he offer to let them live… when he kill ape tribe.”

 Shabani then gave a respectful salute to the acting king and queen, and addressed his next words to Blue Eyes, signing this time.

 ‘Winter say to tell you, forest area close up ahead – Blue Eyes think this is good time to stop and rest? Many children and elders tired, hungry and thirsty.’

 Among those children and older apes were Danny and Daisy, Shabani’s twin son and daughter (Shabani’s mate Clover had only recently presented the troop with another rare multiple birth – these two were only the second pair of gorilla twins born in the colony) and his elderly mother Koko. The old female gorilla prided herself on being tough and would never complain, but Lake ached with sympathy for the hardship she must be enduring, emotional as well as physical. For Cornelia, like her husband Caesar, had had her own inner circle of close companions, and Koko had been among them, and was deeply mourning the loss of her beloved friend.

 They were so precious, the elders and the little ones, and needed the best of care.

 Danny and Daisy… they were named after Shabani’s late father and Clover’s late mother. Briefly, Lake wondered what she and Blue Eyes would name their future babies before she firmly brought her mind back to the present moment.

 Shabani sat back a little on his horse, awaiting Blue Eyes’ orders.

Lake gave a warm, reassuring smile as Blue Eyes averted his gaze. She knew how much his father’s approval mattered to her new mate, and she hoped too that Caesar would be back with the troop soon, although she trusted Blue Eyes’ leadership completely. She wanted Caesar to see how strong and level-headed his eldest son had become, and to express the pride she had no doubt that he felt to Blue Eyes in his own words.

She looked down at young Cornelius, and to her great relief he did indeed seem to have gone to sleep. Rest could only help with his healing, and she stroked his fur gently, wanting to express her tenderness without waking him.

‘I think, perhaps he does… sometimes he speaks of things that could only have happened in the early times. Like when Katya and Kanzi were born, and how he came close and touched Katya when she was still wet from birth fluids, held close in Eden’s arms. This makes me hopeful, that he can hold happy memories as well as the sad ones. I do not want him to be too scarred by what he has lived through.’

Lake found herself wishing that the journey was already over and that they had found a place to hide and be safe in the forest so that she could hold Blue Eyes close and express the affection she felt by touch, as words felt too inadequate to convey the depth of her emotions.

Soon, she told herself, we will find peace again. Caesar will return and we will all live in the promised land, and then we apes will be able to make a better life, free of the humans and their bloodthirsty ways.

She saw the shy expression on Blue Eyes’ face and felt a little shy herself when he mentioned the prospect of white-tails of their own.

‘I would like that,’ Lake signed, and felt a little bolder as she remembered something that she had dreamed some time ago.

‘Cornelia once told me she dreamed of you before you were born… I, too, once dreamed of our children. My mother and her sister Tinker are twins, and so were the babies I had in my dream. But they were a little female and a little male, and they had eyes like yours.’

@exoduswounds

Maybe Cornelius did remember the old days afterall… It was better than the poor youngster having memories only of terror and hiding. Blue Eyes was confident that the eden of his discovery would match up to the memories that his younger brother held. It was just a matter of getting there. There was still a long way to go and a desert to endure and that would be a test for them all, especially the young and the old. But it would be worth it.

‘Our new home will help him heal. It help us all heal.’

It was such a beautiful place, full of hope and promise. Blue Eyes regretted that not every ape had lived to see it, but as he had come to believe, they would. Their eyes were the stars that watched over the tribe at night, guiding them when they got lost and giving light by which to see even in the darkest of nights. He only wished that he could see them, too. He would give anything to see Ash one last time. And Cornelia…

Maybe he would, someday, when he joined them in the night sky.

But before that…

The young chimpanzee’s eyes went a little bit wide for a moment at the mention of Lake’s dream. Twins? It wasn’t unheard of in their tribe, but no ape really expected multiples… It was no guarantee of course, sometimes dreams were just that – dreams. But the more he thought about it, the more the idea wasn’t necessarily bad. Blue Eyes had been thinking about having a family with Lake with increasing frequency these past few months, with little to do but think when riding horses over such vast stretches of land. It was an idea he had already become fond of. Blue Eyes knew, at this point, to be grateful for whatever good he was given after all of the bad. A family was a blessing, a privilege. He understood that now.

'Maybe I dream about them someday, too. I hope so. Think we will be good parents?’

He asked, perhaps with a little amusement. It was mostly a question about himself. Lake was great with children, all of the white-tails adored her and she returned that fondness. Blue Eyes was far less experienced, having spent so much of the past couple of years away from the tribe. He had done well with Cornelius in his infancy, however… There was hope for him yet.

 Lake managed another smile for sleepy little Cornelius. It was hard to explain, the way she felt for this precious child. Her protectiveness towards the little prince seemed more intense than an older sibling’s love. It was as if, since the tragic loss of Cornelia, she had indeed become the young chimp’s mother.

 She smiled down at him, and wondered if it would be strange to want him to call her Mother someday, if he and Blue Eyes were agreeable to it and Caesar gave permission. Now was too soon, of course, and in the end, it would be up to Cornelius. Lake would always be there for him, whatever his choice might be.

 Lake restrained a small chuff of amusement at how wide her mate’s namesake eyes went at the mention of her dream. It certainly sounded odd when she spoke of it out loud, as multiple births were rare among the apes – the almost unheard-of birth of bonobo triplets four years earlier had caused quite a commotion in the colony.

 ‘It may be only dream, but it seemed so real… the children seemed so real. I hope that it means one day we have beautiful family in new home.’

 At Blue Eyes’ next question, she could not hold back a small chuff this time.

 ‘Yes, I think we will be good parents. We already have much love in our hearts for the white-tails, and I saw you with Cornelius when you were younger. You took good care of him. But first, we have to find them a home.’

 The honorary queen tried to seem brave, but deep down she was more nervous than she was willing to let on – not so much for her own sake, but for how the precious white-tails, and the tribe’s wise elders, also valuable in their own way, would hold up against the upcoming desert journey and the hardships the apes were sure to face.

Lake nodded in agreement with Blue Eyes’ signs.

‘Forest sounds good. We have come far, and children need to rest, old ones too. You have done well to keep us all safe – Caesar would be proud.’

She tried to offer her new mate a small smile, then turned her attention to his question about Cornelius, and barely managed to hold back a fretful sigh.

The little prince seemed sleepy now, hiding his face against her chest and breathing deeply, and his whimpers had ceased for the time being. Lake’s brow creased as she rocked him a little, the way a mother might rock a much younger white-tail.

‘He seems calmer now, but I worry. I remember, before what Grey did, what Cornelius was like… he was so bold, running around the village with Katya and Kanzi, making mischief… so curious and eager to learn about all things. He has changed so much, and now it is even harder for him. I want to do all I can to help. Things can never be exactly what they were, but I want to help him heal.’

Cornelius did not stir, and Lake hoped he was peacefully asleep for the time being.

When Blue Eyes asked Lake how she herself was doing, she was able to offer him a proper smile that time. Her beloved mate may have been young, but he had all the best qualities of both his father and his late mother. He was caring, selfless and always aware of those around him, and careful to check in with them about what they might need.

‘I am doing my best to stay strong… I, like all of us, have lost so much, but I am grateful for the loved ones still alive.  I want to make sure our young ones all stay safe. And I am so glad to have Blue Eyes at my side, and as my mate.’

@exoduswounds

The signs caused a smile to tug at the corners of Blue Eyes’ mouth, followed by adverted eyes. 

‘Thankyou…’

He had longed for those words so desperately when he was younger. Even now it made his heart swell. His father wasn’t there to say that he was proud, but Caesar’s eyes had said it for him. His smile. The way he had looked at his son as Blue Eyes had presented his findings to the Council. The prince finally had what he had wanted for so long. Only now, Caesar wasn’t here to say it. That was bittersweet. Hopefully he would return to them soon… It was hard to believe that he wouldn’t. Caesar had survived being shot by an ape. He had to survive facing the Colonel, too. He had to.

Cornelius, though, was with them. Blue Eyes looked to him after Lake signed her concerns and his brows furrowed in concern to match hers. She was right. His little brother had changed drastically while Blue Eyes had been gone. There was so much fear in his small eyes where once there had been wonder and excitement.

‘You think he remembers before the war?’

Blue Eyes posed the question sorrowfully. His brother was practically a newborn in the final days of peace. It may well be that he didn’t remember, that all he knew was war and fear and hiding. Blue Eyes didn’t want that for him, and he knew that their father didn’t, either. It explained the look in Caesar’s eyes when he had watched over Cornelius the previous evening. This was exactly what Caesar had wanted to avoid and Blue Eyes understood why, now.

And it was up to him to lead them to their new home, their promised land, that he and Rocket had discovered. Where humans would never find them again and there would always be peace. Peace for all apes.

Lake’s words brought warmth to his cheeks. He smiled at her and would have initiated some sortof affectionate contact if not for the space between them. Blue Eyes had long since grown out of his awkwardness around Lake, and feelings of embarrassment if other apes saw them together.

'We will be safe where I take us. Never worry about humans again. We can have a family…’

His smile admittedly became a bit shy, with that. A thought which had seemed so far away before was now nearly within reach. And one thing that Blue Eyes knew for certain was that his children would never see a human, or know war and bloodshed. They would only know peace.

 She looked down at young Cornelius, and to her great relief he did indeed seem to have gone to sleep. Rest could only help with his healing, and she stroked his fur gently, wanting to express her tenderness without waking him.

 ‘I think, perhaps he does… sometimes he speaks of things that could only have happened in the early times. Like when Katya and Kanzi were born, and how he came close and touched Katya when she was still wet from birth fluids, held close in Eden’s arms. This makes me hopeful, that he can hold happy memories as well as the sad ones. I do not want him to be too scarred by what he has lived through.’

 Lake found herself wishing that the journey was already over and that they had found a place to hide and be safe in the forest so that she could hold Blue Eyes close and express the affection she felt by touch, as words felt too inadequate to convey the depth of her emotions.

  Soon, she told herself, we will find peace again. Caesar will return and we will all live in the promised land, and then we apes will be able to make a better life, free of the humans and their bloodthirsty ways.

She saw the shy expression on Blue Eyes’ face and felt a little shy herself when he mentioned the prospect of white-tails of their own.

‘I would like that,’ Lake signed, and felt a little bolder as she remembered something that she had dreamed some time ago.

 ‘Cornelia once told me she dreamed of you before you were born… I, too, once dreamed of our children. My mother and her sister Tinker are twins, and so were the babies I had in my dream. But they were a little female and a little male, and they had eyes like yours.’

It was fortunate that Lake was a strong rider, for it took a great deal of effort to keep up with Blue Eyes and Koba and devote the vital attention needed to little Cornelius, who clung to her and whimpered. She cradled him lovingly and made soft comforting sounds, keeping a brave face on yet hurting too, for him and for Blue Eyes and for all the troop who had lost their beloved queen

Given what had transpired at her nest the previous night – the promise that had been made between her and Blue Eyes – Lake was, she supposed, now Cornelius’s sister in law. But it was a mother that the little prince needed, and since Caesar had entrusted Cornelius to her care, she resolved to do the best she could to be what he needed.

Lake was grieving great loss too – many apes she cared for had perished, among them her own father, although thankfully her mother and sisters were still safe. And an earlier death still made Lake ache with rage as well as sadness – the murder of her cousin Ash, who had been slain not by human hands, but by the leader of the traitor apes, Grey.

Caesar had killed Grey in the battle at the tower, but the wounds the treacherous chimpanzee had caused still ran deep. The plight of the ape colony was due to his actions. Lake glanced over at a young female chimpanzee who rode nearby, with her infant son clinging to her breast. She was Orchid, Lake’s dearest childhood friend and Ash’s widow.

Little Smoke would never know his father because of Grey. At least Cornelius would have the memory of his mother. And although Grey and his equally traitorous wife, Cedar, were gone, there were still traitor apes who fought on the side of the human enemies.

Cornelius whimpered again, and she stroked his head tenderly, paying close attention to the signs Koba was now making to Blue Eyes. Good news, thankfully.

Blue Eyes, forced before his time to lead… and he was now, Lake realized, her mate… which made her the de facto ape queen. That would explain why so many apes seemed to be deferring to her now, even though there were many older high-ranked females.

‘Glad to hear news is good,’ Lake signed to Koba, and then turned to Blue Eyes.

  ‘Soon, I hope, we find safe place for little ones to rest.’

@exoduswounds

Blue Eyes’ gaze lingered on Lake after she finished signing, though his eyes seemed unfocused. This was another thing that now fell to him, the decision of when and where to rest. He had thought nothing of making this decision when it had just been himself and Rocket, not running, but searching. It was different now. Blue Eyes was torn between going as far as possible in a timely fashion, and knowing that the apes were tired and grieving and he couldn’t push them forever. Especially not the children, as Lake had said. The adult apes understood what was happening and why, but the white-tails were afraid and confused… They had been told time without number to stay within the protected cave system, and now here they were – outside, and vulnerable.

‘There is a forest up ahead,’

He signed,

'That might be good place to rest. Hidden.’

The prince’s namesake eyes turned to little Cornelius, face buried into Lake’s chest. Was it the movement of their steed, or was the small chimpanzee trembling? Blue Eyes couldn’t imagine his young brother’s horror and felt helpless to comfort him. Cornelius knew little of him as it was. Blue Eyes had been gone for so long… Cornelius had been shy to even greet him upon his return. At least he was comfortable with Lake…

'How Cornelius doing?’

It seemed a silly question. Blue Eyes pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth for a moment, hands static but raised. Hesitant, but only for a moment.

'How you doing?’

 ‘Forest sounds good. We have come far, and children need to rest, old ones too. You have done well to keep us all safe – Caesar would be proud.’

 She tried to offer her new mate a small smile, then turned her attention to his question about Cornelius, and barely managed to hold back a fretful sigh.

 The little prince seemed sleepy now, hiding his face against her chest and breathing deeply, and his whimpers had ceased for the time being. Lake’s brow creased as she rocked him a little, the way a mother might rock a much younger white-tail.

 ‘He seems calmer now, but I worry. I remember, before what Grey did, what Cornelius was like… he was so bold, running around the village with Katya and Kanzi, making mischief… so curious and eager to learn about all things. He has changed so much, and now it is even harder for him. I want to do all I can to help. Things can never be exactly what they were, but I want to help him heal.’

 Cornelius did not stir, and Lake hoped he was peacefully asleep for the time being.

 When Blue Eyes asked Lake how she herself was doing, she was able to offer him a proper smile that time. Her beloved mate may have been young, but he had all the best qualities of both his father and his late mother. He was caring, selfless and always aware of those around him, and careful to check in with them about what they might need.

 ‘I am doing my best to stay strong… I, like all of us, have lost so much, but I am grateful for the loved ones still alive.  I want to make sure our young ones all stay safe. And I am so glad to have Blue Eyes at my side, and as my mate.’

Koba’s one good eye scanned over the troop of apes, leaving the place that had provided them shelter for a time, but had never really been called home by any of them. He was making sure that what remained of the colony was safe. His gaze locked with one of the few Council members still with the troop, his own beloved mate Stone, and he gave a nod to indicate that all were accounted for from where he was.

‘All who not confirmed dead, are here. White-tails safe,’ he signed to Stone, who nodded again. All apes were valued, but mothers and infants especially so. Among those white-tails who were alive and well, thankfully, were Stone’s children, and also Koba’s own son and daughter, Kanzi and Katya, who were being carried by their mothers.

‘Good, all accounted for on the other side too – I go tell Winter,’ Stone signed back, and went to inform the acting gorilla general.

Koba’s greatest worry as far as children were concerned, however, was little Cornelius who the old bonobo regarded as his nephew. He had seen his mother die, and it tore at Koba’s heart to see how traumatized the little prince was. Cornelia had not only been the colony’s beloved queen, she had been like a sister to Koba and her loss burned inside Koba, twisting his heart with agony. If her death could affect the scarred old warrior in such a way, Koba could only imagine how much worse it must feel for her mate, Caesar, and her sons.

Caesar had gone to avenge the death of Cornelia, and now Koba turned his attention to the acting alpha, Blue Eyes. The eldest son of Cornelia and Caesar was still so young, and yet now he bore such awesome responsibility on his shoulders. Koba had sworn to protect the crown prince, even laying down his life if need be, and his worried gaze switched from the younger prince towards the older one. Hopefully, he would have a chance to try to comfort little Cornelius later, although Lake seemed to be doing her best with the child in the meantime.

He grunted softly for his leader’s attention, and spoke aloud.

“Stone say, all white-tails safe on his side, and I say same here too.”

  He looked upon his eldest nephew with a mixture of love, pride and sadness., thinking to himself:

He is so much like Caesar, but like you too, Cornelia. I hope Caesar will avenge you soon, my sister. And if he does not, then I surely will.

@exoduswounds

A grunt from off to one side pulled Blue Eyes back into the present, out of his zoning mind. Blinking, the young ape turned towards the sound and the ape who had made it. For once, it was good news. Relief dropped his shoulders and Blue Eyes nodded to the bonobo, though he hesitated a little before he signed a response.

‘Seems like all apes safe. Humans only kill one last night.’

It felt wrong to use the word 'only’. No ape was 'only’, especially not Cornelia. But in the scope of things, it could have been much worse. Blue Eyes knew this not from recent experience, but by witnessing the aftermath. He had been fortunate enough to avoid the human assaults, off on that journey to find new hope for his people. But upon their return, Blue Eyes had seen what could be done in only a few short minutes. So many bodies being prepared to be sent, burning, down the river. So many apes killed… The scale of it was obvious to him only now as he turned his horse around and swept his gaze over what was left of the tribe. There had been over a thousand if not two by Maurice’s count before the humans had found the apes’ old home. Now there were only hundreds.

A heavy sigh flared the prince’s nostrils and he shook his head a little, mostly to himself. They had lost so much. So much.

And it was Blue Eyes’ job as acting alpha to ensure that no more were lost. He had never known responsibility this great before. Not even remotely close. It weighed heavily on him.

'If apes all ready, we leave now. Humans could be on their way here already.’

 Given what had transpired at her nest the previous night – the promise that had been made between her and Blue Eyes – Lake was, she supposed, now Cornelius’s sister in law. But it was a mother that the little prince needed, and since Caesar had entrusted Cornelius to her care, she resolved to do the best she could to be what he needed.

 Lake was grieving great loss too – many apes she cared for had perished, among them her own father, although thankfully her mother and sisters were still safe. And an earlier death still made Lake ache with rage as well as sadness – the murder of her cousin Ash, who had been slain not by human hands, but by the leader of the traitor apes, Grey.

 Caesar had killed Grey in the battle at the tower, but the wounds the treacherous chimpanzee had caused still ran deep. The plight of the ape colony was due to his actions. Lake glanced over at a young female chimpanzee who rode nearby, with her infant son clinging to her breast. She was Orchid, Lake’s dearest childhood friend and Ash’s widow.

 Little Smoke would never know his father because of Grey. At least Cornelius would have the memory of his mother. And although Grey and his equally traitorous wife, Cedar, were gone, there were still traitor apes who fought on the side of the human enemies.

 Cornelius whimpered again, and she stroked his head tenderly, paying close attention to the signs Koba was now making to Blue Eyes. Good news, thankfully.

 Blue Eyes, forced before his time to lead… and he was now, Lake realized, her mate… which made her the de facto ape queen. That would explain why so many apes seemed to be deferring to her now, even though there were many older high-ranked females.

 ‘Glad to hear news is good,’ Lake signed to Koba, and then turned to Blue Eyes.

 ‘Soon, I hope, we find safe place for little ones to rest.’

It was a long two years since Emily had left the ape colony, and she could feel herself missing the red wood forest almost daily by now. She didn’t think she’d feel this home sick for her second family, but she knew they’d be okay. They had Caesar and Koba after all. Who better to defend a colony?

She rode tall on her intelligent mare, Isabelle, who’s ears swiveled in every direction to detect any sounds. Sure Emily’s senses were heightened thanks to the green drug that made the apes smarter, but the mares were more so.

“Anything so far?” Emily asked.

Izzy snorted, shaking her head in a no. Even without speech, the two understood each other fluently, which would give Emily and odd look whenever she found a human settlement to get supplies.

Emily sighed and stretched. “Then stop for a moment, I need to stretch.”

Izzy stopped and let Emily dismount. The girl stretched, hearing her back pop here and there as she allowed herself to relax a moment.

She took a breath and nodded. ‘Happy to be back,’ She answered. ‘Glad to be home, with apes…’ she paused before giving Caesar a look that seemed to ask for permission before she finished the statement. ‘Father…’

His smile became even more joyful when he heard what Emily had called him. The ape king had long thought of Emily as his child, and it made him feel good to hear her call him Father.

‘And I am glad you are home with us, my daughter,’ he signed, and hugged her gently, pressing his forehead to hers in the ape fashion.

Orchid sat down for a rest and to feed little Smoke. Charlie, a little hesitant, sat beside her and offered the young mother some dried fruit. He clearly looked like he did not know what to do or say next.

She gave Emily a gentle nudge and indicated where Charlie was sitting.

‘I think he likes Orchid,’ she signed discreetly.

‘He seems to like Orchid’s baby, that is good sign. Maybe Izzy knows what he might say to Orchid?’ Lake replied to Emily.

Little Cornelius had, meanwhile, gone over to Izzy, who he loved dearly, with Star tagging along behind him. Izzy fascinated her, too.

She watched fondly as the children played with Izzy.

Emily looked at the mare fondly, watching as she laid down and gently nuzzled the young ones.

Over with Orchid, Charlie felt uneasy. He wanted to tell her all about his feelings, but was so shy and did not want to upset her if she was still grieving for Ash. He looked towards Izzy, wishing the clever mare could say something.

Charlie accepted the peach blossoms from Izzy, whispering, “Thank you,” before carrying them to Orchid.

Orchid smiled. ‘For me?” she signed shyly, and Charlie nodded and bent to stroke Smoke’s tiny head.

‘I know I can never replace Ash… I too miss him. But I do like you… and would love to  take care of you and Smoke, if that is what you want. I will understand if you do not… and I am happy to be just a friend if you prefer.’

‘I will always love Ash… but he would not want me to be alone forever,’ she finally signed. ‘And Smoke needs father figure in his life…  yes, I would like to try being your mate.’

It was all Charlie could do not to start hooting and jumping for joy. Instead, he tenderly pressed his forehead to Orchid’s.

She looked over at Charlie and Orchid, feeling happy for them but missing Blue Eyes with all her heart.

A hand tapped Lake’s shoulder gently, and a female bonobo of around the same age sat next to her. Lake smiled again and greeted her warmly,

‘Ruby, you remember Emily? And Emily, I am sure you must remember Ruby. She Rain’s sister.’

She gently started to groom Lake, who smiled and asked Emily if she would like grooming too.

‘I am sure I manage to make your hair pretty, like bonobo girl’s,’ she signed playfully, glancing at Ruby who gave her a shy smile back.

She busied herself with tidying Emily’s hair, enjoying the careful attention of Ruby to her own fur at the same time.