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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes | Teaser Trailer

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Synopsis

Little Maya was definitely agreeing with her cousin Blue Eyes on the matter of a story. She yeeped excitedly and bounced a little on Koba’s knee. Although she did not want to sleep, the lure of a special tale that was usually only told to the older children was too tempting for her to refuse.

‘Yes, yes! Father tell us story! Maybe we sleep then – but only maybe!’ the little princess signed eagerly. ‘But can’t make us fall asleep! Mother and Aunt Cornelia couldn’t make us! I think not even Father and Uncle Caesar can!’

Koba pretended to frown a little at the hard bargain the children were driving, but inside he was feeling a surge of pride at their cleverness and spirited nature. And he, too, knew deep down that those little eyelids would soon be fluttering into slumber. The white-tails had had such an active day that they could not help but start nodding off very soon, despite their current resistance to going to bed.

‘All right then,’ he signed. ‘I will tell you, and then we see what you think.’

The bonobo drew a slow, deep breath, pausing for effect before he began to sign again.

‘Some of the orangutans tell tales of the stars – they say that apes that have gone from this world to the next one watch over us from there. Among them is a mighty gorilla – strong and fierce when protecting other apes, but good and gentle in his heart. He is somewhat like our Luca, but not exactly the same. No two apes are exactly like each other, even if they twins.’

He looked down to see the children’s reactions before continuing, and his words were rewarded with wide-eyed looks of wonder from the babies.

‘Many apes, including Caesar and Cornelia, knew him well. His name was Buck. He sacrificed his life while protecting apes, so we could escape to freedom and make a new life for ourselves in the forest. But Maurice tells me that if you look into the sky on a starry night, you can see the shape of a gorilla among the stars. That is Buck, still watching over all of us, making sure that all apes are safe and happy.’

Caesar kept his focus on the children as they watched Koba's story-telling hands with wide, excited eyes. They, of course, saw this as a story of a hero that they would only ever know by name. For Caesar, though, it brought a pang of regret and sorrow. Buck had been a treasured friend... Without the gorilla, Caesar may never have become the leader of the primate center troop, which of course had been vital to taking back their freedom. And, if Caesar had thought harder about what he was doing, maybe he wouldn't have let himself be found out in the open for the humans to have a clear shot. Then Buck wouldn't have had to sacrifice himself...

Excited chirps from his son pulled Caesar back to the present, however. At least for the young ones, there was no sadness. That was how Buck would be remembered by the new generations – looked up to and honored with respect, resting with peace and dignity. That was how it should be. Caesar owed that silverback nearly everything, which meant that the tribe as a whole owed an awful lot to Buck, too.

'Koba show us Buck! Want to see!'

Blue Eyes signed this with enthusiasm, even as he visibly fought back a yawn. This, like so many things that this precious child did, brought a smile to Caesar's lips.

'There are clouds in the sky tonight, Son. Maybe another night.'

This response from his father pursed the little chimp's lips in thought, and he looked back to Koba, since he was the one telling the story.

'Can Buck see us when clouds in sky??'

Blue Eyes' mind worked in intelligent ways already. This seemed to be true of all of the children... Caesar wondered if this had to do with the medicine that Will had created. Caesar had heard him, some nights, recording his voice as he read notes aloud – something about Caesar being smarter than his mother had been. So, then, were their children smarter than them...?

It was all Koba could do not to burst out laughing. The babies were so precious and so funny with their stubbornness! Even though it was frustrating to have them so full of energy when their young bodies really needed sleep, Koba could not help but admire their spirit.

Maya was certainly a feisty young ape, and Blue Eyes was every bit as determined as she was not to give in by the looks of things. Trying his hardest to stifle chuffs of amusement as he felt his nephew scrambling up his back and saw the little face with sky-blue eyes peering over his shoulder, he cradled his daughter closer to his chest and carefully went into a squat-sit next to the babies’ loving but rather stressed mothers.

“Would love to play… but I… so tired,” Koba replied, and gave a rather exaggerated yawn to make his point. He gently lowered Maya onto his lap, and brought Blue Eyes carefully down to sit beside her, so that he could sign rather than talk aloud.

‘All apes need rest, even the grown-ups. See, Blue Eyes – your mother and your Aunt Etumbe yawning too! Maya knows how tired I am, don’t you, little one?’

He tilted his head, eyeing first his nephew and then his daughter.

‘I can play with you tomorrow, but if you like, I could tell you story for now. I know how much you like my stories. If you promise to be good, and sleep after this, I tell Blue Eyes and Maya a story that Maurice taught me. I think it is a beautiful story. He tells it to the older children in the white-tail classes, but I think you two are clever and special enough to hear it now. Do you think so, Caesar?’

He looked to his beloved king for support, and hoped that the mothers would agree also. And that most of all, that the babies would fall for his careful strategy!

It didn't take a genius to see what Koba was doing; Caesar grinned a little to himself and followed the bonobo's example, walking over and settling himself into a sit with the rest of the family. He nodded along to Koba's words, and faked a toothy yawn.

'Koba is right, Blue Eyes. We are all tired. Too tired to play tonight... But Koba knows good stories. You will both like them.'

He watched his son's face as the little chimpanzee considered all of this, frowning in thought. His young mind was working hard at this, it showed on his face, which brought a smile to Caesar's face. The children were already so smart despite being small, and it filled him with pride... Even if they sometimes used their smarts to benefit themselves, sometimes at the expense of their parents.

Blue Eyes looked to Maya as if silently judging her thoughts on the matter, and slowly flicked his eyes to each of the adults, searching them. In the end, though, the appeal of a story that usually only the older children got to hear seemed to get the better of him. He panted with excitement to Maya for a moment, and then looked to the adults once more.

'Koba tell story, then we decide if we sleep!'

Koba smiled at his beloved, and found himself emitting an amused chuff also when he heard tiny yeeps added to the little hoots of protest that Blue Eyes was making.

‘Yes, our families need us now. And not only Blue Eyes is making trouble. Sounds like Maya is no better at going to bed than her cousin is. Who is the bad influence on who… I do not know!’

His heart, so heavy with fear and anger earlier, began to lighten. White-tail antics were such a delight, even when the babies were acting as stubborn as these pampered royal youngsters obviously were. Koba loved it that the children were becoming so very strong and clever.

The bonobo gave his mate another smile.

‘Sounds like mothers need our help, Caesar.’

He followed his beloved king back to the royal dwelling, where Cornelia and Etumbe were trying their hardest to persuade their rambunctious little ones to rest. Some time ago, the bonobo matriarch had ended up moving in to the king and queen’s spacious house, due not only to Koba wanting to be closer to his daughter, but to Etumbe’s own loving relationship with Cornelia. Etumbe’s now fully grown son Enoch, his mate Elonga and their little son Spear had taken over the bonobo leader’s previous dwelling which stood nearby, and lived there with Etumbe’s soon to be adult daughter Eden, who was coming to an appropriate age to seek a mate of her own. Right next door to them lived Etumbe’s eldest daughter Enola and her own child, Angel, who was one of the brightest children in Maurice’s white-tail classes and not so mischievous as she had once been on that long-ago day when she and her companions had inadvertently made fun of Caesar and Koba!

Koba pretended to look shocked as he and Caesar went inside.

‘What all this noise?’ he signed, and the two white-tails looked up as they heard the entrance of their fathers. With joyful baby sounds, the little ones sped over to Caesar and Koba, demanding to be picked up and held.

Koba could not help but laugh again as he rocked Maya against his chest.

“Why… so lively? Time… for sleep!” he said aloud, gruffly but tenderly. Maya giggled and tugged at his sparse fur.

“Maya want… stay up… and play with Father!” the little princess squeaked, a determination as strong as Koba’s own evident in her small pout.

Caesar was similarly amused as he gathered Blue Eyes into his arms, utterly besotted with his little son, even as the infant adamantly refused to settle down. There was a defiance to the manner in which Blue Eyes clung to Caesar's chest, as though if he held on tightly enough, his parents would simply have no choice but to let him stay there rather than go into his little nest.

'Time now for sleep,'

He signed to his son,

'Aren't you tired?'

The little one's eyes seemed to grow icier as he shook his head and gave a few pants, chancing letting go of Caesar's pelt just long enough to pat his chest with one hand, as though he could force his father into giving in and giving him a tickle, or having a wrestle – anything but sleep!

'No tired, want play, Father!'

Whichever one was the bad influence, Caesar thought with a grin, the two children were certainly on the same page with one another. The ever so slightly exasperated, yet still adoring looks to the white-tails from Cornelia and Etumbe attested to that.

'Apes sleep when it is dark, son.'

It was likely a point that Blue Eyes wouldn't care to hear, Caesar knew this, but it was worth trying. Then again, maybe not; his son frowned a frown that was undeniably reminiscent of Caesar's own and pouted out his lower lip as he shook his head.

'Not Blue Eyes, not Maya!'

The little chimp insisted,

'We play with Father and Uncle Koba!'

Seeing that Caesar was siding with Cornelia and Etumbe, Blue Eyes seemed to decide to abandon him in favor of Koba. He descended Caesar's body with surprising speed for one so small, bound clumsily to the bonobo male and climbed up his back using what fur he could find with his fingers and toes.

Koba began to breathe slower and easier, the closeness with Caesar slightly alleviating the fear and self-doubt that often plagued him. These were dreadful feelings that he tried to conceal from the other apes as much as possible, and he wished more than anything to protect Maya and Blue Eyes from any knowledge of them. He knew deep down, however, that the adult apes closest to him suspected his inner turmoil – Caesar and Cornelia knew of it for sure. Their love and compassion, as well as the protective side that had grown with being part of a troop and becoming a father, was what kept him strong in the face of adversity, and it was what he needed more than ever now.

‘I truly want healing, my love. More than anything in the world.’

Caesar’s touch was reassuring, and his words even more so. Koba could feel the sweetness of love emanating from them, and he determined that he was going to redouble his efforts to battle against his inner demons.

‘Thank you, Caesar. I know your heart is true and your love strong. It makes me want to be strong too. Apes together strong, as you always say. You and I together – we can make this rage inside me go away. I know we can.’

The bonobo’s signs were confident, and he gave a small smile; in his mind, he saw himself taking small steps towards truly believing them. If he could learn to trust himself as much as he trusted Caesar, all would be well.

‘I too hope that humans will not come back. Forest is not the place for them. They should stay in city.’

Koba exhaled sharply, and hoped that if they did not, his rage would not rekindle and start conflict that could never be ended. The last thing he wished for was to put his loved ones in danger.

‘I want to keep apes safe too, Caesar. I am a mate and father now. Family everything to me.’

Speaking of family... Caesar could hear Blue Eyes protesting bedtime from within his dwelling. He turned his head and smiled in the direction of the home they had built for themselves. Becoming a father was the most personally rewarding thing Caesar had yet done, and Koba now knew that joy as well. It made sense that the bonobo would wish to be the best ape that he could be, for the sake of his family. Caesar felt the same way about himself, too. Their lives weren't about themselves anymore.

'Sounds like they do not want to sleep.'

He smiled at the thought. Blue Eyes had inherited every bit of Cornelia's spunk and stubbornness, along with Caesar's iron will. That, he thought, is a scary combination.

'Our families need us now.'

The two of them had been lucky to get some time alone together. That didn't often happen anymore, with so much to be done in the developing village, and with raising their children. This time together had been eye opening; the lead ape had a much better understanding of Koba's mind now than he had, just how deeply the trauma ran, but also how determined he was not to let it consume him. Heart to heart conversations such as these kept them all close much in the same way apes had once relied so much on grooming. It felt like a step forward in their development and evolution.

'I hope Maya sleeps better than Blue Eyes does...'

Amusement played across Caesar's lips as he signed, a chuff of laughter escaping him.

'He is so much like his parents already. He will be strong ape. But for now, he is trouble.'

Koba leaned closer to Caesar, needing his mate’s understanding and tenderness more than ever.  He tried to relax his body and breathe easier, although his shoulders still shook a little. The bonobo struggled to banish the panicked feelings that overtook him when the hurts of the past seemed far too close and the old hate and rage that had driven him to kill Jacobs felt like it might return.

That rage had made Caesar sad and angry, disappointed with Koba, when the traumatized bonobo had tried to harm Will Rodman years ago. And that was the last thing Koba ever wanted his beloved king to feel.

He waited for a moment until his hands felt still enough to be clear with his gestures before he began to sign again. Trying to smile, to reassure his mate, Koba heaved a deep sigh,

‘I want to heal – I want to stop hating and leave all the anger behind. Koba know this will take time. Sometimes I feel I can. I hold you in my arms, or play with the babies, or hunt or cook for apes, and I feel strong and worthy. But in the dreams, the pain comes back. I want to be the good ape you say I am. To put apes first, as you say I do. I want my heart to be empty of all the bitterness from the past, and filled only with love for apes.’

Koba stopped signing then, and looked into his cherished leader’s eyes, speaking the next words aloud.

“Koba… need help. Need Caesar.”

His breathing was becoming harsh again, although the trembling seemed to have stopped for the time being, enough for him to resume signing after a few minutes of gently touching his forehead to Caesar’s, the classic ape gesture of affection.

‘Koba would never take that anger out on apes. Would never harm apes. But if humans return, like they almost did the night of Maya’s birth… I fear what I could possibly do to them – I fear their retaliation, and I fear war of humans against apes as the result.’

Watching Koba struggle like this was becoming more and more difficult for Caesar to stomach. This went far deeper than he had realized. Koba was a fragile soul, as fierce a warrior as he was. Not every ape was aware of this, but Caesar and their family of course knew. It seemed to be Koba's secret shame. He wished to be as strong as the tribe believed him to be, and Caesar fully believed that he was. No ape was without weaknesses and trauma, but Koba held himself to such a high standard that the anxiety over these feelings almost seemed to cripple him at times...

'If you want to heal, you will.'

Caesar believed this to his core. Koba knew his issues, and he did not hide from them. He wanted to change. That was half the battle won. If only there was a way to let Koba know this, to make him believe in himself as much as Caesar believed in him. But that, too, would take time...

The chimpanzee closed his eyes at the contact with the bonono, exhaling slowly through his nostrils. When he drew away, he allowed a hand to linger on the back of Koba's head for a moment, holding eye contact as if to communicate to him that he fully meant what he was about to say.

'I will help you any way I can.'

Caesar did not quite know what that help would entail, but he was devoted to this ape, scarred in both body and mind.

'I think all apes fear what humans might do. If they do return, I will do all that I can to keep peace,'

His signs were attempted reassurance, though he wasn't sure how effective the words would be, given Koba's fighting warrior spirit. He likely did not want peace just yet. The wounds were too fresh. Caesar hoped, though, that one day Koba will have healed enough to not have anger burning so hotly inside of him.

Koba, too, found himself holding back a sigh as he gently reached to touch Caesar’s face. A mixture of love for his alpha and pain at thoughts of the past was vividly readable on his own features. He struggled to relax, aching from the tension he had carried within him for so long. It was a burden he longed to lay down, not only for his own sake, but for the sake of his loved ones.

‘I know that those who tortured apes in the labs are gone forever now, never to return. And when I am awake, with those I love, I remember this, and my heart is light with happiness. But sometimes… the thoughts of the past return. It is hard to banish them, although I try. The worst times are when I sleep, and the bad dreams come. Hard to stop them, and hard to forget them when I wake again, although I want to.’

Koba’s whole frame shook with agony again, and he tried hard to keep himself still enough to sign, although it took a few moments for his hands to start moving once more.

‘Koba want to heal, want to be happy. For you, my beautiful one, my love, and for all our family. I do not want Maya or Blue Eyes to ever know what I went through. I want them to only know a life of happiness and freedom, here in the forest.’

The bonobo’s breath was now coming in short, harsh panting gasps, as if he had been running through the forest after fleeing prey.

At last, he signed:

‘I do not want to hate. I do not want to think of humans at all anymore. The hate I feel when I think about the past makes me feel sick. I want to be strong, a loving mate and a good father. I want to let go, but it is so hard to fight the thoughts that keep coming back.’

Caesar leaned into Koba's touch, but concern was painted across his features rather than the usual affection that accompanied the gesture. The turmoil within the bonobo was obvious, and Caesar felt relatively helpless in the situation. He could not undo what had been done to Koba or any other ape; he could only work towards offering them a better future. As their leader, Caesar had done that to the best of his ability. Even the best of lives, it seemed, couldn't heal all wounds. At least, not yet. The chimpanzee refused to believe that they would forever suffer from their pasts. He would have failed them if this became true.

But it was Koba in particular that he was currently worried about. He was trembling again, and the signs that his hands were forming were not exactly pleasant ones. Koba had made a lot of progress, that couldn't be denied, but he still had a long way to go to completely heal.

'Some wounds heal slow, like hunters who are attacked by elk. The mind is the same way, Koba. It will not happen all at once. You will get through these thoughts someday. For now, you need time to heal.'

The chimpanzee used his fingers to lift Koba's chin gently until the bonobo was looking at him.

'You are a good ape.'

Caesar was beginning to understand that it was actions and behavior that defined who they were, not the things that they thought in their heads. At least, not entirely. Koba may suffer through anger and hatred for humans, but he did not act upon these thoughts. That made all the difference in the world.

With a small sigh of relief, Koba leaned back into Caesar’s touch and closed his eyes, gladdened to hear that his king, his cherished mate, was not blaming him for what had happened on the bridge. But Koba knew full well, nevertheless, that Caesar would have preferred Koba not to take revenge on Jacobs as he had ended up doing.

Jacobs was evil, there was no denying that fact, and he had indeed caused the death of Buck, the brave gorilla. There was also no denying the fact, however, that Jacobs had not been standing toe-to-toe as an equal adversary with Koba on that fateful day, the loser of a fair fight. The human had been pinioned and unable either to flee or defend himself… Koba wondered if his relishing of vengeance at the moment when he had nudged the wrecked helicopter off the bridge made him cowardly. What he had done was certainly not the act of a true warrior – it was unworthy of the ape he had become, no matter how hateful a person Jacobs had been.

Koba heaved a deep sigh before he began to sign in answer to his beloved leader.

‘I think Caesar is right… better that humans fight and fear each other than come after apes… things have changed since the old days. Koba cannot think like lab ape anymore… Koba part of ape troop now… and a father. If we made war on humans, it would put our children in danger. Yes, past is past. Apes our future.’

Something still troubled Koba, however, and he knew that he would have to confess this feeling to Caesar. The bonobo’s love for his mate was so deep that he knew he could be safely vulnerable in his presence, and that Caesar would not want him to hide his thoughts, even though some of them might prove unpalatable to the alpha.

‘Sometimes Koba still think of humans, though… and hate them.’

Caesar's brows furrowed slightly and he suppressed a sigh. It was inevitable that the apes that had been most badly abused would not forget what had been done to them, he understood that. But he hoped that they would learn to forgive... Maybe not now, perhaps it would take more time, but that was the best thing for them. The humans that had hurt and tortured them were now long dead; it wasn't right to blame those who were left, who may have never laid a finger on an ape in their lives. Caesar understood this, but the others, it seemed, might not.

'I know you remember what they did. Other apes remember, too. But apes cannot let anger overtake them... Humans who hurt apes in labs are dead. No one left to be angry with.'

The chimpanzee searched Koba's face for a moment, unsure if he had said the wrong thing, or overstepped some sortof unspoken boundary. Caesar knew how sensitive a subject this was, and his intent was not to scold, but to teach. He had to handle the bonobo gently because of his past. He knew this; he had learned so early on.

'It will take time for your wounds to heal, Koba, but they will one day. Until then, it may be best not to think about humans. You have family now. Happier things to think about.'

At the touch of his beloved mate’s hands, Koba began to feel calmer, and gradually his breaths became deeper and his hammering heartbeat began to slow.

So many feelings were contained within the bonobo at the same time that he did not know how to tell where one began and another ended. Flashbacks of past agonies, both of body and mind, were still vivid in his brain; all that had been done to him still made him sickened and terrified. But this time, there was something more added to the usual, more familiar fears.

Koba had hated Jacobs more than any of his previous tormentors, even more than Tommy, because it had been Jacobs who had actually had the gall to dismiss him as a worthless animal. And when Caesar had walked away from the human and left him at Koba’s mercy years ago, Koba had relished the opportunity to put an end to that evil human being. It was justice, not only for himself, Koba had reasoned, but for his mother, and Milo, and all the other apes who had ever suffered at human hands.

But now Koba was wondering if what he had done was wrong.

Should he have shown compassion and rescued Jacobs from the falling helicopter? Was this a test in the eyes of his king that he had failed? Did Caesar think badly of him for the course of action he had chosen – was he disappointed in Koba as he had been when Koba had attacked Will Rodman all those years ago?

It took the bonobo several minutes of silence before he could finally find the composure to begin signing again.

‘Koba remember that day on the bridge – with Jacobs. I remember… what I did that day…’

His hands faltered and began to shake so much that he had to speak his next words out loud.

“Koba… not want… to make Caesar angry. Not want Caesar to think badly of Koba. Did Koba do wrong? Never want to disappoint… my king, my love!”

The question created an uncomfortable feeling in Caesar's gut. The decision to leave Jacobs to Koba's mercy also weighed upon him if he thought about it too much. Anger over Buck's death had clouded Caesar's normally clear judgment. Had allowing a revenge kill really been the moral thing to do? Or was it wrong?

Either way, Caesar knew quite well that if that had been a mistake, it was not Koba's. It had been his own for allowing it to happen. He could not let the bonobo blame himself for a questionable decision that his leader had approved of. Judging from how upset Koba was, that was exactly what he was currently doing.

Caesar couldn't help bit think for a moment that if he had told Koba to spare Jacobs, the scarred ape would not currently be in such a state of upset...

He shook his head.

'I am not angry with you, Koba. I let you kill him. He took Buck from us...'

The chimpanzee's hands stopped moving for a moment and he chewed lightly at the inside of his lip, and sighed. He had to word this next part carefully. Koba was in a fragile state right now, but the seriousness of what Caesar wanted to get could not be lost.

'...But I do not think ape should kill human again. They already fear us. If we give them reason to, they may hunt us again. It is better if they do not think we are dangerous... more than they already do. Right now, humans seem to fear humans more. That works in our favor. We should try to keep it that way.'

He offered the bonobo a soft smile which he hoped would be comforting, and show that he truly was not angry or disappointed in Koba. For good measure, he cupped the back of the other ape's head for a moment and chuffed quietly through slightly parted lips.

Koba nodded soberly and thoughtfully at his beloved king’s words. Caesar was capable of thinking of the welfare of others – it was this quality that made him a leader. He knew the importance of each and every ape, and the rightness of showing a more cooperative way than the apes had known in the past.

‘Yes, apes together strong – Caesar has shown us many times this is true,’ the bonobo signed. ‘And we did need you more than the human who raised you ever could. When you chose to stay with us in the woods, you were not a little white-tail and still dependent on Will Rodman anymore… you were grown and strong and already a leader. And if you had gone back with him, asked him to protect you against other humans who sought to harm you, to harm all apes… you would still be seen as a pet in that world, at least by the humans who claimed to love you. For the rest, you would have been as all four of us were – you and I, Grey and Stone – to the men with the gun, in the city when we went to get food and seeds… you would have been a target.’

Koba shook his head irritably at the thought. He wanted his mate to be safe, more than anything.

‘Koba glad Caesar chose apes.’

Something more than Caesar’s choice between Will Rodman and what eventually became the ape colony was weighing heavily on Koba’s mind, however. Ape not kill ape was one of the most important rules Caesar had brought to the troop, and Koba respected it as much as the others. Humans, however, were different… were they not? If they attacked apes, was it not right for apes to defend themselves with deadly force, if necessary?

Why, then, was the matter of Jacobs weighing so heavily on Koba’s conscience all of a sudden?

Jacobs had been a cruel and evil man, it was true, but when Caesar had walked away and Koba had killed Jacobs, the human had been helpless, without weapons and unable to fight back.

‘Caesar…’ Koba began to sign, but found he could not say more, his shoulders beginning to shake as a strange feeling overtook him.

The sudden change in Koba's demeanor set off alarm bells in Caesar's head, knowing the scarred ape's history with night terrors and daytime panics when the trauma of his past was brought back to the surface. Chimpanzee hands immediately found bonobo shoulders, brows drawn up with concern and breaths coming in quickly through slightly pursed lips. Caesar thanked his blessings that he was on the side of Koba's good eye and moved one hand to touch his fingers to Koba's cheek, and turn his head so that he was looking at him more properly, trying to pull him out of whatever thoughts were distressing him so.

“Koba?”

It was times like this that Caesar almost found it possible to hate humans, or at least resent them in their entirety for what they had done to the apes. The chimpanzee leader had seen the effects first hand. Many apes suffered in the same way that Koba did even now, although it manifested in different ways. Some rocked back and forth, some plucked their hair, some sat stone still and lost within their minds. Others, still, screamed and grinned in terror at anything new or unknown to them. Few had bouts of trembling the way that Koba did, but it hurt the most to see his bonobo in this state. Especially knowing that there was very little that Caesar could do about it.

He wanted to make a better life for his troop, give them the feeling of security that Caesar had taken for granted in his youth, but some of them were still haunted by their pasts.

Hesitantly, Caesar removed his hands from the other ape so that he could sign, not wanting to draw attention from apes that may be nearby. This was not their business.

Koba took a deep breath before he began to sign again.

What he was about to say dealt with some very complex feelings he had been having. And he wanted to understand them. Caesar had always proved very wise for such a young alpha, and was the most loving and supportive mate an ape could possibly have. If anyone was capable of helping to explore the complicated emotions the bonobo was experiencing, then that ape was surely Caesar.

‘When I was young… like you, I thought I was different from others, maybe human, because I could sign. Jacobs was the one who told me I was an animal and must not sign.’

Koba scowled at the memory of that wicked human before his hands began to move again.

‘Even when Koba come to forest, I see myself as different from the apes who were not yet smart. But then… all get smart, something change in Koba. I began to understand how much all apes matter. What Caesar say made sense – apes together strong. All change for the better, even the likes of Max who were merely brutes. Caesar make life better for all apes, give us all purpose. Especially Koba.’

Koba gave his mate a tender, loving look before continuing.

‘When did Caesar first know this – that apes together strong? That apes matter most of all? What made you turn away from human ways, and towards apes? You say, you met some bad humans, but the ones who raised you were good to you, they never do to Caesar what humans did to Koba… but then, you came to the forest to lead the apes, when you could have gone back with your… human father…’

Koba sighed a little, and leaned closer to his beloved king.

‘What was it that… finally made you choose apes?’

Caesar had to give very careful thought to Koba's questions before he could formulate an answer. It had been a long while before any ape had asked him questions of this nature, which were very important indeed, which meant that he could not toss out the first response that came to mind. Even though, if he were honest, Caesar did not like thinking about the series of events that made him come to realize what he was... and what he wasn't.

It was a few good moments before he finally seemed ready to respond, although his signs were still slow and almost hesitant, as though he was thinking each one over once more before he made them.

'When I saw the dog in the woods, I understood that I was not equal to humans. Humans keep dogs as pets, and Will did the same to me. He told me I was not a pet, but then I was put in cage and treated like an animal. I saw how humans treated other apes and knew what that meant for me. If I stayed with humans, I would never be equal to them. Only a pet.'

The chimpanzee waited a moment for Koba to absorb what he had said, before he continued on.

'I knew that I could help apes if I thought enough about it. Could make something better of myself, and give them better lives. But I realized I could not do this alone. I could not become leader without Buck's help – Rocket too strong. That's when I knew, apes together strong.'

Caesar found a stick that had broken off from a branch of his tree, and picked it up, repeating the action that he used to show Maurice what he had meant years ago. He snapped the stick several times, until there were enough pieces to resist his casual attempt to break them. When the demonstration was finished, he placed them on the ground again.

Breathing a little slower now as his anger subsided, Koba gave a nod of his own at his beloved leader’s words.

‘Yes, it best if apes do not go back to city, ever. It was indeed dangerous to do so all that time ago, before our children were born, but it had to be done. Now we have our gardens, thanks to what Grey and Stone discovered, and can amply feed the apes who cannot partake of the spoils of the hunt. Koba think that now, back in the city, most food will have gone bad or have been taken by the humans who still live. Humans who will have grown even more savage and desperate than they were before…’

The bonobo barely repressed a shudder at the memory of the two men who had stumbled across the apes as they were raiding the disused supermarket. Caesar could have easily been killed that day – indeed, all the apes on that mission could possibly have fallen victim to the human gun. It was sheer good fortune that all of them were still alive and now had families of their own.

Koba had been willing to die for Caesar that day, but now he was even more determined to live for the king he so adored and revered, the mate who loved and respected him in return. And for him to be able to do so, the apes had to turn their backs on the city forever and concentrate on the new lives they had forged for themselves.

If it were up to Koba, their children would never know that humans ever existed. He did not want his precious little Maya ever to learn the origin of her father’s scars and the cruelty that had once been his lot in life. The bonobo knew that he could not stop Caesar telling Blue Eyes about Will Rodman someday when the little prince started asking questions about where the apes had come from, but he could not help wishing that his mate would do no such thing.

‘No human will hurt any ape, ever again. Not while I am alive to stop them.’

Koba uttered a soft sigh, and turned a gentle gaze on Caesar after thinking for a few moments.

‘Caesar… I want to ask you something…’

Koba made another good point. As dangerous as the humans had been before, they would be even worse now. It was absolutely not worth the risk, especially since the apes didn't actually need anything from them. The older apes would know better, Caesar was certain of that, but the young ones were curious and yearned for details that their elders did not wish to disclose to them. Heaven forbid any of the children wandered to that city one day...

It was hard not to recall the men who had been ready and willing to shoot Caesar where he stood... Unbeknownst to him, Koba's mind had gone to the very same place. Another detail that the chimpanzee could not forget, though, was the way the humans outside of the supermarket had been behaving that day. The sheer terror they showed at the sight of the one who had been bleeding... It was puzzling. Caesar had never known humans to react in such a way to one of their own who was injured. Clearly much had changed there, and not for the better. It was best that the apes stayed far away from all of that.

The lead ape had become lost in these thoughts, gazing at nothing in particular as he mused, momentarily forgetting that he had company. It was too easy these days for Caesar to become sucked into his own mind. When he returned to the here and now, he glanced again to his bonobo and rose his brows a bit, intrigued. It was not quite like Koba to request to ask a question; he ordinarily would have simply asked what he wanted to know. This was enough to pique the chimpanzee's natural curiosity.

'What is it, Koba?'

When Caesar had looked out at the city, Koba’s gaze had followed his, and he too had noted how the lights were becoming fewer and fewer as time progressed.

‘Perhaps some apes could go to city to see what we can use from there, but Koba never want to go back. We have all we need in forest, or will have soon. Hunting and foraging going well, and some apes beginning to make gardens from the seeds Grey and Stone found for us. City is not our world, and never was. Not good for apes then, and not good for apes now.’

The bonobo looked to his beloved leader with a smile then. ‘As Caesar always say, apes together strong. We do not need humans, or their weapons, or their food, to have strength. We are smart enough to make our own way.’

He found himself nodding in agreement also at Caesar’s statement about their mothers.

‘I think Mother would have been a bonobo matriarch, like Etumbe, if she had been a wild ape. I wish our mothers could have lived wild… we would have been born into a forest far away and never have known the cruelty of humans if they had. We would have both been high-ranking males among our kind, and I am sure Caesar would have still become alpha of the wild chimpanzees. But if you and I had been wild apes, we never would have met… perhaps now, all of us free apes and our children, we can build the life that all apes should have. The life our mothers should have had.’

A life in which humans had no place, Koba was about to sign next, but he did not want to make Caesar sad with more memories of Will Rodman and how much the alpha missed his human foster-father.

He considered Caesar’s next words very carefully indeed before he began to sign again.

‘Koba see some slight resemblance to apes in humans, but only in shape of body and that they can be smart. They are savage in ways apes are not – when apes used to fight, it was about basic things like mating and food. But humans – their minds work in darker ways. And as Caesar say, human kill human. And some – seem to like to kill. Like to hurt others, whether humans or apes. And that is a wrong no ape would stoop to.’

Anger flared Koba’s nostrils for a moment, and his breathing became harsher as he cast his gaze to the ground.

Caesar nodded as he followed Koba's gestures, and suppressed a sigh. The human world would always have at least some place in Caesar's heart, but it was behind him now. It was behind all of them. Trying to return to the past could well jeopardize their future. Apes, he decided, had no place in the human city... Even to forage for useful supplies, as they once had. The forest now sustained them. They were making their own way, completely separate from the humans, dependent only on themselves and one another. That was the way it had to stay.

'Apes not go back. We have what we need here. It is too dangerous to return there now.'

He looked to his bonobo with mixed emotions visible on his features, and continued signing.

'Maybe it was too dangerous when we did go back, years ago. I wonder now if we should have. But, at least, Grey and Stone found those seeds... Some good did come from it, but we do not need to do it again.'

At least, not currently. Caesar was firm in his decision, though, that raiding the humans would be the absolute last priority in the future. The humans had long stopped searching for them – maybe they thought the apes had all died – and he did not want to give them a reason to resume. They had families, now. So much more was at stake.

Koba's assessment of humans only added to Caesar's concerns for the welfare of their families, should they ever be discovered by humans again. Koba knew more about the dark side of humans than Caesar did, although Caesar believed a more balanced view of them was better to have. One thing that he did know – Dodge came to mind – was that some humans did indeed seem to take some sortof twisted pleasure in hurting apes. That was something Caesar did not want any ape to experience again, especially not the young who had never known that world. There was no reason to taint the perfect, safe world they knew.

The chimpanzee laid a comforting hand on Koba's shoulder to ease his anger as best he could.

Maurice breathed a heavy sigh and turned his head slowly back to the city again. It was a short while before he looked at Ceaser and answered: Maurice never hurried for anything.

“Remember on second day in forest, some of the zoo apes came across the cave? They ran in fear until Koba came and showed them it was not dangerous. Apes fear what they do not understand: humans the same.” 

The orangutan dropped his hands down onto his lap when he finished. Ceaser was right: to go into the city would be too dangerous. Maurice regretted posing the question: a part of him had been trying to test the new leader, to see whether he would choose information on the humans or the safety of apes. Of course, Ceaser would always pick the latter. The circus orangutan felt like a very bad ape for asking. 

“If they are planning something…” he began, taking time in between phrases to think. “Then when should not be here when they act.”

Maurice looked over his shoulder, out beyond the redwoods. There was endless forest out there, and it called to his orangutan heart. Instinct pulled him to go off on his own, swinging through the endless treetops, but wisdom and thought compelled him to stay, and guide the young chimpanzee through whatever trials faced their new troop.

“We must go.” He used both his hands and pointed his second fingers off in the direction of the world beyond the redwoods. 

“Deeper into woods. Does not have to be far, but far enough that humans will not follow.”

Maurice's statements were always so thought out that they commanded any ape's complete attention and interest – Caesar was no exception. He mulled this thought over for a moment and found himself nodding in agreement. He had seen the change in apes himself after he had exposed them to that strange mist that Will had kept hidden away. Humans had surely noticed the differences also, and it was inevitable that not all of them understood. Maurice was right. Lack of knowledge resulted in fear... Which manifested in intolerance and hatred, it seemed.

'Humans fear apes for different reason than apes fear humans.'

The apes, in his opinion, had more justification. The humans had tortured and imprisoned them. Apes had done nothing to humans... Caesar had hardly allowed them to fight back, at least not to an equal extent as their attackers. He had forbidden the killing of humans... For the most part.

Any more thought that the young leader might have intended to put towards that concept promptly left his mind, though, when the orangutan made his next statement. Caesar's brows rose in surprise, blinking as he soaked in Maurice's point. There was good reason and thought behind it, as there always was when it came to Maurice, but it was a measure that felt nearly drastic.

Caesar looked over the ape dwellings, scanning the area with his eyes, great reluctance visible on his features. He had already lost two homes... Could he let go of a third?

'How will we know how far to go?'

He asked, not doubting the elder's wisdom, but worried for what this could mean both for himself and for their troop. It took a lot of work to build a home that could sustain their numbers; if they did so and found that they were not far enough into the forest and had to go deeper still, it would all be in vain.

The bonobo tilted his head, considering his mate’s words, and gave Caesar a small smile.

‘I would like that, for part of apes who never knew the forest to be with us, so we never forget them. And part of them will know our happiness and freedom, then, through the children who will bear their names.’

Koba was not sure how this worked, but he liked the idea of commemorating apes from the past, as Cornelia had when she had approved Caesar’s suggestion of the name Blue Eyes for their little prince.

He tried to picture Caesar’s mother, and her eyes that Caesar said resembled his own. She had been a lab ape, as his own mother had been, and although the bonobo warrior had long tried to put memories of life in the laboratories behind him, he felt a twinge of pain at the thought of what Caesar’s mother and his must have endured. Koba felt glad that Caesar had not grown up being subjected to experiments as he himself had done, and was here with him now, leading a strong and united troop of apes.

Koba began to sign again, slowly and thoughtfully/

‘My mother never had eyes like yours – hers were brown, but she was smart in her own way. No other signing apes in lab where I was with her, just Mother and me. Only other apes the ones I used to call caterpillars. But I know now they were not lower than us – only not smart yet. Now all apes smart, learning sign… many even speak as humans do.’

Mentioning humans brought a small frown back to Koba’s face. He had not meant to bring his thoughts, or the conversation, back towards the subject of humanity.

‘I saw some apes signing about humans… some of them think humans are like apes, or even a kind of ape. What Caesar think?’

Caesar could not picture what Koba's life must have been like. The chimpanzee had had only a small taste of the cruelty that humans were capable of. The only comfort was that Koba had at least known a mother's love for some of his childhood, and that he could still picture her in his mind even now, all these years later. Caesar had no way to know how old Koba was, but the age gap was obvious in the bonobo's aged body, his hair grizzled and missing in patches, joints that sometimes had trouble in an especially cold winter. Despite his years, Koba had held onto those precious memories...

'I knew apes like that at the shelter. Even though they were not smart yet, not all were like Rocket. Your mother must have been a wonderful ape, Koba. As smart and gentle as Maurice was, even then.'

He offered his bonobo a smile accompanied by an affectionate chuff, and tried not to wonder too much what his own mother must have been like. Caesar would never have those answers. It was best to focus on the family that he did have, and what a family it was becoming. Caesar was proud of the life that he now had, of their home and their togetherness. That was a much happier thought.

But, it seemed, so many thoughts went back to humans eventually, even now.

The question was one that required careful thought. Caesar knew from Will that apes were close to humans in some way, but the concept was scientific, and Caesar had never delved into that particular piece of Will's world. He knew, though, from overheard conversations in the Rodman household that there was something there. Some link. Caesar supposed it must be true, but at the same time...

'Humans say apes are like them, but what humans think about apes doesn't matter now. We look more like them than any of the animals in these woods, but we do not act like they do. I think apes better than humans. Ape not kill ape–'

Caesar stopped signing to sweep his hand towards the city for emphasis,

Koba smiled and nodded at Caesar’s words. His leader was right – the way of life the apes had forged was a good one. As Caesar had always said, apes together strong – and they all were strong. Some of the different ape customs had seemed to be extremely strange to Koba at first – for example, the gibbons and their habit of emitting loud calls from the treetops which had annoyed him no end in the beginning, and even the ways of his own bonobo kind with their free and easy coupling had taken quite some getting used to. But he had learned to adjust, and now those things were just part of life in the forest, with no one way of life being seen as better than, or worse than, any other.

Human customs were something to be left far behind, and were also, as far as Koba was concerned, best forgotten. Although Caesar had loved the human who had cared for him, now the chimpanzee had a much better life. He was not only a free ape, but an alpha, and the intelligence he had developed was now used for far more important things than providing entertainment for the likes of Will Rodman.

The bonobo perked up quite considerably, and smiled a little, when Caesar began to speak about his mother. Even though the young king had not known her, he spoke of her with affection and Koba could almost begin to picture what she must have been like. She would have been loving but strong and protective of her infant, as Cornelia was with little Blue Eyes and Etumbe was with Maya.

‘Bright Eyes… that is beautiful name. Did Will tell you… if she had eyes like yours? And did her name inspire your son’s? It is good that apes from the past are remembered. Maya who was a hero of the firestorm has a namesake now in my daughter. And perhaps there will be another Buck one day among the gorillas.’

Koba sighed a little before beginning to sign again.

‘Humans called my mother Katya, and I heard that my father was called Kanzi. Maybe names for future children, if Koba have more one day.’

Caesar's brows furrowed in thought for a moment as he searched his memories for answers. He had overheard Will speaking into a strange machine that repeated his voice back, if the correct button was pushed. In his youth, the chimpanzee had stolen the device and taken great delight in hooting and screaming into it, although Will had been decidedly less impressed with Caesar's decision than he had been, himself. Yes, he thought, Will did mention Mother's eyes.

He nodded to his bonobo with a faint smile. Caesar hadn't thought of that, before. But now that Koba had made him think it over, he knew what his mother's eyes looked like. He could even picture them if he closed his own. It wasn't difficult, given that all of the apes shared similar eyes now. Well, all except for the ape named after Caesar's mother. That was a little ironic, if he thought about it.

'She had eyes like ours, Will's recorder told me one time. Yes, Blue Eyes is named for her. Almost like part of her is here in woods with us. I think it is a good idea for Koba to name future children after Katya and Kanzi. Part of them will be here with us, then, too.'

A small comfort, perhaps one that did nothing for the deceased apes, but it made them feel closer. With that thought in mind, Caesar hoped that one of the gorilla mothers would name their son after Buck... The heroic silverback deserved nothing less than that honor. It didn't seem a farfetched idea, either, given that he was nearly idolized by the gorillas in the colony for his actions – even those who had never met him themselves.

Caesar looked one last time at the darkened area that had once been lit up like the night sky, a shadow of its former self with only scattered specks of light, sighing through his nostrils. At least if humans were gone for good, the apes would be free of worry.

As Caesar spoke of his childhood and what it was like to be raised by humans, Koba felt flooded with so many emotions at once – but the one that stuck with him the most was a sense of understanding. Although Koba’s often brutal life had differed greatly from Caesar’s more privileged one, there was a common thread which bound the two of them together in terms of feeling and experiences. Both were definitely outsiders when it came to the normal ape world.

‘Koba understand what it mean to feel different,’ the bonobo signed at last. ‘When I was young, I knew other apes, but I did not see myself as like them. Mother and I were taught to sign, and so we were different. Other apes in lab with us, I saw them as “big caterpillars. Seemed stupid and slow to me then, even though I know now they were not – they had just not learned to be smart yet.’

His heart ached for Caesar as he watched his beloved king sign about not truly being treated as Will Rodman’s child, and about not completely knowing how to be an ape. It was something which seemed to connect Caesar and Koba together, that sense of having existed between the ape and human worlds and having to learn new ways to live almost from scratch, especially now that both of them had children of their own.

‘Will never should have lied to you. If he considered you his child, he should have treated you as son and not as pet. Ape not belong on leash. Or in cage. Apes are not pets!’

Koba uttered a small chuff of anger before he continued to sign.

‘I think Caesar knows how to be good leader, though, and good mate and father. And of course, to be good ape now. Every one of us in this colony is learning how to be the apes we should have been. Freedom itself is teaching us.’

He moved closer to Caesar and tried to smile a little.

‘Koba never knew own father – Mother said he was signing bonobo like us, but he was taken away from her before I was born, so I never even saw him. What did Will tell you about your mother? She sounds like strong and beautiful ape.’

In some ways, Caesar envied Koba for having spent at least some of his life with his own kind. But he could also understand the trouble it caused. The separation Koba had felt between 'us' and 'them' when it came to apes who could not sign. It had taken the bonobo some time even after their revolution to understand fully that these apes were indeed apes. As Caesar understood it, Maurice had taken it upon himself to help Koba understand, to end his use of the term 'caterpillars' to describe them. In any case, Koba knew better now, and that was only beneficial.

Part of the chimpanzee wanted to defend Will – to say that he hadn't meant to lie, or that he probably had his reasons for doing so; that everybody made mistakes – but he also knew that Koba was right. Caesar could never have been treated the same as humans because he wasn't human. He would have always been different no matter how much Will had tried to make Caesar one of them. It could never have been.

Apes did not belong with humans. Not pets. That, at least, was one thing the lead ape knew for certain now.

'Our new way of life has worked so far. There is no reason for it to stop working. This is my hope.'

He hoped, also, that he would continue to be a satisfactory leader... But he very rarely expressed this to anybody. Any doubts or insecurities that he had could lead to doubt among his followers, and Caesar did not wish to find out if the unity they had developed was fragile.

Discussing his mother, what little he knew of her, was a safer topic of conversation.

'I do not know much about her. He told me that she was given medicine and became smart, and that is why I am smart. I know she lived in that lab and that she died there. That is why he took me home with him. Her name was Bright Eyes...'