Author's Notes

Hey everyone! Thank you for taking the time to look at this - the first piece I've ever published to this site. However, it is hardly the first thing I've ever written. I would greatly appreciate any feedback.

Regarding the story, it takes place in between the events of Rise and Dawn. However, without getting too spoilery, this story contains some genre elements not normally associated with Planet of the Apes. When people figure what those elements are, and if people find them a bit weird, I ask that you stick with the story just a little longer to see where I'm going. If at that point you still don't like it, that's fine, just please respect that this is the kind of story I want to tell.

Again, thanks for looking at it, and I hope you enjoy it!

He was already awake, even before he opened his eyes. His mind eased out of sleep, and into a state of waking awareness, though his eyelids hadn't caught up yet. He took this moment of transition to savor the anticipation: today was the day.

He blinked a few times, slowly readying his green-flecked eyes to the new day. Smacking his dry lips, he sat up and turned his head to peer out at the farthest horizon. Dawn, he thought, scratching his neck with his left hand. The sun had only just peeked over the distant mountains, casting the first orange rays of morning on their veritable palace. As usual, a thick fog spread over the valleys, the steep hills rising over the surface. The song of the forest echoed around for miles; a joyous celebration of the coming morning.

Keeping his eyes out toward the rising sun, he let out a long, quiet breath from his nose, and then turned his gaze down toward the village square. No one was up yet – not surprising considering how early it was. Within a few hours, the square would be packed to the brim, but for now he relaxed his body and drank in the fleeting moment of peace. A vague smile spread over his muzzle, his eyes at their softest.

He felt a slight disturbance to his right and looked to see his wife stirring from her own sleep. Her eyes opened to reveal a green hue very much like his, though they were much kinder, and far less weary. She put up her hands and weakly signed to him. "Caesar?"

He grunted very quietly, stroking her face with his right hand, feeling the black hair running down the side of her cheeks. He signed to her, "I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

She gently shook her head and signed, "No. Can't sleep very well."

"Excited for today?" he signed, sitting up a bit more.

"Of course!" she signed, letting out a low whimper as she reached behind his ear with her right hand, pulling his head down until their foreheads met with the gentlest touch.

When their affectionate gesture was over, Caesar got up and balanced himself on his hind legs, his opposable toes gripping the hard wooden floor of their tower. He looked around, seeing if there was any indication that Blue Eyes had awakened. But then he very quickly snorted with amusement, thinking he loves to sleep in these days.

As Caesar descended the spiraling staircase around the trunk of the tree, slightly bow-legged, he briefly stuck his head in on the lower level to see if Blue Eyes was still there. Just as he suspected, Blue Eyes was still very deep in sleep, his body all spread out on the floor. Caesar stayed there, admiring the peaceful 'teenager' as he slept. He couldn't remember the last time he saw his only son this relaxed. A part of Caesar almost dreaded the moment when those two, strangely-blue eyes would open up, and he would return to his normal, reckless self. Caesar knew these moments were nearly at an end.

When he continued on his way down to the village square, the sun had already risen even more, bathing the ape village in a warm, orange glow. Stepping out on to the rocky overlook, Caesar surveyed his surroundings. Everything glistened in the new rays of the dawn, reminding him of the light rainfall they had during the night. The rocks, dirt, and trees all had a distinct damp odor to them. In the center of the square was a great rock platform, an insignia carved into its very surface – a circle with four curved lines running to four points along the edges. He looked past that to a rock wall, various symbols drawn onto it. In addition to the symbols, there were three phrases written in the human's spoken language emblazoned on the gray stone, relaying their three most-cherished beliefs.

Ape not kill ape.

Apes together strong.

Knowledge is power.

With the angelic aura of the morning still radiating through the whole ape village, a picture was painted – one of a fledgling, idyllic society. Caesar stood tall over the quiet, slumbering ape village, a warm sense of pride coursing through his entire body.

It wasn't until the sun had truly risen that the first signs of activity started to appear in the midst of the village. It started with the typical morning chorus – the orangutans signaling to each other that the day was ready to start. Chimpanzees and bonobos started to come out of their huts and amble sleepily to the communal pond for a drink. Gorillas wouldn't emerge until they had eaten a big, hearty breakfast of leafy greens. But soon enough, all of the four ape species were ready to start their day, Caesar watching proudly as they did.

As Caesar went down for a drink himself, he bid good morning to many of the other Apes, all of them giving him plenty of room to drink his fill. He grabbed a bowl and filled it up, preparing to gulp down a nice cool sip when he caught sight of someone out of the corner of his eye. A bulky male chimpanzee, dull grey and balding all over his body, was knuckle-walking over to the pool. Upon seeing him, Caesar put the bowl down and signed to him. "Rocket!"

"Caesar!" the other chimp signed, crouching down and bowing low, holding out his right hand palm up.

Caesar casually stroked the open palm with his own, pulling Rocket close to him in a wide hug. When they were finished, Caesar signed, "No need, Rocket!" and he picked up the water bowl, offering it to his trusted friend.

Rocket signed. "Thanks," before grabbing the bowl and taking a long, deep refreshing drink. Once he was finished, he filled the bowl again and handed it back to Caesar. "Today is the day!" Rocket signed. "8 years!"

Caesar sighed before taking a drink and signing, "I have trouble believing it. We've come so far," he said, looking out again into the waking ape village.

"Could never have done it without you," Rocket signed.

Caesar nodded his appreciation to Rocket. "Are you coming to the class today?"

Rocket nodded, signing, "Oh yes. Maurice gave me no choice!" And the two chimpanzees panted through O-shaped lips to show their amusement. "You've seen Koba?"

Caesar shook his head. "Not yet. You?"

Rocket shook his head too. He looked into the crowd of apes going about their daily businesses. When he caught sight of a rather haggard-looking chimpanzee with unkempt, dull brown hair, he bounded over to him and signed. "Gray, where's Koba?"

Gray gave Rocket only a passing glance as he quickly answered, "Went hunting, alone."

When Rocket went back to Caesar and relayed the news, Caesar grunted, shaking his head, his brow ridges hanging low over his eyes. "Better not be stealing from humans again,"

"Has not done so in a long time," Rocket pointed out to Caesar.

Caesar took a moment before answering, "True. We shall see when he gets back. How's Ash?"

Rocket snorted and shook his head, signing, "He is trouble. Comes home late at night, sleeps long into the day. Doesn't listen to us."

Caesar answered his snort and signed, "Blue Eyes is the same way."

Rocket pant hooted three times, putting his finger on Caesar's shoulder. "That is because he is like his father."

Caesar pant hooted as well, signing, "Human prison would never hold him."

Their conversation was interrupted by the appearance of a large male Bornean orangutan. His lanky limbs and pot belly were all covered in thick mats of long, orange hair. The pair of flaps flaring out from his cheeks and the fat throat sack hanging under his chin gave him a very regal presence among the Pongo. "Good morning," he signed with very fine hands. The two chimpanzees returned his greeting, and he continued. "Ready for today's lesson?" They both nodded, and he signed, "Come."

Maurice's arboreal preference made him very awkward when on the ground. He reached out far ahead of him with his longs arms, alternating as he led Caesar and Rocket up toward the class area. In the shadow of Caesar's incredible tree fort, the great rock wall stood tall, emblazoned with the three sacred laws. It was from here that Maurice would gather the young from all the ape species and spread their fledgling wisdom to the coming generation.

The students all started to gather not too long after Caesar, Rocket, and Maurice had placed themselves up against the wall. However, in addition to just the young ones, the adult apes also gathered together at the back of the audience. They all waited, making sure that even the laziest stragglers had time to show up. The children passed the time by playing with each other, telling jokes and playfully wresting with one another. The parents on the other hand were all conversing with each other, apparently pleased that they had all gotten the day off for this momentous occasion.

The last two to show up for the class were Blue Eyes and Ash, who were teasing each other as was their norm, hanging out at the back of the crowd, with no desire whatsoever to stand in their fathers' shadows.

Finally the time came for the lesson to start. Caesar simply raised his hand, and the entire crowd instantly became silent, their attention focused entirely on their leader. He then nodded to Maurice, who took the cue to start. "Good morning to all of you! And I wish you all a Happy New Year!" Maurice's sentiments were echoed by a flurry of signing as well as some sharp, hulking grunts. "Today marks the ending of the past year, and the start of the next – the 9th since our freedom from the humans.

"Since long before any one of us can remember, humans had always treated us as less than them. They took us from our homes, killed our families, and sent us to far away places to live in torment. We would be locked up in cages for them to stare at and degrade. We would be made to perform for them, putting on perverted displays of human behavior. And worst of all, we would be tortured in their laboratories." As he signed, all the adults stayed perfectly quiet, wrestling with vivid memories of their former lives as their former selves. The younger apes looked on with wonder and fear, only being able to imagine the very real terror most of their parents had to face at some time or another.

"But those days are past!" Maurice continued. "We have lived without the plight of humans for 8 years now. 8 years on this very day. We owe all that we have now – our families, our homes, our whole way of life – to one ape." And Maurice stepped aside, allowing Caesar to take center stage. There was much whooping and hollering from all the apes, young and old as Caesar approached the stand.

After allowing them their opportunity to show their support, he held up his hands, and silence fell once again. "I thank you all for your support. But never forget that the actions of one Ape are nothing compared to the might of many. Remember the second law."

And the whole audience signed all at once, "Apes together, strong."

Caesar nodded. "I was born and raised among humans. It was 8 years before I truly learned what it means to be Ape. To be Ape means to know the suffering of humans. To be Ape means to know love for your fellow Ape. To be Ape means to stand up and cast off the chains, to break free from the cages, and build a better life!" There was a lot of energetic shrieking and grunting. Once again, Caesar allowed them a moment to express themselves before going on. "But on this day of celebration, let us not forget the many Apes who fell so that we may build that better life here," Caesar signed, a hesitation in his hands as his heart felt a sting of sadness. "As long as we remember their sacrifice, and strive to reach the ideal they created for us, then our growing Ape family will forever be strong and prosperous!"

While the other apes cheered even more, Blue-Eyes shook his head with a quick snort. Ash grinned at his friend's insolent attitude.

The ceremony continued with Caesar recounting his life growing up with his adopted human 'father,' a scientist named Will Rodman. It was Rodman who created the virus that gave Caesar his increased intelligence. It wasn't something the apes liked to talk about much, but they truly had been animals before that. They were far from the dumbest beasts on the planet; indeed, their intelligence wasn't too far from that of the humans who subjugated them. But it was still nothing compared to what they would become.

Eventually, Caesar found himself locked away, surrounded by other apes for the first time. When Caesar finally realized what he was – or rather, what he wasn't – he knew that something had to be done. He broke out of the prison where he was being kept and stole samples of the very virus that had granted him his increased intelligence. He used it to raise the awareness of the other apes, brining them to his level. Once they were fully aware of the horrors placed up on them by the humans, they were more than ready to fight back.

Caesar's plan was to lead the apes through the human city, across a Great Bridge of Gold, to the towering redwood forests on the other side. But the human forces – the men in blue - had set up a barrier in their way. From behind the apes, men riding horses tried to beat them into submission with clubs. And from ahead, more humans fired at them with their preferred instrument of Ape-murder – the gun.

But where the humans had their weapons, the apes had far greater advantages: stealth, strength, and strategy. Maurice had led the orangutans – the Ape masters of trees – as they clambered down to the underside of the bridge and swung by the steel girders. The powerful gorillas, led by one of their closest fallen comrades, plowed forward, turning over a bus and using it as a shield between them and the guns. Koba, who still hadn't returned from hunting, had led some of the chimpanzees up along the bridge cables and across the suspenders. Lastly, Rocket and Caesar – who had managed to take one of the humans' horses as his own – led the charge on the ground. The Apes attacked all at once, catching the humans completely off guard. They came from in front, below, and above, destroying the guns and rendering the humans utterly defenseless. With their superior strength and unbreakable will, the Apes successfully managed to break through the human blockade and escape to the forests.

But the fight wasn't over just yet. The humans continued to track them in the forest for a few weeks after their breakout. Fortunately, the humans' arrogance had been the Apes' best friend. The human's were unable to fathom how mere apes could be so calculating and resourceful, even as they intentionally led the humans away from where they were staying. It reached the point where the humans were willing to drown the whole forest in fire just to wipe out the Apes once and for all. Fortunately, the Apes had managed to reach deeper into the forest than the humans had thought, once more blinded by their inability to recognize the strength of the Apes.

After the first few weeks, they generally weren't troubled by humans again. They did encounter a stray hunter or camp group on occasion, but they either managed to keep out of sight, or drive the humans away. But they never attracted major attention again. Even when they raided human food stores during their first few years, the humans were always busy, seemingly fighting amongst each other for some reason.

The next few years saw the balance of power start to turn. The Apes finally found a nice, secluded part of the forest to build their new home. They would look out across the treetops, to the lights shining from the human city. Even from far away, they could hear the sound of wailing sirens and explosive gun fire sounding out for miles around. This continued for a few years, before an eerie silence fell over the city and the last lights flickered out of existence. Ever since then, their human sightings became fewer and far between. The last one was more than 9 months ago.

But as the humans faded away, the apes thrived. The longer they stayed there, the more they learned about their environment. They no longer needed to raid human stores for fruit and vegetables. Whatever they couldn't cultivate, they made up for with foraging. An increase in brain size went hand in hand with a greater need for animal protein, and so the Apes learned to hunt and fish. With all this food, they found more time to relax, to make things, and to refine their settlement. The seed of their civilization had been planted.

After Caesar relayed the tale from his point of view, Rocket took over. As he explained in vivid detail the story of their liberation, the young ones were absolutely captivated. They were so taken that they couldn't even blink. When Rocket showed how he dodged a bullet and rammed a human right through his own car, they let out little screeches of excitement. The smallest ones, most of whom had never even seen a human before, asked what they looked like. Rocket stood up as straight as he could, and moved very stiffly as he gave off weird facial expressions, signing, "Like this."

After Maurice talked about his own experiences on that day, Caesar opened up the floor to the other adult apes. Having all been there on the bridge, they all brought a different take on things. The only thing their stories had in common was that they were thrilling.

But not all the stories were about exhilarating adventure. There was also the bitterness of loss to consider. The gorillas in particular signed solemnly and reverently of Buck, the silverback who rallied the gorillas to Caesar's cause. Caesar had shown kindness to Buck when he was all alone, instantly winning his loyalty. Buck would do anything for Caesar, a pledge he followed to his death. When humans in a flying machine opened fire on Caesar, Buck threw him out of the way, leaping onto the machine and killing the gunman, as well as the pilot. The resulting crash was more than enough to do the old ape in. Since then, another male called Stone had taken over as the leader of the gorillas.

Suddenly, the stories were cut short by the sound of hooves galloping powerfully over the wet soil as a dark brown horse dashed through the arch leading to the village square. On its back was a dull black, male bonobo. The jagged scar running down his milky left eye was just one of the many mutilations covering his well-worn body. There was definitely no mistaking Koba. He carried something in his lap, its body dangling limply over the horse's back.

Koba's arrival was met with excited hollering and cheering from the other apes, though Caesar was not among them. Caesar gave a short snort as Koba got down from his horse, hand held high in the air, accepting their praise. As he carried the body of his fresh kill up toward the front of the class, many apes went up to him, signing him a Happy New Year. He happily returned their signs.

When Koba got closer, Caesar signed to him. "You're late."

Koba looked down and signed, "Sorry, Caesar. Was out hunting. Lost track of time." He offered his prey, a freshly slaughtered white lamb to Caesar. "For you. For the New Year."

Caesar's initial reaction was a worried shake of his head, followed by a low grunt. He signed, "You stole this from the humans?"

Koba looked away for a split second before signing, "Not…really."

Caesar bared his long canine teeth and signed. "Only humans keep lambs. This came from humans."

Koba signed slowly, "Yes, but…there were no humans at the house…"

This didn't placate Caesar who signed again, "How do you know? Did you go into their home?" He wish he could put such a reckless action past Koba.

Koba paused before signing, "I smelled something….something rotten inside the house. I peeked in the window and saw a man. He was lying on the floor, dead."

Caesar relaxed his expression slightly, growing less tense throughout his body. He trusted Koba, this time at any rate. Despite his own negative experiences, as well as the tales of his fellow Apes, Caesar didn't harbor much resentment toward humans. He couldn't escape the role they played in his development. "How? Sick, bloody face?"

Koba shook his head and said, "No. Throat was torn out. Door smashed open. Windows broken. Something killed him."

Caesar's anger with Koba was now completely replaced by fear. It wasn't uncommon for them to see dead humans. Ever since their escape, the humans they did run into often times showed signs of a bad sickness. They would cough up blood. But this was something else. "Do you know what did it?"

Again, Koba shook his head. "Bear, wolf, mountain lion," and he shrugged.

Over the last five years or so, Caesar and the others had noticed an increase in the number of large predators in the forest. He couldn't help but feel this was connected to the decreasing number of humans, although he'd never encountered one so vicious that it actually broke into a human home. It was extremely unnerving.

Caesar let out a deep long sigh, finally gazing at Koba with kinder eyes. "Very well. I will tell Apes to be on the look out when we go out."

Koba knelt down and presented the open palm of his right hand to Caesar. "Forgive my misdeeds," he signed.

Caesar graced Koba's hand with his own, pulling him up close. "It's alright Koba. No harm done," and he picked up the lamb. "Will be good for the feast."

It was at that point that Blue Eyes and Ash bounded up on all fours to Koba and Caesar. They were both very pleased to see the veteran bonobo, much more so than their fathers at any rate. "Uncle Koba!" Blue Eyes signed enthusiastically. "Why are you late?"

Koba reached out and put a hand on Blue Eyes' shoulder and signed, "Sorry kid. Was out hunting, lost track of time."

"What did you get?" Ash asked.

Koba pointed to the lamb still in Caesar's hand. "Have you tasted lamb?" Both adolescent apes shook their heads. Koba grinned with long teeth and said, "Lamb is good. You will like it."

"We missed your story," Blue Eyes signed.

Koba waved off the complaint and signed, "I will tell it at the feast."

"Yours is the best!" Ash signed. "Show's how scary humans really are!"

Caesar grimaced at Ash's comments. Koba's stories were the best because they were the scariest. They were graphic and horrifically detailed as Koba relayed the obscene things done to him by human scientists. But even more disturbing to Caesar was the sheer relish that Koba had over his descriptions of killing humans. All throughout their breakout, Caesar had tried to minimize the loss of both Ape and human life. If the Apes had to be violent, then so be it, but that wasn't their goal. Koba on the other hand seemed to positively delight in violence toward humans. It just wasn't an idea that Caesar thought was good for the developing village.

Koba nodded to Ash and signed, "That's right Ash. Humans are very scary. Be glad they're gone now. But if you ever do see one, kill it – or they'll do worse to you!" and he pretended to seize Ash by the back of the neck. Both he and Blue Eyes leapt back at the jump scare before hooting their laughter.

Caesar stepped in at this point and signed, "We should get ready for the feast."

Surly Blue Eyes scowled at his father, seemingly for simply existing. But Koba looked joyful and signed, "Yes, good! I'm starving!"

The Apes were still fairly new at cooking, but they had gotten quite good. The majority of the apes in the city were either chimpanzees or bonobos, so there was need for a fair amount of meat. It was mostly fish, deer, and rabbit, with Koba's lamb specially picked for Caesar. The gorillas stuck mainly to grasses, leafy greens, and roots, while the orangutans mostly gorged on fresh fruit. Most of it was foraged from the local flora, though they did still have some leftover from the raids. The durian was particularly popular with Maurice and his kin.

Even with 2000 Apes in the village there was more than enough food to go around. All the meat was cooked on a giant bonfire roaring at the very heart of the village square. Smaller fires were burning all around it with small, tightly-knit groups of Apes all clustered around. As the Apes gorged themselves on their well-wrought harvest, they told stories and jokes, their hearts growing as content as their stomachs. Ash got into a contest with Blue Eyes over who could eat the most durian without retching. Ash won, but only made it to 5. After that, Caesar wondered aloud if either Blue Eyes or Ash had found any females that they might have taken a liking to. Blue Eyes shoved a durian into his father's face at that, which his father took with the best of spirits.

There wasn't any noise besides the burning wood and the vocalizing Apes. Music wouldn't have been out of place at all amongst all the celebration, but it had yet to be incorporated into Ape culture.

After the third course of feasting, Koba decided to gather all the teenage Apes and tell them his horror stories. Every scar on his body was the basis for a different tale, each one involving the horrible deeds committed by one faceless human after another. Koba's portrait of humanity was the least flattering of all the Apes'. To him, they were ugly things, who reveled in violence for violence's sake, and consumed by irrational hatred. They were guided by anger more than anything, and delighted in the suffering of each other as well as the Apes. It was a portrait that was all the more ironic being painted by Koba.

Toward the end, when Koba was getting them all riled up, Caesar put up a hand and signed, "Enough Koba."

The teens were more upset by Caesar's interruption than Koba himself. Blue Eyes stood up and signed, "Father! Please, no!"

Caesar signed more forcefully to his son, "Enough!" This was enough to calm most of them, though Blue Eyes remained defiant. Then he turned to Koba and signed, "You're scaring them."

Blue Eyes stood up tall and signed, "I'm not afraid!" There were many answering grunts in agreement. "Besides, it doesn't matter! Humans are gone!"

"Only as far as we know," Caesar cautioned.

"No matter! I'm still not afraid!" Blue Eyes continued.

"You should be scared of them a little," Koba signed as well. "Humans are very dangerous."

Caesar stood up as well and signed, "That's enough. All of you, go"

Blue Eyes looked at his father and signed, "But Father-,"

"Go!" Caesar spoke.

Caesar spoke.

Aloud.

The other teen Apes bolted off toward somewhere, anywhere, else in the village. Even Blue Eyes lowered his eyes and got down on all fours, skulking away back toward the tree tower.

When they were gone, Koba looked back at Caesar, kneeling down once more. But before he could put his hand up, Caesar waved him off, signing, "No Koba. It's alright." Koba stood back up, still looking sorry toward his leader. "Not your fault. I just….I worry. I worry about the young ones. About my son."

Koba reached out a warm, firm hand on Caesar's shoulder and signed. "You do not need to worry. Blue Eyes is young, but he is strong. One day, he may even be as strong as his father."

Caesar gave Koba a kindly look as he reached up and placed his hand over Koba's. After pausing, he signed, "Thank you, Koba. I can only hope that you are right."

The festivities continued well into the night. Even when the bonfires had faded to mere scorching embers, there was no shortage of light, supplied by the full moon shining down on the village square. Many of the Apes had returned to the huts for sleeping, though many still remained. Even then, things had quieted down significantly. Caesar was sitting over the symbol carved into the stone as his wife, Cornelia, groomed his fur. Rocket was grooming his wife as well, rummaging through her hair and picking out any stray insects. Though the insects did provide tasty snacks, the purpose of the grooming was strictly social – an opportunity to get close to another Ape.

After the rousing celebrations of New Year's Day, Caesar savored the quiet of the night, the warm touch of Cornelia's fingers against this skin.

"Fun night!" Cornelia signed to Caesar.

Caesar nodded and signed, "A wonderful day. A wonderful year."

"You should be proud; proud of all this," she signed, waving her hand around to show the whole village.

Caesar shook his head and signed, "I may be the leader. But a head with no body is no use. Apes together strong."

"Apes together strong," she replied. "I know. But no Ape could lead like you."

He took one of her hands in his and signed with other, "I love you so much. You and our son. And the whole village!"

She grinned and signed back to him, "That is why you are such a good leader. You have so much love. You want a better life for us all!"

He leaned against her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and bringing her in close, their faces touching. Turning his head back, he caught a glimpse across the village square and saw Koba sitting next to a female bonobo. It was hard to tell from this far away, but it seemed obvious that he was trying to initiate grooming with her. It was also obvious that she wasn't interested. Eventually, she just got up and left him. He did not seem at all happy.

"Poor Koba," he signed, Cornelia turning to look at the lone Ape.

"What?" she asked him

"He still has no mate," Caesar signed.

Cornelia let out a quiet sigh and signed, "Koba sometimes scares the females. He is hard to get close to."

"The scars?" Caesar signed, tracing the lines of Koba's scars on his body.

Cornelia tilted her head and signed, "That's a part. But there's more."

Caesar looked confused. He signed to her, "But he is a good Ape."

Cornelia nodded. "He is a good hunter, good forager. He is very strong. And we might not be here without him, but…." And she hesitated.

"But..?" Caesar signed.

Eventually she found the words for it. "Koba learned hatred from the humans. But I don't think he ever learned love."

It pained Caesar to see her sign that, mostly because he knew it was absolutely true. Koba was many things – strong, smart, resourceful – but he had never really shown any signs of compassion or empathy. He was a passionate defender of the Apes, and he knew something of loyalty. But love was lost on him.

At that point, Cornelia touched his shoulder and signed, "Well, at least someone is successful with the females," and she pointed to another, darker corner of the village square. There, Caesar made out the vague outline of Blue Eyes, who was apparently deep in the process of grooming a female about his age.

Caesar's eyes lit up and he pant hooted just a little bit at the sight. "She's pretty," he signed to his wife.

Cornelia reached around his back with her hands and signed, "Is that so?" pretending to be jealous, "You think she's prettier than me?" and she grasped at Caesar's belly, wriggling her finger tips all along the skin, causing Caesar to pant in uncontrollable laughter. Cornelia was also laughing as the turned Caesar over on his back and tickled more fiercely. He waved his arms and legs all about, but she wasn't deterred. "Well, is she prettier?" she signed with one hand, continuing her assault with the other.

Only when Caesar was finally able to sign, "No!" did she stop.

Caesar laid there on his back, panting for fresh air as his wife stood over him. She signed to him, "Good," before reaching down and touching his lips.

After regaining his breathe, Caesar got up and stood in a quadrupedal pose. Then he stood up tall on two legs and signed to his wife. "Now, there is one last thing we must do today."

"The grave?" Cornelia signed knowingly. Caesar nodded. "Okay, but we should take weapons with us. Koba told me that something killed a human. Broke into the house and tore his throat out," she signed with a serious expression on her face.

Caesar nodded and signed, "You're right, good idea." He took her head in his hands and pressed their two skulls together. They quickly stopped by the Tree Fort to grab a pair of spears before making their way toward the stables. At this point, the fires had almost completely died down, leaving no other light besides the few candles flickering outside the huts and the glow of the moon. They moved as quietly as they could, making sure to avoid detection at all costs. Unlike everything else done on New Year's Day, this last ceremony was private, restricted to only a select few. Fortunately, evading attention was easy since pretty much every Ape was already fast asleep.

Caesar and Cornelia approached the stable doors and slowly pulled them open, wincing at the creaking wood. They both jumped at the sudden sight of two Apes within, but their fear eased instantly.

"Finally!" Rocket signed, harnessing a lean black stallion by the muzzle. "We were getting ready to leave without you." Next to him, Maurice sat on his steed, gripping the reins in his nimble fingers.

"Sorry," Cornelia signed to bald chimp. "We were…distracted."

Maurice let out a low, long growl and signed, "Just one reason why I never married." Cornelia blew a raspberry at the old orang. Caesar and Cornelia both found their horses, who only reluctantly allowed themselves to be woken. Once their initial grogginess had worn off, they allowed themselves to be harnessed and mounted. When all four were ready, they rode off out of the stable and out the back passage to the village.

They traveled South down one of the paths they'd forged through the underbrush. The moonlight made traveling all the easier as they rode downhill toward the river from where they fished. They turned right at the riverbank and kept straight for about another half mile. They bid their horses stop at that point, and they all dismounted in front of a large slab of rock.

The rock was covered in white pictorials recounting the day the Apes broke free from their human captors and made it to their own promised land. All along the edges of the rock were the symbols belonging to all the Ape shot down that day. And in the center, the biggest space of all was dedicated to Buck – the unyielding silverback who gave his own life for all the lives made in the last 8 years.

Caesar, Cornelia, Rocket, and Maurice all stood in a line in front of the rock and bowed their heads. Caesar was the first to begin. "Buck," he signed, "You may truly have been the best of all Apes. Yours was the ultimate test of loyalty, one I hope no Ape will ever have to take again."

After a brief pause, Maurice picked up. "I first saw Buck, all locked up in his single cage, when I was first brought to the Ape prison nearly 20 years ago. I'll never forget how sad and lonely you were, cut off from the rest of us. Not a day passed when I didn't feel a sting of pain in my heart for you, and I still have nightmares about your tortured cries for help.

"Freedom was sweeter to Buck than to any of us. But somehow, he loved all of us more than he did his new, free life. I really don't know how to put such devotion into words," Maurice finished, his face seeming to sag even more than it usually did.

Next up was Rocket. "I was always afraid of Buck during my time at the prison. I was never brave enough to approach him. I only feel bad now that I never got the chance to know him better. Maybe I would have seen more of his greatness."

Finally, Cornelia. "I remember the day that Buck was first brought to the prison. I can still see the look on his face. His eyes were hard. He always tried to look tough, but I think he was always desperately sad inside. I think…I don't think he'd ever seen the sun until the day we broke free."

They took another prolonged silence as the bowed their heads and gave all their thoughts to Buck. The silence was actually quite deafening to them, as it was pronounced by the lack of any other noises – no singing frogs, no chirping birds, not even crickets in the undergrowth.

Finally, Caesar took a deep breath and signed, "This is the hardest part of every New Year's Day." All the other Apes nodded.

"But it wouldn't be New Year's without it," Cornelia answered him.

"I just wish Buck could see the new life we have made here," Rocket signed with a frustrated grunt.

"In the end, it's enough to know that his death was not meaningless," Caesar signed.

"And to know that no Ape will ever have to make that sacrifice again," Maurice added.

Their commemoration was brashly interrupted by the sudden, frantic whinnying of all their horses. They all spun around to see the horses stamping their hooves into the wet soil, kicking up pounds of mud all around them. The Apes all dashed over and held the horses by the reins, even as they resisted with fierce pulls of their necks. The frightened cries of the horses was joined by the frantic hoots of the apes, trying to calm their steeds even as their resistance became more crazed.

A snapping twig from somewhere behind them caused Rocket to turn around, easing his grip just enough for his horse to break free and sprint off back toward the village. The event proved contagious as the other Apes also weakened their grips for just long enough for the horses to escape. All of them headed back toward their home, forgetting the paths altogether and cutting through the dense redwood forest.

"What scared them?" Cornelia asked, hooting in confused voice.

"Wait," Rocket signed for all them, "Quiet….something out there." Rockets signs caused all of them to stand perfectly still, letting the silence fill them. They slowly craned their necks to take in as much of the scene around them as possible. Unfortunately, the forest was shrouded in the shadows of the towering redwoods, standing tall against the beams of moonlight shining down from the midnight sky. The Apes' night vision was far from ideal, and so they strained their eyes to take in as much light as they could. Both Caesar and Cornelia gripped their spears in their hands with vice-like grips bound by fear. The scene around them was deathly still, without even the weakest breeze to blow against the surrounding ferns. They all held their breaths to preserve the perfect silence all around them. Through the pervading blackness, Rocket though he squinted something.

Two yellow specks.

Two yellow specks that shined like fireflies – before they exploded out of the darkness, flying towards the Apes with lightning speed. A huge form, black as the shadows from which it came, sprang forward with a ferocious growl. Rocket instantly rolled to the left, leaving Caesar directly in the path of the attacker. Before Caesar had any idea what was heading toward him, it had already crashed into him. They both rolled a few feet forward in the dirt, not stopping until the assailant had Caesar pinned beneath four clawed, padded paws. All of the thoughts that Caesar might have had in that situation were drowned out in a fit of agonizing pain that filled his entire body as a set of gruesome fangs bored into his chest, right over his arrow-shaped birthmark. Caesar let out a terrible shriek as his black fur was stained red with each chomp of the creature's savage jaws. Its hold on Caesar seemed unbreakable as it shook him back and forth, doing as much damage as it could with its toothy arsenal.

Release came with a high-pitched whimper from the beast as Caesar felt the weight lifted from his body. Still on his back, Caesar watched as the creature's form was lifted off of him, a spear sticking all the way through its side. Rocket was holding the spear, and with a loud, guttural grunt, he hauled the creature over his head and tossed it against a nearby tree. Blood dripped from the wound onto Rocket's face as it passed over him.

The next thing Caesar new was Cornelia rushing over to him, panting and hooting in alarm as she pulled him close to her. Both of them placed their hands over the gaping wound in Caesar's chest, desperate to stop the blood pouring out and pooling all around them. Cornelia turned her attention to the impaled predator, flashing her teeth and holding her spear tightly in hand. Rocket and Maurice also came to their side, making sure their long canines were perfectly visible.

A stray beam of moonlight revealed their attacker. It was a wolf, an absolutely huge wolf with long fur colored a deep black. It lay, breathing haggardly through painful wheezes. The spear was sticking straight through its left side and out the right. Even as it winced with every tortured breath, it still kept a furious stare at all four of the apes, its lips curled back to reveal each one of its hideous, blood-stained fangs. Its ears were flared backwards and it growled at them with every ounce of ferocity that it had. It tried to get to its feet, only to collapse back onto its belly with a low whimper.

Still reeling from the attack, Caesar mustered all of this strength to lift his hands up and sign, "Up."

Maurice nodded and gently hoisted Caesar over his shoulder. Making sure to keep Caesar as still as possible, Maurice brought him over to a tree, reached up to grab the bark, and hoisted them straight up the trunk. Rocket followed next, with Cornelia picking up the back, keeping her spear pointed directly at the fallen wolf.

The four apes traveled through the treetops, making a direct line for the village. Caesar felt sick as he was carried limply over Maurice's shoulder, the scene around him starting blend together into a black haze. He heavily debated the necessity of keeping his eyes open. Eventually, his exhaustion won out, and the last things he saw before succumbing to his wounds were the two glowing yellow eyes of the wolf, two specks shrinking into the night.