From Simian Eyes *Being edited*

The Free

The forest was calm with a heavy mist. Flocks of birds soared over the vast wilds, singing their symphony which rose towards a smiling sun which sat proudly on its throne in the sky. Down below the winding trails of tree roots, dips and rivers seemed silent and lifeless. A soft wind blew through the palms of the banana tree and howled across the distant mountains. The land was untouched and peaceful. Trees coated with leaves and vines rustled with the motions of the fauna of this land.

*

The community of chimpanzees was governed by the Alpha Male, Ikenna. A large and powerful animal with a two tone colour to his fur. Black from waist up and an ash grey from the waist down. He was also rather elderly with white hair growing on his chin as a beard and his eyebrows. Despite this, he was very highly respected by his community. He was highly looked upon by the three dominant females of the group. A very kind and fair leader, even to his low ranking members as he would prevent them from being overly bullied or picked on. He had led his troupe for more than two decades and was beloved by everyone within the community. He ran the group tightly but fairly and he was certainly not above engaging in a play session with some of his close allies, or even some of the youngsters. He was a doting uncle to many.

There were thirty nine members of this group. Many of them were adult but there were a few who were young and playful- the youngsters would possess a white tuft of hair on their rumps for their mothers to clearly see them. They ran around the trees, poking each other, throwing little stones and jumping out at one another. But under their mothers' eyes they were careful not to push each other too far, knowing that if they did, they'd be dragged away. Some were over forty years old and prefered their own company, or the company of one or two close friends as opposed to the adolescents who would walk around in their own little gangs, constantly looking to one-up one another.

Ikenna sat somewhere high, watching the youngsters play, the older members tended to their own business. Old friends groomed one another, two brothers bickered over a handful of fruit that had fallen out the tree. A mother held and fed her own child, keeping a close eye on the antics of the youngsters, slapping any away if she felt they were too close. Several were high in the tree-tops, feeding on the lush and vibrant leaves.

An adolescent female in heat wandered around the forest floor, blatantly ignoring an amorous young male following close behind her, admiring her from behind and trying to impress her by beating up an old, bare tree and even trampling one of his good friends in an attempt to show off his strength. She was... indifferent to these amature displays and simply continued on her way through the undergrowth while the deflated male received a violent tackle from the ex-friend he had just betrayed for the sake of an unimpressed passing fancy.

The pair tumbled into the undergrowth, fists flying and distinctly un-masculine screams disturbing the peace. A clutter of elderly members had to scatter in order to avoid being run over by the screaming ball of limbs and teeth. Ikenna, angered by the disturbance of peace, charged from his position at the top of the tree after the pair. And after a swift crack on the back of the head for both of them. And the two sheepish males sat next to one another, grumbling and avoiding eye contact before begrudgingly making up. And as quickly as that, everything was at peace once again.

Sitting back against the tree, Ikenna watched as everyone began to resume their own business. He thought to himself that he would need to keep a close watch on the pair of adolescent males. Their little squabble could have done a lot of damage and they were getting too rambunctious. Not to mention they were quickly becoming stronger. But his troubled thoughts were soon soothed as he heard the pant-hoot of one particular female. The dominant female had returned from her scavenging trip. Hooting back excitedly, Ikenna jumped to his feet and rushed to greet her.