The Side I Choose

|II|

OLD FRIEND
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Everything was a blur as Jack drifted in and out of a daze. He was exhausted, he had spent weeks traversing the forest, no food for days and barely any rest. He honestly didn't know how he survived.

The few things he remembered after being saved was the black fur of his savior and the green of the forest, after that everything seemed to melt together like at abstract painting. He wanted to welcome unconsciousness but worry spread into his thoughts. Where was he going? Was the Gorilla taking him to Caesar? Would Caesar even recognize him? Jack didn't look too much different from his younger self. The only difference where, he no longer wore glasses and his hair was cut really short. It had been almost a decade so he wouldn't be surprised if Caesar forgot his face. Jack sometimes had trouble remembering people's faces if he hadn't seen them in a while. Another thing came into Jack's mind, would Caesar even be happy to see him? He rejected Caesar's offer to go with him so would he really even want to see Jack? The worry made him want to escape for the gorilla who was carrying him but he decided against it, he was too weak to make it anywhere. He wondered if he should have just jumped instead but the thought made him feel different, he hated the idea of giving up on Caesar again.

Jack didn't even know what to do if he saw Caesar. Should he even admit it was him if his friend didn't recognize him? Jack pondered over the thought but ultimately he couldn't admit who he was, he didn't know how his old friend would react. For all Jack knew, Caesar could have been pushed into a more violent mindset after they went their separate ways. Him and Jack had grown so close and being apart definitely took it's toll on Jack.

He pushed the unwanted feelings away and opened his eyes slightly. They where still in the forest but wooden structures where now coming into view. This immediately snapped Jack out of his exhausted state and into a more alert one. They where getting close. He could hear other apes and gorillas conversing with one another through hoots and chatter. It made the hair on the back of his neck raise, there where so many. He didn't have to see in order to know that. Once again Jack found himself debating escape but it was too late by that point, he was surrounded by both curious and cautious apes. He was terrified, it didn't matter if they where humans or apes, he hated the attention whether it be bad or good. Jack squirmed and struggled a bit in the gorilla's grasp but he gave up, it was useless. His stomach was in so much pain from the lack of food and his physical strength was non existent. He felt his breath quicken. He felt like a rabbit in a cage being taken into the middle of a pack of wolves, he could be torn apart any second. Yes it was true Jack wanted to die but the idea of him dying from someone else's hands terrified him.

Jack gave a small shriek of surprise when the gorilla set him on the cold, muddy ground, sending a shiver down Jack's spine. He just sat there looking in all directions, there was no opening or way to escape this. As much as he wanted to see Caesar and maybe even risk his life to see him, it didn't stop him from feeling fear or the urge to run. He was surrounded on all sides and he could feel the hostility coming from the apes but luckily they made no attempt to touch him.

A sharp pain coursed through Jack causing him to scrunch into himself and clutch his stomach. He groaned, it felt like daggers where digging into him. It was his hunger coming back to him with full force. He had been suffering from these bouts of pain for while but now they where coming at him even worse. It was awful timing. As he showed his distress a few apes approached him while others took a step back. "Get away!" Jack yelled. It had been the first time he'd spoked in a while and his voice was just as pitiful as it had been since he was a young child. But it did the trick, the apes who had started moving towards him stopped. The only one closest to him was the gorilla.