War Technicalities [UNDER REVISION]

Hell's Beginning

[Unrevised. 4 Years Old. Prepare for inconsistencies with previous chapters.]

"Maurice!" Haley called over the other apes when she saw the large orangutan making his way through the village, his movements tired and slow after his long day with the younger apes. No surprise, he halted quickly and waited patiently as she jogged over to him, his eyes glossing over with worry as he studied her disheveled appearance up and down. Since she killed the bear the week before, she's been joining every single hunt the apes went on, and although his heart swelled at the fact that the apes warmed up to her quickly after she begun to contribute to their lives, he couldn't help but worry as her state seemed to worsen every day, scratches littering her nude skin at the gentlest touch. "Do you know where Caesar is?" She interrupted his worry when she finally reached him and hunched over to catch her breath, "I heard he's looking for me."

"Going to see Caesar now." He responded simply and continued on, signaling for her to follow, which she happily did. After all, if one excludes the young blonde's occasional trips to the waterfall, time with Maurice was honestly the highlights of her days, because, of all the apes, he seemed to enjoy her company most of all – Caesar did, too, but he never seemed to sit still long enough to relax.

It didn't take long before they supposedly reached their destination at the top of the shallow hill, Haley taking a moment to study the foot of the tree before she stopped her eyes on Caesar, himself, and then on the female besides him – and despite the obvious controversy Haley had built towards Cornelia beyond her control, she couldn't help but smile her way, which was happily returned. Haley might love Caesar, but she was just happy he found a wife as kind as the one before her. "You wanted to see me?" Haley questioned finally and shifted her gaze back to Caesar while Maurice sat down on one of the tree roots next to his friend. To her surprise, however, Cornelia was the one who stood and shuffled over to her. Without a word or sound, the beautiful ape seemingly pulled something out of thin air before she placed it in Haley's arms, fur wrapping around her arms with a pleasant heat. Haley stared at Cornelia for a few moments, looking nothing but perplexed, before she forced her brown hues onto the soft surface in her arms, making them widen instantly. It didn't take her even a second to recognize the silky black pelt as the one of the Black Bear she killed the previous week. Dumbfounded, she maneuvered the skin around and held it up in front of her, her awe only inflating when the shape of the object became obvious – the arms, the collar, and the chest. She hesitated before she slipped her arm in, then the next, and hugged the thick-furred coat around her body, sighing with delight as the warmth enveloped her. There were areas that seemed smaller and others that seemed bigger than they needed to be, but taking into account that the thread was made from only god knows what, she was impressed it looked as good as it did.

Haley got ready to ask Caesar who made it, but as soon as her awe-struck gaze fell on him, he gibbered in amusement and nodded back to Cornelia, allowing Haley to gape at her in disbelief and for the ape to turn what Haley could only discern as bashful, shifting slightly on her feet. Chuckling softly at the sight, Haley quickly wrapped her arms around Cornelia, an agonizing weight suddenly lifting off of her shoulders as her clashing feelings about Cornelia faded into liking and arms wrapped back around her in return. "Thank you." Haley breathed, the admiration for her kindness clear enough to make Cornelia gibber happily, even if only to have it interrupted by a fit of disgusted hoots that made Haley break away and whisk around to scowl at the familiar ape.

"Like always, human lies," Koba simply signed in response to her look, scowling right back with an animalistic growl, "and now dresses to look like ape." Haley could feel Caesar getting ready to scold Koba for his words, but Haley beat him to it—

"I did not lie!" She snapped, "I'm grateful for this coat more than anything, because now I won't freeze to death!"

"But human hates who it came from." He snapped back with jerky movements, and Haley's breath hitched immediately, her body running colder than ever before when she realized Caesar and Cornelia must have read his words as well.

"Koba." Maurice warned aloud, being the only one there who knew what was going on, having eavesdropped on Koba and Haley way back when, but Koba didn't seem to care.

"I do not." Haley protested harshly when she recovered from the sudden blow, not having time to process Maurice's voice as the tension between her and Cornelia almost burned her back through the new coat, "Unlike you, I don't judge others over my own faults! One thought does not a villain make!"

"Haley." Caesar warned this time instead, and when he saw Koba bare his teeth and step closer to the girl, he finally rose from his seat atop the tree roots and addressed him, "What is this about?"

Not having seen him sign behind her, however, Haley just tisked in annoyance and slipped pass Koba, giving him a well-deserved shove with her shoulder before making her way down the hill in brisk steps. Never before has she been as excited for her trip outside of the village before, and now that she has a coat to warm her up afterwards, she had every intention of finally cleaning herself up underneath the waterfall.