War Technicalities [UNDER REVISION]

Human and Ape Pride

[Unrevised. 5 Years Old. Prepare for inconsistencies with previous chapters.]

After the night she had, it was no surprise that Haley still felt exhausted as she and the apes made their way down to the campsite, mostly trusting her horse to know where it was going while her head drooped time and time again, threatening her with unwelcomed sleep, but every time the memory of her nightmare flashed to life behind her eyelids, she quickly snapped back to attention, no desire to relive it. An entire day of troubles and stress made her deserving of a rest, but, seeing as the previous night was proof that her brain doesn't agree, Haley's need to pass out stacked wickedly. If not her exhaustion, she swore the cold would soon put her to sleep, her coat still wet and useless back at the village thanks to the humid atmosphere the woods so lovingly granted them with – sarcasm if you couldn't tell.

Yet again, she drawled out a yawn beside the dam where the humans were working, following with an annoyed groan as she rubbed her sore eyes in annoyance; even her horse seemed annoyed with her.

"Haley," A deep and hollow rumble interrupted and compelled her to straighten herself up, as if attempting to hide her fatigue, despite Maurice obviously knowing already. Taking his time to gibber in amusement first, Maurice shook his head at her, before he continued to sign with a single hand, his other keeping a tight grasp on the horse's bridle, "You've been yawning non-stop – are you okay?"

"Yeah," She chuckled meekly, though the orangutan remained unconvinced, "Just another argument... sorta."

"Koba?" He guessed and, no surprise, he got a confirming nod in return.

"A nightmare." She denied the second after, however, and frowned with uncertainty – was she rattled because of Koba or because of her nightmare, and were those things really so different? Yawning yet again, she shook the thought away, too tired to think about it, and shifted more comfortably on her unsaddled steed before giving it a gentle kick on its side to gallop to the other horses ahead, Maurice following close behind. Blue Eyes quickly glanced over his shoulder, Cornelius doing the same from where he hung on his older brother's chest, undoubtedly alarmed by the sudden thrashing of water behind them, but quickly relaxed when he saw Haley and the large ape catching up to him and the others, watching them until they halted beside Rocket on the other side of his father.

"Anything?" Haley interjected persistently, her eyes glossing over the dam in front of them, unaware of Caesar's face darkening at her words before he grumbled an uneasy 'no.' Clearly, Haley wasn't the only one worried about the lack of movement from the humans inside – of course, they knew it wouldn't be a quick slip inside to fix what needed to be fixed, but the eerie silence was deafening. "Maybe I should go—" Haley wanted to suggest, but her words were immediately lost when the earth rumbled underneath the horses with a haunting boom, urging all of the beasts to whinny in alarm and rear violently – it took every last bit of Haley's physical strength to hold onto the animal, just like Blue Eyes held onto his brother with everything he had.

"Wh-what the hell was that!?" Haley breathed in horror once her horse settled, petting its neck to console it, and wracked her mind with everything that could've happened to the humans inside the dam, but only got an unsure grunt from Rocket. Eyes narrowing, Haley watched the council members glare at the dam, as if trying to see through the ground to discover what has happened, and felt disbelief overwhelm her when none of them so much as budged; Haley could see the desire to help in Caesar's deep scowl, but even he didn't twitch.

Finally, her question still not answered properly, Haley scoffed at them and unintentionally grabbed their immediate attention. She knew Caesar would help eventually, but she couldn't bring herself to wait. "Malcolm! Dad!" She heard screams from inside the warehouse just in time as she slapped her horse harshly on its behind and forced it to neigh in protest before it sped off. "Haley!" She heard Caesar calling after her before more gallops picked up behind her, forcing her to smile gratefully before she pulled her ride to its stop and flew from its back, pretty much jumping through the hatch of the warehouse and down the steps. "Where are you guys?" She called, already running in some random direction on instinct and only lucky that she was heading the right way when Ellie called out to her. Leaning over the edge of the control room's platform, she could see Alex and the older woman peering up at her, like specks in the darkness. "What happened?" Haley asked hurriedly, worry swelling in her heart – like always, a bad feeling grew inside of her.

"We don't know." Alex breathed shakily, speaking to Haley for the first time since they met, "Dad won't—"

"I can't see Carver." A familiar voice cut him off from behind the wall of debris.

'They're behind that!?' Haley screeched inwardly, her alarmed eyes wandering over the barbed and scattered concrete boulders in terror. As if being called to her aid, however, a figure suddenly blurred up next to her and made her jump in surprise before she forced herself to focus and look his way – Rocket. Instantly, her shoulders unknotted and slacked, reassured. "Just the ape I need." She joked, her amused tone unintentionally causing the humans below to glance at each other with discrepancy, but luckily for their respect towards her, realization quickly struck Haley and made her face fall into dread. "I can't see Carver." She recalled Malcolm's words and cleared her throat uncomfortably, the memory of the man shooting Ash, Rocket's son, replaying in her mind as she studied him, his unreadable face wandering over the debris, unaware of her stare. "Maybe..." She offered unsurely and skimmed over the apes behind her for an alternative – how he made it inside, Haley wasn't sure, but she quickly thought how Luca was even stronger and perfect for the job, only to remember his size and the cramped space in which Ellie and her step-son were already squished, "Uhm..."

"Want to help." Rocket interrupted, his flailing arms quickly halting her, even if his tensed posture and fury-filled demeanor told her otherwise as he clambered down the ladder to the humans. Haley and Caesar's eyes met for just a second, clear worry in their depths. Both of them knew Rocket wouldn't kill Carver, and it wasn't about them not being sure about the vice versa, but the situation just felt wrong. And so, Haley just shook her head to her friend with a helpless smile before she watched, almost proud, as Rocket and Ash – because who else – dug through the rubble. Maybe, she thought, if Rocket could save the human who hurt his son, though he was clearly forcing himself to do the right thing, then she could get over the uneasiness that was growing between her and her mate – just maybe.