War Technicalities [UNDER REVISION]

Inevitability Part 1

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

Just like when they left that morning, the village was eerily peaceful and quiet upon everyone's return. Thought Haley could see heads turning at the sight of Caesar leading humans through the muddy plateau, no one gibbered, hooted, or screeched against it; Haley wasn't sure if it was because of their leader's presence or just because they've gotten unwillingly accustomed to having the bare-skinned creatures around. Whichever way, however, Haley seemed to be the most anxious of them all.

Out of earshot, she followed the others to the side of the cliff and watched as the ape king motioned over the woods, no-doubt showing the city lights to his newly-trusted friends, but Haley found herself otherwise distracted by her hut a few yards away. With careful and sharp eyes, she studied the collection of bark, leaves, and branches, looking for some sign of her mate, and found herself relaxing when she saw no life in the chasm of shadows, though it only left her wondering what Koba could be doing out so late. Growing faintly worried, her eyes narrowed, her gaze boring deeper into the darkness to see more of what laid behind it, but deep down she knew he wasn't there. Sighing to herself, she circled back to the flickering lights in the distance, just in time to follow Caesar's gaze back to his home above and to smile, relieved, at the sight of Cornelia on her feet with baby Cornelius snuggled up against her furry chest. Though, inevitably, Haley's heart fell, her rusty eyes following Caesar up the hill as he went to greet his wife and family, guilt swelling within her when she realize her crave to be in the female's place. Never before has she seen her old friend as soothed and swamped by solace as when his hand caressed Cornelia's furry cheek, as if he was checking to see if her healthy figure was truly there and not just an illusion.

Oblivious to the pair of burning jealous eyes watching her from the trees below and shifting between her and the loving sight above, Haley quickly diverted her eyes to prevent the growing hole in her heart from expanding. With lamented eyes, Haley searched across the village, looking unwillingly for someone she knew would hold her, even if just to achieve some good points from his leader again, but alas, she saw Blue Eyes gaping up at his parent instead. Before he had the chance to thaw back to reality, Haley quickly rushed over to him, worry once again enveloping her. "Blue Eyes," she called in a whisper, careful not to disrupt the calm atmosphere, and felt overwhelmingly flattered that he tore his gaze away from his parents to look at her, "Have you seen Koba?" Almost immediately, a look of irritation tore through the young ape's loving gaze, as if the name slipping from her lips was forbidden or wrong after he heard what Koba had done to her – and yet, the bright innocence in his blue eyes remained.

He shook his head. "Haven't seen Koba since dawn." Blue Eyes signed unsurely, knowing his answer wasn't exactly what she was looking for, but was quickly reassured by a thankful nod from his friend before she stood out of the way and allowed him to continue up to his father and mother, just as excited to see the female ape healthy again.

Watching Blue Eyes leave, Haley's worry grew – so Koba really hasn't returned. She wasn't sure if she was worried about what he could be up to or if she was worried about him, but, yet again, it didn't matter. In a sudden and unjustified rush, she forced her gaze away from the royal family and back onto the village, and allowed it to flicker over the humans by its edge before she fossicked for her mate. Inside the lonely void that had so unwelcomely formed in her heart a few minutes earlier, she felt a powerful and misdirected urge to talk with the bonobo, and maybe reason with him and make him see that she wasn't afraid of him, that she didn't want to lose him, and that she loved him more than she did his king – all of which were lies, but necessary, she knew. A promise they had made the night they became mates – the only promise – was to never lie to each other, but did she really have a choice – she reasoned with herself that she didn't. If things were really going to go back to normal, she needed her delusion back. That, she realized, was what she feared most of all to lose. She needed to be able to pretend again that she had somewhere in the village to belong, and if that was at Koba's side, so it will be. Still, that didn't change the fact that she couldn't seem to find the grumpy old ape anywhere, no matter who she asked for directions. For a moment, she thought she had found him, but it took only another second to see it was the hunched and unsteady silhouette of Grey instead. Oddly suspicious of his skulking, Haley watched Koba's second while he snuck out from behind the supporting beams of the wall around the village, but only shook her head, knowing it wasn't the time – she's always disliked the ape anyway, so it must've been that. Again, she continued searching around the village, shuffling from the stone outcrop at its center to Maurice's school and then back to her hut, peeking inside, but again, her search headed to result. Swallowing the sense of impending doom that weighed on her tongue, she stepped away from her home, and just in time for her inkling to be justified.

A single and ear-pitching pop suddenly pierced across the village and forced Haley to hunch forward with a gasp, her hand shooting to her chest and to the stab that pierced its middle without warning. Breath betrayed her as she froze, her body suddenly rigid and cold, and stopped a single puff of air to inhale or exhale from her lungs. 'No,' she thought in terror and misery, the pain pulsating and burning through her veins becoming agonizing and blinding. The gunshot was unmistakable and echoed across the sky like a drum of war, and for just a second, Haley thought it had been her who had been shot, the agony and disorientation all she needed as proof, but after she collapsed against the exterior of her hut and as she dared to gaze down at her aching chest, she could see through her hazy vision that not a single trickle of blood stained her clothes and hand. Only inside, she realized, did it feel as if she had been speared. But, instead of joy or comfort soaring through her, her stomach churned and she resisted the urge to gag.

The world silenced and slowed as grief suddenly enveloped her like a pit of sinking sand, suffocating her without the hint of mercy. 'No,' she thought again, this time screaming in horror, and whisked herself around despite her encouragement against it. As she had expected, there he still stood overhead, clutching his bleeding and torn chest without avail, and blood seeping pass his callus fingers, with his gold-flecked eyes spread in utter shock and dismay, which Haley could not understand pass his surprise of being shot. "Caesar!" Haley's voice roared across the village louder than a lion's and only then did everyone seem to process the sound of the gunshot, Cornelia's alarming screech following immediately after. Haley stood in her spot, caged in disbelief, still unable to comprehend that she wasn't dreaming the nauseating spectacle, but as the ape king staggered forward, her heavy limbs finally unlocked and allowed her to charge forward in a blind attempt to catch her friend when he finally tipped over the side of the cliff and plummeted towards the trees.

Powerful arms wrapped around her middle and bruised her ribs in a forceful stop before she could think to jump from the cliff after Caesar, their oddly gentle strength enough for Haley to recognize who had captured her. "Let go!" Haley screamed immediately, scratching and clawing at the balding skin for freedom, kicking vigorously at the mud below them. In pain, furious – lost: Harley couldn't describe how she felt when her heart tore from the sight. Tears flooded, burned, and washed Haley's filthy cheeks when she stopped fighting against Rocket's hold, slowly growing weak against him like she had done two years ago. He couldn't be – he couldn't be – no, he couldn't be!

"Caesar!" Haley wailed in sobs, as if her bellowing scream will somehow bring him back, which it didn't – it couldn't. Please, don't leave me...

...not here.