Hide Away

Chapter Four: Newcomer

Lori crawled weakly from the river coughing up loads of water from her stomach.
The water was cold and her tank top stuck to her body.
Her hair was soaked and she could barely breathe.
Her blue eyes found his green ones.
"Oh for gods sake!" she roared.
How very stupid of you! Ceasar was livid. And his chest rose and fell in such a fast pace that Lori wondered if he ran for her.
But she quickly shut that thought down.
"Just leave me alone!" Lori snapped.
His ape guards surrounded his back and were ready for any threats.
"You could give away ape city." Ceasar said angry.
A slap in the face then.
Lori paused.
She sat on her backside and grimaced at the bruises forming all over her body.
Cuts and scrapes adorned her body and she could feel the side of her temple begin to swell.
She grabbed the hair out of her face.
She spit blood from her mouth and looked toward the sky taking a deep breath.
"As far as I'm concerned, I'm the only human left." Lori snapped.
How long have you been alone? Ceasar asked.
She gave him a look.
But he remained still.
"Seven years." She said flatly.
She got up and grabbed her broken bow.
"Final attempt at escaping." She said defeated.

§§§§§§§§§§§

After proving that she wouldn't run again, Lori got to roam the village.
Many apes were weary of her existence.
Lori growled to herself when Koba, the asshole of the village, stared at her with an expression she couldn't place.
She bared her teeth at him and walked off.
Inside her hut, Lori studied the necklace that Will had given her.
It was Caroline's.
The One she wore when Will first met her.
Lori fingered it in dismissal.
A shadow loomed in her doorway.
"Ceasar." She greeted.
"Come." he said reaching his hand out.
She turned and studied his hand before walking passed him.
"Where to?" Lori asked.
"Hunt." he answered simply.
Lori grunted an acknowledgment.
Ceasar sideways glanced at her.
She didn't dare return his gaze.
Ceasar's heart flipped as of it were in pain.
In fact, he set his hand against his furry chest and rubbed it.
"Chest pains." Lori asked simply.
Something like that, Ceasar thought I himself.
He grunted.
Lori grabbed a wooden staff before following Ceasar to a gate of black horses.
One snorted at her and she flinched.
Ceasar cocked his head in astonishment.
Was she scared of these gentle horses?
To test his theory, he got the horse and held out His hand.
"No way. I'll walk." Lori said crossing her arms.
Eight miles risking mountain lions and bears? Ceasar signed.
She debated turning back around and sitting in her hut for the rest of her life.
She gulped before grasping his arm and letting the muscular ape pull her up in front of him?!
His arms wrapped around her to grip the reins.
"I-I can sit on the back." She stuttered.
"Lori called shotgun." Ceasar whispered.
His chest vibrated against her back.
She gave an involuntary shiver.
He had a mate. He was only doing this to tease her.
Tease her into submission.
She wouldn't allow that.
So she straightened and gutted her chin upwards.
Her tough facade lasted only enough time before Ceasar made the horse rear up on it's hind legs before they sped off and the other apes followed.
"Jesus! I'm him a die." She screeched as the horse sped through the gates.
Ceasar's chest rumbled as he chuckled.

§§§§§§§§§§

Lori climbed the tree branch with success.
She swung herself up and onto the moist branch.
Then she waited.
Ceasar stood behind her on another branch.
She didn't turn, even as she felt his burning gaze on her back.
They tracked a heard of elk here and were preparing to kill a few.
There were male's and females and they looked fat and plump.
Lori's mouth watered.
Ceasar was to give some sort of signal.
And so Lori waited.
She heard a twig snap and she jerked her head to the sound.
A flash of black in the woods.
She narrowed her eyes.
The Elk seemed to hear the noise too.
Their ears twitched and their heads had risen from grazing the grass.
However they eased back into their grazing and were calm.
Lori climbed down much to Ceasar's dismay.
But he seemed curious when she slowly stalked toward the opposite direction of the Elk.
Blue eyes signed to him.
Ceasar signed back.
Blue eyes shook his head.
Lori got closer and closer and a loud screech was let out sounding that the apes had started the hunt.
However, Lori walked onward.
She kept walking following, well, nothing really.
But she couldn't help but take a peek-
A blade was pressed against her throat.
A man in a dark hood held it there.
"Your not that stealthy soldier." Lori said glaring.
"How do you know what I am?" he asked calmly.
"Who else would have a knife like that?" Lori stated.
She would've swallowed but the knife was pressed tightly to her throat.
She quickly locked her leg around his own before bringing him down.
She caught his knife and held it towards him.
"Yea?" he asked sarcastically.
"Yea." Lori snapped.
He grabbed her wrist and yanked her down.
He pressed his knee to her chest.
Lori growled in defeat.
"Lever let your guard down." He said intelligently.
Oh how Lori wanted to rip his throat out with her teeth...
A screech sounded before he was yanked off of her by Ceasar.
She stood up and brushed herself off.
Lori threw him a spectacularly vulgar gesture.
He flipped one right back at her.
"So, You don't have a badge and your wearing all black so I'm gonna go with your a stoaway and your hiding from your fraction. Would I be correct in my assumption?" Lori crossed her arms as Ceasar watched them both stare each other down in some unspoken dominance battle.
He rolled his eyes.
"Actually I was kicked from my fraction as you call it, and Then I traveled south and here I am trying to survive like everyone else when a girl comes sneaking into my area. You ruined my hunt princess." The soldier snapped cocking his head slightly.
"Call me princess again and I'll cut your dick off." Lori growled.
Apes now surrounded the two humans watching them fight.
"Threaten my manhood again and I'll knock you out cold kid." He snapped.
"Awwww is someone that insecure? How small are you? Or do you even have balls?" Lori agitated.
The soldier growled.
"Enough." Ceasar snapped at Lori.
The male soldier flinched.
"Did he just talk?" He asked.
"Got a problem?" Lori asked with attitude.
"With you? Yes." He answered.
Lori turned to Ceasar, "Can I kill him?" She asked innocently.
"Come Lori. Human-" He gestured to the ex-soldier "-go from ape home." Ceasar demanded.
"How come she gets to go? Oh wait in sorry, you look like an ape, and think like one too. No wonder." The ex-soldier smirked.
"I've got no problem with that. Apes are sexy and smart. Guess it sucks to be you huh?" Lori said grasping Ceasar's arm.
Ceasar was shocked at her use of words.
"Come on Ceasar. I'm just starving for that Elk." Lori snapped rubbing it in the soldiers face that she would be eating that night.
The soldier watched her go with a glare.