Hide Away

Chapter Six: When lions attack

Lori stood beside Ceasar as he taught the little apes sign language.
An memory flashed in her mind then.

"No. Look Ceasar. Tooth." Will pointed to his teeth.
Teeth? Ceasar asked in sign.
"Yes! See. Good!" Will praised.
"Your turn Lori. Teeth in sign." Will showed her the curve of the gesture and copied his movement's.
"Good job!" William pulled them both into a hug..

"Lori.." She snapped out of her trance.
She noticed everyone looking at her.
Show them 'Hand'. Ceasar signed.
Lori signed 'hand' and nodded when a small ape copied her.
Love, Ceasar signed to her.
She flinched but showed the little apes how to sign love.
They copied her again and she nodded.
'pain' Ceasar signed.
Lori signed pain and they copied her.
'trust'
Lori did so.
'me'
Lori pointed to herself.
They copied her.
The little apes crawled to her and snuggled against her frame.
She flinched.
"What?" she said confused.
"Ceasar?" she asked.
"They....trust...You.." Ceasar said gently.

Trust me. That's what he made her sign.
Lori sat atop her roof and stared towards the stars.
She breathed deeply.
She closed her eyes but opened them back up gently.
"I-its me will." She started, speaking into the night. "I know I haven't talked to you in-in a while but in here now.." she said quietly.
"I found him Will. He's amazing. He's a leader- a king of sorts. I guess." She swallowed. "U-uhhh..." she choked and forced back tears. "He.. Um, he's teaching them everything you taught him Will..He...I mean, Y-you'd be proud.." Lori explained to the stars. She took a deep breath.
Lori got ready to say it.
Admit it.
Admit it. Admit it. Admit it. That dark voice returned after months of absence.
"I failed you Will. I let you kill yourself. I-I guess I kinda knew..you know..that You wanted to go...that You wanted to be free again.." Lori said. "So I left for a while..just to let you do your thing. For some time I-I didn't really understand what I was doing.." She started to cry.
"I guess I thought I was being selfish- well I was- but I wanted you to be free again.." She admitted. "I knew you were going to do it and-and I let you..It's my fault your dead. Mine.." Lori..well, Lori started sobbing..
"I want to die." she whispered. "Say something..Anything?" She begged tp no one. "Maybe a sign? Something..tell me- tell me what to do..Will." She whispered with a shudder.
But there was no answer and that's exactly what Lori deserved.
She had no idea that her sign may have hesitated before backing away and off of her roof.
Lori was quiet the rest of the night.
She didn't talk because she knew she wouldn't hear anything in return..

§§§§§§§§§

Not yet, Koba reminded himself..
Not yet.
He would kill her soon but not yet.
Especially after hearing that she WANTED to die.
No, let Ceasar heal her..
Let him fix her and then, then Koba would break her and then...
He would destroy her and Ceasar too.
He'd take Ceasar's best friend and make his leader stronger.
Her death will harden his leaders heart.
Her death will male Ceasar cold.
Soon...
Soon.

§§§§§§§§§

Lori had stayed up all night watching the stars until they made her sick to her stomach.
Until the thought of their beautiful glowing gaze burned her eyes and their beautiful silence destroyed her heart.
She slid from the roof landing on unsteady feet.
The Sun was just now rising and apes were beginning to stir.
They walked from their huts and began to eat breakfast.
The rising Sun illuminated Lori's face.
Her hair was warm..
Her scars were stark against her tan skin marking her like stripes would a tiger.

Cornelia rubbed her swollen stomach as she watched her mate sleep.
He'd been very busy with the human female lately.
Honestly it didn't bother her.
And she knew why..
Cornelia's family had been I'll with a disease.
Her mother died after her second child, her father died shortly after.
A sickness that ran in the family.
Cornelia gently stroked Ceasar's furry cheek.
He awoke and his green eyes fixed on her own.
He pressed his lips against her own and smiled.
Cornelia sighed and fell back to sleep remembering that love and affection in her mate's eyes.
Ceasar shook his head and got up.
He made his way to the common area where apes were eating fruits and meat and nuts.
He searched the crowd for a familiar face but she wasn't anywhere to be seen.
Maurice...? He signed to his orangutan friend.
Went off somewhere.. Maurice waved his hand in dismissal before eating a grape.
Ceasar shook his head.

The horse leaped over logs and ferns and everything she told him to.
Lori whooped as he neighed.
His nighty hoofs beat against the ground each time he leaped.
"C'mon boy. Lets see what you can do." Lori said as he ran faster towards a cliff that had at least a 30 foot gap between it.
However, Will had no intentions of slowing down.
The horse leaped for the skies and Lori grinned wildly as they went flying through the air.
Lori gasped as the horses hoofs met the ground beneath them.
And he sped off again.
This time They were in a clearing.
There were no trees just lots and lots of green soft grass with mossy mountains in the distance.
It was times like these that Lori could let herself go.
She whooped and hollered as Will reared onto his hind legs.
Lori hopped down from his back and led him to a small stream where he lapped up water and are the green moist grass.
Lori laid on her back and sighed.
She peered up at the Sun and squinted when she saw vultures circling above.
Some animal must of made a kill.
Lori let the dew from the grass seep into her back.
The Sun was warm and did wonders for her cold skin.
She started to doze off when Will's head snapped up and his ears flicked.
Trouble.
That's what that meant.
He stomped his hoof on the ground once. Twice. He nickered and snorted and flinched.
Lori searched the grass plains with keen eyes and yet she found nothing.
Until, a yowl sounded and soon, Lori was tackled to the ground.
Sharp teeth clamped around her shoulder. Lori struggled to get free.
Will bucked and whined.
She grabbed the mountain lion's jaws and kept them open so it wouldn't bite her fingers off.
It growled and yowled again.
It's claws shredded her legs and rib cage ripping her tank top in the process.
Her horse was about to run..
She yelped and growled herself as she wrestled the cat.
She kicked it it the side and it flinched before swiping it's claws against her face.
She hissed before getting up and going after Will.
She let out a whistle with her food arm.
The mountain lion got Her again, in the back and she yelled.
She got close enough to Will and hopped on.
The Mountain lion ran after them, nipping at Will's hind legs.
It was bucked in the face once but was relentless and chased after them regardless of it's bleeding nose.
In fact, it seemed more determined.
The cliff.
It couldn't make the cliff...
She willed her horse to go faster and he did so.
Her wounds bled profusely and she fought to remain awake.
Her head started to swim and she groaned.
She felt Will jump but she slid from his back.
He made it but Lori fell.
The Mountain lion skidded to a stop..