The Hard Facts Of Life

Chapter 2

Karin grinned up at him.

"Well, he's behaving himself a little too properly, I'm sad to say," she commented dryly.

"Anyway," Karin hastily went on, seeing a whole host of other questions or responses flickering in Maurice's eyes. "Mary feels confused and betrayed, like Koba's been lying to her all these years about humans."

"That I understand, but why is she so frightened? Surely she does not think that her Father would hurt her like that?"

"Oh, no," Karin agree with no hesitation. "No, of course not. That isn't what's frightened her so much. She's afraid her Father will eventually make her ... submit to Stone's attentions. Well, I don't know if she honestly believes that. Hell, I don't live full time in that village and even I know Koba wants Mary to be with Blue Eyes above everyone else. She knows it too, but, I guess ... trying to picture Koba with Haley like that, or trying not to picture him like that ..."

Unaware that she was now visibly trembling, Karin took several deep breaths, trying desperately to steady herself. Mary's distress had brought back some not so nice memories from her own past.

"It's hard on a daughter to live with that sort of thing, that's all," she finished in a small voice. "I know how Mary feels."

Maurice's eyes were questioning. Karin just nodded.

"Yes, Maurice, by 'attentions' I mean exactly what you think I mean. Sexual attentions," she answered, deliberately again focusing on the part of his questions that directly involved Mary.

The orangutan drew in a deep breath, and Karin braced herself.

"but—but Mary ... she is just a child!" Maurice's deep voice was slowly building in outrage, his throat pouches beginning to swell ominously.

"Hey, keep it down, Maurice," Karin tried to sooth, reaching out her other hand to gently touch his throat. "If you don't want to wake that child up, get a grip on your outrage, my Love.""

She gently stroked his throat pouches until it began to deflate.

"She says he hasn't bothered her since she bit him and drew blood," Karin told Maurice. "She says he hasn't even been able to look at her since then. But, well, it's been my experience, Maurice, that once a man has got his sights set like that, he doesn't stop until he gets what he's after. And Mary is so little for her age, and not quite as strong as the other Apes, is she? If he takes it in to his head to try again—"

"Well, she won't have to worry about Stone," Maurice promised. "That is one thing I can fix for her, at least. I'll deal with that when I get home tomorrow."

Karin eyed him warily.

"What will Caesar?" Karin began, but Maurice shook his head.

"I don't think I'll bother her Father or Caesar with this, yet. Her Other Uncles and I can deal with this little matter quite well, I am certain. Plenty of time to bring her Father or Caesar in to it later."

Karin gaped at him in astonishment. By other Uncles, she knew Maurice meant Luca, Rocket and himself. She knew better than anyone that Luca, or King Kong as she usually called him to tease him, was normally a big teddy bear of a gorilla. But she also knew that when he wanted to be, he could be as scary as King Kong and as hard and unyielding as steal. Rocket was usually kind of quiet, but everyone told her about how he used to be the Alpha Male years ago before he met Caesar, and she suspected he was still just as tough as the others. And, Maurice ... well, no one knew more about Maurice's protective instincts better than Karin, herself. What she was not sure of was exactly what Maurice had in mind.