The next few months were nothing but a blur of noise, voices, lights, the feeling of something being attached to her arm, the feeling of drifting in and out of consciousness at random moments after having some kind of mask placed on her face. Everything was strange, but Keena barely reacted. All she could do was lie there in a partially dazed and weak state. But she still had some of her senses. She could still feel the pain in her back from the bullets, the wound on her leg from the boar and the bite on her arm from the Alsatian. They were still terrible. But something was different. Now, whenever it became so painful that she would cry out, she'd feel a hand stroke her head and hear a quiet "Shhh...." She couldn't react, but it was soothing... she wanted to open her eyes to see where she was, but everything felt far too heavy and aching for her to do so. She could feel herself lying on something soft and comfortable. It made it easier for her sleep, which was the only thing she could really do, so she was thankful for it.
It took a long time, but one day, Keena was able to open her eyes. As she did, she was alarmed to find herself in a small cage. But it was different to all the other cages she had ever been in. It was still fairly small, but she could stand fully upright, turn around, and even walk several paces back and forth. She couldn't tell what the floor was made of as it was coated in about ten inches of wood wool. She was surrounded by blankets. Keena sat up, looking around. Through the bars of her cage, she could see the outside world. It was quiet, with the sun up high. It was very peaceful. Keena looked at her arm and jumped. Her right arm where she was bitten was bald and the area of the wound was stitched up. She looked at the boar wound on her leg. Her whole leg was bald and also stitched. And looking down, she could see that her upper trunk was bandaged heavily. She tried to reach around to mess with it but it was around the back. She huffed and crossed her legs, folding her arms over them, tiredly. She blew through her mouth and looked around, exhaustedly. She was incredibly confused. Where was she? What was this place?
Two hours later, Keena heard the footsteps of someone approaching her cage. She snarled, baring her teeth, not wanting to be tormented by some lowlife. As the person approached her cage, she snapped and shook the bars, angrily. The person stopped and looked down at her. Keena stopped growling and blinked at him. There was something different about this man. His skin was a very dark colour and his brown eyes seemed quiet and soft. He appeared to be middle-aged due to his greying hair. Noticing her, he knelt down to her level, a closed-mouth smile on his face.
"Well." He said, "You're awake." He put one hand on the cage bars, making Keena turning her head to the side, so she was looking at him with one eye, growling quietly. He chuckled.
"You've been through hell, I know." He moved his hand away, "Well, don't worry, Keena. We're going to try and get you home."
What home? The road-side zoo? The circus? With the TV company? Back to Mexico? Whatever one he was talking about, she wasn't interested. She was not going back to any of them! Wait... Keena tilted her head, how did he know her name? She hadn't met him before.
"Feeling better? You gave us a real scare, you know." Keena tilted her head. What did that mean?
Suddenly a woman knelt down next to the cage, taking Keena by surprise. She huffed at her, what did she want? She could also see that she had a kind look on her face. Her grey hair was tied back into a ponytail. She noticed that Keena had her hand through one of the bars, she slowly reached over and gently took it. Keena froze, unsure of what she was doing. The woman gently stroked her hand, not saying anything. Keena blinked and looked the woman in the eye. Noticing, she smiled softly, stroking her arm. Keena shrank and covered her face with her bad arm, still afraid.
"Such a shame..." she heard the woman say, "It keeps me up at night."
"I can relate." She heard the African man reply "I hope we can get custody so we can help her."
"Oh, believe me, we will. I'll make sure of it." The woman gave the chimpanzee a smile as she patted her hand one more time before walking away. Keena sighed and put her head against the bars miserably. She really didn't know how to think, or what to think. She slumped against the wall, her head dropping onto her chest. Keena still had all those memories inside of her. They were swirling around in her head like a tornado. She sighed as her lip dropped limply and she drifted into a deep trance.
This trance lasted several days. She wouldn't react to having blood taken or being touched by any of the surrounding people. She could hear them often using the phrases "PTSD" and "Depression" around her, especially when seeing her lying in the wood wool in a comatose state.
Keena had seen the same man and woman several times during this time and eventually became immune to their presence. She didn't even mind when the woman would stroke her arm or shoulder, making her feel more comfortable. She would turn and start petting her back. There was something that Keena liked about her. Something about how she held herself and acted towards her which seemed to hold respect and love towards the ape. But she was still wary of the others who would approach her. Whenever the woman noticed that she was listless and upset, she would run her hands through her fur, a sensation that Keena hadn't experienced in a very long time and it was a great comfort to finally experience it again. But she was still unhappy. She didn't want to eat. Or sleep. The food was often this kind of mush, which tasted okay, but most of the time, she did not have the strength or will. But as time went on, and she began to feel less sick, she would be more eager to eat. This appeared to please the people around her. There was also a large bucket of water which would be refilled if she drank it all or it became stale. But she would keep herself in the corner of her cage, coated in wood wool and her blanket and facing the wall. She didn't want anything to do with any of these people. Well... except for the grey haired woman, who would sometimes give her carrots.
Over time, the stitches dissolved and the black fur on her arm and leg grew back and the bandage around her trunk was removed. There were now silver lines of scars from the injuries where hair wouldn't grow. Keena was relieved to finally be free of pain. Physical pain, anyway. Her mental and emotional state were shattered. But she did grow to be tolerant of the people around her. But that was it, again, with the exception of the grey haired woman. As she regained her appetite, she started to gain weight which appeared to please the people around her. She never really learnt who they were but really, she didn't care. She was beginning to feel better, but there were things that wouldn't change. She would have moments of sudden panics, causing her to scream and throw a fit. But these became less and less frequent.
Things were fairly calm for a while, until one day, Keena noticed something different in the air. Everyone was happier, they were laughing, hugging each other, and someone had some champagne which was opened and everyone had a glass. Keena sat against the bars, fairly intrigued as to what they were so happy about. At one point, they all raised their glasses and said "To Keena!" before drinking. This only confused Keena more. What did they say that for? The African man bent down to Keena's level, handing her two bottles of water, a pineapple, grapes and apples.
"Enjoy your last night here, my friend, for tomorrow, you're going home." He smiled and gave her hand a pat before going back to the others. Keena couldn't help but ponder. What was he talking about? She decided to ignore that and turn to the fruit. Tilting her head, she picked up the pineapple and took a huge bite out of it. Chewing on it, she suddenly perked at its sweet and fabulous flavour. She wolfed it down within minutes, licking the juice off of her arm and fingers. Once she was satisfied, she turned to the grapes. After tasting one, she ripped all of them off of the small branch holding them together and put them all in her mouth. She hadn't eaten this kind of food in an unbearably long time.
Once she had eaten the last of the apples, she lied on a huge pile of wood wool on her back, drinking her water. She sighed and shut her eyes, her stomach groaning from the amount she had just consumed. It made her feel heavy and sleepy. She sighed heavily and contently. She had stopped thinking about what the man had said, she wanted to sleep. She covered herself in blankets and drifted into a sweet and settled slumber...
Keena's content mood was shattered the next day. She wasn't given her breakfast, which made her anxious, the thought of being hungry was too painful for her and she didn't want to go through that again, ever! Everyone in the area seemed to be extremely tense, no one was speaking. Keena whimpered and paced her cage, frightened. What was going on?!
The grey haired woman knelt next to her cage and Keena squeaked, putting her hand through the bars. She quietly shushed her and stroked her arm, which was soothing.
*Pshhh*
Keena shrieked at a sudden stabbing pain in her arm as she felt something enter it. She whined as she pulled out the dart like object, which had a fluffy red top. It was empty, but the fact that it hit her was enough for her to break it in half and throw it away. The woman chuckled and continued to stroke her arm, trying to calm the panicked Keena. Keena whined worryingly. But she suddenly started to feel woozy. She groaned and tried to stay upright but collapsed into her wood wool. She groaned as she fell into a sudden sleep...
Sudden activity jumped Keena from her slumber, as her vision cleared, she realised that she was in an enclosed space with some straw and blankets. With a single small window as an opening. Keena put her eyes to it, screaming. What was going on?! She could see the box being lifted off of the ground and onto the back of a truck. She shrieked and banged her fists against the wooden frames of her confinement.
"Shh, you're ok, sweetheart." The grey haired woman suddenly appeared, petting her hand and pushing a few boxes of raisins into her crate before disappearing. The truck roared to life and Keena was throw into the back of the box as it lurched forward. She whimpered and curled up into a ball, not knowing what was going on. She coated herself in straw and a blanket in an attempt to comfort herself.
The drive lasted several hours and Keena was relieved to see the grey haired woman when they finally stopped. She gave Keena a drink of fruit juice and some more food. It calmed her down.
"Now, there's no need to worry." She assured her, taking a needle out of a small box. Keena flinched temporarily but stuck her arm out towards the woman, remembering from when she was in Mexico, all those years ago. The woman looked rather upset at this gesture but still gave her the injection before leaving.
The box was suddenly lifted by a forklift, but Keena hardly reacted. She felt... calm... and relaxed. She sat against the back of the box with her legs crossed over, eating her raisins. She was rather unaware of the activity surrounding her for the next few hours.
It wasn't until Keena noticed the plane that she yowled and started to worry, as she was loaded into the cargo hold. She whined and stretched her arm out, wanting to be comforted, but the door was shut, leaving her in darkness.
Hearing the deafening roar of the plane, Keena squeaked rapidly and curled herself up into a ball in the corner. She clung to her blanket for comfort as she felt the aircraft take off and be suspended in the air. Keena shivered violently with fear. Where were they taking her? The last time she was on a plane was going to Mexico... oh no. A horrible thought raced through her head. Was she going to be a photographer or actor's prop again!? Keena sighed and lied on her back, trying to sleep through the loud roaring of the engines of the plane, her head swimming with thoughts.
The flight lasted hours. And it was night by the time the plane touched down back to earth. It was much, much warmer and more humid than Florida, but Keena didn't mind. She was actually relieved. She didn't like the cold. It felt un-natural. Upon being taken out of the plane, Keena let out a loud and piercing scream, desperate for a familiar face to comfort her.
"Got a case of nerves, haven't you? I don't blame you." The African man's voice said suddenly as she saw him approach the crate. "I'm not much of a fan of air travel, myself." He chuckled. Keena sighed quietly and lied back down in the straw. She felt tired and as if there was a turbulence in her stomach. She just wanted to sleep...
Keena's head was smacked against the top of the box. She squawked and rattled the bars with frustration. What now? She was a truck on a rocky road which rattled her aggressively.
"It's alright, missus, we're almost here." The man assured her. She could not see him but could easily hear his voice. This time the chimp kept quiet as the road steadied. The van turned a sharp corner, Keena coated herself in straw. She wished that this would end soon, the plane ride made her tired and sick.
Finally the vehicle grinded to a halt. She could hear distant excited talking from the men and women outside. There were a lot of them by the amount of voices in her ears.
She felt her crate being lifted and carried. She huffed out loud and puffed out her fur, readying herself. She had been in this crate far too long and she really, really wanted to get out! Through the bars, she could see the direction she was going in. She was taken into a large structure. Inside were rows of what Keena thought were cages. But she was unsure if they were. They were large and on their floors were large amounts of comfortable looking wood wool. Keena became more and more upset. She wanted to get out and was becoming angry at being inside this crate for so long! She was placed against one of the cage doors and it finally swung open.
Keena exploded out of her confinement and rammed into the back of the cage, seemingly startling every human present. She roared and rampaged around the enclosed area, bashing herself into the sides of it. The humans started saying things in quiet voices but Keena continued throwing herself around. Her sides ached but she refused to stop. But then she stopped and glided her eyes around. Keena was bewildered, this cage was larger than her last enclosure and looked so inviting and comfortable. She looked over her shoulder at the humans. She grumbled and sat in a far corner of the area, scratching the scar on her leg. It was only then that the fear sank in. She started cowering and put her wrist along her eyes letting out a couple of involuntary squeaks of fear.
'We should leave her to sleep, it's probably been quite stressful for her.' A grey-haired woman said before all humans present left the building and shutting the lights off. Leaving Keena inside. Alone.
The chimp paced her area. Finally some space. She sat in a corner with her knees to her chest and looked around. Something was bothering her and assaulting her mind. Since Keena had been with these people, for almost six months, no one had raised their hand in anger or strike her in any way. But why? This was too strange. Keena curled up in the straw and completely covered herself. She closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.