"Morning, sunshine." A cheery voice caused Keena to stir. She slowly came from her slumber and turned to face the human at the front of her cage. It was the same man Keena had seen before, who she now knew as Abdul, as she had heard others refer to him as such. Keena watched him; she knew he was the provider of food. Sun was shining through the windows and in the distance, Keena could hear... some type of shrieking, but she had no idea from what.
"Hey, Keena." He smiled; she ignored him and made an attempt to grab the bag from his grip.
"Oi!" He pulled it out of her reach. Keena huffed and stared at him.
"Peckish are we?"
No, just her. The man stuck his hand in the bag and fished out a melon half. Keena took it from him and studied the yellow fruit. She took a cautious bite out of it. It was so juicy and sweet and Keena immediately wanted more. Keena polished it off in minutes and licked the juice off of her fingers.
"Did you enjoy that? Well, I have another one." He delivered his promise, which Keena devoured just as fast as the previous one.
A woman with blonde hair came into the door of Keena's room. She bent down and smiled at the chimp.
"How is she?" She asked Abdul.
"Famished." he answered her as Keena chomped on her breakfast.
"Well once she is finished we will get started." the woman said before leaving. Keena couldn't comprehend what she was talking about. Get started on what?
Suddenly, a slide door opened behind Keena. She jumped and looked inside the door. It was a large room with several tall pillars, hoses and platforms at several different heights. She slowly walked in, feeling the soft straw under her knuckles. She stopped and took a moment to take it in. There were several windows, the sun was streaking through, lighting up the room. She ran her fingers down one of the wooden pillars and then grabbed onto one of the hoses. She could not figure out what she was supposed to do. She pulled it and it moved towards her. Keena huffed and started swinging it boredly.
Keena tilted her head as she heard another slide door opening. She turned her head sharply.
Standing behind her, just in front of the entrance was what looked like a human. But it couldn't have been! It had black fur, a round muzzle, large ears and it walked on its knuckles. Its arms were longer than its legs, it looked like... her. Another chimpanzee? It was staring at Keena with wary brown eyes. It took a step towards her, Keena squeaked and ran into a corner, and the thing followed her. She slapped it in the face. The creature grunted and swatted his nose. As it stood back, Keena got a better look at it. His fur was puffed out and he had firm muscles on his arms and chest. He had several scars around his face. And Keena noticed that he was slightly bowed-legged.
"Tough Madame, isn't she?" A voice said suddenly, startling Keena, the humans were watching this! She ran towards them but they were behind the bars and she couldn't escape! The chimpanzee squeaked and sat on his haunches. He showed his teeth and outstretched his hand. What on earth was that? Keena ran past him and drummed the wall. Where was the escape route? There had to be one! Hearing an angry sounding grunt, she saw the male was after her. He was shrieking for some reason. He outstretched his hand again... was she supposed to do something? Keena growled and ran away, he chased her again, smacking her on the back as she ran.
"Arvo!" Abdul's voice suddenly shouted, towards the male chimpanzee. Angry and scared, Keena screamed and charged at him, Arvo yelled and tried to escape but Keena leapt on him and bit his ear. He just shrieked louder, making Keena bite him harder. He tried to escape, but he didn't fight back. Keena threw him to the ground and ran back into her bedroom, which had been opened to let her in.
Abdul stroked Keena's arm as she stuck it through the mesh for comfort,
"Maybe Arvo wasn't the best choice. Should we try with someone else?" he asked the blonde woman. Keena rubbed her face against the mesh and Abdul scratched her softly, making her chatter contently.
"Let her settle for a while. We should choose someone who won't be so... confrontational. What about Sam Baily?" She replied, pushing a banana through the fence towards her. Keena grabbed it, stripped it of its skin and tucked in.
"Yes, I suppose we could try old Sam." Abdul and the woman continued to speak while Keena went off to finish her banana.
She slumped against the wall as she ate, thinking. How was she supposed to react to Arvo's gesture of stretching his hand out? What did it mean? She already didn't like him that much. He was younger than her, by about three years or so, making him possibly seventeen, but he was larger than her. But his legs were under-developed and bowed. She could use that against him if she was to meet him again. But who was Sam Baily?
A day later, Keena was back in the playroom. She grumbled as she looked around. She was still bumfuzzled about this room. It was nothing like she had ever seen before. But she didn't have much time to dwell on it before the sliding door opened again. Afraid it was Arvo, she clung onto a pole for comfort, grinning in a fear display.
She heard disgruntled grunting as something emerged from the slide door. It wasn't Arvo. But he was much larger than the young male. This male looked to be at least twice her age, and almost twice her height. His fur was a silver shade, with a grey V shape around his chest. The hair around his face gave him white sideburns and the illusion of having a large horseshoe moustache. He huffed as he squatted near her, looking at her. Keena hooted quietly at him and took a few steps forward. The huge male sighed and gave her a small nod. Still hooting, Keena stretched her hand out towards him, mimicking Arvo's gesture from yesterday. She still wanted to know what it meant. Suddenly noticing her gesture, the male took her hand and placed her wrist on his mouth. After a few seconds, Keena pulled it away, grumbling at him. What on earth was that supposed to mean?
"Good boy, Sam!" Keena suddenly heard one of the keepers shout into the enclosure. Oh so this was Sam Baily? Keena relieved that he was another chimpanzee. Having two names made her sure that he was another human.
Sam Baily huffed and walked towards her, he didn't seem so grumpy now. He sat next to her and started grooming her behind her neck. He seemed to be intrigued in the snowflake pattern of scars on her back from the bullets and the fact that a part of her left ear was missing, as well as the absence of a few fingers and toes. Keena was curious as to the fact that he only had two toes on one of his feet. She wondered what had happened to him for him to have those scars. But Sam Baily didn't seem to be thinking about that, he was more interested in grooming Keena. She was more than happy to groom him back, she couldn't remember the last time that she had been with another chimpanzee. She wasn't paying attention to anything the humans were saying, she was happy to have Sam Baily with her.
Keena was left with Sam Baily for a few days, the pair of them had the huge playroom to themselves. Keena became relaxed and comfortable with having him for company. Even though Sam Baily was a fairly grumpy, solitary individual, he was happy to groom her when she wanted to be and would share the food and wood wool with her. He taught her how to make a nest with the surrounding wood wool and blankets inside the area. Keena loved sleeping in a nest, she felt safe within the bed and having a blanket over her ensured maximum comfort. Some days, she would be reluctant to leave her nest, only leaving it if Sam Baily wanted to play, which was a rare occurrence so she would take the opportunity if it came up. She enjoyed having Sam Baily for company, even though he normally preferred to be on his own, it was nice to have someone else with her and that she wasn't alone. Especially at night. She had always felt so lonely during the night, but even just hearing his snoring on one of the platforms was a huge comfort for her.
One day, Keena was foraging for sunflower seeds that had been scattered around the enclosure by some keepers, Sam Baily was lounging next to one of the poles, eating a large stash that he had managed to get, leaving Keena to hunt for her seeds, she shot him a few glares, but he appeared to find it humorous as he smirked and laughed. The male had a deep and resonant voice. But there was suddenly an activity from the keepers around the fences of the indoor enclosure. But she suddenly heard the sound of another chimp behind the sliding door.
Keena yowled and started pacing the room anxiously, she knew what was going to happen but she was scared. What kind of chimp was going to come in, now? She showed her teeth. Sam Baily didn't seem interested, whatsoever. He continued to eat his watermelon and sunflower seeds as if nothing was happening. Keena crouched next to him, holding onto his arm, hooting to him for comfort. He looked at her and scratched the top of her head, trying to assure her nothing was wrong. But how was she supposed to know?!
"Ok, let her in!" Abdul, behind the fence, shouted. Keena lost her nerve and swung onto the top platform, gripping onto the pillar. She heard Sam Baily let out a disgruntled huff as she did and could see him wander elsewhere in the playroom. She could hear the door open and immediately she could hear a rapid squeaking noise. She peered over the platform to see a small female with fluffy looking fur that looked more brown than black. She was squeaking and climbing the mesh of the fence to see the keepers, who seemed to be pleased to see her.
"Hi, May." One of them said as they gave her a mint, the little chimp squeaked with glee as she sucked on it before she turns around to spot Keena. She must be in the sun often as her face was a dark colour and she had a pair of sparkling gold eyes. She squeaks excitedly and swings up onto the platform. Keena backs away, showing her teeth in fear. May held her hand out to Keena, squeaking. That squeaking noise she made seemed to be out of excitement rather than fear, the small chimpanzee has her mouth open with her teeth covered and bounced up and down on the platform, wanting to play. Keena put out her hand, wanting the little female to know she wasn't a threat. May squeals and allows Keena to put her fingers in her mouth, she bit onto them gently. There were satisfied murmurs from the keepers as May and Keena began grooming. The little ape couldn't be any older than seven years old; still a child going into adolescence. This was far less threatening than meeting a larger female. May seemed to be pretty petite for a female. She didn't look as though she would grow into a big chimp. She'd always be a bit small. May squealed and jumped onto Keena's chest, knocking her onto her back. She stood up and hopped on her stomach, making Keena gasp. She brought her feet up, under the female's ribs, lifting her off of her and suspending her in the air. She couldn't help but smile at the tiny female squealing and squirming with joy. Keena laughed and bounced her gently. Sam Baily, sitting further away, laughed and watched them like a doting grandfather. He sat behind Keena's head and pulled on her ear, making Keena mouth his foot. The three of them went on to conduct a play session which lasted for several hours. Keena had never had so much fun in her life. She didn't want it to end, but after a few hours, May became tired and Keena carried her on her back, letting her sleep. She didn't mind carrying the small female. She was not heavy and Keena liked the feeling of being with someone at all times. She even had May sleep alongside her in a nest. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad.
Over the next few months, Keena was introduced to more chimpanzees. They were all different from each other and were all interesting characters to be around. There was:
Ling-Mai, a lanky female with a nervous personality, who reminded Keena of a spider in her frame and posture.
Mitch, a male with grey and white fur, he was small in stature and liked to torment Ling-Mai in particular.
Amos and Jacob, two elderly and grumpy males who spent a good portion of their time sitting on a high platform, grumbling to each other, they didn't seem to really get involved with the others, but Jasper seemed to have taken a shine to Keena, comforting her if she got scared.
Freckles, a young female with a pale face and white freckles all over around her muzzle and eyes. She was very sociable and hated being alone.
Samari, Zelda and Swing, three teenage females who loved to rebel and torment the older members, as well as the keepers.
And Molly, a female the same age as Keena, she was short and stocky with a heavier build than the other chimps. She quickly became friends with Keena, taking any opportunity she had to groom her.
But there was something that Keena had started to notice as she met more and more chimps. There appeared to be some kind of social structure going on. For example, one day, the keepers threw in a large amount of water melons. And she noticed that Ling-Mai had gotten hold of one, but Molly suddenly ran over, smacking it from Ling's hand, making the latter shriek and back away, letting Molly take the melon from her. And what surprised Keena was that Ling didn't even try to get it back. And it wasn't until Molly, Mitch, Freckles and May had finished eating that everyone else was able to get anything, including Keena. If she tried to take anything from either Molly or Freckles, she would be rather harshly disciplined. She gained a few bites along the way. But that didn't stop her from being good friends with the pair. She still loved playing with Molly, chasing her around the playroom.
But Molly's punishments were nothing like what Keena was going to experience next when she met Coco and Rita.
It was a calm day and the playroom was bustling with activity. Everyone was either playing, eating, sleeping or swinging around on the poles and hoses. Keena was lounging on ground level, eating the discarded piece of apple she had found, with Ling-Mai grooming her shoulder. But she noticed something going on at the fence. The keepers were there but that's not what got Keena's attention, but what they were holding. Red fire extinguishers. Keena was intrigued as to what they would need with them. But her question was just about to get answered.
Suddenly, the sliding door opened and, in a chain reaction, everyone abandoned what they were doing and ran towards the door, leaving Keena behind. She watched the mass of chimps, screaming and showing their hands towards the pair that had just entered. They were both females, who seemed older than the other females in the room. Keena suddenly noticed that May had squealed and hugged one of the females, and the female gave her a large number of kisses and held onto her for a long time. Keena tilted her head, was she May's mother? The female had a black face and a white beard on her face, still hugging May. The other female was moving away from the mass. She was the same size as May's mother but she had rather large ears and her fur was more of a dark chestnut than black.
Keena muttered and moved away, they were getting a lot of attention from the others so they must have been important. Very important. Keena didn't want to offend anyone so she tried to keep out of the way. Ling-Mai suddenly noticed her and ran over, giving Keena a hug, chattering quietly into her ear. Keena hugged her skinny frame, it was comforting.
Suddenly, May's mother (Coco) stood upright, suddenly noticing Keena. She puffed her fur out and started marching towards her, baring her teeth. Upon seeing this, Ling-Mai yowled and swung onto a pole to get away. Keena shrank as she saw Coco advance on her, upright and towering over her. Keena shrieked and tried to back away from the threatening female. Everyone seemed to have backed away, which made Keena slightly angry. Why was no one helping her?! Keena tripped and landed on her back, but Coco still threatened her, making Keena scramble backwards, trying to get away. Coco looked so huge and threatening that Keena felt like she had to react. Without thinking, she lashed out her feet, kicking Coco in the ribs and throwing her backwards.
Within seconds, Keena saw almost every chimp in the room run at her, all screaming angrily. She shrieked and tried to escape by climbing up one of the poles. She felt someone grab the fur on her back and ripping her off of the pole and throwing her onto the ground. She yowled as she got winded from the fall. As she opened her eyes, she saw the other large female (Rita) leaping onto her, pinning her down. She grabbed Keena by the shoulders and started beating her against the ground, Keena tried to reach up and fight back, but Rita was relentless and this beating lasted several minutes.
Finally, Keena was released and she tried to stand up, but suddenly, Coco rammed straight into her, knocking her over. Keena shrieked and tried to run away, but Coco just grabbed her and yanked her back, also beating her up. It seemed that every other ape in the room had backed off, but she could still hear them screaming in the background.
Coco's attack didn't last as long as Rita's and the bruised, beaten Keena was able to get up. She whimpered fearfully and looked at them. They were both staring at her, panting. Around her, the other chimpanzees had relaxed but were still pacing around the area, nervously. They were probably alarmed by what had happened. Keena cowered as she looked up at the pair. She knew that if she made the wrong gesture or made one more action of disrespect, she would just get beaten again. Whimpering, and lowering her head, she extended her arm out to them in the submissive gesture. She shivered violently in their presence. Thankfully, this appeared to be the correct thing to do, as she felt each of them put her fist in their mouths and when she looked back up, she saw that they were walking away. Almost immediately, Sam Baily and May ran up to Keena. May hugged her tighter than she ever had before and Sam proceeded to see to her bruises and cuts, grooming her softly. She let out a sigh of relief, it seemed that things had calmed down.
Over the next couple of days, Keena actively avoided Rita and Coco. She was more comfortable with Ling-Mai, Freckles or the other lower-ranking members of the troop. Every now and again, the pair would feel as though they needed to hammer their dominance into her head by chasing her around the room, pushing her off of a platform or beating her up. They did make their message very clear to Keena though: They were the dominant ones and Keena was right at the bottom of the hierarchy. Below Ling-Mai, who thankfully still wanted to be friends with her despite that. They all did.
Once Rita and Coco decided that Keena knew her place, they would leave her alone more often. And things seemed to calm down as Keena became more and more accepted into the community. She would laugh with Molly, Freckles and Ling-Mai, play with May and Mitch, play tricks on the more dominant or older members with Zelda, Swing and Samari, groom alongside Sam Baily, Amos and Jacob and live life the way she was always supposed to. It was the happiest that she had ever been. And she didn't want it to change.
Life was quite peaceful, Keena was perched on a platform alongside Sam Baily, who had his arm around her in an affectionate manner, grooming the side of her face with his lips. Amos and Jacob sat on a higher pillar, next to each other, just watching the world below them. May was playing with Swing in a wrestling game and Zelda was annoying Samari by swinging upside down and nipping her on the back of the head whenever she swung towards her. Coco was strutting around the floor of the playroom, her fur spiked on edge. The subordinate females ran to her, bowing in submission. Keena didn't leave from her platform, granted she was bigger than Coco but if she was to attack, she would be punished again and she didn't want to go through that again...
Suddenly the door opened and a mighty roar emitted from the other side of it. Keena jumped and her hair stood on end. Only a huge male could make such a sound.
It had to be an important male: the females stampeded to the door holding their wrists out, all squeaking with volume. She also saw Amos, Jacob, Mitch and Sam Baily run down as well. Keena shrank into a ball, she would go with them but her feet seemed planted to the platform.
She shut her eyes, trying to calm herself. She heard the sound of huge feet pounding the walls and the wooden platforms. When she opened her eyes, she saw him.
He was a huge beast but could have only been a year older than her. The muscles on his arms rippled as he lowered himself into a sitting position in front of her. His fur was sleek and thick. He was quite a spectacle, his shoulders were broad and his arms were thick and trunk like.
Suddenly, Keena lost her nerve, he was so much larger than her that it was terrifying. She leapt off of the platform and onto the ground where she took off. Behind her, she heard the male let out an enraged scream at her lack of respect and she could hear him thundering behind her as well as the screams of any other chimpanzees that got in his way and either got shoved out of his way or trampled. Keena screamed as she ran. The playroom was enormous but she didn't feel like it was big enough for her to get away from him! She knew that it was a better idea just to turn around and submit to him, but at this point fear was overruling her common sense.
It wasn't until she felt cornered at the far end of the enclosure, far away from any of the other chimps that she turned to face the Alpha Male. She shut her eyes shut as much as she could and stretch her hand out, terrified that he wasn't going to accept her gesture and beat her with every inch of her life.
She could hear him panting from the chase, as well as his annoyance. She glanced up at him before lowering her head again.
But when she did that, his panting suddenly stopped. He went quiet, accepting her gesture but also, Keena could tell that he had just come closer. He put his hand under her chin, forcing her to raise her head, she opened her eyes. He was staring at her with a perplexed expression, as if something had just assaulted his mind. He hardly blinked as he stared at her. Keena didn't dare move, she didn't know what he was going to do. He was much larger than her.
Something that caught her eye was his chin which had a mass of white hair. The hair was white on his protruding eyebrows and he possessed thick sideburns on either side of his face.
Where had she seen them before? The gold eyes, the white beard...? Wait...
She slowly put her hand onto the male's face. But she didn't know if this was a good thing to, and she was partially expecting to be punished.
Suddenly, the huge male's mouth opened into an excited and overjoyed expression. Before she could react, he had lurched forward and wrapped his trunk like arms around her frame in a tight hug, knocking her onto the ground.
It was him! It was Patch!
Keena cried as she hugged him back. She gripped onto him as she rolled him onto his back so she was lying on his chest. She was hugging him as hard as she possibly could. She felt that Patch also seemed to be hugging her as much as he could. He looked so happy that, if he was human, he would be crying tears of joy. She hadn't felt so happy and relieved, she thought he was dead! And that she would never see him again! But he was here! And the Alpha-Male! Patch finally released her from his grip and sat in front of her, putting both hands on the sides of her face and planting it with kisses before hugging her again. Keena squeaked as she clung onto him, afraid that if she let go that he would just disappear.
After quite a long time, Patch released Keena and started to walk back towards the rest of the group, Keena walking next to him. He had one arm around her frame, wanting to be close to her after all these years. The rest of the chimpanzees were busy doing their own thing, but they ran to Patch as soon as they saw him, showing him respect and submission. Keena stood off to the side while they all did. Patch had certainly changed since she had last seen him, but he was still had the same nature that she remembered.
That night, Keena and Patch made their nests next to each other. Once Patch was finished bidding everyone a good night, he settled into his nest with a long sigh. Keena was lying on her back in hers, staring at the ceiling. But, when she felt Patch's hand touch her, she sat up. He was looking at her ear, with the part that was missing. He also looked at her feet and hands that were missing digits. He looked at her, his eyes seemed to be wondering. Wondering what had happened to her after they were split up. Keena had also noticed that Patch now had a long, silver and jagged scar across his chest. From the machete... she put a hand on his chest, staring at it... she thought he was dead...
Her thoughts were penetrated as she heard Patch grunt. Keena darted her eyes and presented her wrist. Patch mouthed it softly before settling into his nest to sleep. Keena sighed as she also tucked into her own nest. The quiet ambiance of the room and the comfort of having Patch with her once again, lulled her to sleep like a lullaby...
Having Patch close to her was a great comfort for Keena. He ran his group tightly, breaking up any squabbles or fights that break out. And –she was very thankful for this- would comfort her if she was to be beaten up or tormented by Rita and Coco, who were still insistent that Keena knew her place. He seemed to be a very benevolent leader and all of the others seemed to love him.
Keena was also introduced to Ash and Harambee, two males, high up in the pecking order, who were Patch's deputies. They would often be seen around Patch, marching beside or behind him while he was patrolling the room. They were quick to accept Keena into the group, most likely because Patch had accepted her and it seemed that, whatever the Alpha-Male says, goes.
Eventually, Arvo was brought into the playroom. And much like before, he made a beeline for Keena. Keena shrieked and tried to run away, but Arvo, angry from before, dragged her back towards him, he was much stronger than her. But just as he was about to start beating her, Patch charged into the scene, throwing Arvo off of her and slapped him around in a rather violent manner. Arvo wasn't hurt but Keena could sense tension between the two males. Whenever Arvo was around, Patch would glare at him suspiciously. He didn't seem to trust Arvo. Did they have a feud? She couldn't be sure and it seemed that whenever this happened, everyone else would back off. But besides that, things seemed to stay calm.
But there was one more chimpanzee to be introduced to. Keena heard the keepers refer to an unknown chimpanzee who she knew as Cleopatra. That way, Keena would be a full member of the group. But it was still very tense. Why was she last?
Keena was perched on a platform, alongside Patch. He was watching his group's activities on ground level. As he saw Zelda and Swing have a squabble about the last leaf of lettuce, he had a wide open-mouth smile on his face, rather entertained. Keena was eating a piece of lettuce she had found discarded.
But the peace was suddenly shattered as the door opened, and all the chimpanzees stampeded to the door. Even Patch. And seeing her best friend running towards the door in submission only made her worried. So, even Patch himself had to respect Cleopatra.
Suddenly Keena saw her. She wasn't as large as Keena expected but she did notice the way that she held herself. She appeared to be very stoic as she accepted everyone's submissive gesture. Keena grunted worryingly, really unsure. Suddenly, Cleopatra noticed her and made a beeline up the pillars and onto the platform where Keena was. She swung her slender yet muscular frame onto the platform, right in front of Keena. Keena squeaked and extended her hand out, trying to appease her.
But that didn't seem to work. Cleo noticed Keena's height –she was taller than her- and started shrieking in a loud and piercing manner, frightening Keena before thrusting both hands into Keena's chest, with such a force that it throws Keena backwards off of the platform. Keena screamed and grabbed onto a pillar, trying to pull herself back up but Cleo grabbed her by the neck as she jumped down, dragging Keena with her and tossing her onto the ground. Keena shrieked and tried to run away but found herself unable to, as she proceeded to beat Keena, more violently than she had ever experienced from another ape. It lasted for a rather long time but Keena didn't fight back, she remembered what happened the last time she did.
Finally, Cleopatra gave Keena one more punch before stalking away, leaving Keena to tend to her own wounds. She was used to this by now, though. And she knew why Cleo had done that. Dominance. Purely because of dominance. It was something that she just had to deal with.
Keena was now surrounded by other chimpanzees. No matter where she looked, she would see one of the other members of the community. But she liked it this way. The playroom was a noisy and busy place. And Keena was happy here.
But suddenly, something else changed.
A huge sliding door opened, revealing sunlight. Keena blinked as she noticed. Just as she did, pretty much every chimp in the room charged out of the door, Cleopatra shoved Keena to the ground as she went past.
Growling and picking herself up, Keena shook her fur out and her red eyes widened as she saw that she was alone in the playroom. Where had everyone gone? Keena looked to the door where they had all gone. Looking around anxiously, she gingerly poked her head out.
She gasped at what she saw.
Trees. Many trees. Stretching towards an endless sky. There were bushes and long grass and so much space. She could only see a fence if she really strained herself to see, and even then it was barely visible. It was so vast...
She could see the others in the community marching into the bush and out of sight. At the last moment, she saw Patch turn around to face her at the door. He hooted loudly and waved his hand in an inviting gesture, wanting her to join him.
Keena would have... but it was so... huge! What was out there!? People who wanted to shoot her or strike her with a firehose?! She was not taking any chances!
She retreated into the playroom, sitting at the far corner.
Everything was going so well... what if she stepped out there and everything suddenly came crashing down?
She was not taking that chance!