The apes gathered their dead, to perform a burial ceremony when they get back to their home. They grabbed weapons lying on the ground piling them up. Some took the abandoned supply crates, filled with food, smoke grenades, flash bang and exploding grenades, and ammunition from the warehouse, figuring it could be of use. Caesar had sent out scouts on patrol and they returned to him. They had reported to him, spotting a ship sailing by the San Francisco Bridge. What was strange to everyone was what the scouts told them next. They spotted a few humans on the ship, and they were sure that they had seen the scout apes on the bridge. But they didn't attack them. Caesar ordered everyone to head back to Ape Village and round up what was left of their home to move. It was no longer safe to stay there anymore. The humans now knew where they were. It was time to go somewhere else. North.
Caesar and Blue Eyes watched as they saw a few apes,
"Do you see? This is all that is left of our home. What Koba's fire did not destroy, nature has started to reclaim." Caesar told Blue Eyes.
"We could rebuild." Blue Eyes signed to his father. Caesar shook his head.
"No, humans know this place."
"Humans have already come." Blue Eyes signed. "But they did not attack us. What are humans waiting for?"
"They will come again. Humans think apes not smart," Caesar told him. "Apes must be smarter. Smarter than humans, smart enough to survive-to live."
"But father," Blue Eyes said a little softer now. "I-I am afraid." Caesar was also afraid. Afraid of losing his family, his wife, and his sons. He couldn't bare the thought of losing any of them. Caesar turned to him, seeing Blue Eyes looking back at him, quietly. In his sons eyes they were filled with so much fear, but also anger as well. Which made Caesar more worried. Like Koba's. He needed Blue Eyes to be an leader that protected apes to keep them safe, not blindly lead them into fighting.
"I am afraid to Blue Eyes," Caesar placed his hand on Blue Eye's shoulder. "Afraid like never before. This is why I ask you for help, my son." Blue Eyes blinked.
"I do not understand." He said, confused.
"It is not safe here," Caesar told him as he explained. "Apes need a safe place to live. A place far from humans. Where we can protect ourselves, where we can live in peace. But apes need more than that. Apes need a good leader-smart and strong. "
"You are a good leader, father." Blue Eyes signed.
"Someday I will grow old. I will die. Apes will need a new leader-smart and strong." Caesar replied, now placing both hands on Blue Eye's shoulders "You will be that leader, son. This is why I asked you to do this-to find a new home for apes. One safe from humans." Blue Eyes stared at him in shock. He felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility. It made him happy but also nervous as well. The fate all apes were on his hands now. But why him? Why not someone else? Didn't his father want him to help in the fight? Why was he sending him away?
"Today..." Caesar said. "Today is the day you start to learn what it means to be a leader."
"But father I can help you fight!" Blue Eyes signed, quickly. Caesar shook his head.
"No, Blue Eyes."
"But I can-"
"What about Lily?" Caesar spoke. Blue Eyes stopped. His eyes widened a little. "Are you willing to put her in danger? Humans are after her as well. If you fight, then she will most likely follow you and get even more hurt, captured, or killed."
"No, of course not! I would never do that!" Blue Eyes told him. Caesar pulled Blue Eyes closer to him, placing his forehead against his son's.
"Then keep her safe. I need you both safe. You can help me and every ape here by finding us a safer home. The two of you will not be going alone. I want you take rocket with you. Will you do this for me?" He pulled back, looking at him. Blue Eyes sighed. He really did not want to leave them like this.
"I will, father." Blue Eyes replied. Caesar smiled. He hopped down from the tree to go help Maurice along with some of the apes with him, gathering what they needed. Cornelia stepped out of the tree, seeing Blue Eyes and went over to him, holding Cornelius.
"Are you ready?" She signed. Blue Eyes huffed and turned around, looking at his mother.
"He's trying to get rid of me. He's afraid that I'll get killed." He signed to her. He saw his mother frown.
"So am I. What would you say if I told you that I begged him to send you away?" She signed back to him.
"I would say you shouldn't have done that." Blue Eyes signed back.
"Well, I didn't. But I am glad that he is. It is important to know what is out there." She told him. Blue Eyes looked back at her.
"Why not just send Rocket then?" He said. "Why must I go?"
"Rocket is strong, loyal and brave. But he isn't all that smart. You are." She replied.
"Really? I let Koba fool me."
"Koba told you what you wanted to hear. Knowing that is a different kind of smart than I'm talking about. You see things differently from Rocket. What might not attract his notice will be a red fruit to you. Where he sees only two sticks and then two more sticks, you will see four. That is why your father is sending you." She explained to him.
"Then why doesn't he tell me this himself?" Blue Eye asked.
"He's busy in case you haven't noticed." Cornelia replied.
"Busy." Blue Eyes signed back.
"You always said he treated you like a baby. How many times did you beg him to hunt before he let you? How many times did you ask if you could travel to the next valley to see what was there? To explore the hills with Ash?" Blue Eye's widen a little in surprise. "Don't you understand? He's giving you what you always asked for. Command yourself."
"But I want to fight." He spoke, insisting. Cornelia shook her head.
"No, you don't. It's not what you're good at. It's not what you're made for. Even as a little thing, you were always trying to see what was in the next tree, never content with where you were. Take this gift from him, Blue Eyes, please." Well, his mother did have a point there. He hated holding a gun. He was terrified and couldn't move frozen in fear as he saw apes dying around him as Koba lead them to fight the humans.
"What choice do I have?" Blue Eyes asked her. Cornelia turned her head and Blue Eyes followed her to see what she was looking at. Lily. Even though she had a broken leg and was struggling to move around. She was struggling with a crate as she handed off to an ape.
"Then do it for her." She told him and signed. "Fight for her, instead. Like your father does for me and I do the same for him." Blue Eyes looked back to his mother and nodded his head. He hopped down from the tree and walked over to Lily. Just as she was handing off another crate, Lily felt her feet being lifted off from the ground as Blue Eyes picked her up. He tossed her over his shoulder, like she weighed nothing, carrying her like a sack of potatoes. Lily squirmed, kicking her legs, trying to get down, slapping Blue Eyes on his back with her hands. Some apes watched in amusement as they stopped what they were doing.
"Blue Eyes, I can walk! Put me down!" She signed, fervently. The next thing, Lily was placed down on back on her feet and saw that she was near the horses.
"Not with that leg you can't. Get packed up. Bring whatever we need. We are leaving." Blue Eyes signed to her.
"Leaving? Why? Where to? Aren't we going to help Caesar? This is my war as well." She signed back to him. "They are after me." Blue Eyes felt dread as he stared at her quietly.
"Father, wants us to find a safer home for apes. Not safe for the both of us right now. I can't lose you." He told her. Lily stared back at him and Blue Eyes pulled her closer, placing his forehead against hers.
"I don't want to lose you either." Lily replied. The two heard a hoot and both turned their heads to find Rocket as well as Ash, standing beside him. Blue Eyes blinked in surprise.
"Ash? Why are you here?" He signed.
"Caesar told father that he was coming with you. So, I am coming as well." Ash said.
"I couldn't talk him out of it. Ash is very adamant on coming." Rocket signed.
"Can't let you have all of the fun with this adventure that we're going on." Ash hooted excitedly. The horse were now strapped with supplies and weapons for the journey. Ash and Rocket both hopped onto their horses. Blue Eyes placed Lily on the saddle and was about to hop on. He saw Lake approaching the group.
"Hi." Blue Eyes signed.
"Weren't you going to say something?" She signed back to him. Lily watched the two, looking at Blue Eyes and back at Lake. Rocket and Ash watched in amusement, silently. Blue Eyes blinked.
"What?"
"What, what, what?" Lake repeated as she signed more rapidly. She looked angry as well as a little sad. "Something like, goodbye?"
"Goodbye." Blue Eyes replied. Lake brows furrowed.
"You really were just going to ride away, weren't you?"
"I...guess?" Blue Eyes said, still confused. What did she want? Why was she acting like this?
"You're an idiot, Blue Eyes!" Lake turned her head and started to walk away, leaving Blue Eyes even more confused than ever.
"Goodbye, Lake. I know that you're going to miss me!" Ash called out to her.
"In your dreams, Ash." Lake huffed as she rolled her eyes. Blue Eyes watched her left and turned to see Rocket and Ash and Lily staring at him. He saw that Lily looked a little upset, while Rocket and Ash had smiles on their faces.
"What?" Blue Eyes asked.
"What, what, what?" Ash signed for him, repeating just like Lake.
"I don't understand." Blue Eyes replied.
"She was flirting with you." Lily signed for him. Blue Eyes eyes widened. Rocket and Ash both panted as they laughed.
"But I'm not interested in her. Yes, she's an old friend of mine and Ash." Blue Eyes signed as he told Lily. He placed his hand on Lily's cheek, softly. "You're the one I want to be with." Lily smiled, holding his hand.
"I know." She told him.
Caesar and Cornelia walked over to the group to tell them goodbye.
"Are you ready?" Caesar asked Blue Eyes. Blue Eyes nodded.
"Yes, father. Goodbye. Goodbye, mother." He told them.
"Be careful and stay safe." Cornelia signed.
Just as Blue Eyes, Rocket, Ash, and Lily were about to leave. Cornelius made a shrill cry as he squirmed in Cornelia's arms. He reached his hands out to Lily. Lily tapped Blue Eye's on his shoulder, telling him to wait. She hopped down from the horse, grabbing her walking stick, strapped on, skinned supply bags. She hobbled over to Caesar and Cornelia, looking down at Cornelius, who was crying, noting wanting for her or Blue Eyes to leave. Lily gently patted Cornelius on his head, which seemed to calm the baby chimp down. Blue Eyes watched her as he waited.
Then Lily looked down at her necklace, twirling it with fingers. She took it off and placed her father's necklace around Cornelius neck. She knew that the baby was still too young to know sign language but did it anyway and Caesar and Cornelia watched her. "This necklace belong to someone very important to me. It protected me on my travels when I was alone, before I met Malcolm, Ellie, and Alex. It will do the same for you and keep you safe until we return." Cornelius chirped happily as he looked at her and started to play with the necklace, flipping it around seeing his reflection on the back of it, admiring how shiny it was and chewing and nibbling on it. Caesar and Cornelia smiled, seeing that their son had now stopped crying.
"Thank you." Caesar told her.
"Yes, thank you." Cornelia replied, softly. "I am glad that you are a part of this family now." Lily almost teared up. To Lily's surprise, Cornelia pulled Lily closer to her, hugging her. Lily hugged her back. Caesar placed his hand on Lily's shoulder with a small smile on his face. Lily smiled and pulled away and signed to the two of them. "Both of you take care and stay safe."
Lily headed back over to Blue Eyes, and he helped her back onto his horse, pulling her up, sitting behind him. Blue Eyes made his horse walk as he tapped it on its side and Rocket and Ash followed behind him as they rode their horses. As they were almost out of ape village, Lily heard Blue Eyes make a small grunt before he spoke.
"Why did you give up your necklace? I know that it was important to you." He asked her. "You know that you're never going to get it back."
"I don't need it anymore." She smiled, hugging him as she wrapped her arms around him.