♠ D r o w n e d ♠
Run. That was her first thought that came to mind but going through the possibilities of bad outcomes, she thought it through. She would have considered the idea with or without a second thought. The apes were fast but she was faster than the normal human, considering she was not one herself.
She could run to the bridge and jump off, swim to safety to the other side of the city.
That would have been her plan if she did not have the responsibilities of the apelings she had with her. Their safety was her first priority and if she she were to stick with the plan, one: the bonobos wouldn't be able to hold their breathes until they got to the other side of the bridge. Two: she needed a new plan fast.
The apes suddenly parted and the muscular ape walked forward. The aura around him screamed superiority and she assumed he must be the leader. "Why. Are. You. Here?" he spoke. Calliope's eyes widened, he spoke. But she could not dwell on that as she needed to come up with a lie.
"I-" she stuttered. Damn her stuttering, "I was banished from the city."
A chimp on his right frantically signed, his eyes fumbling with anger as he did. The bonobo on the leader left nodded his head agreeing. Her grey eyes scanned his scars but the most prominent one was the one that started from his forehead that reached down to his chin. His left eye different from the other natural green one, it was milky white.
The apes started hooting as if agreeing with the two. It being louder and louder and she felt Miles whimper in her backpack at the noise. The leader's face hardened, "NO!" he screamed. All the apes silenced immediately.
She took this small opportunity to run for her life and bolted away. "Follow!" a voice echoed through the forest and her legs shivered as she heard hooting. They were right behind her as she panted and picked up her pace.
A gorilla on horseback rode beside her retreating form and he swung his spear at her head which collided with a tree. Her vision blurred her as she felt on her side, to not hurt either Miles or Octavius.
Calliope shrieked as she saw her leg was twisted abnormally thanks to tripping on a twisted vin on the forest floor.
"I am not an enemy. . ." she tries to convince them, using her arms to moved away from them but the gruff puff of the gorilla behind her stopped her. It was the same one that knocked her on the ground. "I mean no harm."
"Then. . ." the scarred bonobo started, sliding off his horse and stalking towards her like a prey as he asks, "why did you run?"
"Why did I run. . .?" she said almost breathlessly, her brows furrowed of as she scowls st him with anger for even asking such a dump question. "You snuck up and on me and wanted to kill me! I acted out of instinct."
"Human girl does not. . . .belong here." the scarred bonobo said slowly.
"I've never belonged anywhere. Don't you think I know that?" she snapped back at him in a challenging way. She was done acting. There was absolutely no way was she going to play the prey to his pathetic little game. She was a predator as much as he was.
Her anger soon vanished when the little ape hidden under her trenchcoat decided to make his presence known. "Tavy, no!" but he didn't listen, going closer to the ape leader, looking up at him with those green eyes of his that melted the coldest of hearts.
He noticed the young and another that poked it's little head out of her backpack, looking around curiously and all his frustrations left and he looked back at the human, "Why have young apes?"
"I rescued them. From being killed by my kind." she answers simply.
"LIES!" the bonobo growls making the little ape jump. "Human girl speak lies!" his eye instantly filled with guilt as the youngling ran towards the human and hugs her neck, whimpering softly.
The muscular ape tilted his head, narrowing his eyes as the little ape and his eyes widened, "Brother, this is your son. . . " he signed to the bonobo beside him, who's eyes widened and his scowl fell.
"Human girl found Koba's son!" the little ape's found his father's familiar face and hooted running to him. "Father. . .!" the two embraced each other.
But his scowl returns and he growls her way, "Why save my son?"
"Because they're innocent. And they had no one to protect them." she answers, her voice softer than she expected to be.
"She comes. . . .with us." the leader announced making the teen ape behind him frown. "Father, no!"
"I am going no where with you." the human girl growls at him. He sighs, "Human injured. You come with us."
"I can fix it myself."
"You come with us." repeated the leader and disappears for a while before returning holding the reigns of a horse and guiding it towards her, "Will help you." he said more softly before it changed, raising a brow at the weapon in her hand, "No guns." The leader spoke, his voice dangerously low.
"You're kidding." But she saw the look ever present on his face, not daring to falter. "how will I protect myself?"
"No guns." he repeated in that same tone.
"Fine." Calliope glared daggers into his bright green his. She saw the scarred ape smirk her way as she opened her coat, in it were only one hand guns and she threw them one by one, into the deep river. She reached her left leg and pulled her gun out of the holster, throwing it in the river. "I'll use my fists." she confidently said, holding up her stare that rivaled the scarred bonobo.
She hesitated at the leader's extended arm out for her but she took it nonetheless and he helps her on the black shire horse. He climbs on behind her and signals for the apes to head the trek to their home.