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THUNDERSTORM
They had never been in this area before. Tall metal structures shot up into the sky, crusting and decrepit. Many species of plant reclaimed what was once theirs. Sylva led a small party of apes through the unfamiliar roads. They left their horses a few miles back since the terrain was hard to navigate. It also made their approach more stealthy for what was about to come.
The settlement was humble but thriving. Set up between the former human structures. Sylva scoped the camp from afar, hiding in the thick vegetation. The inhabitants were mostly bonobos. He saw two gorillas as well.
Proximus would like to have more strong apes in his growing Kingdom…
They would raid at sundown.
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One of the gorillas proved to be more of a problem than expected. In the midst of the chaos, Sylva’s party was busy detaining their new subjects.
So he had to handle this on his own.
He had lost his staff during the fight, now clashing with the other silverback with fists and teeth. The Gorilla was massive, certainly bigger than him. He tackled the big ape but he could not knock him off balance. Instead, two strong arms reached around him, lifted him and threw him over a ledge. Sylva tried to hang on but the rusted material was smooth and wet from the rainy season. His hands slid right off.
He collided with the cracked concrete floor and he collided hard. Knocking the wind out of him. His vision blurry as he looked up. He was lying in a square pit, surrounded by more metal structures. The outline of his adversary visible at the ledge he was just thrown off of.
Sylva just managed to roll out of the way as the other Gorilla jumped down, nearly crushing him as he landed.
He was trying to get back on his feet when the rivaling Silverback growled.
“Strong… But inexperienced”
These were the first words he had said. And as he did, he broke off a long, rusted pipe sticking out of the ground. Then he charged.
Sylva wanted to dodge. Wanted to sink his teeth in the other apes neck. Wanted to do anything. But his body did not comply and in just a split second he felt the sharp pain of metal piercing his right arm, followed by a heavy tackle that made him collide with the structure behind him.
He must have screamed. He wasn’t sure. The Pain was like nothing he’d ever felt before.
And then heavy fists struck his face.
Pain was followed by blissful darkness.
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Drops of Rain.
Cold and heavy.
They struck Sylvas Face. His fur. It slowly brought his conscience back. Groaning, he managed to crack open his eyes. Disorientation and a foggy mind were still prevalent. It took a good minute for it to set in where he was. And what predicament he was in. And then the pain hit him with full force. Huffing, he glanced to his side, unpleasant shivers running down his spine as he saw the rusted metal protrude out of his arm. He looked further back, over his shoulder. The other end had pierced through and was now lodged in a broken, moss covered slab of concrete. Pinning him to it.
A slight panic arose inside him, his breathing growing erratic. He grabbed at the pipe, slick from rain and blood, desperately trying to pull it out. It budged a little but the movement made his stomach turn and his pain flare up.
So he let go again.
Defeated, he let his hand drop down to his side, breathing loudly. The rain was not heavy yet but each droplet was icy on his skin. He glanced up at the clouded sky. And listened.
Quiet.
No familiar voices or hoots. No sound of fighting. Only the occasional call of a bird. The rush of wind.
He was alone. No idea where his troop was. Or where the clan they had tried to capture had gone to.
This was bad.
He closed his eyes again. Deciding to save what energy he had left for now. Maybe after some rest, he would be able to dislodge himself. The rain did not make it easy on him though.
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Sylva had no frame on how much time had passed, all he knew was that the sun had risen behind the veil of rain clouds. But the sound of something- someone approaching made him perk up. He listened quietly.
It was the sound of feet stepping on moss and metal above him. Light steps. A chimp maybe. Maybe one of his chimps.
He let out a low and pained grunt. Hoping whoever was up there would hear.
The steps halted. Sylva growled again. Not threatening but loud enough to make his presence known.
His growl was answered by excited panting. Definitely a chimp. Two footed steps evolved into a four legged sprint. And then he saw a head pop up over the ledge above him. The rain made it hard for Sylva to see, he still didn’t know who this chimp was. But he seemed friendly enough.
The chimp let out a loud hoot before he climbed down the building. His feet made contact with the ground and he rose to his full size, walking towards the Silverback. Sylva let out a sigh of relief. It was one of his chimps. Thank Caesar.
“Where are the others?”, He asked, his voice feeling coarse.
The chimp had stared at the obvious foreign object in his leader's arm with unease. But he tore his gaze off it, instead looking at Sylva directly.
“Captured the clan. On their way home. I stayed behind”
Sylva nodded, relieved to know they had won in the end. He regarded the ape before him. He was new to the hunting party. An up and coming ape. They had fought not too long ago. A fight Sylva had won. He had to think for a few seconds to remember the chimps' name.
“You’re Lightning, right? You stayed behind…for what?”
The question seemed to surprise Lightning, huffing his response in an almost insulted manner.
“To find Sylva! Lightning is not going to leave fellow ape behind”
Sylva nodded once again. “Thank you”
Lightning acknowledged the thanks with a slight bow. He then came closer, carefully grabbing the bloodied pipe to inspect it.
“Pain…?”
That made Sylva almost smile. He huffed, nodding.
Lightning further inspected the cracked concrete the Metal was lodged in.
“Need to break this off. But keep it in your arm. For now.”
“To stop the blood”, Sylva agreed. The only positive so far was that he had not lost too much of it.
Lightning let go and started to look around. He scattered away, grabbing a sizable rock he had spotted. With a raised brow he presented the tool. A silent question.
Sylva gave an approving growl. Anything that would get him out of here at this point.
Lightning came back. once again grabbing the protruding metal. He raised the Rock in his hand, aiming it at the exposed part of the pipe that was stuck to the wall.
Like a hammer, the rock came down on it, a loud clang echoed through the pit. Way too close to Sylvas ears for comfort. He clenched his teeth, the metal vibrated unpleasantly from the impact. Lightning raised the rock once again. And struck.
It took five hits before the rusted metal finally gave way and broke.
Relieved, Sylva fell forward, catching himself with his uninjured arm. Rainwater that had soaked his fur ran down his face. He tried to catch his breath. The whole ordeal was more painful than he had liked to admit.
He felt a comforting hand on his back, accompanied by reassuring chitters.
“You need rest. I know where to go. Come.”
Sylva looked up from beneath his brow, along the wall of the pit they were in.
“We need to climb.”
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Sylva did his best avoiding his right arm, instead focusing more to get a good grip with his feet. He already was not the best climber and the injury certainly didn’t help. Lightning did his best to help him. Climbing ahead and lending a hand to pull the gorilla further up to the next possible grip. The strength was impressive. Lightning was not a small chimp. Quite the contrary, thick arms and broad chest that dwarfed other apes around him. Still, Sylva almost couldn’t believe the strength the chimp possessed to hoist the Silverback up.
With a lot of effort and the occasional slipping on wet surfaces they both reached the top of the ledge. Sylva was out of breath, and he could feel himself swaying from the exertion but he managed to stay upright. Finally being out of that claustrophobic pit made him breathe a little easier.
Lightning hesitantly touched the gorilla's hand to get his attention. He pointed west.
“There is small cave over there. Dry and warm. Let us rest there”
Sylva grunted and motioned Lightning to lead the way. Which the chimp gladly did, panting and smiling. He then trod ahead, closely followed by Sylva.
The rain had not let up, it had gotten worse. The rolling sound of thunder in the distance. A storm was approaching. The sooner they would reach their shelter the better.
Lightning was fast on his feet, but he made an effort to stop and wait for the Gorilla to catch up regularly. Sylva usually would have no problem keeping up, but he was too hurt to move at his normal pace. Not just his arm, his head and his back were aching too. He could not remember ever sustaining injuries like this. Hopefully it would be the first and last time.
As he followed the gray chimp through the unfamiliar territory, he couldn’t help but notice the large scar on his back. It was still fresh, red and angry against the unusually bright colored fur. Sylva remembered too well. He was the one who had inflicted that scar on Lightning.
The fool had tried to impress Proximus by challenging his second in command. The fight did not last long and it ended with Sylva grabbing the smaller ape by his leg and hurling him against a wall. It split his back open and rendered him unable to get up again. His blood had painted the walls and the floor a deep red that day…
Despite his loss though, the bravery did impress Proximus.
It was the reason he was now part of the hunting party.
The Gorilla was glad he was. He did not know if the other apes would have come back for him. But Lightning did.
Despite it all.
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The cave that Lightning led them to was an open hole inside one of the structures. He beckoned Sylva inside, both of them dripping wet from the rain. It was a small cave. A heap of dry sticks were lying in the middle of it. Lightning must have prepared beforehand, not knowing if he had to spend the night in this territory. Smart.
The chimp shook, the heavy soaked fur flicking water everywhere. Sylva followed the example.
“Sit down. Rest. I light the fire”, Lightning ordered.
Sylva did not need to be told twice. He walked sluggishly to the furthest corner of the room and plopped down. Pained but relieved. He watched Lightning take out his knife and a firestone, dragging the knife across the stone to produce sparks. After a few tries the sticks caught fire, illuminating the cave. Nightfall was close to set in, the light source was comforting. Not to mention the pleasant heat that emitted off the flames.
Sylva stared at the fire, its movement and sound hypnotizing. He could have dozed off in a matter of seconds but the shuffling of Lightnings feet made him perk up. His brow furrowing.
“You’re leaving?”
Lightning was on his way out, but he halted, looking over his shoulder. Outside, the storm was now going in its full force. Thunder roared above their heads.
“Gonna get you something. Food. Might find healing leaves too. Won’t be gone long.”
Sylva nodded slowly.
“Be careful”, he said, quietly.
Lightning grunted affirmatively and went out into the rain. Leaving Sylva alone once again.
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Eventually Sylva had dozed off, the strain of the day too much for him to keep his eyes open. He was sleeping, sitting against the wall, arm carefully positioned in a way that would keep the metal from clashing against anything.
He woke to soft grunts and pants. A cold and wet hand touching his chest. The image of a happy chimp with a bundle of green leaves in his hand greeted him.
“Found the leaves! We can pull it-”, he gestured to the protruding pipe, “We can pull it out now.”
The gorilla's jaw tightened. It had to be done. But he was not looking forward to it.
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The ‘operation’ was crude, and it was apparent that neither of them were healers.
Sylva was lying on his back, the pierced arm lifted at first. But Lightning gently grabbed the gorilla’s wrist to put it down to the ground, or as close as he could get to it with the metal in the way. The pipe gave off a high pitched clang as it touched the floor. Lightning then grabbed at either side of the wound and pushed the arm down. The pipe, being stuck in place thanks to the floor beneath, slowly emerged out of Sylas arm.
Sylva didn’t look. He couldn’t. He was busy suppressing the pained screams.
Once his arm made contact with the floor, Lightning changed his strategy. Now fixating the arm with his foot and grabbing the pipe.
“Almost over”, he reassured.
With one swift pull, and a scream that Sylva could not suppress this time, he lodged the foreign object free. The smell of blood hung in the air.
He got to work quickly, taking the leaves and rolling them up into neat little pegs. He quickly plugged the gaping wound with it on both sides. The rest of the leaves he chewed up, using the resulting paste to smear it on the entrance wound.
Once it was over, both of them were covered in blood, exhausted mentally and physically.
Sylva was still lying on his back, in his puddle of blood. He had his eyes closed, breathing heavy. But relieved.
“Thank…you”
“Sylva feels better now?”
“Yes.”
Lightning huffed, just as glad that it was over. He gently patted the big apes chest.
“I will clean you up. Then you can sleep.”
Sylva growled. Lightning was right, he could not just lie in his own blood all night. Groaning, he sat up. With Lightning helping, they moved to the other side of the cave, where it was still clean. Once sat, Lightning gently started to groom him. Starting with his wounded arm and licking blood off.
It almost felt…
Nice.
He quietly watched the chimp do his work. Carefully combing through fur, eyes fully concentrated on his task. His mouth was smeared with blood. What a weird sight it was.
Sylva was not good with intimacy. He was never the type to cozy up to other apes. Especially not with lower ranked ones.
Lightning had earned it today though. More than earned it.
Without thinking, he reached out with his uninjured hand, softly touching the bright birthmark on the chimp’s head that likely had given him his name.
The sudden contact made Lightning freeze for a second. Sylva huffed out a short laugh.
“I am clean now. Your turn.”
Lightning couldn’t even protest, the gorilla just grabbed him and started to reciprocate the gesture. Carefully grooming his companions light fur. Taking extra special care around the scar on Lightning's back.
When he was done he gave Lightning a reassuring pet on his head. Lightning awkwardly hooted his thanks and then started to get up.
“You need sleep. I’ll let you-”
A big hand was holding his ankle, preventing him from going any further. He glanced back at Sylva, unsure.
Sylva didn’t say anything. He just tugged at the smaller apes leg and gestured with his head.
Oh.
Hesitantly, Lightning nodded.
Sylva lied down, essentially dragging the chimp with him to his uninjured side. Nestled in between Sylvas arm and his body, the pleasant warmth soon coerced him into a deep slumber.
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For the trip home, Lightning let Sylva ride his horse, himself trotting alongside it. The loyal beast had been waiting for them where Lightning had left it. He was worried the storm had scared it off, but it must have known its master would return soon.
They were keeping a slow pace, in no particular hurry to get home. Passing trees and wildlife. The familiar sight of the beach in the distance growing ever closer.
“I’m thankful you helped me, Lightning”
Lightning almost didn’t hear the praise. He looked up. Bashful, almost.
“It is my duty”
Sylva nodded. “I know. Still. You are a good ape. Honorable. I will let Proximus know.”
Lightning nodded, a smile on his face.
“Thank you. It means a lot coming from you”, he said. Quietly but with earnesty in his voice.
Sylva smiled back.
“I trust you will stay at Sylva’s side a while longer once we are home? Still need to heal”
“As long as you want me to.”
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