#i know noa uses a cattle prod in the movie

[blogthebooklover]

They Meet At the River's Edge

Author's Note: Hey guys! We are now officially a week away from the release of Kingdom of the Planet of the Ape!!! Here's a special treat: a fanfic one shot featuring Mae and Noa, inspired by Disney's Pocahontas. Edit: Great news, guys. It is now available on Wattpad! I put a link in the description box!

Noa pulled in the reins of his horse, his grip tightening along the leather.  He sniffed the air slightly, scenting it for anything out of the ordinary or for any other predators.  His mount was getting agitated and he couldn’t understand why.  The colt shook its head side to side, Noa could feel the back muscles tense from under his legs.  The young chimp leaned forward to pet the horse’s neck, trying to calm the creature down.

He surveyed the area again, sniffing the air once more for the possible threat.  There, he picked up on the scent, it was a human.  

What was a human doing all the way out here?  He wondered to himself while taking notice of the surrounding woods by the river.  There were tall weeds and large rocks dotting along the bank.  He was way ahead downstream, about five feet from where this potential threat might be.  He exhaled through his nostrils, his decision was made.  

The young chimp pulled on the reins again, turning his steed around to the trees surrounding the river.  He spotted a small patch of shrubs lining the riverside, and led his horse to it.

Noa had pressed himself against the steed’s back, silently hoping he was blending in with the environment.  He exhaled through his nostrils again, trying to slow down his beating heart.  There!  In the reeds, there was movement!  He felt his hackles stand along the length of his back, and reached for the spear that was fastened to his satchel, ready to confront the potential threat in the water.  The young ape motioned his mount forward in the direction of the reeds, his spear ready to throw.  

But he did not.

Emerging from the reeds was a female human.

He slowly lowered the spear when the human crawled out of the shallow water, and stood up at full height.  The female wore ragged clothes, but they were strange attire compared to the other feral humans.  The top covered the torso, only baring her shoulders and the bottoms were long to the ankle.  She was very pale in complexion, with dirt and mud covering her arms and face.  There was a scar on her left shoulder.  Her hair was long and covered with mud from the river.  Her eyes were the color of the sky, and she was staring at his own golden jade colored eyes.

There was only the sound of the leaves rustling in the trees.  And the sound of his breath exhaling through his lips.  He couldn’t help but notice the way the female was looking at him.  

Like they were equals.

All of the sudden, she took off in a run, climbing out of the water and into the surrounding forest.  Noa let out a surprised gasp, and steered his horse in the direction that the human ran off.  

Mae ran as fast as her legs could take her.  Her bare feet burned from the cuts she gained from the sticks and thorns all along the ground.  Her lungs felt like they were on fire.  She ran and ran until she came upon a clearing deep in the woods.  She heard the hooves of the horse behind her come to a halt.

She glanced around for a chance to hide and escape.  There was nothing in the clearing other than the tall grass and wildflowers.  

“Wait,” a voice called out to her.  The young woman turned around slowly, it was the ape from the river.  He climbed down from his horse, the spear still in hand.  Her gaze met with his briefly before turning it to the weapon in his hand.  The ape took notice of this, and tossed the spear away from them.  The male presented his palms to her, indicating that he was not a threat.  

“It is…all right,” the male spoke as softly as he could.  The young ape took a step closer to the human female, “I…want to…help you.”

Mae stared at the young chimp’s hands, so human like but different. She looked around for a way to escape should she need to.

Noa knew that feral humans could not speak, but from the way her eyes looked at him, he could tell there was an intelligent creature within.

The wind rustled the leaves in the trees and the fur on Noa’s shoulders, and the female’s disheveled hair.  The young ape slowly reached out his hand to her.  The female’s blue eyes glanced down at the outstretched hand.  She slowly stretched out her own hand and placed it in the young chimpanzee’s.  

He closed his fingers gently around hers as best as he could, he knew apes were much stronger ithan humans.  And he didn’t want to hurt her, truly.  

Noa pulled her closer to him until he could practically feel the fur on his chest brushing against her shirt. He felt a small smile form on his lips. The female's eyes drifted toward his mouth and back up again. She returned that same smile.

Like an echo.

Yes, that will be her name, Noa decided.