The Ape King

Home sweet home

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Deep in the unexplored Congo rainforest...

He quickly swung through the trees using the heavy vines and tree branches as he stalked his prey. He approached the oblivious deer that was grazing next to the stream, he slowed and moved quietly so that he was directly above it. He looked around for any other predators that may have come then sniffed the air. Satisfied that he was the only one hunting the doe, he carefully lowered himself and dropped onto it. He wrapped his muscular arms around her neck and jerked swiftly causing the doe's neck to snap loudly. The doe's body collapsed and he crouched beside it. He took out a well used machete that was strapped to his back and began to cut it into pieces. He thought back to the strange tools he had found many years ago in a make-shift hut that was close to the beach, high in a sturdy tree. Having no real concept of time and his age, he couldn't know that he was 10 when he discovered the hut and found the machete in the leather strap along with a flint tool hanging off a hook inside. He had also found a large leather sack that he used to gather fruit for his family but many other things he could not make sense of, so he did not pay attention to them until much later. It took him many days and nights to master how to use the machete. He used it to hunt as much as he used it to protect his family. He cut pieces off the doe and set them aside to cook. He had eaten meat raw before but once he discovered the taste of cooked meat, he had decided to cook it all the time. He quickly made a fire by gathering branches and dry leaves. He then used his flint to spark a low flame and cooked his meal. He ate until he had his fill then stood and began searching for fruit. Although he had a taste for meat, his family did not. He untied the empty leather sack from his back and filled it with fruits and vegetation. When it was full, he picked it up and balanced it on his muscled shoulder then began swinging his way back to his family. The man had wondered many times why he looked so different from his family and felt out of place among them when he was younger, but as he visited the hut more and explored the many books and writing tools, he discovered he was indeed different and came to accept it. Through the books that he looked at as a teenager he saw many pictures of men and learned about the English language as most of the books were in English. He had not learned to speak in the tongue of "civilized" man because that would have required someone who spoke it to teach him. Instead he had first learned to speak like his family the great apes; then later the language of a village that lived far to the north of his family's territory. He excelled in many things better than his family including higher reasoning, thus allowing him to learn and teach himself things from the books in the hut. He in turn also taught his family useful skills. He showed them to carry bags he made of the plants they didn't eat and to fill them with food. They also learned to pull ropes that he had made to help them pull up any uneaten food high in the trees.

The man arrived in the clearing surrounded by trees where his family were grooming themselves and napping. They all looked up surprised when he landed in the middle of them and many of them rose to happily greet him. He removed the sack and dumped the contents on the ground while calling to them and encouraging them to eat. He turned to see his mother, Asha, making her way down from a nearby tree towards him.

He could see her eyes twinkling with amusement as she spoke in a series of soft hoots, "This is where you've run off to? You don't need to gather food for us, we can feed ourselves."

He barked a laugh and responded "Of course I know that you all can but with Sterk gorging himself until there is hardly anything left, I'd like to see you not waste away mother."

Asha patted his bearded cheek affectionately and turned to eat with the rest of the family. He turned and saw Sterk, the great silverback and leader of his family, coming down a tree. He grunted a greeting to him that Sterk ignored, as always, and watched him approach the food. Long ago, in his late teenage years, the man had won respect from his family including Sterk when he had killed one of the great cats that tried to attack them. Although Sterk disliked the ape man, he would not cause conflict because the man had proven himself many times. Sterk noticed the ape man watching him to see if he would start a fight over the food and lazily walked away and threw himself down to nap near a tree. Now that the threat of a fight was gone; the ape man was able to leave. He jumped into a nearby tree and swinging with a swiftness that was inhuman, he made his way through the trees to a waterfall near his secret hut. He enjoyed swimming and washing in the cool water. A thing that was odd to his family because the apes did not share his love of water. He slowly went about slipping the machete strap over his head and laid it down gently on a large rock near the waterfall. Next he untied the loincloth that covered his back side and front area (it had a middle piece that tucked into itself and two hanging flaps of fabric made of animal skin and dark brown in color) and laid it down next to the machete strap.