Summary: Caesar's newly acquired human child has set her sights on befriending the grumpiest ape of all -- Koba. Armed with fruit, grooming attempts, and relentless curiosity, Sky's mission is simple... she wants Koba to be her friend.
Rating: Gen (Platonic)
Relationships: Koba & Human Child; Caesar & Human Child (minor)
Word Count: 1.4k
The communal fire crackled softly as the freshly placed logs became engulfed by the flames, casting a warm staticky light over the gathered apes. Sky sat comfortably in Caesar’s lap leaning back against his furry chest to take full advantage of the added warmth on the crisp autumn night, her small hands clutching a piece of chilled fruit baby Blue Eyes handed to her. She had been with the apes for a couple of months now, and while most had grown accustomed to her presence, Koba remained distant and wary.
This was quite frustrating, considering Koba was the most interesting ape in the bunch in her opinion. Oh, how she yearned to ask him about the scars, and how he learned to fight and hunt the way he did. He was the strongest one in the colony… besides Caesar himself of course… and maybe Rocket, but she’s already ran him through the wringer with her questions and her curiosity for him has been quenched.
She kept finding her curious eyes drifting towards Koba, sitting beside her and Caesar, his posture tense and his gaze hard, like it always was. She watched as he picked at his food, his movements sharp and deliberate. The other apes chatted and groomed each other as they did every night.
Sky has grown accustomed to the soft chittering and hoots common among the colony. It was different from humans, but it had that same sense of community that Sky longed to be fully part of.
As she nibbled on her fruit, Sky’s gaze lingered on a patch of dried mud clinging to Koba’s fur. She glances around the circle of apes, watching intently as a few of the gathered chimps and bonobos groom and pick at each other's backs with an absent mind, as if there was no need to even think of doing so. She’s grown to assume it as a sign of trust and affection, seeing as Cornelia and even Caesar himself sometimes would spend time picking twigs and dried leaves out of her own hair.
So, maybe if Koba saw her trust and care for him, he’d be more open to her presence! Gathering her courage, she slowly reached out, her small fingers trembling, out of fear, or excited anticipation she didn’t know.
Koba stiffened as soon as her fingers brushed against his fur, his eyes narrowing just out of her line of sight. Her fingers gently tugged at the dried mud, mimicking what she had observed, trying to express her intentions of befriending him.
Koba, as she should have expected, was not open to her innocent attempt. His growl was low and menacing, and she froze, fingers still tangled in his rough fur. He turned his head sharply, glaring at her. He snapped his teeth together in a silent warning, a sharp huff leaving his nostrils.
“Sky,” Caesar’s voice was gentle but firm, coming out in a gruff huff of air, a warning to be careful. His eyes had slid over to observe the interaction, trying to be respectful of his friend's boundaries and clear discomfort. Sky had not yet realized why exactly Koba was so wary of her, and Caesar has not had the heart to explain the terrible things her people had once done to the poor bonobo to cause such hostility.
Sky withdrew her hand, her eyes wide and apologetic. She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, her one remaining front tooth chewing anxiously on them. Then she remembered how the apes would hold out their hands to apologize to one another, something Maurice has taught her to do, along with another select few signs. She slowly extended her small hand towards Koba, her palm open and trembling in apology.
Koba’s glare softened slightly, his angry huffs morphing into more begrudging ones with an occasional sniff, but he did not swipe her hand to accept the gesture. Instead, he grabbed a handful of fruit and stood, dismissing himself from the circle and climbing back down to the lower nests and disappearing under the overhang.
Sky pouted, eyes welling with unshed tears at the clear rejection. She angled her head back against Caesar’s chest to look to him for some sort of guidance, on what she must’ve done wrong. But he offers nothing more than a soft smile. He places his large hand atop her head, gently combing through the messy strands of hair, picking at what might be a few pieces of dried leaves. Then she feels the rough pad of his thumb brush against her cheek in a quiet gesture of comfort, doubling as an apology on his friend's behalf.
She drops her head again to glance at the others around her to see if they had witnessed the exchange, Rocket’s looking at her the same way Caesar was, along with Maurice and Cornelia, and that just makes her feel bad all over again. She drops the fruit in her hands and pulls her knees to her chest, turning her whole body to press her face against Caesar’s front, hiding herself away from the embarrassment and hurt of Kobas rejection.
Days turned into weeks and the nights only grew colder, which meant Koba was much more inclined to join the group for dinners around the warmth of the fire. Which gave Sky prime opportunity to continue her attempts at befriending him. She would always make sure she sat beside him during meals, whether that meant she climbed into Maurice’s lap, or even Luca’s, she was always right there. Her attempts and consistency were didn’t go unnoticed by the other apes, and it quickly became the subject of conversation when Koba was not around.
Sky would always offer him small pieces of fruit during meals to butter him up, and the next time she attempted to pick at his fur she made sure she was prepared. She spent the last week practicing on others, just to make sure she was doing it right. At night, while in the nest she’d quietly and gently pick at Caesar or Cornelia’s fur. Caesar would always make grumbling noises for disturbing his sleep but Sky knew he didn’t really mind. She’d always make sure to give him a big kiss on the head when she was done, just to make up for the disruption. In the daytime, she’d make her rounds on Maurice and baby Blue and she’d sometimes even try to pick at Rocket’s fur, even though there wasn’t very much to work with.
Whenever she’d try on Koba again though, his reactions were always the same—stiffening, growling, and glaring—but he never pushed her away completely, and he’s yet to run away again like the first time.
One evening, weeks later, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Sky…once again reached out to Koba. This time, her touch was more confident, her fingers deftly removing a small twig from his fur that she’d spotted early on in the meal. Koba’s growl was softer, almost resigned and he didn’t even flinch, like he was expecting her to reach out and touch him. He glanced at her, his eyes reflecting a hint of curiosity, but it was quickly whisked away with his usual glare and harsh snort. And then he looked away.
Sky smiled, beaming with pride and hope. She continued her gentle grooming, her small hands working with care. Koba’s posture relaxed slightly, his resistance slowly melting away. He still watched her with caution, but there was a new softness in his gaze.
Over time, Koba grew accustomed to Sky’s presence. Her persistence and innocence chipped away at his hardened exterior. He began to tolerate her touch, even finding a strange comfort in her attempts to groom him. The other apes noticed the change, especially Caesar and his close companions. It brought them a semblance of peace to know Koba is that much closer to healing from his past traumas.
One night not to log after, as the fire crackled and the apes settled in for the evening, Sky sat beside Koba, her small hands busy with the fur on his arm. Koba no longer growled or stiffened; instead, he closed his eyes, a rare moment of peace washing over him. She ever so slowly inched her way into his lap, and his eyes sprung back open in shock. She stared at him with wide eyes, like she wasn’t quite sure how he’d react to the development, but Koba didn’t snap or glare, just quietly began to eat his supper while keeping a watchful eye on her. Sky grinned to herself, ducking her chin so he couldn’t see, and she migrated her gentle grooming from his shoulder to his chest.
Caesar sat beside them, watching them both with a warm smile on his face. He never would’ve guessed Sky would be capable of warming Koba’s heart unlike any of them have ever been able to do before.
**Thanks for entertaining my writing! I appreciate each and everyone of you. I can't wait to dive deep into this fandom. It's been several years since I've written anything, so I'm so glad to be back. If you have anything you want to see, hit me up and we'll see what I can do. I always love a good challenge
Here is BBI Bobby for Day 4 of Crittertember! lol with slight edit. Thanks @theonetruegnome !
I know in the canon she is deaf and blind but I decided to ....ignore that. Or I'll say those afflictions came later due to starvation. (like thats any better yeesh). The other idea is Catnap injured her so bad that that is how she got that way.
This Bobby of course worked very closely with the kids and was a fluffy, happy, and tired nanny type. She loved reading bed time and even morning time stories to the kids and the kids loved to listen to her read. I don't know how tall she'd be. In the second image I'm imagining her being on her knees at least. and the boy is on his tip toes. In my mind she is voiced by Barbara Luddy a classic va from the classic era of Disney. Particularly her Lady and Kanga voice.
I decided to start a little community collab thing! Inspired by that one undertale meme where everyone fell down mt ebbot in 2019 bc 201X was over. With a background, just draw over for your Human Child’s journey through the Underground, starting with the flowerbed and so on.
I think I’ll leave it up for, say a week or so to give others a chance to participate! Feel free- in fact I encourage interactions between everyone’s little humans! Just make sure to tag em and put it under #HowWasTheFall =D
(For those who are here for A Day In A Flock; this is the undertale version haha! Giving two of my hyperfixations some love!)
The child continued to rush through the forest, with the 12 Lost Cookies still in her arms and clutched to her chest…they were shivering out of complete fear and terror.
The child’s breaths were quick and heavy. A feeling of urgency rushed through her as she continued to run.
The Lost Cookies found themselves drifting in and out of consciousness. Their eyelids drooped slowly, their eyesights faltering, and soon one by one, their eyes closed.
And they were out like lights.
It seemed like she ran for minutes and minutes without stopping…
Until finally, she reached a house. A medium-sized house to be exact. Quickly but carefully, she reached for the doorknob and entered the home.
She quickly slammed the door shut and rushed into the living room. Where she lied the Cookies onto the couch gently. As they softly stirred, she sat down next to where they were lying, trying to catch her breath.
“...”
After what seemed like hours, the Cookies began to stir once more…
Cotton slowly opened her eyes, let out a little yawn, and sat up.
“Hm…? Huh…?”
Her vision was blurry as she looked around her whereabouts. She rubbed her arm against them trying to regain her sight.
Then her eyes glanced at the child’s.
“AHHHHHH!”
Cotton immediately jumped up and backed up. Her sudden scream made the child flinch a bit…and started the other slumbering Cookies…
She stared at the child, her eyes wide, as the child stared back.
Silence once again took over.
Finally, Cotton spoke up.
“Who…who are you…?” She asked.
“...I…”
The child slowly rose her arms and took off her hood. Revealing a young, warm, but concerned expression.
