The cynical apes within the tribe said that Ulok’s climb had been accomplished with his brawn and Sip-sip’s brain; though there were no challengers prepared to utter such a contentious thing to this growing forest giant.
Omag and his cohorts would crowd around and spoil the younger ape, grooming his thick fur and his ego, if his crippled mentor did find himself distracted and flinching from time to time, as sudden sounds caused him to recollect his bad luck with falling stones.
On occasion, Omag sat center to his little cadre with the aging queens acting as his handmaidens, cautiously grooming him. Gingerly grooming him, for his diseased flesh was too sensitive for such interaction, but there were times when the build-up of flaking skin, dried pus and the proliferation of scabs became too itchy and frustrating for him to ignore. Only then, could he bare the social exchange, and submit to a careful going-over by the old she-apes.
Secretly, the crippled ape also enjoyed the respite from random missile fire that attended such rare events for they never seemed to find him when he was surrounded by other apes. This cessation had not been his intention, but a bonus, since Omag had accepted the center position in part, with the hope that his attendants might absorb some of the falling objects that came his way.
The old queen Oluza was especially good at grooming Omag, and could discern which scabs were most ready to part from the damaged skin, though she was encouraged in her expertise by an affection for the tasty morsels.
As was tradition, Ulok also joined in to groom his mentor, though his participation was often prompted by his desire for Oluza, who despite his mother Akaki’s objections had several times initiated mating rituals with the amorous young male.
Omag’s sensitive skin and prickly nature kept him from overindulging in grooming, so he switched off with Ulok if he detected the young blackback’s attention beginning to wander.
The crippled ape was most impressed with the young blackback’s progress and he often imagined the day that Ulok would challenge Goro’s power. This excitement was only ever overcast by anxiety and doubts produced by Eeda’s night ape son, who was forever doing strange and unpredictable things.
Like the shining fang that Gazda had brought back from the jungle. That silver barb had made the skinny foundling into a formidable hunter—of panthers so he had claimed—though he had only ever shown a large black animal skin to prove it.
While Omag had a hard time believing such a thing was possible, he knew that the night ape had been an able hunter of meat before the addition of the fang, and so, some of the more gullible apes were willing to accept that Gazda “might” have killed the panther.
It didn’t help that the night ape also boasted about that victory at every opportunity.
While that lethal tool, and Gazda’s strange behavior—which continued to include his wearing the black animal skin and covering his pale flesh with mud—might be signs that he was crazy by ape standards, it signified something more to Omag.
His behavior meant Gazda could become a powerful challenger to any silverback if he ever grew larger and stronger, and had he the interest.
Ulok had been a wise choice, of that Omag was certain, for there were no blackbacks close to him in size and might, but even he might succumb to the shining tooth should Gazda ever make the challenge.
So, Omag hoped that the night ape’s boastful nature and reckless behavior would lead to his undoing, for it was clear that Eeda’s freak believed the new shining fang held more answers than wit and might.
Omag knew something of the silver tooth, for he had seen similar weapons in the hands of the bone-faced apes whose females he preyed upon. They also carried long, shining fangs, and from his place of hiding there had he once schooled himself in their power.
One sunset, while awaiting females by the river, Omag had seen a group of bone-faces come to their lair behind the sticks bearing a dead lion. The creature had been hanging by its legs from a thick pole carried by bone-faced males.
The crippled ape had decided to abandon his hunt after a great crowd of bone-faces came out of the lair and made a menacing display around the lion; but what most prompted Omag’s retreat had been the bone-faced ape that stepped back with a long stick upon which was fixed a shining fang, and with it he repeatedly stabbed the dead lion through and through.
Omag would never forget that lesson, and was much more cautious when he took the next bone-faced female for his meal.
But always thereafter did he watch for such fangs in the bone-faces’ hands, as he had now come to watch the one in the night ape’s.
He would never discount Gazda’s weapon, for in fact, he coveted it, wondering how he might get it for himself, or where he might acquire such a thing of his own.
A clever gleam appeared in the crippled ape’s eye whenever he thought of the power he would wield with a shining fang of his own. Not even Goro could stand before him so armed.
In this time, Eeda had continued to refuse the attentions of the males, and rebuked any that attempted to mate with her. The blackbacks even complained to Goro but he told them to pursue females that were willing to have them.
He believed that Eeda would mate again once her focus on her adopted son was ended, and already the silverback could see that the night ape required little of her time.
Gazda was now much stronger and more muscular and was growing up to be a hunter unparalleled within the tribe. His skills had provided meat to the blackbacks, she-apes and their infants, and this rich diet was reflected in the thick and glossy coats of all who had received it.
The night ape had never
