The Boneyard

Third

An old tree, tall, thick, and covered in vines had fallen. It made a small gap in the canopy through which the sunlight could penetrate and reach the jungle floor. On the edge of the clearing it had made there was a large prehistoric rock, older than the deep jungle that lived and changed and died around it. It was almost fully covered in roots, moss, and small plants. It had been there for an age.

He was sitting on the rock with his back to the jungle, resting in the sunlight, warming himself with his eyes closed listening to the ambient sounds of small animals. A loud screaming tore through the peaceful air and the birds in the canopy took flight. His eyes opened. His face was heavily scarred and betrayed no joy, no anger, nothing. His eyes were deep, and expressed an uncomfortable intensity. They darted about the scene. They settled on the two youngsters in the clearing, screaming and wrestling with each other. They were his children. He relaxed again, at ease knowing they were just playing, fighting over the meat he had brought them. He closed his eyes again and listened to the sounds of the jungle around him.

It fell silent. He caught the scent, and his eyes were open again before the other chimpanzee emerged slowly from the jungle, to the edge of the clearing opposite the rock. He was lean and powerful, but the other chimpanzee was bigger, stronger. The prince of the troop was huge, stupid, hungry, and its vacant, passive eyes were leading it slowly towards the young chimps. He waited for a long time, eyes fixed on the other chimpanzee. He didn’t know if he had been seen or if the other just didn’t care, but he continued to watch until the other came out of the edge of the jungle and into the clearing. Though they knew the large chimpanzee from the troop, his children froze and fell silent when they saw it advance on them. Its face now twisted in a snarl. One of the young chimpanzees was grabbed and thrown roughly away from the meat, while the other let out a high pitched scream in fear and jumped up and down. There was time for nothing else. He launched himself off the rock and into the larger ape. Teeth bared with the full, deep scream of all out attack. He collided with the other chimpanzee and knocked him to the ground. He bit, his large teeth sinking deep into the others flesh. His heavy blows fell on the others face and he raked his fingers over the others eyes. Stunned by the ferocity, the larger chimpanzee did not fight and only tried to cover up from the vicious attack. He grabbed one of the arms being used to protect the face and pried it off. With his free hand he grabbed a rock and brought it down on the head. Over and over. Again and Again. Now the face was unrecognisable, caved in, but he dropped the rock and tore at it with his hands until it was gone, spread across the jungle floor. Then he wiped his face with his hand. Thick, warm, and red, the blood covered his face that still betrayed no malice or remorse, except for his furious and brutal eyes. 

He was sitting on a large rock facing a vast plain. His face was scarred but stoic. The sky was dark, and as the first drops of rain started to fall on him his eyes opened. They were bright, alert, sharp, and completely without pity. They fixed on the long line of animals in the distance. He sat on the rock looking at the slow, silent procession for a short while and then bared his teeth. He climbed down from the rock and began to amble forwards. The other animals followed behind him. All of them. Elephants. Tigers. Bears. Moose. Beavers. Aardvarks. Raccoons. Rats. Mice. All kinds of birds, lizards, amphibians, arachnids and insects. All of those animals that were not selected for passage on the ark. They advanced, and the rain started to come down hard.