The beyond-tense first clip from "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" -- which MTV is exclusively premiering -- shows just how shaky the peace between humans and the hyper-intelligent simians is when the sequel begins.

The clip expands on a scene previewed in the trailer. A small group of human survivors stumbles upon an encampment of apes, and then things escalate quickly.

Even a meeting of the evolutionary cousins puts a strain on the uneasy truce. It takes Caesar (Andy Serkis, reprising his "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" role) stepping in to end the stand-off. In the time between installments, the leader of the ape colony has apparently expanded his vocabulary.

It's easy to see in this early scene how swiftly the tension between these foes could escalate the conflict we've seen previewed in the trailers. While this tension might not bode well for human-ape relations later in the film, it does signal that director Matt Reeves has a serious grasp on how to play up suspense.

This exclusive clip is debuting ahead of a brand-new, kick-ass "Apes" trailer, which you'll be able to check out tomorrow night (June 18) on MTV at 11:07 p.m. ET/PT.

"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" opens in theaters on July 11.