Well, here we are - the rewrite. I always cringed, reading the old version - now, I'm back and I'm hoping to create a darker and more serious tone. In my opinion, the original story was... how can I put it? A disappointment? Anyway, this rewritten version will differ in many ways to both the old one and my other story, 'Before Jewel Met Blu', which I also intend to rewrite in future.

Here we go! I hope you enjoy it and find it much more exciting than the previous draft, which I have now deleted.

- Love, Sorrel

The western Amazon was quiet, and the sky was a silver-grey, covered by cloud. While thunder rumbled in the distance and rain fell heavier by the minute, there was nothing sinister about it - at least not in a lone macaw's mind. He was far too happy to be put down by a little bad weather. He was a Spix's macaw - young, around fifteen years of age, with a mop of long, heavy crest feathers hanging around his face. He had so many, he was constantly sweeping them back, but they flew back into his eyes. As he flew swiftly through the rainforest, there was a slight bounce to his flight. Fat, heavy raindrops pattered gently on the broad leaves of the trees, and onto his feathers, but it couldn't dampen his high spirits.

Ramon had not seen others of his kind in a while - he was part of a rare species, after all, but then most Spix's macaws in the Amazon lived in that tribe. Ramon understood what drew them to living in a tribe - safety in numbers, what with the human intruders becoming more frequent. Humans were coming in their huge boats, observing the rainforest with those flashy boxes. These ones usually kept to their boats, but others entered the rainforest. Sometimes it was just more of these boat ones with the flashy boxes, talking excitedly and looking fascinated by just a crazy looking plant, but others weren't like this. They came in their great machines, their monsters - and ate away at the rainforest, taking trees and wrecking havoc, with deadly consequences.

Maybe Ramon and his family would be safer living with their own kind, but tribelife had never appealed to him and his mate, Alessandra. They preferred life alone, where it was much quieter and more serene, while the tribes bickered over territory and foraging rights. Ramon saw it all as complete and utter nonsense - he saw no point in it all. Nobody ever thought of sharing. Anyway, humans rarely came to their area, so it should be safe enough.

Ramon and Alessandra lived in a snug little tree, in the west Amazon. The human city of Manaus wasn't too far away, just a half hour flight, but it wasn't a problem to them. There was no sign of humans anywhere, so the couple had settled, seeing it as a good place to start a family. Ramon's heart warmed as the young tree merged into sight. It was smaller than the surrounding walking palms, a caraibeira, and already, he could hear the happy voice of Talitha. His daughter had been born a few months before, and she was a young teenager. But she wouldn't be his only child for much longer - as Talitha had grown, Alessandra had decided that new siblings would be good for her. This part of the Amazon wasn't inhabited by many families, so Talitha hadn't made many friends. Maybe a sibling could ease the lonely feeling Talitha felt.

A single egg had appeared in the nest - for weeks, Ramon and Alessandra had tended to it with utter most care, keeping it warm and also making sure it wasn't overheated, what with the intense humidity of their rainforest home. It wouldn't be much longer until it hatched - Alessandra was watching the egg like a hawk, excitedly watching for signs of movement, while Talitha always brought extra soft moss and downy feathers for the nesting. They were very protective - they had a special stone to roll over the hollow entrance, whenever a predatory animal was close by. These animals were what they were most afraid of, for they had been effected in the past.

Talitha, contrary to what she had been told, had not been the only egg of her brood. Ramon and Alessandra's first clutch had consisted of two eggs, rather than one. They had both fallen asleep at the side of the hollow, the nest covered and incubated with moss, but they had been awoken by a cracking sound. Alessandra had let out a horrified shriek upon seeing the feline crouched over the nest of eggs. Seeing that it had been caught, the feline, which they believed to be a margay, had turned and fled as Ramon had clawed it's ears, chewing on something as it did.

They had frantically searched the nest, desperate to believe that it wasn't true, but had been unable to find the other egg. After this, they had sworn to protect the egg that had become Talitha, and any other egg they were blessed with. There was no point in telling Talitha - it could be upsetting, and the arrival of the new egg had raised their spirits. They didn't want to ruin anything. The loss of the egg had been a tragedy, but the couple wanted to move on.

Ramon lighted down in the caraibeira, landing a little awkwardly with the vine of acai berries in his talons, letting out a chirp to let his family know he was home. At this, Alessandra's neatly-shaped head popped out from the hollow entrance. She was absolutely gorgeous, the most beautiful Ramon had ever seen. He had fallen for her the moment he had laid eyes on her, with her lovely nature making him fall all the more in love with her. Her glossy feathers were a rich blue, and slightly tinted with teal. Her sea-green eyes were dark and large, framed by lashes of the darkest brown-black, and a wavy collection of feathers fell from the back and sides of her head, almost reaching her shoulders. She always wore a dazzling smile, and today, it was even more happy than usual.

"Ramon, you're just in time! Talitha thinks she saw it move!" Alessandra said, breathlessly, before vanishing. Ramon was confused at first, but then he realized what she meant. He gasped, and rushed into his home, stumbling in his haste. Tossing the acai berries to the side, he hurried to the nest, where Alessandra and Talitha were peering in. Talitha was hopping on the spot, her feathers fluffed with excitement. She was like Ramon - bright blue, lighter than Alessandra, but she had her mother's sea-green eyes. A teenager, over a year old, she reached Alessandra's shoulders. Slim and lightly built, Talitha had long, curling feathers cascading down all sides of her head, but luckily, she hadn't inherited Ramon's feathers that hung over his forehead, so she could see without pushing her feathers away. Delicate facial markings curled around her eyes, and rimmed her beak, identical to her mother's.

"Dad, I swear it moved slightly..." Talitha exclaimed, staring at the white orb. "Look! It just -" she went quiet, and the family became absorbed by watching the moving egg. The whole thing shook; then there was one tiny crack. Another crack emerged from this one, running across the whole surface. Then a tiny area broke into a spider-web-like series of cracks, and something poked through. A little beak.

The beak retreated, and the chick inside seemed to sag, as if exhausted. A single eye, half-open, was seen through the little gap, and the pupil, through a squint, slowly ran over the surroundings as it struggled to adjust to this strange new brightness. Then the chick surged within it's prison, suddenly feeling an urge to break free of it's surrounding shell. This movement was enough - the fragile eggshell shattered, and the hatching squinted up at three blurry outlines for the first time.

When born, hatchlings were featherless - and he was. Not a single feather, except for the bumps under his pale skin, while indicated their presence. They would soon grow, though. Talitha gazed, stunned, at the creature. She had never thought that hatchlings looked like that, but regardless, she loved her new baby brother immediately. Alessandra was shedding tears of joy, while Ramon wore a delighted smile, wings around his mate and now-eldest child. The hatching's eyes had lost their squint, and now he was gazing up at the three macaws with big, blue eyes. He was tiny, and a little miracle, like all hatchlings were.

"Oh, he's gorgeous." Alessandra breathed, blinking away her tears. She scooped up her new son, who immediately snuggled into the thick feathers, where it was soft and warm. Ramon draped a wing around his mate, his eyes fixated on the chick. He looked at Alessandra.

"You name him whatever you like." He murmured, looking excitedly at Talitha, who craned her neck to get a better look at her baby brother. Alessandra, seeing this, held him out, and Talitha took him, gazing down in astonishment. Her mother sat down with a dreamy expression.

"My dear mother was young when she passed on." Alessandra began, softly. "I was only little, but I remember her name - Roberta." She looked up at Ramon and Talitha, before looking back at the chick. "So I'll name her grandson Roberto." Ramon was nodding in approval and admiration.

"It's a good, strong name. Your mother would be proud." Ramon and Alessandra turned to Talitha, to see what she thought of the name.

"Roberto." Talitha repeated, looking down at her brother, who had awakened as Alessandra had said his name. He gazed up at her, with those blue eyes. "I like it." Roberto then, unexpectedly, began to bawl. Talitha winced, holding him at wing's-length, looking mortified, wondering what she had done. Alessandra and Ramon both laughed, amused by the look on Talitha's face, and Ramon took Roberto off her.

"Don't worry, Talitha - you didn't do anything wrong. Hatchlings always cry, because they're hungry or something." Ramon assured her, before remembering the acai berries. He placed Roberto into the nest, where Alessandra continued to coo over him. Talitha looked relieved that she hadn't upset her little brother, and returned to watching over him. Ramon plucked one of the smallest berries of the acai he had brought, before placing it before the chick.

Roberto nudged the berry, wondering what it was for; Ramon picked it up and held it to his beak, and Roberto, getting the idea, took a cautious sample. Then, after realizing it eased the gnawing hunger in his belly, he began eating the acai berries like there was no tomorrow. He ate a few, but with his small stomach, soon slowed as he became full. He then pushed the berries away, and flopped down into the nesting, snuggling into the soft moss and beginning to fall asleep yet again. Unfortunately, it didn't last long - the world outside lit up with lightning, and there was the crash of thunder. Roberto's eyes flew open, and he let out a frightened sqeauk. Alessandra picked him up, cradling him to try and reassure him and ease his fear.

The soothing feathers of his mother was enough to distract Roberto from the terrifying noise, and soon, he felt the pull of slumber. Talitha sat down, gazing happily. The teenager had a baby brother; it was so surreal, and she couldn't wait for him to be old enough to play with her. Even when he was still in his egg, Talitha had vowed to protect him - and now, this determination was even stronger.

Meanwhile, Roberto was confused - he was wondering where all this light had come from, who these huge figures were. His vision was still blurry, but it was getting clearer, and he felt strange and a little vulnerable, without the encasing that he had known since he had developed awareness of his surroundings. But he felt better, out here, and as his senses sharpened, he felt safer. These three figures, whom he were seeing more clearly, seemed to be treating him well - they had fed him, held him with such care. As he saw them all clearly for the first time, Roberto felt a sense of love from each of them, something he returned.