HOLY FEATHERS I'M BAAAACK! Haha! This story is the one I had the competition for a while ago, and I would like to thank EmmerzK and ILOVENICO1000X from the bottom of my heart for helping me out with this one! You girls are AWESOME! :D This is going to be crazy, fun, song and love filled, and just plain nuts! Expect the unexpected and get ready to be blown away! :D
Destination Unknown
Chapter 1
Show Time
The full moon hung over the city of Rio de Janeiro like a gleaming white sun, as stars twinkled around it like diamonds. On a night like this, most humans were tucked away in their beds, dreaming sweetly; but not the birds, oh no. Nearly every bird in Rio was packed into the most popular club in the city; Three Amigos Music and Dance. This club was owned by its namesake, The Three Amigos; a band of the three best friends Rio had ever known. There was a huge party at the club that night, and what kind of bird would dare miss a thing like that?
Certainly not me. I stood in a canary sized spot on the dance floor, wondering where in the heck my hubby was. He had been gone for a little while, making sure the last little details were in place for the performance tonight. The club was incredibly packed, though, and I was scared he had gotten stepped on or something on his way back to me. Birds of every size, shape, and color were seemingly here tonight!
I turned around and cast my eyes around the club again, just to make sure I hadn't missed him, but I still couldn't seem to find my little sunbeam. I was just about ready to fly up to the stage and check there when there was a rush of feathers, and a pair of wings covered my eyes. "Guess who?" a voice that sent shivers through my body whispered in my ear. I smiled widely and brought my wing up to my chin as though deep in thought.
"Hmm…Pedro?" I guessed, and heard the bird behind me chuckle.
"Nope." He murmured, "Guess again."
"Rafael?"
"No."
"Well, I guess I just don't…" I was cut off when I was spun around and Nico pulled me to him; bottle cap, as always, cockeyed on his head. "Have we met stranger?" I asked and smiled as I tipped my head to the side in confusion.
"I don't think so, but I have to ask; was your daddy a thief?"
"Excuse me?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Because someone had to steal those stars and put them in your eyes."
"Aw, you," I grinned and placed my wings on his chest. "That was cheesy, but good." He smirked as I pushed his beloved bottle cap back out of his eyes and placed a soft kiss on his beak.
Then, stepping back, and wrapping a wing around my shoulders, he asked, "Sonny, how many birds did they invite?"
I laughed and squeezed his wing, "It's their sixteenth birthday! You can't blame them!"
"Well, I said they could invite anyone they wanted, but holy feathers!" Nico grinned again, surveying the crowd. Our three brilliant chicks, Selena, Gwyn, and Diego's birthday was today, and they had begged us to let them host a big party at the club. After some playful antics, which we had overly enjoyed, we had agreed, much to the excitement of our nearly full-grown chicks.
We spotted them flying up to the stage, and Nico sighed, "Why? Why are they so old?"
"I don't know…" I sighed as well as pictures of them as exhausted, fluffed-up little hatchlings flashed through my mind, "It seems like just yesterday they hatched." I nuzzled my head into the crook of my mate's neck for comfort and he squeezed me closer.
"Watch out people! Big P comin' through!" A very familiar voice soared above the roar of the crowd and headed for us.
Nico and I laughed and rolled our eyes, "Oh Pedro." We said in unison.
The red-capped cardinal in question finally managed to squeeze through the crowd and clear a bit of space so he could stand next to us. "Wowwy wow wow! This place is PA-ACKED!" He exclaimed waving his wings around for emphasis.
Nico nodded, "Tell us about it."
"Okay, well pretty much every bird species that I can think of is here, bird! It's unbelievable!"
"Not literally dude!" Nico laughed. "I don't see any penguins around." I laughed. Oh Nico. I thought lovingly, Witty as always.
Pedro paused to look around sarcastically, "Oh." Then after a shrug, he continued, "But seriously though, how do your kids know so many birds?"
I smirked, "You boys know how info travels through the grapevine. Once you tell the popular birds, everyone knows about it in no time." We knew that better than anyone else.
"We can thank Ralphy for that!" My bottle cap wearing sunbeam added and we chuckled. That toucan had to know every bird in the whole jungle.
"Yeah, I guess all they'd have to do is tell Raphael and voila! Everyone is invited!" We laughed until somebody suddenly tapped Nico on the shoulder.
"Um, sir can I talk to you?" The voice was young and timid, and slightly familiar. Nico and I turned to look down at the young buttery yellow canary that had black lining through his feathers and intelligent, light grey eyes. We recognized him immediately and I grinned. I knew Nico was scowling on the inside, but outside he smiled, saying, "Sure Manny!" The boy nodded, then turned and flapped away; though before following, my papa bird threw me a frown. I lightly slapped his wing.
"Be nice!" I scolded gently and pecked his cheek.
"Come on, I couldn't really be mean to the kid!" He said with a strained smile, and flew after Manny.
As he disappeared, Pedro scoffed, "Yeah right! It's obvious he hates Manuel-"
"He doesn't hate him," I cut him off. Nico didn't have it in him to hate anybird; minus the few that deserved it, "He just…"
"Doesn't wanna let his little girl go?"
I looked at my best friend's red feathered face and sighed, "Yeah. I don't either," I cast my eyes back towards the stage where my chicks were standing behind the curtain, "But I know when I was growing up, my mom was SO protective and I hated it! You know how hard it was for me to get out and see you guys, let alone go out with Nico!" Oh the times my mother would tell me that a boy from the east-side was nothing I wanted in life, and that if he showed his face around the hollow she would pluck him bald. Several times Nico and I had to sneak out on dates…
Pedro nodded stiffly and I continued, "I don't want to be like that; I want the chicks to be happy. Nico wants them to be happy too, but he just can't bring himself to the fact that they are going to be leaving the nest soon." I sighed, and voiced my thoughts, "I think it scares him…"
Pedro nodded, "Scares me too, sista. The thought of letting my little Ellie go?" He shivered, "I don't want some boy carrying her off; I always want me to be her number one man!" He smiled.
I laughed, "I think Nico is the same way… I just hope he'll give Manny a chance."
I followed Manny outside and landed beside him on the sidewalk. I waited a minute while Manny shifted his feet in anxiety, and could barely bring himself to look at me. I sort of smirked seeing him so uncomfortable, and internally, I wanted to blow up and tell him to just spit it out. Yet, I had to remember what Sonny told me: Be nice! Of course, at a moment like this, I thought of how great Raúl was when I talked to him about Sonny, and realized how good I felt when he was super cool about it. That at least helped calm me down enough to be patient.
Finally, Manny sighed and looked up at me, fear and confidence mingled in his determined grey eyes, "Okay so…" He took a deep breath to try and calm down, "I… I really like Selena."
I kept looking at the kid squarely, waiting for him to continue, "Mhm?" I prodded nonchalantly.
Manny seemed to get more flustered after I spoke, but he continued, "So umm…I kinda wanted to ask you if umm…I could take…t-take her out on a…a d-date? Sometime? In the near future?"
I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing out right. The kid honestly looked absolutely hilarious when he was frazzled; normally he was cocky and had high self-esteem, especially around my little girl… But instead, I took a deep breath and thought for a few seconds. He's got class, and enough guts to talk to me about it. And Selena seems to like him, considering she talks about him all of the time with her mom… Finally, I replied in a semi-stern tone, "Alright. I want her home by ten and I don't want you taking her downtown or deep in the jungle; stay where you can be found easily."
His face lit up like the sun and a wide smile broke across his beak. Then he grabbed my wing and shook it furiously, "Yes! Whatever you say! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"
I pulled my wing free and laughed a little, "Alright kid, don't hurt yourself."
Manny kept grinning and flew back inside to find Selena. Oh how I remember that feeling. I smiled remembering, for just a second, how it felt when Raúl finally told me I could take Sonny out. It just never occurred to me that I would be doing the same thing for my daughter. You knew this day would come. Just calm down. I stood there for a moment more, gathering myself, then flew back inside to find Sonora.
"I know! He's so cute! You two would be perfect together!" I told one of my friends as we stood backstage gossiping about, what else, boys.
"Thanks. And what about you and Manny? You seem to be doing a little over the top flirting lately." One girl said and I blushed.
"Well we are boyfriend girlfriend now." Oh how I loved saying that! Manny and I had met at the beginning of the school year and instantly there had been sparks. Not long ago we had declared a relationship, and now he was talking to my dad about taking me on a date. Let him say yes! I prayed.
"Selena!" Manny zoomed backstage excitedly, almost getting stuck in some wires as he did so.
I turned from my circle of friends, and instantly grinned. Quickly hopping over to him, I asked excitedly, "What did he say?"
"Weeeellllllll…" He smiled and teased me a little.
"MANNY!" I slapped his wing and smiled too.
"He said yes!"
I couldn't help myself, I squealed excitedly and threw my wings around Manny's neck. He laughed and hugged me tightly. I was feeling so happy I thought my heart would burst.
"Aww, well ain't that sweet?" A voice cooed over our heads.
I rolled my eyes and shot a playful smile at my brother as he looped over our heads, "Shut up Diego."
Diego grinned, looking exactly like dad, and looked over at Raymond, tilting his head towards the curtain, "Yo Ray, you ready to get this party started?"
"Man, I was born ready!" The young cardinal replied, also looking like a mirror image of his father. They shared a look and performed a very complicated wing-shake. I swear that thing had been growing more and more complicated, and lengthy, as time went on. Who knew where they would be by the end of high school?
"Sweetness!" They laughed after finishing. Then my cousin turned to me, "Come on Sel!" He motioned for me to follow as he and Diego glided to the curtain. But before the boys could walk out triumphantly, I looked around.
"Wait, where's Gwyn and Ellie?" My sister and cousin hadn't met us here earlier and I was starting to wonder where they were.
Suddenly, a crash sounded to our right and we whirled around. Gwyn and Ellie lay in a heap next to a crashed speaker; "Right here!" Ellie raised a small iridescent wing above her head with a smile.
Diego ran over to help our sister and cousin off the floor, "You alright?"
"Yup!" The girls chorused and giggled before calling, "Jinx!"
"Where were you?" I demanded a little agitated by the fact we were behind schedule.
Gwyn's smile dwindled a little, "Relax! We were getting something!" She waved her sunny yellow wings in a calming motion and pulled out a little sack.
"What could we possibly-" I stopped talking when I saw what she pulled out; three sparkly necklaces: a purple one for me (my favorite color!), a teal one for her, and a silver one for Ellie. "Oooo, perfect! Thanks sis!" I slipped mine over my head and hugged them both tightly.
They giggled, "You're welcome!"
The boys, tapping their feet impatiently, finally spoke up, "Come on, ladies!" They motioned to the curtain with annoyed expressions.
"Relax, we gotta get pretty!" Elena smiled and smoothed her feathers, then shook her tail in a frilly way that made us all laugh again.
"You girls don't need to get pretty," Manny cooed with a wink at me. My heart started to pound and I blushed furiously. Gwyn and Ellie, on the other wing, rolled their eyes, and Ray and Diego just snickered. Manny gave Diego and look and pushed him a little bit, "Don't you laugh; you've got your own romance goin' on!"
Diego shrugged his eyebrows, "Yup, and I'm proud of it." I rolled my eyes and lay my head on Manny's shoulder.
"Why's that? Cause you don't even ask her parents' permission?" Manny smirked at the cocky comment.
Diego's smile dropped instantly. I saw anger starting to bubble within him, and he clenched his wings into fists. My eyes widened and I shook my head at him not to do anything crazy, but suddenly mom and dad flew in. "Hey, you kids ready? The crowd is about to go ballistic!" Mom smiled brightly at us.
I covered for Diego, who was getting a questioning look from dad, "Yes, we were just about to head on stage!"
Diego recovered fully and grinned, "You guys get 'em ready, okay?"
"Okay, kiddo." Dad tried to tousle my brother's crown, but he instinctively dodged with a scowl that said "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" Then they chuckled and flew back to the crowd.
"Alright guys, let's show 'em what we're made of!" Ray said bringing us into a huddle.
"We've done it once before." Diego winked at me referring to the dance battle we had challenged our parents to, nearly two years ago.
"Yup and we're gonna do it again." Gwyn grinned, showing a bit of confidence. I could tell she was feeling super excited by the way she fidgeted next to me.
"Ok. Manny, you ready at the guitar?" Diego asked him.
"Yup." Manny saluted and smiled at me again.
"Voice check!" Ellie called and we all sang, "Mememememememe," just to warm up and knock out the jitters. When we finished we laughed and returned to the huddle.
"Sweet sixteen canaries!" Gwyn smiled at us, and we laughed.
"Let's do this!" Diego agreed and put his wing in the middle.
"Family Forever!" Ray put in his wing and the rest of us followed suit, placing ours on top. "One…two…three… Let's do this!" We cheered and threw our wings in the air. One more deep breath and we stepped onto the black stage and into our positions.
Chapter 1 peeps! Whatcha think?