He depended upon her. Without her, he was adrift in a world of sound and colors with no voice to add. He had discovered her shortly after the incident. He always thought of it as 'the incident', not wanting to give it any more importance than that even though it had cost him dearly. She had quickly taken to him, knowing what he wanted to say.
He picked up a slice of precious orange and handed it to the beautiful blue and gold Macaw. He'd never named her, because he couldn't speak. But she was his bond to the outside world.