Authors note-Hello once again everyone Strykeruk here with a new chapter for a new story! :D It's great to back and I hope you will all enjoy this story. I decided to upload this now in order to celebrate the totally awesome release of RIO 2 and again I hope you will all enjoy it. I would like to remind everyone that this is a sequel to 'Birds of a feather' and the short story 'Snow Day' and you should read them before you start reading this. Now on with the show!
The city of Rio was a gem, highlighted against the cerulean waters of the ocean by its golden beaches. The jungles surrounding it were verdant and emerald green. The city itself shone with light and thrummed with life. Even at night there were birds going to and from the cities various attractions. All things told it was something to inspire and invigorate. Yet for a few twisted hearts the city represented something quite different.
"I'd almost forgotten" He looked down at the city shining below in the night. Even from this far the sounds of laughter and partying could be heard.
"Quite something isn't it" Bruno said in hushed tones standing next to him. "All those birds, free to do as they wish and none of them even know what a gift that is."
"Then we should show them". An eager tone entered his voice at the thought of the chaos they were about to bring.
"All in good time." Seeing his dissatisfied expression Bruno decided to explain "it will be all the more satisfying for he wait. Besides, we need information." Looking down at the city again he straightened up. "And we won't get it resting here." Seeing his companion remained motionless he turned to him. "Jericho?"
Jericho looked at him slowly with a vacant expression. He quickly snapped back to the present and nodded
"Let's go" he said before jumping off his branch and gliding towards the city, leaving Bruno staring after him before he too took flight and headed down towards the city.
XXX
Janet opened her eyes blearily looking at the roof of her hollow. She tried to get back to sleep but as she rolled over in her nest a loose twig managed to poke her sharply in the ribs.
"Ouch!" She snapped upright before glaring at the offending twig in annoyance. Picking it up she threw it out of the hollow. Sighing she realised that any hopes of sleep were now futile. She slowly stretched feeling her shoulders pop as she massaged feeling back into her left wing which had pins and needles after she'd clearly been sleeping on it. That done she vaulted herself out of her nest and walked over to a small stainless steel tray she used as a mirror.
Janet was a yellow canary like her brother Nico, whilst they shared many of the same features she had blue eyes compared to her brothers brown ones. Whilst anyone who knew them could tell them apart easily, especially since Nico got his signature bottle cap, barely a day went by when someone didn't comment on how similar they were.
Looking into her mirror Janet saw her feathers were completely ruffled and out of place. Several of them were facing in the wrong direction and Janet recognised a bit of a clean-up was in order if she wanted to look better than half dead. The last few days had been hectic with Rio filled with birds visiting for Carnival and she'd hardly had any rest. What with the constant party's (more than a few of which she'd sung at), mostly at her favourite new club. It was called the Branch and it was taking advantage of the new visitors by holding as many open-mike nights as possible. Janet was aiming to make an impression in the hopes she could get a similar kind of deal to what her brother and Pedro had going at the Paradise club.
However all the activity had taken its toll on her and she relished the day off she had since most of the clubs were closed the day before Carnival in order to prepare for the 24 hours of constant celebration ahead. Quickly she smoothed down as many of her feathers as she could before walking over to the entrance to her hollow. Seeing the slight sunlight coming into the clearing she guessed it was probably early morning which meant her brother was likely still asleep, the same went for Pedro as they were both just as bad as her if not worse since they were one of the main acts at the Paradise club.
"Morning sleeping beauty" She heard a voice to her right call. Looking over she saw Frankie lying on a miniature deck chair he'd retrofitted to suit a bird. He'd made dozens of them for birds around the jungle and they were making him very popular. She was slightly surprised to see him as he was usually off in the city.
"Hey Frankie" she said with a wave before flying up onto his branch. Being higher up it was a bit more exposed but also gave a better view since Frankie had cleared away some of the canopy in front of his entrance to give him a view towards the city. She knew it helped him relax, especially at night when the city lit up.
"Are you always up this early?" She asked
"Only when I'm thinking." Seeing her curious expression he quickly carried on. "There are thousands of birds in Rio and even more animals who constantly want to know, 'where's the best food?', 'where's the next good show?' and they expect people like me to know." Seeing she still wasn't quite sure what he meant he continued
"For example, do you have any idea how many birds try to get me to let them meet you, Nico and Pedro? Dozens, especially near carnival."
"I had no idea." Janet was actually surprised she got any attention at all. There were plenty of good singers in Rio.
"Oh yeah, you three are stars of the Ipanema." His expression softened when he saw Janet looking slightly guilty.
"Hey don't worry. It's my fault for piggy-backing onto your fame. I shoulda known that trying to fast track my way to my old NYC status would backfire. And don't worry about people bothering you. One thing I've noticed is that city birds tend to get lost in the jungle." Thinking back to their first few attempts to navigate Janet grinned and found herself glad again for Rafael who'd helped them out so much.
Deciding to change the subject Frankie asked "So where are you going at such a time? Performance?"
"Nope, today I'm free. I was going to head off and get myself cleaned up." She gestured at her ruffled feathers and slightly ragged talons. She wasn't what you'd call appearance obsessed but she had her limits and this was it. Frankie on the other hand was well kept and Janet had rarely seen him otherwise.
"Fair enough" Frankie said chuckling "I didn't want to say anything but you need it." He grinned again "I'll keep watch for your brother for you."
"Thanks Frankie" Janet said falling backwards with a whoop before looping underneath Frankie's branch and appearing on the other side. "Catch you later" She said before zipping off into the undergrowth.
XXX
The two of them sat on top of a small house in one of Rio Di Janeiro's many Favelas. Surveying the vast city made it seem impossible to find anything. Mentioning this to Bruno got a brief acknowledgment.
"There's always a hard part to grabbing someone. If they're famous they're easy to find but hard to actually kidnap without drawing too much attention. If they aren't then they can be impossible to find but easily removed from their environment." Jericho looked at him sardonically.
"Well aren't you just the amazing super-sleuth." Jericho said mockingly "If you're such an expert why did you need my help with your femme fatale and why do you need me now?"
Without warning Bruno spun on the spot and backhanded Jericho across the roof. As he landed Jericho flipped backwards onto his feet, using the metal talons on his left claw to slow him, crouching low and with a murderous expression in his eyes. Seeing Bruno motionless however he slowly straightened up.
"Jericho, you are an accomplice, an assistant, and a very useful ally but never make the mistake of thinking I need you. Unfortunately there are three of them and only one of me. And they know me, I'd never get close. You however are an unknown entity." Jericho moved closer but kept a close eye on Bruno this time.
"So what you're saying is that I am… wanted because I can do your dirty work." Jericho wasn't sure what he expected but it wasn't for Bruno to suddenly start laughing.
"The dirty work?" No dear Jericho you are merely bringing them to me. That's when the dirty work really begins."
Once Jericho might have been cowed by the manic glint in Bruno's eyes but he had his own madness which allowed him to stare Bruno in the eye without flinching. Looking back down towards most of the city he could see the Sun hovering over the sea whilst the morning songs of Rio's more vocal inhabitants, human and avian started to echo in the air.
"So how are we going to find them?" he mused.
"Simple." Bruno said patronisingly. "We, and by that I mean you, ask." Seeing Jericho grin he added "Nicely. No need to arouse suspicion".
"You said they were talented?" Jericho asked musingly
"One of them, a girl, her name is Janet. Her brother Nico was barely worth noticing."
"Until he followed you across a continent and rescued her you mean." Jericho interrupted snidely.
Ignoring him Bruno continued. "They had help from some infuriating Sparrow, I know very little about him. But it's his fault she got away". With the emphasis on the 'she' it was clear to Jericho who Bruno was talking about, but he figured silence was a wise choice on this topic. Instead he ignored it.
"Sparrows are quite common. Finding him might be impossible in a city like this, especially at Carnival." Jericho mused
"Don't worry Jericho, once the Canaries are in our grasp the Sparrow will be easy to narrow down."
"But first we need to get the Canaries. I'll start in the Copacabana area. You should probably stick to the Jungle. It reduces the chance of one of them spotting you." Before moving Jericho turned back to Bruno "If we do find them, where do we take them?"
"I'll find something. Till then start searching. Meet back here come nightfall." With that Bruno took off towards the Jungle leaving Jericho to turn towards the city and its beaches with a slight smile.
XXX
A few minutes after leaving Frankie Janet finally reached the small stream near to the hollows. Sighing in relief she flew over to a small rock about a meter away from the stream. Lifting it up she found her small stash consisting of a brush and a piece of her mirror she'd managed to work free. The brush was just simple bristles but it did the job of getting rid of any stubborn dirt. It also let her keep it stored outside without worrying about it getting damaged. The mirror piece was also equally durable and despite being slightly bent it was enough to let her see what needed doing. Setting them both on the rock she quickly flew up a meter before cannonballing into the stream. When she floated back up to the surface she started to ruffle her feathers to make sure the water was able to get all the dirt off.
After a couple of minutes swimming around she got out and walked over to the rock with her mirror and brush. Looking in it she was pleased to see that the worst of the dust was gone and even some of the looser feathers had worked free. Despite this she could spot more stubborn ones that remained out of place. Sighing she picked up her brush and dragged it through her feathers. It wasn't the most accurate or comfortable action but it did the job of working free many of worst offenders. It also let her reach her back far more easily than otherwise.
After a couple of minutes she repeated the process, jumping into the water before brushing herself. She did this twice, each time the difference in appearance became smaller. Finally she nodded in satisfaction as she checked herself in the mirror. She'd have to do some preening and fine tuning when she'd dried off but for now at least she was passably presentable. She spent the next five minutes filing her talons against the edge of the mirror piece before deciding they were acceptable. Hiding her brush and mirror back under the rock she ruffled her feathers and jumped upwards flying up above the canopy where the sun was shining fully across the treetops. Flying languidly back towards the hollows she smiled contentedly as she felt the warm sun slowly dry her off.
XXX
Frankie was still resting on his chair enjoying the view of the city of Rio slowly waking up. He could just spot the slight blurs of movement that represented the large crowds of people and machines that always appeared with the beginning and end of the day. Despite that there was still no activity from the hollows below him. However he was sure that was about to change, the one thing that was reliable about Nico's schedule was how much he slept. He wasn't a morning person, something that hadn't changed since his days in New York. Despite this he always woke up earlier than someone who stayed out as late as he did had any right to do. If he were a cynical bird Frankie would guess that Pedro's habit of pranking Nico had something to do that.
"Speak of the devil" Frankie muttered to himself as he peered over the edge of his branch.
Below him Frankie could see Pedro glancing out of his hollow towards Nico's. Grinning Pedro flew higher and Frankie saw he was carrying a small hollowed out nut full of water. Frankie was tempted to call out a warning but was stopped when he saw a light shadow flit across the entrance to Nico's home. Leaning back Frankie decided to relax and let things play out.
A minute later he was rewarded by a sudden cry of surprise that was cut short followed by the sound of water splashing and a sudden flurry of flight. Looking back at Nico's hollow, Frankie saw Pedro leap out through the entrance dripping with water. One look at his panicked expression and Frankie couldn't help bursting into laughter.
Noticing the attention Pedro's expression quickly changed to one of righteous indignation when Nico walked out of his home, his signature bottle cap firmly in place. Hearing Frankie he turned towards him and waved in greeting.
"Hey Frankie" he called before he noticed Pedro's expression.
"Oh come on, it's not that bad" he said in protest. "It's your own fault for trying to soak me." Seeing Pedro stubbornly hold his head up he tried a different tactic.
"Come on Pedro, you know you can't stay mad at someone as mega-dope as me". Nico then took his cap off and using his own momentum he did a wing-stand on it and spun on the spot.
Despite himself Frankie stared in surprise and couldn't help being impressed. That would have been tough even were he not on a rough tree branch. He could see Pedro was equally impressed but trying not to show it. As Nico stopped and landed back on his feet, Pedro clapped causing Nico to take a light bow.
"Alright that was super-cool." Pedro admitted "but you were way sneakier earlier than you have any right to be" both of them were grinning now and how they could constantly prank each other but stay such fast-friends and make up near instantaneously always impressed Frankie.
"Hey what can I say, growing up with a sister teaches you how to move quietly." At the mention of Janet, Nico looked around questioningly. Seeing his searching look Frankie knew what to say before he asked.
"She went to the stream." Nico didn't respond but just looked at Frankie and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Hey, I'm not her minder." Frankie said defensively. Nico still didn't respond.
"She said she had a free day today." Frankie said
"She can look after herself and she'll probably be back soon." As Frankie kept on talking Pedro looked on, slightly bemused at the apparently one-sided conversation. Before it could carry on they were interrupted by a fluttering set of wing beats.
"Nico." Janet flitted over to them. "Leave Frankie alone." She said jokingly.
"I didn't say anything" Nico protested.
"Uh-huh" Janet said adopting a pose on the branch next to him exactly the same as Nico's had been with an eyebrow raised.
Frankie chuckled, seeing Nico start to squirm in the same way he had been moments ago. 'Now I know where he got it from' He thought.
"Damn you have got to teach me that doom-stare!" Pedro suddenly broke in.
"Nope" Janet said quickly.
"Family secret" Nico said immediately after her. They then quickly low-fived each other and grinned stupidly.
Pedro looked confused at the suddenly united defence. He looked up at Frankie
"Do they do this to you too?"
"All too often." Frankie replied making both of the Canaries look at him.
"Hey, no we don't" Janet said.
"Yeah we'd never stoop so low as to gang up on anyone". Nico added.
They all looked at each other. Nico and Janet tried desperately to maintain serious expressions but at the sight of Frankie and Pedro's wide eyed faces quickly lost their composure and started laughing. Frankie just looked at Pedro and shrugged.
"Twins eh?" as that was all the answer needed.
XXX
Bruno sat atop a high branch staring out across the Jungle, hidden by the foliage he struggled to see anything of note, just a sea of green with the odd flash of colour. Jericho, despite his assurances to the contrary, had been right. It would be near impossible to find anyone without arousing suspicion. But then, that's what he'd brought his erstwhile ally along for. He'd always had a knack for finding others.
XXX
He couldn't see her. He rarely could. Even in captivity he had always glossed over her, refusing to acknowledge her, and the pain she'd bring. It had taken some time but she'd finally come to understand why, she had him trapped in bars of his own making. That was why he was obsessed with his own 'freedom' and determined that no one else could have what he was denied. Hidden from sight as she observed him she watched and waited. She knew he would eventually fail. If not now, then in the future. Because Bruno would never be able to deny freedom to others, when he did not have the power to grant it to himself.
Authors note- Well there we go. I hope that if you've made it to the end you found my story likeable. As always if you want to leave a review or drop me a PM they are always welcome and I will try to answer your questions. I hope to see you all again in the next chapter of 'Who we are'
Strykeruk out.