A/N: The idea for this piece popped into my head while I was browsing Owlpages.

I have the plot mostly set up, but I may choose to alter it for the later chapters. I know how it's going to turn out, but getting there is going to be a challenge.

If you take the time to read this, go ahead and toss me a review. Or, if you want to flame me, that's fine too.

This is surely going to turn into a very serious, yet lighthearted piece, despite the rough start. I sincerely hope you guys enjoy it!


A Quest For Grace

Chapter 1: A Troubled Neighbor

I looked on in awe at the stunning May sunset on the far horizon, drinking up as much of its visual majesty as I could. The cool turquoise waters of the bay now glistened and shone in colors of gold, tangerine, and scarlet.

The last one-third of the aging sun remained, slipping lower and lower towards a temporary oblivion with each passing second.

I was jarred out of my reverie by a honey-sweet lilt from behind me, a luscious tone that always made my heart flutter: "Blu, I would like you to bring me some dinner. I'm really hungry, and I'm craving some star fruit."

I whirled around and looked at Jewel, who sat serenely upon her nest, occupied with the job of incubating our newest pair of eggs.

In contrast to the sun, her unearthly beauty would never fade from day to day. She would always be here to please my senses, but that was only scratching the surface.

She was the one who would eternally love me, eternally cherish me, and that notion was more heartwarming than any heavenly display I would ever see.

I jogged up to her and planted a quick kiss on her fuzzy cheek.

"How many would you like me to bring you, gorgeous?"

"Three sounds nice," she replied while donning a flattered expression.

"I think I can handle that," I said smugly. "You just keep those eggs safe and warm, and I'll be back before you know it."

She returned my previous kiss and warned, "You just be careful out there, Blu. I get so worried every time you have to go and bring me food."

"Relax, my love, I will not fail to return to you. I promise."

I stroked her neck tenderly with my wing before hopping away and rising into flight. As much as I wanted to rise above the canopy and observe the effect of the sunset on the jungle, it would make spotting any food sources more difficult.

The trip across the clearing was brief, and I soon found myself drifting through the foliage at a smooth pace. The bright yellow tint of star fruit was a powerful visual aid, and was only rendered inefficient in only the thickest areas of plant growth.

I was searching in a relatively sparse patch of jungle to the north of my home, the silence punctuated by squawks, whistles, and croaks.

I passed two mango trees and a berry bush as I searched, but finding a respectable star fruit bush was a tall order. I had ventured into this sector on a whim, as I had never explored it before. That was most likely the root of my problem, I realized, and so the only way to overcome it was to spend some time scouting.

My luck never seemed to improve as I flew about, and each minute I wasted searching for food was a minute that Jewel's anxiety grew in magnitude.

How hard is it to find a bush covered in flashy yellow packets of nutrition? I've ran into mango trees, passion fruit bushes, and banana trees, but no star fruit bushes! I know Jewel's probably consumed with worry by now, but I can't go back without the nutrition of her desiring...

Spurred on by my urgent thoughts, I punched through a swath of ferns and alighted on the damp earth. I performed a full rotation, scanning the vegetation for any signs of the telltale fruit.

I caught a glimpse of one such bush to my right, and as I marched past another screen of ferns, my suspicions were justified. A rather large star fruit bush sat in the center of a fern ring, remarkably shielded from prying eyes.

Perfect! I should be able to find this much more rapidly in the future, unless the local scenery changes...

I took three proud steps in the direction of my quarry, but an oddly-vibrant vine to my left snagged my attention.

I turned slowly towards the attractive shape, only to lock eyes with a sizable Coral Snake coiled up under a fern frond.

Acting on instinct, I consciously paralyzed my body.

Damn, this is not good! I thought scathingly. It may not feed on birds as large as me, but it might bite me defensively. If I make one sudden move, I'm done for! Man, how in the hell am I going to slip away?

With the speed of a snail, I began raising my left foot, millimeter by millimeter.

It could take me fifteen or twenty minutes to move out of striking range. This place is definitely not safe for food gathering! I'll have to try somewhere else. I have quite the tale to tell Jewel if and when I get back...

While I carried out my absurdly-painstaking retreat, the Coral Snake would flick its tongue out at me, as if contemplating how much of a threat I was, whether or not to shoot me up with its venom.

Its wavering tongue unnerved me greatly; I had only one other time in my life been this close to death, but back then, Jewel had given me the prowess to save my life.

Now, I was without my Jewel, alone and trapped in the ceaseless stare of a deadly reptile.

Over a minute later, I had eased my foot to the halfway point, and as I was working on lowering it to the ground, a startling blur of motion took over my vision.

Keeping stone-still in that precious second was probably one of the hardest things I had ever done, but I managed to accomplish it successfully.

When I blinked my eyes back open, the Coral Snake was gone, the fronds shaking languidly above where it used to reside.

I unclenched my burning, fatigued muscles and blew out an incredible sigh of relief.

Was I just rescued by a tangible miracle? There is no other explanation that I can come up with! But, who or what salvaged my endangered life?

I twirled around in a quick circle, yet all I saw was a frog absentmindedly scaling the trunk of a nearby banana tree.

I then lifted my gaze to the canopy and revolved again, spying a cream-colored form wriggling about on the mid-level bough of a cannonball tree. Its ivory back was adorned with dozens of short dark brown streaks, and even though its head was down, I could see two fuzzy tufts sticking up.

Hanging from the branch and trapped beneath its taloned feet was my enemy's limp body.

I couldn't help but whisper: "What in the..."

Moments after the words left my beak, the creature grew still. In one eerie maneuver, the head of the creature twisted completely backwards, revealing to me two gleaming black eyes that seemed to gouge into my soul.

Stricken with fear, I was unable to properly observe its face before it flew down to me with the volume of a ghost. As the gust of wind ruffled my feathers, its identity soaked into my brain.

The creature bent over and tore off a piece of the snake, swallowing it whole. It then tilted its head to one side and fixed me with a very inquisitive gaze.

All I could do was stutter, "You're an... Asio clamator..."

The creature responded softly, its tone mellow and clearly female: "An Asio what?"

Silently cursing myself for my scientific utterance, I said in plain English, "You're a Striped Owl... and you saved my life..."

The female owl – who towered at least six inches over me – perked up and cooed, "Of course I am! You may be little, but you seem very smart. And as for saving your life, you're welcome, I guess. I was just out hunting for breakfast, and I saw you and that snake having a face-off. Looks like I showed up just in time, huh?"

I shook off my fear and visibly loosened up; this owl sounded very kind and cheerful, not to mention having done me a momentous favor.

"I've never seen a macaw like you before," she stated curiously. "What are you, and what's your name?"

I'm a very rare species called the Spix's Macaw. I hope this doesn't make you laugh, but my name is the color... blue, without the 'e.' "

"That's a very unique name. I like it, actually. My name's Grace, by the way. Pleased to meet you, Blu!"

She extended her tawny, cinnamon-streaked wing in my direction, inviting me to shake it. I extended my own and tangled it with hers, moving both of our flying appendages up and down a few times.

"Likewise, Grace," I said, still bathed in disbelief.

Once our greeting concluded, I refolded my wing and watched as Grace consumed another bloody chunk of the snake. Seeing her wolf down the food instantly reminded me of Jewel and my mission.

I waited patiently until she swallowed, at which point I said, "Uh, Grace?"

"Yes, Blu?"

"I came here to gather some food for my mate. Once I'm done, I'll be leaving. I owe you so much for taking care of that snake."

A wave of somnolence swept over her face, vanishing as quickly as it manifested.

"Oh, really? Well then, I won't keep you. I've got more hunting to do anyways. You don't have to worry about the snake thing, though. It was my pleasure."

I gave a stern nod and hopped away, selecting two choice fruits from the bush. I placed one in my right foot and the other in my left, going for the third with my beak.

Before I could do so, Grace's cheerful voice caused me to jump: "Blu, can I ask you something?"

I released my quarry and turned around to face her, still mildly unnerved by her piercing obsidian eyes.

"Yes?" "Can I... come with you? To meet your mate, I mean. You're probably the friendliest bird I've met in the year or so I've been living here. I don't mean to sound desperate, but it would be nice if we could... I don't know... become friends."

That is a very intriguing offer. It'll be nice to have a new neighbor in this confined place...

"I don't see why not, Grace. I've never seen such a boldly-colored owl like you. Now that I think of it, I haven't seen any owls at all! I've called this rain forest home for five solid years. I live in a cannonball tree not too far from here with my mate."

"Wow, thanks Blu! In exchange for your acceptance, do you mind if I carry those fruits for you?"

She flicked the talons on her left foot towards my cache pointedly. I shrugged and replied, "If you want to, I suppose I can't stop you. My mate wants three, so I'll carry one on my own."

"Great! Well, let's get our tail feathers moving..."

I plucked one more tangy fruit with my beak and transferred it to my right foot. Grace went into a hover and gently cradled the other two fruits, her large wings sending breezy gusts in all directions.

She flew over to the the last section of the snake and used her talon to place it in her mouth. With a gentle smile on her pure white face, she said, "Lead the way, Blu! I'll be right behind you."

I nodded heartily to her and took off, flying at a moderately brisk pace.

I hope Jewel isn't wracked with worry about me. She'll see that I'm perfectly fine, and my harrowing tale will probably lift her spirits even more! She will be most surprised to see who I've brought along...

I weaved my way through the dispersed undergrowth, unconvinced at times that Grace was even trailing me.

It was common knowledge that the specially-designed feathers on the leading edges of an owl's wing reduced turbulence, but to experience it firsthand was thrilling.

While I was still ducking and diving under branches and between vines, I slowed my airspeed until Grace came up on my right side.

"What's up, Blu? Do you need something?"

"I just wanted to know why you haven't made any friends. You seem good-natured and sociable enough. If it's personal, I don't expect you to answer, but it has me puzzled."

"I appreciate you asking, but I... I don't feel comfortable telling you why. I might tell you in the future, but for now..."

Her voice trailed off as she faced forwards, all of the joy in her face draining away.

Sometimes, my thirst for knowledge gets the better of me... I mused dejectedly.

"I'm sorry, Grace. I won't pester you about it anymore. When you feel ready to fill me in, I'll be listening."

She gave a faint nod of understanding, but nothing more.

The rest of our flight was executed in silence, and I prayed that I hadn't already tarnished our blooming friendship.

When we found the clearing I knew so well, I guided her up to the tree and motioned for her to wait on one of the upper branches.

She whispered "Okay" in reply and stuck the third star fruit in my beak. I then drifted around to the entrance and alighted on the solid floor.

No sooner did I pile the food in front of me did I hear Jewel's tense shout erupt and fill the hollow: "Blu, you had me so worried! I kept imagining that a snake had eaten you, or that a spider had bitten you! What kept you so darn long?"

Oh man, she's going to freak when she hears what happened...

"Hh," I replied meekly, "I was inches away from grabbing some star fruit, when I came face-to-face with a... Coral Snake. But-"

"Are you serious? Blu, you could have died! I've seen a few of those before while in the air, but never as close as you were. I'm so glad that you didn't get bittten, but how on Earth did you get away from it?"

Yep, she freaked.

"I received a little outside help from a special bird who was in the right place at the right time..."

I skipped away from her and perched on the edge of the hollow, peering up at where Grace was perched. I wiggled my wing rapidly and pulled back as she left the branch.

I hustled over to Jewel and rooted myself beside the nest, just in case Grace's creepy features caused her to go crazy... again.

After a brief wait, Grace eased herself into the hollow, crouching down somewhat due her size and regaining some of her former positivity.

"Ahhh! Blu, what is that? It's scaring me!"

Jewel buried her face in my chest feathers as Grace shot me an apologetic glance.

"Jewel, the more you get to know her, the less creepy she looks. Come on, she's very eager to meet you. You'll see why as soon as you talk to her."

Ruefully, I eased Jewel's head away from my chest. She turned dramatically towards Grace, cringing when her eyes met the owl's.

Grace walked closer and held her wing out, saying calmly, "Hello, I'm Grace. You must be Blu's mate."

"Uh, hello, Grace. My name is Jewel. And yes, I am Blu's mate."

As Jewel carefully shook Grace's wing, the latter said, "That's a pretty name. It suits you very well."

"Thank you. Blu here prefers to call me 'angel' however."

Jewel threw a smirk at me, and as I looked away, I saw a powerful smile on the owl's face.

"Oh, before I forget, I need to thank you for saving Blu's life. I don't know how I could move on if he... you know..."

Grace shook her head and replied, "It's nothing, really. Like I told your mate, I had just started my breakfast hunt. That Coral Snake happened to look very tasty, and I just couldn't resist! It didn't fill me up all the way, though. I'll have to head out in a little while and eat some more."

"If you want to leave now, we won't mind. You could always come back tomorrow and chat with us some more. Since my mate is taking care of our two eggs, I don't leave the hollow that often."

"Congratulations, Blu! I didn't know you had a family."

"Thanks, I appreciate it. Our first three children are all five years old and already have their own homes. Naturally, Jewel and I began feeling lonely, and so we decided to have some more."

"That's true. If you don't mind me staying, I'd like to hear how you two met. After you two are done, I'll tell you about my life. Is that fair?"

"No objections from me. Jewel, what do you think?"

She fixed Grace with an upbeat look and replied, "That's just fine, Grace."

"Great! Let me see... oh, here's a good question! Do either of your families ever visit? Surely they must be incredibly proud of you."

She had to go there... I thought sadly.

"Jewel and I... don't have families anymore. We think they were taken... by poachers just after we were born."

A perplexed mask fastened itself to the Striped Owl's face, tinted heavily with remorse.

"I'm so sorry to hear that! Maybe I should be more careful about what I ask. But, if that's true, how did you and Jewel survive without anyone to care for you?"

That was a question Jewel and I were fully capable of answering, and so we nodded to each other before facing the female owl.

"Grace, I suggest you get comfortable, because this might take awhile."

Grace obeyed and rested herself against the wall, her two ebony orbs sparkling with anticipation. I sucked in a deep breath and began, "In my case..."

I proceeded to reiterate my terrible origins and splendid salvation by Linda, progressing to the wild adventure I went on with Jewel and how we became mates. I left out all the unnecessary details while still keeping my history lesson informative.

As soon as I was done, I handed the spotlight to Jewel.

She touched on the fact that her origins were no different than mine, and that her young life was full of danger and loneliness. She had beat the incredible odds and grew into a strong adult, her tempered personality being one that valued freedom and independence.

She detailed her frustration at being captured and studied by "Tulio and his goons" and then moved on to where her life path intersected mine.

She cut off her speech there, for the rest I had already covered.

Having forgotten entirely about her dinner, she began to ingest it after giving Grace permission to speak.

While Jewel munched away next to me, Grace inhaled and said, "Well, I was born here eight years ago, along with my brother Elijah. My Mom's name is Lillian, and my Dad's is Blake."

"Interesting," I replied. "Where do they live?"

"They lived on the far side of the small hill next to Sugar Loaf Mountain, but I am unsure if they've moved. You'll understand why soon enough. While I was growing up, they told me they chose that spot because the humans never disturbed them, and they were able to watch the sunset every day.

In the summer months, they could watch the sailboats and jet skis travel across the water. There used to be plenty of snakes there, but my parents and another owl couple eventually hunted them all. It was a very safe stretch of jungle to live in, and Elijah and I grew up in peace.

My brother was a free spirit like you, Jewel, and he left the nest as soon as he could. I wanted to be independent too, but I was reluctant to leave my parents behind. I felt like they actually wanted me to go, wanted me to get out of their feathers, and they began pushing me away."

Grace's mood turned somber as a result, and Jewel hastily ate her food so that she could listen better. The owl then shifted positions, a visible sign of her discomfort.

"They called me a coward and an attention-craver, although I was just reluctant to leave them behind. My heart kept telling me that it was tough love, but my mind thought otherwise. By now, I've come to accept that it really was tough love, but it's still a trial to deal with.

Sometimes, they would even disappear for two and three days in a row. They knew I was going to come looking for them, and so they hid, hoping that I would give up and fly away.

The last time that happened was when I was five years old, and I couldn't take it anymore. In the middle of the night, I left in tears, following the Paraná River as far as my wings would take me. I was a teen then, and I did my best to leave my troubled past behind.

Even though they had forced me to abandon them, I still loved them, as strange as it sounds. I swore that I would go back one day and see if they had regretted the error of their ways, but I first embraced my freedom and decided to live my life to the fullest.

I traveled east and explored the the Brazilian coast, going as far north as Vitória and as far south as São Paulo. Heck, I even spent six months in Brasília! Ah, those were the days. I couldn't have been happier, even though I badly wanted to return and see how my parents were doing.

I had a feeling that they were thriving, and that they were probably busy with more chicks of their own. I stopped by here a year ago to visit, and I was shocked to see that they were still alive and well, tending to a pair of eggs.

For some reason, I didn't have the strength to approach them, and so I dashed away. I traversed the bay and settled down here, and I've stuck around here ever since. I just wish that I could talk to them one more time, find out if they've missed me and whether they still adore me..."

I stood there for at least a minute, shocked and awed at the ups and downs she had endured since her hatching. The swirling emotions in Jewel's eyes told me she felt the same way.

Grace was much more than an ordinary Striped Owl, and I was grateful for having taken the time to understand her better.

"All I can say is... wow. Your past, although grim at times, is marvelous, Grace! I sincerely thank you for sharing it with us."

"Oh, no problem, Jewel! I don't mind at all. I think talking about my experiences, especially the negative ones, helps me deal with them."

"That may be true for many creatures, maybe even humans."

"Indeed it may, Jewel."

"So, Grace, is it fair to say that Jewel and I are your friends?"

Grace nodded brightly and replied, "As fair as it'll get, Blu!"

She spun her head around backwards and surveyed the world outside our hollow for a few seconds.

Upon rotating her head back to a normal position, she cleaned her eyes with her nictitating membranes and said smoothly, "The sun is already far below the horizon, you two. I better get going and finish off my breakfast. It was a real treat becoming friends with you two! Nobody else seems to like me, and I have a solid reason as to why..."

Now what does she mean by that? Why would she give the jungle birds a reason to avoid her? There's no way she can be evil. She must be hiding something...

The urge to ask her about the secret she was so closely guarding swelled within me, but I forced it back down. She walked over to the edge of the hollow and actually turned her whole body in our direction.

"We'll meet again soon, my friends. You've given me a lovely reception, and I don't think I'll be leaving this place for many years to come. Goodbye Blu. Goodbye, Jewel."

Before she could orient herself away from us, her wings shot up to her head. She crouched down low, her beak nearly scraping the floor.

Shocked by the sudden action, I asked loudly, "Grace? Are you alright?"

She shook her head sharply and stuttered, "Blu... Jewel... it's coming. Get back... please. I can't stop it!"

Her entire body began trembling as if she was chilled, and my mind was seized with deep panic and concern.

"Grace, what do you-"

"Do it, Blu! Move back... take Jewel and the eggs... with you!"

"Jewel, hurry! Get off the nest so we can move it!"

My mate rapidly obeyed and removed herself off of the eggs. She and I dragged the bundle backwards as carefully as possible, stopping once we reached the rear wall of our home.

Jewel re-shielded the eggs as I wrapped my wings around her protectively.

Before I could even fathom what was plaguing Grace, she flung herself against the wall, thrashing about like a fish out of water.

A feathered horror show played out as she writhed all over, her golden lilt voice now blistering with agony.

"Ahhh! My head! The demons... they're everywhere... burning the inside... of my skull! They won't die!"

She gasped and wheezed for breath, the awful gagging sounds interrupting her shrieking pleas.

"Please... someone kill me! My brain... it's on fire! I can't... take it..."

As she flailed about, her feet wildly scraped the floor, carving out jagged lines in the tough wood. She slammed against the walls with terrifying force, leaving me bewildered as to how she wasn't breaking any bones.

Her pale nictitating membranes shrouded her glossy eyes, adding another facet of crushing dread to her gut-wrenching display.

I squeezed Jewel tighter, as if my puny feather barrier could realistically deflect such violence.

Plumes large and small were dislodged from her constantly flapping wings, thrown randomly by the mini tornadoes of air flying in all directions.

My God... was the only thought that occupied my racing brain.

After an arduous three minutes, Grace lapsed into a state of death-like stillness, her void gaze fixed on the roof of our home.

Jewel peeked her head over the bones in my wing, shaking almost as fervently as Grace had been.

Summing up all the courage I could, I whispered, "G-Grace? Can you h-hear me?"

Like a zombie rising from the grave, she stirred and weakly rose to her talons, hyperventilating nonstop.

Another haunting minute later, when her breathing had decelerated drastically, liquid drowned her eyes and rushed down her face.

Even her ear tufts seemed to lose their rigidity, drooping morosely and depressingly framing her tear-soaked face.

With her wings hanging limply at her sides – in danger of being dampened by the pool of liquid forming beneath her – she cracked her beak open.

"Blu... Jewel... I'm so sorry. I can't..."

Before the crushing tone of the incomplete sentence had a chance to fade into the silence, she blasted out of the hollow, her tragic whimpers lingering in her wake.

Jewel nudged me and moaned, "Blu... she's not normal. She's a lunatic..."

As harsh as my mate's words sounded, I could not deny their truthfulness.

Something sinister had assaulted her from within, roasting her brain without mercy. I had seen a similar condition in humans, but I never imagined it could appear in an avian creature, and with such fury.

Judging by the speed with which it seized her and her systemic reaction to it, my gifted mind deemed Grace an epileptic.

My soul rife with turmoil, I stared unflinchingly at the exit and whispered, "Poor Grace... may the Lord mend her diseased spirit..."