DISCLAIMER: This is my first story I've published on any website. I have written for school projects and such, but this is really the first time I've written about something I actually wanted to write about. So, I will warn you, there are several points in this story where it is either "not well thought out", "impossible", "flat-out absurd", or any combination of those three. This story was an experiment that I performed where I would take a song, and write in the mood the song made me feel (now granted, it got a bit strange at some points). After a lengthly review given by Fenix139, I've realized what a mess I've created in this story. I will overhaul this story in the future, but for right now, please enjoy it for what it is.

Chapter 1: Thunderbird

The light was dim, and the air was damp. The sky was a dark blue color, and clouds crawled across the sky. There was the occasional flash of lightning, followed by a soft roll of thunder. On the ground, dead vines thatched large areas of the ground, and above them grew broad leaved plants and tall ferns, underneath giant jungle trees, with their canopies lifted high above the ground. Raindrops fell from the leaves of the giant stalks of wood, patting the undergrowth below. As the storm drew nearer, the flashes of lightning became brighter, and more pronounced. The low rumbling moved to steady booming.

Leaves rustled, and small sticks snapped in the undergrowth. A blue wing shot out from behind a fern, pushing it aside to clear the way.

"Hey, Blu!" Jewel yelled.

"What is it?"

"Where exactly are you taking me?"

"You'll see when we get there. I thought that during a storm would be the best time to do this."

"Ok…" Jewel replied unsurely.

Blu, Jewel, and their children had since made home in the Amazon rainforest, and Hot Brazilian Summer was settling in.

"You're not scared by the lightning, Blu?"

"Oh, no. This is my favorite." Blu said. He chuckled to himself as he continued walking through the soft green foliage.

"Here we are. Just step right through these ferns."

Jewel was hesitant to do so, but then she went ahead and peered around the giant leaves. She then just stared, apparently memorized at what lie ahead of her. Blu followed as she sat perched upon a small boulder resting on a large cliff. Blu hopped onto the rock next to Jewel.

"Isn't this just amazing?" Blu asked. Jewel didn't answer, but just watched.

Giant storm clouds hovered over the vast rainforest ahead, slowly rolling toward them. A wall of rain pushed along with the storm, drenching the trees below. There was no sense of danger watching the storm draw nearer, but a potent air of sheer awe.

"This is the most empowering thing I've ever seen." Jewel said, smiling brightly at Blu. They sat there for many minutes. The rain soon got heavier, but this didn't deter them. They eventually started on their way back, stepping over vines, large branches, and other things of the sort. It was still dark yet, and there was little motion surrounding them.

"Alright, everybody, get to your nests. We've spotted a storm headed toward here!"

Eduardo's voice could be heard throughout the jungle, echoing off of every tree trunk nearby.

"You two!" Eduardo stated.

"Oh. Yes, ah-ha, h- hi…" Blu stuttered.

"Yes. We heard." Jewel explained.

"Alright. You two know where to go, right?" Eduardo asked.

"Just follow me," Jewel whispered.

Jewel hopped up and flew in a seemingly random direction, and Blu was quick to follow.

"I guess we stay here until it's blown over," Jewel said. Blu grabbed his fanny bag and pulled his GPS out, and on it, a notification popped up for a software update.

"Oh. I guess Google must've upgraded their maps." Blu muttered contently to himself. He gave the screen a single tap, and then set it down next to him.

"This is wonderful. It's just you and I, here, hiding here from the rain." Jewel said, walking toward Blu, who was staring out of the hollow in the tree. He was watching what appeared to be a light moving through the woods in the distance, accompanied by the rumbling of a diesel motor and the screeching of steel. It wasn't like any kind of car or truck, simply because the screeching persisted. After several minutes, whatever there was in the distance had been long gone. The GPS made a little jingling noise, and the screen emitted a green light. Blu took a look at it, and saw a gray line cutting across where the illegal logging operation had previously been abandoned.

"Is everything alright?" Jewel asked, looking confused at Blu.

"Something is over there. I'm gonna go find out once Eduardo gives the OK that the storm is over. Also, where are the kids?"

"They're with Roberto. You left them with him so that you could take me to that spot."

"Oh, yeah, right," Blu turned around and situated himself next to Jewel. She put her wing around Blu, and they continued to watch the rain.

After little time, there was a bit of commotion around the tree that Blu and Jewel stayed in. The two of them peer their heads out of the opening in the wood, and they see many of the Spix's macaws faced toward the source of the metallic screeching noise that had passed many minutes ago. Eduardo and Roberto were standing in front of them on top of a rotten log.

"Something is back there, and we don't know what that thing is! We will need volunteers to help explore the area!" Eduardo announced.

"Anyone who is interested in helping us should line up in front of this log." Roberto added. Blu flew down to the crowd and walked toward the log behind a few other Spix's Macaws in a semi-single file line.

"Hey Blu! You come from humans, right?" Eduardo asked.

"Well, not technically, but—"

"Can you perhaps explain to us what that thing is?"

"Well let's go have a look, shall we?" Blu said.

"No! It is far too dangerous. What if it's a trap?"

"Blu, what are you doing?" Jewel asked him in a slightly shocked manner.

"I'm going to see what this thing is. Oh! My GPS!"

Blu darted up the tree and returned with the grey box in nearly an instant, and Blu showed Eduardo what he found.

"Alright. Do you see that gray line?"

"Yes. What are you insisting?"

"I think that's where it came from."

"Alright! You heard him. Let's move!" Eduardo announced, and two other Spix's Macaws closely followed Blu. Jewel stayed behind with the large majority of the crowd, looking into the distance with uncertainty.

• • •

"This is weird," one of the Spix's Macaws said, "What on earth is this?"

"I'm not exactly sure. Maybe Sue, er, Blu can tell us," Eduardo replied.

"Tell you what?" Blu asked.

"Get over here with that thing of yours,"

"Do you know what this place is?" Eduardo inquired. Blu looked around at his new surroundings. In the clearing, the trees parted, forming an unnaturally linear pathway. The trees and undergrowth stopped at a clear margin, where a grassy berm rose a few feet above the swampy jungle floor. This berm was topped with rust-laden, crushed rock. Blu started curiously walking up the embankment.

"Blu? Where are you going?" Roberto asked, popping into the situation a bit late.

"Roberto, where have you been?" Eduardo asked, then paused a few seconds, "Ah, never mind. Just wait."

All four of them watched as Blu explored the raised land. He seemed to walk back and forth, taking unusually long strides from one space to another.

"Well? What is it?" another Spix's macaw cried out.

Blu walked to the edge of the mound, then announced,

"This is a railroad!"

The two other Spix's macaws gave perplexed looks to Blu.

"A what?"

Blu hopped down from the embankment, intermittently glancing at the ground for large stones or sticks. Shortly after his three foot journey from the previously unknown, Eduardo placed his wing on Blu's shoulder.

"Uh, Blu?" Eduardo whispered.

"What is it, Sir?" Blu silently asked.

"What on earth is a "railroad"?" Eduardo asked in disappointment and confusion.

"Well, uh—"

"You know what? Just explain it when we get back."

"Ok. Yeah. Sure."

"Let's head out, everybody. Nothing more here to see," Eduardo once again announced to everyone in the small vicinity.

"Wait! So Blu gave it an arbitrary name, but that doesn't explain the light! And the noises!" Roberto yelled in panic, just before Eduardo was about to take off.

"We'll just have to hear what he has to say on the subject. Maybe he's not a complete nut job," Eduardo explained.

"He liked being caged up and living with a human. He's not a nut job, you say?"

"He ended our brawl with those Scarlett Macaws and single handedly stopped our rainforest from being destroyed. I think he deserves even the slightest bit of respect."

"But he's so weird, and he doesn't even belong here."

"Roberto, we will not hold a grudge on the new guy. Besides, you are my right hand bird. He's now family."

Roberto remained silent, and Eduardo flew into the woods back toward the sanctuary. The sky, even after the storm had passed, remained dark. Roberto stayed behind for a short moment after Eduardo disappeared, looking around, developing a jealous scowl. He then bolted into the trees.

• • •

"…There were rectangular logs that these rails sit on top of. They were cold, like stone, except they weren't. They were shiny, and they made a ringing sound when I hit them with a rock. This is one of the many ways humans like to move stuff, and I think this thing is going to be used for more than taking our trees away. There is this giant thing called a train that, well, It's hard to describe. Anyway, it rolls on these rails, and behind it are these boxes, or, well, there are a lot of different, well. Ah…" Blu stammered as he tried to explain what a railroad was to birds who have never come in contact with anything human.

"It would be easier if I took you all to the tracks and had you sit in a tree above to watch the train."

"I don't want anyone going anywhere near that thing until I figure out what it is." Eduardo demanded.

"Then I might as well take you there, first."

In that instance, a train horn echoed in the distance. It sounded a rather pleasing noise through the jungle, one comparable to that of several French Horns.

"Welp, we better hurry, Eduardo. That's the train." Blu said, as he flew toward the tracks.

"Hold on, I'll be right back. Just stay put." Eduardo said before he took off after Blu.

"What's Dad doing?" Bia asked.

"Remember when I took you on that yellow tram the day just before we left for the Amazon?" Jewel asked.

"Yeah." Bia said.

"He's just teaching everybody what that is, except that these are many times bigger and longer than that trolley car."

"What d'ya' mean?"

"Just follow me…" Jewel said, then sighed.

Jewel and Bia followed Eduardo's general direction. They peered from behind a cluster of leaves, and see Blu and Eduardo on a branch several trees down from them. The headlights on the locomotive in the distance were bright, and they stood out against the inky sky. The train advanced toward the birds at a notably fast pace. The locomotive was a solid red, with thin letters A-L-L on the sides and nose. This was an American locomotive fitted for use on Brazil's railways. Below the A-L-L letters read "América Latina Logística". The train passed the birds at unfathomable speed, or at least for them it was.

"This is what you meant with the big boxes in your explanation?"

"Well, without context, it thought it might be hard for you guys to understand."

The train was headed by four engines, and an endless string of freight cars followed behind.

"It's so loud!" Bia yelled from the other tree. Jewel covered Bia's ears, and Blu peered over at Jewel.

"What are you two doing here?" Blu yelled over the screeching sound of steel wheels on steel rails.

"I thought I told everybody to stay put!" Eduardo barked.

"Oh, come on, she's my wife, and besides, we kind of lived in human environments for several years of our lives. We know the whereabouts of this stuff."

"Ok…" Eduardo said, rolling his eyes.

The freight train continued to rattle along the newly constructed railway through the amazon.

"A little fun fact, Brazilian rails are narrower than the ones in the United States."

Eduardo continued to watch the train passing below.

Jewel and Bia fluttered from their tree and landed on the branch that Eduardo and Blu were perched on.

"So, Blu, what I really want to find out is how dangerous this thing is." Eduardo said.

"Well, it really depends on what you plan on doing around this thing." Blu replied.

"Yeah?"

"Well, you see, trains run on tracks, and they don't come off of the track, or else they can't move. If you are sitting on top of the tree, watching the train, then no, it is not dangerous. If you are playing on the train tracks, or doing anything on the train tracks, for that matter, then yes. You could be killed! Trains are safe, if you don't get too close. They won't come chasing after you, and they don't do anything but make noise."

"Alright then. It's safe to fly across?"

Blu didn't answer, but just leapt off of the tree and flew across the tracks above the moving train, no harm done. Blu remained in the air across the tracks, and all four of them looked over to the last car of the long freight train. Blu, then, made his way back across the tracks.

"That's everything I need to know. You've been a great help, this morning." Eduardo said. He gave Blu a pat on the back. He and Eduardo flew back into the woods, and Jewel and Bia followed shortly after. The sky was still very dark, but the storm had long passed. It was only cloudy.

• • •

Later that day, Blu decided he would spend some time alone. He set off into the woods toward the railroad tracks.

"Ya' know, Blu, you've really proven yourself this time." He spoke to himself. As he ventured deeper into the woods, enjoying his hike, he heard the rustling of a creature that might be following him.

"Hello? Anybody there?" Blu called into the woods. He looked around him, and, soon afterward, continued through the woods. Blu looked ahead, and saw the clearing where the tracks were laid. Just after Blu stepped out of the low-lying plants, he heard a quiet voice.

"I got you now."

In the next instance, Blu was swept off of his feet and into a tree by another blue figure. It was a painstakingly familiar shape, but Blu was disoriented by the blow to his chest that sent him crashing into a rotting trunk. Blu looked up at the bird that towered above him as he lay in the leaves.

"Roberto." Blu gasped. His eyes widened for a second, then he squinted.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I have some unfinished business to take care of, and you're first on my list." Roberto said in a discomforting tone. Roberto stepped toward Blu with outrage in his eyes. Blu stood up, waiting for Roberto to make the first move.

"This stops here." Blu yelled.

"Make me!" In this instant, Roberto leapt toward Blu, knocking him backward into the same tree, strangling him. Blu shoved his foot into Roberto's stomach, loosening his grip on Blu just enough for him to grasp Roberto by the wings and pin him against the grimy bark.

"What has gotten into you?"

"I've been found out. You made me look like a coward when those giant machines came plowing through the rainforest! I consider myself lucky that Eduardo didn't have me demoted yet!" Roberto threw Blu into the mud next to the tracks, and a loud crack of thunder sent large vibrations through the clearing. The two birds were then took aggressive stances, ready to engage in full combat. This fight was ruthless, and it went from difficult to unbearable after Blu found himself tied to a tree after being knocked unconscious by a falling branch.

"I've waited far too long for this, I think it is that time, Blu."

"Time for what? Where am I? What are you doing?"

"Justice. I'll ruin your life just as you've ruined mine." Just as he uttered those very words, a freight train slowly rolled by the birds, stopping several minutes after its arrival. Roberto proceeded to his deed, and a shriek of agonizing pain filled the jungle. Feathers had been torn from Blu's wings, and they blew into the jungle by the wind produced from another oncoming storm. Rain drops started to fall, and Roberto cut Blu from the tree and kicked him in his stomach.

"Good luck getting around after that." Roberto said, and chuckled. Blu only groaned, and Roberto placed his foot on top of Blu's throat.

"Blu!" Jewel screamed from behind.

"Roberto, what are you doing?" She yelled. She charged toward him shortly after realizing what had been done. Roberto quickly turned around and snatched a club from under a pile of dead leaves, and forcefully struck Jewel in the head, causing her to fall into a puddle next to the tracks. Blu stood up, and Roberto swung his club and struck Blu in the throat, knocking him to the ground. Blu then looked upward in horror, just before being hit again in the head. With the freight train stopped on the tracks, he dragged Blu and Jewel up a ladder and on top of a rusty boxcar, where he would leave them for the train to take them out of the Amazon. Roberto flew off, just as the thunderstorm set in. Blu and Jewel remained unconscious on top of the boxcar, and after several minutes, the train began to move. Blu and Jewel have just embarked on a the longest journey of their entire lives, and they didn't have a clue where they're headed.