Chapter 3:

Jewel's Respect!

Jewel lowered the injured bodies of Blu and Rose down into the thick mesh of twigs and mud which formed a carefully designed nest. She rubbed a wing across the large goose eggs which pulsated upon their heads. Though the swelling did die down over the previous hour, the two birds still looked to be in some major pain. Blu groaned as her wing came into contact with the large lump. His face turned green almost as if he could vomit at any moment.

"You don't look so good, Blu." Jewel admitted, removing her wing. She looked at the swelling with a worried expression and noted the blackish mark under his eye. She shuddered and studied her wing, noticing the differences between the two. Not the light complexion of colour, but the smoothness, and what she could only describe as blood stains. Even the lump on his forehead seemed to draw her attention.

"I have a concussion," Blu explained, "I just need to rest tonight. I should be back to my old self in a couple of days."

Jewel nodded her head and rubbed her beak against Blu's, careful to avoid any of the bruising, or other injuries the bird's face seemed to sustain. The female became lost in the moment. It wasn't often that they got to share a moment like this, especially now that they had four chicks to take care of.

"I love you, Blu." She cooed.

"I love you too, Jewel." He smiled, grimacing as the lump on his head swelled. "I also love painkillers right about now."

Jewel's eyes widened at the bird's confession. She thought back to the sharp pin prick of the syringe sinking into the side of her wing. She could remember being groggy and dizzy as the medicine took effect, and Blu told her stories of how weird she had acted during the brief period of being drugged up. She didn't wish to see Blu in that state nor could she handle seeing him in that sort of condition.

"Just try your best to rest," Jewel soothed him. "Like you said, you'll be back to your old self in no time."

Blu let himself grow more relaxed. He folded his wings against his body and closed his eyes. With a single yawn and twitch of his body, he began to snore. Jewel studied her sleeping mate for quite some time. Her eyes reflected little emotion. Her bright cerulean wings brushed along his beak.

"I can't wait until you're feeling better..." She sighed, turning to eye her daughter who also seemed to be sleeping peacefully. "And that goes for both of you."

Buster and Kinski fluttered through the air, moving at full speed as they circled the trio of birds below them. Jewel's eyes hardened as she held up a wing. Her voice turned harsh as she spoke to them.

"Buster, Kinski get down here right now! I will not have you waking up your father or sisters! Is that understood?"

Both boys did as they were told. They swayed their talons across the ground. Their eyes filled with innocence, their smiles faded.

"I said is that understood?" Jewel repeated, her eyes continuing to glare out at them. "Well... answer me."

"Yes mom." Buster sighed. "We're sorry."

"Very sorry mommy," Kinski piped in, sheepishly.

Jewel's eyes softened as she shook her head. Her boys proved to be master manipulators, and could act truly sorry, even if they didn't mean it. Their big round eyes painted the portrait of innocence.

"I should hope you're sorry. I'd kick your tails if you woke them. Come on," Jewel waved her wing, "I know someone we should pay a visit too."

# # #

The sun held high in the sky, bringing a pleasant summer's warmth to the jungle. Jewel landed upon her talons and folded her wings against her body. Despite the sun glistening off her cerulean feathers, she couldn't help but cut the portrait of a tragic figure. Her beak formed a frown as she eyed her kids who followed her example and landed right behind her. Their cheerful chirps filled the air. Her eyes filled with painful tears. She didn't like coming to this place, despite the surrounding scenery of the jungle. This place held a tragic reminder of a lost loved one. This was her sister's burial site.

Stepping towards the decorative stone, she dusted the flat surface of the quartz and studied the small engraving Blu had etched into it with his beak. The grave marker shifted under her weight almost sweeping Jewel off of her feet.

"Whoa!" She moaned, struggling to keep herself upright. "That wasn't good."

"Are you okay, Mommy?" Kinski asked.

"I'm fine." Jewel sighed, "I just got a little careless that's all."

She eyed the worried expressions on the children's faces. They didn't like to see her in this state. They knew her as a strong, fierce, loyal, and cautious individual. Jewel knew this deep down, and she respected them for it. She shook her head and turned her attention back towards the grave marker she held up her wings and beckoned the children closer.

"Come here you two." She said, "There is someone here I want you to meet."

Buster and Kinski did not argue with their mother. The proceeded to follow her advice and peered down at the rock.

"There's no one there." Kinski pouted.

"Yeah mom, why are you trying to trick us?"

Jewel shook her head and explained herself further. The two young boys listened without any interruption.

"There's no one above the ground, but there is someone below it. You see this rock is a grave marker."

"A grave marker?" Buster arched a curious eyebrow.

"Yes," Jewel nodded, "It belongs to my sister, Amber. While you were still eggs, you're Aunt sacrificed herself to stop a great evil. She gave her life so you may live without any fear of this horrible figure."

"She stopped a great evil?" Kinski shuddered, fear reflected in his eyes. "What was this creature's name?"

"His name was Roger. He was a very evil and very sadistic scarlet macaw."

The kids looked on in amazement. They didn't say a word as they peered at the quartz rock. They couldn't believe someone in their family could stand up to such an intimidating creature. They forced smiles and placed their wings upon the rock.

"Thank you, Auntie..." Both kids stopped and turned to their mother. "What's her name, mommy?"

Jewel shook her head.

"Her name was Amber."

"Thank you, Auntie Amber." The kids cooed in unison.

"We wish we could have seen you in your fight." Buster admitted, "You must have been strong to face off against a scarlet macaw."

"Yeah, mommy says we can now play in peace." Kinski smiled. "Thank you so much, Auntie Amber."

There was no response from the quartz. But all three birds kind of expected that. Rocks couldn't communicate with living creatures. Jewel admired the kid's respectful nature towards her deceased sister. She issued for their attention.

"I need to speak to my sister for a couple of moments. Can you go play while I pay my respects?"

Both boys nodded their heads and began to run through the clearing.

"Remember to stay where I can see you!" Jewel called out after them. She sighed and lowered her head. "Thos boys are going to give me grey feathers."

Jewel sighed and placed her wing upon the quartz. She eyed her surroundings and began to speak.

"Hello, Amber. I miss you. There isn't a single day that I wish you would have survived your encounter with Roger. Since then we've faced more than our fair share of danger. We faced off against a crazy cockatoo named Nigel, and an egotistical and scheming albino macaw named Jollo. Blu has almost been hurt in both encounters. Please lend me your guidance... please let me know whether we're finally safe or not."

The wind picked up sweeping through her feathers. She shivered as an extreme chill crept through her spirit.

"You're here aren't you?" Jewel found herself asking. "What are you trying to tell me?"

The chill worked its way in deeper through Jewel's interior. She found herself trembling. Her beak clattered as she fought for warmth.

"Jewel..."

The blue macaw spun around to see the ghostly apparition of her sister. Jewel forced a smile as she addressed the spirit.

"Amber? It can't be, you're dead."

"Yes," The apparition nodded. "You asked for some guidance and I am here to deliver upon your request."

"Are we out of danger?" Jewel asked. "Please tell me? I can't stand the thought of Blu being injured again."

The spirit shook her head.

"You're not out of danger... not even close. You still have several different battles to face ahead. But you can win."

"But what about Blu?" Jewel protested. "He's been hurt in the past two fights. Tell me he'll be okay."

"A dark path awaits him." Amber admitted. "That is all I can see. Whether he'll be tempted by darkness, or whether he'll pass over. That cannot be determined. Please know that you still have one full year of peace left until the next evil creature descends upon the world. Enjoy the peace and quiet while you can."

Jewel was going to speak again but found herself standing alone. The cold chill disappeared into comfortable warmth.

"Thank you for telling me, Amber." Jewel sighed. "I'll protect Blu with every last breath in my