Third chapter, let's see how Blu handles his fears.
Chapter III
Blu shot out of the entrance of his Hollow, pumping his wings madly & flying as if he was being chased by a Predator, a frightened expression on his face.
It was no Predator, but instead a shout that chased him as he flew rapidly away.
"Blu, get your tail feathers back here right now!" Jewel shouted after him, popping her head out of the hollow & looking around, but just missing seeing in which direction Blu had flown off in.
Jewel huffed, looking annoyed. But as she took a deep, calming breath, a smile spread across her face. Don't worry Blu, I have a plan, I'll catch you sooner or later. She thought as she spread her own wings & took off towards her own destination.
As Blu flew through the Jungle, he risked a glance back & confirmed that Jewel wasn´t following him, but he knew that wouldn't last long.
I don´t know why she doesn´t understand I´m not ready. Blu thought, but he knew that he couldn't run (or fly) away forever. He had to think of a way of dealing with this.
As Blu racked his brain for a solution, an idea came to him. Rafael. I'll go ask him for help. He quickly concluded as he angled his flight towards the Toco Toucan's home & flew to find his friend.
On the way to see Rafael Blu took a moment to perch in a tree & muse about his situation. What should I do? He thought. I love Jewel, and I´m sure she loves me, but this idea of having kids is so sudden, & she's acting so differently from her normal behavior.
Blu was confused, since the day they fell in love, Jewel had apparently been showing her real self and putting aside her cold and selfish attitude that wasn´t needed anymore. She was being more affectionate and enjoying the freedom that she had always cherished & was the source of her happiness since they settled in the Sanctuary. But now, she had completely forgotten about those issues. A little time before Blu had suggested they go on one of their flying trips that she had always enjoyed & thought was one of the best things in the world; but she had dismissively rejected it and instead insisted on her petition. Something Blu wasn´t able to fulfil to her since the idea, or related word produced a feeling of terror inside him. He only wished everything could be like it had been the last months, he was happy with that, but also knew it couldn´t last forever.
Of course Jewel was behaving weird, but Blu realized his behavior wasn't logical either. Wasn´t that the reason for him coming to Rio? The reason he had almost died many times? The reason why he was on the verge of being smuggled away from Linda? Saving the Species. That the main reason why he was here. If anyone could think about the situation, it was completely illogical for Blu to fear something he was supposed to do since he, with Linda´s help, decided to go all the way from Minnesota to Rio. Now even flying looked like a walk in the park compared with being a father. The fear that gripped him at the prospect of fatherhood was different but no less intense than what he had felt at those times when he was trying to fly by running towards a table or cliff edge but had balked at the last moment, unable to throw himself off of that precipice.
"Why. Do. I. feel. This. Fear?" He asked himself as he punctuated each word by hitting his beak with his claw. So far, Jewel had been patient with him, but in time he had it in mind that his constant dodging of the issue would begin to wear on their relationship & Blu shuddered at the thought of a permanent wedge being driven between them.
As he perched on the branch frowning to himself, Blu came up with many thoughts but none of them helped him to overcome his distress. His feeling of fear was still there & we probably would need help from others after all. A psychologist would be perfect for him in this case, but there were two problems: where he could find one in the middle of the jungle and most important one who was able to understand him. He had a brief mental image of himself sprawled out on a leather couch, going on about his problems while a bearded human with glasses sat nearby, nodded seriously & scribbling in a notepad, but then he dismissed the absurd thought. This was serious, & it looked like his only practicable option was having a reassuring talk with his friend Rafael.
Blu gave firm nod, spread his wings & launching off of the branch, he resumed his flight towards Rafael's home. It was quite a distance though & as Blu still wasn't that used to flying, when he landed on a branch outside he was rather winded.
When Rafael heard someone was outside he immediately peered out from his hollow. His face lit up upon seeing Blu. "Hello amigo!" He said jovially, raising a wing in greeting. "What a wonderful surprise you visiting us." He then glanced around, obviously looking for someone. "Where´s Jewel?" he asked.
"That´s why I´m here." Blu said, recovering his breath.
Rafael immediately looked concerned. "Did something happen to her?" He asked worriedly.
"No, don´t worry. It isn't something like that." Blu said reassuringly. "I want to ask you for advice." he said.
Rafael's eye ridges rose slightly, but then he nodded. "Of course, I´ll be happy to help." He then fluttered out of his hollow & perched on the branch next to Blu.
Blu took a deep breath, but then found he wasn't sure where to start. "Well…you see…the thing is…that is to say…we…I…" He stopped, but then tried again. "The problem is that…" he began but he was interrupted.
"Jewel wants to have kids, that's it isn´t it?" Rafael said, a knowing look on his face.
Blu gave him a scared look. "How did you…?" he asked & then Rafael laughed.
"It´s written all over your face, I would recognize that expression everywhere, also I have to add this is the season when all the birds here pass through that. I only joined the two pieces together." Rafael said as Blu covered his head with his wing due to the shame.
"What should I do?" Blu asked, letting his eyes peek from his wings.
"Believe or not this is a very common situation." Rafael said. "Many couples have been separated because of that issue, take this as a warning; you´ll have to accept it sooner or later if you want to stay with Jewel. I can tell you…" he stopped suddenly. "Wait just a minute." Rafael asked with an annoyed look as he turned his head to see many Toucan kids standing on the branch just behind him and staring at both Blu and him.
Rafael turned & walked towards the Toucans, many of whom were giggling behind their wings. One of them flew over & stood on Rafael´s head, grinning mischievously down at his father. "I know what´re you thinking." Rafael said warningly to the youngster as he matched his gaze. "Don´t you dare." He said as he moved his wing slowly towards him, trying to grab his little offspring. "Ow!" Rafael exclaimed at the same time as the little toucan suddenly hit Rafael´s eye with his beak & zoomed off. "Great, you did it, I´m furious, that´s the only thing you´ve learned from your older siblings!" Rafael shouted, scaring the Toucans, who knew they finally teased him enough to affect his mood and stopped laughing, while the one responsible of his father´s wrath and his siblings returned to their hollow followed by Rafael who started a memorable scolding.
Jewel flew through the jungle; she was clearly searching for something or someone. After a long search she spotted something on the ground that apparently was what she was searching for. She carefully lowered her speed and landed.
She landed just in front of a group that immediately fixed their eyes on the unexpected visitor.
"Well, well." Said one of the group. "Look who it is. It´s been a while since the last time we met, isn´t it?"
In spite of the less than friendly tone the other was using, Jewel responded casually. "Some months I think. Of course, that was in a very different situation, I don´t even know your name." she added.
The Marmoset she was speaking to folded his arms. "I already know your name and your boyfriend´s, so fair's fair I guess. I´m Mauro, the leader of the marmoset clan." Mauro said as he moved his hand towards the other marmosets behind him, who were watching the exchange carefully.
"Fine, Mauro, I want to ask you how good are you and your friends on tracking?" Jewel asked.
Mauro stared at her, & then a wide smile came across his face. "Are you kidding?" he exclaimed. "We're the best, & you should know, we found you the last time." he added.
Jewel nodded. "Then you're just what I was looking for." She saw Mauro raise his eye ridge inquisitively, & went on: "I think you remember Blu, don't you?" She asked.
There was a flash of annoyance on Mauro's face. "I should think so. You don't easily forget someone who kicks you in the…" he began with some heat, but then cut himself off & pulled himself back together. "Ancient history now of course." He said pleasantly. "He's your boyfriend & was the other blue Macaw that that jerk Nigel forced us to look for, right?"
Jewel was secretly glad that Mauro had never found out that she was mainly responsible for that painful incident. "Yes, that's right." She said. "Well, since you don't work for him anymore, I have a job for you. I need all of you to search for Blu & bring him to me making sure he doesn´t escape." she said.
Mauro raised his eyes ridges in mild surprise, but then put his head on one side & stroked his chin, considering her offer. "Sure, we can do that, but…" He paused.
"What´s the matter?" Jewel said. She had hoped these Marmosets weren't the type to hold a grudge. Without Nigel's influence they had never seemed interested in exacting any kind of vengeance for their defeat at the club at the hands…err, wings of the birds.
"Easy." Mauro continued. He spread his arms to the watching group of Marmosets. "What's in it for us?" he asked.
There were a few murmurs of agreement & nodding of heads among the group. Jewel sighed and opened her claw revealing something that made Mauro´s eyes bright.
"Is it real?" Mauro asked staring at the item.
"I think so." Jewel said confused by his reaction. She knew the Marmosets liked shiny things, but the question of 'Real' had never occurred to her.
Mauro looked up at her, apparently seeing her confusion. "Ah…you don't know what that is, do you?" Mauro said as he approached to take a closer look at the object Jewel was holding, she held it back slightly.
"A ring." She answered simply.
Mauro chuckled. "It's not only a ring." He said. "It's a 24 karat Gold ring with a Sapphire embedded; it seems to be pretty old, probably the Eighteenth century" he said as looked back at the ring, seemingly fascinated.
"I see you know exactly what it is." Jewel said.
"Of course I do." Mauro said. "I´ve dedicated my life to collecting the rarest and exquisite pieces of jewelry, something that these boys can´t appreciate." He gave a sigh and gave the other marmosets a disappointed look. He then looked back at Jewel. "It´s a deal." He firmly stated.
Jewel nodded & closed her claw over the ring again. Mauro looked disappointed at seeing the ring disappear, however temporarily. He then spoke again. "I´m just being curious, where did you find that ring?"
"I didn´t find it." Jewel answered. "Blu did. He said that he was looking for a place he could find other kind of fruits than mangoes, when he found a grove with watermelons he also found this ring which was half buried in the ground, then he gave it to me." She explained as she took another look at the ring she was still holding in her claw.
"Neat. Just one more thing I would like to ask though." Mauro continued.
"What?" Jewel said.
"Why are you paying us to capture him? Is he maybe, running from you?" Mauro said with a sly look.
"That's none of your business." Jewel said, irked. "Now go & start searching or the deals off!" She snapped, making all the marmosets start to run.
"Wow lady, are you bipolar or what? Now I know why he is running from you!" Mauro shouted as he ran off with the others.
"Repeat that and I´ll use your skin in my nest!" Jewel threatened while the marmosets disappeared through the jungle.
"Those monkeys, I never would have sought them if wasn´t necessary" Jewel said sighing as she spread her wings & flew off.
"I'm only thankful you´re not plucking feathers too." Rafael said while Blu grabbed his tail feathers, hiding them from the Toucans.
Blu had never seen Rafael flying off the handle before, but it was an understandable reaction since his kids found his tolerance limit. Blu couldn´t do anything more than covering his head with his wings in an attempt to avoid listening to Rafael´s ´gentle´ scold about how pecking and spying on others wasn´t funny.
"Now, can you repeat what I´ve told you about eavesdropping?" Rafael continued seriously.
"Spying on others is impolite and mustn´t be done." All the young Toucans chorused.
"It´s good to see you understand." Rafael said, nodding. He paused expectantly, but the group remained motionless in front of him. "So…" he added trying to restrain himself from blowing up again pointing his primary feathers on the hollow´s direction, a movement the Toucans finally understood and went back into the hollow as fast as they could.
Then Rafael turned to Blu again "Sorry for that, sometimes I wish I never had children." he said calming down. "Now then, where we were?" He mused, tapping his wing feather up underneath his beak. "Oh yes!" he said as the conversation came back to him. "If you want to solve your problems with Jewel you should accept her proposal of having kids." He said blithely.
Blu remained frozen by the scene he´d just witnessed. "Yeah…sure, I see that very clearly." He managed to say, gulping.
"Excellent." Rafael said. "I'm sure you´ll be a great father. You know, it´s in your DNA." he said humorously, echoing what he said when they had first met. Blu gave a nervous chuckle, but before either of them could say anything else, Eva landed on the tree.
"Here you are!" Eva shouted.
Rafael looked surprised. "What´s the problem? I´ve been here the whole time."
"I´m not talking to you." Eva said. "I´m talking to him." she said pointing her primary feathers at Blu who was shivering behind Rafael.
"Me?" Blu said.
"Of course you." Eva said, glaring at him. "Why did you abandon Jewel? That´s one of the cruelest actions ever." she said, irked.
"WHAT?" Blu exclaimed.
"Yes, that´s what everyone is saying." Eva answered. "A sparrow told me that and imagine my surprise when I found you here." she said.
"That´s completely, absolutely, definitively FALSE." Blu said as loudly & firmly as he could. He hesitated though. "That´s what everyone is saying about me?" he then asked and Eva nodded.
"They said you flew away from your hollow and left her alone." Eva said accusingly.
Blu was stung by her words but rallied to defend himself. "That's the way gossips are made." Blu said. "It´s nothing like that." he insisted.
"He´s telling the truth." Rafael cut in. "He´d just come to tell me they want to have kids." he added.
Upon hearing this Eva's anger immediately evaporated & she looked thrilled. "Really? That's wonderful!" Eva exclaimed. "I can't wait to see how beautiful your kids will be!" she said excitedly.
While he was glad to no longer be facing her anger, Blu felt it would be best not to allow any more misunderstandings. "That wasn´t exactly what I said." Blu clarified. "I think I´m not ready yet." he continued.
"Oh! Now I see your point." Eva said, nodding understandingly. "Don´t worry, that´s a completely normal feeling, but that´s not the way to solve your problems." she said.
"But what should I do?" Blu asked in despair.
"The first thing you should do is to calm down." Eva suggested. "You won´t get anything good from panicking."
"That´s the best advice I´ve got today." Blu exclaimed giving Rafael a meaningful look. "I might go to see Nico and Pedro, spending some time listening to music should help me calm down & clear my mind." Blu said.
"Great idea!" Rafael excitedly exclaimed, but was mollified when he saw Eva give him a sharp look, a clear 'No' written on her face. He slumped a little & said. "I'm sorry I can´t go with you this time. These kids are grounded and we both need to keep an eye on them." Eva's expression softened & she nodded in agreement.
"OK then guys. Thanks for the talk & I'll see you later." Blu said as he waved his wing at them & then turned, getting ready to take off.
"Oh, Wait!" Eva called as she remembered something. Blu turned back with a quizzical expression. "I also was told that they saw Jewel flying away from your hollow in a different direction than you." Eva related.
Blu was slightly taken aback. Sure, there was nothing stopping Jewel from leaving the hollow if she wished, but what with her recent behavior Blu couldn't help but wonder if she was up to something. "Oh…right. That's a little strange. Thanks for letting me know."
"No problem. Anyways, you go and give everything a second thought." Eva encouraged. "If we see Jewel we'll make sure she knows you're fine & what you're doing. Just take care." she said.
Blu gave them a reassuring smile. "Don´t worry, I'll be fine." Blu said as he spread his wings. "I just need to clear my mind" he said as he took off.
Tulio was taking Rob to the recovery room again after another check-up. He was sure Rob hadn't gotten any fractures but he just wanted to make sure and had taken him to the radiologist for X-rays. Once the results were ready his feelings had been confirmed. There were no fractures, only external wounds, so he had removed the bandage on his head to allow him to be more comfortable.
"That´s it Rob." Tulio said as returned Rob to the cage. "You´re recovering quickly, I´m pretty sure you´ll be released sooner than we thought. But until that day comes you should rest and don´t touch the bandages, understand?" Tulio asked and Rob, lying on the cage´s floor, nodded a little but the pain froze his movement making him let out a pained squawk. Tulio looked sympathetic. "I know it still hurts, but don´t worry. The anesthetic I gave you will kick in in a few minutes & you won't feel any more pain. Soon you´ll be able to go on rehabilitation sessions." he reassured him. "I´ll see you tomorrow." Tulio said closing the cage´s door and leaving the room.
"Wonderful Rob!" Sophie exclaimed. "You'll be healthy soon, aren´t you excited?"
"Yeah, I am." Rob answered, giving her a smile. "But… sorry, can you tell me your name again?" he asked sheepishly.
"Ha-ha." A chuckle was heard from overhead. "I think someone needs a new brain. You make me laugh featherhead."
"Why do you like to tease him Ruby?" Sophie asked giving Ruby a vexed look. "Is it because he´s unable to defend himself or what?" she questioned.
Ruby ruffled her feathers. "I don´t have to explain my reasons to you." She said snidely. She then resumed her comments on Rob's condition. "Just look at him, I´m sure he´s about to forget how to breathe." she said.
Sophie jumped up on the upper bars of her cage & held herself there as she glared at Ruby. "Do whatever you want, but if you lay a single feather on him you´ll feel my wrath."
Ruby smirked as she looked down at the irate bird glaring at her. "You tempt me to do it just to see what you can do." She challenged her.
"Sorry, sorry, I remember now. Sorry Sophie." Rob interrupted distressed, almost begging for her forgiveness. "I didn´t want to cause problems." he said apologizing. "It´s just I don´t know what´s happening with me, I can´t remember things easily and I have to make extra effort to learn new ones." he said sadly.
"Is that not tender?" Ruby said sarcastically, putting her wings together. "You´ll make me throw my breakfast featherhead." she said.
"Sorry to ask but why are you calling me featherhead?" Rob asked curiously as he carefully turned his head, trying to see Ruby.
"Please don´t give her the chance to tease you." Sophie muttered.
"You make this so easy it isn't funny." Ruby exclaimed. "It´s a fancy way to insult you, if you forget everything then you´re a featherhead, you should be pretty angry about that right?" she answered.
But Rob answered politely. "That's good to know. I´ll try to remember it, thanks for the data." Rob said.
Ruby was clearly surprised about his answering to her insults, but she just huffed & turned around, walking to the opposite side of her cage where she was out of Sophie and Rob´s sight.
Sophie gave a sigh of relief. "Well done Rob, I thought she would never stop." She congratulated him.
"I don´t know why she did that, I just thanked her for explaining things to me." Rob answered. He then yawned as his medicine began to kick in, making him drowsy even as it allowed him to turn his head to survey his cage & realize someone was missing. "Sorry to change the topic, but where is Felipe?" Rob asked, blinking as he fought the first wave of drowsiness.
"He´s on a routine check-up." Sophie answered. "He´s fully recovered and will be released soon." She added. Rob then yawned again & Sophie gave him another sympathetic look. "Your medicine is beginning to kick in, right?"
"Yeah. I think so…" Rob mumbled as his eyes started to close.
"Well, sweet dreams." Sophie said gently. Rob gave a vague nod as he tucked his head into his wing & quickly fell asleep.
Blu arrived at the city; it was a beautiful sight, many times before he had followed the same route during their frequent flights with Jewel, but now he was alone. This doesn´t feel the same. Blu thought.
Blu flew over the Ipanema neighbourhood until he spotted a big market and started to descend taking care to make sure that no human saw him. One kidnap experience was quite enough for him, thank you very much. As he carefully landed in a back alley next to a big tent, he glanced around one more time & then walked inside.
Just like the first time he had come there the club was full of birds. The environment was great as the birds danced along with music. A heron walked towards him and offered a thimble with fruit juice. His long flights had made him thirsty so he accepted it gratefully.
Blu spotted Nico and Pedro singing at the center of the club, & threading his way through the crowd of dancing birds he found a place near to them where he could relax and listen to the song.
Tall and tan and young and lovely, the girl from Ipanema goes walking
and when she passes, each one she passes goes – ah
Nico sang as the couples started to gather following the rhythm of the song.
Blu noticed he had already drunk all his juice and started to look for the heron to ask for more but didn´t find him, so he just shrugged and continued enjoying the show.
When she walks, she's like a samba that swings so cool
and sways so gentle that when she passes, each one she passes goes - ooh
Ooh But I watch her so sadly, how can I tell her I love her
As had happened the first time, the beat worked its way into Blu's legs & he found himself dancing along with everyone else. As Nico continued his song however, Blu noticed that he appeared to be directly addressing a couple that was standing on the opposite side of Blu.
Yes I would give my heart gladly,
But each day, when she walks to the sea
She looks straight ahead, not at me
Blu recalled when he had tried to impress Jewel while she was only trying to recover her freedom, only for her to ignore him, no matter what he would do.
Tall, and tan, and young, and lovely, the girl from Ipanema goes walking
and when she passes, I smile - but she doesn't see.
She just doesn't see, she never sees me...
Blu still wasn´t sure why or when Jewel started to fall in love with him, of course jumping from a plane to save her was the cherry on the cake but something before called her attention. Once Nico stopped singing Pedro came into scene.
Olha que coisa mais linda mais cheia de graça
Ela, menina, que vem e que passa
Num doce balanço a caminho do mar
Mosa do corpo dourado do sol de Ipanema
O seu balançado parece um poema
A coisa mais linda que eu já vi passar.
Blu didn´t understand a word from Pedro but he was sure his performance was great, then without a warning he started to dance showing off his best moves. Then Pedro and Nico sang together the first in Portuguese and the second in English.
Ooh But I watch her so sadly
Aah Por que tudo eh tão triste?
Yes I would give my heart gladly,
But each day, when she walks to the sea
She looks straight ahead, not at me
Then a light focused on the couple Nico and Pedro were addressing. They were two macaws that Blu, stopping his dancing, immediately recognized and understood Nico and Pedro were helping them just like they did with Jewel and him.
Tall, tan, young, lovely, the girl from Ipanema goes walking
And when she passes, I smile - but she doesn't see
She just doesn't see, she never sees me...
Blu watched curiously how Nico and Pedro´s plan was going, the male macaw was dancing trying to impress the female & inviting her to join him, but she just stood motionless staring at him like he was crazy.
Por causa do amor...
She just doesn't see...
Nem olha para mim...
She never sees me...
Por causa do amor
The entire crowd exploded clapping as the duo finished the song. Blu then remembered when Jewel noticed him as a potential mate. Dancing. That´s it! He thought happily. He hoped he would be able to convince Jewel to visit the club & enjoy the music like they did many times before. After all, what lady could res….
"You´re such an idiot."
Blu´s thoughts were interrupted & the crowd was silenced as this comment rang out from the female Macaw.
Ignoring the slightly surprised & taken aback looks she was getting from the crowd, the female went on: "I don´t know why I agreed to come here with you." She snapped at the male as she stormed out of the club and flew away. The crowd's gazes followed her out & then turned back on the one who had stayed. Then Nico and Pedro landed next to him.
"Dude, she's really mad at you." Pedro exclaimed. "What did you tell her to make her react like that?" he asked.
The Male Macaw just shrugged. "Nothing, I just told her to take the opportunity to stay with me before it was too late." He answered.
At this comment Nico just put his wing over his face moving his head in a disapproving way.
The male Macaw then huffed, shaking his head slightly. "I´ll never understand why she insists on this 'hard to get' act, but she'll come to her senses soon." He said confidently. The Macaw then exited the club himself, presumably to chase after the female while all the birds began to murmur.
Nico & Pedro exchanged a look & shook their heads slightly, but then they turned back to the crowd. "Ok everyone. Let´s continue with the party and don´t forget to stop for a drink!" Nico called & made some signals with his wing, then the music started again.
As Blu approached the 2 he heard Pedro sigh. "This is a total mess." He said.
"Hi guys." Blu spoke up before Nico could respond. The Cardinal & the Canary turned & their faces lit up as the saw him.
"Blu! Good to see you." Nico said, almost instantly cheering up upon seeing one of their successful matchmaking attempts after their current failure. He then glanced towards the exit the Macaws had used & sighed. "Sorry you had to see that" he apologized.
"Don´t worry about that, I know those two just need to know each other better." Blu reassured Nico.
"I think so." Nico said. "But Juan is still quite presumptuous and doesn't understand that´s exactly what girls hate, especially her. If he keeps that attitude up he will not get far with her, he thinks that being the only male of his species around will make her fall into his wings." he concluded.
Listening to Nico´s last comment Blu remembered something. "Hey…how do you think Juan would react if another macaw of his species appeared?" he asked archly. "Hypothetically speaking, of course." he added.
Nico & Pedro exchanged glances, & gave a nod to each other. "To be honest". Nico said. "That would be the best thing that could happen to those two. A little competition would make him to realize what he´s doing wrong." He answered. Nico then gave Blu a curious look. "Why do you ask?"
"It was just a thought." Blu answered. He had been considering a possible candidate for that job, but then reconsidered it. Although he´d just met him Blu was pretty sure he wouldn't want to pretend to be in love with someone even if it was for good cause.
After a long silence and a carefully analysis Pedro spoke. "Hey bro, I don´t want to change the topic but isn't someone missing here?" he said.
"Yeah." Nico said glancing around. "Where´s Jewel?" he asked.
They had to ask, Blu thought and doubted for a second but finally spoke. "If you have the time, I can tell you everything." he said.
"All the time you need buddy." Nico said.
"Fine." Blu said with a deep sigh. "Here I go." He then started to explain to them all what had happened over the last two days.
