Chapter 7- meeting old friends, James's club idea, Nigel and the cats meet Lysandre's falcons
Blu, Jewel, Carla, Bia and Tiago had flown into Tijuca Forest in search of Rafael and Eva's hollow. During their flight over Rio, the family had stopped by Tulio and Linda's cottage again so that Blu could leave his fanny pack there to save the effort of carrying it around all the time, so Blu did not have the usual brown thing around his waist this time. As the family of five blue macaws flew through the forest, they were surrounded by various feathered forms of various colours. The air was literally alive with the sounds of birdcalls and songs. Various species of macaws, parakeets, toucans and many small birds were flying around, talking, raising their chicks, or foraging for food. Blu and his family passed by a family of golden conures, a proud couple with two chicks. Blu smiled as he watched the mother applaud the oldest chick as it took its first aerial flaps, the father and its sibling looking on proudly.
"Man, I remember witnessing a mother golden conure teach her chicks to fly when I was little," he said to Jewel and his three kids, "Moments before I was captured by smugglers."
He then glanced at Carla, Bia and Tiago and smiled. "And I certainly do remember those three taking their first flight. It seems like yesterday."
"I remember you flying for the first time after we kissed," said Jewel lovingly as she remembered her and Blu falling towards the ocean, "I'm glad you have learned to fly. It has made things so much easier."
The family then passed by a small community of green-winged macaws. The red birds waved as the family passed by. Soon, the familiarity of the macaws' toucan friends' neighbourhood emerged into view, and Blu and his family made a beeline for Rafael and Eva's hollow. As they headed towards the tree, Blu looked down and saw the spot where he, Jewel, Carla, Bia and Tiago first met Jupiter and company when they were under attack from Rafael and Eva's rambunctious kids and unfortunately, Blu and Jewel's three chicks as well. It was a sandy yellow-brown spot, a clearing in the forest.
"This is where we met Jupiter and the others," said Jewel, "When our three chicks were only a few weeks old."
"I remember that vividly," said Blu, "It was when Pluto and Lapis Lazuli were chained together and Jupiter had been unable to fly with a tattered wing."
"Look, Mom, Dad," called Carla's voice, "There's Uncle Rafael and Aunt Eva."
"By my calculations," said Bia, "I think we've timed our arrival perfectly."
At this, Blu and Jewel looked up and saw two familiar black forms perched on a branch. One had a white front and an orange black-tipped beak while the other had a red tinted cream front and a lime green magenta tipped beak. Both the toucans were cradling something and there were a few more bundles of feathers surrounding the two, each with an orange beak with a black tip except for two which had a lime green beak with a magenta tip. Jewel immediately recognised the small chicks surrounding the two larger forms.
"Looks like Rafael and Eva have had more chicks," she muttered with a frown. Blu then counted the number of small toucans surrounding the two larger forms of Rafael and Eva. When he had counted the number of kids, his beak dropped open in shock.
"They've had more than a dozen," he cried.
"Well, looks like we have more cousins," said Tiago with a smile. Just then, Rafael and Eva's eyes travelled upward and when they landed on the five approaching blue macaws, smiles crept into their beaks.
"Blu, Jewel, my amigos," called Rafael in his old, raspy voice, "Long time no see."
"I thought you were staying behind in the Amazon since the Amazon Untamed celebration," said Eva. Then suddenly, the small flock of baby toucans erupted excitedly from around the couple and rushed towards Blu and Jewel like a swarm of bees.
"Er, kids, kids!" cried Rafael but his protests fell on deaf ears when suddenly, two blue macaw squawks erupted as his and Eva's new kids, fifteen of them, began to pursue Blu and Jewel like fans after a celebrity. Carla, Bia and Tiago just fluttered over to their toucan aunt and uncle and dived behind Eva to hide from the swarm of baby toucans, much to Eva's irritation. Eva then began to try and call the fifteen new additions to her enormous family off from chasing Blu and Jewel as the toucan kids then began to pounce on them and pull at their head feathers. Blu cried and tried to pry two of the toucans from his head while Jewel shook her upper body to shake off more toucans clinging onto her back and neck, tugging at her head feathers. However, the baby toucans kept a firm grip on the two adult macaws. Carla, Bia and Tiago looked on in horror.
"Mom, Dad!" cried Carla as she watched her parents struggle to shake off the toucan kids. Rafael then stepped in.
"Hey, kids, STOP THAT AT ONCE!" he barked at the top of his voice, making the three Spix macaw chicks flinch. At this, a cloud of black feathered forms dispersed from Blu and Jewel and piled towards Rafael. Blu and Jewel flapped clumsily to a nearby branch and perched there to regain their breath and sort themselves out.
"This is just like the last two times when we first met you and then when Jupiter and his group were attacked," muttered Jewel indignantly as she brushed her ruffled feathers and crest from the small skirmish. Blu did the same with his feathers but said nothing, but he maintained an angry glare at the fifteen new kids of Rafael as they began to clamber all over him. Eva just sat there and did nothing. Another small toucan, another lime green and magenta-beaked one, peered out from behind her.
"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy," called the enormous cloud of toucan kids as they swamped Rafael, "We got 'em!"
"How many times have I told you not to pounce on strangers," growled Rafael in rebuke, "Roberta, Adriano… ouch!"
He flinched as one of the baby toucans poked him in the eye as he climbed over his head. Rafael lifted his wings and pried the toucan chick from his head.
"How many kids have you been having since our more-than-six-month stay in the Amazon?" asked Blu at last. Rafael looked up at him and smiled.
"Sixteen, Blu, ouch," he yelped as one of his daughters pulled at his head feathers, "And three more on the way."
Shock splashed violently over Blu and Jewel as well as Carla, Bia and Tiago.
"How many-!?" repeated Jewel.
"You must have about… 34 offspring now," shouted Blu in total astonishment.
"By my calculations, I'd say 37, Dad," said Bia, "Based on the fact that Uncle Rafael has three more on the way."
"You've been having kids like crazy, haven't you?" muttered Jewel. Rafael just put on a proud smile and stole a glance at Eva, who just let loose a slight huff, her wings crossed.
"We just love having kids," cooed Rafael romantically, eyes on Blu and Jewel. He then leaned romantically on Eva and nuzzled against her side. Eva, at this, put away her sour-faced look and returned the nuzzle. The many new toucan kids, at this, fluttered away and landed on the perch, wincing as they watched their parents then embrace. Carla, Bia and Tiago also twisted their faces into looks of disgust.
"I remember Justin telling me how Matilda made puking sounds and gestures upon seeing Auntie Venus and Uncle Zephyr kissing," muttered Carla, "The same with Io every time she and her two sisters and brother watch Auntie Ruby and Uncle Jupiter kiss."
"Yeah, it's sloppy," muttered Tiago, "Especially when Mom and Dad do it."
Blu and Jewel made an amused smile when they heard their son say this. Then after Rafael had finished the nuzzling session with Eva, he turned his attention to Blu and his family as Carla, Bia and Tiago returned to his and Jewel's side and everything settled down.
"So, my amigos," said the toco toucan, "What brings you back to Rio?"
"I bet a lot must have happened since our departure, I suppose," said Eva in a sweet voice, all sourness gone.
"Oh, so much has happened," said Blu, "Most have us have settled into our respective tribes, the green and Lear's macaw tribes have made peace, and a tribe of glaucous macaws have moved in with a clan of hyacinth macaws called the Navyfeathers…"
"Glaucous macaws?" repeated Rafael. He then exchanged looks with Eva. "Didn't I hear of the discovery of a glaucous macaw in the papers? We heard about it when we took a family trip to the city."
"Well, I'm so glad that Pluto, Lapis Lazuli, Charon, Quincy, Flor and Blueberry aren't the last glaucous macaws anymore," said Eva proudly, "How many of those macaws are there in that flock? A hundred?"
"It is about half the size of my father's tribe," explained Jewel, "It's Lapis Lazuli's tribe, in fact. Those macaws had had a terrible tragedy involving a group of large, vicious bats that drove them from their homes…"
"Oh, you mean those flying foxes?" asked Rafael. He then made a dark look. "Fedor, the hoatzin who came to our Amazon Untamed festival has told me, Eva, Nico and Pedro about those dog-faced bats," he then felt his skin crawl and his spine cringe, "Ugh, those bats must sound terrifying. I hope I'll never meet those troublesome flying mammals."
"Yeah, and based on his report of them," added Eva, "That colony of giant bats don't sound very friendly at all, not like Basil and his colony who live on this site…"
"They're absolutely not," said Jewel, a scowl on her face, "They're a bunch of bird-hating flying furballs, that lot. Their leader is called Cicatriz and he has a mate, Iracebeth, and those two are downright bloodthirsty."
"Venus was almost slaughtered by a group of those flying foxes from Cicatriz's colony, in fact," said Blu. He shuddered at the nightmare Venus must have faced, especially straight after another, fiery one that happened before she encountered the group led by the deranged and violent Voldemort.
"It happened after the fire," said Jewel. She shuddered as the memories of her almost getting lost a second time in the inferno came to mind like floodwater.
"We heard about that disaster too," said Rafael, "Somehow the dry plants caught fire and hours later, almost the entire sanctuary was up in flames."
"It was a conflagration, honestly," said Bia. When Rafael and Eva gave her a puzzled look, having never heard of that word before, Bia explained. "It means a really massive fire. A lot of the trees and other plants on the sanctuary were burning."
"It must have been terrifying," murmured Rafael in a horrified voice.
"It was," said Blu. He then nodded to Jewel and continued, "But Jewel, along with Zephyr, Brisa, Tornado, Gael, Ruby, Chiquitita, Esmeralda, Orquidea, Ultramarine, Sapphire and Cobalto, had faced a fire once in their lives before. They were all torn from their respective tribes and clans, Jewel, and Zephyr and his sister and parents from the Spix macaw tribe. The previous fire is the second fire they had to face in their lives."
Jewel nodded as she remembered being helplessly trapped in the burning blaze, with every tree and undergrowth plant on fire and the sounds of wood splintering, crackling and the distressed cries of animals as they were trapped and burned alive. Venus had been put through the same nightmare Jewel had been forced to fly through the first time she had experienced a forest fire. It was not known how the most recent fire had started but most of the macaws had assumed it was simply the drought and the fire must have started spontaneously. Whatever the cause, it had been a devastating time for everyone in the Amazon but from the ashes, life had regrown and the colours of the habitats of the Sanctuary de Amazon residents had been restored. Then Blu moved onto another subject. His eyes travelled over the enormous number of kids sitting as a small crowd on a branch adjacent to the one Rafael and Eva sat on.
"Anyway, I still can't believe the number of chicks you've had in the past months," he said, "Why so many?"
"Don't you realise the serious struggle you put yourselves through by having so many children?" added Jewel, "Saturn and Orquidea are burdened enough as it is with a brood of seven, but you with sixteen…"
"I told you, amiga, we just love havin' kids," said Rafael, his wing slung around Eva's back, "We love being parents."
"Yeah, but not by breeding like rabbits to the point where you have so many to deal with," said Blu with a frown.
"What do you mean by that, Dad?" asked Tiago curiously. At this, Blu shot his son a glare when Jewel stepped in to explain.
"We'll explain to you and your sisters when you're older," she said gently.
"Why?" asked Bia.
"Um… it's a grownup thing," said Blu.
"That's right," said Rafael, "You're currently too young to know at the moment."
Carla, Bia and Tiago all sighed. Then Blu turned his attention on the toucan couple.
"As I was saying," he said, "Just because you love being parents doesn't mean you have to go about having so many kids. When we met you for the first time when Jewel and I were chained together, you were swarmed with those rambunctious little rascals."
"Ah, it was nothing," said Rafael adamantly, refusing to see that it was true that he was overburdened with so many chicks. He then placed his other wing on Eva's beak and stroked it lovingly. "While it's true that papa needs a break with all these kiddies giving me grey feathers, we just love being parents."
Jewel just shook her head in disapproval. It was clear that Rafael and Eva were overburdened with so many chicks, and they rarely hired a babysitter to help deal with the enormous number of offspring. Then the toucan and Spix macaw families continued chatting about other things.
Meanwhile
Dash and James continued walking along the streets until they finally found the tent enclosing Nico and Pedro's club. The sound of samba music emanated from under the cloak and the father and son greyhounds could hear the song 'Hot Wings'.
"That's the song Blu and Jewel had their first dance to before they became mates," said Dash, "Jupiter and Ruby, Venus and Zephyr and the other seven macaw couples also had their first dance to that song before they became mates as well."
"Whoa, it sounds awfully noisy," said James in awe as he listened to the music that blared out within the tent-like construction. He then examined the design of the club. "That's exactly how I want our cat and dog-only club's to be when we come to construct it."
"Well, let's find Nico and Pedro but I believe they are inside busy with the club," said Dash as he tuned one of his ears to the sound. "Yes, they're. They're currently singing."
Just then a tall, pink flamingo-like bird with a long neck and legs walked past. He had a long bill with an enlarged lobe-like piece at the end, similar to a human thing called a spoon.
"Excuse me," called Dash to the rosette spoonbill. He and James trotted after him. The spoonbill, at this, turned and looked at the two greyhounds.
"Dash," he said with a smile, "Long time no see."
His eyes then landed on James. "Wow, your puppies certainly have grown up," he said, amazed by the change in James's size and height.
"Yeah, him and his three sisters and brother will be sold to new owners soon, Kipo," said Dash, looking down at James who just smiled. Dash then eyed Kipo the spoonbill and asked, "Listen, are Nico and Pedro busy in the club? James and I would like to have a word with them."
"Really?" asked Kipo, "Is it something serious?"
"No," said Dash. He then glanced down at James. "My son is into music and has an idea about a club exclusive for cats and dogs and would like to discuss it with Nico and Pedro. Are they busy at the moment."
"I'm afraid they are," replied Kipo, stealing a glance from the club, "They're performing 'Hot Wings (I Wanna Party)' at the moment, for a pair of green-winged macaws that had just become a couple but… you are welcome to wait right here until Nico and Pedro finish. I've just come out here for a break."
"Green-winged macaws?" repeated James, "Didn't Mars and Chiquitita dance to that song before?"
"This is another pair of green-winged macaws," replied Kipo, "Not your friend and his diminutive mate."
He then looked into space and wondered. "I wonder how those two are doing with their three chicks Phobos, Deimos and Alexandre. It's been a while since I last saw them and their friends."
"They've come back from the Amazon to spend the summer in Rio," said Dash, "With Blu and his family."
"Alongside Jupiter and the others," added James. Kipo looked at them when the sound of the song from within the tent became replaced by cheering. The three gazed at the tent.
"Well, sounds like Nico and Pedro have finished their song," said Kipo with a smile, "They should be coming out soon. I'll go and speaks to them and let them know you are here."
And with that, he ran off back toward the tent and entered it. "Thanks, Kipo," called Dash but the rosette spoonbill was already out of earshot. Seconds later, a swarm of colourful feathers leaked out from the club's tent. James looked on in awe and had been told by Dash that the club was called 'Paradise'. Among the colourful flood were two red macaws with white masks of facial skin, green and blue wings and a blue and red tail. The green-winged macaw couple were in an embrace, the male lovingly nuzzling his beak against the female's crown and she snuggling up to her partner's chest feathers. Dash and James smiled remembering Mars and Chiquitita's blossoming romance. Before they had become mates, Mars and Chiquitita had danced in a duet to Nico and Pedro's 'Hot Wings (I Wanna Party)' again and had their first kiss similar to how Blu and Jewel's performance would have turned out had those marmosets have not interrupted, and Zephyr and Venus before the cats interrupted months later. Behind the crowd of colourful feathers, Dash and James picked out a yellow form with a green and pink cap on his head and a red headed grey and white bird talking with Kipo.
"There are Nico and Pedro," said Dash. James smiled as Kipo then led the two birds, which were Nico the canary and Pedro the cardinal, over to the greyhounds.
"Well if it ain't Dashie the doggie an' one of his sonnies," said Nico in his usual hip hop/rapper -type talk when he saw Dash and James who smiled in amusement. Pedro then flitted over to the father and son and hovered by James.
"By th' looks of it, looks like your sonny is James, Dashie," he said, one wing around the almost-adolescent puppy's head. After all, what other puppy in James's clutch was a male with grey fur? The only other male puppy was Danny but he had ginger fur like his mother.
"Um, yes," said Dash with a smile, "We've come out to visit you."
Nico landed on top of a nearby trash can and cheekily lifted his bottle-cap hat.
"We haven't seen you in a while, Dashie," he said, "Been busy with your puppies with your sweetheart Gingie, have you?"
"An' how are Veggie and his sweetie Catina doin' with their kittens?" asked Pedro cheekily, "
"Yes," said Dash, "Our five puppies have grown quite a bit and are now adolescents. Veggie and Catina's kittens are now young adult cats."
"I think I got a glimpse of Veggie and one of his sons," said Nico as he spun his bottle hat cap in one wing like a basketball, "I believe it might have been Broccoli but it could have been Thomas. They were going for a walk and I just could not believe how similar that young cat was to Veggie."
"Broccoli and Thomas are quite a spitting image of their father," said Dash, "And it's like father, like son with Broccoli. He's strictly vegetarian just like Veggie and does not like mouse, fish or bird meat."
"Interestin'," said Pedro. Then James moved on to the main reason why he and Dash were here while Kipo left to talk to some of the attendee birds that had just emerged from the Paradise club.
"Now the main reason why we wanted to see you is this," explained James, "I have an idea for a music club like yours, but for cats and dogs only. As you will know, I'm into music…"
"A club for exclusively for cats and dogs, hmm?" repeated Nico with an intrigued smile, "Now that's an interesting idea."
"I'm planning on setting up and opening one with my two best friends Pelusa who is a Shih Tsu, and Nevado, a Persian cat. Those two live in our neighbourhood and are also into music. I have been around to see them to discuss this idea but I decided that someone who already has a club and who runs it would be more suitable to ask, and the first someone who came to mind was you two. You both are club owners and expert samba duo…"
"Well, I like your idea, James, for a cat and dog only club," said Pedro, "It would be great for the cats and dogs who live around Rio, especially Luiz," he then made a slightly serious face, "But actually setting up a club is easier said than done."
"What do you mean?" asked James. Dash continued to listen as Nico flitted over to James's left and perched on his head.
"Well, first thing's first you need a location for your club, Speedy," said Nico, "And you will need various materials to construct it, such as a covering for the club, some items to make the instruments, and a method to advertise it to the local cats and dogs…"
James's face, at this, fell slightly at these facts, but his determination to establish a club for cats and dogs only remained. "I'll probably bring Pelusa in next time so that we can discuss it," he said, "But I will not be able to bring in Nevado. He's one of the many cats who likes to catch birds and has sometimes eaten some in his history..."
Pedro then stole a glance at the attendees as they continue talking outside the tent and the tent enclosing the club itself before returning his gaze at Dash and James. "I think it's best if we discuss this later, you two," he said, "We're very busy at the moment and our attendees are preparing to return to our club."
"We'll see you later in the day if you'd like," said Nico, "Despite the fact that establishing a club is easier said than done, I like your idea for a cat and dog only club but I'm afraid we don't have time to discuss it now, like Pedro said."
"Okay, we'll see you later in the day," said Dash, "When and where would you like to meet us?"
"Will payin' you a visit at your house do?" asked Nico.
"That sounds marvellous," said James, "It would make it so much easier and save us having to leave our house to find your club…"
"Then it's settled," said Nico, "We'll see you both at around near sundown, and maybe we could converse with the other kitties and doggies while we're there…"
"Oh, you'll be surprised to hear but Jupiter, Blu and their group are back from the Amazon," said Dash.
"Really?" replied Pedro with a wide smile.
"Yes, they've come back here for the summer, we've been told," said James, "And will be going back to the Sanctuary de Amazon at the end of the period."
"Well, we look forward to meetin' them," said Pedro, "I can't wait to see how much their chicks have grown."
"Yeah," said Nico in agreement. Just then, Kipo's voice reached their ears, making the canary and cardinal glance in the rosette spoonbill's direction.
"We gotta go," said Nico as Dash and James prepared to leave, "We'll see you tonight. We send our regards to Veggie, Ginger and the others back home."
And with that, the two small birds darted off. James smiled.
"Those two sure have their wings full, don't they, Dad?" he said.
"Yeah, they're very busy;" said Dash, "Anyway, let's go home."
James smiled and trotted after his father as the two then walked in the direction of Susan and Lucy's house.
Meanwhile
Nigel and his cat friends continued to walk the streets with the cardboard boxes over their heads. They had been moving around like this for a while now and still they had not found Veggie and Catina. Nigel's mind was still flooded with the same vengeful desires against Blu and his family and he still complained about not being able to fly and reaching them but he kept his concentration on helping his cat friends. The cardboard box disguised group had soon reached the outskirts of the same place where Nigel had assisted Fernando in capturing Blu and Jewel years earlier. Otis recognised the building through the whole in front of his subgroup's cardboard box.
"Looks like we're approaching Tulio's Aviary," he said and with that, he led the group toward the site. As soon as the group had reached a hiding spot where there was sufficient cover, they removed the cardboard boxes and trotted over to behind a parked car to examine the building closer. As they looked out and observed the workers up to their usual jobs at Tulio's Aviary, Moggy was hit by a flood of memories.
"It doesn't seem like yesterday since we invaded that place with Jack and Jill to steal those birds," she said, "Boy how time flies."
"It also doesn't seem like yesterday that Fernando and I stole those two disgusting blue macaws Blu and Jewel," said Nigel, wincing in disgust as he said the names of the two macaws he detested most. He then looked at Otis and Moggy. "So what birds did you steal when you invaded the place with Jack and Jill when you worked for Frank's group?"
"Well, as far as I can remember," said Otis, "Two were scarlet macaws, some were green-winged macaws but seven of them were extremely rare species: three Spix, two Lear's and two glaucous."
"Three more Spix macaws?" repeated Nigel in surprise.
"Two females and a male," said Adriana, "One of the females had an unusual pair of pigtails on her head and bright amber eyes."
Nigel, at this, widened his eyes in wonder. "Pigtails and bright yellow eyes," he repeated, "That macaw sounds familiar."
He then searched through his memory to recall the time when he had smuggled a Spix macaw with that unusual set of head feathers. "It was probably a chick," he said. An evil, sickening grin then crept into the disgusting cockatoo's beak, "I remember smuggling that little blue macaw chick with another blue macaw chick, a dark blue and teal-faced one, years and years ago."
"Really?" asked Moggy.
"That sounds like a Spix macaw chick and a Lear's macaw chick," said Otis, deducing the species of the two chicks Nigel had described. Nigel then let loose an evil giggle. "What's so funny?" asked Otis.
"Oh, it's nothing," replied Nigel, "Just rememberin' the distressed looks on those two chicks' faces and them mourning for their families. It sure is funny seein' pretty birds in utter despair, and seein' them feeling the loss of my beloved star bird career…"
"Oh, Nigel, you certainly are sadistic, aren't you?" muttered Adriana. Nigel's beak widened into an even more sickening grin. Then the cats refocussed onto Tulio's Aviary when they thought they saw a few flashes of colour in some cages carried by some of the workers through the entrance of Tulio's Aviary. Nigel observed the cages with the colourful birds in them.
"Why are those disgusting brightly coloured birds in comfortable cages?" he asked. Then Otis recognised two of the humans as they came out talking to someone else. At this, disgust coursed through him like an unpleasant bolt of electricity.
"Jack and Jill," he growled, "Don't tell me those two have also taken the choice to forsake smuggling those feathered gemstones as well, have they?"
"Well, based on their association with those conservationists, it would seem so," said Moggy. "They're just like Catina," snarled Tom with a slap of a front paw onto the tarmac in anger, "Cowardly pair of twin siblings. They always have been since they joined our team."
"Fernando was no better," said Adriana as she caught sighted a young man with short, fuzzy hair on his head and tanned brown skin walk out of the front door.
"Oh, he left my group," said Nigel, also watching Fernando, "He refused to co-operate and attempted to release those two blue macaws while we were loading those birds into the plane."
"Did he?" asked Otis. Nigel confirmed this fact with a nod. Then Hopper cupped an ear to the conversation between Jack, Jill, Fernando and one of the workers.
"Sounds like those four are talking about the Sanctuary de Amazon," he said. The other cats and Nigel turned their heads to him.
"Are they?" asked Nigel. Hopper then turned his ear to the conversation and began to pick out some of the words. However, because of the group's distance, Otis only got a few full words and more partial words, but he deduced what the four humans were talking about.
"Sounds like Jack, Jill and Fernando's group are planning on going to the Amazon," he said to the others, "Why, I don't know."
"Probably to check on that flock of glaucous and Spix macaws," said Moggy, "I know how much those conservationists value those two species, especially after they were believed to be extinct in the wild…"
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice sounded behind the cats and cockatoo. "That is correct, cat."
At this, Nigel and the cats all turned round and saw a group of birds approach them. However, these weren't exotic birds. Six of them appeared to be falcons based on their appearances. All six had slate grey backs and ivory fronts and upper legs strewn with black streaks. Their beaks and lower feet were yellow and their eyes were large and black. At the end of the birds' feet were four lethal looking talons, each ending in a long, sharp, curved claw like a sickle or a scythe. Some of the cats such as Tom and the male Persian cat shuddered at the appearance of these dagger-like talons, but the falcons' beaks were just as lethal. The beaks were sharp, with the upper part curling over the front of the lower part, interlocking like the blades of a bear trap. The other birds standing behind the falcons were all dark blue to metallic black. Their beaks and feet were similar in form to the falcons' but were less lethal. Based on their features, these birds appeared to be crows or ravens. As the falcon and crow group stood before Nigel and his cat friends, Otis took up a defensive stance in front of his group.
"Who are you lot?" he growled. The falcon at the front who was the biggest of the six birds of prey, opened his wings, closed his eyes and smiled proudly.
"Relax, cat," he said causally, "We're not here to hurt you."
"But your presence is intimidating some of our friends here," put in Moggy, "Especially you falcons with those sharp beaks and talons of yours."
"And the presence of those crows don't help either," murmured Tom timidly behind Nigel. He then slid his eyes over the black birds and shuddered at their piercing eyes. All the crows had looks of meanness written all over their faces and certainly didn't look very friendly. Then the lead falcon stepped forward to introduce himself.
"I am Cazador," he said. He then gestured to the other five falcons and the crows. "And these are my assistants Cometa, Aliana, Bryony, Swoop and Xerosic, and our crow grunts."
The cats and Nigel only made slightly intrigued smiles.
"Oh, really?" said Otis slightly sarcastically, "Interesting set of names for a bunch of falcons."
Suddenly, a falcon face darted into his face.
"You're mocking us, cat?" growled Cazador in a suspicion tinted low voice.
"I didn't say that," said Otis timidly, shaking slightly at the falcon's sharp beak's proximity to his face.
"I could sense it in your voice," mulled Cazador with narrowed eyes. Otis's eyes, at this, travelled to the other cats and Nigel.
"This falcon certainly knows how to tell moods in how we say things," he whispered. Cazador then withdrew his face from Otis's and gazed at the other cats and Nigel. The other five falcons did the same thing.
"So who are your owners?" asked Moggy. Then one of the female falcons, Bryony, stepped forward.
"We belong to a group of poachers led by Lysandre, cat," she curtly replied, "One of them is working in that building Tulio's Aviary."
She nodded to the building to clarify her point. Some of the cats and Nigel stole a glance from the building.
"Working?" repeated Nigel perplexed.
"Yes," said Cazador, "His name is Ernesto and he's posing as an ornithologist in order to keep an ear out for the signal from Tulio, the leader of that group of genuine ornithologists, of when they will be going to the Amazon's sanctuary."
"Let me get this straight," said the black cat, "This Ernesto is disguising himself as a bird studier and has infiltrated that building so that he could spy on Tulio's group?"
"Exactly," said Cazador. Nigel and the cats exchanged glances.
"What for?" asked Nigel. Then Swoop, one of the other falcons, sauntered towards him.
"Haven't you heard what our owners' occupation is, cockatoo?" he growled, "Cazador mentioned it a minute ago."
Nigel, at this, timidly looked this way and that as though wanting to escape as the falcon neared him.
"P-p-p-poachers?" he spat as Swoop was now a few centimetres from him. Swoop smiled.
"Correct," he said.
"Our owners are poachers and they are aiming to enter the Amazon to steal some of those prized macaws," explained Aliana, "And Ernesto has been sent to Tulio's Aviary to spy on the group and keep an ear out for Tulio's set date that he and his group will be going to the Sanctuary de Amazon." Some of the crows nearest to her nodded in agreement. At first Nigel and the cats were clouded by confusion but then Moggy saw through the fog.
"You mean this Ernesto will be listening for this signal and when he does, he will let your boss know and then you lot will be going out there to steal birds?" she asked.
"That's right," said Cazador. Then Otis frowned.
"But how are your owners going to do that?" he asked, "That area of the Amazon rainforest is now a protected nature reserve with poaching outlawed."
"Ah, this is where a bit of sly ingenuity comes in," said Cazador with a wicked and gleeful smile on his beak.
"Sly ingenuity?" repeated Nigel with narrowed eyes as though finding this boring.
"Yup," said Cazador, "Our boss and some of his other accomplices will be dressing up as ecologists too and will be meeting Tulio and his team in the Sanctuary de Amazon where they will claim to help them study the animals on the nature reserve, while the rest of us, including us birds, will be smuggled into the nature reserve and sent out to capture as many of those macaws and other animals as possible while Tulio and his team are distracted."
"Our main targets are the Spix, Lear's and glaucous macaw flocks," said one of the crows. As these words entered the ears of Nigel and the cats, at first they were silent but then finally, Nigel broke through it.
"It sounds evil and like a fantastic idea," he cackled wickedly.
"It sounds farfetched," said Moggy sourly.
"It sounds risky," said Otis. None of the other cats spoke; unsure of what to think, but Cazador's gleeful smile remained firmly on his beak. There was also a hint of pride in that smile too.
"Yep," he said, "We will be going to the Sanctuary de Amazon, our owners disguised as bird studiers or even animal doctors, and then we'll be catching as many animals and birds from that reserve as possible to smuggle out of Brazil, and that's our plan in a nutshell."
Cazador's accomplices all nodded in agreement but one of them, Cometa, only nodded shallowly. However, she tried to hide her uncertainty behind a façade of an agreeing and evil smile from the others to prevent confrontation from her comrades. Then Xerosic, the other falcon, stepped forward.
"So, you lot," he asked, "Who are your owners?"
This was met by a disappointed and sad look on each of the cats' and cockatoo's faces as they exchanged sad glances with each other. Then Otis explained.
"It's a long story," he said, "But to cut that short, we used to be owned by smugglers too. We helped them to catch and smuggle birds out of Brazil."
"In fact," said Hopper, "We used to be one group but conflict and competition over money eventually drove us to split. Nigel went with Marcel and two other smugglers while we went with Frank and his accomplices. We were led by Brutus but now he's dead shortly after our owners had been caught and we were taken to a cat's home apart from one, a calico named Catina who has gone on to become a housecat."
"As for me," said Nigel, "I helped Marcel to search for and catch those brightly coloured pretty birds but my owners seemed to have ended up arrested too."
Then Aliana saw the tattered feathers on Nigel's wings and crest and the yellow and green vest around his torso.
"What has happened to your feathers?" she asked. Nigel, at this, glanced down at his torso and sheepishly hugged it.
"Oh, this," he said, reluctant to explain what happened, "This was… um…"
As Nigel hit a brick wall as his tongue got stuck in his throat, Otis took over.
"According to him, Nigel was outsmarted by a Spix macaw and was sent flying into the path of a propeller," he said, making Nigel flinch and shoot the cat a glare. The falcons and crows also flinched with an 'Ooh'.
"What a gristly fate to face," murmured Cazador in shock.
"How did you manage to survive THAT?" shouted Aliana. Nigel replied by raising his tattered wings to show the falcons and crows his tattered feathers.
"This is the result," he murmured, "And also, the unsightly mess on my torso which is why I wear this vest as you can see. I cannot fly anymore at all."
"Oh, dear," said Aliana in slight sympathy.
"And… was this Spix macaw responsible for your loss of flight?" asked Cazador. Nigel, at this, began to flare in rage.
"YES!" he snapped, "It's because of that blue macaw Blu and his mate Jewel that I can't fly. That is why I want revenge on him…"
"What have we told you, Nigel?" growled Otis in annoyance. The other cats also shot Nigel an irritated glare. Nigel, at this, returned the glare with a sour face.
"Blu and his family are in the Amazon," he snapped bitterly, "And they're out of reach!"
"That's right," said Otis, "So stop this childish idea of getting revenge on Blu and his family because it's not gonna happen."
"And besides that, you would have DIED in that hideous maze of the Amazon," put in Moggy. Nigel was about to retort when Cometa, having finally found some words to speak, interrupted.
"You went into the Amazon when you couldn't fly?" she shouted. Nigel shot her a glare.
"That is correct," he said, his temper calmed down slightly, "But I never was successful in getting my revenge on Blu and his family."
At this, Xerosic stepped in. "Er, about that," he said, "We were told that the Blu Bird Sanctuary is home to two breeding pairs of Spix macaws and a breeding pair of glaucous macaw. We might want to search for them to catch first before we go into the Amazon…"
"We might not have time, Xerosic, Tulio could give out the signal any time," said Cazador. Turning back to Nigel and the cats, he asked, "Do you lot have any owners still?"
The cats and Nigel shook their heads. "No," said Otis, "But we cats were going to be given to owners to be house pets but we weren't having any of it so we escaped."
"We wanna find Catina the calico to avenge her for the death of Brutus and our ruined future," said Hopper. The other cats nodded in agreement. Then one of the crows interrupted.
"Um, Cazador," he said.
"Yes," said Cazador.
"Shouldn't we be looking for Ernesto?" said the crow, "Those lot are taking us on a tangent from our task."
"That is correct," said Cazador. He then turned to face Nigel and the cats once again.
"I'm sorry to break up our meeting you lot but we have to go," he said, "We need to find Ernesto to check on his progress. We'll see you later."
And with that, he was about to take his group away when Bryony stopped them.
"Wait," she said, "Do you think those cats and cockatoo might be of any help to us?"
"How, Bryony?" snapped Cazador impatiently, "We've got to get going?"
"But Cazador," protested Bryony, "If those cats and cockatoo don't have owners and they have a history of catching and smuggling birds, they should be a part of our group."
Otis, at this, pricked his ears up in hope while Nigel smiled wickedly. Cazador, at this, walked over to the cats and cockatoo and examined them.
"But they can't fly like we can, Bryony," he replied, "And secondly, they might not be very useful in the highly dangerous Amazon rainforest…"
"Hey, we've caught and smuggled birds from forests before," snapped Otis indignantly, "And besides that, we were used for retrieving birds that have been netted once they have fallen out of the sky."
"I'm sure we'd be useful in ground work," said Moggy in agreement, "For example, suppose you dropped a macaw? We could help you to pick it up."
"And I'm pretty sure Nigel would be helpful in ground work too," said Hopper. Nigel, however, made a sour face, lamenting over his inability to fly, like always. Cazador thought over the information until finally, he reached a decision.
"Alright then," he said, "We'll take you to Ernesto, but you must prove to us that you can catch and cage a bird if you want to be a part of our group."
This was met by an elated cheer from the cats and Nigel and with that, they left with Cazador and his gang to find Ernesto.
