Author's Note: Hey, guys. Sorry for the slow-ass updating. Things have been going down the hill lately for me. With college slowly closing in on me, I had to partake in a lot of events which prevented me from updating this as soon as I could. The past few weeks have been burning hell for me as I am also recovering from a high fever.

Dunno how worse things can get for me, but I can shake 'em off for now.

So, here it is. For the readers of Tales of an Eagle, the next chapter is on its way.

My apologies, readers, and especially to Toltec Spirit. ;_;


"Let's face it, Mac. We're lost!"

"But… I could have sworn the rendezvous point was just around here, man. I swear."

"Well apparently, it isn't. And wasn't that Blu guy supposed to be here?"

Two of Allan's squad members had already taken a head start, as ordered by Sergeant Travis himself. Both of these birds were falcons, just like Travis. Allan was en route to their location. Thanks to his mini-PDA, their vitals are synchronized to his gadget and he can track them with it.

Unfortunately, neither of the two falcons was sure if they were at the rendezvous point or not. "This is just crap, man. I swear, if we were the bosses of this world, the human poachers wouldn't stand a chance against us, and then this experiment to genetically make copies of birds to prevent extinction wouldn't happen, and then that Scarlet bitch wouldn't be loose in this jungle."

"Well, I'm sorry, Tony. It all happened anyway. Were up to our beaks in crap."

Flying all the way from the island the institute was located and then searching for the meeting place exhausted the two birds. Mac decided to take a breather and perch on a nearby branch. Tony did the same. "I think I'm losing it, man. I used to last longer than this."

"C'mon, Mac. We ain't old yet. It's just the gear that's weighing us down."

They both thought that taking a short break would clear their minds, and when it did, they would head out and locate their navy companion.

Little did they both know, however, that they truly were in the right spot, and that Blu…

… Was just behind some bushes underneath their perch.

...

The shivering macaw lay on the cold ground, fearing the slug that Scarlet had put in him, what he might turn into, and what it might do to him. She said he was going to "turn out just like her" and become a "bloodthirsty savage." If his soon-to-be-possessed body crossed paths with his friends, Jewel and their chicks-

No! He swore in his mind. I won't turn into a monster. I can find a way out of this mess! I just need to find Allan's soldiers and help them kill Scarlet. I can't let them know what she did...if worse comes to worse… I'll just have to fly far far away…

Trying to scrounge up some courage, Blu slowly stood up on his legs and shook himself. He felt a bit better, but he was still shivering from the after-effects of the infection.

"Okay…" he noted himself, "Time is running out for me and everyone else. We have to kill Scarlet somehow. Maybe if she dies… that thing she put in me will die too. "

His note to himself was, however, loud enough to be heard by anyone in the vicinity.

"Hey, who's there? Someone there or somethin'?"

The voices were from males and they sounded like they had some authority in their tones. It had to be Allan's soldiers.

"Hey… doesn't that sound like Blu?"

Hearing his name mentioned forced a sigh of relief out of him. He walked out of the shrubs and immediately looked up to the trees and waved his wings lethargically."It's me, Blu! I'm down here."

The sources of the voice looked below, finding the macaw that they were looking for. "Hey, there, fella! We've been lookin' for ya! Get yer tail up here, man!"

"Yeah, Blu! C'mon!"

Hearing her name sent a jolt of dread through Blu's being, remembering what she did to him. Technically, Scarlet had already gotten him. He wanted to be honest to the two, but they would probably adhere to the "better safe than sorry" adage and shoot him point blank.

Without waiting any longer, Blu flew up to the branch the two uniformed falcons were on and perched between them. "Am I glad to see you two," he said, forcing a smile.

"Likewise, bro. We thought we got lost, almost to the point of thinking we'd have lost you. I'm Mac, by the way," the falcon introduced, gently patting Blu on the back. Tony did the same.

"Name's Tony. Nice to meet ya, Blu. Well, since we're all here, let's just say this is the rendezvous point. I'll call up the Sarge then and tell 'em that we've located our guest."

Mac and Tony were oblivious to Blu's probable demise, but hopefully it won't turn him against them before Blu can be cured. If there even is a cure…

While they waited for Sergeant Travis and Private Allan, Eva had arrived at her family's hollow. She was expecting Rafael to lunge towards her and hug her to death for being gone for so long. However, her thoughts came crashing down when she was instead greeted by silence and emptiness.

She stepped in and glanced around, some of the moonlight shining in front of the hollow. There wasn't any blood on the floor and walls. She sighed out of relief and weariness, for she was confident that Rafael and the kids knew of Scarlet and were able to escape.

She was to turn around and head over to Jewel's hollow, but a gray object lying in their nest caught her eye.

The toucan went over to it and picked it up. It looked like a recorder. It had a mic on it, and some command buttons and a speaker. She noticed the button that said "Play," and pressed it, realizing then that it was a message.

"Hey, honey. It's me, Rafael. You've been gone for quite a long time, mi amor. We were getting very worried about you. But then a bird in a uniform showed up and said his name was Allan, and told us to follow him. He said it was for our own safety. I asked why, and well, I learned that there's a lunatic on the loose. And not just an ordinary lunatic, he said. He also told me that he already knows you and that you're in good condition with Blu. *Sigh of mixed relief and worry* I hope you find this, Eva-darling. If you're looking for us, we're on the island with that weird building. Jewel and her kids are with us too, as well as a LOT of other birds and their families. Please get here soon, honey. I love you, and stay safe."

The recording ended there with a click.

A warm smile was on Eva's face. They were out of harm's way and sheltered from Scarlet's wrath.

She left the playback device where it was and faced the eerily dark and quiet jungle. The island with the weird building, huh? Then that's where I should go. Just being in this jungle we used to call home is a deadly risk.

Eva walked to the rim of the hollow and spread her wings, but paused before taking off.

Making this trip is also a risk. Does that Scarlet even sleep, or is she prowling all day and all night? Well, anything is better than hanging around here, and I miss my pudgy papaya…

Steeling her will, the toucan jumped out and headed for the island in question, cutting through the foliage and shadows alike. She kept her senses tuned to the environment despite her lack of sufficient energy, but as far as she could tell, she did not pick up any signs that Scarlet was tracking her.

I'm going to slip away right under your beak, Scarlet. You'll never catch me, or my family and friends. I am saddened for the others who weren't so lucky, but you're going to get what's coming to you one day…


Author's Notes: Well, that's the end of this chapter. Sorry it was too short. Hopefully I get to make a longer one.

And many thanks again to Toltec Spirit for the proof-reading.