"Find Mama?" wondered Pepito and then took the final bite of his berry.
"Yes," said Jewel. "We know from you that your papa…is gone, but we think your mama is still alive."
"But how would you know where to find her? How would I know if it is her or not?"
Blu placed the seed from the mango near the entrance of the den to plant later.
"You will know. It's… Huh. I can't really explain it, but you will know."
Pepito looked down at the ground. Papa was dead. He had watched his papa died. Those humans… They shot him and paraded around victoriously. To them, he was just another trophy; another meal; another day's catch. To him, it was his papa. He knew and loved only his papa. He never knew his mama. When he hatched, only his papa was present. No mama. His papa had been his caretaker, protector, and idol. In the first month after his birth, he learned to fly. His papa was with him. He smiled at him and knew that it was just going to be him and his papa. That was until the dreadful day.
The sun was setting when it happened. His father and he were just admiring the sunset. Pepito was finishing the small meal Papa had provided him. He remembered it so well. It was his favorite berry, the black berry. Papa would rarely give it to him. He had always said black berries were too sweet, and all that sweetness would make his tummy hurt. Today was different. Papa said it was Children's Day, to which Pepito was oblivious to. They had spent a whole day of fun together, mostly doing what Pepito wanted to do. Now, with the day ending, his father had taken to a high branch to admire the sunset.
"Papa, what's Día del Niño?"
"It is the special day for kids. As parents, we celebrate that we are so blessed to have a child. Some don't celebrate this day, but they should. Kids are special to us."
"So I'm special?"
"Of course you are. You will make me proud, Mejo. I am sure of it."
Pepito looked around and saw a nearby nest. In it were three baby Blue-fronted Parrots not even a week old. A father and his wife stood side by side, rubbing each other and the kids. They seemed content. Pepito looked down at the ground then faced his father. His papa was also looking at the family. His father's eyes were lost in a trace, as if he was remembering of something painful long ago.
"Papa?" wondered the caring Pepito with a gloomy face.
His father turned to face him with a content face.
"What is it, Pepito?"
"Are you remembering Mama?"
Pepito knew that his father didn't like it when he mentioned his mother. He always didn't want to talk about it. Pepito was only curious because most bird families had two adult birds. One was called Papa, and the other was called Mama. Pepito had one. He was called Papa. His father sighed.
"Well, I guess you should know. You will know eventually, so there's no point on hiding it from you. Your mama-"
A gunshot echoed through the forest. The family Pepito and his father admired quickly grabbed their kids with their talons and flew away. Panicking, Pepito looked over at his father. He wasn't there. He quickly looked around and faced the ground. He saw something red and blue. He flew down and landed next to his papa, still shocked at what happened.
"Papa? Papa?"
His father weakly opened his eyes. Pepito saw his image reflected of his papa's big eyes. He smiled at Pepito.
"Papa, what is this red stuff?"
"That's…my blood. I need it…to live."
It took Pepito a couple of seconds to realize what was going on. His eyes grew in horror.
"Papa, you can't die! I need you!"
"I know…it's hard, but it is…my time."
"Please, don't go! I know! I can put the blood back in you! Then you live!"
"Pepito…it's too late for me."
Pepito walked up to his father and crouched down.
"These humans…they will find me. Pepito...I need you to run."
"No!" cried Pepito. "I am not leaving you!"
"Nor I. Pepito, I will always be with you…para siempre."
His father smiled weakly and then went into the internal slumber. Soon, Pepito heard rattling in the bushes. Pepito looked at his father one more time before running into the bushes, disappearing from the hunters.
Three days after that tragic day, Pepito found Jewel. He had been wandering the forest aimlessly. He had been crying for two days straight. Birds would see him, but they did not offer to help. The ones who did would kick him out after an hour. They would basically feed him, and that was it. No shelter or anything like that. He was just a kid that a bird felt sorry for but didn't want to take care of him. When he saw Juan, he thought the eagle would help him. He was wrong. It turned out that the eagle was the same as the other birds. By some spark of anger, he ratted out the pervert. That's when he met Jewel.
Jewel had thanked him and asked basically what he was doing out in the jungle all alone. He thought she would treat him like the other birds. Pepito saw no harm and annoyed Jewel. He did this to avoid rejection once again. Hope was not something he was familiar with. Though Jewel did get annoyed, she still wanted him to come with her. Pepito was kind of surprised, but he showed no type of emotion. He figured if the lady didn't reject him here, she would reject him at her nest.
When they got to her nest, he noticed Blu. While he was with Jewel, he thought she was a single bird. He saw Blu before he saw the eggs. Two and two clicked together after Jewel explained what a mate was. This dampened his spirits. With one, it was easier to either get loved or get lost. With two, especially with the father, it was just get the hell out of here.
It was strange to Pepito. This couple had endured his personality. He was so grateful when he slept the first night. He thought they could be the ones. He stopped running. He felt like he was home. Blu had been a brother, no, a father to him. Though Blu wasn't his exact father in so many ways, Blu showed compassion, concern, and was a comedian to him. Jewel, the lady who found him and had gave him the warm touch he only dreamed of, was considered his mother. Blu and Jewel weren't just random birds. Birds who didn't give a damn about him. They were his new father and mother. His new family.
Now, they had just told him about his mother. It felt like they were trying to get rid of him now. They were tired of them and were now casting him aside. This mother thing could be a trick. They probably planned to lead him into the forest so they could lose him and never see him again.
"You want to get rid of me?"
Blu and Jewel were shocked at what the kid macaw said.
"It's fine if you do," he continued. "It wouldn't be the first time."
Jewel walked over to him and wrapped a wing around his shoulders. Blu stood in front of him and bent down to see at his eyelevel.
"Get rid of you?" wondered Blu. "Pepito, why would we want to get rid of you?"
"I guess you're just tired of me."
"Tired of you? Pepito, we are never tired of you. Yeah, you tire us out from time to time, but we still love you."
Love? That word. The only bird who told him that word was his papa. Pepito stopped looking down at the ground and looked up at Blu.
"Both of us come to realize that you are part of this family," continued Blu. "Though it was a short time, we consider you family. We just want what's best for you. I was raised without a real mother or father. I felt horrible. Though I loved my caretaker, Linda, I still missed my parents."
"Same for me," said Jewel. "I had the privilege of spending some years with my parents before humans…killed them."
A tear escaped her eye.
"It was just a normal day," she said, beginning to tremble a little. "Mama and Papa were with me. We were having some breakfast…looking at the scenery of the jungle."
Blu noticed Jewel's voice shaking. Pepito looked up as Blu walked up. He put a wing on his mate's shoulders.
"Then the gunshots… Oh!"
She finally exploded into tears. She moved her wing from Pepito and covered her face in Blu's chest. He continued to hug her for support.
"We love you, Pepito," said Blu in a low, caring voice. "We just don't want you to go what we went through. If there is some chance your mother is still alive, we will find her so you can be with her. Something Jewel and I wished we both had."
Pepito looked up at the two blue birds. He faintly smiled and wrapped his wings around Jewel and Blu, even though only his wingtips brushed against Blu. He closed his eyes, cherishing the feeling he sought for: love.
"I understand, Dad."
Blu's eyes flew wide-open. That word. The word that only scared Blu spoken to him through a child. Blu simply smiled and looked at Pepito and Jewel. His family had grew.
