A/N: Okay, some of you might not like this chapter in the slightest. It's been sunshine, lollipops and rainbows for pretty much the whole story, but it's all about to change. How? Read and find out! No scrolling to the bottom, now (I know who you are and where you live. Hired goons on the way).
Chapter 9: Never Saw It Coming
Victor and Yasmin still couldn't quite wrap their heads around what they just learned about Manuela. They kept thinking about it the whole time while they were flying in what they assumed was the direction of the aviary, where Blu took his mother to meet with Linda and Tulio. Yarah could barely keep up with them, and even had trouble keeping them in her sight. After the last turn around some tree crowns however, Yarah eventually lost visual contact, which filled her with despair.
"Oh no, I've lost them! Now what? Think Yarah, think! Oh, me and my big mouth! I never meant for this to happen..." The best she could come up with, was flying up in the sky, and look around to see if the aviary building was in sight. The aviary itself wasn't, but the lookout tower built but a few yards away from it was, even though it was just a tiny red dot from where she was. She launched herself at it, causing a few green feathers to let loose of their host and float towards the earth.
Nobody was keeping track of their immediate surroundings, so Victor and Yasmin didn't notice they were coming up to the pond where their daughter was still looking after her offspring. Being two fast-pacing streaks of blue, Jewel noticed her parents coming up right away, but also noticed they weren't about to stop. She called out to them.
"Hey! Mom, dad, down here! Where's the fire?" she shouted jestingly, unknowing what just happened.
Hearing a voice from below, Victor looked down, and saw his daughter beckoning them over. "Oh, Jewel is down there. Should we inform her of mother-in-law?"
Yasmin nodded, they both swooped down and landed near Jewel.
"Sorry honey, we didn't see you there. We're on our way to find Manuela as fast as we can," Yasmin explained. Hearing this, Jewel got concerned.
"Why? Is there something wrong with her?"
"Good question. There just might be."
After a confused look from Jewel, they started to explain everything to her. Jewel's face contorted into various degrees of surprise, shock and disbelief.
"Are you serious about this?"
"Very. We're hoping to get some answers from her as soon as possible. You're welcome to tag along."
"I would, but I got my kids to look after. Go ahead, I'll catch up later."
The time she spent with the goofy, yet smart blue bird she now called her mate made Jewel somewhat less temperamental. Before, whenever anyone wronged her even in the slightest, she would make sure they would never do it again. Now however, she quickly thought about the possible options Manuela might have had available when Blu, Victor and Yasmin vanished. When her parents lofted themselves up, she tried to put their minds at ease, if only by a little.
"Mom, dad, try not to go too hard on her. I've got a hunch this might all be a big misunderstanding."
"We'll see about that. We better get going." With that, they sped off again, leaving Jewel worried they might do something harsh which they could regret later.
Due to their unscheduled halt, Yarah arrived at the aviary first. She quickly glanced around and found no sign of either Victor or Yasmin, which was to her advantage. As she was looking at the building, wondering which window to look through first to find out where Blu and Manuela might be, they just happened to emerge from the small window that was always open to them. She flew towards them immediately, and called out.
"Blu! Manuela! We got a problem!"
Curious about Yarah's predicament, they landed on a branch. "What's wrong, Yarah? You act as if the rainforest has vanished."
"I wish." She wasn't sure how to explain to them what she had done. "Uhm... I gotta tell you something... I messed up big time. But before I say anything else, I want you to know I'm very very sorry, and never wanted it to happen."
Manuela's eyes widened. "You don't mean..."
"Uhm... Yes... I kinda, accidentally told Victor and Yasmin... that you thought they stole Blu when everyone disappeared."
Both macaw's jaws gaped open at Yarah's confession. Manuela responded instantly.
"Yarah, you didn't! Tell me you're kidding! Oh, meu Deus, now what?"
"Now what indeed," a male voice came out of nowhere. A second later, Victor and Yasmin appeared and landed on a branch across the three macaws.
There were a few moments of awkward silence, while Victor and Yasmin eyed Manuela as if she was a complete stranger. Thinking the silence would have to be broken at some point, Yasmin talked first.
"So... Now that we know what you thought back then... how could you? We've been the best of neighbors, best of friends, for years. We shared good and bad times. You were so happy for us when we had Jewel, and we were so happy for you back when you had Andreas, Blu, whatever. We did everything together. We would put our lives on the line for you. So answer us this, if you can... why?"
Manuela knew that whatever she said next could either mend their relationship, over time if need be, or completely shatter it. True, everything Yasmin said was right, and back then, she'd sacrifice herself for them also. But when they, Jewel and Blu utterly disappeared, she and Leonardo couldn't think of anything else other than them stealing Blu and running off. It could have been one hell of a charade all along. Little did she know humans stole them all, while little Jewel got so distant from her home after chasing her parents, she couldn't find her way back. As the humans left nearly no indication of their presence, no other possible option was viable enough.
"Alright. You deserve the truth. No more secrets, no more lying." She inhaled and exhaled deeply. "When Andreas first disappeared, Leonardo and I headed over to your hollow, thinking he was there, playing with Jewel. But none of you were there either. So we checked all the spots we frequented, but there wasn't any sign of anyone. We started looking all over the rainforest as far and wide as we could, but found nothing. Leo and I then went over all the possible things that might have happened to you, and we came to the assumption that you took him to some faraway place, even though it was the hardest thing to believe, yet it was also the most likely one. When we were looking, there was no indication of human involvement anywhere, so we didn't consider them. So there you have it. That's the truth, and the whole truth. And for what it's worth... I'm sorry."
Blu and Yarah were silently looking on at the events going on in front of them.
"That's a pretty good explanation. I just hope Victor and Yasmin will see it the same way..." Blu thought.
Yarah had thoughts of her own. "Please accept it, please accept it, please accept it... Come on!"
Victor started turning around. Upon seeing this, Yasmin did the same. They started muttering under their breath, making sure nobody else heard what they were talking about. When they turned to face Manuela again, Victor addressed her.
"We're going to need some time to think things over. We'll be in touch," after which both of them took off. Blu came closer to his mother, who began to sob. He tried to comfort her as he laid his wing around her. "You did good, mom. Try not to worry too much. I'm sure they'll come around."
"And what if they don't, Andy? What if they never want to see me again?"
"Come on now, don't think that way. You've got to stay positive. At least you've got me back, and I'll always be with you, no matter what."
"Thanks, Andy. Let's get out of here. I want to go home now..."
Unbeknownst to them, home is where Victor and Yasmin went too. Their old home, to be precise. But instead of going to their old hollow, they went down to the ground instead, near the creek that ran past it a few yards away. They used to come here all the time as they had their first date here, so many years ago. They also came here when an important event in their lives came to pass. Anniversaries, birth... even death. The last time they were here, was to celebrate Jewel's birth. Now they came to contemplate. They sat down at their favorite spot just a few steps away from the creek, with their backs to a lush bush. One of its leaves above them acted as a makeshift roof.
"So, what did you think of Manuela's apology?" Yasmin asked.
"Honestly? I believe her. I mean, she told us things we haven't considered, and seeing as our relationship already got damaged, I see no reason for her to lie to us and damage it even further. No, wait, 'lie' is such a nasty word... 'keep things from us'."
"Yeah... I don't know what I would've done if I was in her place, frankly. Imagine if she, Leonardo, Jewel and Blu disappeared. Wouldn't we probably think the same?"
"I think we would. So what do you say... shall we forgive her?"
"I think that's best. Because let's be honest, it's been fifteen years. That's long enough to hold a grudge."
"Heh, yeah. Besides, it's what friends do. They forgive each other."
Victor and Yasmin turned to each other, hugged and shared a quick kiss. Victor suddenly felt his stomach rumble.
"Uh oh, the inner bear got up from its hibernation. I'll go look for something to eat. Just a moment honey, I'll be right back."
"Okay, sweetheart. Don't go too far."
She kept looking at Victor while he searched the treetops for fruits and berries. "How did I ever end up with such a wonderful guy? I'm so lucky to have him..." she thought to herself. She was so lost in thoughts of revel, she didn't notice movement coming from the bush behind her.
The source of the movement was sitting there all along, but the talking of the birds caused it to stir. It hated to be bothered in the slightest, and moved slowly to the single macaw sitting but inches away from it, to make her pay for the disturbance.
Its limbs emerged from the fern before its body did. Yasmin suddenly noticed these limbs, one each on either side of her, coming up from behind. Before she had time to react or turn around to see the source, her beak and eyes went wide open, as two fangs pierced her back.
Victor, who had gathered enough sustenance for him and his dearest, started to head back. As he came closer to Yasmin however, he noticed something was off. It looked like two - no, four black twigs appeared from behind her. The closer he came, the more he realized they weren't twigs at all.
They were spider legs.
He dropped all the food from his talons, and dove headfirst towards the Wandering Spider that was still injecting venom into his mate. Right before impact, he whirled upwards, revealing his talons and crashed into the spider. The collision made the spider release Yasmin, who landed face first into the dirt with a soft *thud*, eyes and beak still wide open. The spider was a tough one though, as it quickly shook Victor off, sending him soaring through the air. He landed a few paces away from the creek. Lifting his head up, he could see the spider charging at him, and it launched into the air, fangs at the ready, intending to impale Victor as it tried to land on him. Victor then quickly rolled out the way, making the spider literally bite the dust. He scrambled to his feet, and with as much power as he could muster, smacked his two wings together against the backside of the spider, making it tumble into the creek. It struggled hopelessly against the current of the creek, which took it further and further away from the panting macaw, who watched his enemy drift away.
His victory was short-lived, as Victor turned around to see Yasmin lying on the ground. He rushed over to her, and took her in his wings.
"Yasmin! Yasmin, talk to me! Stay with me!"
Even though her expression remained unchanged, Yasmin's breathing was barely audible, which meant she was still alive, and as long as she was, there was still hope. Victor's heart raced at a million miles an hour, and started calling out for help.
"Help! Help! Somebody, anybody, I need help!"
Blu, Yarah and Manuela just arrived at the latter's home, when they heard Victor's shouts coming from somewhere beyond their line of sight.
"Hey, does that sound like Victor to you?" Blu asked. Manuela listened closely.
"I think it is... and sounds like he's in trouble! Let's go!" Hearing the urgency in Victor's shouting, she momentarily forgot all about the feud between her and the pair, and together with Blu and Yarah headed towards to direction where Victor's plea for help came from.
It didn't take them long to find Victor. What everyone saw shocked them to the bone. He was desperately holding a limp Yasmin in his wings, which started to turn crimson from the fluid that was slowly trickling out of his mate's wounds.
"Victor! What happened?"
"Spider! It's gone now, but Yasmin is dying! What do we do?"
Manuela instantly thought about Leonardo. She lost her mate in the same way as Victor was about to lose his. She opened her beak to tell Victor that there was nothing that could be done, since the venom of Brazilian spiders were among the deadliest in the world. However, her son cut her off.
Blu thought of the only person that had the ability to help Yasmin. If he couldn't do it, nobody could.
"Tulio! Let's take her to Tulio. You grab one wing, I'll grab the other. Let's go, quickly!"
Victor complied instantly, grabbing her left wing by the shoulder while Blu did the same with the right. Blu remembered exactly where the aviary was from here, so through his directions, it didn't take too long for them to reach it. Yet every second counted if they wanted to save Yasmin.
As it was a warm and sunny day, some of Tulio's staff had opened a larger window. The macaws used this to their advantage and launched straight inside. Tulio was sitting at his desk minding his own business, when out of nowhere, two blue macaws, squawking loudly, gently dropped a third next to him.
"Whoa! What's going on here?" He noticed that the motionless macaw on his desk, which he quickly identified as Yasmin, was in some serious trouble. "Holy- what happened?" He quickly picked her up, and rolled her around in his hands. That's when he noticed two gaping holes in her back, the surrounding feathers soaked in a scarlet liquid.
"Spider bite! Vavara, Eduardo, Emanuel, drop what you're doing and come with me! We got an emergency here!"
Tulio and his three staff members rushed off to the lab, slamming the door shut behind them. Victor, Blu, Manuela and Yarah headed towards the window looking into the lab, seeing the four humans getting everything ready for surgery and whatever else they needed doing to try and save Yasmin. While he was confident in the human's abilities, Blu still worried. Not as much as Victor though, who paced from left to right, never taking his gaze off his reason for life. As the humans put more and more tubes and needles onto Yasmin, presumably with antidotes, Blu became nauseous. It reminded him of watching surgeries on television when he was still in Minnesota, which would also make him queasy.
Turning to Victor, he said, "Vic, I'll go and tell Jewel was happened to her mother. I'll bring her here as soon as possible."
Victor turned to Blu, albeit for a second. "Okay, but hurry!"
Blu headed back into the jungle, in the direction of his hollow. When he arrived there, there was no sign of Jewel or the kids. His mind raced at the possible locations where she might be. "Maybe at Rafael and Eva's," he thought, and headed over to the toucan's hollow. Luck was on his side, as he quickly spotted Jewel talking to Eva, while Rafael endured the relentless assaults from his own kids, combined with the blue macaws'.
"Jewel! Jewel! Come quick!"
Everyone jerked their heads around to see Blu heading towards them, clearly in distress. He hovered before Jewel, ready to fly off instantly.
"Blu? What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"Yes, something happened! It's your mother, she's been bitten by a spider. Tulio's trying to save her, but it's not looking good. Come quickly!"
Jewel gasped, and headed straight towards the aviary. Blu turned to Eva. "Do you mind watching the kids for us? They don't need to see this..."
"Sure, of course, go on! Go after her!"
As Blu sped after Jewel, Victor grew more and more worried by the second. His eyes started to tear, as the humans doubled their efforts, which indicated it yielded little to no effect. A spark of hope ignited in him as he saw Yasmin's chest rise and fall more prominently. However, the rising and falling increased in speed. The pace just kept increasing until finally, she took a deep breath...
And her chest fell for the last time.
The humans seized their efforts. Tulio in particular slammed his fists on the operating table, and let his head hang down. The venom in Yasmin's bloodstream was too plentiful to fight.
The macaws on the other side of the window knew what happened, yet could hardly wrap their heads around it. Victor slowly realized his mate was no more, and despair took over him. He started crying, and flew back outside into the nearby jungle, where he landed on a branch. Yarah and Manuela, who were also crying and had put a wing around each other for comfort, quickly followed him, hoping he wasn't going to do anything brash. Instead, they found him crying uncontrollably over the loss of his mate, and landed next to him.
"Victor...?" Manuela asked, but all he did was whirl around towards her and buried his face in her feathers, soaking them to her skin.
Just then, Blu and Jewel arrived. Jewel saw her father lost in grief, and she immediately realized what fate had befallen her mother. "No... no, no, no... Please, don't let it be so!" Her lowered beak already trembling, she landed near Victor.
"Dad? Is mom..." she asked. There was no need to finish the question, as everyone knew exactly what she was going to ask. Her father lifted his head from Manuela's chest, looked at his daughter and went over to hug her instead. His actions answered Jewel's question better than words ever could.
