NEW 9!
Chapter 9
Reunited for a Plan
I was pacing by the tunnel, waiting for Nora's return. Since she had left, a pair of moneys had come in with fresh water, which was strange, and had offered us a bit of food. We had refused it, for fear of poison, but it had looked delicious.
"What if she got caught?" Tia asked worriedly.
"No, we would have hears the conflict." I replied, "She'll be back soon." I hope. Just as I thought that, I heard Nora buzz through the hole. "Nora's back guys!" I whispered loudly, but I didn't need to, everyone heard her.
"Sonny! Sonny!" The little iridescent green and purple ball zips right into me, bowling me over. "He's here! Your Nico's here!"
"Shhhh! You want Phillip to hear you?" I scolded, my heart pounding in my chest. "Now what about Nico? Did you find him?" Now I was tingling with excitement.
"Yes! I found him and I brought him here!" She exclaimed. My blood froze.
"You what?" In a flash I was down the hole and scratching at it to make it big enough I can fit my starved body through. My heart was racing with fear now. "They can't find Nico, Please Lord don't let Phillip capture him!" I was mumbling to myself.
Nico watched as chunks of wood flew from the small hole Nora had flown through. Flashes of sunshine yellow proved that it was Sonora trying to burst through. His heart leaped to his throat when his Sonny peeked her pretty head out, her green eyes flashing, and stealing the bottle cap wearing canary's breath away. Then she soared down to a bright yellow fern.
"SHE IS ALIVE!" Nico nearly screamed and took off to wear his heart's greatest joy had landed.
I dove out of the hole and was able to use my weak wings to glide to the forest floor. Then I hit the ground under a fern and called softly, "Nico! Nico I'm over here!" There was a soft rustle of feathers, and I heard someone land behind me. Slowly I turned around, and there he was as if in a dream; Nico. Immediately tears sprang to my eyes and my vision was blurred.
We took about five seconds to analyze the damage that indigo devil had done. I noticed the pronounced bump on my sunbeam's head, and a few places of thinned out feathers. I'm gonna kill that macaw! I'm gonna completely destroy him! I thought angrily, but the whole time I was smiling. Then I cracked and the tears came flowing down both of our faces, and we rushed forward with outstretched wings. The feeling of his strong wings wrapping around me was the best feeling in the entire world, and I never wanted to leave.
"Oh Sonny!" He murmured into my feathers where his face was buried in the crook of my neck, "I thought I would never see you again!" Nico said through our tears. He's holding me so tightly it is almost smoldering, but I couldn't imagine a better place to be. The smell of his feathers where my face is buried in his chest was the most incredible thing in the world.
"I would get out one way or another to get home to you!" I told him with a sniffle. We stay in the hug for a while longer, then he holds me by my shoulders and makes me look into his warm, teared-up, amber eyes. My heart felt happy for the first time since Friday night. We pulled each other close again, and he kissed me passionately. After he let me go I started talking and the words just fell out of my beak.
"Phillip tried to tell me that you were dead." I told him choking on more sobs. "I wouldn't believe it! I knew it wasn't true, and here you are! Come to rescue me!" We shared a choking laugh.
"I am your shining knight after all." My Nico joked, wiping away my tears, and I his.
"No, you're my shining sunbeam." I replied sweetly, and gave him another kiss.
"Oh! I believe this is yours?" He took my necklace from around his neck and places it over my head with the gentlest touch. "We should probably get out of here though. Then we can come back for the rest with more help." He grabbed my wing and began to walk away from the clearing.
"I can't leave them here." I stopped walking, and made him stop. Nico looked back in shock.
"You're starving, you have no way to fly, and you are attacked in there. You're a prisoner! You need to escape!" He says in an awestruck voice.
"Nico, they'll only suffer worse if I am gone." I pulled him back, and he placed his wings around my shoulders, "Nora and I are the only ones that can fit through the hole yet. Poor Tia could never fit through there, and she's hurt. I have to stay." I explained looking him in the eye. He looked to the ground; then snapped his head up with new determination written on his face.
"Then I'm coming with you." Tipping his hat forward and puffing out his chest Nico stepped back, wings balled into fists.
"No!" I almost shouted, and my wings shot to his shoulders, "I'm not letting Phillip even know your still alive!" I choked on another sob, and continued with a shaky voice, "He'll kill you Nico, just like Luís tried to. All of the trouble we've had is all my fault, and I'm not letting you get hurt because of me anymore. I knew I was a curse." Then I started crying again.
"What?" My poor Nico was so confused by my words, but he pulled me to him and stroked the back of my head while I sobbed, clinging to his feathers like my very life depended on it. "Shh babe," He crooned, "Now what's wrong?"
I took a shuddering breath and wiped my eyes, then tried to explain what I had learned, "Phillip brought Luís here after you met me. He's been planning this whole problem since freaking high school!" I'm sobbing again. I'm so scared of losing him…I just don't know what I would do, again.
Then feathers stand up on the back of my neck, as I feel someone's eyes on us. I heard a twig snap and whirled around. "No need to cry." Two monkeys stepped through the leaves and stand in front of us. Nico jumped in front of me and bristles. I tensed and prepare for a fight.
"What do you want?" Nico growled enraged by their presence. I stepped up right next to him, ready to fight for what I loved more than anything.
"The same as you; freedom." One of the monkeys is more of a tawny red color, while the other is dark grey, almost black. Both have tufts of white hair by their ears and large brown eyes. The grey one had spoken.
"You work for Phillip. Seems to me you've got it pretty good, why do you want free?" I ask them drying my eyes and trying to calm my breathing.
"Phillip has kept us here by keeping our leader's son captured. We have to stay or he will be killed." The russet one explained quickly as emotion flickered over the black one's face.
"How awful!" I gasped. I hope that never happens to our chicks… I thought fearfully.
"How do we know you're not lying?" Nico was still cautious, but I took his wing in mine just for comfort.
"We just want to live our lives free like you birds do. Sure we can't fly, but we love our freedom. Right now we're living in an invisible cage." They grey one spoke again, "We could ruin everything by talking to you."
"We'll do whatever it takes to free ourselves." I affirmed, "Nico and I just want to live our life in peace. So far the most peaceful time of our lives was high school." I explained. Nico and I laughed at the sad truth of my words. The monkeys snickered with us.
"Every other monkey here wants the same thing and none more so than our leader. We already have a plan, and if you follow what we tell you you'll be out within the night." And so we discussed our plans. We talked until dark and the monkeys told us that Phillip would be checking on the prisoners.
"We won't be with the patrol that goes in with Phillip. So try not to go too crazy, we don't want to hurt you, but we have to obey the macaw. See you soon." Then our simian accomplices were gone. I turned to Nico and sadness crept across his face.
"I love you." I crooned turning his beak to face me and resting my forehead on his.
"I love you more." Nico whispered tightening his grip on me. We held each other tightly for a few more seconds then let go.
"I'll see you soon." I give him one last, long, kiss and struggled to fly back up to the hole in our prison. I looked back and blow my sweet Nico a kiss. I saw tears in his eyes as I turned around and walked back into the cage.
"It's Sonny! She's still alive!" Consuela nearly tackled me with a hug.
"Oh we thought you were done for!" Fiona, Angelica, Nora, Lattie and Tia ran over to me in a flurry of feathers.
"I'm glad you got to see your sunbeam." Jewel came over and joined the hug pile.
"Thanks Jewel. Nico says hi, but you'll all get to meet him within the night." I explained from under the pile of feathers. When I received looks of confusion, I explained further. "The monkeys, Nico, and I made a plan. I'll explain more later." I whispered as the sound of beating feathers filled the chamber.
"Ah our little starving piles of feathers. How are we today?" Phillip landed and circled our group. I stood in front, frail chest puffed out, angrily. The crazy macaw stopped in front of me and jabbed my chest with his short talon. I gasped in pain as something cracked.
"We're starving. What do you seriously think we could be doing?" I wheezed, wrapping a wing around my throbbing chest.
"Other than listening to our stomachs growl?" Jewel added stepping next to my side defensively.
"I had hoped that at least one of you would be dead by now." He walked around us again and tried to single out Nora. We just clustered closer around her. "You're all managing fairly well I see. Tell you what, I'll let you have a little food, if," He paused and tapped his beak thoughtfully; "You tell me where Nico's hiding." He flashed his gaze back to me, and a wolfish smile came across his face. My heart stopped completely for a second, and I felt like I couldn't breathe.
"I…I…I don't know what you're talking about." I said trying my best to get my heart pumping again.
"I know he's alive. I knew that the night I almost killed him." Phillip cackled as my face took on a look of shock. "I wanted him to live with a few bumps and bruises, then, I was going to let him watch me kill you." He tapped my chest again and I shrieked. Shock disappeared and hate filled me. I stepped right up to the macaw's blue and yellow face.
"Not even in your dreams." I spat in his face, and he leaped back flapping at his face.
"You know that I don't mind killing you now?" Phillip hissed. "Why not just get rid of a pest when I have it caught?" He leaped in the air and grabbed me by my throat. I heard another shriek and saw a flash of blue. Jewel was chasing the macaw! He screamed and dropped me as Jewel landed on top of him clawing at his face. Consuela, Lattie, and Angelica helped me right myself, but I landed clumsily as the pain in my chest caused me to screamed again.
HOLY WOW THIS IS SO PRECIOUS! Tehehe, it's only gonna get better!
