The first day of a new life. A new beginning. In these sorts of stories, it was for the better, after a tragedy that turns out well. That's how all those stories Blu had written went. But this, this was real life. The chances any of this would end well was so very low, like 1 out of 1000 odds. Things had not turned out well, not at all.
The day before, when he had arrived to them, Zeel had put him in a small hollow, or rather room as it looked rather roomy for a hollow. Three nests in three different corners, the entrance over in the middle of one of the walls which had been covered by what looked like a door. He didn't really understand why there were doors in a tree, but it was there. A small window, like all the other hollows, had a small opening that had been curtained by leaves. Looked to be made, not natural, like it had been dug out into it.
It had been a spare nest given to him, the other two already owned by twin kites, or rather double-toothed kites as Blu knew them thanks to the nature channel, Bou and Lou. They were…interesting to say the least. While Bou was sometimes grumpy in the mornings, and rarely spoke, Lou was full of energy and always talking. The former was inside the hollow resting. The latter, the blue macaw did not know. They were both just a bit smaller than Blu himself.
He had just awoken, one of the leaves having been moved out of the way and gently swaying in the wind. The sun peeked through the other side, catching his open eye in a blinding attempt.
Blu quickly lifted a wing to shield his eyes from the sunlight. His head hurt. But not because of the sun, it was all because of everything that had happened. Leaving his mate behind, facing a condor, finding this school. His whole life had flipped right upside down. Everything had gone to…a word that Blu would never mention.
There was a tapping at the door, which he had forgotten was there in the first place. Then, it was pushed open by whomever was on the other side. It was Lou. Like most double-toothed kites she had a dark grey plumage. The same as her brother. The only difference was their eyes, she had a lighter brown tone that Bou. The names, one would think odd. Blu, with his own name saw nothing wrong with it. So that was at least something he could relate to with the twins.
"Blu. You adjusting well here? I hope you are, we haven't shared a room before. Have we, Bou?" He grumbled in his sleep as a response, shuffling a bit in his own little twig nest. She gave him a quick glare. By quick, it was like a flash then gone.
"I am…as well as I can" Blu responded, feeling rather upset. It was evident in his tone.
She did not like that tone of voice the Spix macaw gave to her. There was another glare moment before she then quickly put on a smile. She went right over to him, patting him on the back with one of her wings.
"It will take getting used to…but you have the best hollow-roommates anyone could have! Right Bou?!" This time there was a bit of a growl to her voice. Still only a grumble, so she used one of the nuts she apparently had and tossed it-
Blu shook his head. She hadn't even moved a talon!
"Wake up!" That got Bou up, startled like a deer on the road in the lights of a car. He then fell over out of the nest, and onto his back. Lou gave a small nod of a job well done, then turned back to Blu. "Nut?" He nodded, slowly eating it. He only took two bites from the already deshelled nut before putting it down.
There was a pinging in the back of his head, and he soon found himself eating the nut again.
"You best eat up. You'll need all the strength to get past training!"
"I don't need to eat, I'm not hun- Wait, what?!" Lou was already moving away and out of the hollow, shaking her head while laughing. He must have misheard her.
Blu glanced over at Bou, who had gone back to sleeping, a half-eaten Brazil nut by his side. Shrugging his wings, Blu went out of the hollow, deeper into the tree to see what exactly was going in this place.
The blue macaw found himself lost before finally coming to hearing some voices. Peeking inside of one of the many hollows inside the very wide tree, he saw that there were several rows of chicks. Almost like the classes Linda attended at her school, only young birds.
And at the front was a type of honey-eater. It was almost seeing, seeing the 'teacher,' if he could call them that, being almost the same size as the chicks.
Blu went along to the next hollow, or as he now saw them, class-hollow, or classroom.
That's where he found a rather familiar face in Lilian, who was talking down a chick with a very odd plumage. The others looked older than the chicks, perhaps the bird equivalent of young teens. The one up front being told off by Lilian had dark purple feathers, light purple around their eyes. A type of starling by the looks of it, though he had never seen a purple one before. Or heard of it even.
Lilian was halfway through her lecture when both Blu and her heard a voice pipe up between them. That's when Blu looked in front of him to see one of the seated young birds looking at him. Then all others shifted their gazes.
"Uh….hi" he said, giving a light little wave of feathers.
"Blu. Looks like you had a good rest." Blu surmised that she purposefully looked over his shagged feathers. "And I also see that Lou hasn't talked your ears off." A few snickered among the class, including the one at the front. He got a little slap from the leaf of a small plant near the front, something that Lilian no doubt kept around for such reasons. Or perhaps for demonstrations. Not something that Blu could really know.
"I'm just as talkative. Trust me, I- Is that a Sinningia guttata?" Blu asked, noticing a clump of orchids hanging just above Lilian.
"Yes. Guessing you've never seen one?"
"Only in a book about rare flowers...Their more spotted than I expected."
The students stared in a rather bored fashion over at the two adults discussing flowers. Lilian noticed after discussing different vines, like the ones coming in from one of the hollow's windows. She gave a light nervous laugh toward her students.
"Excuse me, Blu, but I need to get back to teaching...how about go see Logan? I think Zeel wanted you to. He'll be a couple floors down." Blu nodded, and headed out in a more cheerful mood. Another thing he didn't understand. This place had stairs. Sure, there was a long column that went up through the middle for anyone who felt flying would be better, but then there was a ring of stairs on the outside of that. The reason for something like that to exist, especially in a tree filled with super-powered birds was something odd. Still, all this made no sense. It was more like he was living in some kind of comic. Super hero birds, villain birds with powers.
As she had said, two floors down he heard some grunting, as if someone was...exercising? He turned his head around a corner into what looked to be some type of exercise room with obstacles all about. Blu was amazed by how much could fit inside. He was more amazed that he could hear grunts, yet see no one. Only a constantly moving blur.
"Hey Bluey-Birdy!" Blu cried out in panic from something that whooshed past him, almost hitting him. The voice came from behind, which made Blu have to turn around to face the speaker. He saw it to be Logan the canary. "Are you ready or what?"
"Ready for what?"
"I can't hear you over that sound of doubt! Are you ready or what?!" Logan shouted, right into Blu's ear. It shook him up so much, that he had to shake his head. To Logan, he must have taken it as a nod. "Good. Then come with me." Logan dashed off in a flash, leaving a stunned Blu standing there. It was only a matter of time before he recomposed himself.
"W-Wait!"
Huffing and puffing, Blu made it to the bottom, having followed the dusty trail that had lifted into the air from Logan's fast feet. which led him further down than he thought the tree itself could even go. He found the canary just leaning there against the wooden wall of the inside of the tree with wings crossed against his chest. He did not look highly amused about having been waiting.
"Slowpoke" he muttered under his breath. Then, moving his talon up to the end of the stairwell-
Blu shook his head. What were they doing here, the stairwell was cut-off. Just...cut-off. By a wooden wall. With nothing. How were they going to get anywhere? The answer came when Logan rested his talon against. Something started, like some kind of whirring. A glow.
"What is that?!"
"Never heard of a 'secret lair'? Duh!" The wooden wall itself began to open. Logan stepped through as if it were nothing. Down some more stairs. With bright white walls, white stairs that were so new looking they almost blinded Blu. Who was very hesitant in stepping down there. It wasn't till he felt a whoosh go by him, then pressure on his back. Blu fell forward, then something caught him from in front. He looked down to see Logan, and back to see the door close. Blu glared down at him momentarily.
It was all so crazy. A well polished floor. Shiny like it was so new, it had been made on the day. Not even a day before, exactly the same day he was seeing it all.
"How...how does this even all exist?"
"Thank a friend of Zeel's for that. They have a lot in common. It's rather crazy, actually how much they resemble each other...only one of them can still use at least one of his legs." Blu cocked an eyebrow out of confusion at that. "Anyway...you might not have realized it yet, but we're sort of-"
"Superheroes?" Logan blinked back at Blu.
"You really are quite a nerd-bird, aren't you?" Blu shrugged, having just a hint of a smile at that comment.
The canary led him down deeper into hidden lair. Or whatever it was. Obviously, not many ever came down here. Blu caught a glimpse of an open room, with some kind of suits. Black and yellow, around their size.
"Don't bother with them, we don't wear them anyway. Doesn't help with flying...at all." Blu shrugged and kept going, quickly picturing himself in one of them. Logan was right, they wouldn't help. Plus they looked to be almost skin tight, would not be a comfortable fit at all. "Just up ahead is your..." Logan paused, slowly turning around with a rather maniacal face that disturbed Blu. It almost reminded him of Nigel. That made him shudder. "Final destinationnnn."
Blu shook at those words. He did not want to go on ahead, and thought about turning around this instant. Logan rolled his eyes, letting out a rather dry laugh.
"I"m kidding. This thing hasn't killed anyone...yet." Not so comforting, not one bit. Blu never caught the snicker the orange canary gave. The white hall they traveled down led to a single circular door. Whatever was on the other side, Blu would face.
Logan, the same way he opened the entrance to the lair, used his talon on what must have been some kind of scanner. The door opened to a dark space, which Logan quickly pushed Blu into.
"Good luck!"
"Wait!" The door closed before Blu could do anything. Then, he heard a voice. It wasn't in his head, no it was more of a speaker system.
"Blu, listen to me carefully." It was Zeel. That was surprising enough to make Blu jump. "This is what I like to call the Training Simulator. All X-birds have trained here."
"X-Birds?"
"The name of our team...Blu, this is a question that may seem rushed. But believe me, after recent events I assure you it would be the best. But to make it, we need to test your abilities. In a moment, the area around you will change. It will resemble a scenario of a dangerous situation, one you must overcome with whatever skills you have. Smarts, physical strengths. But most importantly, it will be used to help you harness your power, control it...Now, are you ready?" Blu fell short of an answer, overcome by everything. But, in the end he nodded. "Very well. Let the training...begin." With that, lights turned on along the ceiling. The terrain changed to what looked to be a burnt out area in a forest, or something of the sort. And before him, was none other...than Lou.