Chapter 10: Calm before the storm

(Wolf's P.O.V.)

The sun just had to wake me up… with a headache to. The morning light had felt good when it had slowly moved over my head, but when it felt like in was focusing on my eye; it started to get uncomfortably warm. I had shifted my head, but I believe a few minutes later, it started to focus on my other eye. I started to get up, but when I felt a pressure lying across my chest, I looked down, and I saw a blue wing draped across my entire front. I traced the wing with my eyes, and I saw the body of a slender bird. My search continued as my eyes slowly roamed upwards, and when I saw the peaceful face of the sleeping beauty next to me; Azure.

She was still enjoying her peaceful slumber, so I just watched her sleep. When I saw a few blue feathers lying out from behind her sleeping frame, i twisted both my wings, and discovered she was lying on top of my wing. The smile I felt curve my beak up gave me a feeling of delight, and when I let loose a small chuckle; Azure's wing tightened on my chest. I could see her surfacing from the depths of her mind, and when she yawned and stretched, I could hear some steps near the hallway I had been beat up near the night before.

Whoa! I jumped as I felt Azure's wing graze my stomach, and when she opened her eyes, she looked startled. She relaxed when she saw it was just me, but when she looked down, she could see her wing was resting on my stomach, right below the bandages that were wrapped around my abdomen. Her facial feathers rose up as she withdrew her wing, much to my relief. It seems she still hasn't remembered what she said last night. Hopefully she won't remember.

When she looked back up at me, and asked, "Did you sleep good?"

Azure smiled at me, and nodded. When I laid my head back down, I sighed, and I heard her ask, "You?"

Turned to look at her, I nodded and asked, "So what do you want to do today?" I know I'm supposed to stay inside and relax, but I wanted to do something else, something relaxing. Not sit inside all day and be bored. (a/n: like me)

Azure looked at me, and she looked confused. "What is there to do?" she asked after she started to stand up.

When she was no longer standing on my wing, I stood up myself, and stretched to my maximum wing span, and held my foot back as I loosened up. When I refolded my wings, and put my foot back on the ground, I looked at her, and replied, "I could always just ask anyone else… I remember someone saying there was a statue somewhere. There is the beach also."

Azure looked at me instantly, and asked, "Can we go to the beach?"

I looked around, and when I saw the doctor known as Túlio, I answered, "Sure, let me just go ask him a few things…" and with that, I jumped off the counter, and shifted into a human.

While Azure flew up to my shoulder, I couldn't help but chuckle. She looked at me, but I said, "Nothing… nothing." Even though I was smirking, I knew she wanted to ask a question. "Doctor Túlio, could you open a window for Azure and I? I want to go to the beach with her before we return to our home in the forest."

As he turned to look at us, he seemed to be on the verge of refusing, so I quickly added, "If I got from the U.S. down to here in a little under two weeks, I should be able to go the beach… right?"

Túlio grunted, and as I was starting to lose hope, I heard Azure go "aww…" and as her head sinks, he looks back up and saw the look on Azure's face, and his face seemed to soften.

Azure and I had just landed on the sand, a fair ways away from other humans, and only a few birds were flying above us every so often. I heard Azure make a noise, and when I looked forward, I saw her looking at me. she had walked further ahead of me, so I tried to walk a bit faster. When Azure looked back forward, she started walking as well… but she was swaying her tail feathers side to side, more than was needed.

When I was next to her, I wrapped my wing around her, and I continued to walk with her. When I heard some giggling behind us, and in the air, I glanced back. I swear on all that is good, that lady is stalking me! a military macaw and another, rather colorful macaw, were flying through the air. I felt a wing grab my beak, I turn it back forward. When I looked down at Azure, she was looking at me with sad and angry eyes. "Azure, I wasn't looking at them like that, I swear." I lowered my voice and added, "I keep seeing that exact lady everywhere we go."

She turned her head away from me, and I saw a tear roll down her beak, and hit the sand below. I flinched when I saw this, and I grabbed her with my other wing, and stopped our forward motion. When I walked around until I was standing in front of her, I said, "I'm a human who fell in love with a bird Azure, and not just any bird, but you. Look at me Azure, I'm broken, I almost died, and I'm still moving strong, and I always will. I'm a Hyacinth macaw, that is half white from all the bandages I am wearing," as I chuckled, I moved her beak until she was staring at me eyes, "I'm only doing all these things Azure, because I love you. Go ahead and look at me Azure… please. When I first met your father, I'm guessing you didn't think of me very highly, but now look deeper… what am I now?"

Azure looked into my eyes, and she stood there until I finished, and when she slowly walked up to me, she wrapped her wings around me, and I did the same, ignoring the throbbing pain in both my wings. "You're everything, Wolf…"

I felt Azure squeeze me tighter, and I closed my eyes. I heard a pair birds coming closer, and when I heard a female bird speak up, I opened my eyes, and saw the military macaw from earlier, with another female Scarlet macaw next to her; speak up, "Can you please come over here for a while."

I just gaped at the Military macaw, does she really have the nerve!

Shaking my head, Azure pulled out from my hold, and around to look at who spoke. I said, "I'm spending time with my girl."

The Scarlet macaw scoffed, and as she gestured at her own body, she said, "There's more woman here than," she pointed at Azure, "right there."

When she said that, I could feel the anger burning inside of me, but I calmly said, "That may be true," as the Scarlet's face grew smug, Azure looked towards me with a betrayed look, but I continued, "but this all right here," I gestured at Azure, "is all the woman I need. And she at least has earned my love, while you are slowly losing my respect."

I felt Azure press into my side, and I whispered, "Let's go." I turned us around, and slowly refolded my wings as we walked towards the water. I heard heated whispering coming from behind us, and I felt Azure wrap her wing in mine as we walked.

A fluttering from behind us drew our attention, and when I saw Azure fall down next to me, and another bird grab my wing, I let a few drops of my anger out. I felt myself focus on my second favorite animal, and I grew smaller, but the bird next to me just gasped. Looking over at the Scarlet female macaw, I hissed out, "You had better vacant this beach by the time I help Azure up."

I pushed past her, and stormed over to Azure. When I held out my wings towards her, I gently wrapped them around her back, and eased her up to her feet. I heard her whimper slightly, and I asked, "Are you ok?"

She nodded, and I slowly turned my head around, and saw the scarlet macaw was still there. I slowly and menacingly walked towards her, and she had a look of fear in her eyes, like a deer in headlights. I had to arch my neck up, since a Peregrine falcon was shorter than a Scarlet macaw, and I buried my beak to the left of her chest feathers, and I felt her shudder. I had learned that anywhere on the torso of a bird was extremely sensitive, so this was going to hurt her. I slowly closed my beak, and twisted my head to the side, taking a few large feathers with me. She yelped extremely loud, and when I backed up, I turned my head to the side, and spit them out.

"You are lucky I didn't do worse, now get out of here before I ask Azure to do something…" I mumbled out as I turned around and walked back to Azure, shifting back into a Hyacinth macaw.

Before I reached her side, I heard the two female macaws take off without another fuss, and I said, "I'm not going to kiss you until we get back to the clearing…"

Azure looked at me, and then asked, "Why?"

"I still have that bird's feather taste in my mouth… it's disgusting really… I think she found human perfume."

As I rolled over onto the sand, i could feel the warm sand relaxing my tense muscles. I felt Azure unfurl my wing, and lay it across the sand. When she laid down onto my wing, I cried out, "OW! IT HURTS!" she instantly jumped up and off my wing and I started laughing. She looked at me with an odd face, and I said, "I'm joking, it didn't hurt… go ahead and lay back down."

Azure grumbled as she started to lie back down, and she laid her head across my chest. I felt her open her beak, and close it slowly. I quickly brought my other wing over her face and held it down to prevent her from pulling the feathers, "Azure! Don't…"

I heard her giggle, and as I removed my wing, I felt something happen, and five things ensued after that; first, I scrunched up my face in pain, second, I let out a yelp of pain. The third thing was Azure rolled over until she could face me; fourth, she crawled up until she was beak to beak with me, wearing a mischievous smile. And the thing I hated, but liked the most after was, she opened her beak and a few of my feathers blew away as she said, "I love you Wolf…"

And she laid her head back down… aye ya yi…

…

(Azure's P.O.V.)

We were back by the waterfall ledge Wolf had found a few days ago. He had stripped himself of all the bandages, and I could see most of his cuts were barely their anymore, but the feathers that had been under the bandages seemed to have stuck to his skin, and only came away when he soaked them in water. As he was bathing, I looked around, and saw a small dirt pile near the edge of the forest. A small idea formed in my head, and as I walked over to it, wolf was busy soaking his wing.

When I arrived at the small area, I lay down, and rubbed the dirt on my wings, and I started to walk back over to where I was before. I made an 'hm-ing' noise to draw Wolf's attention, and when he looked over at me, he stepped out from under the water fall, and his beak was hanging open, "Wha… ho…" he shook his head, then said still somewhat bewildered, "get over here Azure…"

I obliged and when I was by the edge of the creak, I flickered my head, and he just shook his head as he reached a wing out for me. I let him grab my wing, but when he started pulling me closer, I didn't budge. As he sighed, he asked, "Are you really going to this Azure?"

I nodded my head, and he just sighed again. He started walking up to me, and he wrapped both his wings around me before he picked me up, and started to carry me over to the water. When he set me down under the water, I just stood there, staring at him. I smiled as he let out a frustrated sigh, and when he walked back over to me, I could feel him opening and maneuvering my wings for me. I was watching him the whole time, and when I felt the last speck of dirt run out of my feathers, he looked me in the eyes and asked, "Do I need to carry you out to?"

Giggling as he looked at me, I nodded, and I heard him say, "Thought so…" Wolf picked me up, and walked to the back, where the rocks receded into the little hill, and left a fair amount of space. When he set me down, he started to preen his feathers, and I could see the gleam in them coming out. When he finished his wing, he looked at me, and I could feel the water running down my feathers as he stared back at me. When I didn't move or make a sound, he shook his head, and walked towards me. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, I slowly batted my eyes at him, and walked closer, until I was chest to chest with him.

Wolf's feathers stood up as he backed up some, and I just walked closer again. He just peered down into my eyes, and then he did something I wouldn't have expected; he ran a feather down my chest and to my stomach. I felt a shudder coarse through my body, and I backed up again, and then I started to preen my feathers to hide my blush. I am the one supposed to be making him feel uncomfortable…

When I finished my chest, I saw Wolf was working on his chest again, and I decided I would up my game later…

A.N.: there ya go… I'll say this, Nigel will strike next chapter.