Chapter 9- a terrible accident part one
While their parents and grandparents continued to chat about various subjects, among them the acting up of the activities in the Sanctuary de Amazon from Blu and company, the kids had spread out to play their planned games. In one group, Sandalwood followed the group of toucan chicks that had chosen 'pirates' as their game. The group was led by Isabella and consisted of ten of the toucan chicks including herself. As the group touched down at a certain hollow where some items such as leaves and fruit shells the group will use as pirate attire was stored, Sandalwood looked on in curiosity.
"So what will we be doing in this game of pirates?" he asked. Isabella took out a fruit shell piece tied to a vine and handed it to him while the other toucan chicks donned the other items. They used leaves for bandanas, fruit shell pieces on vines for pirate eye patches and sticks as weapons.
"You'll see in a minute, um… what was your name?" asked Isabella as she handed Sandalwood a stick.
"It's Sandalwood," said the amber bat as he took the stick. Isabella smiled.
"Well, Sandalwood, it's gonna be fun," said she cheekily. Sandalwood gazed at her and then at the fruit shell piece on a vine in his wings.
"You wear that around your head with the fruit shell piece over your eye," said Isabella, "That way we resemble actual pirates wearing eye patches."
She then took the vine and fruit shell and tied it around Sandalwood's head, the fruit shell patch over his left eye. After this, Isabella stood back and admired Sandalwood's 'pirate-ish' look.
"You look awesome," said she, before reaching out to raise Sandalwood's wing, the one holding the stick, so that it was positioned like a pirate's sword, "In fact, you really do resemble a really mean and scary looking pirate with those membrane wings and dog-like facial features."
Sandalwood did not reply. However, inside, he felt uncertainty chew away like a woodpecker pecking at wood as he thought how his parents and grandparents would approve of this. Wouldn't they mind if one of their family members dressed as a rogue pirate and played like one?" as Sandalwood thought this over, Isabella turned to her brothers, sisters and young aunts and uncles.
"Right, is everyone ready?" she asked. The other toucan kids turned to her, all dressed in their pirate outfits. Some wore leaf bandanas around their heads while some wore the fruit shell eye patches like Sandalwood. Some also had larger fruit shells worn over their heads, similar to Victor but carved out to resemble pirate hats and all were armed with sticks like swords. Sandalwood examined the toucan chicks and felt the uncertainty within him peck away even more inside him. This was beginning to feel familiar for some reason. However, flying fox pups being flying fox pups, he still went along with the plans. The toucan kids also armed themselves with slingshots taken from human stores and leaf-bags full of fruit. Isabella who had a fruit shell hat placed over her head and a fruit shell eye patch covering her right eye, gave one of the leaf-bags to Sandalwood.
"Here you go," she said, "Can you carry one of our bags of ammo please?"
Sandalwood reluctantly took it and as soon as she was ready, Isabella called out, "Right's let's go!"
The other toucan chicks cheered and with that, the group lofted, or in Sandalwood's case, dropped, into flight and left to begin the game. As the group left, from a cluster of leaves, a pair of falcon eyes and cockatoo eyes watched the toucan chicks and Sandalwood as they disappeared into the trees. Vincent and Hunter who had followed Sandalwood and Isabella's group, had been hiding and spying on them but when they saw how the group had dressed themselves as well as what other things they had besides the attire, disapproval welled within them.
"I don't like this, my friend," said Hunter in a low voice, "Seems like they're planning on causing mischief."
"And one of the grandsons of Mr Augustus is right with them," said Vincent. He then frowned suspiciously. "Let's follow that lot and see what they are planning to do."
"I hope it's not anything too naughty," said Hunter worriedly. With that, the leaves rustled as the young cockatoo and falcon left their hiding place and after Sandalwood and Isabella's group. Though Hunter and Vincent were an immature falcon and an adolescent cockatoo respectively and still young, they had good sense even though Hunter was at times mischievous but never to the same extent as many of Isabella's siblings, cousins and young aunts and uncles.
Meanwhile
While Isabella's group went off to play pirates, the group of toucan chicks accompanied by Bellatrix, Bartholomew, Sirius, Einstein, Miles, Sonia, Melody, Spica, Jason, Petunia and Diantha and Tom's kids Gladion, Aurora and Lillie had touched down on the forest floor. The group was led by Joel, one of Isabella's many, many brothers and in this group, there were eight toucan chicks not counting Gladion and his sisters.
"Why are we on the ground, Joel?" asked Bellatrix curiously.
"You know it's potentially dangerous around here," said Sirius as he examined the surroundings as though a predator was lurking nearby, waiting to leap out at any moment. Nearby, Miles sat next to a rock adding another branch to his mobile of fruit pieces and sticks, not interested in what Joel's group was planning.
"Yeah, there could be jaguars, snakes and all sorts," said Spica, "You know what my aunt Bia said about forest floor predators."
Bartholomew, Einstein, Sonia, Melody, Jason, Petunia and Gladion, Lillie and Aurora also wore wary faces. However, Joel and his group were confident as they fiddled in a patch of ferns for something they had concealed in them
"It won't take long, folks," said Joel as he removed something from the ferns, "Just bear with us."
The ten Spix macaw chicks and the offspring of Carla, Bia, Tiago, Charlotte and their mates Justin, Virgil, Matilda and Músculo including Miles who remained fixated on his mobile as he finished tying the new piece to it, as well as Diantha and Tom's three chicks gathered around Joel and his siblings and two young aunts and uncles as they pulled out large, stiff slabs of bark wood attached to sticks with strong vines and placed them before the Spix macaws and Gladion and his sisters.
"What are those?" asked Bartholomew.
"They look like those human digging tools called spades and shovels," said Einstein.
"That's exactly what they are," said one of Joel's sisters. The Spix macaw chicks, Gladion, Lillie and Aurora exchanged confused glances.
"Then what would we want with spades and shovels?" asked Gladion. Joel walked up to him and passed one of the tools to him. His other wing clutched another spade and his face bore a slight mischievous look.
"We're gonna dig a hole and then cover it with dirt, leaves, and other forest stuff," said Joel with a wide mischievous smile on his orange and black beak.
"And then we're gonna lie in wait and watch an unsuspecting animal walk over the hidden hole and fall right into it just for laughs," said another of Joel's sisters. The Spix macaw chicks and Gladion and his sisters shot the eight toucan chicks a look.
"You mean a pitfall prank?" squeaked Lillie warily.
"Correct guess, cousin," said Joel with a wide smile. At this, the Spix macaws and Gladion and his sisters all flinched with the sting of shock and disbelief and the mobile dropped out of Miles's wing and landed on the floor, a heap of vines, fruit shells and sticks.
"You want US to help YOU to dig this pitfall prank and cause someone to FALL INTO IT!?" shouted Sirius. Joel and the other seven toucan chicks nodded.
"But wouldn't that cause injuries to the victim?" asked Spica.
"By my calculations, I think that a fractured leg or wing resulting from a fall into a pit at about adult greyhound height or around three to four feet would be about…" said Bellatrix as she went into nerd bird mode, "twenty-five percent."
When the toucan chicks looked on confused at Bellatrix's terminology, Spica stepped in to explain.
"In other words, a broken leg or wing," said she with a frown.
"That's right," said Petunia, "Seriously, Joel, guys, we can't play a prank that would result in an injury like that."
"Our parents could kill us if we hurt anyone else that badly," said Gladion. Lillie and Aurora nodded in agreement. At this, Joel, a frown replacing his mischievous look, stepped forward.
"Look, it's just for laughs, guys," he protested, "It won't hurt a cat or monkey or something."
"Besides that," added another toucan chick, "We wouldn't even dream of breaking anyone's leg or wing."
However, the reluctance never left the faces of Bellatrix, Bartholomew and their eight cousins and Gladion, Lillie and Aurora, and they just stood there, silent at the idea, especially since their parents, Tiago and Matilda included, aunts and uncles, both biological and extended, grandparents and the other adults would disapprove of them playing such an injurious prank on someone, especially after hearing of pitfalls causing injuries to humans before if they were dug deep enough. If pitfalls could potentially harm humans, they could also potentially harm animals as well, even if they were shallow.
Meanwhile
Back with Sandalwood's group, Isabella had stopped and taken cover in the shadow of a densely leafed tree. With them, Sandalwood also hid but as the progress of this 'game' of theirs continued, the uncertainty continued to grow inside him, and the words, 'Maybe I shouldn't have gone along with this' repeated in his mind in increasingly louder echoes. As the amber furred flying fox continued to be troubled by this thought, Isabella peered out from a cluster of leaves and locked onto a target with two of her brothers. Her orange and black beak was marked with a wide, mischievous grimace and her brown eyes were piercing like a cat on the hunt at the target.
"Aha," she whispered, "Our first 'victims'…"
As she said this, Sandalwood followed Isabella's glare and saw that it was aiming at a hollow in the trunk of a large tree. In the tree lived a family of blue-and-gold macaws. Sandalwood remembered Saturn telling him that he had lived in one of the trees outside Rio with Orquidea and Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, Rhea, Titan and Iapetus when they were chicks before they ventured into the Amazon rainforest after Blu and company. However, the blue-and-gold macaw family appeared to be an extended family gathered together for the mother and father and their three chicks weren't the only ones occupying it. The three chicks were playing chase with several other blue-and-gold chicks while the father was tossing out some old moss and feathers. Nearby, a couple of aged blue-and-gold macaws whom Sandalwood deduced must be the parents of either the father or his mate inside the hollow, were talking with some other blue-and-gold macaws. Beside the elderly couple was a stack of various fruit, presumably gathered by the blue-and-gold macaw family ready for lunch. It truly was a lively family and Sandalwood was surprised that the Blu Bird Sanctuary blue-and-gold macaws were somewhat different from the blue-and-gold macaws that lived in the Sanctuary de Amazon. Unlike those macaws that mostly lived together in a tribe, the blue-and-gold macaws of the Blu Bird Sanctuary lived in close proximity with birds of other species. The differences were hard for the little flying fox to comprehend but as he continued to be mesmerised by curiosity about the blue-and-gold macaws living here, Isabella's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Are you ready, Sandalwood?" asked the toucan chick. Sandalwood, at this, shook his head and gazed at the chick wearing the leaf bandana and fruit shell eye patch over her right eye.
"Oh, um," he said as confusion briefly clouded his bearings, "I was just… er, what are we going to do exactly?"
One of Isabella's brothers came in, a wide mischievous smile on his beak.
"We're gonna leap out at those blue-and-gold macaws and prank 'em with our sticks and pelt their tree with our ammo," he said gleefully, "And while they are distracted, we're gonna nab that pile of fruit for a laugh."
Sandalwood, at this, was taken aback by this revelation.
"Let me get this straight," he said, "Are you meaning that we're gonna stir up trouble and then steal their fruit!?"
"As part of the prank," said Isabella. Sandalwood looked this way and that and gazed back at the toucan chicks.
"Problem?" asked one of Isabella's brothers. Then Sandalwood gazed at the stick in his wing.
"This is not at all right," he murmured after a pause. The toucan chicks frowned.
"What do you mean this is not at all right?" asked Isabella.
"You're beginning to behave like a coward," said another of her brothers.
"Yeah, you're costing us our patience," added another toucan chick. The other toucan chicks also made their impatience clear by frowning at the young flying fox. Sandalwood, timidity gripping him like a predator, then began to struggle to find words. The pressure mounted as the glares from the toucan chicks continued piercing him and he began to feel panic set in. Behind the group, two pairs of eyes watched the drama unfold. Hunter and Vincent who had followed Sandalwood and Isabella's group, continued to watch as Sandalwood began to shake and shoot frightened glances this way and that as though he wanted to fly for it. Isabella tipped her head to one side.
"I believe this has something to do with your parents' involvement in the fight against some psycho flying foxes out in the Amazon sanctuary, ain't it?" she asked, making Sandalwood jerk his head up at the mentioning of the Great Battle for the Sanctuary. The other toucan chicks nodded in agreement. It was obvious that these toucan chicks had heard of the events of the war between the Sanctuary de Amazon birds and the colony flying foxes three years ago apparently from Rafael and Eva who were involved in it. Isabella then smiled meanly.
"Is that why you're so afraid to participate in this game, Sandy?" she crooned, "You're so afraid that you might become like those colony bats with their weapons?"
"We heard that you're the grandson of the brother of that deranged and demented bat that led the colony," said one of the other chicks, "What was his name again, Scarface or sommat?"
Sandalwood, at this, glared at the chicks in shock until finally, outrage took over. Gazing at the stick in his wing, he threw it down in disgust before rising his wings to the eye patch and yanking it off his head and throwing that down.
"It's NOT like that, okay!?" the amber bat bellowed. His voice was so loud that it reached the ears of the blue-and-gold macaws and their attention was pulled to the tree in which Isabella and company hid.
"What in the world?" murmured the elderly female macaw in a hushed voice.
"…and there's no WAY I'm gonna cause those blue-and-gold macaws trouble by SPLATTERING FRUIT ALL OVER THEIR TREE AND STEALING THEIR FRUIT!" spat Sandalwood at the top of his voice, much to the shock of the toucan chicks. A moment of awkward silence hung over the young toucans and the flying fox until finally, Isabella broke it.
"I think it's time for a penalty for our cowardly bat friend, I think," she said to the other chicks, much to Sandalwood's fear.
"Yeah," said the other toucan chicks in unison, making Sandalwood's nerves flare up all the more. Sandalwood was about to consider flying for it when suddenly, the sounds of wing flaps reached the group's ears. Isabella shot a horrified glance in the direction of the sounds' source.
"Our cover is blown, fly for it!" she bellowed. Then her mean gaze turned to Sandalwood. "Seize this bat as well!"
Then before Sandalwood could act, he was ensnared by toucan talons and whisked out of the tree in a blink of an eye. From their cover, Hunter and Vincent followed as a small flock of yellow and aqua blue birds with green foreheads flocked around the tree. However, the toucan chicks and Sandalwood had already gone.
Some time later, the toucan chicks had found a quiet place with Sandalwood in their clutches, unaware that they were being followed by a young cockatoo and falcon and as soon as they had found that spot, Isabella's brothers threw Sandalwood down. The flying fox slammed hard onto the tree branch but before he could get up, three pairs of toucan chick talons landed on his neck and chest, pinning him. Vincent and Hunter then hid behind another cluster of leaves and looked out as Isabella commanded some other toucan chicks.
"Get some strong vines," called she. Obediently, her comrades rushed off to get what Isabella had ordered. While they did that, Isabella turned to the pinned and restrained Sandalwood, her stick posed as a sword held close to him with its tip at his throat.
"As punishment for blowing our cover and acting cowardly, flying fox," said Isabella in a pirate-like voice and a one-eyed facial expression to match, "You're gonna walk the plank."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Sandalwood fearfully. Isabella didn't reply. Instead, she backed away as her comrades returned with some green tendrils and the next thing Sandalwood knew; he was bound wing and foot with the vines by the toucan chicks. Vincent and Hunter watched on in horror.
"Oh, NO!" cried Vincent, his crest flared. Hunter then spread his wings to leap out.
"What are you doing?" asked Vincent.
"I'm gonna jump out and rescue that flying fox," said Hunter, "And then report it to our parents. If not, Mr Augustus will kill us if those toucan chicks do anything to his grandson."
No sooner than these words had left his beak when suddenly, "Aha, spies caught red-feathered!"
At this, and with a strike of dread like a stone, the falcon and cockatoo turned to be greeted by five pairs of meanness-laced eyes above five orange and black beaks, all with either fruit shell hats or leaf bandanas and a stick in their wings. Then one of the toucan chicks shot the tip of his stick right at Hunter's face.
"Aaarr, you're comin' with us," he barked in mock-pirate voice, much to the falcon and Vincent's shock. Then minutes later, Vincent and Hunter were tied to a tree branch with more vines while Sandalwood was bound with his wings tied to his body and feet tied together. As soon as the three were restrained, Isabella called out to her comrades, "Now, put the rebellious flying fox onto the plank!"
"What plank!?" cried Sandalwood. He got his answer by getting shoved along the arm of a branch towards its end by black feathered wings. Sandalwood cried in fright as he found himself perched on the branch's tip, but immense fear gripped him more like snakebite as he realised that the branch's end was met with a massive drop ending directly into a reflective, rippling surface. Several rocks protruded through the surface and the silvery patch was bordered by more solid banks of dirt and grass, and Sandalwood saw some silvery creatures weave through the transparent ripples from his perch. At this, he immediately recognised the scene and cried loudly in fear. From their restraints, Vincent and Hunter struggled. Sandalwood's cries of fear echoed through the trees, reaching the ears of Bellatrix's group on the forest floor.
"I'm telling you now, Joel, we're not digging the pitfall trap," shouted Sonia fiercely, her mother's assertiveness taking control.
"Yeah, we'd end up in serious trouble," put in Gladion. Bellatrix, Bartholomew, Sirius, Einstein, Miles, Melody, Spica, Jason, Petunia, Aurora and Lillie all nodded in agreement but Joel and his group replied with sour looks on their faces, their wings grasping the wooden spades and shovels.
"You lot are seriously spoiling our fun," growled Joel bitterly.
"Yeah, you're a bunch of spoil-sports," said one of his sisters, much to the flash of offense of the eyes of some of the Spix macaw chicks. Bellatrix was about to retort, her aunt Carla's bossy streak about to manifest itself when suddenly, she heard distressed cries. At this, she, along with the other Spix macaw chicks, and Gladion and his sisters, froze. Joel and his comrades exchanged confused glances.
"Do you guys hear that?" asked Bellatrix.
"Sounds like someone's in pain," said Bartholomew.
"Or in trouble," said Sirius.
"Is it a bird?" asked Sonia, "Like one of our friends from Uncle Jojo, Aunt Lavender and Uncle Felix's families or something?"
Gladion, at this, shot the Spix macaw chicks a dreaded look.
"Sounds more like a bat," he said. The moment he said this, dread tore through the Spix macaws, Lillie and Aurora like a shockwave. Joel and his comrades, however, remained confused but nothing could prepare the group for what happened next for Bellatrix had managed to recognise the owner of the distressed voice.
"SANDALWOOD!" she screeched at the top of her voice and with that, her blue wings shot out and lofted her into the air.
"Bellatrix," cried Sirius as he also lofted into flight with Miles (who dropped his mobile again) and Einstein in tow. Sonia, Melody and Spica also followed, as did Petunia and Jason, and then Gladion, Lillie and Aurora. Joel and his comrades also followed.
"What about our pitfall prank?" asked Joel after the group. At this, Jason shot the toucan chick and his comrades a fiery glare.
"Not now, Joel," he snapped, "We've argued enough over that insignificant subject as it is!"
"But now, we have a friend that needs help," added Petunia. Joel, at this, shot his comrades a look who shrugged.
Sandalwood shuddered like a leaf on the end of the branch as his eyes gazed at the massive drop leading to the lake of water before him. Behind the terrified flying fox, Isabella, her face creased into a mean pirate look, aimed her stick like a sword at Sandalwood's back. Vincent tried to protest but the toucan chicks restraining him and Hunter yelled at him to shut up and not interrupt. However, Hunter was using the sharp fishhook-like claws of his talons to quietly break through the strands of the vines, taking care not to arouse suspicion in the toucan chicks. Disgust at the toucan chicks' gangster-like behaviour was burning within him like a massive campfire. It was truly on borderline being malicious bullies and he wanted to free himself from the restraints to fetch the adults in pronto.
"Sandy-bud," said Isabella, getting Sandalwood's name wrong and her stick aiming at Sandalwood's back, "What do you have to say for yourself?"
Sandalwood, his wings tightly bound to his sides by the vines, gazed at the toucan chick timidly.
"Choose your words wisely, rebel," said one of Isabella's comrades in a pirate-like voice, "Or you're goin' overboard."
Sandalwood tried to think of something to say. He was so trapped in the vice-grip of fear that his tongue was stuck in his throat. However, he was unaware that Isabella and her comrades were only bluffing. They were simply using this trick as a form of teasing him but teasing or not, as Vincent and Hunter could clearly see, this was still borderline malicious. Hunter continued severing his restraints with his talon claws as Isabella continued taunting Sandalwood who continued to shudder. He wanted to fly but with his wings bound, he knew he had no chance. Furthermore, Sandalwood was yet to know how to get out of being entangled in vines but because he was so young, his jaw strength was still too weak to sever the strong, thick tendrils binding him. Flying foxes used their teeth to bite their way out of vines similar to how macaws used their beaks. With that and his ability to fly tied up, Sandalwood felt much trapped.
"Have you got anything to say at all, bat?" asked Isabella, her stick pointing tauntingly at Sandalwood's upper back. At first Sandalwood remained silent but then he began to beg Isabella and her comrades to free her and also Vincent and Hunter.
"P-p-p-p-please untie me," he begged. He flinched as the stick's end in Isabella's wing jabbed into his back.
"I'm afraid I can't do that until you confess to us why you refused to go along with our plans, bat," said Isabella in a grown-up sort of voice.
"Not to mention blow our cover," put in one of her brothers. Then laughs rolled through the group much to Sandalwood's offended look and the outraged glares of Vincent and Hunter, the latter who continued cutting through the vines with his talon claws.
"Untie him at once, you lot," barked Vincent. However, a stick appeared and struck the bark above his head, startling him.
"Be quiet, ya crested loudmouth," shouted the owner of the stick, which was one of Isabella's brothers.
"And wipe that look off ya face an' all," said another toucan chick in a rather inappropriate sort of voice for a chick his age. Vincent felt a flash of outrage at the toucan chicks' attitude. 'Now where did they hear such disrespectful talk!?' the cockatoo thought, 'Certainly not from Mr Rafael and Mrs Eva for they would never speak like that, and we would never speak like that to our own parents neither.'
Then an idea as to where the toucan chicks had got this talk from entered the young cockatoo's head, an idea he didn't like. As Vincent thought about this and as Hunter began to focus on breaking the last of his and Vincent's restraints with the oblivious toucan kids not looking, some blue forms exploded from between some trees but the moment they appeared, things were sent into utter chaos.
While Sandalwood continued trying to desperately protest to Isabella and her comrades to free him, some familiar Spix macaw chicks appeared out of nowhere, the first being Bellatrix and Bartholomew. When the two chicks of Tiago and Matilda saw the scene before their eyes, especially Sandalwood who was tied up and placed on the end of a branch before a long drop, horrified gasps entered their beaks as horror flared within them. Their gasps drew the attention of the toucan kids armed with sticks and dressed like pirates, as well as the bound Sandalwood, Vincent and Hunter over to the pair and then without thinking, Bellatrix surged forward, straight towards Isabella and Sandalwood while Bartholomew made a beeline for Hunter and Vincent, seconds before Sirius, Einstein, Miles, Sonia, Melody, Spica, Jason, Petunia, Gladion, Aurora and Lillie appeared.
"SANDALWOOD!" cried Bellatrix as she rushed towards him. Isabella and her comrades nearest to Sandalwood were startled by the sudden appearance of the blue comet that was Bellatrix. As shock flared within them, they cried and scattered, dropping their sticks in the process. However, as they scattered, one of the toucan chicks accidentally crashed into Sandalwood and what happened next sent horror ripping through the Spix macaw chicks, Vincent, Hunter, Gladion and his sisters and also the toucan chicks themselves including Isabella. The force of the impact from the toucan chick sent Sandalwood teetering towards the end of the branch and then off the end. Because his wings were tightly bound to his sides, Sandalwood could not pull himself out of the fall. Hunter and Vincent broke out of their restraints with Bartholomew's help when they heard Bellatrix's horrified cry, as well as that from Sirius, Einstein and Miles, Sonia, Melody and Spica, Jason, Petunia and Gladion, Aurora and Lillie.
"SANDALWOOOOOD!" screeched Bellatrix as the helpless and bound flying fox plummeted from the branch end. Sandalwood screamed at the top of his voice as he hurtled through space. Then Vincent and Hunter launched themselves from the branch and dived down after Sandalwood as he continued to plummet, Bellatrix following. While they did that, Gladion turned to Sirius, Einstein and Miles.
"YOU THREE GET OUR MOMS AND DADS!" he cried. Sirius and his brothers nodded and darted off to find Carla, Bia, Tiago, Blu, Jewel and the other adults while Gladion, Lillie, Aurora, Sonia, Melody and Spica, Jason and Petunia began to confront the toucan chicks.
"What DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING!?" bellowed Sonia at Isabella. Isabella and her comrades, stricken by fear at the enraged Spix macaw chicks and also Gladion and his sisters, could not find words but then one of Isabella's brothers cried out to Sandalwood as he continued to scream and plummet. Vincent and Hunter continued diving down after him. Vincent flapped his wings like mad while Hunter, being a falcon, had his wings tucked by his sides. Behind, Bellatrix tried to catch up but due to her size, she found it a challenge.
"Hang on, Sandy!" cried Hunter as he closed in on Sandalwood. The ground continued rushing upward as Sandalwood continued to plummet with Vincent and Hunter continued to dive after him to rescue him. However, Bellatrix saw something nasty sticking out from the bank of the lake, right in Sandalwood's path. At this, horror flared within her like an explosion.
"Hunter, Vincent, look OUUUUT!" she cried. At this, the falcon and cockatoo turned their attention from Sandalwood and saw what Bellatrix saw: a mesh of thorny stems. And Sandalwood was falling straight towards it, Hunter and Vincent not far behind. Furthermore, there was not much time to snatch Sandalwood out of the air and brake before those thorns.
"Oh, RATS AND MICE!" screeched Hunter and with that, he made a split-second decision, lurched forward and tackled Sandalwood away from the thorns. However, the young peregrine falcon could not stop himself and crashed right through the thorn mesh while Vincent managed to pull himself out of the dive but crash into a tree trunk. Falcon cries of agony erupted as Hunter fell through the thorny bush while a cockatoo's cries were cut off as Vincent slammed into the tree trunk. Sandalwood, however, was sent careening straight into the water of the pond where he was swallowed up in a splash, much to the horror of Isabella, her comrades and also Sonia and company. Bellatrix then screeched Sandalwood's name and without hesitation, dived right into the spot where Sandalwood had landed.
"Bellatrix!" cried Sonia. Melody and Spica then rushed down to see to Vincent and Hunter while Gladion came in with some vines. At this, Melody and Spica froze but Gladion, an insistent look on his face, commanded them to see to Vincent and Hunter.
"You two look after Vincent and Hunter while we rescue Bellatrix and Sandalwood!" he cried. Melody and Spica obeyed and dived down to where Vincent and Hunter had crash-landed while Gladion, Lillie, Aurora, Sonia, Petunia and Jason went to work in rescuing Bellatrix and Sandalwood who were in the lake.
Meanwhile
Blu and company continued talking with Rafael and Eva. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Ceres had been on a foraging trip and had brought back some fruit for the group to eat. Now the adult birds and Augustus, Melissa, Stella, Luna, Soren, Anabelle and Sebastian the flying foxes were munching on some fruit during their chat. Orion, Hermione, Merlin, Velocity and Zelda, however, had gone out hunting for some meat.
"So yes, things are going well in the Sanctuary de Amazon," said Blu as he feasted on a mango with Jewel, Carla, Bia, Tiago, Kira and also Zephyr, Venus, Justin, Charlotte, Matilda, Virgil and Roberto, Brisa, Jojo, Felix, Lavender, Garrett, Turquesa and Músculo. "Birdlife is flourishing in the area where the flying fox colony used to live and everything is harmonious…"
Frodo and Ellie smiled as they fed Sylvester, Olivia, Alegria, Achilles and Pitaya some fruit.
"The Sanctuary de Amazon has not seen violence or war since the Great Battle," said Frodo.
"And we hope it stays that way," said Augustus. The others nodded in agreement. Then Pluto gazed into the trees.
"I wonder how our kids are doing," he said.
"Well, I hope they are alright," said Andromeda firmly, "Because if they're getting up to trouble, I would like to know."
"Oh, they'll be fine, my friends," said Rafael, "Just don't worry about them."
"Our kids are sensible," said Eva. Some of the other birds felt their nerves calm by the soothing words but some, such as Carla, Bia and Tiago, and also Stella, still felt uncertain gnaw at them. It was then that the flapping sounds of three pairs of small wings reached the groups ears, accompanied by frantic shouts of three boys.
"MOM, DAD, GRANDPA BLU, GUYS!" cried one. At this, all adult eyes turned and landed on three young male Spix macaw chicks as they exploded from some trees and land clumsily onto a branch. Bia and Virgil, concern for their three sons, Sirius, Miles and Einstein overtaking them, flew over to the panting chicks, followed by the others.
"Whoa, steady on, sons," said Virgil as he helped Sirius and Einstein to their feet while Bia helped Miles.
"What's all the fuss?" asked Bia. Carla, Tiago, Matilda, Justin, Músculo, Jojo, Felix, Lavender and Kira, Turquesa and Garrett all gathered round, along with the others.
"You look like you've escaped a poacher," said Athos, commenting on Sirius, Einstein and Miles's frightened looks. The three brothers' feathers were on end and their eyes were laced with sheer terror. At this comment, Callisto shot Athos a glare.
"Has something happened?" asked Phoebe, Squaw'tagnan, Mercury and Sapphire accompanying her. Then after Sirius, Miles and Einstein had got their breath back, they began to speak.
"It's SANDALWOOD!" cried Sirius.
"He got KNOCKED OFF THE END OF A BRANCH!" added Miles. At this, horror tore through the group and the skins under their facial feathers or fur in the case of the flying foxes went deathly pale. Stella and Soren especially swayed for Sandalwood was their son. Then Einstein spoke.
"He appeared to have been bound with his wings tied," he shouted. At these words, Zephyr shot Rafael and Eva a worried look.
"I think this is a good time to be worried, you two," he said. Then Blu and Augustus glared at Sirius and his brothers.
"Take us there RIGHT NOW!" screeched both the Spix macaw and flying fox at the same time. Sirius, Einstein and Miles nodded rapidly and lofted into flight. Blu, Jewel, Zephyr, Brisa, Venus and Roberto followed, along with Carla, Bia, Tiago and the other Spix macaws and also Augustus and his family. Rafael and Eva, along with Mercury, Sapphire, Phoebe and Squaw'tagnan, Pluto, Lapis Lazuli, Charon, Neytiri, Blueberry and Aiden and Ceres, Cobalto, Azul and Fernanda followed the Spix macaws, and Neptune, Ultramarine, Indigo, Victor, Triton, Iris and Violet, and Eustace, Serena and Milo followed them. As the group left, Mars, Chiquitita, Jupiter, Ruby, Saturn, Orquidea, Esmeralda, Uranus, together with Phobos, Deimos, Alexandre and Estelle, Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Mimas, Athos, Byron and Sheldon, Enceladus and Trixie, Tethys, Dione, Rhea, Titan and Iapetus, Brooke, Porthos and Miranda, Aramis, Ariel, Umbriel and Benjamin, Titania and Ash and Oberon, all scattered to gather the rest of the kids. Before leaving, Indigo was gripped by worry for her daughter Gertie. She shot a glance at Frodo and his family as they watched over Olivia, Sylvester, Alegria, Achilles and Pitaya who had opted not to go with the toucan chicks..
"Stay here with Olivia and the other four kids until we get back!" cried she.
"Okay, and I hope you rescue Sandalwood in time," cried Frodo but Indigo was out of earshot. As the group scattered in various directions, Andromeda, Eragon, and Marella with Altair and Bambi jumped onto their bat-bird mounts.
"I'll alert Travis, Sunset and Orion and Velocity and their mates while you chase down Spyro and his bat-bird mount Garnet," commanded Andromeda to Eragon and Marella. Then her gaze hardened. "I have a bad feeling about those other toucan kids."
Eragon and Marella nodded and with that, the two archaeobirds commanded their bat-birds to fly off in Spyro's direction while Andromeda and Rouge hurried off to find Travis, Sunset and the falcons.