Chapter 12:
Stern but Fair
Rico watched in silence as his father paced back and forth throughout the hollow. His huge talons scraped along the wood flooring. His stern eyes glared out filled with rage towards his son, unmoving off of him. Rico swallowed a large lump in his throat. He could feel his guilt swell in his conscience. He could not deny that his father was angry by his disobedience towards the grotto's rules. He also could not deny that his father held every right to be angry. After all, he was the son of the grotto's chieftain, and he needed to set an example to all of his friends. Without a word, he hung his head low in an effort to avoid his father's stern gaze. Behind him, he could hear Marco's muffled breathing. He didn't need to guess what the hawk was doing. He knew from experience and several different disciplinary sessions that Marco blocked the only means of escape.
After a couple of moments, Luciano stopped in his tracks. He folded his wings behind his back and stood up straight. His beak curled as he prepared himself to give a stern lecture to his son. His eyes never softened, though he kept his voice as calm as possible. He knew any hint of anger in his voice would throw his son off of giving any sort of confession. Such was the way with young children.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" Luciano asked, his voice came out in a stern yet calm, and controlled whisper. "You know the rules which are designed to protect all within our care, and yet you choose to disobey them. Do you realise that you could have put yourself in danger? The jungle holds many predators that eat birds, and therefore it is no place for children."
Rico lowered his head further. He knew his father held a valid argument and putting a voice to his own opinion would get him nowhere. He peered around the hollow and shook his head. He wanted to express himself, but didn't want to get into any more trouble.
"And what's worse," Marco piped in. His voice far more threatening than his father's. "You were with your friends. You did not just endanger your own life, you also endangered the lives of every one of your friends. You are stupid and far too reckless. In the entire time that I've been here within this grotto, I have never met someone like you."
Rico could feel his blood begin to boil as his temper continued to rise. His face darkened with rage towards the hawk who felt the need to intrude on a private conversation. Even though he did see him as a friend, he also saw him as an adult… an unfair adult who always seemed to side with his father. Even without knowing all the facts on what happened.
Great, everyone is against me. Rico frowned. They're judging me without even knowing my side of the story.
"It's not like that!" Rico growled, turning on the hawk. He glared at the adult who stood slack jawed and speechless at the sudden expression on the macaw's behalf. Marco forced a smile as he shook his head. "You don't know the whole story, Marco… so back off right now!"
Marco nodded his head and turned his back on the child. He peered back only once at Luciano who admired his long time friend with a curious eye.
"Your son has a real temper brewing inside of him." Marco mused. He shifted his attention to Rico who stood infuriated. "But be warned, young man. In this world there are creatures out there who would like to use your anger to their advantage. What would you ever do if you met one of them, eh?"
Luciano stepped between the two birds and held up his wings to stop any further argument between them.
"I can deal with this, Marco." Luciano admitted, not moving his eyes off of the young bird. "It would probably be best if I deal with him by myself. He is my son after all. If you would like, I could always send him your way first thing tomorrow morning as a form of discipline."
Rico felt his jaw drop at his father's words. He could feel both adult's eyes barrelling down on him. He shuddered as he thought about all the things his father would do to him for disobeying his very strict, no nonsense rules. He swallowed a large lump in his throat. He knew his father kept a careful watch on his reactions with his peripheral vision.
"Yes, very well." The hawk grinned. "I will see him tomorrow morning. He will learn some proper respect for your customs. But that is quite enough for tonight. I will retire to my hollow for the night. Good night, my friend."
Luciano smiled and nodded a reply.
"Good night, my friend."
Marco spread his wings and took to the sky. With a mighty leap, he leapt from the hollow and flew from sight. After the hawk left them, Luciano's stern expression returned to his face. He peered at his son and tapped his talon along the wooden flooring. He still awaited an explanation for his son's actions. He stood straight up to his full height, and spread his wings to add an intimidation factor. His voice turned more demanding as he addressed the boy for a second time.
"Don't look at me like that." He growled. "You need to be punished… unless of course you want to explain yourself? If you were smart, I would speak up now. Don't make me ask you a third time."
Rico kept his head low and let out an exasperated sigh. He knew he couldn't put off his explanation any longer. If his father would ask a third time, he would only get himself into some more trouble. He peered out at his father's stern eyes and tried to explain himself to the best of his abilities.
"You just wouldn't understand…" he sighed. "How could you? You don't know what it is like to be young and confined within this small grotto. How can I ever experience new things, or meet new birds, if I am stuck here for the remainder of my life?"
Luciano let out an amused chuckle and pushed his son in a playful fashion. He let his face curl into a rather shocked but sly expression. He placed a wing upon his hip and rolled his eyes.
"Try me," he mused. "Besides, I am not that old and senile just yet. I was once young myself, you know.
Rico cocked his head to one side. He tried his best to look serious but found it to be an impossible task.
"Really?" he asked. "I can't imagine you back then. You must have been a little chick with a beard."
"Oh, ha-ha" Luciano laughed sarcastically. After a couple of moments his eyes returned to their former sternness. "But don't try and change the subject. Why did you disobey my rules? If you tell me, I'm sure I would understand. I might even lighten your punishment a bit."
Rico's smile faded with his joyful joking mood. He shuffled his talons along the ground and went back into his explanation. He already gave off a subtle hint to his reasons, but his father hadn't caught on.
"I already told you," Rico admitted. "How can I ever experience new things or meet new creatures if I am stuck here for the remainder of my life? I don't want to waste my life here like everybody else. I want to see the city. I want to see the human world. My friends and I were just meeting up to talk about our hopes and dreams for the future. We wanted to do it in a private place so no one else would be able to hear us, or tell us off about it… especially Marco."
Luciano's eyes softened. He nodded in understanding. His ancient feathers drooped as he listened to the words of his son. For the first time, he learned what laid within the child's heart. He longed for something much more than his settlement could ever offer to him. As much as he hated to admit it, his son was every bit like him when he had been a child. Without a word he stepped over to a hidden piece of bark concealed amongst the true. It led to a hollowed out tree trunk containing several different shiny objects. He beckoned his song closer with a wave of his wing. A cheerful smile formed upon his face.
"Come here," he said. "Inside this tree trunk, you will find all of the objects belonging to a master thief. These once belonged to your great-great grandfather, who passed them down through the generations. I was told only to give them to my son if I was certain he would become a good thief in his own rite."
Rico frowned and eyed the many different objects. Lock picks, small oil bottles, camouflaging paint, everything seemed to capture his interest. Rico could not believe his own eyes. He found himself blinking several times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.
"Y-Y-You're a thief?" he asked his father. "B-B-But how?"
Luciano straightened himself back up to his full height. He grabbed a small metallic ball in his wing and threw it to the ground. The hollow filled with smoke, and the large elderly bird appeared behind his son at a moment's notice.
"A thief is a master of suspense. He always hides in the darkness like a ninja. But a thief must never steal from those who are good, honest creatures. They strike back at those who do evil, and seek to hurt those weaker than themselves. Do you understand that, my son?"
Rico still stood in shock. His voice rang out in a tiny, very timid squawk. The young bird still couldn't comprehend what he saw with his own two eyes. In a single moment, his view towards his father changed.
"Yes," He admitted.
"Very good," Luciano grinned. "Now, tomorrow morning, you will go to Marco's hollow. You will work for him as punishment for your actions tonight. Once you are done and he see's fit to release you, you will then report back here, for your first night of training, If you want more than what my grotto has to offer, than you will accept this task. If not, than you will put aside your dreams and you will live like the rest of the birds under my care… it is your choice."
Rico swallowed a large lump in his throat. He gave the matter some thought for a couple of minutes. He lowered his head and let out a heartfelt sigh. His face look conflicted, but in his heart he knew he could not refuse the offer.
"I'll do it," he agreed. "I will do as you ask and begin my training tomorrow night."
Luciano chuckled to himself. He winked at his son.
"I know working for Marco may sound harsh, but you will see in time that what I ask of you is fair. Obedience is the first thing you must learn."
# # #
Marco slipped through the night. His dark eyes scanned the area for his fellow Dark Robe comrades. He could smell their scent lingering in the air. Their musky, rancid stench which rivalled that of a dead body filtered upon the breeze. To most creatures the stench would remain unnoticed, but for someone as skilled as he was, he wouldn't let it slip past his attention.
Before long he came to a small clearing in the middle of the jungle. Each member of the Dark Robe Society (except for Jollo) sat underneath their own individual tree. The hawk cackled to himself and raised his hood over his face. He studied each of them as they stood to attention, and bowed in respect to their master.
"Where is Jollo?" he arched a suspicious eyebrow. "That fool should have been back hours ago."
Amber bowed her head low and spoke to him with her harsh, gravelly voice. Her speech pattern still remained affected by the severity of her injuries. Even after all this time, her voice remained muffled and husky.
"My lord, we have not seen him." She explained. "We don't even know who Jollo is. Perhaps he has been sidetracked, or met his end."
Marco rolled his eyes and turned to the remaining members of the Dark Robe Society. He glared at each of them. His bloodshot eyes and razor sharp beak were the only things noticeable under his dark blue hood.
"It doesn't matter." He growled. "If he is dead, than he is dead… it can't be helped. It serves the fool right for being such an idiot. I have come to tell you that I have found a possible divergence in destiny. It is a boy… a young macaw half breed named Rico."
Amber, Roger, and Jose all arched a curious eyebrow at the news. None of them knew what to say about the sudden news. Roger bowed and repeated the strange word he heard.
"A d-d-divergence? I don't understand."
Marco rolled his eyes and turned on the idiotic scarlet macaw. He issued for silence as he continued.
"This macaw hybrid was foretold to me, thirteen years ago. He holds some relative importance to the future, and he must be turned to our side. We must find some sort of weakness which will allow him to become manipulated and controllable. Than the only purpose he'll serve is my purpose."
Marco's cruel laughter filled the air. He spread his wings and took to the sky. He didn't waste another moment. His mind raced with thoughts on how he could corrupt the little macaw, and twist him inside out into a brutal mercenary for hire.