Hi everyone! Rob the Ara Macao is back with an update, I want to appologize for the long wait so I hope you like this chapter where many questions will be answered. No more explanations please read on.
Chapter 14
"Everything was perfect in my life; once again I had it all." Velasco said ruefully,as he looked up at the sky contemplating the clouds. "I was the one who gathered information for the gang; obtaining it is my specialty. You should know that many Birds found his fate thanks to my dedicated efforts." He added, as he proudly pointed a primary feather to himself.
Everyone was listening attentively to Velasco´s story & how this white Cockatoo rescued him from his captivity. All the pieces were fitting together perfectly; almost everyone had met the Bird he was referring to & knew where the story was going; everyone but Rob, since he wasn´t present when all those events occurred.
"You fulfilled your dream & were happy bringing suffering to other Birds…so, what happened in order for you to be doing all this?" Rob inquired, watching Velasco carefully.
"That´s something your blue friends can explain much better than me." Velasco answered with a tone of anger in his voice & staring daggers at Blu, who remained motionless while Velasco spoke, not wanting to antagonize him anymore than he already was. There was also the fact that as long as he was talking, he wasn't attacking, though Blu doubted that would last long.
Rob looked over at Blu as well. He was filled with curiosity as to what Velasco was referring too. Something had happened between Blu, Jewel & that Cockatoo, but what?
Before he could ask decide whether to ask however, Velasco continued the story himself.
"One day…" Velasco said solemnly as he turned around & walked towards the waterfall. "…I came across some very interesting information related to a new arrival to the Conservation Center; an extremely rare Spix´s Macaw, the last male one in the world indeed…" He said watching his reflection on the water. "…And worth a good sum for the smuggler who managed to get it. Guess who that was?" He explained as he turned around again & fixed his gaze upon Blu. "Yes, we knew you were coming here to meet your beloved one. We knew when you left Minnesota with your owner…what was her name? Oh yes…Linda...am I right?" He asked.
Blu eyes widened, & in spite of himself he gave a slight nod. Velasco gave a triumphant smile. "As you can see, I did a lot of research about you." He said smugly.
Blu was taken aback by Velasco's knowledge about him. This Hawk knew about him even before his arrival to Rio, & was part of that gang of smugglers that caused them so much pain & suffering. Blu never thought a single decision like the one they took when he came to Rio could produce such a long chain of consequences, such as Velasco's situation. Although there still were other questions; if this Hawk was with the smugglers when he & Jewel were birdnapped, then, why hadn't they met him before? & even more, why did he appear seeking revenge after such a long time?
"Then…" Velasco said interrupting Blu´s train of thought. "…since it was a pretty delicate operation, & I was still learning about the business, he decided not to include me in the plan." He explained like he was reading Blu´s mind. "Despite my arguments to the contrary, he said they could handle it & they didn't need my help. He gave me a new surveying mission while they did that job. I followed my orders & went to accomplish my mission, and…" His face twisted with anger. "…And you know what happened then!" He shouted, pointing a primary feather at Blu accusingly & looking on the verge of losing his temper.
"Err…I…well…" Blu stammered, hiding his head behind his wings.
"You don´t have to explain anything to him Blu!" Jewel shouted, trying to defend Blu, even from her uncomfortable position over the waterfall´s cliff. "He was the only one responsible & deserved what happened to him!"
"So you admit what you´ve done!" Velasco exclaimed, turning around to glare at her with an irked expression. He looked as if he couldn't decide whether to lunge at Blu or Jewel right then & there, but then he took a deep breath, trying to calm down, "Just follow the plan." He muttered to himself, & with his temper now back under control, he continued with his story. "I came back to the hideout once I had completed my mission & my big surprise was not finding anyone. At first, when I looked at the empty storage room, I thought they went to deliver the ´cargo´ to the customers & they would return after some days, so I waited for them." He explained. "They never came back…" He said ruefully. "You don´t know how I felt after realizing I'd lost everything again…I spent months gathering information about what happened to them, but when I began to put the story together I didn´t believe it." He said. "But every single Bird told me the same…those blue Macaws…how could my hero, one of the mightiest Birds I´ve ever met, have fallen before them?" He asked ruefully. "I could´ve helped…I should´ve insistedon helping. None of that could´ve happened if I´d been there. It's my fault". He said regretfully looking down at the ground.
Blu wondered if Velasco really did not make a connection between his own pain & the pain of others, such as the Birds he & that Cockatoo had smuggled? Apparently not, which is why they were such a good match. Besides, it didn't look as if Velasco wanted sympathy, even if any of his audience had felt like extending it, as he ended his short regretful moment by looking back up at Blu. "And now…" He said, his gaze angry again. "…I have a chance to correct that." He stated.
"What happened to him was because of his own actions…" Jewel called back. "…not because of us or anyone else!"
"Don´t lie to me!" Velasco said angrily. "I know everything; I had to investigate all by myself. You mercilessly ganged up on him in that plane & threw him to that horrible fate!" He accused.
Blu was stung. "That´s false!" He exclaimed. "Who told you that?" He asked.
Rob was watching the discussion; questions, answers, statements… he followed them with his head just like someone watching a tennis game; everything he was listening was out of his complete understanding, the only thing he was sure was he missed something important.
"All your Bird friends spat out all your crimes when I interrogated them." Velasco answered. "It wasn´t easy to gather all the information about this case & hide my presence here, but I owed it to my idol to bring Justice!"
"Justice?" "There is no justice in kidnapping or hurting others." Rafael broke in. "Don´t you think you should´ve verified your information before doing this?" Rafael suggested in an attempt of reasoning with Velasco.
"Besides…" Blu said "…I don´t know what those Birds told you but you´re all wrong." He explained as recalled how a lot of rumors about their ´legendary´ escape from smugglers were spread, & one of those rumors must´ve been heard by Velasco, Blu never thought those gossips could cause so much problems. "It was just a misunderstanding…" He explained.
"Stop!" Velasco ordered. "I don´t want to hear your excuses. You did it & that´s what matters." He concluded ignoring Rafael & Blu´s comments.
"What are you going to do now that you have all of us here?" Rob asked barely understanding which exactly the problem was. Something happened, something bad,& for some reason Velasco was blaming Blu & Jewel for it.
"Now? That's easy!" Velasco exclaimed. "Your friends will pay the price for destroying my life, as will you for trying to interfere! I´ll get my revenge here & now!" He stated as he turned & began walking towards the waterfall.
"Wait, revenge?" Rob called, casing Velasco to stop & look at him with that irked expression. "I don't get it." Rob said with a confused look. "You first mentioned something about justice…& now you're talking about revenge?" He pressed.
"Justice & revenge are very different concepts." Rafael spoke up. "I think you´re not sure what you want. You should sort that out before doing anything else."
"Yes…" Blu confirmed, a faint hope that Velasco might listen to reason rising within him. "Why don't you just take a bit of time to rethink all of this? You can let us go for now, then we can get together later & talk it over calmly like the civilized Birds we are, I'm sure we can..."
"Silence!" Velasco cut him off fiercely. He knew he had confused some terms & that was fine, but he didn´t like being corrected by his enemies. "I know what I´m doing." He exclaimed. "Now shut up & let me explain to you the little match we're going tohave." He said as he spread out his wing, indicating a long tree branch that was over the waterfall.
"Match?" Everyone chorused.
"Yes!" Velasco exclaimed. "…a match. A little competition of skill if you want to call it that way." He confirmed as he grabbed a stick from the ground with his wing. "Although I´d rather call it…A Duel."
"A Duel?" Blu asked, scared.
Velasco shot him a glare. "Stop doing that, I hate when others repeat what I just said." He said. He then muttered to himself: "Typical Parrots…" He then fixed Blu with an intent look. "I'll explain to you the rules, they're very easy to understand…even for you." He added mockingly.
He spread out his other wing, indicating the branch that hung out over the waterfall. "We´ll have our little match over this branch; & as you can see, it´s over the waterfall´s cliff, the one who remains on it wins. Of course, flying is forbidden, & if you try to cheat or your friends move a single feather to help you, your girlfriend will fall." He threatened as he pointed his primary wing feather towards Jewel dangerously hanging over the waterfall.
Blu was shocked after hearing that. Risking Jewel´s life on that ´game´ Velasco was planning. "I can´t do that!" he refused.
Velasco gave Blu a malicious look. "Remember I can end with you in an instant. I´m just trying to give you a chance, a hope of surviving. Even if you don´t really have it." He explained to Blu. "You have two options my blue friend…" He said. "You participate in this duel or…" He said as a smirk appeared on his face. "I can eliminate all of you right now! Your decision…" He finished.
It seemed Blu had no choice. He had to participate in this 'Duel' & hope something came up to save him. He slowly nodded. "I´ll do it." He muttered.
Velasco looked pleased. "Excellent. Let's get started then…Oh! But there's one more thing." Velasco said as he recalled something. "This event has a time limit." He added as he suddenly flew into the air, the stick gripped in one claw. He flew towards Jewel & Blu's heart nearly leapt into his throat as he had the sudden awful thought that he was going to injure her, something that had to be treated soon or she would die. No sooner had this thought taken root though than Velasco displayed his true plan, something not as violent but still just as dangerous. He hovered next to Jewel & used his free claw to poke a small hole into the plastic bag hanging next to her. A small spoutof water started to come out of the bag. "You know what will happen once enough water has come out, right?" He asked.
Blu was horrified at this. Now Jewel was in real danger, if this ´event´ didn´t come to an end soon then the bag would empty of water, it would no longer be compensating her weight & she would fall, & with his friends immobilized no one would be able to help her while he was ´dealing´ with Velasco.
Velasco landed on the branch & turned to look at Blu. "Tick tock, time is running out." He pressed pressed in sing-song voice. He spread his wing out in an inviting gesture. "Shall we start?"
"Blu, just focus on your objective, Rescue Jewel." Rob called out to him. "Remember what I told you!" Rob knew Blu had the courage to do it; he showed that with the Marmosets, this was just a ´bit´ bigger enemy than a Marmoset.
Doubt flickered on Blu´s face as he glanced between Velasco's smirking expression & Rob's earnest one. He wasn't sure he could confront this Bird. Then he looked at Jewel. He was struck by the look of confidence she was giving him with not a trace of fear on her eyes. She was sure Blu could win.
For his part, Rob was worried when he saw the doubt on Blu's face. The plan required that Blu confrontthe Hawk, there was no other way. But Blu didn't seem ready to do it. Rob was wrong & his plan was going to fail hopelessly.
Blu looked at Jewel one more time. She was the only motivation he needed. If the reason was Jewel then there was no reason to doubt.
"It seems everything is los…" Rob muttered but stopped when he looked at Blu again. His hope flared again when he recognized the determined expression on Blu's face, just like the one he had seen before. Jewel's plight had, once again, given him the confidence he needed.
Blu walked towards the second stick Velasco had left there for him. Quickly scooping it up in his claw he then flew the short distance up onto the branch where Velasco was waiting & watching him with a kind an amused expression. Upon landing, Blu then quickly took up a rather clumsy defensive stance with the stick held in his wings like a sword. "Come for me." He said defiantly.
Velasco´s amused expression was still there as he said: "Good, you found some guts, that´s what I was waiting for." He said in a pleased tone as he idly spun the stick he was holding in his wings, showing off how skilled he was with manipulating it. His tone shifted to a threatening one as he continued: "But you won´t last forlong…." he added as he suddenly lunged towards Blu, swinging the stick around to strike him & causing Blu's defiant expression to be quickly replaced by a panicked one.
"Blu!" Everyone shouted as a crack of a solid impact echoed across the clearing.
Blu had squeezed his eyes shut as Velasco swung, but upon not feeling an impact upon his body, he opened them again to see that he had instinctively intercepted Velasco´s attack with the stick he was holding.
"Nice move." Velasco admitted. "This was a good warm up." He said as he disengaged their locked sticks & jumped back. Without further ado, he started to attack Blu again, varying the angle of his strikes, as he tested Blu's skill.
It was all Blu could do to keep up, barely managing to block the attacks as he tried to follow Rob´s advice: Gain Time. Blu didn't know why though since Rob & Rafael were tied up. He just hoped there was a plan B.
Velasco made one more attempt to hit Blu with a wide strike, but although Blu managed to parry it, the impact of the sticks knocked Blu's own stick out of his grasp. Everyone's gazes followed it as it fell into the water, horrified expressions on the faces of Blu's allies, & a scornful one on the face of his enemy.
"Pathetic." Velasco said. He had made no further move after watching how Blu's only means of attack or defence, one he had provided him with himself, no less, had been so easily stripped from him. He fixed Blu with a glare as he went on: "I thought you were going to be little stronger. A worthy enemy, the one who had dared to defeat My Hero. Let me tell you that when Ifirst found you I was…disappointed..." He explained. "And that feeling…hasn't changed."
Now defenceless, & feeling like he had let everyone down, Blu just covered himself with his wings waiting for Velasco´s attack.
Velasco walked quickly towards Blu, ready to strike him down. Velasco was finally going to get revenge for his fallen mentor…but he was just a tiny bit too hasty to deliver his vengeance. The branch they were duelling on was rather uneven & so, as Velasco rushed in to deliver his final blow, one of his claws caught on a knot in the wood & he tripped. Normally a Bird would be able to use their wings to balance & correct a little stumble like that, but the stick Velasco was holding in his wings unbalanced him enough that he was unable to do so & he slipped from the branch. He quickly dropped the stick & used his wings to halt his fall, correct himself in the air & hover next to the branch in order to avoid falling.
"Hey! That´s cheating!" Rob shouted. "You flew so Blu wins!" He added.
"Oh really!" Velasco shot back in a disappointed tone,but not looking in Rob's direction. He then landedback on the branch but made no further move to attack Blu. "Those were the rules…" He mused out loud, but then fell silent for a few moments, looking down into the water thoughtfully.
Once again, Blu experienced a flicker of hope that everything might yet be fine, Velasco would concede the victory to Blu & further violence could be averted…but then Velasco looked back up at him & that hope evaporated as the familiar hateful look was in the Hawk's eyes.
"You know what?" He asked rhetorically. "I don´t care. I´ll get my revenge here & now…no more games." Velasco sentenced as he swiftly lunged towards Blu, grabbed him by the throat & pinned him over the branch. "This is your end blue boy." He exclaimed as he raised his claw, getting ready to attack.
"Let him go!" Jewel shouted, desperately trying to break free & save her mate, but just as many times before all her efforts were useless.
Blu was breathing heavily, he knew his end was close; there was nothing more he could do. His eyes closed & he justawaited Velasco´s claw.
"This…" Velasco muttered as he paused, savouring the moment. "This is for you Ni…" He began, but suddenly stopped as he registered a flicker of movement in the corner of his eye. Acting with the speed granted by his considerable hunting skill, he suddenly twisted his body, one claw still holding down Blu while the other intercepted a red & blue blur that had been flying towards him, slamming the Bird down next to Blu.
"Nice try, rojito." Velasco said with a smirk.
Jewel wasn´t able to believe what had happened. Velasco now had both Blu & Rob pinned down by their throats, literally in his claws. She had seen (much to her surprise) that Rob had somehow gotten free & was flying in from behind the Hawk, trying to ambush him, but the soaring hope she had felt that he would manage to take him be surprise & rescue Blu had been dashed. Velasco's skills had alerted him to Rob's attack & allowed him to neutralise the threat before he could even touch him.
"I don´t know how you freed yourself, but that was a terrible mistake." Velasco sentenced. He now was even more irked & ready to finish off his red feathered plague.
Jewel thought nothing could be worse. Everything seemed lost…she made one last desperate attempt to get free, to do something, anything…she managed to get one claw free, but just as if someone wanted to prove toher how things could get worse, her failing claw slashed the bag of water that was compensating her weight. The bag ripped, releasing all its contents.
"BLU, I LOV…!" Jewel managed to shout as she fell but her words were lost as she disappeared into the spray of the waterfall.
"JEWEL NO!" Blu shouted, trying to release himself from Velasco´s grip, a futile attempt. The scene of Jewel falling got engraved in his mind. A long silence came after that, with Velasco simply holding his captives, a cruel smirk on his face as he looked at Blu's face.
Blu was shocked, all the time he had spent with Jewel passed in front of his eyes: the first time they met; how he fell in love with her & she rejected him; being ´birdnapped´, jumping from the plane to save her, the time they had spent together when she was recovering from her wing. Jewel, the perfect Bird for him, she even did what others couldn´t…she taught Blu how to fly… & now he had lost her.
Blu regretted not accepting having a family with her when she had asked, the idea of ´this wouldn't have happened if I'd accepted´ tormented him as he linked all the past events to this moment. If he hadn´t refused the first time she wouldn´t have hired those Monkeys, then they wouldn´t have chased him & wouldn't have been at Center where Velasco captured Jewel, Blu could´ve stopped Velasco there but he was weak… As Blu fell into a deep sorrow he didn´t stop to think this could´ve happened even if those other events hadn´t happened; he just felt everything was his fault. The fact was that he had lost the love of his life & he couldn´t do anything about it.
Velasco laughed after contemplating Blu´s expression for a while. "That´s the first half of my revenge." He said, glad to see Blu´s expression. "And now…" He continued. "For the second half…It's your turn to feel my wrath…both of you!" He exclaimed with a big smirk, he was about to honor his savior & mentor by eliminating the ones who had hurt him.
"I´m so sorry Rob." Blu apologized. "I involved you in all this." He said wretchedly. The last thing he wanted was that others suffer because of him, & now everyone would pay because of his carelessness.
"Hope is not yet lost." Rob interrupted,trying to reassure him with a smirk, despite the pain he was feeling with Velasco's claw around his throat. He rolled his eyes downward to indicate Blu something.
Blu looked down too & saw he was holding something in his claw. His eyes opened wide when he identified what it was. It was the small object Rob was so insistent on bringing but then had given to to Felipe, but how had Rob gotten it back?
Of course, Velasco saw where they were looking, but when he saw the object too, he just laughed. "Do you really think you can hit me with that little thing?" He asked clenching his claw tighter around Rob´s neck.
"I´m…not sure, but…let´s…find out!" Rob managed to gasp out. Then, using his claw, he twisted the object up, pointing it towards Velasco, & used his claw to flick a switch on the side.
A sudden dazzling light came out from the small object, an intense burst brighter than any flashlight.
"Argh! My eyes!" Velasco screeched. He jerked backwards, completely disoriented & releasing his grip on both Rob & Blu. Both Birds sprawled back on the branch, but the sudden release of the pressure around his throat made Rob drop the small object. It fell from his grasp & vanished into the water.
Velasco staggered back, blinking rapidly & apparently blinded. He once again missed his footing & fell off of the branch, but although he again caught himself in the air, he was still unable to see. "What have you done to me?" He demanded as he flew around erratically, unable to find his prey or get his bearings. "You´ll pay for that!" He sentenced as he flew around. "Just wait until I…Awk!" His threat was cut off as he flew blindly headfirst into a tree trunk, impacting with a solid & loud thunk that made everyone wince in spite of how richly he deserved it. Now stunned, Velasco fell, down into the water & was then swiftly dragged by the current to the waterfall.
Blu & Rob watched how Velasco, unable to escape from the water due to his stunned state, went over the waterfall & was soon lost in the spray, just as what had happened with Jewel a few moments ago. Apparently they wouldn´t see Velasco again.
Tearing his eyes away from the sight of their vanished enemy, Rob looked over & saw Rafael, still bound on the ground & looking rather stunned at what he had just witnessed. Rob quickly took to the air, leaving Blu on the branch & still looking staring at the waterfall, & flew towards Rafael.
Landing next to Rafael, Rob said. "Just a moment, this can take a little time." Rob said as he began working on untying his bonds.
Rafael blinked, looking from the waterfall to him. "Don´t worry Amigo, take your time." He offered with a ghost of his familiar smile.
As Rob worked Rafael's bonds free, Blu roused himself from his stupor, & glancing between the waterfall & his friends, he then took to the air & flew across to them. He then just stood there in silence, still stunned by what had just happened.
Once Rob had freed Rafael he looked at Blu & then met Rafael's gaze. He tilted his head towards Blu & Rafael gave a slight nod of understanding. He moved towards Blu's side, & Rob, without saying a word, flew away leaving both Birds alone. Blu was too distracted to notice him leaving.
"Blu…Amigo…" Rafael began, hesitantly placing his wing on Blu´s back. "I don´t know what to say…I can´t find a way we could've prevented this from happening..."
Blu looked at him; Rafael could see the sadness on Blu´s face. Blu finally spoke. "I just keep thinking I could've done something more, if I had known this would happen…"
"Don´t blame yourself." Rafael said. "You did everything in your claws to ..."
"She trusted me & I failed her!" Blu cried out, recalling how she had looked at him when she was hanging over the waterfall. "I ruined everything." He said sorrowfully.
"Everything is fine Blu." Rob said, landing behind Blu & placing his wing over his back. "Let me tell you…" He began.
"Shut up!" Blu shouted, startling Rob who jerked back.
"But Blu, I have to…"He began again but Blu cut him off.
"How can you tell me everything is fine? I lost Jewel!" Blu exclaimed, gesturing wildly. "If you hadn´t have trusted those Monkeys, they wouldn´t have betrayed us!" He continued, pointing his primary feather at Rob accusingly. "If you hadn´t had told Felipe to leave he could've helped us." Blu was irked. "You…You…This is all your fault!"
Rob looked at Blu, speechless, there was sometruth in Blu´s words & Rob felt terrible about that. There was a lot of unnecessary suffering & he was responsible for it.
But then Blu realized what he had said. He was taking out his sorrows on Rob & that wasn't fair. His eyes filled with tears. "Rob…I...I´m so sorry!" He exclaimed leaning his head on Rob´s shoulder. "I didn´t meanthat. It…it just hurts so much."
Rob then gave Blu a reassuring hug & tried to calm him down. "But Blu, there´s something you need to see." He insisted.
"What could possibly be important enough to interrupt my grief over losing the light of my life?" Blu sobbed. "She was everything to me, & now, without…without her, I don't…I don't think I can go on…" He trailed off, his voice breaking up. "She was my life, my light, my…"
"Don´t you think you're overacting Blu?" A voice behind him broke in.
"Please Jewel,don't interrupt me! Don´t you see I lost Jewel?" Blu said, turning his head toglance at Jewel & then returning his attention to Rob. "My life doesn´t have meaning now…" He began, before his eyes widened as realization hit him. His head snapped back around so fast it was a wonder something didn't break. "JEWEL!" He shouted, his voice a mix of disbelief & joy as he ran towards her.
The 2 embraced, Blu's tears now having turned to ones of joy. They held the embrace for a few moments before slacking up sufficiently for Jewel to give Blu a genuine smile & a quick kiss. "I´m glad you feel that way." She told him. She then glanced to her side, & following her gaze, Blu was surprised to see Felipe standing there. He suddenly realised he had actually been there the whole time, but Blu had overlooked him in his elation at seeing Jewel again.
"Thanks again for your help." Jewel told him.
Felipe smiled at them both. "You are most welcome. Again, sorry for the rather rough catch Jewel. I had to make sure you were concealed enough by the spray so the Hawk couldn't see me rescue you." Felipe apologized.
Jewel shook her head. "Don´t worry, you saved me & that´s what matters." She said sincerely.
Felipe nodded at her, & then turned his gaze on Blu. "You 2 really should be more careful though. You are the last of your kind after all, & if you're going to go around making enemies like that…" He trailed off with a meaningful look across at the waterfall, & Blu hugged Jewel a little closer, exchanging a worried but reassuring look with her.
"Well, we owe you our thanks Felipe." Blu stated. "It was lucky for all of us that you decided to come along. Without your help, it would have been the end for us all." He told the Hyacinth Macaw, but was rather surprised when Felipe shook his head.
"Luck had nothing to do with it, my friend." He said. He glanced over at Rob. "This was the plan all along."
Blu looked between Rob & Felipe, a shocked look on his face. His look was mirrored on both Jewel's & Rafael's faces too, & noting the looks Rob looked a little uncomfortable.
"Well…not exactly." Rob said. "I just made sure that we had a backup plan in case things went wrong with the first one…which I suspected it might."
Blu was lost. "You did? But why…" he began, but Rafael held up a wing to forestall him.
"Hey, I wanna hear the story too Amigo, but I think for now we should just be relieved that everything worked out. I was really afraid that we wouldn't be able to solve this." Rafael exclaimed as he placed his wings around the Spix´s Macaws. Both of them nodded, but then Rafael arched an eye ridge at Jewel. "Just one question though Jewel?" He asked.
"A question?" Jewel asked & Rafael nodded. "Sure, what is it?" She said curiously.
"You were standing behind Blu for a while & you didn´t speak up. Why?" Rafael asked.
A mischievous expression appeared on her face as she looked sidelong at Blu. "I just wanted to hear what he had to say about me." Jewel answered.
"Hey!" Blu exclaimed as Rafael removed his wings from them. "Why am I always the victim here?" He said rubbing some tears from his face, all those emotions had kept him crying.
"I tried to tell youJewel was OK, but you were too upset to listen to me." Rob told Blu. He looked guilty for a moment. "Though I suppose I didn't choose my words very well."
Blu looked stricken. "Rob, I'm sorry for yelling at you." he explained. "But please understand…" He looked at Jewel again. "I love Jewel with all my heart & she is everything to me."
"Oh Blu!" Jewel exclaimed, hugging him even tighter. "I love you too, & I also love it when you say things like that." She said with tenderness, leaning her head over Blu´s shoulder.
"I wouldn´t be able to live without you." Blu murmured, still hugging Jewel who just blushed. After a few moments of this, he relaxed his hug enough to glance over at the others, who were all smiles at the 2 lovebirds' happy reunion.
Blu cleared his throat, a tiny bit of embarrassment creeping into his manner at the very public display of emotions he'd just gone through. "Yes, um…well, Let´s get back home then. I think we´ve all had enough of an emotional roller-coaster for one day." Blu concluded & everyone nodded in agreement.
With one last glance around the clearing where so much excitement had gone down, the group turned back towards home, opened their wings & took to the air, Blu & Jewel in the lead & staying close to each other, Rafael & Felipe behind them & Rob bringing up the rear.
Just as his friends entered the forest once more, Rob paused, hovering in Mid-air & giving one last look back at the waterfall behind him. In spite of just how much of a monster he was, he still felt bad for Velasco. No-one deserves that. He thought with a sigh.
Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his wing, luckily he wasn't too far from a tree branch & he quickly glided down to it."Not again!" He mutteredas he landed & did his best to ease the pain, staying quiet as he worked through it so as to not alert Blu & the others. Rob didn´t want to worry them. He knew that he had worsened his wounds with all this effort, but he could handle it.
Some seconds passed & the pain disappeared as fast as it had come.It was only a cramp. He concluded with relief. "Just hold up a little while longer." He muttered reassuringly to his own wings as he once again spread them & aimed towards where the others had gone on ahead. He flexed his wings a little & feeling no further pains, he once again took off, flying as quickly as he could to catch up with the others before they noticed he was lagging behind.
.
.
In the clearing they had just departed, it was a quiet for a few moments, until there was a parting in the leaves of one of the trees surrounding the clearing & a Female Scarlet Macaw emerged. She flew over to the waterfall & landed nearby, looking around the area with great interest.
"I can´t believe what happened here!" Ana exclaimed as she peeked over the cliff, confirming its height, then walked around & looked at the discarded ropes the Marmosets hadused to tie up Rafael & Rob.
Hanging back & staying out of sight, Ana had witnessed everything. She saw the Marmoset's betrayal & her friend's capture, & while her first instinct was to rush in & help, she had realised that there were too many of them. Her second thought had been to fly off & get reinforcements, but that would take too long & she would miss any chance that might crop up to help, so she had just watched, & feverently hoped that things would turn out alright.
Listening to the Hawk's speech, Ana knew she had been right. Velasco had been affected by Blu & Jewel's adventure when they had first come to Rio. After watching him carefully though, she had concluded that despite being skilled he wasn't actually that smart. His plan had many errors which led to his defeat.
As Ana walked towards the branch where Velasco & Blu had had their "Duel", she finally understood what Rob had been planning all this time. He had known something was off & put in a contingency plan. First he had noticed something wrong about the picture of Jewel that the Marmoset had shown them. Ana had been too far away to see what that was, but something in that picture had given away that the Marmoset wasn't telling the truth. Seeing this, Rob had quickly modified his original plan, including Felipe in it as he had apparently caught the slip too. Rob had given Ana´s device to Felipe in order to avoid it being taken by the Marmosets.
Then, when the trap had been sprung, & Velasco didn't believe he needed the Marmosets anymore, he had played into Rob's claws by getting rid of them, leaving Velasco as the only threat & Rob´s reckless comments were then intentional diversions to keep him distracted so that he didn't notice Felipe hiding between the trees, waiting for his chance. That chance had come once the ´Duel´ had begun & the Hawk was distracted fighting Blu, allowing Felipe to silently move in, untie Rob & give him the device back.
Having seen its effect, it suddenly clicked to Ana just what the device was. "A Dazzler!" She exclaimed in realization. She had heard about these self-defense devices from all her reading. How a small thing like that was able to produce a light so bright that it could temporarily blind someone? A dangerous weapon indeed, & Velasco committed his final mistake by dismissing it. It was a pity it had been lost, but it had saved lives, which was its purpose.
Ana experienced a moment of longing, but she quickly shook it away. Humans could indeed make wondrous devices & she would love to learn more about them first-claw, but she couldn't see a situation arising where she would have the chance. She was a rare Bird & she needed to stay away from Humans for her own safety. The chance that she would meet a trustworthy Human (someone like Blu's Linda, who she had heard some stories about) who would be willing to teach her all she wanted to know about the fascinating (at least to her) culture & inventions Humans had come up with, was so slim as to be practically impossible. It was far more likely she'd end up as a pet or a Zoo exhibit, a chilling prospect, so Ana put the thought aside firmly, & returned to replaying how things had gone down with the confrontation with the Hawk.
Immediately after helping Rob, Felipe had flown down to the waterfall´s lower part & waited for Jewel. Ana could see the reasoning here. They suspected that Velasco wouldn't 'Play Fair' & they had been proven right. He had had no intention of honoring the rules of his own game & may even have slashed the bag himself if Jewel hadn't done it accidently. Once she fell Felipe was there ready to catch her before she reached the bottom, removing her from danger & the Hawk's sight so that Rob could help Blu.
Ana had wanted to help, but had been held back by both her promise to Carol & not seeing any way she could helpfully intervene. Fortunately however, even though Velasco had put in own plan for revenge in motion, Rob had spotted it in time & devised a counter-plan. The 2 strategies met head-on & Rob´s had prevailed.
Still watching as the others departed the clearing, she had noticed with concern how Rob had faltered in the air & landed on the branch, seemingly having trouble with his wing. She watched worriedly as Rob rubbed it, barely able to see a grimace on his face across the distance, but she had then been relieved when he then resumed his flight. It looked like he was still suffering from his injuries. She hoped he recovered soon.
Once there was nothing more to see, Ana took off & began flying back to her Hollow, now satisfied that she had been able to help without breaking the promise she had made. She admitted she had been wrong to be angry with Rob; he had the ability not only to understand the device´s importance but to include it as a key part of his plan. She was glad of that & that everything had gone well. With this crisis out of the way, she could start taking care of her own issues. The idea of another visit to the beach in search of new additions for her collection sounded attractive…maybe she'd be lucky enough to find something else like the Dazzler. That would be…
Her train of thought came to an abrupt halt just before she flew out of the clearing however. Just like Rob, she came to a hovering stop in midair & glanced back over at the waterfall with a frown on her face. What had happened to that Hawk? Despite what Velasco thought; that waterfall wasn´t too deep & that meant there was a chance he could've survived the fall, especially as he wasn't bound up like Jewel was. Even in his stunned state he could have remained afloat...
This may not be the last time they would see him after all. Ana resolved to be careful & stay alert, before turning & resuming her flight for home.
.
.
Some way down the river from the bottom of the waterfall, a Bird was fighting against the current he was being dragged along by. His eyes were screwed shut, but he managed to open one of them just enough to spot a low-hanging branch he was approaching. Knowing this was his last chance, he reached out & grabbed it with his wings as he passed under it. Using the last of his strength, the sodden & bedraggled Bird then used the branch to tow himself to the bank, where, upon finally pulling himself out of the water, he collapsed onto the bank on his back.
The light started to fade as the sun disappeared into the mountains, the trees´ colors changed from green to orange & finally to black. Through all this, defeated, injured, ashamed & wet, Velasco lay sprawled on the shore on his back, breathing heavily & musing about his errors as the last gleams of light disappeared. He felt a pain in his eyes that forced him to keep them closed, as well as pain in his head from impacting the tree.
"How was I so careless?" Velasco muttered regretfully. He was angry with himself. He had underestimated how smart that Red Macaw was. If it wasn't for him, Velasco´s revenge would´ve been a complete success. But now, not only had his Hero´s pride been damaged, his own was too. "I failed you." He muttered sorrowfully. "I couldn't even deal with a group of Parrots. I´m not worthy of being called your right wing" He continued. "I think that´s all…I have nothing to do now…I´m useless…a waste of feathers."
A long silence passed as Velasco just lay there. The pain in his eyes & head had receded a little, & he set to reviewing his entire plan in his mind, searching for the reasons for his defeat. One thing was clear to him; since the first time he met that Red Macaw he had had the feeling he should be careful with him, something he didn´t do. Velasco's anger began to rise again. This was all because of That Bird. There was only one thing to do in order to recover his pride.
"Forget about those blue Birds…" Velasco said as he rose up to his claws, ignoring the pain in his head & fighting to keep his eyes open a little. "…now I have to eliminate him... be careful ´rojito´, because you´ll feel my wrath…I swear it." He said solemnly.
"Excellent!" A voice called, startling Velasco. "Hearing what you were saying at first, I thought you were about to jump in the water again." The voice said mockingly.
"Who´s there?" Velasco demanded as, still squinting painfully, he looked all around himself trying to find the one who had spoken. It was futile however, as not only could he still barely see, the shifting shadows provided ample hiding spots.
"Don´t worry. It's just me. I won´t hurt you." The voice answered.
"What do you want?" Velasco shouted.
"I just came to offer you a deal." The voice explained.
"Don´t play with me, you don´t want to make me angry." Velasco warned him. "Go away!"
"Oh you don´t need to be so aggressive, I´m just trying to help you." The voice stated.
"I´m not interested." Velasco said firmly.
"Uh! So proud to accept you need some support? Let me tell you you´re not in condition to refuse it. I saw everything & you made many errors with your plan. I can help you to correct those errors." The voice insisted.
Velasco fought a short internal battle with his own pride, but finally admitted that maybe, just maybe, another perspective on his plans could be useful. "I´ll listen to you, but if isn´t something important I´ll make you regret being a nuisance." Velasco conceded.
"That's not really the way to ask for help, but no matter. You should know that we have a common objective…" The voice said.
"Common? What do you mean?" Velasco asked confused.
"Just that both you & I have some business with that Bird." The voice informed him "…so we should work together in order to accomplish it. Surely you can see this is a win-win deal." He explained as the shadows shifted & the speaker finally came forward, showing himself to Velasco, whose eyes had now recovered enough to fully take in the sight of his mysterious acquaintance. His eyes widened slightly, but he betrayed no other reaction.
"You get what you want…& I get what I want." The acquaintance said. "So how about it? If you agree we can proceed & I can tell you how you & I can…help each other."
After assessing the situation, Velasco spoke, showing some interest for what his interlocutor was saying. "Please continue…"