"Right." Emori yawned, cheek propped on a wing. "Try again..." Emori had hardly slept last night, and neither had Daniella. Daniella was more alert, since she had eaten a sugary fruit earlier that had perked her up, while Emori had declined food. Daniella thought that Emori was worried about something, since she had been very distracted throughout the lesson.
"Emori!" Daniella said, loudly, for Emori's eyelids had slid shut again.
"...and try wade deeper this time..." Emori jolted awake.
This was the second lesson on conquering her fear, but Daniella was hardly being taught anything. She's doing it again. Daniella watched Emori's head sink, her eyes close. "Emori?" She tried, but Emori didn't respond this time. Maybe I should let her get some rest. So Daniella refocused on the pond, and this time, she touched the surface without hesitation. She felt a glow of pride.
Daringly, Daniella waded further in. The water swished around her lower belly, but she didn't dare go further, despite the vine attached to her ankle. The pride dissipated. Don't put yourself down. You've come so far! Daniella was beginning to fear it less and less. Water was less dark and scary than before, and she was beginning to forget the Hyacinth and two Red-bellied chicks.
Daniella heard a mutter, and glanced over her shoulder. Emori always talked in her sleep, and it frankly concerned her. Emori was shaking, mumbling. Suddenly she was drawn to Emori. Stepping out of the pond, she crept forwards to try and listen. But they were inaudible.
Emori was held in a pair of talons. Blood oozed from a stub that had been the middle toe of the right foot, and more blood was streaked over the talons. "Marcos, give her to me! You're covered in blood, you'll scare her!" Emori was crying for her parents. She was so young, so confused - her feathers were downy, her mind not understanding, but she could smell the metallic tang of blood.
"Hush, little one!" She was now being carried by the sun parakeet, Melodia. "Be calm." Emori was too little to understand. All she understood was her father lying eerily still, her mother crying, and the pink ribbon gripped in her little claws. "She's still got Costia's ribbon..."
"Take it off her!" Hissed a female voice, a friend of Marcos.
"She's a baby, you can't destroy her only piece of family!" Gylfie.
"Wh-where's my mom?" Emori begged, stammering for she was so young; her mother was all she really remembered. She felt Melodia go stiff.
"I'm so sorry, dear child..."
Emori suddenly woke with a sharp draw of breath. Daniella leapt back to the pond side, hiding the fact that she had been listening, even though she hadn't been able to figure out what Emori had been dreaming of. Emori shook her head, and looked at Daniella. She reached behind her head, ensuring that the ribbon was still there. "Sorry, did I drift off?" Emori asked, quietly.
"A bit." Daniella replied, looking at Emori carefully.
"Sorry." Emori muttered. She got up, and moved past Daniella, plunging her face into the pond to revitalize herself. Daniella looked at the pink ribbon tying Emori's head feathers into a spiky bunch. Curiosity refused to sink back down.
"So... where did you get the ribbon?" Daniella asked. Emori paused in adjusting the pink silk. "I wouldn't normally ask. But it's a human object, and we're so far from any civilization." That had been one of the first questions she had asked the Chestnut-Fronted macaw, without an answer. Emori was quite still for a few moments.
"It... it was my mom's." She admitted, not making eye contact.
"Really?" Daniella tilted her head. "What... what was her name?"
"Costia." Emori murmured. Daniella wanted to ask more.
"That's a lovely name." She said, hoping to comfort Emori. "What about your dad?"
"Try put your head under the surface." Emori said, looking at her wing-tips, showing she was in no mood to talk. I'm not getting anywhere with her. Daniella went back into the water in annoyance. Would she ever know something about Emori's background? She'd told Emori all about hers...
Daniella's foot then snagged on a root, and she tripped. The water surrounded her, closing all around. She floated there, briefly frozen, for she hadn't been completely immersed since being pushed into that river. Her heart thudded with panic., for she was sinking, down to the deeper part of the pond. I'm drowning! She floundered about, but then she felt the vine tug on her leg. With a jolt, she remembered. Calm down! What would Emori do? She'd grab the vine and pull herself to safety!
Daniella flipped round, and grabbed the vine with her wings, beginning to pull her way up it. She held her breath, tried to fight the feeling of fear; she felt the amethyst on her neck hit against her chest. Mom said it encourages bravery... She pulled herself up, to the reeds the vine moved through. Getting a grip on the thick reeds, Daniella hauled herself to the surface. She broke it with a gasp, soaked to the skin, head feathers covering her vision. She clung to a reed, breathing deeply. That was so close! That was terrifying...
But I didn't panic. The realization came in. Daniella pushed back her soaked coal-black head feathers, trying not to laugh. The pride swelled, and this time, it didn't go away. She had the most wonderful and joyous smile, for she was so happy. The water felt unpleasant - but it was more bearable. This was the first time she hadn't freaked out. "Emori, did you see -" but then the reeds shook as a bird passed overhead. Instinctively, Daniella ducked down; as she often did, she assumed the worst. She peered through the reeds, hiding herself. Luckily, it wasn't Kehua. It's... Marcos?
The Cuban Red macaw landed on the bank, silently, so Emori didn't hear him land. She sat with her back to him, gazing into the ferns. "Hello, Emori." He said, coolly. Emori jumped as if she'd been electrocuted. She whirled round, to see Marcos looming over her. Daniella sank down into the reeds; why did Marcos suddenly look intimidating? Yesterday, he had looked so friendly. He had been charming and kind to her - to anyone. But now, his pale green eyes were like ice, full of... resent. His feathers were bushed slightly, to show his dislike. Daniella frowned, skin crawling with unease. She sank further into the reeds.
"What are you doing here, Marcos?" Emori was desperately looking for Daniella. She had been less afraid of Marcos before. But now that he was the second most powerful bird on the island, she was a bit more afraid. The desperation to leave the island had intensified - although, she still wasn't terrified of him.
"Making sure you're not stirring up trouble." That's not why Marcos is here, surely...
"Why would I be?" Emori bristled.
"Yesterday, I happened to hear that you've become acquainted with Daniella." Marcos' icy gaze hardened, and Daniella stiffened at the mention of her name. Had she done something wrong? Had she insulted him?
"What's it to you?" Emori picked up half a coconut shell Daniella had left from breakfast.
"You're going to do me a favour. You're going to stop talking to her." Daniella froze. She stared at Marcos, shocked that he was capable of suggesting such a thing when he was so kind to her yesterday. What's wrong with him? What problem does he have with her and me interacting? It's nothing to do with him! Daniella looked at Emori, wondering how she would react.
"Yeah, I'll do that." Emori rolled her eyes; she showed no fear. Marcos glared at the chick in annoyance.
"I don't have time for your sarcasm, Emori."
"Mm, or the time to find something useful to do with your life. But that's none of my business." Emori filled the empty coconut shell with water, and sipped from it to show her disinterest. Marcos stared at the little Chestnut-Fronted macaw for being so outspoken, so fearless. "Go away, Marcos. Go pick some coconuts for some rare species' kid, to make you look good in front of Anya." Nothing could have prepared Daniella - or even Emori - for what happened next. Marcos seized the coconut shell off Emori and tossed it away with such force it cracked - then he plucked her off the ground, bringing her close to his face. Daniella could tell that he was holding Emori brutally tight, for she cried out in pain.
"Put me down, right now!" Emori screeched; she floundered in his grasp, for his claws dug into her sides.
"What are you doing? Let her go!" Daniella came rushing from the reeds, and Marcos looked around in shock. Using his distraction, Emori sank her beak into Marcos' wing, and he dropped her with a hiss. Emori scrambled away, to Daniella's side - she had bitten so hard, she had drawn blood.
"This is a simple misunderstanding." Marcos instantly turned warm and friendly, despite the blood trickling down the purple-blue part of his wing. "Daniella, I was simply -"
"I know what you were doing! You were hurting Emori because her species isn't threatened like yours!" Next to her, the blood drained from Emori's green and brown face when Marcos' gaze on her turned poisonous; his secret had been revealed to an outsider. Looking at Daniella, his face was full of confusion so convincing, Daniella would have believed it had she not known his hatred for common birds.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He said, but then he realized he couldn't hide it from Daniella. The confusion faded to anger. "I was simply trying to protect your interests!"
"My interests? More like yours!" Daniella didn't know where this boldness was coming from. "Where I'm from, however rare our species is, it doesn't matter!" Daniella backed away, for the look in his eyes was starting to scare her.
"Well, you're not there anymore. You're stuck here."
"Not for much longer." Emori muttered, out of Marcos' hearing range. By now, Marcos had given up being nice.
"You'd better stay out of my way." He warned. "I'm second-in-command now. I can do what I like." His chest puffed with pride at this fact.
"Just because you're second-in-command doesn't mean you're all-powerful. We can tell Anya." Daniella winced when Marcos laughed.
"She'd never believe you." Marcos narrowed his eyes, before turning to go. Before he did, he looked over his shoulder. "Too bad. I was starting to like you, Daniella. Both of you, stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours." Then the Cuban Red macaw whisked away before Daniella and Emori could blink. Emori exhaled in relief, sitting down and rubbing her wings, where Marcos had held her.
"He's never done that to me before." Emori looked genuinely shocked. "I... I guess he's full of himself now." She wiped her beak, and Marcos' blood wiped onto her wing. Daniella stared at Emori, and where Marcos had disappeared through the ferns.
"Surely your species can't be the only reason he hates you! That was... unbearable!" There was another reason. Even Emori didn't know it.
"I don't even know!" Emori insisted. "He just hates me! It's almost as if... he's afraid of me."
"What makes you say that?" Daniella asked, confused. What threat was Emori to Marcos?"
"When I was really little... Melodia raised me. I seem to remember Marcos always hanging around, asking her if I'd said anything about remembering..." Emori didn't say that part. "...whenever I talk about my childhood, he just seems uneasy." Daniella looked through the trees, wondering if she could still see him, but Marcos was long gone. "He's hiding something. I just don't know what..."
"Why don't you try to find out?" Daniella asked. Emori's yellow and blue eyes widened.
"Are you kidding me? I'm not hanging around that weirdo."
"You're not the tiniest bit... curious?"
"Of course I'm curious. But I don't want to risk anything." Emori said, stubbornly. She then noticed that Daniella was completely soaked. "What did I miss?"
"Oh, I just..." Daniella barely heard Emori's voice. She was curious. She wanted to find out more about Marcos - there was something about him that made her skin crawl, especially now that she'd seen how he turned on birds like Emori, when he had been so charming yesterday. What sort of future would a leader like Marcos bring to the island, when he encouraged the mockery - and discrimination - of species more fortunate than his own?
Rio
"So this is how they've been getting in? Damn." Nico looked at the tear in the fence. Luiz had dragged them all over the sanctuary, trying to get a human scent all morning - until now, any human scent the bulldog detected led to Linda and Tulio's cottage, or to one of the tourist paths. But once they'd found the spot Leo had been caught in, Luiz had finally traced the scent of smuggler to the sanctuary fence - a low-electric fence that was meant to deter smugglers from getting in. But the three wires here had been deliberately cut. Normally, they would give a low current that was non-fatal to both humans and animals, but still painful.
"I dunno how it works." Luiz shook himself, sending drool flying all over the place.
"Ew!" Leo winced, and Bia wrapped a wing around him to shield him from the drool. She looked anxiously at Azure; the joy brought from Carla and Bruno's good news had sunk somewhat as they'd gone about tackling the task.
"Maybe it's best if Leo and I have a look for Daniella." Bia said, with discomfort; after Leo had been caught she'd been more protective than before.
"We'll split. Half of us will search, and the other half will try to deal with this." Azure wrapped a wing around Bia's head, pulling her closer to kiss her cheek. "You and Leo should look along the Copacabana, with..."
"I'll go with them." Eva said.
"Count me in." Nico added. That left Azure, Eva, Pedro, and Luiz, as well as Mia, since Luiz couldn't move through the forest like they could. Once they'd bid goodbye and Bia, Eva, Nico and Leo had moved away towards the city, Azure, Eva, Pedro, Mia and Luiz turned to tackle the task.
"Couldn't we just reattach it?" Azure asked.
"Electricity doesn't work that way." Mia said. The white canary had been raised close to humans, so she, like Blu and Bia, was very familiar with how electricity worked. "The wires have all been snapped to break the current. It needs a specialist human to fix it... but even then, it could be broken again. Maybe your human friends need to invest in a new fence." Mia reminded Azure of Bia - she knew her stuff. Even their names rhymed - shortened, obviously, for Mia's full name was Miaroma.
"Well, we're gonna have to show them it first to get results!" Pedro reminded her.
"I don't think they'll like stumbling through rainforest to see a fence. They have a toddler, remember?" Azure remembered seeing Emma out in the 'front garden' of the cottage, playing with her mother.
"Let's try find a trap." Rafael suggested. "If we bring it to the human nest, they'll realize something's amiss." Azure looked into the rainforest. I guarentee now that we want to find a trap we won't find one.
"I'll try and sniff for traps!" Luiz said, confidently; but as soon as he disappeared into the ferns, he came trailing back. "But I don't know what they smell like." He grumbled.
"Well, Luiz, you can be our eyes on the ground." Mia said, comfortingly.