Chapter 25- the final obstacle and a cave full of colours and sparkles
Featherstorm and the other archaeobirds with him including Andromeda, her mother Otulissa, brothers Ophiuchus and Anakin and cousin Spock prepared to take Carla's group through the open and exposed patch known as the Bat-Bird's Prey's Graveyard towards the Cave of Colours and Sparkles. The group of macaws, falcon and cockatoo shivered as they gazed at the number of bat-birds roaming near the cave's mouth. It was like something straight pout of a fairy tale about treasure being guarded by a monster such as a dragon, and this indeed was like one. However, Carla's group knew they had to take the chance of reaching the treasure deposit, or the Colours and Sparkles as it is known to the archaeobirds, if they were to save the Sanctuary de Amazon and their homes from the debt crisis. The group was to go in pairs but since there were 29 birds, one of them will have to go on his or her own. Carla and Justin had decided to go first while the rest stayed in the safety of the bush and the fissure's end. Nervously, the two linked wings as Featherstorm prepared to take the two to the Cave's mouth. Their hearts pounded in their chests and they were shaking. The others looked on, also shuddering with their hearts in their throats. They dreaded seeing a bat-bird come in and scoop either Carla, Justin or worse, both away to feed to their babies or eat themselves. Then as soon as the two Spix macaws were ready, Featherstorm and an assistant archaeobird from Andromeda's clan, their torches in their wing claws, prepared to make the dash.
"Right, you two ready?" said Featherstorm. Carla and Justin nodded.
"Yes," they both nervously said. The tension seemed to increase exponentially as the moment approached.
"Be careful sis," murmured Tiago worriedly. Bia and the others nodded in agreement.
"Okay, on three, we make a mad dash for that hole in the cliff over there," said Featherstorm. Carla and Justin then ducked down, poised to leap out and make a run for it the moment Featherstorm gave the signal.
"Right, one…" said Featherstorm. Shivers came over Carla and Justin's bodies and they began to tremble like a leaf.
"Two…" The others looked on, Bia clutching Virgil's wing while Tiago clutched Matilda's. Then when 'Three' exploded from Featherstorm's snout-like beak, four green leafy-cloaked blurs exploded from the bush and made a beeline for the cave's entrance. Carla and Justin ran faster than they had ever run before. Featherstorm led the way, the flames of his torch trailing behind in the gust like a comet while the assistant followed Carla and Justin close behind, her torch also like a flaming comet on a stick. As the four ran hastily for the cave, bat-birds continued flying around when one of them spotted four leafy forms move like mice running from a cat towards the cave. With a loud screech, the giant bat-like creature swooped down upon the quartet. Bia and Tiago managed to stifle a scream as the bat-bird's beak snapped shut right over the archaeobird's assistant's head and neck. However, he had waved his torch at the creature, driving it away for predatory bat-birds loathed fire. As the brownish beast resembling a cross between a bird and a bat soared back into the sky parallel to the rocky face, Featherstorm, the assistant, Carla and Justin made it to the mouth of the Cave and disappeared inside it. As soon as Featherstorm had signalled to Otulissa and the others that they had made it to the cave, the other macaws, Velocity and Milo gave a cheer. Then two of the assistant archaeobirds prepared to take the next pair across the dangerous patch. The next pair were Bia and Virgil, both holding one of the bags. Before they made their dash across the Bat-Bird's Prey's Graveyard, the two assistant archaeobirds, armed with torches, watched the predatory bat-birds closely and when they saw an opportunity to take Bia and Virgil across the exposed patch, they darted out, followed by the two Spix macaws. Bia and Virgil's talons pumped like pistons and their hearts raced in their chests. The two held the bag above their heads as they followed the two archaeobirds towards the Cave's mouth. Then within seconds, the four entered the cave and were safe. Fortunately none of the bat-birds saw them.
Tiago and Matilda went next and they made a hasty dash with another assistant archaeobird for the Cave and made it as well, though they were almost spotted by a predatory bat-bird. Then Phoebe and Azul, the other bag held above their heads made their dash with Anakin accompanying them for the cave and also made it, though one of the bat-birds chased them only to abandon the chase as soon as they were inside the cave. Next, Mimas and Ganymede took their turn with Ophiuchus accompanying them, followed by Titan and Brooke, then Sheldon and Io, Alexandre and Estelle, Kira and Jojo, Blueberry and Aiden, Neytiri and Charon, Alessandro and Triton, then Velocity and Milo. An archaeobird, including Andromeda and Spock, accompanied each pair across the exposed patch to the cave but there had been a few close shaves. A bat-bird had swooped upon Titan and Brooke, snapping its beak in an attempt to grab one of them but missed Triton's head by mere centimetres much to the shock of the others; Alessandro had stumbled and fallen down but had immediately got up and rushed after Triton and another assistant archaeobird, ducking a bat-bird that swooped down upon him and snapped its beak at him, rolling on the floor under the creature as it sailed over him before continuing. He had learned this dodging technique from his aunt back home and had put it to use in dodging the dangerous featherless bird-like creature and Velocity had another close shave with another bat-bird but had dodged. She continued her run after dodging the bat-bird that then flew back into the sky. Soon, 26 of Carla's group were in the cave with only three, Miranda, Oberon and Lavender left with Otulissa, who was going to take all three of them to the cave. Carla and the others gazed at the four still hiding behind the bush as Otulissa scanned the skies, waiting for an opportunity, nervousness burning within them. Miranda, Oberon and Lavender also gazed at the terrifying creatures. Then when an opportunity finally came, Otulissa, her torch ready, gave the shout.
"Alright, let's GO!" she barked and with that, the four leaf-cloaked birds exploded from the bush and made a hasty beeline for the cave's mouth. Carla, Bia, Tiago, Andromeda, Anakin, Ophiuchus and the others including Featherstone watched as the two great green macaws, Spix macaw and archaeobird rushed towards them. However, when the quartet reached the half-way point, things started to go terribly wrong. As Oberon, Miranda and Lavender continued running after Otulissa towards the cave's mouth where the others were waiting, a loud screech was heard and a massive shadow came upon them.
"KEEP RUNNING!" barked Otulissa as the four continued dashing for the cave. However, Featherstorm's voice screeched.
"There's a bat-bird RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" he called. The others all gasped and screamed, especially Carla, Bia, Tiago and Jojo for one of the three macaws was his sister. Indeed there was. Swooping down like a massive predatory bird behind Miranda, Oberon and Lavender, an enormous predatory bat-bird closed in behind them. The three macaws flashed a terrified glance at the frightening creature; its hunger-filled eyes fixated on them, and then turned their gazes straight after Otulissa. Their hearts pumped like pistons and their bodies were flooded with adrenaline but before the quartet had reached the cave's mouth, an extremely frightened screech exploded from a macaw. Otulissa's group then burst into the cave, puffing and panting but then Carla and the others noticed something dreadfully wrong. Only Oberon and Lavender were present.
"Wait, where's Miranda?" asked Ganymede. Then the sounds of familiar screams reached the group's ears. At this, dread came over the group and Otulissa, Oberon and Lavender looked outside but when their eyes landed on Miranda, immense horror tore through them like a shockwave. Miranda was screaming and flapping in the mouth of a predatory bat-bird that was whisking her away towards the cliffs where its nest was. The end of the bat-bird's beak was closed on the end of her tail and she could not free herself from the monster despite clawing at it.
"MIRANDA!" barked Oberon. Then Lavender, pure rage and determination to save her friend overtaking her, stripped off her leafy cloak and mask and prepared to shoot outside.
"Wait, what are you doing!?" asked Andromeda.
"Rescuing our friend from that beast," snarled the Spix macaw and before anyone could stop her, she was off, a pale blue-purple blur, straight after the bat-bird that had caught Miranda.
"Lavender, GET BACK HERE!" shouted Jojo.
"Those bat-birds are INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS!" barked Featherstorm. Kira and Aiden looked on in utter horror. However, Lavender did not hear the shouts of the group and continued racing towards the bat-bird that had Miranda in its beak. Her ponytail was spiked out violently and her eyes were blazing pale-blue flames like the flames of burning sulfur. Then as soon as she was close to the bat-bird, Lavender, without hesitation, surged across the creature's head and scored her claws its face, drawing blood. Then the Spix macaw clamped immediately latched onto the creatures face and began to viciously maul it. The bat-bird, stunned by the surprise attack then began to thrash its head this way and that in an attempt to dislodge Lavender from its face, screeching loudly and angrily. In the process, its beak released Miranda's tail and Miranda was flung in the direction of the Cave's mouth. As soon as Miranda crash-landed near the cave, a pair of wing claws and some wings appeared and grabbed her. At first, Miranda cried in fright but when she saw that it were only Carla, Bia and Ophiuchus who had pulled her into the cave, she was flooded with relief. However, she was badly shaken, and tears of terror spilled from her eyes as Oberon wrapped his wings around her, full of pure relief.
"Where's Lavender?" asked Ganymede. Outside, there was utter chaos. At this, all eyes were drawn to the entrance. To their horror, they saw the bat-bird continue to struggle Lavender off its face by thrashing its head this way and that. Other bat-birds came around, screeching as the bat-bird finally managed to dislodge Lavender from its head. With a fling of its head, the bat-bird tossed Lavender in the direction of the Cave's mouth. Lavender, stunned by the unexpected turn of events, suddenly flapped her wings and managed to brake before she could hit the rock-hard wall too hard, though she still did slam into it. As she slid down the rocky wall and landed by the cave's entrance, the bat-bird, furious rage consuming like a fire and an enraged screech exploding from its beak, lurched at Lavender and tried to clamp its beak onto her to eat her but the Spix macaw bravely jumped up and slashed the creature's face a dozen times with her talons. Carla, Bia and some of the others including Featherstorm ducked as blood drops flew everywhere. Cautiously, Carla and Jojo peered out and saw Lavender continue to brutally maul the bat-bird's face. Jojo could easily see the firestorm of pure rage in his sister's light blue eyes as she continued tearing her claws at the bat-bird's face, making it screech in agony. Then Lavender jumped down from the bat-bird's face and dived into the cave's entrance before any other bat-birds came in and attacked, while the bat-bird, its face bloodied and covered with numerous scratches, screeched and flew away.
Inside the cave, Lavender was puffing and panting heavily. Her body was flooded to the max with adrenaline and she was shaking violently. Her talons were covered with bat-bird blood. Then three assistant archaeobirds that were trained in treating injuries came round to examine her for injuries. Fortunately, Lavender only managed to get away with some bruises but it could have been worse. The archaeobirds, as well as the rest of Carla's group, could not believe it. Lavender had just taken on an extremely dangerous predatory bat-bird single-taloned. However, some of the archaeobirds were very cross.
"You lot sure have some seriously CRAZY individuals in your group, don't you," growled Otulissa angrily. Carla, Bia, Tiago and the others just said nothing. They were too thunderstruck to speak.
"This is the second time we've had an outsider attack a predatory animal," said Spock. He nodded to Jojo and said, "First it was him with a fan-backed lizard and then it was her," he nodded to Lavender, "with a predatory bat-bird."
While Spock fussed over this, Neytiri turned her gaze to the back of the cave and saw that the rock converged into a tunnel. Once again her inquisitive nature took her over and she walked towards it and entered it, wondering where it led. Featherstorm then gazed at Lavender, his facial expression laced with disapproval at her recklessness.
"You were lucky to have survived attacking that bat-bird, you foolish outsider parrot," he growled, "But the next time you throw yourself at one like that again, you might not be so fortunate."
Lavender, who had calmed down by now then shot Miranda a relieved look. Miranda returned her gaze with a grateful look while Kira shot Jojo an awed look.
"You certainly do have a brave sister," she murmured.
"I didn't realise that she could be so reckless," said Jojo.
"Hey, I wasn't attacking that bat-bird to look cool or anything," snapped Lavender annoyed, "I was trying to save Miranda from being eaten by that beast."
"Well, you're just like my father," said Andromeda, "He had a very, very close shave at the jaws of a predatory bat-bird but he was brutally injured. You only managed to get away with a few bruises."
Lavender sighed as an assistant archaeobird handed her her leafy mask and cloak to put on again when Charon's voice sounded.
"Wait, where's Neytiri?" he asked. At this, the other birds began to look around the cave.
"Don't tell me she's allowed her inquisitiveness to overtake her again, has she?" muttered Virgil. Charon's face then twisted into a scowl.
"One of these days, her aunt's gonna give her a serious good hiding when we get back," he muttered. Suddenly, a scream sounded from the narrowed tunnel at the back of the cave, making all the birds in the group jump. However, it wasn't a frightened scream, but one of immense awe and delight. Charon shot the others a hopeful look.
"Sounds like she's found what we're looking for," he said and with that, Charon plunged into the tunnel. Blueberry, Carla, Bia, Tiago, Justin, Matilda, Virgil, Jojo and Lavender followed. Then came Estelle, Io, Ganymede, Alexandre, Sheldon, Titan, Brooke, Mimas, Miranda and Oberon, and then Alessandro, Phoebe, Azul, Velocity, Triton, Milo, Kira and Aiden last of all. Their hearts, which had been flooded with immense terror from the ordeal with the bat-birds, especially with Lavender attacking one to save Miranda, became flooded with immense hope. Behind Aiden, Ophiuchus and Anakin followed while the remaining archaeobirds stood outside, looking after the two bags and smiling. The tunnel led downward like a hill but then it levelled out at the bottom.
"What have you found, Neytiri?" asked Carla but when she, Bia and Tiago emerged at the other end of the tunnel which opened into a large chamber, a great "WOOOOOOWWW!" erupted from their beaks. The others then came in and were immediately awestruck, their eyes inflated at the sight. Neytiri stood to the right, her beak wide open and eyes bulging out of their sockets. The entire space of the walls, floor and ceiling of the chamber was completely decorated by glittering yellow metal and stones of various colours. The chamber was massive, probably about as big as Falkor's infirmary cave back in the Sanctuary de Amazon, Brazil. It took a while for Carla's group to absorb this overwhelming wonder but then Triton broke the silence.
"The legendary treasure as depicted in the Bizarre Birds and Treasure myth," he whispered in sheer amazement.
"If any human explorer found this," said Bia, "He's gonna go completely bonkers at the amount of gold and crystals present in this chamber."
"It's beautiful," murmured Milo, his eyes bulging out of their sockets and crest raised for he had folded his leafy hood back.
"Do you have any use for this lot?" asked Virgil to Andromeda and Anakin. The two archaeobirds shook their heads.
"No we don't," said Andromeda, "This is just a natural wonder we happen to have in our giant ravine."
"But it's a total surprise that you outsiders see any value in the yellow and crystalline Colours and Sparkles at all," said Anakin. Carla then knelt down and brushed a large lump of metallic yellow with a wing.
"Well, these will sell for an amazing price," she said, "Hopefully; it would be enough to save the sanctuary."
She then looked up at the others in her group. "Guys," she said, "It's time to harvest some of this treasure."
"Folks," said Alexandre, attracting everyone's attention. He held up a rock shard.
"There are some sharp shards like this at the entrance to the tunnel," he said, "We could use these to dislodge lumps of the gold and gem crystals to pack into our fanny packs and bags."
"Brilliant idea, Alex," cried Estelle excitedly.
"Yeah, well spotted," said Bia. Alexandre smiled as he accepted the praise. Then Carla turned to the others and said, "Right, let's split into groups. Some will dig while some will carry some of the nuggets and crystal lumps to the bags at the entrance to the tunnel to place into the two bags we have brought."
Carla then clapped her wings and smiled. "Right, who wants to be diggers?"
The wings of some of them went up.
"Can we help you?" asked Andromeda.
"These lumps are gonna be quite difficult to dislodge," said Anakin.
"Oh, it is much appreciated, thank you," said Carla gratefully. Then she began to pick out who will dig. The birds she had chosen were Tiago, Alexandre, Phoebe, Justin, Matilda, Velocity, Ganymede, Sheldon, Titan, Miranda, Oberon, Charon and Azul. The rest she had selected to be packers. As soon as Carla had made these decisions, she said, "Right, let's get to work."
Aloexandre then returned with some rock shards and handed one out to each of the diggers, who took it and set to working on digging at the gold and gem crystals while the packers prepared to carry some of the material to the bags outside the tunnel. However, some complained.
"I wanted to do some digging," muttered Neytiri.
"It's seriously hard work," said Blueberry, "It is best left to the stronger members."
Neytiri shot Charon's sister a sour look and sighed. Soon the Cave of Colours and Sparkles was filled with the sounds of stone against gold and crystals, grunts and cracks. Gold nuggets and lumps of gems were dislodged from the wall and packed into the fanny packs worn by the individuals or taken to be packed into the bags. As she carried some gold nuggets, Kira asked Jojo, "So what are you gonna do with this lot? Pass it on to some human friends for them to sell?"
"Yes," said Jojo as he followed, carrying some lumps of gem crystals, behind her, "I'm talking specifically about Tulio and his group. Hopefully they will take it and sell it and make enough money to pay off the debt mountain."
"So you guys have come all the way here and struggled past many dangerous obstacles just to save your homes?" asked Aiden. Jojo nodded as he placed the gem lumps into one of the bags. Then Io said, "So we're not the first outsiders to visit this place?"
"No you aren't," said Otulissa, "In fact, you're the second group of outsiders to have visited this place in so many years."
"Really?" said Io as she packed a piece of gold into a bag.
"I believe it's because it's such a dangerous spot," said Ophiuchus, "In fact this place is the most dangerous locations in our giant ravine and jungle with all the bat-birds flying around as you saw. We very rarely come to this place due to those bat-birds and the various obstacles that lie in the way."
"You see," said Featherstorm, "Had we flown, those bat-birds would have easily spotted us and snatched us out of the air. That's why we insisted that we come here on foot."
"Well, you guys have been a big, big help," said Jojo gratefully, "Without you, we'd probably would have struggled."
"No problem," said Otulissa with a smile. The other archaeobirds also smiled.
"Just make sure you don't pack too much of those colourful things that you cannot fly," said Spock. Jojo and Io smiled and then re-entered the tunnel to pick up some more gold and gem lumps.
Meanwhile
Ilosovic and his gang consisting of Morgana the black caracara, Butch the red-tailed black cockatoo, Drax the fulmar, Valack the barn owl, Jafar the orange-breasted falcon, Elektra the barred-breasted falcon, Drizella the horned owl, Gaston the highly muscular black eagle and a group of magpies and ravens continued trekking through the jungle. Around them, various strange mammals and reptiles darted past in the vegetation. Ilosovic's single green eye spotted one such mammal.
"You know something," he muttered to his gang members, "It's strange to see animals like those. Aren't they supposed to be extinct?"
Morgana stared hard at the creature as it darted into some bushes. "Hmm, that animal resembles some mammal I have heard whose remains have been found in the same layer of rocks as those dinosaurs."
"And those reptiles," said Valack as he saw two theropods dart past, "They should have died out with the dinosaurs as well."
"They should be called living fossils, then," muttered Drax.
"Look, let's resume our search for that group of brats led by that fatso blue macaw and give them a piece of our minds," snapped Ilosovic, "We have no time for gazing at these insignificant creatures."
The others all sighed and continued following their frigatebird leader through the jungle. Then suddenly, a rustling sound made the group stop and scan the environment warily.
"Now what?" growled Ilosovic snappily. Butch, his crest raised, raked the surroundings with his eyes while the others looked wary. The magpies and ravens huddled together as they also scanned the environment as well. Then suddenly, Drax's eyes landed on something through some bushes and ferns.
"Guys, look," he said. At this, the other gangsters' heads turned and followed the fulmar's gaze. What the gangsters saw was a creature but most of its body was covered with a leafy robe and hood and its face a leafy mask. Two more similar creatures, also dressed in leafy robes and masks, emerged from a bush behind it. However, Drizella noticed something odd about the creatures' legs and tail that extended out from under their robes.
"Their legs resemble wings," she said, "And they also appear to have a… bony tail ending in a fan of feathers."
"Wing-like legs and a bony tail?" repeated Jafar. But then realisation dawned upon him.
"Wait, could those three be some of the primitive feathered dinosaurs from the Jurassic and Cretaceous era?" he told the others. When the other gangsters shot him a confused look, Jafar added, "Then why is a population of them still alive after all this time since the dinosaurs?"
"Are you saying those three could well be descendants of those feathered dinosaurs that died out with the non-bird dinos?" said Ilosovic with a confused frown.
"Well, I'm no palaeontologist or biologist," said Jafar, his eyes shut, "But I have heard of some strange feathered creatures that had long bony tails and even feathered legs, like Microraptor for instance. Maybe those three creatures could be similar to that feathered dinosaur-like animal, or even descendants of those feathered dinosaurs that had managed to survive extinction and continue to thrive to this day?"
Ilosovic continued gazing at the trio of creatures, which were cloaked archaeobirds, as they had a conversation, not noticing the gangster birds' presence.
"Well, those so-called living fossil dinosaur-like creatures aren't important either," he growled, "Let's just continue finding Fatty Spix macaw and her group."
The other gangsters pulled their gazes away from the three archaeobirds and continued their search after Ilosovic.
Hours later
Carla and company have finally filled their fanny packs and the two bags with the gold and gems. They had worked ever so hard to harvest some of the treasure, also called Colours and Sparkles to the archaeobirds, and they were now ready to head back. The fanny packs and bags had been filled so that they could be easily carried but Carla and her group knew that the gold and gems will make a lot of money, hopefully enough to save the sanctuary from losing its status as a protected reserve. They had been away from home for over a week now, and were now ready for the return journey.
The way back had been as risky as the trip to the cave, but fortunately, Carla and company were swifter despite the weight of their harvested treasure, especially in the Bat-Bird's Prey's Graveyard area. They, together with their archaeobird escorts, passed through the same obstacles during the forward journey. They went over the dangerous River of Dangerous Water Jaws (via the stepping stones, this time with little hesitation), and then back through the Fan-Backed Lizard Field where Carla and company caught sighted the Dimetrodon creatures once again. Then, hours later, Carla and company arrived back in the safety of the jungle where it was more difficult for predatory bat-birds to find and catch them. By the time they had arrived back at Featherstorm's clan's grove, it was approaching sunset, the sun sinking lower in the western sky. Because of this, Featherstorm had insisted that Carla's group spend the night in either their grove or Otulissa and Talonclaw's giant tree and leave by morning. However, Carla and her group, who were eager to leave the legendary giant ravine, insisted that they leave despite it coming close to sundown. After much persuasion, Featherstorm finally allowed Carla and company to leave. After having dinner and thanking the archaeobirds for all their help and hospitality, Carla and company, their fanny packs and two bags full of the treasure, left Featherstorm's clan's grove, destined for the Great Rocky Wall, though some archaeobirds, among them Anakin and Spock, accompanied them while Andromeda, Otulissa and Ophiuchus, after thanking Featherstorm for their help, returned to their own clan.
Later
The sun was now completely set, and the Jurassic Jungle, as Carla and the others now sometimes called it, was plunged into the darkness of the light. However, the western horizon was still illuminated by the sun's rays but that too will eventually be eaten away by the dark night sky. It was partly cloudy and the stars and moon shone through the patches of cloud covering. In one part of the jungle, Carla and the others continued flying slowly with Anakin and Spock accompanying them. The macaws, Velocity and Milo did not have their leaf cloaks and masks with them for they were no longer needed. Carla and company were totally relieved to be far away from the predatory bat-birds' lair and they were also glowing with ride at their achievement. They had risked their lives finding this place, and also tackled challenging and dangerous obstacles such as the predatory bat-birds and have pulled through together. Furthermore, they had protected each other from becoming a meal to the predatory animals that lived, with three narrowly escaping death: Kira from a fan-backed lizard, Velocity from a croc-fish, and Miranda from a predatory bat-bird if it wasn't for Lavender's intervention. It truly had been a challenging and perilous quest for the group but to make it complete, they now had to deliver the treasure to Tulio and his team. As the group passed through the dark jungle, Anakin and Spock wore sad looks on their faces as they walked along the ground with their torches just under the group of macaws, falcon and cockatoo.
"Something troubling you, you two?" asked Justin as he helped to carry one of the bags. Spock shot him a saddened gaze.
"It's the thought of you guys leaving," he murmured.
"We've become such good friends with you," said Anakin in an equally saddened voice. He sounded as though he was going to cry based on the edginess of his voice. Justin and the others felt a flash of sympathy and Carla flew down to them.
"We'll always remember you and your clan, you two," said she, "It's a shame you can't come with us."
"Dad has forbidden us from going with you guys," said Anakin, "He and Mom don't approve of any of us going beyond the Great Rocky Wall to the outside world because of humans since we have a very bad history with them."
The other macaws, Velocity and Milo descended from the air and stood before two archaeobirds, grateful looks on their faces.
"Tell your family and clan that we'll always remember you lot," said Justin in an edgy voice. Anakin and Spock smiled and nodded.
"Sorry we can't hug you because of those torches you're holding," said Bia. At this, Spock handed Anakin his torch and began to hug each of the birds one by one, much to their surprise. Anakin did the same while Spock held both of their torches. After Anakin had broken the hug with Velocity, Carla said, "Right, we need to be out of here and find someplace to sleep before it gets completely dark."
However, no sooner than these words left Carla's beak when suddenly, "I'm afraid that's gonna have to wait, Fatso Spix macaw!"
At this, immense shock and dread tore through the group. Anakin and Spock flinched at the unexpected voice as Carla, Bia, Tiago and the others including Kira and Aiden, who recognised the voice's owner, began to scan the dark environment until Carla's eyes landed on a group of shadowy figures, their eyes gleaming with immense scorn as they fixed upon Carla and her group. The one at the front's green eye was particularly stuffed to the pupils with malice as it bore into Carla and her group.