Chapter 52:
Jewel awakened much earlier just as the sun began to appear upon the horizon painting the sky a soft red. The day promised another cloudless and warm day. However she quickly found that the lump of her husband was not lying beside her. She came awake instantly, rising up onto her talons, she peered around concerned for his whereabouts. Usually she would have been the one to awaken before him. Toying with her wings, she studied the morning light which filtered in through the hollow's entrance. She could hear a pair of creatures having a conversation, though she couldn't make out what they were saying to one another. Stepping out onto a small branch just underneath the entrance, Jewel forced a confident smile as she watched Blu and Rose having a small sparring match. Blu threw his wings forward a little too far, the slope of the branch caused him to stumble forward falling onto his stomach with a soft thud.
Jewel held a wing to her beak, stifling a sly smile and slight giggle at the sight of her husband who struggled to get back up onto his talons. His wings trembled as he moved, grumbling to himself as he lifted himself only to slip and land face down once more. "You're stance is sloppy," Jewel rolled her eyes. "That is why we agreed I would do the training while you handled their education, remember?"
Blu nodded and got up onto his talons. He wiped the dust and wood chips from his feathers. "Gee, good morning to you too."
Jewel shook her head and stepped out to help clear his cerulean feathers from the debris. "What are you doing?" she asked arching a rather suspicious eye to her husband, "How come you have decided to train our daughter this morning?"
Blu lowered his head and shifted his talons uneasily along the branch. "I wanted to let you sleep." he explained rather sheepishly, "We are letting her go to the city so I thought maybe I could teach her a little something to put your fears to rest."
Rose's eyes widened as her beak dropped a few inches in shock. "You mean I can take Jade?" She asked trying hard to hide her growing smile. She hugged her father tight. "Oh thank you, thank you! I promise I won't let you down."
"Not so fast, young lady!" Jewel slammed her talon down upon the wood. "We said that we would let you go but there are rules which you must agree to or else I will forbid the very idea. Do you understand?"
Rose nodded her head. "What are they?"
Jewel paced back and forth across the branch. Her eyes narrowed as her serious attitude grew more focused and determined. "One, you must stay out of trouble. Rio is a big city so if you go looking for trouble you will find it. You are to remain clear of all of that, I don't want to hear about you making any boyfriends or causing any problems. Do you understand?"
Rose nodded her head in understanding and agreement.
"Two, should you find yourself in any danger, remember the protection act. It protects you and all birds who reside upon the Blue Bird Sanctuary. It is against the customs for any animals to lay their talons upon you. Should any trouble continue beyond that point, do not be afraid to run, try your best to find Luiz, Nico, Pedro, Rafael, or the aviary, those are safe houses and will protect you from an immediate threat."
Rose nodded her head again.
"Three, you will be back by mid afternoon, do not remain out after sunset. I am trusting you to come back before the sun sets in the sky and not one second later."
Rose nodded. "Is there anything else?" She asked.
"No," Jewel shook her head. "Not that I can think of."
"Okay," Rose smiled. "I guess I should gather Jade, and start heading out. It's a long flight."
#
Rose had never felt more alive. The wind lifted her body high into the sky, far above the city of Rio. She could see the cable cars down below, sparkling over a large body of water called the Guanabara Bay. She changed altitude twisting her body as she cheered and laughed with excitement. The autumn sun toasted her skin making it sparkle like diamond. She stopped in mid-flight hovering as she peered back at her sister who she had strapped to her back using a small piece of twine.
"Are you still okay back there?" She asked, "Let me know if you get too dizzy and we can land for a bit."
"Yep," The tiniest little voice rang out a heartfelt squeak. "Can me fly too?"
Rose shook her head, forming a smile but narrowing her eyes to a friendly though serious tone. "Unfortunately you aren't strong enough yet, you have only just learned how to fly, so it'll take a lot more practice."
The baby macaw pouted and folded her wings together. Her eyes filled to the brim with tears. "I know how too, mommy doesn't let me."
Rose forced a smile. She could recall all the times her mother wouldn't let her fly as well. She acted tough and often scary but deep down she knew that the warrior bird… her mother… cared for them and often hid her concerns and fears towards the things they did. It was a part of who she was, and recalling the stories of her past, it was something she had acquired after meeting her father for the first time. In a way, that was another thing that had grown on her throughout the course of their relationship and brought out her true nature. Rose was going to say something but stopped when something on the ground caught her eye. It was a hawk being attacked by several margays. He squawked trying to break himself free but found he couldn't overpower the sadistic cats. His body twitched as he continued to fight off the vicious assault.
"Hang on, Jade." Rose said peering back at the baby who clung to her body. "We need to go help that poor bird before they kill him."
Without wasting a second of time on forming a plan, Rose let herself fall into a nosedive. She fell from the sky like a missile, landing upon the head of a single margay who fell to the ground stunned. In a similar technique that her mother had shown her, she raised her wings and dropped into a fighting stance very similar to her mother's, all the while her eyes burned as she glared at the assembly of cats. "Who's next?" she grinned, "Ganging up on a defenseless bird? You're nothing more than a stinking bunch of cowards. All birds are protected under the protection act of the Blue Bird Sanctuary. I suggest you leave before you find out the consequences to your actions."
The margays chuckled to themselves. Their eyes glistened as they began to spread themselves apart.
"Oh yeah?" one of the cats hissed, "You're not within the borders of the sanctuary. You should have not interfered with our plans! Now you are nothing more than the second course of our dinner."
Without warning the margay who spoke leapt forward only to find the macaw drop down and kick her talons up into his stomach. He arched his body in the air upon impact, and landed upon the ground with a sickening thud. His grey body slid across the cement, drawing blood and creating several tears along his stomach. The rest of the cat like creatures ran for their lives not wanting to risk a humiliating defeat or possible death from fighting this bird who knew more about fighting than she had led them to believe. Rose raised her wing triumphantly.
"Yeah, run!" she smiled, watching them disappear from sight. "And don't come back or I'll kick your butts some more."
The only sound that came in reply was the retreating footsteps and the spray of the water washing along the shoreline. Once everything became silent, she approached the hawk and offered her wing to him.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
The hawk nodded his head and accepted her wing. He pulled himself back up onto his talons and dusted the dirt off of his feathers. "Yeah," he sighed, "I flew too low and they grabbed me. Before I knew it I was outnumbered and could not defend myself. Thanks a lot, I owe you one."
"Well at least you're safe." Rose nodded her head
"Yeah," the hawk let out a huge sigh of relief, "Do you mind if I ask your name?"
The young macaw formed a friendly smile and peered into the hawk's eyes. She could not deny that he looked pretty cute, friendly and overall harmless. She turned away for a moment, blushing, as she tried her best to speak. "M-M-My name is R-R-Rose, this little bird is my baby sister, Jade."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," The hawk bowed respectfully. "I'm Marco. I've never seen you around here. Are you new to the city?"
"Sort of…" Rose blushed. "I live in the jungle with my family. We're spix macaws and the last of a species. Because of this my mother is a bit over-protective so coming to the city is something I very rarely get to do."
"I see," Marco smiled. "Would you mind if I show you around? Rio has some of the most amazing sights you'll ever see in the entire world. That is of course if you wouldn't mind me intruding upon your day out."
Rose nodded her head. She could feel her heart skip a beat at the thought of being close to a bird as cute as he was. "Thank you, Marco. I, uh, we would really like that."
Both birds flapped their wings and took to the skies and proceeded towards the open water of the bay. Rose studied the jewel of the city which rested below. The many different buildings cupped amongst the green of the jungle and the blue of the open water sent her heart into overdrive. Even though she had seen it many times before, this was the first time she had seen it in a new light. The glass windows sparkled as the sun reflected off of them, adding to the glory of the man made city. Marco flew with incredible speed and grace. His feathers accompanied the breeze in speed and movement. He tilted his body and pointed to a statue. "See that?" he asked, "It's called Christ the Redeemer. It is one of the largest statues in the world."
Rose eyed the mammoth size statue sticking up out of a mountain. She couldn't believe the sight of it. She could see it from her home, lighting the horizon but this would have been the first time she could see it up close. "Wow," She gasped, "that's absolutely amazing and soooooo beautiful."
"Yeah," Marco nodded his head, "And it's only the second most amazing sight. Come on I want to show you the water. That'll be our first stop."
Rose nodded her head and picked up the pace. She flew as fast as her wings would carry her.
After a couple of moments, the hawk came in for a landing just off the edge of some water. The surf soaked his talons as the waves washed against them. Rose watched in admiration. "Why are you washing your talons?"
The hawk cackled to himself and turned to face her. His eyes darkened, pulsating as the veins in the eyeballs bulged and swelled. With vengeful fury he raised his wing revealing the bright purple mark on his wing. It appeared like wildfire, its purple light spreading across the skin and veins until it formed the image of a hawk in mid flight. His face twisted as the veins pulsated transforming his once calm friendly demeanor into a ferocious looking demonic figure. His voice deepened, growing angrier and colder, which sent a cold chill down the young macaw's spine. "I wouldn't want to leave any marks, now would I?" he said. "I've got a score to settle with your dad, and you're going to lure him too me."
Without wasting a single second, Rose slashed the twine holding her sister in place. Her eyes darted back, peering at the young girl who stood in awe at her sister's impressive strength. Rose's voice lowered to a whisper. "You wanted to fly, quick, run home and do not stop until you get there. Go get help, tell them I'm in trouble."
"Yes, run home." Marco cackled. "Lead your father too me. I'm counting on it."
Rose held up her wings ready to defend herself in necessary. She felt a cold sting pierce her neck. Her eyes widened in shock and horror as she realized that the hawk had leapt forward with his incredible speed, stabbing her in the throat with his razor sharp nails. She fell forward lying completely still. The hawk's eyes glistened as he peered towards the baby macaw who stood terrified.
"Don't worry, she is still alive," he said forming a wicked smile. He wiped a wing through her blood and licked it up. "Ah, what an intoxicating taste, I knew spix macaws would taste lovely, I just knew it."
Marco cackled and peered down at the young girl. "I bet that you're sorry for helping me, eh? I don't think you need to guess this now but the margays work for me. I just needed it to look convincing. You fell for the bait perfectly, just like I knew you would." He snapped his beak shut and looked at the baby macaw who stood horrified at her sister's body. "Aw don't worry." He smiled. "Run along home and tell your daddy that I would like to have a word with him, tell him if he's not here within the hour she'll be drowned. I want him to be angry, I want him to come looking for me. Tell him once you see him that I am awaiting his arrival."
The baby macaw nodded and flew off as fast as her wings would carry her. She wobbled unsteadily in the breeze, still not used to flying such a great distance from her home. Soon she only appeared to be a little speck upon the horizon.
Marco picked up the useless lump of a bird and held his talons across her throat. His eyes burned dangerously. "You're lucky that I don't drown you!" he hissed. "If you were any other creature I wouldn't hesitate. You'd meet your doom for sure if I did that… and they'd never find your body either."
Rose moaned as if in reply to what the evil hawk had said.
"What's that? You're trying to thank me?" he laughed. "Well I wouldn't bother. You will still meet your doom. Once I have your father that is. The rest of you are expendable and are only good for meat."
