Chapter 51- celebrations and epilogue

The last of the patients from the hospital had been welcomed with open wings. Blu had been welcomed by his tribe-mates as had Waldo with the Lear's macaws, Lapis Lazuli and Triton with the glaucous macaws and hyacinth macaws, and also Esmeralda, Orquidea, Ruby, Alfonso, Ted, Nuvem and Waldo and the other remaining patients with the other tribes and clans as well. Then soon after, all the birds of the Amazon, along with Augustus's new clan, had had a massive party to celebrate their victory over Cicatriz's colony, carried out in an area in Andromeda's clan's territory. A huge variety of food had been brought by every tribe, clan and small group into the territory so there was a wide selection of food to choose from. All the residents celebrated with their tribe and clan theme dances. The Spix tribe danced to their theme 'Beautiful Creatures', while the red tribe danced to 'The Red Macaws with the Blue, Yellow and Green Wings'. The blue-and-gold tribe danced to' Blue and Gold Feathers in the Blue Sky and Golden Sun' while the green tribe danced to their theme, 'We Are Green Macaws Living in the Green Jungle'. the green tribe's dance was succeeded by the Lear's tribe who danced to their elegant and complicated theme, 'Elegant Navy Birds in the Glorious Jungle', featuring the kaleidoscopic pattern of the dancers in certain parts of the song.Next, the blue-throated macaw clan danced to their song, 'We Love the Wildlife', with some of the hyacinth macaws participating. Then the Navyfeather Clan and the glaucous macaws danced to their song, 'Dance of the Navyfeather Hyacinth and Glaucous Macaws', and Andromeda's clan performed their dance around a large fire, which they had been granted permission by the other birds to feature in the party since they knew how to contain fires very well. Then after Andromeda's clan had performed their dance, Augustus and his clan, together with the birds that the allied flying foxes had helped protect, performed a dance they had built themselves.

Unlike Cicatriz's and his colony's dance which had been very dark with the body décor being an ugly black body paint with blood red marks, the body paint and décor of Augustus and his clan was prettier and involved bright and cheerful colours. The male flying foxes used blue and yellow fruit and pollen paint for their faces, bodies and wings while the females applied orange and red paint. The helped birds did the same and their other body décor of choice included exotic flowers such as orchids and bromeliads, as well as vines and leaves. The clan dance did not have a name yet but its lyrics were bird-friendly and not very anti-bird unlike Cicatriz and his colony's dance. The flying foxes were an awesome sight to watch, their wings which bore brightly coloured pollen and fruit paint contrasting brilliantly with the black membranes, swinging out elegantly like a bird's feathered wings, far prettier than that of the colony flying foxes. Then after Augustus and company had finished their dance, everyone had mixed, dancing together and feasting. The city birds, Nico, Pedro the cardinal, Rose, Sparkle, Rafael, Eva, Diantha, Travis, Sunset, Eustace, Milo, Rosa, Clemont, Serena and Velocity, Orion, Cometa and Lightning, also participated. In the middle of the dance, announcements were made by the tribe and clan leaders, among them Jewel, Felipe, Alonso and Waldo, in honour of Augustus and his family for their bravery and their helping of the bird tribes and clans throughout the war, as well as those that had died to save so many lives, such as many of the Bluewing Clan hyacinth macaws including Demetrio, Violeta's mate and the father of Vincente and Arlo, who had been confirmed dead when his body had been found by a patrol group in the Bluewing Clan's former territory, and also Valentino, the former patriarch of the Lear's tribe. This lead to a funeral as the birds and allied flying foxes stopped to pay their respects to their fallen comrades. Next, Waldo had announced his stepping down as leader after what had happened and had handed the role to Sapphire and Mercury, much to their surprise, and Augustus also made his announcements, including thanking Triton over and over again for saving his and Melissa's offspring, Sebastian, Stella and Luna which cheered Triton up despite his heartbreak caused by Penelope's breaking up with him. After this, the party resumed and many songs were performed.

Nico and Pedro performed their famous samba song 'Hot Wings (I Wanna Party)' which prompted Blu and Jewel to dance together to, as well as the other couples such as Zephyr and Venus, Brisa and Roberto, Nuvem and Cassia, and Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Ceres and Pluto with their respective partners Sapphire, Chiquitita, Ruby, Orquidea, Esmeralda, Ultramarine, Cobalto and Lapis Lazuli. Rafael danced with Eva while Travis danced with Sunset. Eva tried to sing but before her screechy voice could shatter the air and spoil everyone else's good time, Cometa and Lightning came in and bound her beak shut with the help of Skyla (Mariposa's mother) and some other smaller birds such as chestnut-fronted macaws and golden parakeets, much to Rafael's immense chagrin! There was no way anyone else was going to have their ears pierced by Eva's so-called 'singing'. Because of this, Rafael and Eva had left the dancefloor to have some romantic time outside while everyone else continued to party. After 'Hot Wings', the best singers also sung their songs. Roberto, Brisa, Jojo, Felix, Lavender, Chilro and Ophelia sung a few songs while Carla and Justin, together with Bia, Virgil, Charlotte, Músculo, Matilda, Tiago and Kira and Jojo performed as a dancing group, dancing to songs played from Io's Ipod which she had had in her possession all along. Venus and Zephyr also danced to their favourite song, 'Always' by Erasure while the other couples danced to their favourite songs too. It truly was a disco of a lifetime and everyone enjoyed it.

The party lasted well into the night and the following morning, everyone slept in but in the coming days, their sleep pattern returned to normal. A few weeks following the party, the Amazon Pity of Games League was back on track and all the residents in the Sanctuary de Amazon resumed their competition, picking up where they left off before the cancellation due to the flying fox situation. The city birds had also returned to Rio while the league continued. Augustus and his clan of bats participated and had played very well. They to beat the green macaws but lost to the Spix macaws and were dropped out of the league. The league finally ended with the Spix macaws winning in the finals against the archaeobirds, who rode on their bat-birds to help them play soccer, and had won the year's Amazon Pit of Games League.

During the league, things continued to improve. Triton had learned to adapt to life with just one eye and eventually overcome his heartbreak caused by Penelope's breakup with him thanks to the support from his family and friends while Penelope had been kicked out of Carla's circle of friends. Triton had been encouraged that there was someone out there for him that will accept him for who he was much to his raised spirits. As for Penelope, she had paired up with a male hyacinth macaw and had continued to shun Triton. Sebastian, Stella and Luna had become part of the circle and Sebastian and Stella had paired up with a male and a female flying fox and had started dating them. Furthermore, Carla's circle of friends had had new additions: Frodo the Cuban macaw and his girlfriend Ellie, a purple-and-pink macaw named Pitaya and her boyfriend, and also two Dominican green-and-yellow macaws who were also a couple. Eustace back in Rio had also learned to adapt to life with one talon while those that had suffered utter trauma at the wings of the evil colony flying foxes slowly warmed up to Augustus and his clan. Lapis Lazuli slowly got used to the friendly flying foxes though the scars and nightmares she still had of the evil bats attacking and interrogating her still remained, albeit reduced. Things really were improving after the dark times when Cicatriz and his colony were hatching their plots to drive out the bird tribes, clans and groups of the Sanctuary de Amazon.

That's not all. The land once inhabited by the colony flying foxes was also recovering. When the colony flying foxes had lived there, the land had been shrouded with darkness, devoid of any birdlife, and was nothing more than a graveyard of the bird tribes and clans that had once lived there before the bats drove them out. Patrols had been in this land and had seen its recovery in progress. Furthermore, they had seen no trace of any colony flying foxes present. It seemed that the colony had indeed broken down and the bats had fled in disgrace or had settled into small clans, hopefully with the colony's teachings completely swept away, replaced by new teachings that birds were not to be messed with. This was exactly what Augustus wanted and as new pups were born in his clan, they were taught how to respect birds and why they should not be messed with and when they were older, they were taught about the Great Battle for the Sanctuary, what teachings the colony had about the birds and why they were so hostile towards all birds of the Amazon. Augustus and the other allied flying foxes couldn't be happier; the peace between the flying foxes and the birds had finally been established after so long.

Epilogue

In the Spix tribe's ravine, the activities of the Spix macaws continued like usual. Macaws were flying out on patrols, foraging for food and parents were raising their chicks. Some more macaws were throwing themselves onto the lilypads and skiing. However, there were several odd colours dotting the air of the ravine. Green, red and navy blue forms were also present for green, red, hyacinth and Lear's macaws had come to visit, along with some other birds and a few flying foxes. Carla and Justin were talking with Milo through an Ipod Travis had given to the group to allow communication between the city birds and the Sanctuary de Amazon residents. While the couple did that, Virgil, Bia, Tiago, Matilda, Jojo and Kira watched as Triton, as usual with the bandana over his right eye, threw himself at a lilypad and skated on it along with Sebastian and their new friend, Frodo the Cuban macaw. The trio laughed as they surfed along.

"He's adapting very well to living with half his sight, isn't he?" said Virgil, his wing draped over Bia's shoulder.

"Hey, guys, did you hear the news about Mercury, Sapphire, Lapis Lazuli and Pluto?" asked Kira. Virgil, Bia, Jojo, Tiago and Matilda gazed at her.

"They've recently had a clutch of one or two eggs," said Kira.

"Oh, that's brilliant," said Jojo with a smile.

"At least those clutches will replace their lost chicks," said Tiago.

"Also, Squaw'tagnan and Phoebe are planning on starting a family," added Kira, "And would like to go to Rio once their chicks are old enough."

"So are the rest of us," said Tiago as he leaned onto Matilda's crown, "We're gonna go to Rio as well."

"Guys," called Carla's voice, attracting the attention of the six macaws to her and Justin.

"Milo has something to tell you," said Justin and with that, he held the Ipod with Carla so that Bia, Tiago, Matilda, Virgil, Kira and Jojo could speak to him.

"Orion and Velocity have paired up with two peregrine falcons from the Control de Plagas (Pest Control in Spanish) Squad," said Milo with a wide smile, "While Eustace and Serena have just had a clutch of two eggs."

Immense joy splashed through the six macaws.

"Oh, I'm so happy for them," said Jojo with a smile.

"Uncle Travis and Aunt Sunset are gonna be grandparents," said Virgil.

"And since Serena is a full sulfur-crested cockatoo and Eustace is half sulfur-crested, half Major Mitchell's," said Bia, "Their chicks are gonna be three-quarter sulfur-crested, one-quarter Major Mitchell's."

The others smiled at Bia's scientific nature.

"You and your scientific lingo, Bia," said Milo on the Ipod amused, "So yep, I'm gonna be an uncle."

How are Broccoli, James, Daisy and their friends over there?" asked Matilda.

"Broccoli and Daisy are doing fine," said Milo, "As are James, his girlfriend Ebony, and also Pelusa the Shih Tzu and Nevado the Persian cat, James's two cat and dog club friends, and also Nico, Pedro, Rose and Sparkle and their clubbers," his face then turned serious, "But as for Rafael and Eva, they have just had another clutch… of three eggs."

Disbelief ignited in the six Spix macaws and also Carla and Justin.

"You're kidding us," said Virgil. Milo shook his head to confirm that he wasn't.

"Is it any wonder Rafael and Eva have developed a rift between themselves and Uncle Travis and Aunt Sunset who cannot have any more kids," said Matilda.

"It honestly makes those two cockatoos feel small," said Tiago. Milo nodded in agreement.

"Are any of you couples expecting any chicks or pups over there?" he asked.

"We haven't got down to implementing our plans on having chicks of our own yet, Milo," said Carla, "But we will eventually get to it."

"But at least Eustace and Serena have gone ahead with it," said Virgil with a smile, "I look forward to meeting their chicks when they hatch."

"It would be interesting to see how they'll appear as a result of their heritage," said Bia.

"Well, I should imagine they'll resemble a sulfur-crested cockatoo more than a Major Mitchell's cockatoo," said Milo, "After all, their mother is a pure sulfur-crested."

He then felt it was time to move on. "Anyway, can I speak to Carla and Justin alone please?" he asked. Bia, Tiago, Jojo, Kira, Matilda and Virgil smiled and handed the Ipod back to Carla and Justin but not saying goodbye to Milo. After this, the six walked towards the edge of the ravine pool.

"He certainly is looking forward to becoming an uncle, isn't he?" said Matilda.

"Yep," said Virgil before he turned to Bia with a loving smile, "And I look forward to having our own chicks as well."

Bia smiled, wrapped her wings around his neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss. The other four looked on and smiled.

"Our parents are indeed looking forward to becoming grandmas and grandpas when we do have our own kids," said Tiago to the other three. Matilda, Jojo and Kira nodded as Bia and Virgil broke the kiss and gazed into each other's eyes. Then the six turned and watched the activities of the other Spix macaws as they talked with the visiting red, green, Lear's and hyacinth macaws and other birds, among them some chestnut-fronted macaws, golden conures, blue-headed macaws, red-fronted macaws and more, as well as the newly befriended flying foxes from Augustus's clan, which marked the beginnings of a new chapter for all the residents of the Sanctuary de Amazon. The flying fox colony, the threat that hung over every bird tribe, clan and group like a black cloud had finally been decimated and everyone, including the allied flying foxes, were finally at peace. However, the allied flying foxes, along with the birds they had rescued from the colony bats, had promised to keep an eye and ear on the former colony bats that had settled into little groups or clans in case any revenge plot was hatched. If so, the allied flying foxes promised the bird flocks that they will let them know so that they would take action and nip it in the bud before it developed into a full-blown threat. However, it seemed unlikely for those former colony bats had learned their lesson not to mess with anyone feathered and armed with dangerous beaks and talons, especially based on a bunch of lies, a fact that everyone, including the allied flying foxes, were glad for.

And that's it. This is the end of the story. I'm impressed at how it had turned out and I beeive this is better than the previous version that I deleted ages ago. And believe it or not, this is the longest story I have ever written. Peace has finally returned to the Sanctuary de Amazon and the enmity between the flying foxes and the birds has finally been extinguished. Anyway, I have in mind a sequel that will pick up a good while after this story and it will revolve around Carla and company, including Sebastian, Stella and Luna, many who will have started their own families and have become proud parents of their own clutches of chicks or pups, and their adventures in Rio, so stay tuned for this possible sequel!

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