Chapter 16- trouble for D'Artagnan
In the Lear's macaw tribe's ravine, the dark navy blue and teal-tinted macaws were up to their daily activities. D'Artagnan, Sapphire and their daughters Miranda, Jasmine and Annette were having a mixed fruit lunch with Travis, Sunset, Eustace, Milo and Rosa. While the ten was eating just outside D'Artagnan and his family's hollow in the cliff face, Valentino had been talking with Archie.
"What!?" shouted Valentino in disbelief, "What do you mean Darcy's (that is, D'Artagnan) a former human's pet!?"
"But it's true, Valentino," said Archie, a look of distaste tinting his eyes, "I overheard him talk with Sapphire last night. There is also something else I have heard Sapphire and Darcy mention that you must hear as well but you're not going to like it."
"And what's that?" demanded Valentino.
"They said that they hope our existence would be discovered by humans," said Archie without hesitation. This was met by an enraged look on Valentino's face.
"That macaw's a spy then," he growled, barely restraining the urge to lose his temper. Valentino then turned round and walked away from Archie, taking a few steps.
"I just can't believe that I have trained a macaw who has big ties with those rotten humans to be part of my tribe," he growled. He then turned round and glared at Archie. "We'd better keep an eye on that macaw then and also on Sapphire. I have a bad feeling that she's been influenced by that former human's pet."
"Rosalind's not going to like this, honestly," said Archie, "I'm going for a flight out to the camu-camu fruit grove to snack on one of those fruit, I think."
And with that, he turned and left Valentino's hollow via the hole, leaving Valentino to go over what Archie had told him.
Back with D'Artagnan and company, Travis was concerned for the glaucous macaws.
"I'm seriously worried about that flock of glaucous macaws we have managed to find," said the sulfur-crested cockatoo as he munched on some berries, "Seeing that flock living out there in a vulnerable spot without a proper habitat to live in is not good."
"Levi and Lapis Lazuli might need help in convicting that tribe's leaders that they need conservation," said Sunset as she fed Eustace and Rosa a mango piece, "But since none of the macaws around here believe that the glaucous macaw tribe is still alive, it's going to be difficult in getting backup birds for Levi and Lapis."
"That's true," said D'Artagnan as he ate a dragonfruit. Next to him, Sapphire, Miranda, Jasmine and Annette were eating a pineapple.
"We have that same problem with the Lear's tribe and the green macaws," said Sapphire, a piece of pineapple in her talon ready to eat, "Only they have a proper habitat to stay in. But their habitats are open to deforestation by loggers. Poachers are less of a problem since they only usually catch animals for the pet trade."
"And since this spot is the only suitable place for a flock of Lear's macaws to live in this part of Brazil," added Sunset, scanning the ravine dotted by dozens of navy blue and teal birds, "Since it has a cliff face where Lear's macaws can nest as opposed to tree hollows which they don't often prefer, this ravine must be added to the sanctuary as soon as possible. Not to mention the fact that there is a licuri tree palm grove that grows here, and that nut forms one of the key staples of this tribe's diet."
D'Artagnan, Sapphire and Travis nodded in agreement and continued eating their lunch. Just then a flapping of a pair of wings filled their ears, followed by the sound of two feet touching down on a rocky surface. D'Artagnan, Sapphire, Travis and Sunset looked up and to their surprise, saw Valentino peering into the hole at them.
"Valentino," said D'Artagnan, "What an unexpected surprise. What brings you here?"
"Well, I would like to take you out on a flight through our territory, Darcy," said Valentino, "I want to have a private talk with you."
D'Artagnan threw on a curious look at this request but at the same time, timidity was present.
"O-okay," he said nervously.
"So as soon as you have had your lunch," said Valentino, "I would like you to meet me at the ravine entrance. Then we'll go out on a flight together through our territory and have that talk."
"Okay, I'll be there," said D'Artagnan and with that, Valentino took off and flew away in the direction of the ravine entrance to wait for D'Artagnan. Sapphire saw him leave.
"A private talk?" she asked.
"Well, whatever it is, it sounds important," said D'Artagnan. Then he returned to eating his lunch.
At this moment, Archie was flying through the Lear's macaws' territory in the direction of the camu-camu fruit grove and the Lear's/green border.
"I can't believe that Sapphire has fallen for a macaw that was once a pet," he muttered to himself, "Furthermore, I don't even like the sight of him being with my chick-hood friend…"
Archie then began to plan a way to get rid of D'Artagnan so that he could be with Sapphire. After a while of flying, the bushes with the small red spherical fruit growing on their branches emerged into Archie's view. Archie then slowed his flight speed as he approached the grove. However, before he could perch on one of the branches to pick one of the camu-camu, he heard several voices emanating from over the green/Lear's border. Hearing those voices, he turned and saw four green macaws: two male military, a female military and a female great green, talking away. Archie immediately recognised the pair of male military macaws.
"Those pesky twins Lewin and Luis and two of their friends from the green tribe," hissed the Lear's macaw sourly to himself, "What are they doing at the camu-camu fruit grove?"
Archie then perched behind a large bush to watch the three military macaws and great green as they continued talking and eating some camu-camu fruit, unaware of his presence. Lewin and Luis were indeed twin-like for they looked absolutely identical despite having hatched from separate eggs. Like all military macaws, they had green feathers on their heads, upper bodies and parts of their wings. Their wing and tail undersides were yellow and their wing flight feathers, lower backs and parts of their tail feathers were sky blue. Their foreheads and some of their tails were ruby red and both brothers had a sheet of feathers behind their heads, and blue eyes. However, Lewin had aqua blue eyes while Luis had midnight blue eyes, the only distinguishing feature between the two otherwise identical brothers. Both had a stocky build and were the exact same height. Archie then examined the brothers and their two companions as they continued chatting and feasting on camu-camu fruit. Then an idea entered Archie's head, an idea to do away with D'Artagnan. As soon as the idea clicked in his head, Archie made a scheming face.
Meanwhile
D'Artagnan flew through another part of the Lear's macaws' territory with Valentino. Around them, several other Lear's macaws were flying through the trees.
"So, what's the subject of the talk, Valentino?" asked D'Artagnan as he flew behind Valentino. Valentino replied with a distasteful glare on his face, sending shivers crawling through D'Artagnan's skin and nerves. D'Artagnan never liked dirty looks and glares being fired at him as he often found them intimidating and discomforting. Finally, Valentino spoke.
"I've been told that you have some… rather big ties with humans, Darcy," said Valentino suspiciously. D'Artagnan shot the tribe patriarch a surprised look.
"How did you know that I have some connection with humans?" he asked. Valentino was about to answer when he heard a loud buzzing noise, prompting him to shoot alarmed glances in various directions. D'Artagnan did the same but out of surprise, until his eyes spotted something hovering in the air. Valentino's eyes also landed on the thing and the moment they did, he immediately dived into a nearby cluster of leaves in the nearest tree. D'Artagnan followed as Valentino peered out. He knew that the buzzing noise was not from an insect as no winged insect made a buzzing noise as loud as that, except bees probably. However, the object that made the noise was clearly not a bee's nest.
"What in the world," murmured Valentino as he examined whatever it was hovered that hovered in the air. D'Artagnan, however, recognised the thing. Hovering above some trees was a shiny black object, the shininess of its surface clearly indicating its unnatural origins. It had three arms spanning out from the centre arranged like a three pointed star and on the end of the arms was a spinning thing D'Artagnan recognised as propellers, and those propellers were the source of the buzzing noise. Attached to the centre of the three legged object was an eye, but this eye was not like any eye Valentino had ever seen. The three-armed object was hovering gently in the air, turning around as the unnatural eye scanned the environment. Several metres away, some Lear's macaws flew by but did not notice the object, but that object's unnatural eye's gaze passed over them like a predator's laser-accurate gaze. Valentino felt revulsion sweep through him. He did not like the presence of this object at all, and it certainly was a human object. No flying creature used spinning propellers to hover or fly like this object did. D'Artagnan, however, gazed at the object with an opposite emotion.
"It's a hovering camera drone," whispered he in awe, "What a clever device."
Valentino then felt suspicion bubble within him. Abandoning his hiding place, he descended through the canopy with D'Artagnan following.
The two macaws continued their descent until the forest floor emerged into view. D'Artagnan managed to dodge a web of vine tendrils when he noticed Valentino perch on a branch behind some more leaves. Then he pushed the leaves aside to look out. D'Artagnan peered over Valentino's shoulder and saw what Valentino saw. It was a group of humans sitting or walking around directly below the flying thing Valentino and D'Artagnan had just seen a minute ago. Four of the humans were sat or knelt while two more were pacing around examining something. The four kneeling or sat humans had a device shaped like a black slab. One of them had some sort of a control pad in his hands and D'Artagnan recognised one of the female humans in the quartet.
"Susan," he whispered as he recognised his former owner, a smile on his beak. Valentino, however, was glaring angrily at the four humans when one of them, the one whom D'Artagnan assumed was controlling the flying camera above the trees, spoke.
"I think that's it, you three," he said, "They're definitely Lear's macaws."
"Then that clearly proves that there are Lear's macaws living in this part of the rainforest," said Susan, "Brilliant job, Joshua. Your idea of sending up a hovering camera drone to help find more evidence of those dark blue macaws' existence proved to be a good one."
"Now our next job is to find their main habitat," said another human in the quartet, another woman. Valentino flinched harshly in absolute revulsion and outage.
"Those sly too-legged menaces," he hissed, "They've managed to find us."
D'Artagnan, however, wore a look of delight. Then a musical sound filled the air, alerting one of the women wearing some sort of carrier on their shoulders which D'Artagnan identified as backpacks. The woman reached into her backpack and took out another device. She then pressed something on it and placed it near her right ear.
"Hello," she said, "Oh, hi, Francisco…"
Valentino then glared at D'Artagnan and noticed him smiling at the humans.
"What are you smiling about, Darcy?" he growled in a low voice, snapping D'Artagnan into dropping his smile and returning his look, "Don't you realise how serious this is?"
"Oh, I was just…" began D'Artagnan but found himself hitting a roadblock in his word choice when he saw Valentino narrow his eyes, a look of suspicion forming on his face.
"I also heard you mention the word 'Susan' when you were gazing down at those menaces," said the tribe patriarch. D'Artagnan blinked,
"Oh, i-i-i-it's just the n-n-n-name of one of those humans down there," he said, "I've known her for so many years and…"
"What do you mean you've known that human for so many years?" growled Valentino in a slightly louder, but harsher, voice, "Don't tell me you're a…"
"Susan, alongside another woman called Lucy and three men called Blake, Jake and Drake," explained D'Artagnan timidly, "took me and six other macaws in when we were chicks and…"
However, he cut off when he saw Valentino explode with shock and anger.
"WHAT!?" he screeched, "YOU'VE LIVED WITH HUMANS AS A PET!?"
D'Artagnan flinched harshly as Valentino screeched these words.
"Y-y-y-y-yes, that's right," the grey-eyed Lear's macaw confessed, "I've lived with those humans in a place called London in a country across the Atlantic Ocean for fifteen years…"
"You lived WHERE!?" shouted Valentino. Then he made a face as confirmation hit him.
"Well, looks like Archie's suspicions about you being a human's pet is confirmed," he growled. D'Artagnan then felt disgust and anger course through him.
"Why are you so angry at me for being a former human's pet, anyway!?" he retorted, "It's not my fault that I have ended up with humans in the first place…"
Valentino was about to snap back when he heard the woman's voice say, "Everybody, great news. Francisco and his group have confirmed the existence of the flock of green macaws which he identifies as both military and Buffon's…"
This pulled D'Artagnan and Valentino's attention back to the human group.
"Oh, no," hissed Valentino, "Don't tell me that Alonso's tribe has also been…"
Then he changed his mind. Not wanting to see the sight of those humans any longer, he abandoned his hiding spot. D'Artagnan quickly followed him.
"Wait for me, Valentino," he called but Valentino shot him a heated glare.
"You ought to be ashamed of yourself for bringing human connections into my tribe, you human's pet," he shouted, "Not to mention pairing up with Rosalind's first-cousin, once removed. When I tell Rosalind this, her reaction's not going to be good. This trip out is over."
And with that, Valentino rocketed through the canopy so fast that D'Artagnan was falling behind.
"Wait up," shouted D'Artagnan as he flapped harder and harder to catch up but Valentino did not answer and continued flying upward at high speed. Though he was one of the fastest macaws in Athos's group, D'Artagnan could not keep up with the faster-flying tribe patriarch. Then as soon as he was out above the trees, Valentino sped off in the direction of the Lear's macaws' ravine at maximum speed, leaving D'Artagnan behind in the dust as he also emerged out of the trees gasping for air. Then the delayed pain from Valentino's scathing comment finally took hold and D'Artagnan flapped clumsily toward the nearest tree and flopped down onto a branch where he continued panting for breath. Tears welled in his eyes as Valentino's harsh comment echoed in his head, inflicting more pain on his feelings with each bounce. However, under the pain, he felt a small gust of joy that the group of bird ecologists below have managed to confirm the existence of the Lear's macaw tribe. As soon as he had got his breath back and with tears falling from his eyes, D'Artagnan opened his wings and flew off back to the ravine at his own speed.
Meanwhile
In the green tribe's home, Aramis was teaching Chlorophyll and Petunia on how to use their beaks to slice fruit into smaller pieces while Esmeralda was back at their tree tidying the rooms up. Suddenly, the four heard the sounds of frustration emitting from a group of macaws in the distance. Chlorophyll looked in the direction of the source and recognised one of the voices.
"Do you hear Mr Alonso, Dad?" he said, "He sounds very cross."
Aramis then followed his son's gaze and saw a group of three macaws fly back towards the green tribe's home in a hurry. One of them was Alonso and he did not look very happy at all.
"I wonder what's made him cross," said Aramis. It was then that Alonso began to speak to his two companions as he flew past Aramis and his family's location. The trio was close enough to be heard.
"I don't believe this, you two," Alonso snarled, "Are you saying that those humans have discovered our existence?"
"I'm afraid so, Alonso," said one of the two birds accompanying him, a female military macaw.
"We've been examining that group as they appeared to be controlling a three armed flying thing we found hovering above the trees and heard them say that they have found our flock," said the other macaw, a male great green or Buffon's. Aramis then formed a surprised look on his face.
"Sounds like one of the bird ecologist groups have found the green macaw tribe," he said in a low voice, "Looks like their territory will be included in Linda and Tulio's sanctuary anytime soon. I hope the Lear's macaws are also discovered…"
"Alright then, Tomas and Rebeca," said Alonso, "Continue keeping a close eye on those humans. I'm going to send word about this to the other green macaws and get prepared for action. I've a feeling those humans are planning on poaching us like always, or worse…"
"Poaching!?" repeated Aramis to himself in disbelief, "All those humans were doing was finding the green macaws so that their area can be set up as a conservation zone."
Chlorophyll and his sister Petunia just looked on in curiosity. Then Alonso parted ways with the two macaws.
"Are we still gonna try and help resolve this quarrel between our tribe and the Lear's tribe, Dad?" asked Petunia, Chlorophyll looking on and asking this question with his facial expression.
"I don't know, daughter," said Aramis as he continued gazing after Alonso as he flew off in the direction of the green tribe's home area, "But it will have to be sorted eventually."
The two chicks just looked on and said nothing.
Later
Back in the Lear's tribe's home ravine, Valentino was voicing his comments about D'Artagnan to Waldo and Rosalind by the stream at the bottom of the ravine where countless colourful flowers grew.
"That macaw Darcy (that is, D'Artagnan) has big ties with humans, you two," snarled Valentino angrily, "REALLY big ties. Not only has he been living with them but he has also lived as a pet."
"A pet!?" retorted Waldo in shock.
"Are you saying that Sapphire's mate is a former human's pet, dear?" asked Rosalind in disbelief.
"Yes, I am," said Valentino. Then Rosalind made a very disappointed look and turned her face away, not wanting to believe this.
"I'm sorry, Rosalind dear but it's true," said Valentino, "Sapphire's mate is a former pet."
Rosalind reluctantly turned to face Valentino.
"Then that means we have a former pet in a tribe in which EVERY SINGLE macaw has been born and raised in the natural environment," muttered she crossly, "Which makes that pet a blot amongst us."
"And I can't believe that Sapphire would have the nerve to pair up and have three daughters with him," added Valentino angrily, "Don't tell me she's been living with humans as well during her time away from us. She should know better than to mix with those pesky two-legged pests."
Waldo then threw on an appalled look.
"Hey, that's my little half-sister you're talking about," he snapped, "She's old enough to choose which male macaw to be her mate. It's not up to us to dictate her decisions as she's not a chick anymore."
"That may be true, Waldo," said Valentino with a frown, "But that macaw Darcy is a pet with enormous ties to humans, a subject every macaw in this tribe finds absolutely repulsive to talk about, especially based on what they do to us and the environment."
Waldo, however, retained his opinion on D'Artagnan adamantly.
"Well, suppose he was born in an area of rainforest outside and away from our tribe, and then possibly caught by poachers, smuggled out of this country when he was young and then sold through the pet trade," he theorized on D'Artagnan's possible backstory and his close ties with humans, "After all, how else could he have ended up with humans at some point other than simply enter a city and become a pet deliberately?"
Valentino just glared at him while Rosalind said nothing.
While Valentino voiced his opinions and disapproval about D'Artagnan and his domesticated history with Rosalind and Waldo, D'Artagnan voiced his frustration about Valentino's attitude towards him and his domesticated history to Travis, Sunset and Sapphire on one of the clifftops. Nearby, Miranda, Annette and Jasmine played with Eustace, Rosa and Milo.
"I can't believe that that BIGOTED patriarch of THIS TRIBE would HAVE the AUDACITY to be prejudicial about my history as a pet," snarled the fourth Musketeer-named macaw angrily and exasperatedly, "He doesn't even know what I have been through as a chick and how I ended up with Susan, Lucy, Blake, Drake and Jake in the first place, alongside Aurora, Levi, Athos, Porthos, Phoebe and Aramis who also went through the same traumatic process even though they were born in other areas with the first two being born near Rio."
"Well, maybe explain to him more about your history, D'Artagnan," advised Travis.
"And another thing," added D'Artagnan furiously and still hurt from Valentino's rather insensitive comments, "He does not like me being Sapphire's mate, all because I have connections to humans."
Sapphire made a surprised reaction at this revelation.
"Why should he be surprised?" she asked, "It wasn't my fault that I happened to end up in the clutches of those bird ecologists and conservationists. They were just trying to protect our species, the Lear's macaw since we're such rare birds," a frown then formed on her face, "The only problem was they tried to get me to breed with D'Artagnan too quickly when we weren't ready yet."
D'Artagnan sighed when the memory of how his first meeting with Sapphire started out badly back in Rio came into his head. However, he shook it off. Sunset then spoke.
"I think what Travis has said is good advice, D'Artagnan," the Major Mitchell's cockatoo said, "You should explain to Valentino more about your history and maybe that would take away some of his prejudicial attitude and make him understand how you ended up as a pet."
"That's the problem with our tribe and the other macaw tribes living with us," said Sapphire, "Due to all the negative experiences we have had with humans like logging activity and poaching, especially the highly destructive former, we have developed a bitter hatred of all humans and see them as nothing more than habitat destroying menaces. But what the tribe has to understand is that not all humans are like that."
She then looked at D'Artagnan. "By the way, I thought we were going to help our human friends to find the Lear's macaw tribe so that they can confirm their existence and add our territory to Tulio and Linda's sanctuary to protect them from poaching and logging…"
"We don't have to do that, Sapphire," said D'Artagnan with a wing up and eyes shut, "Susan's group has already done the task."
"Have they? How?" Sunset asked confused, glancing briefly at Eustace, Rosa, Milo, Miranda, Jasmine and Annette to make sure that they didn't wander off.
"Susan's group had sent up a hovering camera drone which is a camera device built with propellers to hover in the air and film from a height," explained D'Artagnan, "and they managed to find some of the Lear's macaws with it. Also, the group leader had received a phone call from Francisco's group about the green macaw tribe's existence, implying that the green macaws have also been discovered."
"Oh, that's brilliant," said Sapphire delighted, "Well, at least our territory and the greens' will be added to Tulio and Linda's sanctuary anytime soon."
"It is brilliant news," said D'Artagnan but then his face fell. "However, Valentino was not very joyful to see the result…"
"Well, there's nothing he can do," said Travis, "This area and the green tribe's area are now going to be included in the sanctuary whether Valentino and Alonso like it or not. It's important that these rare birds are protected from loggers and poachers."
"The final task is to find the glaucous macaws which the bird ecologists will now hope will be doing," said Sunset. Then a thought about Levi and his family entered her head.
"Oh, I wonder how Levi, Lapis Lazuli and their four chicks Tristan, Quincy, Larimar and little Trixie are doing with those glaucous macaws," she said. D'Artagnan, his feelings soothed and the hurt from Valentino's insensitive comments about his past as a pet reduced then smiled.
"Well, I'm going to the camu-camu fruit grove to get us some camu-camu," he said, before his eyes turned to his daguthers, "Our three girls could do with a vitamin C boost and so could me and Sapphire."
With that, he opened his wings and lofted into flight. As he flew away, Sapphire called out, "Okay, see you when you get back and thanks for letting us know about Susan's group's discovery of the Lear's macaw tribe. Also, don't stray into the green tribe's side."
D'Artagnan nodded in understanding and then disappeared into the trees. However, he didn't realise that someone was spying on him.
As D'Artagnan flew on through the trees, a bulky macaw-shaped figure with green eyes watched him from under a large cluster of leaves. As he flew past, the figure took off after him, keeping at a distance so that D'Artagnan didn't notice its presence. D'Artagnan, oblivious to the figure following him, continued flying to the camu-camu fruit grove. A while later, the first bushes with the bright red fruit melted into view, alongside the stream by which the plants grew. D'Artagnan smiled as the sweet smell of the white camu-camu flowers filled his nostrils. Bia had told D'Artagnan that the scientific name for the camu-camu bush was Myrciaria dubia which D'Artagnan thought was a strange name, especially with the species name being similar to the word 'dubious'. However, the origin of plants' species names, termed etymology also by Bia and Poinsettia, one of Athos and Ruby's daughters with a scientific mind rivalling that of Bia's, was not one of D'Artagnan's strong interests anyway. Pushing that thought aside, D'Artagnan touched down and began to scan the bushes for any ripe camu-camu fruit, still unaware that he was being watched. The green-eyed figure perched into a large covering of leaves of a nearby tree and watched him closely. Then as soon as D'Artagnan had found some ripe fruit, he began to set to picking them. The moment the figure saw him about to pick the first fruit; it left its hiding place but D'Artagnan did not hear its wings flap, though he did flash a wary look into the air as a hint of suspicion sparked within him. Seeing nothing but a navy blue form of a fellow tribemate fly past a few metres from him and assured that there was no reason to be wary, D'Artagnan closed his beak onto the stem of the first fruit and separated it from its parent plant. Putting the fruit aside, D'Artagnan began to pick the next fruit, holding it steady with a talon. He was going to pick six fruit: two for his three daughters, two for himself and two for Sapphire.
As D'Artagnan closed his beak on the second fruit's stem, he noticed a flash of navy blue out the corner of his eye. This roused his curiosity again. Putting the second camu-camu fruit aside with the first, D'Artagnan looked at the navy blue thing closely and realised that it was a feather. D'Artagnan picked up the feather and examined it.
"That's strange," he hummed in a low voice to himself, "Where did this come from?"
It was then that he saw another dash of navy blue drift gently down out the corner of his eye. D'Artagnan turned and saw another navy blue feather land gently a few centimetres from him. Frowning, D'Artagnan went over to it to examine it. He then raised his head and examined the area above him but found no Lear's macaws flying around nearby. This confused D'Artagnan even more. This was not right at all. How could navy blue feathers simply appear out of nowhere when there were no Lear's macaws in moulting mode flying nearby? Then a third feather drifted gently down from above and landed around 30 centimetres from D'Artagnan. The Lear's macaw went over to the feather when a fourth and then a fifth drifted down from above, the former a few centimetres from D'Artagnan and the latter much further. The fifth feather landed close to the edge of the stream running through the camu-camu fruit grove. D'Artagnan, compelled by curiosity, walked over to newly appeared feathers. Suspicion was beginning to return within him.
"This is definitely not right," he murmured to himself as he examined the two feathers. Then D'Artagnan noticed four more navy blue feathers drift down from above, this time landing on the land on the other side of the stream. D'Artagnan, compelled to investigate, opened his wings and flew over the stream. As he did so, more feathers drifted down from above and landed further from the stream's edge, further than the previous four feathers. D'Artagnan then landed on the opposite side of the stream and picked up the feathers before moving on to the next group of feathers. As he investigated the mysterious feathers, D'Artagnan began to gauge his location. But when he realised where he was, horror tore through him. He had crossed the Lear's/green territory boundary marked by the stream, and into green macaw tribe territory.
"(Gasp)! I've crossed the border!" cried D'Artagnan to himself. From a tree branch above D'Artagnan, the green-eyed figure smirked as it looked down at the terrified macaw as he prepared to make his way back in to the Lear's tribe's territory. However, before D'Artagnan could make the take-off flap to do just that, a swoosh was heard right behind him as a blur, this time a green, blue, red and yellow one, zoomed past. D'Artagnan stopped briefly as he felt the rush of air. However, he kicked that compulsion to investigate for he knew he MUST return to Lear's macaw territory but before he could make the take-off flap, a female voice said, "D'Artagnan?"
D'Artagnan jumped into the air upon being startled by the voice and whirled round, eyes wide with horror. To his surprise, he found himself facing a familiar great green macaw with emerald green eyes, azure wing flight feathers and a set of wavy head feathers behind her head. Above D'Artagnan, the green-eyed macaw figure gazed down at D'Artagnan as he tried to calm his nerves.
"Esmeralda?" said D'Artagnan in surprise. Then the macaw, which was Esmeralda, made a face flooded with surprise and shock.
"What are you doing on our side?" she demanded urgently, "Get back to the other side of the stream before any of my tribemates spot you!"
"Sorry, I-I-I didn't mean to cross the border," stammered D'Artagnan, opening his wings, "I-I-I was…"
Suddenly, another voice filled the air, making dread slam into Esmeralda and D'Artagnan as hard as a stone hitting them.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" said the voice. Now there was good reason for D'Artagnan to be VERY afraid. Whipping round, the grey-eyed Lear's macaw searched for the owner of the voice until his eyes landed on it: Alonso. Accompanying Alonso were three more macaws: two male military macaws named Luis and Lewin and a female great green macaw, but it wasn't Verde for she was back at the green tribe's home patch. These four macaws wore scornful faces as their eyes bore into the panicked D'Artagnan.
"Looks like Valentino has a sweet little disobeyer afoot on our side," crooned Alonso sarcastically and with narrowed eyes.
"Absolutely," added Lewin scornfully. Esmeralda then shot D'Artagnan an appalled look.
"Can you just tell us what are you doing on our side, D'Artagnan?" she asked gently. D'Artagnan, however, was too afraid to speak at first.
"'D'Artagnan'?" repeated Luis, Lewin's twin brother in surprise, "Is that the name of that Lear's macaw brat?"
"W-w-w-well, I-I-I-I-I was just visiting the c-c-c-c-camu-camu fruit grove and…" stammered D'Artagnan.
"And then what?" asked Alonso, interrupting the petrified Lear's macaw's attempts to explain, "You come over onto our side to steal camu-camu fruit from OUR part of the grove?"
"No it…" began D'Artagnan but found himself hitting a roadblock of fear as Alonso's blue eyes pierced him.
"Well, you've gone and done it, Lear's brat," growled the green tribe patriarch, his voice sounding like a jaguar growl, "You've gone and trespassed onto our territory. Hasn't Valentino told you about the truce between his tribe and ours about keeping our macaws within the borders?"
D'Artagnan continued standing there; looking desperately at the Lear's macaws' land as though he wanted to flee. In fact he DID want to escape but he was rooted to the spot with too much fear to budge an inch, much less launch into a flight. Further, his tongue stuck in his mouth and his flow of words was blocked. Above him and the five green macaws, the macaw figure sitting in the tree smiled widely.
"Well then," said Alonso crossly and seriously, "If you're not going to answer, I might as well issue you… and your tribe… a very serious penalty. I'm going to let you off and allow you to return to your tribe's land but I want you to take this message to Valentino, and make sure that he gets it."
Lewin, Luis and the female great green macaw all made angry faces while Esmeralda gazed at D'Artagnan with the same appalled look.
"I challenge Valentino's tribe to a match in the Pit of Doom for the whole, ENTIRE camu-camu fruit grove," said Alonso, "That is, the whole bunch of camu-camu bushes including the bushes that grow on the Lear's macaw tribe's land, at mid-afternoon. Do you understand what I am saying?"
D'Artagnan turned to Esmeralda for backup but Esmeralda, who was confused as to why D'Artagnan had stepped into the green tribe's land, said nothing. D'Artagnan then turned back to Alonso, a panicked look covering his face.
"Then get out of our land and fly straight to your tribe leader," snarled Alonso angrily, "And make it sharp. You don't have even a SECOND for delays."
D'Artagnan flinched harshly and the urge to flee finally took hold. Propelled by panic, he opened his wings and took off in the direction of the Lear's tribe's land and home patch, and within seconds he was gone. After D'Artagnan had left, Lewin and Luis saw some navy blue feathers lying around.
"Alonso," said Lewin, "I think that navy blue brat has left his mark by shedding some feathers."
"Then toss those feathers into the stream, Lewin," commanded Alonso, "And get the green tribe's Pit of Doom team ready. We've got a match to face against the Lear's macaws."
Lewin nodded and left, followed by Luis and the female great green macaw. Esmeralda was about to follow when Alonso's voice called her name.
"And Esmeralda," said he, "Get your family ready to witness the match."
Esmeralda hesitated, a saddened and reluctant look on her face. She had just come across her friend who had apparently strayed into the green tribe's land by accident. But then she nodded and left, followed by Alonso.