Chapter 24- a visit to the animal hospital
Some time later
The sun was hovering at the midpoint between its point of setting in the western horizon and its midday point. Animals of the rainforest continued going about their daily business while the bird tribes, clans and groups had set to discussing plans of action against the flying fox threat. In fact, some of the macaws from the Spix, the blue-and-gold, the Lear's, the glaucous and the red tribes and the Navyfeather Clan and also the smaller bird groups, among them the leaders, had flown over to Alonso's tribe's home patch to discuss plans of action with him for Alonso had invited them to have a meeting in his home patch for it was too unsafe to meet at the Meeting Tree due to the flying foxes flying about. During this, some macaws had decided to go to the animal hospital to visit the casualties, those that had been injured by the flying foxes from yesterday. This group of macaws was a mixture of Spix, red and Lear's macaws. The Spix macaws were Carla, Bia, Tiago and Kira accompanied by an older male macaw named Rolando, a friend of Blu and Jewel and Roberto who had been commanded by the former two to keep an eye on the four, while the red macaws were Athos, Alexandre and Estelle and the Lear's macaws were Finn and Jasmine. All the macaws were covered in mud to conceal their brightly coloured plumages for safety. As the group flew along, Jasmine was very sad.
"Haven't you guys heard what had happened in the Navyfeather Clan and glaucous tribe's territory?" she told the others, "They've had a violent attack and kidnapping by a group of flying foxes too, resulting in three glaucous macaws and two hyacinth macaws getting taken away. Thankfully, none of the others were too injured to require medical attention at the animal hospital."
"One of them was Lapis Lazuli," said Athos with dread, "I'd hate to think what nightmare she'll be facing in those furballs' territory."
He shuddered at what ordeal that poor glaucous macaw was to face when she woke up, especially with the deep scar inflicted on her when those bats drove out her tribe when she was young.
"Levi and his family had been devastated over that," said Ronaldo, Carla and her brood-mate siblings and cousin's escort, "I've heard that Quincy and Larimar had been injured and had to be taken to the animal hospital while Tristan, Trixie, Aiden and Neytiri had been badly shaken."
"Juan, Neytiri's cousin, had been killed in the incident when he tried rescuing Aunt Lapis Lazuli," said Jasmine sadly, "Neytiri and eventually her aunt had been utterly devastated."
"Juan is Michelle's only son, isn't he?" said Finn. His face then creased with dread. "Who else is gonna be next on those bats' kill list?"
"I think the question should be," said Carla, "What's gonna happen next?"
"Well, with the way things are going," said Athos, "It's not good, I can tell you."
The others nodded in agreement.
"But on the bright side though, I'm so glad that many of the blue-throated macaws, among them Eriko and Carolina, their remaining daughter Fernanda and two younger chicks Peitro and Wanda are alright despite the obvious injuries and the serious trauma they had suffered from the ordeal with those bats' siege on them and the Bluewing hyacinth Clan last night," said Bia, "Too bad about the hyacinth macaws and the other birds that had died in the attack."
She then breathed a sad sigh over the deaths of those brave birds.
"But as for Casper, and also Wilbur who had been there when the invasion happened during his week stay with that group of friends for their stargazing exhibition, I'm surprised they had managed to survive and help rescue as many as the smaller group bird residents as possible, among them the golden conures," said Bia. Suddenly, a thought hit her. "Oh, do his parents Porthos and Orquidea know about that?"
"They didn't come with us to the green tribe's home patch," said Ronaldo, "Too depressed."
"They need to hear that Wilbur is alive pronto," said Tiago seriously, "Otherwise they're gonna continue to suffer heartbreak."
"We'll have to go to the blue-and-gold tribe's territory and let Porthos and Orquidea know after this," Athos said. Jasmine and Finn nodded in agreement.
"Then you'd better," said Kira seriously. Athos then made a mental note to do this after visiting the casualties in the hospital. Then Alexandre breathed a sigh of awe.
"I can't believe that Wilbur had managed to survive that nightmare last night," said he, "He must have been so brave."
"We didn't expect those flying furballs to carry out an invasion on the blue-throated macaw clan and Bluewing Clan's territory, anyway," muttered Ronaldo angrily, "Based on what that group of Navyfeather Clan hyacinth macaws told us in the green tribe's home grove, it is a definite confirmation that the cockatoo and his friends weren't lying."
"You mean Eustace, Milo, Rosa, Clemont, Serena, Velocity and Orion?" asked Estelle as she flew nearby and alongside Athos and her boyfriend Alexandre.
"Yes, them," said Rolando. Jasmine then sighed.
"I also still can't believe that those seven and their toucan friend Diantha had wounded up being dragged into this mess," she said, "This threat is incredibly dangerous, honestly…"
"Rosa got whacked on the side of the head by one of the bats while we were fighting that group that made off with Waldo and several others hours ago in the green tribe's territory," said Finn, "She's alright now but it could have been worse."
"She'd have suffered a concussion or other head injury," said Bia.
"That's the second time one of Eustace's group members has had a narrow escape from those bats," said Carla with a frown, "First Orion, now Rosa."
"They should have returned to Rio where they'll be safe," said Athos in disapproval, "But it seems that they haven't listened."
"I agree," said Ronaldo. The group then resumed their flight to the animal hospital.
A few minutes later, the group approached the animal hospital's periphery; all eyes of the ten macaws scanning their surroundings and watching for any flash of drab colours or charcoal black through the tree gaps. Rolando was very skilled in self-defence and Athos had his experience and strength, though he was not as strong as Porthos, on his side as well, having learned most of his skills during his time as a pet as well as during the events involving Brutus the cat and Nigel. However, this might not be enough for the flying foxes were cunning and with this newly developed weapon they had at their disposal, they might easily gain the upper wing. Not to mention their size compared to the smaller species of macaws. This was why the group had covered themselves in mud as an extra precaution.
Soon, the large building of the animal hospital came into view.
"Here we are, folks," said Ronaldo as he led the way. He then turned to Athos. "And since you're more familiar with human surroundings and buildings and could read human writing more than any of us, you'd better take over."
Athos nodded and did just that. He led the group to the upper floors of the building and began to look for an open window.
"Remember, we need to be in the birds' area," he said. The others nodded to con firm that they understood.
"I can't wait to see my cousin Gabby again," said Estelle as she flew alongside Alexandre, "It may have been over a day but it seems like ages."
"Why do you think we've come here?" asked Alexandre.
"We'll also get to see Sergio, Glimmergem and also Winona who is one of Brooke's friends and a close friend of Bastian," said Carla with a smile, the first one she had had in ages. The other young adult macaws smiled and with that, they followed Ronaldo and Athos and began to fly about the building, in search of the open window into the birds' department on the upper floors.
Inside the animal hospital
Ariel lay in a bed of soft material, resting on her back. She had just come out of surgery and was now in the recovery room, and the sounds of various bird squawks filled her ears. As the young adult blue-throated macaw slowly opened her eyes, she saw a silvery ceiling directly above her. From the edges of the ceiling, silvery bars descended and connected to the bottom part, enclosing Ariel in a cage. Unlike the poachers' cage which had been a prison, this cage was in the safety of caring humans. As her traumatised brain registered these details, she came to the conclusion that she must be in an animal hospital; the Sanctuary de Amazon Animal Hospital to be exact. Then she noticed something else, something wrapping her body and her head, something white. Ariel's eyes slowly travelled to the top of her head and saw a sliver of the white wrapping circling her forehead. Her eyes then travelled to her left wing and saw that it was enclosed in some sort of rigid casting, the same sort Zephyr had after surgery on his broken wing at the paws of the infamous Brutus, something he had told the young blue-throated macaw during a previous visit to Rio and she had seen a bird casualty with a similar sort on its injured wing in Tulio's Aviary.
Ariel's other wing, which lay spread out to the right, had a thin tube emerge from it. This tube wired out through the bars of the cage and ascended to something attached above. However, Ariel had already deduced what it was for she had seen such clear bags filled with clear liquid before.
'A drip as Zephyr told me it was called', she thought. She was then made aware of a set of new sounds. Human chatters filled the air, followed by the sound of a metal lock being slid out of its cylindrical counterpart. As a pair of human hands, both covered with sterile plastic gloves, slowly snaked into Ariel's cage and their fingers gently slid under her body followed by the palms which then scooped her off the cage floor and bedding, Ariel drifted off into a whirlwind of memories from the traumatic ordeal from the flying fox attack on her clan and the Bluewings.
A huge black cloud of furry mammals with membranous wings decked out in pitch-black war paint with red streaks, weapons such as sharp-sticks in their clutches, came crashing into the home grove of the Bluewing hyacinth macaws, and soon a bloody battle erupted between the hyacinth macaws and the bats.
Horrifying images flashed in Ariel's mind as she underwent a close examination by a team of three bird doctors who checked her injuries. One of them, a man, unwrapped the bandage on Ariel's forehead to have a look at the scratches, one or two that required stitching. Ariel had suffered a set of brutal claw marks to the forehead, just above the right eye and one or two required stitching. As the man then began to examine the healing marks on Ariel's head, the horrifying images of the invasion continued to flash in the traumatised macaw's mind. Ariel saw large navy blue bodies drop from the battle cloud made of navy blue feathers, black membranous wings and their owners. She saw sharp-sticks plunging into their victims, blood drops and navy blue feathers flying everywhere from the cloud, shadowy figures with red streaks and eyes glowing menacingly in the moonlight. She also heard the screeches of agony, anguish and terror exploding from dozens of hyacinth macaws, alongside devilish war cries and laughter of sadism from dozens of flying foxes. Next, Ariel saw some black and red streaks charge at the blue-throated macaws, their weapons prepared for gruesome action. Alongside these images, Ariel heard familiar voices flooded with terror, including her mother Carolina's, echo loudly.
"ERIKO, GET PEITRO AND WANDA OUTA HERE!"- Carolina
"FERNANDA!"- Eriko
"DAAAAD!"- Fernanda, Ariel's sister
Blue and yellow streaks then erupted into the night air in Ariel's memories. Then Ariel's mind began to replay the nightmare she herself subsequently faced next.
Ariel, terrified, braced herself as a huge swarm of war paint-donning bats rushed towards the fleeing blue-throated macaws, her head in her wings.
"PROTECT THE BLUE-THROATED MACAWS!"- Demetrio.
Then within seconds, the bats were upon the blue-throated macaw clan's home grove. Ariel felt something knock her off the branch and before she knew it, she was falling through the air. Immediately, she spread her wings and slowed her fall into a hover. Confused, Ariel darted her eyes about until she spotted a familiar male macaw, Eric, as he hovered overhead. Behind him, Eric's family, both his parents and brother and sister, were trapped in a small cloud if flying foxes and were slaughtered, much to Eric's anguished cry. However, Eric heard his father screech to him to flee, which he did despite the heartbreak of hearing his family get mercilessly and brutally slaughtered as these were the last words his dad had managed to get out before a flying fox's mace-like weapon bludgeoned him to death. Ariel and Eric then got together and began to try and escape the inferno.
The trees and moonlit air was flooded with terrifying nightmarish monsters which were far more frightening than anything Ariel had ever seen. Not even that hideous cockatoo Nigel whom she met in Rio as a chick during her accompanying of Blu and company's first summer trip to Rio, could compare to these monsters. Wherever she and Eric looked, they saw terrifying shadow-black forms with gleaming eyes and red streaks, weapons such as sharp-sticks wavering in their feet and teeth showing through their fiendish smiles. Extremely frightened screeches and screams exploded from their beaks as the blue-throated macaw couple began to break for the woods. Flapping hard and flying at high speed, Ariel stole a glance behind and saw some of the terrifying monsters fly after her. Screaming, she flew on.
Ariel had NEVER been so afraid in her entire life, and her face was practically laced with extreme terror, especially as it saw more black and red forms with menacing eyes gleaming in the moonlight savagely attack more avian victims, most of them hyacinth macaws, cackling evilly. Then when Ariel saw some of those shadowy winged figures fly after her and Eric, their black membranous wings sweeping out like ghostly cloaks in the moonlight, Ariel urged Eric on and the two rocketed into the trees. Around the couple, several more hyacinth macaws who tried to escape more flying foxes were caught and brutally slaughtered. A piercing scream emitting from Ariel's beak as she saw a dead hyacinth macaw careen like a stone through the canopy, its killers flying down after it. Tearing her gaze from the deceased macaw, Ariel rocketed on after Eric who was also saturated with pure terror. Suddenly, Ariel bumped into another form, this time a furry one. Looking up, Ariel got a face-full of the most terrifying glare she had ever seen. Two flying foxes including the one Ariel had bumped into, their fur and wings coated in pitch black with red streaks striping their faces, bodies and wings, their eyes glowing evilly in the moonlight and their weapons hovering in their feet, smiled fiendishly at her, their teeth showing. Flooded with extreme terror, Ariel darted away.
Suddenly, Ariel was tackled by a black comet and plucked like a fly from her flight path. The thing then slammed the terrified blue-throated macaw against a tree trunk, a clawed bat's foot pinning her there by the neck. Stunned, Ariel looked up until her eyes met with the terrifying eyes of another black and red war paint donning flying fox with glowing eyes and teeth. It held a sharp-stick poised to be rammed through Ariel's chest. Ariel, feeling a sudden surge to defend herself, raised her talons and slashed the monstrous creature across the face. The bat, cries of agony exploding from its mouth, fell from the branch, allowing Ariel to make a break for it. Ariel continued flying on until another bat swerved round and met her, deliberately screeching in her face with a frightening war cry and shaking a mace-like weapon. Ariel emitted a piercing scream and darted off but bumped into yet another furry body.
"Whassup, blue-throated worm?" asked the form sneeringly as Ariel backed away and gazed at it, "My bats frightening you?"
Familiarity pricking at her, Ariel gazed further at the bat as it returned her gaze with the most menacing and devilish glare Ariel had ever seen, more menacing and bloodthirsty than Nigel. Ariel then noticed something about its right eye. The right eye's misty. Ariel shuddered as she felt the recognition of the bat's identity set in more based on this feature. There was only one bat in the colony who was blind in his right eye and Ariel had met this bat when she had accompanied her family and Demetrio to meet a few other macaws, among them Zephyr and Aurora. Ariel whispered the name of the bat in horror as the bat in front of her raised its sharp-stick ending in a ball of porcupine spines in a threatening and intimidating way.
"I hope you're terrified beyond your wildest dreams, you worthless bundle of featherssss," hissed the bat in a snake-like voice, its single, only functioning eye, the left one, glowing menacingly in a shaft of moonlight as Ariel gazed back at it in terror while its clouded right eye was nothing more than a duller grey patch, "Because tonight is to be your worst nightmare before you DIIIIEEEEEE!"
And with a loud, diabolical laughter escaping its mouth, the bat lunged at Ariel and attempted to bludgeon her with its mace-like sharp-stick. Ariel, however, dodged and fled, a dozen bats after her, the murderous determination to kill her boiling within them like a volcano.
Back to present, Ariel felt the gentle touch of human fingers hold her head in place as the three bird doctors examined her stitched up claw marks on her forehead.
"The nasty scratch on this macaw's forehead is healing well," Ariel heard the man say to his assistants, "We just gotta keep track of its progress. Right let's replace the bandage on her forehead with a fresh, clean one and then unwrap the bandages on her body and check the stitches on her side and chest."
Then as the two assistants of the male doctor set to bringing in a fresh bandage for her forehead, Ariel's mind tumbled into another torrent of horrifying memories.
Ariel continued flying through the night time canopy. Around her, silvery shafts of moonlight slashed through the trees as the full moon continued to hover in the star-studded sky and shine overhead. Ariel often liked nights like this, often finding clear nights with a full moon beautiful, peaceful and even romantic. However, the beauty of the night had been utterly ruined and destroyed by the terrifying monsters, the war paint-donning flying foxes armed with weapons like a beautiful paradise land destroyed by loggers, and Ariel was still being pursued by a dozen of them. As Ariel continued flying along, something grabbed her wing and pulled her in to a tree. At first, Ariel was alarmed but when she realised that it were only Eric, she breathed a sigh of relief. The two blue-throated macaws then tried to restrain their hyperventilating noises as the group of bats flew past, their gleaming eyes searching their victims. The group then stopped into a hover, their gleaming gazes scouring the night time jungle for any flash of colourful feathers. Quietly, Ariel and Eric snuck through the leaves and then took to the air once again. However, they were not out of dangerous woods, literally, yet.
Back to present again, Ariel felt the gentle touch of the bird doctors' fingers as they gently felt along the long gash running from her chest down to above her left talon, the bird doctor checking for anything out of place. The gash, like the claw marks on her forehead, had been stitched up but it was the most serious injury Ariel had borne besides her broken left wing.
"Nothing unusual, doc," said the owner of the hand, one of the assistant. As the lead doctor replied gladly at the news while the other assistant checked the drip pipe leading from Ariel's other wing to the bag, Ariel's mind drifted back into the nightmare that played out last night resulting in her injuries.
As Ariel and Eric flew along, the latter flashed a glance behind. However the pair was unaware that another group of flying foxes had followed them and were about to launch their attack on them.
"I think we've lost them, Ariel, my flower," Eric said. Ariel breathed a sigh of relief. However, that moment of relief was about to be shattered. A small black cloud of membranous wings, black with red streaks and weapons such as sharp-sticks came charging through the trees towards the trio. Frightening war cries sounding like demonic squeaky laughter exploded from the creatures, striking fear into any sleeping animal that heard them and jolting them awake. From some hollows in the surrounding trees, curious eyes of sleeping diurnal animals and busy nocturnal animals up to their activities gazed out into the night jungle only to be startled as a black cloud of winged furred creatures with gleaming eyes and weapons, all uttering frightening cries, flew past them.
"Let's get outa here," said Ariel. Suddenly, Eric emitted a screech of terror when he saw something approach them at an alarming speed. Ariel followed his gaze and soon, she saw it too.
"Eric!" she cried as her boyfriend, paralysed by fear, remained transfixed on the incoming cloud of crying black bats.
"Eric, fly outa here NOW!" cried Ariel more urgently. Then without hesitation and snapping out of his transfixed gaze on the bats, Eric's wings sprung into action and he darted away. Ariel was about to follow but the cloud of bats were upon her before she could even move an inch. Some of the bats flew past and pursued Eric, rendering him unable to return to rescue his girlfriend.
Without her boyfriend to help fend off the merciless bats, Ariel soon found herself, on her own, at the mercy of the group of savage flying mammals and their variety of weapons. However, the instinct to protect herself instantly exploded within her and took control, adrenaline flooding her body like a tsunami. Then without thinking, the blue-throated macaw began to savagely and defensively lash her talons at the attacking bats, her claws slashing wounds into the faces and bodies of her attackers, knocking weapons out of their grasps and even tore at winged membranes. Ariel's mind was practically overrun by sheer terror, her logical thinking completely clouded by her instinct to defend herself and making her talons and beak viciously lash at her attackers. But despite her protective instinct controlling her and fighting off her attackers, the flying foxes continued their relentless assault. One bat then charged in and, with its sharp-stick in its mouth and its freed foot claws, raked Ariel over the face, inflicting the claw marks on her forehead, narrowly missing her right eye. Then another bat tackled Ariel from the right and rammed her hard into a tree trunk. The action was so fast that Ariel's left wing ended up caught between the macaw's body and the bark, resulting in a sickening crack sounding at the point of impact and the most excruciating pain Ariel had ever had in her life erupting from her left wing. That must have been what Zephyr had felt when he told her of his fight with Brutus resulting in his broken wing.
Then with a piercing screech of agony, Ariel was sent careening through the canopy. On her way down, another bat with a sharp-stick flew to the front of the blue-throated macaw's trajectory and prepared to impale Ariel the moment she was near. However, the bat had miscalculated its position and instead of its sharp-stick impaling Ariel, the blue-throated macaw careened right over it. The sharp end of the sharp-stick carved a long scratch in Ariel's left side, starting from the left side of her chest to the top of her talon. Ariel continued to tumble until she slammed hard into the soil of the forest floor. However, the momentum from the fall was enough to send the injured blue-throated macaw tumbling further from the point of impact and she ended up tumbling into the mouth of a burrow.
In extreme pain from her broken wing and raked side, the weary and badly injured blue-throated macaw struggled to get up as the sounds of membranous wings flooded the air outside the burrow. Ariel, her other wing clutching her gash and broken wing, stood still, her beak clenched to prevent whimpers of pain or the noises of her uncontrolled breathing from emanating from her beak. However, her face was twisted in sheer agony. She froze as the group of giant bats, their faces resembling that of a fox, began to scour the surroundings for her. Ariel's wounded wing and side continued screaming in agony and blood was pouring from the gashes on her head and left side, some of the red drops falling onto the soil. Ariel continued to remain rigid as she watched her attempted murderers continue to scan the environment until her eye caught sighted something further down the tunnel. Seeing this, the blue-throated macaw turned and saw that the burrow continued further on. Seeing this as an opportunity to escape and seeing no other choice, Ariel began to slink away from the searching bats outside. She went quietly at first, trying to protect her slashed side and broken wing from brushing against the tunnel walls with her other wing. Continuously flashing glances at the mouth of the burrow at the searching bats, Ariel continued moving deeper into the tunnel and as soon as she saw that she was at a good distance from the bats, Ariel stepped up her pace in her escape, moving through the tunnel until she emerged safely out the other side. Relieved that there were no bats around, Ariel began to struggle on through the vegetation.
As the flashback ended, Ariel felt fresh bandage get wrapped around her body and head and seconds later, she was gently placed back in the cage and onto the soft bedding. The door was then shut by the lead doctor but not before he took the food bowl and water tube for refilling. After this, the doctor turned and commanded his assistants to fill the bowl and tube with fresh food and water.
As the two female assistants nodded and obediently left to do the tasks while the doctor left to check on another bird, a blue and yellow form with a green forehead and a metallic red form with metallic pink and magenta blotches in its plumage slowly approached Ariel's cage. With the pair was another blue and yellow macaw but his throat patch was blue instead of black and his forehead was not green. These three birds had bandages wrapped around certain parts of the body and the blue-throated macaw, the male, had one on his injured right talon. The archaeobird and the blue-and-gold macaw, both female, had bandages on their bodies as well as their wings, those that had been injured, in a cast.Glimmergem, Eric and Winona had left their cages to check on Ariel and Eric had explained the flying foxes' sudden attack on the Bluewing Clan and blue-throated macaws to Glimmergem and Winona when he had the chance to be with the two. The two birds had reacted in intense horror and when they saw the state of Ariel, the pair had also shuddered.
"Are you sure your girlfriend's gonna be alright, Eric?" asked Glimmergem with a sad face as she gazed at the bundle of blue and orange-yellow feathers as she lay on her back in her cage.
"Well, based on what one of those doctors said about the injury on her side her forehead," said Eric, "It's likely that the injuries would scar."
"They're gonna serve as permanent reminders of the horrific nightmare you told us about last night," whispered Winona. The blue-and-gold macaw's face then filled with dread. "Not to mention the mental trauma she's gonna have to put up with, just like how trauma Lapis Lazuli had to put up with the trauma she had faced after her tribe was driven out by those bats when she was young."
She then gazed at her wing which was still in its cast. Because her injury was a dislocation and not a fracture, her stay was expected to be shorter than Glimmergem's. Then Winona turned and sat down, a sombre look on her face.
"As for Sergio," the blue-and-gold macaw continued, "Annie and her parents aren't gonna like the news about him."
Glimmergem and Eric gazed back at her with tears welling in their eyes.
The bird surgeons had been unable to save Sergio's life due to the severity of the stab wound he had sustained during the skirmish involving the near kidnap of Tiago, Lavender, Spock and Azul. While the trio continued to mourn the loss of Sergio, there was a knock at the window. Eric, Winona and Glimmergem turned and saw a small group of blue, dark blue and red macaws enter the room through the window and touch down before them. These birds had cleaned off their mud suits before perching onto the window ledge for hygiene purposes, but will cover themselves with mud again for the return journey.
"Carla, Bia, Tiago, Kira," gasped Eric and with that, he went over to hug the four Spix macaws. The other macaws, Ronaldo, Athos, Alexandre, Estelle, Jasmine and Finn stood around the group.
"Eric, Winona," cried Jasmine in shock, and with that, she and Finn went over to two and hugged them as well after Carla, her brother, sister and cousin broke the hug with the male blue-throated macaw. As the four broke the hug, Estelle stepped in.
"Where's my cousin Gabby?" she asked.
"She's under examination for her broken talon," said Glimmergem.
"Yes, to make sure that the bones in it are positioned correctly as they mend themselves," added Winona. She then breathed a sigh. "I just can't believe what has happened to her."
"Uncle Athos here told us that she had been deliberately rammed into a rock and subsequently into a thorn-bush during some skirmish," said Bia. She then winced as she imagined a macaw slamming into a rock and crashing into a patch of thorny vines.
"It must have been extremely painful, though," said Kira.
"Tell me about it," muttered Glimmergem as she gazed at her right fore-wing in her cast.
"Those flying furballs are brutal, honestly," snarled Finn angrily.
"'Brutal' is not a suitable adjective I'd use in describing those bats, Finn," said Bia, using a fancy English language word in the process.
"Absolutely not," said Ronaldo with a frown. Then as he turned to Eric, Winona and Glimmergem, he noticed that someone else was missing: the injured Spix macaw and Annie's brother.
"Where's Sergio?" he asked. Carla, Bia, Tiago and Kira, together with the others, put on hopeful looks on their faces. However, at Ronaldo's mentioning of Annie's younger brother, the faces of Eric, Winona and Glimmergem fell, tears welling in their eyes, providing Athos's group with only one possible answer which they already knew before Winona even said it.
Looking away, the female blue-and-gold macaw said in an edgy, tearful, "I'm afraid he didn't make it, folks."
As these words were absorbed by their friends' brains, especially those of Carla and her two siblings and cousin, sadness and grief came over them like a black cloud.
"The stab wound was so bad," said Glimmergem in her archaeobird accent, "That the bird doctors struggled to keep that poor Spix macaw alive despite their best efforts. He died during our time in those rooms where those bird doctors operated on our injuries to fix them."
Then the turn came for Carla, Bia, Tiago and Kira to weep and spill tears. Jasmine, Finn, Estelle and Alexandre also swayed slightly, disbelief written in their eyes, before Jasmine and Estelle covered their beaks with their wings. Athos and Rolando also stood there, devastated by the news.
"Annie and her parents are gonna be heartbroken by this news," whispered Rolando with dread.
"Especially Annie who is with us in the green tribe's territory alongside Justin, Charlotte, Matilda, Virgil, Finnick, Lavender, Felix and Tyler, Ricardo, Turquesa, Músculo and Garrett," said Carla in a low voice. Then sobs began to escape the throats of Bia and Kira and they began to break down while Tiago just wept in silence. Jasmine, Alexandre, Estelle and Finn put comforting wings on their Spix friends as they cried.
"We're so sorry, folks," said Glimmergem in a low voice. Then Athos gazed from Eric to Ariel in her cage.
"Well, I'm glad that you two are alright," he said, "But I can see that Ariel has suffered the most."
"She's very weak at the moment," explained Winona. Then guilt welled within Eric.
"I couldn't reach her, there were so many of those hideous black monsters with wings," he said, "I did try my best to fly back to Ariel but because of so many armed bats, I was forced to flee."
He then broke down as guilt consumed him. Carla, Bia, Tiago and Kira went over to him and put comforting wings on his shoulders as he wept, telling him that he had done his best and that it wasn't his fault that Ariel had been badly injured. Then Alexandre, Estelle, Jasmine and Finn approached Ariel. Then after gaining control of his crying, Eric spoke.
"Ariel has had a scratch and an enormous gash that required stitching," said he tearfully, "The claw marks on her forehead and the long scratch one on her left side, running from her chest down to her leg. She also suffered a broken wing."
Then Athos and Robaldo joined Alexandre and the other three as Ariel slowly turned and faced them. Seeing the sight of the bandages wrapping around her forehead and side made the hearts of Ariel's friends lurch. Carla, Bia, Tiago and Kira also saw the poor blue-throated macaw's state.
"Terrible," whispered Carla in silent horror. Athos then began to try and talk to Ariel, the others backing away to provide him space.
"Ariel," he said gently, "It's me, Athos."
Ariel, hearing the scarlet macaw call her name, gazed at him as he gazed back at her. In reply, she uttered a few words in a whisper, prompting Athos to lean in to pick them up.
"We heard what happened to your clans," said Jasmine nearby.
"Based on what some of Eustace's friends told us," said Finn. Athos then reached a wing through the bars and stoked Ariel on the cheek, a tear falling from his eye. Though he had only known Ariel for a shorter time compared to Carla and the others, the blue-throated macaw was like a family member to him for she was close friends with Carla and company, including his own three first-brood offspring Alexandre, Poinsettia and Spinel.
"I will let your family know that you're alright when I see them," he said. Ariel managed a small smile as she felt the comfort of Athos' wing as it stroked her face. Suddenly, the sound of a door locking mechanism clicking out of place alerted the group. Athos immediately retracted his wing from Ariel's cage and snapped his gaze to the door. When he saw a bird doctor walk in, he called for the others to hide, so they did. As the birds hid amongst a cabinet, they saw the bird doctor, another man, gently place a bundle into a cage, check the food bowl and water tube, close the door and then leave to see to another job. After he had gone, Jasmine and Finn slowly crept out from behind the cabinet and took off towards the bundle in the cage.
The cage had a tag on its door, as did the other cages in the room. These tags listed the species of bird occupying the cage, both of its English name and binomial Latin name, given in brackets, its sex and also what injuries it suffered. In Ariel's case, the tag on her cage read 'Blue-throated macaw (Ara glaucogularis). Female. Broken wing, serious scratch on forehead and gash on left side'. The cage Jasmine and Finn were touching down before had the tag which read, 'Scarlet macaw (Ara chloropterus). Female. Serious leg injury'. Then Bia came in and read this tag, before nodding to the others to confirm that this cage was occupied by the other casualty, Estelle's cousin Gabby. Blu had taught Carla, Bia and Tiago, as well as the other chicks and at some point his niece Kira, how to read human writing and Bia, along with Poinsettia, had also learned to read binomial names of biological species due to them being nerdy birds like Blu, the former's father.
As the other birds touched down behind Jasmine, Finn and Bia and joined them, along with Eric, Winona and Glimmergem, Estelle tried to get her cousin's attention as she settled into her cage after her examination.
"Gabby, it's us," called Alexandre's girlfriend, the others looking on. In response to Estelle's call, Gabby, who resembled her cousin Estelle to a great extent except for her eye colour which was blue and Estelle's were teal, turned and saw the visitors as well as Eric, Winona and Glimmergem. However, her face did not look one bit pleased, though she was glad to see them, especially her cousin Estelle and her boyfriend Alexandre. Standing up with a stormy look on her face, Gabby showed the group her injured right foot wrapped in a cast, the one that had been damaged during the impact against the rock caused by the flying fox's attack on her. Gabby also had bandages wrapping parts of his body and his right wing was slung in some kind of sling, similar to how a human's arm, when it was injured, such as from a broken bone, was held. Based on what happened, the group remembered how Gabby was subsequently shoved into a thorny patch by her attacker after being smashed against the rock. Gabby looked in pain but her face bore the look of an erupting volcano spewing a tall ash cloud and as she talked, her voice matched the sound of one.
"You will not BELIEVE what those WRETCHED FURRED MEMBRANE-WINGED PIGEONS have PUT US THROUGH, ESPECIALLY ME!" she bellowed loudly. Athos, alarmed by the scarlet macaw's shouting, tried to calm her while the others, especially Alexandre and Estelle flinched harshly, and Estelle had never known her cousin get so angry. Normally, she was a timid, sensitive macaw who was often prone to tears, but not this time.
"Shhh," Athos hushed, flashing glances at the other birds in their cages, "You'll draw attention to yourself."
Gabby, however, did not seem to care for she was too blinded by rage to listen. Slumping down into her bedding, she swiped her food bowl with her other wing, sending bits of fruit and pellets of parrot food flying everywhere and began to seethe.
"STOP THIS at ONCE, COUSIN!" barked Estelle in rebuke. As Gabby glared at her with a simmering wrathful look on her face, Estelle began to talk in a gentler tone. "Look, throwing a hissy fit like that isn't gonna make things any better. We know how angry you are at the whole ordeal and that…"
"I know," retorted Gabby in a more restrained voice, but her temper was boiling so much that her restraint was pushed to breaking point. She then gazed down at her battered talon. "You know what this means? It means that I will not be able to do much with this damaged talon. I actually thought they were gonna amputate it, the damage to my foot appeared that bad..."
"Am…pew…?" replied Glimmergem in confusion for such human terminology was completely foreign to her.
"Amputation means removal of a limb that is beyond repair, such as a leg," explained Bia.
"But thankfully," continued Gabby, "They didn't since the bones weren't like that," she then turned her face away and bowed her head, utterly miffed. "As for those kidnapped macaws by those bats that had attacked us, I'd hate to think what they're gonna be put through…"
She then turned her gaze back at the group, especially to Estelle and Alexandre. The look of rage seemed to have calmed down. Then Estelle, with tears in her eyes, extended a wing into the cage to hold wings with her injured cousin. Gabby, touched by this, lifted her other wing and interlocked her feathers with Estelle's.
"I just want you to recover, my dear cousin," Estelle said tearfully as she and Gabby began to weep. Gabby nodded before she turned to Alexandre.
"I would like you to look after my cousin and protect her until I recover from my injuries and I'm released back into the wild," said she. A sigh then left her beak, her temper cooled now. "I'm assuming that I'll be in here for a few weeks until my scratches and broken talon all heal up."
"I will, Gabby," said Alexandre, a determined look on his face, "Even if it means risking getting badly hurt myself."
Estelle smiled at this. Gabby then turned to Carla, Bia, Tiago, Kira, Finn and Jasmine and also Athos and Ronaldo. "And I hope you lot will be able to sort out a way to deal with those flying foxes. I reckon they'll be preparing for the next stage of their plans now based on what I've heard from you folks."
"That's why some of us have gone to Alonso's tribe home grove to discuss the situation," said Rolando sternly. Suddenly, the group heard the sound of the door opening.
"You guys better be off," said Glimmergem as she saw three doctors enter the room, "I can see that the bird doctors are looking to check me, Eric and Winona next."
"Right, let's go," said Athos. He then put a wing on Estelle's shoulder while Rolando, Carla, Bia, Tiago and Kira, Jasmine, Finn and Alexandre, together with Ronaldo, all said goodbye to the three birds, and also Gabby and Ariel. Estelle gave her cousin one last parting glance as she allowed Athos to lead her away. Glimmergem, Eric and Winona stood by, looking on.
"Make sure you be very careful of those bats," called Gabby as the group fluttered towards the open window.
"And also make sure that my clan are alright, if you can visit them," added Glimmergem.
"And I hope that you'll deal with those bats as well and rescue those that have been kidnapped," said Eric.
"I hope so too," said Athos, before his firm gaze formed, "but in the meantime, make sure you rest well until you're good enough to be released," he said this as he perched on the windowsill. As he said this, Carla, Bia and Tiago stole one last glance in the room and at Gabby, Glimmergem, Eric and Winona and then at Ariel as she continued resting on her back in her cage before spreading their wings and taking off to outside. Rolando and Kira followed and after them came Jasmine, Finn, Alexandre and Estelle. The latter paused to gaze at her cousin one final time before leaving. After she had gone, Athos, after checking that everyone in the group was out, followed.
As the group flew away from the animal hospital and continued in the direction of Alonso's tribe's home patch, they searched for a puddle of mud to apply a fresh layer of it onto their plumage. As soon as they had found a mud puddle, the macaws touched down and set to rolling in it. Kira flashed a glance back at the animal hospital.
"At least those guys will be safe from the flying foxes," she said.
"Let's just coat ourselves in mud and get back to Alonso's tribe's territory," said Athos. Kira nodded and obediently followed the others. Then as soon as the group had coated themselves with mud, they flew off in the direction of the green tribe's area.