Sandalwood and his Friends and the Paradise Sanctuary- edited

by VPVPVP

Carla and company's trip to Rio goes badly wrong when some of their kids are caught by poachers. The kids get rescued and placed in a conservation area with various animals from around the world, but they soon suspect something off about the area. In Rio, Blu and the others must deal with another problem on the Blu Bird Sanctuary while figuring out a way to rescue the poached kids

85. 85- kidnap, sacrifice, some returned

Chapter 85- an attack and kidnapping, a selfless sacrifice and more rescued kids are returned

In the fruithawks' hollow

Rafael stood before Altair, Byron, Bellatrix, Sylvester and Bambi in utter disbelief after they had finished explaining everything to him and Eva that had happened, from when the group was supposed to be stargazing through the toucan attack and kidnap and Marco's attempted drowning of Aldebaran for attacking one of the other toucans who had threatened to attack Zebedee and damage his other eye and blind him completely, extreme disbelief marking his face. Eva had frantically dried that Verde chick and had kept him warm by wrapping her wings around him so that her own body heat can be transferred to him. Marco's repeated dunking of him into the cold water of the stream had chilled Aldebaran to the bone, and he was trembling and breathing uncontrollably. Nearby, Aurum tended to the sleeping Gylfie and the youngest, and possibly final, additions to Rafael and Eva's massive number of offspring. These chicks, fifteen of them, were thankfully not as naughty or as aggressive as their countless older brothers and sisters and their nephews and nieces, and were far more respectable towards others, as well as sensible and willing to learn through discipline from their parents and other elders, which Rafael and Eva were glad for. These traits were something the majority of the other offspring of Rafael and Eva lacked, or refused to develop, contributing to their increasingly bad behaviour regardless of the amount of discipline Rafael and Eva had bestowed upon them much to the toco/keel-billed toucan couple's disappointment and chagrin. And those traits had been passed onto the naughty toucans' offspring and the parents themselves had refused or had been unbothered to discipline their own chicks whenever they got up to serious naughtiness. All this had led to the mass problem existing now and Rafael was reluctant to admit that he and Eva had partly contributed to their offspring's mass reproducing for they had been on having one brood after another themselves and had felt genuinely guilty about it for their older offspring had taken it as an excuse to breed like rabbits as well. However, Rafael and his keel-billed mate had to focus on looking after Bellatrix and the other five for the time being. Aurum had also stocked up on some fruit for Gylfie who was now his mate for she was to be expecting a clutch of eggs soon, and will need plenty of food until those eggs were laid in the nest.

"I don't believe this," growled a disbelieving Rafael to Bellatrix and the other four, struggling to keep his voice down for Gylfie and the young kids were sleeping. Then a scowl came upon his face, "Well, it seems that Marco, Anastasia and the others with them have crossed the point of no return based on what they've been doing," his glare then turned to Aldebaran in Eva's wings, "especially Marco if he's gonna attempt to drown a young chick."

"Mr Benjamin and Mrs Petunia will NOT be pleased, I can tell you," said Bambi, his wing claws on her hips and a scowl on his face.

"In fact, they will be volcanically steamed," said Byron.

"They're gonna kill Marco and his group for sure," put in Altair. He was well aware of his father Benjamin's fiery temper whenever something unfair and the endangerment of his family and friends happened. He was practically like his father Felipe and it is likely that he will explode into a fiery rage at Marco and the others if he ever heard what had happened to Aldebaran. Peunia, on the other hand, was usually a docile macaw who was not as short fused as her scarlet mate but whenever her temper flared, it did so with force, often transforming Petunia from a usually calm great green macaw into a totally aggressive eagle-like bird. Those two, or any of the others of Blu's group going berserk over any endangerment of the offspring, which was indeed likely, was enough to even make the final fifteen young chicks of Rafael and Eva shudder and hide and dare to mess with them.

While Bellatrix, Byron, Bambi, Altair and Sylvester continued to murmur their fears of the reaction of their parents and grandparents, Aurum turned to walk outside to take a break after sorting the fruit and checking on the fifteen young (and well-behaved) toucan chicks but as he passed Eva who continued to keep Aldebaran wrapped up in her wings, he asked, "How's that little rainbow macaw?"

"He's a green/scarlet hybrid," replied Eva, "and he's alright. I've managed to dry his sodden feathers and keep him warm," she gazed at Aldebaran as he managed to slow his breathing worriedly, "I sure hope that he doesn't catch a chill after being dunked in that stream over and over again…"

"When I was returning from my foraging trip," explained Aurum, "I heard commotion through the trees and when I went to investigate, I saw this group of toucans with one of them standing at the stream's edge with that chick completely submerged in the water."

"Well, you've timed your arrival perfectly, Aurum," said Eva sternly, "and in the process, you've saved his life," she then gazed at Aldebaran again, "But we have also heard screaming through the trees as well and went to investigate, and when we found this poor chick shivering in the ferns sopping wet and the rest of the group," she turned to Bellatrix and the other four, "tied up, we were beyond flabbergasted," she breathed a sigh, "It is clear that those toucans have crossed the line in EVERY SINGLE way."

Aurum also breathed a sigh and turned to leave the hollow.

"I'm gonna get some fresh air for a bit and take a break from my night-time foraging trips," he said as he left though the hollow entrance/exit, "Tell Rafael I'm outside, okay?"

Eva nodded as the beautifully gold and yellow fruithawk with orange talons and orange and black-tipped beak disappeared out of the hollow.

After Aurum had left, Rafael came in with Bellatrix and the other four, a scowl on his face.

"We've gotta get these chicks back to Tulio's Aviary, my Eva," he said, "Their parents will be totally worried about them by now," his gaze turned to Aldebaran in Eva's wings, "And he might want checking up by our human doctor friends to make sure that he doesn't catch a potentially serious chill."

Bellatrix shuddered as she looked at Aldebaran as he gazed at Rafael from Eva's wings, remembering the time when she plunged into the pond to rescue the bound Sandalwood after one of the careless toucan chicks in Isabella's group had knocked him of him off the end of that branch, resulting in the two of them almost drowning. She had hoped that Aldebaran would not develop a chill, or worse, a serious fear of water later in his life after the ordeal Marco had fiendishly put him through. As Rafael also gazed at Aldebaran and asked him if he was alright, there was frantic flapping at the entrance to the hollow. All eyes accept the sleepers were brought to the hollow entrance as Aurum crash-landed through the mouth and into a heap on the floor.

"Aurum?" asked Rafael with concern and with that, he and some of the chicks went over to help the golden fruithawk to his feet. However, when all of them got a glimpse of the terrified look on Aurum's face, the concern for him within them boiled more.

"You look like you've seen a monster," said Bellatrix as she stood with Byron.

"What's brought you back in here so soon?" asked Rafael. As he said this, Aurum shot him and the others an alarmed look but nothing could prepare them for what the fruithawk said next.

"We need to evacuate NOW!" he shouted, "There's FIRE spreading this way!"

The moment these words were picked up by Rafael, Bellatrix and the others, for a moment everything seemed to stop and become muted but that silence was immediately broken by Eva's terrified cries, especially as the polluting smell of smoke began to seep into the hollow.

"I'll wake GYLFIE AND THE KIDS!" she shouted, putting Aldebaran down with the other five, "Rafael, you get those six kids OUTA HERE NOW!"

Rafael nodded and with that, he commanded Bellatrix and the other five to prepare to evacuate while Aurum and Eva went to wake Gylfie and the fifteen well-behaved toucan chicks. As Bellatrix and the others prepared to fly with Bambi the archaeobird and Aldebaran preparing to ride on Eva's back for the former could only glide and the latter, too stunned to fly, Bellatrix, Altair, Sylvester and Byron went to the hollow and peered out. Sure enough, their terrified eyes landed on the sea of dancing orange fingers, all of them belching smoke upward towards the starry sky and blocking it out like thick cloud. And that sea of flickering orange fingers was dangerously close to the hollow in which Rafael, Eva, Gylfie and Aurum had settled for Gylfie and Aurum to start their family and for Rafael and Eva to keep their well-behaved kids away from their countless cousins, aunts and uncles. Bellatrix and the other three shuddered as Bambi and Aldebaran also came in to witness the fire spreading their way.

Behind Bellatrix's group, Gylfie and the well-behaved toucan chicks were jolted awake by Aurum, Rafael and Eva and as soon as everyone was awake, the hollow was immediately emptied of its occupants. Rafael, Eva, Gylfie and Aurum then began to shepherd both the fifteen toucan chicks and Bellatrix's group in the direction of the unlit forest, away from the fire. The well-behaved toucan chicks were terrified and released screams of terror when they saw the fire approach them at an alarming rate, and because the smoke was flooding the air above the treetops and turning it into an unbreathable atmosphere, Rafael and company were forced to descend through the treetops and into the canopy to keep the children and the only known pair of fruithawks out of the polluting smoke that would make them cough and splutter. Then as soon as the group was at the level of the canopy, Rafael commanded, "Okay, kids, STAY TOGETHER AND DON'T WANDER OFF!"

The fifteen good toucan chicks and also Bellatrix, Byron, Altair and Sylvester nodded and kept together like sheep in a field while Bambi and Aldebaran rode on Eva's back. As the group began to fly through the canopy, they were greeted by the terrified cries of various tree animals such as monkeys as they scurried through the branches around them by leaping from branch to branch. Rafael was wary of these leapers.

"Careful not to fly in the paths of those tree animals!" he commanded the kids. Bellatrix, Byron, Altair, Sylvester and the well-behaved toucan chicks all obeyed and kept close together, but they all shuddered at the distressed and terrified looks plastering the faces of the arboreal animals as they continued to flee the fire. Then Rafael and company began to raise their flight speed but before they could launch into a full-blown escape flight, a blast of fire erupted from some nearby branches to the left of the group, sending terror through the kids and making them all scream. Aldebaran and Bambi nearly fell off Eva's back while Bellatrix, Byron and some of the toucan chicks and Gylfie was almost singed. Bellatrix had latched her claws onto one of the toucan chicks' wings and yanked him back in time, much to the chick's gratefulness.

"We wish our cousins are caring like you," he squeaked. Bellatrix simply nodded in approval and darted off after the others with Byron and Gylfie in tow. However, the flare from the fire has startled the group of toucans, macaw chicks and two golden fruithawks, and the archaeobird chick and Verde macaw chick on the keel-billed toucan's back into flying full throttle for Rafael and Aurum had ushered the group to fly for it.

All 25 birds continued to fly through the canopy and flew lower down to the forest floor as the canopy's air became saturated with chocking smoke. The fire blazed right behind them and rose like a living orange monster spewing the smoke and heat above the treeline, continuously and hungrily consuming everything in its path. Another flash of fire erupted from a cluster of leaves as Rafael and company flew past, the former shouting and barking orders to the kids to stay together. Then as Rafael and Eva passed another tree, its branches also erupted in flames as they were kindled. Rafael, Eva with Aldebaran and Bambi clinging onto her back, the fifteen toucan kids, Bellatrix, Byron, Altair and Sylvester, Aurum and Gylfie then stopped and looked up. To their horror, they saw flaming logs crash down through the canopy like volcanic fireballs; some of the flaming branches had become detached from the higher trees and were plummeting towards earth.

"GOOO!" screeched Rafael and with that, the whole flock rushed off as the flaming logs continued to tumble through the trees and crash-land onto the igniting forest floor. More fiery logs and also fruit plummeted around Rafael and company as they continued to escape, while thin fiery snakes, ignited vines, also careered down from the above canopy, one of the blazing tendrils almost whipping Altair and Byron only for some of the well-behaved toucan chicks and Eva to come in and seize them to pull them out of the tendrils' way. However, one of the small cinders from the falling burning vine tendril had landed on onto Altair's back and left wing, setting the feathers on fire. Immediately, Aldebaran's brother began to stall and scream in agony as the fire consumed his colourful wing feathers. Rafael and the others gazed in alarm as Altair was separated from the group.

"ALTAIR!" cried Aldebaran on Eva's back in extreme horror. Then Aurum folded his wings and dived down towards the stalling Altair. As soon as the fruithawk had wrapped his talons around the distressed younger Verde macaw, he immediately dived down to the forest floor, forcing the others to follow.

"AURUM!" cried Rafael in alarm. However, Aurum did not reply and as soon as he had touched down onto the forest floor with Altair in one talon, he immediately began to look for a puddle or other body of water. Then as Rafael and the others touched down, Aurum's eyes spotted a stream of rushing water. Without wasting another second, the male fruithawk darted off towards it and dunked Altair right into the water of the stream, extinguishing the flames climbing up the chick's wing and back feathers. As soon as he was sure that the fire was completely out, Aurum raised the relieved Altair out of the water as Rafael and the others turned up.

"Good thinking, Aurum," said Rafael as Altair was held in Aurum's, his face twisted in pain as he clasped his left wing, now missing some of its primary and secondary flight feathers and also partially burned, with his right.

"I'm afraid he's gonna have to be carried," said Aurum, "He's been hurt."

"We need to take him to Tulio's Aviary for treatment RIGHT AWAY," said Eva, Aldebaran and Bambi clinging onto her back.

"Then that's where we're headed," said Rafael with determination and urgency. However, before any of the flyers could open their wings and take off to resume the escape out of the fire, some of the well-behaved toucan chicks emitted terrified screams when they saw something approach the group. Rafael, Eva, Aurum, Gylfie, and also Bellatrix, Byron, Sylvester, Altair, and Aldebaran and Bambi on Eva's back all shot alarmed gazes in the toucan chicks' direction and the moment their eyes landed on whatever was coming for them, Rafael's group was suddenly swallowed up by an inferno of fighting and struggling. However, at the same time, Eva had managed to get Bambi, all fifteen well-behaved toucan chicks and Gylfie out of the way in time but the rest of the group was caught in the brawl cloud. As Eva took her group to a safe distance, she gazed in horror and to her extreme outrage and distress, she realised that the ambushers were some of her own grandchildren and her final fifteen chick' cousins… those that completely lacked discipline, and there were about forty of them as they began to mercilessly attack Rafael's group. Even worse, Eva saw that some of them were armed with sticks and dressed like pirates.

"AURUM!" cried Gylfie and was about to throw herself into the inferno but Eva stopped her.

"DON'T!" she cried, "You'll get hurt!"

"But Aurum's getting PUMMELLED!" protested Gylfie and continued to try and barge past Eva to help Rafael and the others deal with the attacking toucan chicks which were indeed some of the badly behaved ones.

Rafael struggled to shift five toucan chicks, all armed with sticks and dressed with leaf bandanas over their eyes and heads, off his face as they covered his eyes with their wings, crow-like cackles escaping his beak while another six were tearing at Aurum's golden feathers. While this was happening, Bellatrix, Byron, Aldebaran, Altair and Sylvester were either chased or seized by more toucan chicks in a certain direction, terror lacing their eyes. When they saw these macaw chicks get herded or seized by the badly-behaved toucan chicks, the well-behaved toucan chicks dived in to help, much to Eva's alarm for Eva was about to hand Gylfie Bambi and throw herself into the inferno to help her mate and Bellatrix's group.

"Kids, COME BACK!" shouted the keel-billed mother but all fifteen chicks ignored her and continued to surge towards their badly-behaved cousins and Bellatrix and company. However, before the well-behaved toucan chicks could intercept their cousins and rescue Bellatrix and the others, several feathered missiles with colourful beaks rushed in and tackled them away, and with those missiles, a long, pinkish thing shot out and struck two or three of the toucan chicks and sent them flying into a patch of nearby ferns right at the edge of the fire. Bellatrix saw the pink harpoon knock away some of the well-behaved toucan chicks and gasped in horror but she was soon seized and carried off by one of the armed evil toucan chicks. Eva let loose a horrified scream as she watched three of her babies careen towards the fire, prompting Gylfie to rush towards them and seize them before they could hit the igniting ferns. Then one of the evil toucan chick let loose a screech to its comrades and soon, all its comrades stopped attacking Rafael and Aurum and retreated. However, some of the good toucan chicks had managed to pluck Byron and Altair from the evil toucan chicks in time and haul them back to Eva and Gylfie. After the chaos had subsided and the stunned good toucan chicks who had been tackled or struck by the pink harpoon had recovered themselves, they, Eva with Bambi on her back, and Gylfie gathered around the dazed Rafael and Aurum, the latter who had some of his flight feathers torn out.

"The other kids?" asked Eva, "WHERE ARE THE OTHER KIDS OF BELLATRIX'S GROUP!?"

Rafael and Aurum shot horrified glances this way and that. The good toucan chicks did the same when Gylfie saw three splashes of colour among the puddle of fifteen black and reddish feathers with orange, black or lime green and magenta beaks.

"One of the Spix chicks and one of the colourful chicks are here," she said. Rafael and Eva turned and saw Byron and Altair in the clutches of their behaved kids but worries for the others gripped them.

"We were unable to save the other three," said one of the chicks guiltily. Rafael was about to congratulate his fifteen kids for rescuing two of Bellatrix's group when suddenly, a massive crack sounded above the group. Dread flaring with them, the birds raised their gazes to the source of the sound, but the moment all eyes landed on it, which revealed itself to be a massive fireball of plummeting flaming branches careening towards them, terror flared within them. Screaming, Eva, with Bambi clinging to her back, rushed round and herded her kids, Byron and Altair to safety by flying them to a safe spot but Rafael, Gylfie and Aurum struggled, the former still dazed with some cuts and bruises from the wicked toucan attack, and the male golden fruithawk with his tattered wing. Eva whirled round with terror flooding her gaze while the kids screamed.

"RAFAEL, AURUM, GYLFIE!" she screamed. Rafael, Aurum and Gylfie both looked up and saw that the fiery fireball of branches was seconds away from them. Then Aurum made a split-second, life-or-death decision.

"GOOO!" he barked to Rafael and Gylfie and with that, the male golden fruithawk surged forward and barged as hard as he could into Rafael and Gylfie's backs. Rafael and Gylfie both cried with surprise as they were both thrown forward, before tumbling along the ground and coming to rest near a rock jutting from the ground. During this, a massive, fiery CRASH sounded and echoed through the igniting forest around Rafael's group as the burning branches smashed into the floor. As Gylfie and Rafael struggled to their feet, Eva, the good toucan chicks, Bambi, Altair and Byron all rushed over and helped the two to their feet. After this, both the toco toucan and the female golden fruithawk turned to face the spot where Aurum was. Eva and the others did the same, hoping that Aurum had also jumped out of the way of the plummeting burning branches, but to their immense dismay, there was no fruithawk with golden feathers and yellow head. All they saw was a pile of crashed burning branches. Then it dawned upon the group and as it did so, devastation came upon them and tore open a fissure in their hearts, especially that of Gylfie and she let loose a scream of anguish, tears beginning to well in her eyes. Eva and Rafael bowed their heads with tears seeping through their closed eyelids while Byron, Bambi, Altair and the fifteen good toucan chicks shuddered violently. Then Rafael was pulled back to reality as he saw the fire begin to consume the vegetation around them. Immediately, the toco toucan barked to the others and said, "We have to get moving, NOW!"

When he saw that he was getting no response from any of the others, especially Gylfie, Rafael went round and began to usher everyone into flight. Eva and the others, despite the enormous devastation over the loss of Aurum who had obviously sacrificed himself to save Rafael and Gylfie from the flaming branches, as well as the loss of Bellatrix and the other two to the gang of wicked toucan chicks which had also carved a deep fissure of horror and devastation in Rafael and Eva's hearts, were immediately brought to their senses and felt the urge to flee to safety flare up within them again as the fire spread around them. If they didn't move now, they'd likely be trapped with little hope of escaping. Despite the grief weighing them down, Rafael's group lofted into flight and began to follow every other animal of the forest in the direction of safety and away from the fire as it continued to spread and consume every combustible thing in its path. It was clear that they had no choice but to do so, and also get Bambi, Byron and Altair, who was injured, back in the safety of Blu and company, but Rafael planned on returning to the forest to search for Bellatrix and the other two despite the risks, as soon as he had got those with him to safety first.

Meanwhile

As the fire continued to spread and engulf the Blu Bird Sanctuary jungle, action was taking place in Rio. Fire brigade crews had driven to the burning forest and had begun to dowse the flames with their hoses while Tulio's team and bird doctors from other groups in Rio had begun a massive search-and-rescue operation to find and save any animal from the burning sanctuary. While this happened, Nico, Pedro, Sparkle and Rose had managed to evacuate Dino, his family and all the other bird residents of the sanctuary including Kipo, Orton and their families, from their temporary place of stay to escape the toucan chicks' antics and had moved them all to the area at the foot of the Christ the Redeemer statue with the help of the Control de Plagas Squad, Cometa, Lightning, Velocity and her new boyfriend Riker helping, along with Orion and Hermione who had left their eggs in the care of a foster falcon to help. Spike, the younger brother of Velocity and Orion, was also with them. The avian residents of the Blu Bird Sanctuary, many of them perched on the head, the arms and the shoulders of the Christ the Redeemer statue, along with Cometa and her family and the Control de Plagas Squad, and Nico, Pedro, Sparkle and Rose as well, all watched in immense horror at the burning trees they called home in the distance, the orange monster of the fire clawing at the starry night sky sinisterly. Chicks huddled against their parents' chest feathers as they shuddered at the massive orange monster. While this happened, the colony of the Linda's orange bats from which Basil the bat was from had also been rescued by some of Tulio's team members and moved to a makeshift cave in the city as the trees around their cave home also became engulfed in flames. It truly was a terrifying time for everyone both in Rio and the animals.

Throughout Rio, televisions were broadcasting the events of the fire, calling it the 'Most Devastating Disaster to Ever Hit Blu Bird Sanctuary', and many of the citizens of Rio had stopped to watch the news, both in their houses and in their streets. In Linda's bookstore where Tommy had been taken by his biological parents Linda and Tulio to be babysat by a friend of theirs who had been tasked by Linda to look after the bookstore while she was at work with her husband and adopted son, a certain female red-tailed black cockatoo, along with her owner who looked after Tulio and Linda's biological son and Fernando's adoptive brother, continued to watch the news on the TV set in the bookstore as it continued to broadcast the fire on the sanctuary. Ónix was sat perched on a T-shaped perch set up in the middle of the room which Linda sometimes used for her animal friend Blu and his friends when they came to visit, eating an apple given to her by her owner.

"Countless birds had gathered at the Christ the Redeemer statue apparently to escape their burning homes in the forest," said the woman in the studio, to Ónix's surprise and relief, "at least they are safe but there are concerns over the majority of the other animals still trapped in the blazing forest of the Blu Bird Sanctuary. The firefighter crews are trying their best to get the fire under control but it still continues to spread at a rapidly alarming rate throughout the sanctuary…"

Ónix shuddered as her owner came by with a bag of used nappies which she had changed from Tommy to replace them with fresh nappies, a worried look at the screen.

"I hope Blu and the others are not caught in that fire," whispered the red-tailed black cockatoo worriedly as thoughts of her friends flashed in her mind.

Back at Tulio's Aviary

Dash, Ginger, Esperanza, Avellana, James, Danny, Ebony, Worf and Rusty also continued to watch the orange claws of the fire as it scratched the starry night sky and polluting it with thick smoke, shuddering as they did. Inside Tulio's Aviary, some of Tulio's team members were keeping an eye on the birds, among them much of Blu and company's group members, and trying to calm them down. One man stood outside the entrance to Tulio's Aviary, worries for the last pair of golden fruithawks plaguing his mind as his eyes continued to watch the fire blaze menacingly in the sky. While the group of ten greyhounds continued to watch the fire in worry, Poinsettia came in, the worry for the still-missing kids, especially her Catalina chicks Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine and Guanine and also Wilbur who had left with Blu and the others still able to fly to look for the kids, preying heavily on her mind, and she had been weeping a lot after hearing the terrible news of the fire in the sanctuary.

"Anything, Dash and folks?" asked she, her eyes red and bloodshot from all the crying. Dash and the other greyhounds turned round and sadly shook their heads, their ears drooping.

"Nothing I'm afraid," said the ageing light grey greyhound, "We haven't seen any positive news since we brought those four chicks back here."

"How are they doing?" asked Esperanza, the other six younger greyhounds surrounding her and asking the same question with concerned looks, along with Ginger.

"They're still traumatised but they're okay," replied Poinsettia wearily, "but horribly worried for the still-missing kids," her gaze then turned to the flickering orange monster creeping above the sea of burning trees, "especially for Sandalwood who still cannot fly…" the scarlet macaw then shook her head and put her wings on the back of it, fluster flaring within her, "This is HONESTLY THE worst nightmare in our lives. We'd never thought that those toucans would do something as WICKED as this…"

A sniffle then escaped her nose and she bowed his head further. The greyhounds could only look on with sympathy for they had nothing to say at all.

While the other greyhounds and the scarlet macaw continued to mourn the situation, Esperanza and Worf decided to take a walk a short distance away from the group to take a break from the crisis and focus on the future of their litter of pups.

"Well, a few weeks from now, my dear Worf and we're gonna be parents!" squeaked the former in excitement, the sadness of the crisis briefly forgotten. Worf lovingly nuzzled his head against his mates and nodded in agreement.

"I can't wait to see what traits our puppies will have inherited from us," he said, "I'm wondering if any of them will have inherited my white and black patched coat."

"We'll have to see," replied Esperanza with a smile. Worf nodded in agreement again. However, as he did that, his eyes, which were coloured brown, detected movement out of their corner. Immediately, the white and black greyhound turned his head in the direction of it and registered its cause, they widened in astonishment.

"Worf?" asked Esperanza but then she followed Worf's gaze. Then a suspicious frown formed on Worf's face.

"Are those creatures that pesky group of…" growled he but then Esperanza saw something else in the hands of the one at the front. As the creature entered a shaft of moonlight, revealing his grey fur-strewn brown striped fur, the wristwatch around his waist and paperclip in his head hair which Worf angrily identified as Mauro, the leader of the group of marmosets Worf knew to be highly mischievous thieves who loved to nab valuables from tourists, the thing in his hands was revealed to be a bundle of reddish fur with black leaves sprawled out from the bundle, one hanging down the side of Mauro's hands. Behind Mauro, more marmosets came in, some of them with more bundles but of colourful feathers. As Esperanza and Worf continued to gaze at the approaching group of marmosets, Broccoli, Daisy and Collette happened to come by. Their eyes also picked out the bundles in the hands of the marmosets, and Dash and the others also came in for they had seen the marmosets too.

"Hey, isn't that…" began Broccoli but Poinsettia cut him off.

"ACEROLA," cried the hysterical scarlet macaw, tears, this time tears of immense joy, welling within her already bloodshot eyes, before she turned to the bundles of bright blue feathers in three of Mauro's underlings' hands, "SIRIUS, EINSTEIN, MILES, and my darlings ADENINE, GUANINE, THYMINE, CYTOSINE, and also GLADION, LILLIE!"

Then Poinsettia whirled round and rocketed off for the Aviary. "I'd better get Virgil and some of the others IMMEDIATELY!"

And within moments, she was gone. Then Dash, Ginger, Esperanza, Avellana, James, Danny, Ebony, Worf and Rusty, and Collette, Daisy and Broccoli identified the two black and red-white feather bundles with large colourful beaks as Gladion and Lillie, also carried by the underlings of Mauro. However, the cats and greyhounds immediately recognised that both the parents of these two chicks had gone out with Blu and the others to rescue the other missing kids, along with Acerola's parents Anabelle and Sebastian, aunts Stella and Luna, uncle Soren and grandparents Augustus and Melissa. Dash and the others went to intercept the marmosets as Mauro commanded his underlings, all of who were exhausted with soot from charred wood from the fire strewing their fur to put down the chicks while he gently placed Acerola onto the floor. After this, the marmosets hastily stood back and allowed Dash and the other greyhounds, and also Collette, Broccoli and Daisy, and also Poinsettia who had returned out with some of the birds inside, among them Athos, Ruby and Virgil. The moment they saw the ten kids as they slowly came round, including Acerola who had just come out of the blackness of unconsciousness caused by smoke inhalation, hysterical screeches erupted from the macaws' beaks and they immediately surged forward to sweep up the group in hugs. Adenine, Thymine, Guanine and Cytosine were swept up into a hug by Poinsettia and also Athos and Ruby while Sirius, Einstein and Miles found themselves in the wings of Virgil and also Justin,Kira, Tiago, Matilda, Brisa and Roberto, much to their surprise. Acerola, Gladion and Lillie were also swept up into a group hug by their relatives' family and friends, including Porthos and Orquidea.

While the reunion continued, accompanied by cries of joy and relief, Dash stood back with Ginger, Esperanza, Avellana, James, Danny, Ebony, Worf, Rusty, Collette, Broccoli and Daisy with small smiles, the first they had had since the former nine had returned Achernar, Diego, Canopus and Arcturus to the Aviary.

"Looks like another massive reunion," said Dash to the others, "Hopefully it will be the same for the remaining kids when Blu and the others find them."

The others nodded in agreement. Then Broccoli turned and saw Mauro and his marmoset gang attempt to sneak away, timid eyes on the colourful crowd of birds, especially the Spix macaws. As Mauro and his gang continued to try and creep away, they were suddenly stopped by, "Mauro; did you and your gang find and bring these kids back?"

A gulp sounded from Mauro and his underlings felt their nerves jolt hotly as the speaker, Porthos, stopped them all mid-step. Mauro timidly turned and connected his wary gaze with that of Porthos' slight frown. Then the other macaws came round and gazed at Mauro and his gang, gratitude in their eyes. However, Mauro's urge to flee with his gang took hold as he remembered the bad reputation he and his gang had gained since their attempted capture of Blu and Jewel thanks to Nigel. In a few quick moments, he said, "Um… yes, we helped to rescue them from a sealed burrow as the fire was spreadin'. H-h-hopefully Blu and Jewel will be impressed with us for savin' some of their grandkids. Thank you, 'bye!" and before any of the macaws, cats or greyhounds could ask a single question, the group of marmosets had disappeared in a cloud of dust, leaving a group of dumbfounded animals staring after them. Broccoli frowned.

"Well, that was abrupt!" he said flatly and left for Tulio's Aviary. Porthos also breathed a sigh.

"Let's just return to Tulio's Aviary and wait for Blu and the others to return with the missing kids."

And with that, the group of animals left for the building, taking Acerola and the others with them to be checked over by the human doctors, especially Acerola for she looked somewhat unwell, while the greyhounds resumed their area. However, on the way to Tulio's Aviary, Porthos had flashed a glance back at Mauro and his gang as they continued to recede rapidly into the distance, a look of suspicious thunder on his face along with bristled feathers, something Mauro had mentioned in his rapid explanation in how he and his underlings had rescued Acerola and company from the fire. 'Sealed burrow?' he thought. Then his body began to tremble with fury as his mind reached a possible conclusion as to what Mauro had meant.

"If any of those toucans have done this to Acerola and the nine chicks including Diantha and Tom's two, returned by those marmosets," hissed the burly blue-and-gold macaw under his breath, "Then the consequences are gonna be DIRE!"

He bellowed the final word as he said this. Simmering in silence and hopping on his one foot for his other one, the one that had been slashed by the glass shard of the broken window during the toucans' attack on Tulio's cottage still in its bandage, Porthos followed the others back to Tulio's Aviary.