Chapter 92- emergency rushes part 1
Back at Tulio's Aviary and its surroundings
Dash, Ginger, Esperanza, Avellana, James, Danny, Ebony, Worf and Rusty, together with Broccoli, Collette and Daisy, Travis, Sunset, Eustace, Milo, Rosa, Clemont, Serena, Vincent, Yolanda, Peach and Velocity and Riker, Cometa's family apart from Orion, Hermione and Spike, Velocity and Orion's younger brother and Zelda, Velocity's daughter, having come to check on the birds and other casualties at Tulio's Aviary, help to escort any injured birds to the place after they had managed to escape the fire in the forest, and to help out with other things where necessary, sat under a tree not too far away from the outskirts of Tulio's Aviary's carpark, horrified eyes at the enormous flickering orange monster of the fire as it scoured the night sky like a giant fiery ghost above the treeline.
"I hope Blu and the others are alright," whispered Broccoli worriedly. Then a look of pure outrage overtook Velocity's face.
"Those toucans are seriously gonna get it now," she growled in disgust, "I can't believe Marco and the others would do this to that poor lot over there…" and with that, the peregrine falcon's gaze travelled to a gathering of birds, among them D'Artagnan, Sapphire, Athos, Ruby, Porthos, Orquidea, Esmeralda, Phoebe, Cobalto, Levi and Lapis Lazuli, as they continued to stand near the building, anxiously waiting for the return of Blu and the others with the remaining missing kids. Velocity could see that among the crowd, most of the kids of Bia's group, among them Achernar and Diego who rested in Kira's wings, had been rescued and had been badly traumatised by the whole ordeal. Behind the crowd of birds, Tulio's team was busily tending to the various animal casualties brought in by the animal rescuers who had managed to save them from the fire, while a fireman and two of his group members were present providing important details and updates of the progress in quelling the blaze. Velocity let loose a sigh and resumed gazing at the burning jungle.
"Blu and the others should either be back by now or have found refuge from that fire," said Dash. He then shuddered at the thought of those macaws and flying foxes, especially Jewel who was deathly afraid of fire, being trapped in a wall of flames with no way out.
As Dash thought about this awful possibility, Riker, Clemont and Serena saw some forms approach the lit clearing above the carpark of Tulio's Aviary, emerging from the dark treeline of the jungle which fortunately had not been set ablaze.
"Hey, aren't those incoming birds some of them now?" Riker asked.
"I believe Diantha and Tom are amongst them," put in Clemont.
"And it looks like they may have found some more of the missing kids," put in Serena. The other greyhounds, birds and cats followed Riker, Clemont and Serena's gaze and also spotted the incoming flock of birds. However, Velocity noticed something a bit off with the size of the flock.
"I don't think those birds are any of Blu's group, you three," she said. Then Broccoli darted in and glared furiously at the birds as they swarmed towards Tulio's Aviary, recognition of these birds, especially as they entered the shafts of artificial light from the streetlamps, firing up within him.
"Absolutely not, but they are definitely some of Bia, Carla, Tiago and company's offspring's kidnappers," snarled the Veggie lookalike and with that, he charged off with Collette and Daisy following despite their still-healing injuries from the claw and bite marks the toucans had given them during the skirmish leading to those kids' capture yelping at them in pain. The greyhounds and birds were alarmed.
"Broccoli, girls, HEY!" cried Dash and with that, he rushed off after them with Ginger, Velocity and Riker following, leaving behind Esperanza, Avellana, James, Danny, Ebony, Worf and Rusty with the cockatoos. Travis and Sunset then came forward, a dozing Peach and Yolanda in their wings, glares at the seven animals as they rushed off to intercept the flock of birds, which Broccoli had identified as some of the many, many toucans and the kidnappers of Carla, Bia, Tiago and company's chicks and pups.
"Well, those big billed brats are gonna face a MASSIVE conflagration of anger and eventually a capturing and caging once they arrive at Tulio's Aviary, I can tell you," Travis told the others, who nodded in agreement.
"Especially if they're gonna play with dangerous things," put in Eustace as he stood with Milo, Rosa, Clemont, Serena and Vincent, scowls on their faces. It was clear that the first five hadn't forgotten the incident in which one of the toucans had deliberately set their birdhouse alight and almost roasted them alive, together with the cockatoo chicks except Vincent when some of the toucans came and viciously attacked Tulio and Linda's cottage and wreaked havoc the other night.
At the edge of the bird crowd, Justin, Virgil, Tiago and Matilda stood by themselves, gazing into the dark seas of trees and at the fire rising into the sky. With them were Sonia, Spica, Melody, Sirius, Einstein and Miles, and Roberto and Brisa.
"Dad still hasn't returned, has he?" asked Tiago sadly as he held Sirius in his wings.
"Ju-Ju's still missing as well," said Roberto as he shuddered at the blazing orange monster continuously clawing at the sky.
"How could the fire have got its start?" asked Justin as Sonia, Spica and Melody, his daughters, stood around him.
"Don't ask, my nephew," said Brisa with a frown, "But one thing is clear, something or someone has been messing with fire-starting things that has caused this. And I sure hope it's none of those humans…" she shot the working humans dotting the surrounds of Tulio's Aviary a glare as she said this.
"Yes, absolutely," put in Roberto as he followed Brisa's glare with one of his own.
"I'm sure it's not their responsibility, Aunt Brisa and Uncle Beto," said Virgil, trying to assure the pair and defend the birds' trust in Tulio and his team, "Those guys are usually sensible with their fire-starting and fire-related items like matches anyway."
"Especially the things they call cigarettes," put in Matilda, "Tulio has a designated area for the humans who smoke them to ensure their smoking of those things are confined and kept well away from the aviary for obvious safety reasons including the health of the animals and the other humans," he turned to Roberto and Brisa, "I've heard that if those things are discarded after use and are still lit, they can start a fire, you know."
"Correct, Matilda," said Brisa, "In fact, ANY human item that uses fire should ALWAYS be handled with care in order to prevent that destructive force from developing into the glowing, hot, orange monster and wreaking havoc and causing destruction, and it is NOT for us birds to mess with especially if we don't know how to control it," her gaze then turned to Andromeda, Eragon, Spyro and Marella as they watched over the bat-birds, "Although the archaeobirds are an exception since they have managed to master it and know very well how to control it and keep it within its confines…"
As she said this, the sounds of dozens of wing-flaps flooded the group's ears. Sonia gazed at Justin.
"What's that sound, Daddy?" she asked.
"Sounds like a flock of pigeons," replied Justin. Virgil, Tiago and Matilda came in with Sirius, Einstein and Miles, a sceptical frown on their faces.
"Heading in this direction?" the first one questioned suspiciously as the wing-flaps increased in loudness.
"Especially if those wings sound large," put in Tiago. As he spoke, Roberto slowly turned his head in the direction of the source's sound and the moment his blue eyes landed on it, they inflated in alarm and his crest spiked out.
"Quick, Justin, Brisa, Virgil, guys, kids!" he barked, "GET OUT OF THE W Y!"
The moment these words were picked up by Justin, Sonia, Spica, Melody, Virgil, Sirius, Einstein, Miles, Tiago and Matilda all began to scramble to scatter out of the path of the incoming flock of birds, Tiago, Matilda and Brisa seizing the kids as they screamed in fright. Squawks also exploded from the beaks of the Spix macaws as they darted off in different directions but Roberto and Justin did not move fast enough and were overrun by a flock of flapping bundles of black feathers with cream-red fronts, all adorned with vivid orange, black, lime green and magenta bills.
As these two were caught up in the blurry flood of feathers, D'Artagnan, Sapphire, Athos, Ruby, Porthos, Orquidea, Esmeralda, Phoebe, Cobalto, Levi and Lapis Lazuli, accompanied by the other birds, among them Poinsettia, also backed away, the kids with them, among them Adenine, Cytosine, Thymine and Guanine, being swept up in their parents' wings as they watched the rather large flock of toucans rudely barge past Roberto and Justin and swarm like flies into the entrance of Tulio's Aviary.
"OUTA OUR WAY!" barked some of the toucans as they knocked Roberto over. Another whacked Justin in the tummy with his bill while yet a few others kicked the pair over with their feet.
"Good GRIEF!" bellowed Athos in utter flabbergast.
"What a bunch of utterly RUDE AIR-HOGS growled Ruby. Then Esmeralda glared at the flashes of colour in the flock, especially as some of the toucan crash-landed just outside Tulio's Aviary's entrance due to the chaos of the rush. In the entrance, one of the women was knocked over, the food she had for the birds outside thrown up in a shower of fruit, seeds and nuts that then crashed in a messy scatter on the floor around her and on her as she landed on her backside. Some of the flying fruit and nuts also splattered all over Cometa and Lightning as they were following Amy to outside only to dive to the side as the toucan flock rushed in. Athos' group flinched when they saw the poor lady, who was Amy, one of Tulio's employees then struggle to sit up, her face twisted in pain with her teeth gritted from her sore backside. D'Artagnan, Sapphire, Finn, Jasmine, Levi and Lapis Lazuli rushed off to her to help her to her feet. Poinsettia glared at the others.
"Bad toucan manners, as always," she grunted. Then her father's glare turned to the toucans that had crash-landed from being jostled by the others as they hurried into Tulio's Aviary.
"Marco, Anastasia and some of the others," he hissed, his red feathers bristling. Ruby then gazed at the dazed Roberto and Justin as they struggled to their feet from being battered by the toucans like trees in a wind.
"You go and see to those wretched big-nosed delinquents while some of us see to those two," said she. Athos nodded and with that he, Ruby and Poinsettia left to confront Marco and some of his friends and also help Roberto and Justin to their feet. Porthos also glared on.
"You're in DEEP TROUBLE, now, you bunch of MURDEROUS MOBSTERS, now that you've returned after making off with our kids a second time," the muscular blue-and-gold macaw hissed.
Marco, Anastasia and seven other toucans then began to shakily stand and help each other to their feet, dizziness from the crash swamping them. However, devastation was saturating their faces too.
"I hope the kids that we have rescued are gonna be alright," said Marco worriedly and distressfully.
"I can't believe the fire has brought them to this, especially some of Sofia's dear little babies," said Anastasia. However, as these words left her break, a furious voice rang out.
"We could tear you big-nosed hoodlums limb from limb!" it growled. Alarmed, the nine toucans shot stunned gazes this way and that until one of the female friends of Marco and Anastasia landed on a slate grey form with a black-striped ivory underside festooned with brightly coloured fruit flesh saunter towards them from the entrance to Tulio's Aviary, her bulbous eyes blazing like frightening onyxes. Another, smaller slate grey bird with a black-striped ivory underside was right behind her, and he too was smothered in fruit flesh and juice, and his bulbous eyes were onyx firestorms like the larger female bird's. Marco then shot the speakers, which were a furious fruit-smothered Cometa and Lightning, a stunned look.
"Cometa, Lightning?" he said.
"Maybe we should like how we butcher our pigeon and duck prey during our mealtimes, eh?" hissed Lightning stormily, before a mock-scornful look came upon his face, "Or perhaps we should do that to your 'dear little babies' instead after taking them away like how you did Carla, Bia, Tiago and the others' kids," then the falcon's genuinely look of thunder returned when he saw Marco's face form a "You wouldn't" frown, "And see how YOU LOT feel about losin' them… as well as stand back AND WATCH YOU LOT CRY IN ANGUISH OVER THE LOSS OF YOUR LITTLE 'UNS with YOUR HEARTS BREAKIN'!"
"That's what you tried to do to the hearts of poor Carla, Bia, Tiago and the others, isn't it?" continued Cometa, "You tried to tear the hearts of THAT LOT into pieces by taking those poor little children of theirs away from them and perhaps kill, eh?"
Marco didn't answer; neither did Anastasia and the other seven toucans, and all nine just put on indifferent and defiant smiles. Cometa hardened her furious glare.
"EEEH!?" screeched the mother of Velocity, Orion and Spike.
"And then you barge into Tulio's Aviary, knock over Amy when she was bringing some food out to Tiago and company while they continue to wait the return of Blu and the others and splatter their meal everywhere!" growled Lightning, before he showed the nine toucans the mess of his and Cometa's plumages.
As the male falcon yelled this to Marco and the eight toucans with him, including his mate Anastasia and also showed the fruit smothering his and Cometa's feathers, Broccoli stormed towards the nine toucans, a look of thunder of his own saturating his face and his fur completely puffed out like an inflated pufferfish's spines. Boldly making a beeline for Marco, the tabby cat seized the toucan by the throat and slammed him HARD against the wall of the building, his back to the wall.
"You BUNCH of MURDEROUS, DIABOLICAL, BARBARIC big-beaked COCKROACHES!" snarled Broccoli as he held Marco off the ground by the throat with a front paw, making the toucan grab his paw with his wings and bulge his eyes out from the discomfort the cat caused in his neck. Cometa and Lightning stood back and looked on as two more cats resembling white tabbies with a calico pattern thrown into their coat stripes, Collette and Daisy, stormed towards Anastasia and the other seven toucans, flared their claws and threatened to slash them, much to the eight toucans' alarm and backing away. Then Riker, Velocity, Dash and Ginger came in.
"Broccoli, Collette, Daisy, DON'T!" said Dash when he saw the three cats threaten Marco and the other eight.
"Yes, Broccoli, put Marco down," commanded Ginger when she saw Broccoli hold Marco by the neck. However, Broccoli was so consumed with the fires of wrath against Marco and the other toucans after what they had done to Carla, Bia and Tiago and company by stealing their kids that he deliberately ignored the ginger greyhound's order.
"I wouldn't bother if I were you," said Cometa to Ginger, before her fiery glare snapped to the struggling Marco as he continued to grip Broccoli's wrist and gasp rapidly as though Broccoli was going to strangle him, "Those wretched delinquent toucans have REALLY crossed the line."
"In MORE WAYS THAN ONE!" put in Lightning furiously. However, Ginger still was not going to have Broccoli injure Marco and she glared at the tabby cat to put the toucan down. Broccoli continued holding Marco by the neck against the wall with his feet lifted off the ground for a few more seconds, especially as Roberto and the Spix macaws came in with Ruby, Poinsettia and Athos until finally; the tabby cat reluctantly relented and put Marco down and withdrew his paw from his throat, allowing Marco to rub it and gasp while Collette and Daisy retracted their claws and backed away from Anastasia and the other seven toucans, some of Marco and Anastasia's comrades.
"Thank you," said Ginger as she watched Broccoli then turn round but her satisfaction was immediately shattered when Broccoli whirled back round at Marco and swiped the toucan across the face as hard as he could with a paw, screeching wrathfully as he did it, much to Dash and Ginger's astonishment and horror.
"BROCCOLI!" barked the two aging greyhounds together and in anger. Marco yelped as the impact of the swipe sent him flying into a large bucket full of soapy water nearby for a window cleaner had come to clean Tulio's Aviary's windows, in a tremendous splash. Roberto and the others except Cometa and Lightning flinched as a fountain of water globs and suds erupted from the bucket and rained down within a foot or two radius of the bucket in a shower. Then Collette seized Anastasia by the head feathers, making her screech and writhe, stormed over to the bucket and without hesitation shoved her into the bucket with her mate, making another splash. Then Broccoli, Collette and Daisy stood back and looked on unsympathetically as Marco and Anastasia, gasps for air entering and exiting their beaks at a fast rate, along with coughing, then struggled in the bucket, their feathers sopping wet with soap suds all over their plumages. The other seven toucans went in to help but Broccoli, Daisy and Collette darted forward, seized them and shoved them into the bucket with Marco and Anastasia as well, before backing away to watch the nine big-beaked birds struggle in the soapy water.
"Oh, this stuff tastes REVOLTING!" screeched Marco as some of the soapy water got into his mouth during the struggles. Three or four of the toucans then began to discharge bubbles from their beaks as they coughed and spluttered to rid the foul-tasting stuff from their mouths.
"Just like YOU LOT, you bunch of ROTTING FRUIT!" snarled Collette scornfully in response to Marco's complaining about the taste of the soapy water. Then a sopping wet and soap sud-festooned Anastasia shot the three cats an enraged glare.
"You're gonna PAY FOR THAT, you FLEA-BITTEN FELINE WEASELS!" she snarled, and began to struggle her way out of the bucket only to slip and slide and land back into the soapy water and on the other toucans, much to the snickers of the three cats and some of the macaws, among them Matilda, Tiago, Virgil, Justin and also Sirius, Einstein, Miles, Sonia, Melody and Spica. Velocity, Riker, Cometa and Lightning also launched into a fit of giggles as well.
"Will you lot just SNAP OUT OF IT!?" barked Ginger, before shooting Dash a glare as the greyhound was also about to erupt into a laughing fit. Dash managed to stifle it and turn away with a paw over his muzzle to disguise the smile. Then poor Marco, Anastasia and the other seven toucans began to feel shame and humiliation swamp them like the soapy water as they continued to hilariously struggle to climb out of the bucket full of it and also cough, splutter, gasp and blow bubbles of soap from their beaks as well as spit out the foul-tasting soap water as well, much to the laughter of Cometa and some of the others.
"That's exactly what those Nigel toucans need," snorted Daisy slightly scornfully, "Some hot soapy water to wash their feathers out."
"Daisy," snapped Ginger in rebuke when Marco's eyes flashed with hurt as he clung to the side of the bucket. Then the window cleaner came round and when he saw some struggling bundles of waterlogged, sudsy feathers with brightly coloured beaks splashing about in his bucket, he immediately and crossly walked over to the bucket, picked it up and tipped out its contents.
"Pesky birds," he snarled in Brazilian Portuguese as the soapy water and the nine toucans spilled in a diverging torrent towards Broccoli and company. Marco and Anastasia slid before the three cats while the other seven toucans wound up at the feet of Velocity, Dash, Ginger and Riker.
As the nine soaked toucans struggled to their feet, Broccoli and his sisters refusing to help, Marco gave the three cats and the others a furious stink-eye as a scornful smile appeared on Broccoli's face.
"I've always wanted to dunk you wretched toucans into some water for a long time," crooned the tabby.
"Especially after one of YOU WRETCHED RAVENS almost burned Eustace and his family to death by setting fire to their birdhouse," put in Collette and with that, she hurled a glob of saliva onto the floor at the foot of the sudsy and waterlogged Marco and his group, their feathers drooping from the water, much to their disgust. Behind Roberto, Tiago and Matilda watched on, frowns on their faces as Anastasia stepped forward, a look of scorn and hatred plastering her face as she used it to scour Broccoli and company.
"I've always DESPISED you lot anyway," she growled, "You always remind me of a pile of ROTTING and SMELLY FRUIT AND VEG humans call a COMPOST HEAP!"
"OOII!" barked Dash and Ginger as this scathing comment stung them.
"What DID YOU JUST CALL US!?" shouted Cometa while the eyes of the others, including Roberto and Brisa, flashed with disgust, hurt and anger.
"You obnoxious BRAT!" hissed Athos angrily. Then Collette shoved her face into Anastasia's.
"YOU'RE the ones that are the rotting fruit and veg in the compost heap, NOT US," snapped she, "Feathered big-beaked RAT!"
Anastasia retorted by butting the caliby in the nose with her large bill. A few drops of water and soap suds flew everywhere as she struck Collette.
"Get your UGLY CAT FACE OUTA MINE, you CAT-FACED FURBALL!" the toucan snarled as Collette flinched and grabbed her impacted nose, a furious glare on her face aimed at the toucan while Broccoli and Daisy arched their backs, puffed out their fur and screeched back at Anastasia, making Marco's mate flinch. Then Broccoli turned his face away.
"I cannot even LOOK AT YOU, you BUNCH OF HORRIBLE TOUCANS!" snarled the cat, refusing to return his glare at the still-sopping wet and sudsy Marco and the other eight, "I normally love having birds for friends and find it a privilege to do so, like my father Veggie and mother Catina did before me, Collette and Daisy, but birds like NIGEL and DELI UENT TOUCANS like YOU LOT…" Broccoli's body began to tremble violently as disgust tore through him, his face still turned away from the toucans, "To call YOU lot our friends makes us SICK… to our STOMACHS!"
"YOUR macaw friends such as those two behind you," snapped Anastasia, referring to Tiago and Matilda and also Justin and Virgil as they held Sirius, Einstein, Miles, Sonia, Spica and Melody close to them, and the other macaws such as Spinel and Sheldon, "havin' KIDS is what MAKES US SICK!" Anastasia's fiery glare raked over Tiago's group, "I WISH YOUR CHICKS HAD NEVER HATCHED!"
That venomous comment made EXTREME agony tear through Tiago and company, but then something inside Matilda snapped. Without thinking, she surged past Broccoli, Collette and Daisy and pounced onto Anastasia, bowling both herself and the waterlogged toucan over and sending a few drops of water and suds flying from Anastasia. Then a large grey greyhound appeared, seized Matilda with his front paws and pulled her off of Anastasia before the two could erupt into a brawl of claws tearing out feathers and opening scratch wounds.
"Right, that's ENOUGH!" barked Dash as he returned Matilda to the Spix macaws who then backed away, before his glare turned to Marco and his eight comrades, "YOU LOT leave before YOUR presence causes ANYMORE outbursts and fights."
Marco, Anastasia and their seven comrades, their feathers still sopping wet and sudsy, glared bitterly at Dash and left. Dash then directed his glare at Broccoli and his sisters, "While YOU THREE, you oughta hold your tongues and stop spewing insults, otherwise we WILL we throw a penalty at you…"
In response, Broccoli, Collette and Daisy glared at Dash and then directed their glares at Marco and the other eight toucans, released a scornful hiss each and left. As both parties departed and a deeply hurt Matilda was handed over to Brisa to be comforted while Roberto, Sapphire, D'Artagnan, Athos and Ruby tried to soothe the hurt feelings of the other macaws that had been within range of Anastasia's venomous tongue, Cometa and Lightning, their plumages still covered with fruit, glared angrily at Marco's group as they left in one direction, with Dash, Riker, Velocity and Ginger.
"I couldn't even look at those toucans either," growled the female peregrine falcon, "In fact; their very presence makes me sick."
"I'm utterly ashamed to have been friends with that numskull when we were adolescent birds," grumbled Riker as he stood with Velocity, "Especially after what a HORRIBLE MENACE he has become!"
"So is Vulcan the kestrel," put in Velocity, "Especially after what those brats keep doing to Tiago and the others."
"As much as we are angry with Broccoli and his sisters for dunking those nine toucans into that window cleaner's bucket of soapy water," said Ginger, Dash nodding in agreement, "I'm utterly furious with those toucans for all the trouble they have caused ourselves, especially in regards to the lack of discipline they had given their numerous kids who seemed to have followed in their horrible footsteps."
"Since those grown-up toucans have set a bad example to them," put in Dash. Just then, a familiar voice screeched out, "BRISA, ROBERTO, ATHOS, GUUUUYS!"
Velocity shot the other three peregrine falcons and the two aging greyhounds a horrified look.
"That was ZEBEDEE!" she said, "And he sounds PANIC STRICKEN."
The two greyhounds and the four peregrine falcons whirled round and to their surprise, they saw two large macaws, both with navy blue plumages but then Riker noticed that one of them had a violet shade to her feathers and that the other macaw had tiger marks of scarred skin running up the left side of his face and a clouded eye and that both macaws had yellow skin rings around their eyes and another behind their lower beaks, hover before Athos and Ruby and some of the other older adult macaws including Levi and Lapis Lazuli, something clutched in their talons and their faces laced with untold horror and urgency. However, the commotion cloud was too thick for the peregrine falcon and his girlfriend to pick out whatever the two macaws had in their talons but then the other macaw, the female, spoke as Athos, Ruby, D'Artagnan, Sapphire, Lapis Lazuli and Levi fired her and the other macaw, a male, a question, answering Riker and Velocity's own question as to what were in their talons. Behind the six aging macaws, Brisa, Roberto, Dash and Ginger ordered the crowd of macaws, among them Virgil, Tiago, Matilda and also Kira, to back away while Broccoli, Collette and Daisy rushed to Athos' side to see the cargo in the two hyacinth macaws' talons.
"It's BETELGEUSE, RIGEL AND ANTARES!" cried the female hyacinth macaw, which was Iris based on her distinctive purple feathers, "Rigel's got a SHARD OF WOOD IN HER SHOULDER AND Betelgeuse is INJURED WITH A BURNED FOREHEAD AND TALON, and ALL THREE OF THEM INCLUDING THEIR BROTHER ANTARES ARE UNCONSCIOUS!"
Horror tore through Riker and Velocity as Cometa and Lightning, having shaken their plumage of the fruit, then rushed to Iris and the other hyacinth macaw, Zebedee, and when they saw the three bundles in the two hyacinth macaws' talons which Velocity and Riker assumed were Betelgeuse, Rigel and Antares, the two peregrines shot Zebedee and Iris an urgent look.
"GET THEM TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM!" commanded Cometa. Without hesitation, Zebedee and Iris rocketed through the main entrance to Tulio's Aviary with Lightning and Cometa in tow. Riker and Velocity tried to follow but found themselves blocked by a greying light grey greyhound and his ginger furred mate while the others were blocked from entering the aviary by D'Artagnan, Sapphire, Roberto, Brisa, Porthos, Orquidea, Esmeralda, Levi and Lapis Lazuli while Phoebe, Cobalto, Athos and Ruby rushed on foot, Athos's broken wing in his cast and the other three's wings still missing their flight feathers still grounding them, into Tulio's Aviary.
Behind the crowd of macaws, the other greyhounds; Esperanza, Avellana, James, Danny, Ebony, Worf and Rusty and the cockatoos Travis, Sunset, Eustace, Milo, Rosa, Clemont, Serena, Vincent, Yolanda and Peach had rushed in but then their attention was drawn to something else approaching the large group from the direction that Zebedee and Iris had flown in.
"You two stay here," said Dash firmly.
"What's happening!?" demanded Velocity, the stress of the situation flaring confusion within her.
"Three of the chicks have been severely injured in the fire?" asked Riker. Ginger was about to reply when suddenly, Athos's voice exploded from within Tulio's Aviary through its main door entrance,
"Oh, THUNDERBOLTS!"
"What do you MEAN ALL THE EMERGENCY FACILITIES ARE FULL!?" yelled Ruby's voice.
"WE'VE GOT THREE LITTLE RED MACAW CHICKS in URGENT NEED of MEDICAL ATTENTION!" shouted Cometa's voice.
"AND THERE MIGHT BE MORE CASUALTIES on the WAY HERE!" put in Lightning's voice. Then Velocity and Riker shot each other a dreaded look while Broccoli, Daisy and Collette pounced in, volcanically outraged looks on their faces.
"Those WRETCHED toucans and their TOO-MANY-TO-COUNT KIDS!" hissed Broccoli stormily.
"They must have taken up AAALL the available space in the Aviary," put in Collette. Then an outraged look flared on Velocity and Riker's faces, especially as the thoughts of the health of the two macaw chicks, which they now know to be Betelgeuse, Rigel and Antares, boiled within their minds.
"Par-thet-TICK!" spat Velocity disdainfully and with that, her wings darted out and lofted her into flight. Riker followed, much to Dash and Ginger's alarm.
"Riker, Velocity, where are you GOING!?" barked Dash.
"GET BACK HERE!" shouted Ginger but the peregrine falcon couple shot the two greyhounds a defiant look.
"We are NOT gonna have SPINEL AND SHELDON losing THEIR TWO GIRLS and BOY like how ORION AND HERMIONE had lost their son Hunter because of those SELF-CENTERED, INSECT-BREEDING TOUCANS and their NUMEROUS CHICKS!" retorted Velocity and with that and before Dash and Ginger could stop them, both peregrine falcons lifted themselves further into the air and charged into Tulio's Aviary, leaving Dash and Ginger to bark in extreme irritation and frustration and resume trying to calm down the other macaws and birds.