My Precious Jewel

by Le Chat Noir 41305

A unique turn on the very safe story of "Blu and Jewel after defeating Nigel when they're in the aviary," focusing on how the pair because true lovers. They share an affection that is not vulgar and does not boast, and this story is likely to be a pleasant one to read. Written by Me, and made possible by CSX GP40-3 and OrangeMacawWorld. (Story may receive sequel - ADITR Canon)

Hello all.

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Before I get carried away with author's notes, I'd like you, dear reader, to pop into the reviews section and look at the notes from the two people who made this story possible; CSX GP40-3 and OrangeMacawWorld.

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I can happily say I did all the heavy lifting, but when one looks at their own work and deems it good, someone else may look at it and go "Hmm". By having these two gents on board, three seals of approval have been gifted to this tale, so your reading experience should be a pleasurable one.

This particular tale is one that is usually seen as safe to be written by most authors; it is a story that details a part of what is seen after the plane crash, and is something few people really take the time to put any kind of emphasis on. It is mostly taken for granted that Blu and Jewel are just immediately in love after the plane incident, and so I wanted to detail their first loving interactions out of chains and in a way that did not take time to indulge the explicit or lustful exchanges but rather paint the characters in a way that suits my own canon, but in a way that is still friendly to the film's canon. E.g, there are numerous references to "Desperate Measures" within this tale, so if you haven't read that, then I suggest you do.

I am very proud of the loving intimacy and of the love I have portrayed that is not boastful but is full and true, and authentic to be read. (Some of these experiences are loosely based on real life experiences.)

The other thing that I will mention is that this story will eventually lead into the events of the prologue of A Diamond in the Rough which is an upcoming tale of mine in the works (collaborated with CSX GP40-3 and OrangeMacawWorld), that aims to detail the entire autobiography of Jewel's life. Expect to see another sneak previous similar to that of the concept I wrote with Jewel and Cole, between her and a new character; Laura "La Luna" Luna, a Hyacinth macaw healer with great intelligence, practiced in the art of healing ailments in all animals, and is loved and respected as a kind of local celebrity. She's also TOTALLY INSANE. I look forward to telling her tale to you all, very soon...

With all of that out of the way, please do enjoy this tale, and I look incredibly forward to bringing you all more news on A Diamond in the Rough very very soon.

Enjoy!

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My Precious Jewel

It is said that Freedom is the condition of being able to, or allowed to do something, say something or think of something without being controlled or limited in some way by anyone or anything, be it sentient or not, and be that interference deliberate or more up to chance. Whether it is an action done unto you by a single person, or whether it is from a combination of a few things.

The precise opposite of freedom is being a bird in a cage.

The cage in question was a rainforest enclosure, and the bird's name was Jewel. She had been plucked from living her life in the jungle and forced to meet this nerd bird from across the pond. After a less than stellar meeting, Jewel thought she would have to harm this rather clueless individual, but she saw something within him from the moment she first laid eyes on him; and that thing was an innocence and a purity.

Blu was essentially just a baby. He had yet to grow out of several stages of infancy, and was best described as a small human who had inexplicably taken the form of a male blue Spix's macaw. It was for this unfortunate reason that he had travelled so far across the world to meet Jewel, and it was a series of unfortunate events that led to them being chained together, only to break free, but be left in a position where they needed to fight to save their own lives.

Upon breaking free from the chains that had bound them together, the two birds didn't know what to do with themselves, and so, Jewel left to go to the Carnaval show and Blu was left alone to go and find Linda. So noble, and honourable was he, the bird who Jewel had deemed to be yet to grow out of some stages of infancy, that he would rather Jewel were free than tied down with him. He valued her freedom, and her happiness, and did not want to impose himself on her, as he deemed his inability to fly to be a contributing factor to a foreseeable doomed relationship.

Even if the pair were able to work around Blu's disability, Jewel may as well have never left the aviary in the first place. Since Blu was bound to be close to his human at all times, by extension, Jewel would have to be, too, which was why it was all the more strange that Jewel was invested enough to fight to save his life from the smugglers.

Even though she failed, it was not a cruel defeat. Jewel gave it her all, but was not able to defeat the brute that was Nigel; a hideous and malicious cockatoo with excessive strength.

In the end, she was to be loaded onto a plane to be sold to the highest bidder for them to do with her whatever they pleased. When she awoke in a cage waiting to be loaded onto said plane, she was wrought with terror.

A small box she could see out of, placed somewhere with wide open spaces she could fly to and seek shelter, but one made of a substance that stubbornly refused her attacks, no matter how desperate. Such a box was her idea of hell.

But who was it that was her comforter, in a time where she thought she was going to die, but Blu. The nerd bird. The bird who had yet to grow out of certain stages of infancy. A bird who couldn't fly. This was the bird that comforted her when she was trapped in her own personal hell.

In that moment, she saw him as not just another male who wanted to do unspeakable things to her, but as a kind of angel. She truly felt as though he was some kind of wise and tender spirit sent by Lucy so that she would not have to march to her death alone.

But her opinions on that matter changed entirely when the two were forced into the rear of the plane, and Blu ended up saving the both of them. But, in a final confrontation, Jewel suffered a bad fracture to her right wing. With the day won and the evil that was Nigel, perished, Blu was left to stand there and watch as Jewel slipped from the rear of the plane.

It was then that there came over him a sense of belonging. Jewel was not just an attractive female to him, and her descent towards the sea was synonymous with an ascent in his own fear and a sense of loss with every foot away from him that she had plummeted.

And in that moment, Blu did the most suicidally brave and yet stupid thing you could imagine. He went after her. Because in that moment, he knew just how domesticated he was, and while he loved Linda more than anything, he had come to love Jewel equally, and he realised that his world had been cut in half.

If Jewel had been left to fall into the sea and to be swallowed up in its depths forever, not only could he not live with the knowledge of allowing her to drown, terrified and alone and not able to fly away, but he would also be left without her as a whole.

He realised that his life would no longer carry any semblance of meaning if Jewel was not in it. He totally discarded whatever shred of nobility he had in putting her interests over his own about being in a relationship with her; none of that mattered anymore.

In going after her, he did what it was that he had to do, to protect her, and to save her life. He recalled at least a few flashes of falling out of his nest as a hatchling as he caught up to Jewel, and when he did, held onto her in midair.

Jewel was left totally incredulous.

"Blu! You are crazy, what are you doing!?" she exclaimed. Blu's answer was simple, and one that could not be put in any other way.

"I'm not gonna let you go! We're chained-to-each-other birds, remember?" he replied, the wind rushing past the two intertwined cerulean bodies as the ocean rushed up to meet them.

Jewel looked at him, fixing him with a gaze of pure longing. What could have been, were they not destined to die? Two cripples; one physical and one psychological. Neither capable of flight. And coming around to his point of view, not being able to simply fly away, Jewel was enthralled by this male.

Subconsciously, it was at this moment that she realised that he didn't need to grow out of certain stages of infancy. He was more mature than she was in some respects.

It was also when she saw that such a simple act as being there, even knowing it would be his undoing, would be such a loving gesture. Blu was likely to die if he stayed on the plane, but he didn't want to be there. Instead he wanted to be with her.

He was there. He never told Jewel that he would be there if she needed him; he simply was. Neither among the pair was about to face their death knowing that they were alone.

Everything in Jewel's life suddenly aligned for this one moment. The things she had had to do in her past, and the friends she had made and lost along the way, and the things she had personally witnessed, horrors beyond even human comprehension. None of that mattered anymore. It was as if the entire world fell away from them and reality was subject to irrelevancy.

Perhaps they were already dead, and some higher power was preventing them from feeling any pain? Perhaps as soon as Blu had finished his sentence, they had hit the water and this newfound feeling of spatial irrelevancy was a godsend to keep them calm.

Whatever it was, Jewel was so moved by Blu's gesture, that in her final moments, she gave herself to him, and did the only thing she could possibly do. Lock beaks with him, and await their demise.

But something happened when she kissed him. Something magical. For the first time ever, Blu stopped seeing flight as a mathematical equation or a philosophical concept. He saw it as freedom, and not having to rely on anyone. Feeling the rhythm of his heart for the first time, he unfurled his wings, slowly, carefully, and allowed the wind to catch them.

He held Jewel tightly in his talons, and the lift generated was just enough to avoid going into the water.

He was airborne for the first time. Not an ostrich, and no longer an infant.

Of course, there was still the elephant in the room in the form of Jewel's broken wing, but this was trivial in comparison to what had happened over the sea. Blu and Jewel had made a commitment to one another; they had surrendered themselves to each other in order that they might go on living, and now they were safe and sound in the protective custody of the aviary, Jewel's wing, which would eventually heal, was irrelevant. The main talking point was that of what would happen to the two lovers?

Before this daunting question could be tackled, Jewel needed to be healed of her wing-related ailment. It took Tulio working profusely no time at all to have Jewel in a state where she could be reunited with Blu. The male, while spending time with Linda, was anxious to see Jewel again, but at the same time, a kind of cold dread resided deep within him about being with her. What had he gotten himself into?

He was having a kind of invisible crisis as he sat on Linda's lap, who stroked him to her heart's content. A finger repeatedly drawn from the top of his head, above his three stout crest feathers, which then made their way down his nape until it reached the top of his back. Once the pressure was removed from them, they sprang back up once more in sequence, as soon as they were no longer held down. The three crest feathers, no more than a third of an inch in length were systematically smoothed down to be flush with the top of his head as Linda's finger compressed them.

This application and removal of pressure in his mind, this emotional oscillation was one that troubled him. He really did love Jewel, but he was scared to see her, of what he might do to her, not through his actions but by his mere presence, though he was somewhat relieved that he could now fly, but feared that he would be difficult to teach in flight proficiency, but he was quite sure that Jewel would facilitate that learning, or would she? Linda's finger grazed the top of his head once more. Blu worried about how he would treat her, now that she was his girlfriend. Her finger removed the pressure, and drew down his neck. And with that relief, came the knowledge that Jewel surely loved him, too, and would show him how she wanted to be treated.

Another stroke was endured, and Blu wondered, what would happen if he upset her, or made her unhappy? And when Linda's finger caressed his neck once more, relieving that pressure on his head, so too did the relief of knowing that Jewel would be hard to displease, and once more, that knowledge that she would surely love him washed over his physical form.

As he pondered these thoughts, Tulio came into the room and announced that Jewel was ready to be visited. Linda had Blu's best interests at heart, and so saw it fit to leave the two to be alone.

And so it was that Blu found himself deposited through the same metal door that he was once pushed through, just days before.

When he was inside the aviary, he thought to himself about that situation, and indeed how he was in that position and the time it took to get there. It was another of the things that made him feel like he was not worthy of Jewel's affection, and that he should not face her.

He simply stood, motionless on the spot, thinking about the girl that resided somewhere within the aviary. The one he had such a short, yet rich history with.

Something compelled him to move onwards, however. He didn't want to keep her waiting, as he knew she would be keen to see him.

When he reached the twig that served as a bridge to the artificial river, he stopped once more and looked into the water. What if she wasn't keen to see him? He gulped and let this thought roll around in his mind.

The female was in pain, but ought to be comfortable. Blu could not predict her reaction to seeing him. He ran through iterations of the scenario in his head.

He saw her erupt with joy, seeing the light in her face as she exclaimed his presence with delight. He saw her smile and greet him warmly, seeming to have missed him. He saw her look at him somewhat blankly, wondering why he came and why he was here. He saw her gaze intently at him, not having a thought in her mind. He also saw her scowl at him, wondering why he left her alone for so long, and that she could never love someone who would abandon her.

It was the latter scenario he focused on. What if she would be upset that he hadn't come to see her? Blu reasoned that it would be best if he made his way over to her briskly, so he could indeed say he came as soon as he could. That way she couldn't be upset.

The male crossed the artificial river, the gentle lapping of the water sounding like a kind of aquarium. The smell of chlorine stung his nostrils, and the atmospheric noises were barely able to drown out the low humming noise of the pump that kept the water moving.

He made his way to the centre of the aviary and was faced with a dilemma. Where was Jewel? She was in there, otherwise why would Tulio let him in in the first place?

He thought about getting her attention. He sucked in a breath and was ready to call out to her, but something stopped him. He held the breath for a few seconds as he pondered the thought that she could be asleep. He exhaled. He couldn't risk disturbing her.

The consistent drag on his mind made him feel tired. He took the time to think of Jewel, picturing her in his head. He took a few seconds to think of how beautiful she was, and smiled. But as he thought of her, and then back to himself, he wondered if he looked good enough to appease her. He dismissed this thought, thinking that Jewel was into him, and gave herself to him with his current visage, and so this would not bother her at all.

But then, he recalled the way Tulio fluffed up his crest into a kind of quiff with the aim of pleasing the female. If he saw it fit to do that, then would he be better off looking differently? No, of course not. He reasoned that this was one of his more ridiculous thoughts.

Out of the blue, he noticed that there was disturbed dust on the floor of the aviary. While the floor was meant to be dirt, it really wasn't. He knew that it had recently been stood on as the grey film of dust that usually was present on the floor was disturbed in the shape of human feet, footprints that led over to a plastic tree. Blu had followed them to where they came to a stop, which was at the foot of the prop. He scanned its barren surface until spotting a hole which was clearly meant to be some kind of artificial hollow.

He gulped and took a deep breath. There were pegs that led up to the hollow, and he saw it fit to not prolong climbing them. When he was three quarters of the way up, his head not yet in view of anyone who may be inside the hollow, he hesitated once more.

Was he really ready to face her?

He stood as still as a statue and thought deeply about what he would do when he spoke to her. He really did not know at all what on earth to say, or how to act. In the silence, the noises that surrounded him ambiently could be heard.

The distant hum of the pump that fed the river he crossed earlier, the thrumming of the air conditioning. He could hear the jungle ambience and the periodical calls of parrots which seemed to be having some kind of looping partial conversation. To the humans, it was charming parrot noises, but when it was understandable, as it was to Blu, he could only hear two birds talking to one another, until they reach the middle of their conversation, before the audio loops around and the conversation starts again.

Thankfully it was quiet, otherwise it would surely drive both macaws insane. But he did wonder about the two conversing birds, and where they were, now. Perhaps the audio was old, and they were both dead. The male wondered what exactly it was that he was thinking about, and why he was procrastinating seeing the beauty which might lay within the hollow.

However, his deep thinking allowed another sound to ebb into his mind. A regular breathing pattern. It was first noticeable when a gentle groan was heard, which was more of a vocal exhalation in the mildest of discomfort, just loud enough to be heard from Blu's position. With this knowledge, he knew she was in there, but he wondered if she was asleep, or if it was indeed a vocalisation of mild discomfort. He decided that it was now or never, and that he was going to look inside the hollow. He knew she was definitely inside.

Slowly, steadily, he climbed up just three pegs until his head was only just below the rim. As sly as a fox, he raised his head to look inside with just a single eye. That single eye was graced with the pure unbridled beauty of the female Blue Spix's macaw, who lost nothing in her outward attraction from the casting in which her wing was held.

Her expression was best described as hopeless, and she perhaps even looked as though she had been crying, or at least very upset. She was facing the exit, but was presently looking at the wall. Blu looked at her for a few seconds, before her gaze picked up an unnatural blue hue and looked at it. They made eye contact for a fraction of a second before Blu ducked once more, and screwed his face up, hoping she hadn't seen him, but at the same time, definitely hoping she had.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on what side of Blu's mind you had asked at that present point in time, Jewel was convinced she had seen him. But was her mind playing tricks on her?

"B- Blu?" she called, her voice ever so soft, but somewhat dry and weak. Perhaps the painkillers she was on had made her drowsy, the male reasoned. He got lost in his own mind again, trying to plan what to say next, but as he did so, he scolded himself mentally for not being able to have a cohesive plan from the get-go. Jewel called out to him once more, and he felt horrible. She sounded almost drunk. "Blu?"

He now had a simple choice. Make her think he wasn't there, or reveal himself.

After a few moments, a decision had to be made. He chose the former. He let Jewel believe he wasn't there. So many negative thoughts possessed his mind that he chose the safe option, which was letting Jewel believe he wasn't there. He intended for this to be a permanent feeling. Once he had stayed quiet for long enough, Jewel whispered, out loud, "Now… Now I'm hearing things and seeing things."

Blu breathed a silent sigh of relief and began to descend the prop tree.

Jewel was better off without him, he reasoned. She was strong. She had a warrior's heart. She would persevere and be free in the jungle once she had healed, and would forget about him.

He was sad to leave her, but he saw it fit that it was for her own good.

When he had reached the bottom peg, he hopped onto the floor and took a deep breath. Finalising his decision to leave Jewel behind, he exhaled.

He was about to take a step forward when something stopped him. A sound, irregular sounding, heard at regular intervals. It sounded pained, sorrowful, unhappy. The sound of tears. The sound of a lost soul that was denied the condition and the right of being able or allowed to do something, say something and think something, being controlled and limited by someone and something, sentient and not, which came to be purely by chance, but her imprisonment was deliberate.

She was denied the ability to fly by her broken wing, and was denied the right of flight by the confines of the aviary. She was not able to speak, because she had nobody to speak to. She could not think happy thoughts as her imprisonment prevented her from remaining positive. She was controlled by her sadness, and was limited by her present physical pain.

She was put here because of Nigel and because of a falling object; the two things being directly correlated, leading her to her current situation. All of the events she had lived through in the past few days were all by chance, but fit together perfectly to render her imprisoned in this hollow. What did she do to deserve this? What did she do to deserve anything in her life? Why was she denied company, and why did her mind have to play tricks on her?

She was a bird in a cage. Her freedom had been taken from her, and the root cause all led back to Blu. She felt upset with him that he had caused these events, but her rational mind allowed her to rightfully believe that the male didn't intend for any negative thing to befall her.

Jewel thought of how he was willing to be with her in her final moments. She wondered where he was, this second.

The answer was climbing back up the pegs to be level with the underside of the hollow rim once more. But how would he get the attention of the sorrowful female?

In a stroke of total genius and the single most intelligent thing he had thought of all night, he decided that he would whistle the introductory notes to Fly Love.

He inhaled and let the melody pour from his beak. As soon as the sweet sound graced her ears, Jewel gasped, amidst her tears. "Blu…" she breathed.

The male still didn't show his face or head.

Instead, he racked his brains for the lyrics to the song. He remembered them, vaguely. He elected to sing to her from his position.

"I wasn't really thinking, wasn't looking, and was not searching for an answer…" he crooned, starting the song. His voice was not a classically trained one, and his singing prowess was not his strong suit, but the words he sang came from the heart, and they warmed the heart of the female no less as he serenaded her.

"In the moonlight…" came his next lyric. He felt a sense of irony of describing the moon, since it was most certainly not present.

His next words were sung in a manner that could only be described as dreamily, "When I saw your face…" He exhaled in a content manner after saying it, as an increase in his heart rate was felt when he spoke those words.

"Saw you looking at me, I saw you peeking out from under the moon beams. Through the palm trees…" he cooed, getting the hang of using his singing voice, which he continued to use to please the female, "Swaying in the breeze…"

Jewel chuckled softly, as much as her prior tears would allow. She was enthralled by the behaviour of the male, and appreciated his voice.

"I know I'm feeling so much more than ever before. So I am giving more to you, than I thought that I could do," purred the male, satisfied with his performance. He could feel in the air that Jewel was content.

But then, disaster struck. Blu wished to sing the next verse, but he couldn't remember it. Try as he might to pluck it from his mind, he simply could not recall how the rest of the song went. It was a miracle he recited this much, but when this part of the song was sung, he began his conversation with Jewel atop the trolley.

Frightened, he tried to sing any old thing, but thought that'd be way too ridiculous, so instead, he let out a series of short groans to denote that he was thinking, "Erm… Err…"

Jewel smiled and shook her head. He was trying so hard to be good to her and such a realisation in her mind brought out some more tears. He was scared, and yet still trying to make her happy. It was a good thing that this song was one of Jewel's existing knowledge. She continued the song, and once again, Blu was subjected to her beautiful singing voice.

She started off slowly at first, "Don't know how it happened," before picking up the pace slightly to match the song's original tempo, "Don't know why, but you don't really need a reason…"

Blu's beak dropped upon hearing her voice, though still edged with a very much present sorrow still, it was one that was diminishing as the male had set her heart afire. The two halves of his agape beak curved into the biggest smile one could imagine. He was falling in love with Jewel in real time as the lyrics exited the hollow and permeated the air.

"When the stars shine…" she sang, a similar smile on her own beak, before she finished the verse, "Just to fall in love…"

A tear formed on Blu's own eye. He flicked it away; it was a happy tear.

Jewel put some real heart into the next verse, "Made to love each other, made to be together, for a lifetime," she crooned, stressing the syllables and slowing the pace to punctuate the words which she was singing.

"In the sunshine," she breathed, the same stress on the syllables being present. She was trying to draw the male closer with her soft singing, "Flying in the sky…"

Blu decided that he would take over again, but no mutual agreement was made, so when he started, so did Jewel.

"I know…" began Blu and Jewel, simultaneously, fractions of a second before they both almost immediately accepted the duet and continued the lyric, "I'm feeling so much more, than ever before," they finished.

Blu was simply drawn to Jewel with a powerful, almost magnetic force. Slowly, surely, Blu raised his head above the rim as the next lyric was sung, together, "And so, I'm giving more to you than I thought I could do," they dueted. Once the last word exited their beaks, Blu's head was in full view.

She gazed upon Blu with a warm and sweet smile, meeting the similar expression on his face. Unfortunately, Blu did not know the rest of the lyrics after this, and so left Jewel to sing, once more.

"Now I know love is real…" she purred, closing her eyes and letting herself be taken by the sweetness of the lyric, and so too was the male. She concluded the song, "So as sky high, as the angels try, letting you and I…" she trailed off, opening her eyes to look at the male once more, making eye contact as she delivered the final line, "Fly-y-y love-e-e," concluded the female, an expression of the purest joy present on her beautiful face.

The pair exchanged glances that mutually asserted a new love for one another. A love that was forged in treadgedy, but had just received its first strengthening. The smiles present on their faces were priceless, and ones not often shared between two beings often. The pure joyful elation wound down after a few seconds as the pair just soaked in each other's features from a distance.

Jewel could stand it no longer. She tilted her head to the right and nodded upwards, as if to beckon him inside. Blu didn't need to be asked twice.

Cautiously, he climbed up to the final peg and then edged inside and was then faced with the female, sat right below him. He essentially stood over her, and he looked down to meet her gaze. Jewel giggled softly, finally seeing him after the fear of enduring poking and prodding from a human, even if it was for the greater good.

Blu seemed nervous from his standing position, and tried to say something. Who knows what. "Erm… I…" he spluttered, trying to come up with something cohesive to say. Jewel spoke to him in a way that dispelled all fear, and silenced his anxiety.

"Come," she purred, "Sit with me." Blu elected to temporarily refrain from further speech and obliged her, sitting down by the female's side. She smiled at him and declared, "I am so, so happy to see you again, Blu."

The male exhaled gently and looked at the hollow floor. Jewel could see how much relief was taken off of his mind. She voiced this, "Sounds like a lot just left your mind. Want to talk about it?" Blu was somewhat puzzled as to how she knew that he had just unburdened himself. He gave her an inquisitive look. "Come on. You know I don't bite," she chuckled, before adding in a quickly sincere tone, "But you can keep to yourself if you'd like," she finished.

Blu looked up at her and declared his trouble. "I was really worried about seeing you again. I wondered if you really did… Care," he admitted. Jewel looked at him thoughtfully.

"I have had to take the time to think about it," Jewel similarly admitted. Blu gulped and his nerves returned. He wondered if the song lyrics were referring to them, or if Jewel was just singing along with him. "What's the matter?" asked Jewel, "You act like I'm about to tell you some terrible, terrible news," she announced. Blu looked glum.

"Well, are you about to?" he asked.

Jewel chuckled gently and informed him, "I don't think so."

"So, what have you been thinking of?" Blu followed up in reply.

Jewel looked at him, her pupils dilating to a modest degree. "You mean who have I been thinking of, sweetie," she laughed. The use of the pet name struck a chord of indecision in Blu's mind. He looked visibly surprised to hear it. Jewel found this amusing, "Aww! You like it when I call you that, sweetie?" she giggled, a grin plastered onto her face once more. It was infectious and Blu simply had to smile and hold back his laughter in return.

"Stop-p-p!" he protested, playfully. "I'm really, really not used to the whole pet name thing, and I wonder why you use them with me," the male then queried.

Jewel obliged his question, "Well," she began, "If you wouldn't dare to interrupt me like a rude bird, then you'll know why, because I'll tell you," she explained, mischievously. Blu exhaled softly, picking up on her tone.

"Okay. Jewel, Okay. I will be quiet. I won't interrupt," he promised.

Jewel was pleased with this. "Good," she announced. She paused for a few seconds before speaking once more, which gave her enough time to plan what she was going to say next. "As I was saying. When I was in the room with the male human, he was… Rough with me. Quite rude, actually. He didn't seem to ask for any kind of consent, but, I will credit him," admitted Jewel, admiring his handiwork, "He did mend my wing quite well."

Blu explained, "Tulio is a skilled healer of birds, and that's what this place is dedicated to doing." Jewel nodded.

"Tulio. That's his name?"

"Yeah," Blu went on to confirm.

"I must admit, as humans go, I like him. I am upset with him for imprisoning me, but, I guess I can see why he did it, now. A month locked up in here, and his intentions were to…" trailed off the female, looking tenderly at the male, "Bring you to me," she finished.

Blu smiled, "You should have seen him when we first met, back in Tiny-soda," he said with a laugh, "He was slipping and sliding in the snow. He actually slammed into the window, and I was in such disbelief I nearly dropped my cookie."

Jewel similarly laughed, and asked him, "I've seen snow before, believe it or not, but I must ask, what is a cookie?"

Blu answered her question, "Well, a cookie is a kind of… Sweet food that is manmade. They are made of a heated mixture of flour, egg, sugar and water, which is called dough, and then has chocolate added which is then baked in an oven to a set temperature, and enjoyed in modesty. Although, they are rather voracious and it is easy to have more than just one," he explained. Jewel looked at him quite blankly.

"I'll pretend I know exactly what you're saying. Without seeing it, I don't really know what it is, no matter how well you describe it," replied Jewel, "But thank you for explaining," she added.

The male was content that his conversation was appreciated, "You're very welcome," he replied. A curious thought crossed his mind, which he voiced, "Oh, Jewel?" The female tilted her head in response to acknowledge she was listening. "Who were you thinking of when you were with Tulio?" he asked. Jewel levelled her head and narrowed her eyes slightly.

"You've got three guesses, and two of 'em don't count, sweetie," she purred. Blu could only gulp in response.

"Was it…" he then began, but didn't have the mental strength to give himself the credit, so he gestured towards himself. Jewel nodded, eyes still narrowed, fixing him with a cheeky gaze.

"These eyes so great you can see right through them," she whispered. Blu felt embarrassed, and Jewel burst out laughing, but was quick to assure the male, "I joke! I joke! Don't worry, I thought it was really sweet!" He felt a little more at ease upon hearing this.

"Well… I… I've never really been around another of my own kind, let alone… Erm…" faltered the male. Jewel raised an eyebrow at the last two words of his sentence.

"Let alone… What?" she asked. To the dissatisfaction of Jewel's question Blu merely shook it off.

"Nothing! Nothing…" he insisted.

The pair was suddenly out of conversation ideas for the time being, until someone broke the silence.

Blu was thinking about Nico and Pedro's love advice, especially about confidence. He had just shied out of complimenting Jewel when she would surely appreciate it. Armed with their words, he decided he was going to wing it, no pun intended.

"J-Jewel?" he began.

"Are you going to compliment me?" she asked. Instantaneously Blu went cold. This was hilarious to Jewel, and she burst out laughing. It was pertinently obvious by the look on his face that she was right. "Awww! You are so sweet!" she crooned, still in fits of giggles. Jewel clearly was not mocking him, so Blu didn't feel put out by her laughter. When she had calmed down, she addressed his wish. "So," she purred, donning a velvety smooth demeanour, "What exactly is it that you want to compliment about me?" Blu looked at her, blankly. "Don't be shy," she whispered, "Tell me what you are thinking. I can take it." Blu gulped for the umpteenth time.

"Well I… I think you look really… Like, really… Attractive?" he complimented, though with the pauses it took him longer to deliver it than usual, but Jewel facilitated this. He was trying so hard to be good to her, and to make her happy. He was successful, as there was very little of her past sorrow still present in her mind. She was totally content in his presence.

Upon hearing this compliment, even though she was fully expecting it, she grinned from ear to ear nonetheless. She let out the softest of quick exhalations as she did so, giving the male the confidence to keep going.

"Yeah, has anyone ever… Ever told you? You are so… Beautiful," he told her. She giggled softly hearing this, and felt a kind of pride that she had given him some confidence to talk to her. It put her in mild distress that he was so scared of her before, so now he felt more comfortable, she was even more so content.

Blu was happy that his compliment had appeased the female, but he didn't expect her to return the gesture.

"Well," began Jewel. "I am glad that you find me outwardly attractive. But I have to say," she continued, her demeanour going from relaxed, straight back to a staccato purr, "And I'd never say this if I didn't truly believe it, but, you know… Sweetie… The colour of your fine feather coat is scintillating to say the least. Is that how you got your name?" Blu was in heaven. A million different words initially tried to escape his beak, but eventually he managed to choke out a single sentence.

"My name is Tyler."

Jewel's beak dropped, "Your name is Tyler!?" Blu blushed and nodded. "I… Don't like it," she admitted. "But not to worry… I will call you Blu. It suits you so much better," crooned the female. Tyler was pleased with this.

"Now that that is out of the way, is there anything else you'd like to tell me? You wouldn't happen to be wondering whether the song we sang earlier meant anything, would you?" probed Jewel. The male looked at her in disbelief.

"Jewel, how do you know me so well? You've not even known me for a week!"

"Well, why do you think?" she asked. Blu looked thoughtful.

"Well, I mean… I have a good idea," he admitted. Pleased enough with this answer, Jewel dispelled his other fear.

"And why did you sing that song earlier?" questioned the female.

"Umm…" he pondered. "Well, I guess I just didn't quite know what else to do, because I was kind of scared to face you."

"Why do you think I joined in?" interrogated Jewel. Blu looked at her blankly. "Why do you think I so laboriously emphasised the lyrics? 'Just to fall in love'?" Blu was in disbelief.

"So you… You, erm… You do?" he stammered.

"I do, what?" asked Jewel.

"You do, you know…" insinuated Blu, gesturing for Jewel to fill in the loving gaps. She knew precisely what he was talking about, but was being deliberately obtuse to get him to say it.

"I am afraid I don't know," replied Jewel. Blu felt a small ounce of frustration.

"Come on, Jewel… We both know what I'm talking about, so, why put it off?"

"Well maybe it's because I'm not sure. Maybe it isn't my place to say," she answered, mysteriously.

"But it's… Mine?" he asked.

"Well… It depends on what it is that you want to say…" she whispered, eyes narrowed to slits, waiting for him to finally say the words.

"Wouldn't it be better… Coming from you? From me, it's a given," reasoned Blu.

"No. You say it," insisted Jewel. Blu had caught her.

"So you DO know what I'm talking about!" he announced with triumph, to which Jewel laughed coyly.

"You've got me. I fell right into your trap, huh? So, you're gonna tell me, or nah?" she purred.

"I'm not. You say it," requested Blu.

"Nah," she whispered, "I'm not going to say it. So you can either give up on the hopes of-" she continued, but was cut off as Blu delivered the proverbial statement.

"I love you," he said, quickly, though with full sincerity. This sent Jewel into a full fit of enthralled giggles; dopamine flooding her system.

"Wait, wait, wait…" she breathed, through her vocal pleasure. "Say it again?" Blu had no fear telling her a second time.

"I love you," he sighed, dreamily.

"I love you, who? Who do you love? It's not… Me? Is it?" she teased. Spiritually, she was bouncing around the entirety of the fake hollow, though in reality she was firmly rooted in place.

"You," he stated, "I love You, Jewel." Upon hearing this, without a doubt, the female practically squealed with joy.

"Aaaah! You are way, way too precious, sweetie!" she cooed, closing her eyes to enjoy the sensation. Blu received immense pleasure from this. He didn't know quite how to respond, so he was himself.

"Yes I do! I love you! You are who I love, I love you, I love you, Jewel," he announced, proudly and playfully. This only added to the female's joy, and this was enough to actively make her move. She could stay rooted no longer.

Her pleasure came to an abrupt end when she jogged her injured wing, and winced in pain. The dopamine still present in her system negated the irritation, but it was enough to bring her back to her senses, but she was still in good spirits.

"Oh! Honey, are you okay?" asked Blu. Jewel nodded.

"Yeah, I am. And hey, look who's using the pet names now!" she praised. Blu was about to ask if she would rather he didn't use that name, but when he reflected on the context of the conversation, he realised that it would be a futile statement. "Well! Look at you! Telling me you love me. You better hope I say that I love you, too," she teased.

"You just did," smirked Blu.

"Did I!?" gasped Jewel in mock disbelief. "Did I just say that I love you too?"

Blu shook his head in a similar kind of mock disbelief.

"It is you who are too precious, Honey," he answered. "But yes. You did."

"Well, in that case," she began, "What was it you said…" she whispered aloud. She recalled his prior statement for all of a few seconds before declaring, "Yes I do! I love you, too! You are who I love, too, I love you, too, I love you, too, Blu."

It was Blu's turn to go all giggly, now. The male didn't do as good of a job of containing his excitement as Jewel did, and so he seemed to do a kind of celebratory jig, to Jewel's immense amusement.

"What are you doing, you silly bird?" chuckled Jewel, observing his actions with great pleasure. Blu answered her quite candidly.

"I don't know," he began, before realising that was the wrong answer, "Well, I do, but… This reaction is because… I'm just so happy! I haven't been this happy since I went sledding with Linda!"

"Well!" responded Jewel, "Whatever 'sledding' is, it must be really fun!" Blu wound down from his celebration to don a warmer tone, to explain to her what sledding is.

"Yeah, it's very fun. I recall that it was during the winter months, when I was a lot younger. It's basically where you stand on a flat platform and then…" he began, before realising a very acute way of explaining. "Remember when we flew down the roofs when Nigel chased us on the sheet of corrugated iron?" To Blu's question, Jewel nodded. "Sledding is very much like that. Only we don't use iron, we use plastic boards."

"What's plastic?" asked Jewel. Blu tapped on the floor, and Jewel observed his foot and by extension the prop tree. "Ohhh. That makes sense."

Jewel observed his foot, and then defocused her vision so that he, in his full form, was fully within view.

"Sweetie," she whispered.

"Still not used to that," replied Blu. Jewel chuckled softly, and stood up. Blu then found it necessary to protest this. "Wait, why are you…" he began, but Jewel dispelled his fears.

"I'm just getting a little more… Comfortable," she informed him. Jewel sat down once more and felt content with this action. She then looked at the male and voiced a question that was on her mind, as she felt somewhat cold. "Blu. You're a bird of the human world. Has something been invented by them that's soft and plush that would keep me warm?" she asked. Blu thought for a second before responding.

"A hot water bottle." Jewel looked at him sincerely and questioned him.

"Do you see one of those here right now?" The male shook his head in obvious response. "Wanna know a secret jungle method to keeping warm?" she offered. Blu seemed intrigued by this idea.

"Sure," he replied.

Jewel cleared her throat and explained, "Well, usually, when you are with someone else, and they have to be someone you're close to, of course, there's a good way of keeping warm. Do you know what that would be?"

Blu shook his head. He was intelligent as birds go, but the answer went over his head.

"Well, the simple trick is to retain warmth by using someone else's body," she answered, before adding, "Of course, 'someone else' is the one you are close to."

Blu understood where she was going with the conversation and immediately went back to being awkward. Jewel found this to be cute.

"Come on," she purred, "come and sit down with me. I asked you earlier but you've just stood there like a pitahaya." Blu gave in and padded over to where the female was seated and placed himself down to her right side. Her head and neck turned to face him, and the male's did the same in turn.

"That's better," whispered Jewel. She gave him a few slow, sleepy blinks and suggested, "Why don't you… Bring yourself a lil' closer?" Blu's eyes visibly widened, and he voiced his uncertainty.

"I, uh… Well, I could… Get closer, I guess? But… Aren't I, you know, close enough?"

Jewel rolled her eyes, "Don't you want to be close to me?" she asked. Blu wanted nothing more than to hold onto the female and never let her go, but his decency prevented him from doing so.

"I do!" he admitted, to Jewel's surprise, "I just… I don't really know how to…" he trailed off, "...Be respectful to you. I don't know where I should, or should not…" faltered the male.

"Ohh…" breathed Jewel, looking at him, longingly, "Sweetie…" She very quickly hatched a plan to allow him to live out this wanting. "Give me your right wing," she whispered. Blu looked at her, blankly. "Just trust me," she urged, gently. Slowly, steadily, Blu obliged her.

Jewel took her own right appendage and guided his towards herself, taking the metacarpus of his wing and guiding it towards her face, and letting it brush her cheek. She then let go of him entirely and let him do as he so wished. As soon as she let go, Blu drew the wing right back, but didn't fully stow it, leaving Jewel to look at him for a few seconds, before he realised fully what Jewel said next. "It's okay," she assured him, in a soft, tender whisper that danced around his ears and made everything right with the world. Bravely, he re-extended the wing, shying back by minute distances, before moving further forwards, as if he was waiting for her to bite him. The appendage shook, and his feathers rustled inaudibly as he was but an inch from her face, to the side.

Jewel closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side, letting her cheek fall into his outstretched wing, the feathers brushing against her face. Blu had stars in his eyes, and allowed the sensation of the gesture to soak into his mind, and redefine whatever it was he knew about intimacy. He didn't ever want for anything like this in his life, so Blu was lucky enough to experience this love, this contact, as nature intended. He had never even considered what it would be like to be close to a female of his own kind until he met one, and now he was living that dream.

He wasn't quite sure what to do while touching her face, and so elected to very minutely and very gently ruffle the feathers on the female's visage. She exhaled softly, and almost inaudibly if it weren't for the passing of air leaving her beak engaging her larynx and allowing for a contented sigh to comfort the male's ears.

Blu couldn't reasonably keep this up for any longer than a half minute, and so removed the article from the female's cheek and stowed it at his side. When she no longer felt his touch, Jewel let her eyes slide open and her pupils dilated as she soaked in his features once more. For a few seconds Blu was totally beyond words. Jewel smiled at him, seeing the look on his face as being one of biblical satisfaction.

When he finally found the will to speak, he seemed to believe that he, like everyone in his position, was the first to discover love. He wasn't lying when he told Jewel he loved her, but it was now that he really and truly felt it; genuine affection, reinforced in physical touch.

His words came in a manner that was almost holy in delivery. It was as though he was giving a royal decree or announcing that there was life on another planet.

"Thank you, Jewel," he whispered. Her playful attitude washed away as her heart did the talking.

"Don't mention it, sweetie," she in turn whispered in reply, before adding to her statement something the male wasn't expecting. "Why don't you… Take that left wing of yours and just… Drape it over my back. Nice and gently," she suggested, endearingly.

Blu had a lot more confidence now, and with only minor hesitation, he did as she suggested. He felt her shift under his primary feathers, and such a thing brought unto him a great peace.

Despite how fulfilling it was to Blu, Jewel was used to being held tightly and loved through such a close action and so saw it as a very mild frustration that Blu wouldn't put his wing around her, and yet he seemed to want to keep an inch between their sides.

She speculated as to why this was, and had a good idea as to the truth. He felt like it would be wrong to lust after prolonged physical contact with the female. He wanted to treat her right, and he had subconsciously programmed himself into believing that her body was a sacred thing, and to touch her was to defile not just her, but himself, too.

This would be so, were the pair not lovers, however they had already confessed, and so there were no implications in being a comforter and a caregiver to Jewel. He wouldn't dream of letting her feel uncomfortable and it was this that gave him the desire to abstain so profusely from physical contact.

"Hey," she whispered, causing Blu to think something was wrong and immediately remove his wing from her back. She was having none of this, and so, used her own right wing to let it drape over her back where it belonged. "Shh," she crooned. "Why are you so scared of me, Blu? What do you think is going to happen?"

Blu, his appendage still resting over her back, responded, "I don't know. You… Your body… I can't bring myself to touch you, without your help," he sighed, "You're so beautiful, but, I don't want to do anything wrong."

Jewel looked at him, kindly, warmly, but seriously. She took her own right wing out from under Blu's and let it rest on top of it, but before she let it drape over his own back; just like he had done to her earlier, she ever so softly caressed the stout cerulean feathers that adorned the male's face.

He gasped as soon as the contact was made. The colour drained from his head, but was replaced with red, rosy blood that painted his face with a crimson blush, invisible below the supple, short plumage that made up his facial complexion. Reflexively, the male closed his eyes and emitted a long pleasured exhalation.

"Mmmmmm," he hummed, allowing the female to comfort him. As he was in the throes of a moral ecstasy, Jewel bobbed her head and beak closer to his ear so she could have the largest impact on his mind, making it more likely to sink in as she spoke.

"Don't be afraid of me, my sweetness and light," she purred, as soft as the feathers that coated their physical forms. "We're lovers now. I want you to know that, unless you give me a reason to say otherwise, I am all yours. My body, that you see as being so… Sacred. That part of me, too, is all yours. I trust you, and I know that you will be gentle with me. Whenever you will put your wings on me, I will know peace," she crooned, letting the male digest every single word as she tenderly caressed the side of his face. He was so overwhelmed that he simply started to cry.

He didn't sob or weep uncontrollably, he produced tears that flowed from his closed eyes, and down his neck. Some even soaked Jewel's wing, but she was unbothered by this, and simply used it to dry his eyes. When she had mopped up the rogue secretions, the male tried to give his response.

"I… I can…" he faltered, but Jewel used the same wing present to silence him for the time being.

"Hush, my dear," whispered the female, "Come on. Come closer, let me hold onto you," she beckoned. He was happy to oblige her. Blu sidled up closer to Jewel, and felt physical electrical shocks coarse through his veins as their sides made contact; plush plumage from both parrots providing a pleasure that was pure, pleasant, modest, and endearing.

She held him tightly from her sitting position, allowing a wing to drape over his back, and in turn, he let his settle on top of hers, however comfort so pleased him to orient it. After a few seconds, Jewel used that wing to ever so gently guide his head to rest in the confines of her neck. When it arrived, she tilted her head to the side and let her cheek rest on his cranium. The male closed his eyes; for the first time since he left Minnesota, he truly felt like he was at home. An unstoppable love for Jewel consumed his heart. A similar love dined on Jewel's own battle-scarred heart.

From where his ear was located, the beating of said battle-scarred heart could be heard. If a human was to listen, it would sound as fast as the idle on a car engine, but when the scale of the two animals were taken into consideration, to them, that dilation in speed meant that Blu heard a slow, healthy pulse in his left ear that reverbated into his own body, and shook his insides, letting his own heart beat at the same rhythm. For a little while, the pair simply existed together. A pertinent and underlying love comforted them just as much as their feathered coats and body heat.

Blu had enough time to stop crying, and instead had time to enjoy the sound of Jewel's breathing and heartbeat. Having someone next to him was a very comforting feeling, and if it weren't for his sitting position, he may have fallen asleep.

When Jewel was inserted into the hollow, Tulio had thrussed her up in a towel. The female had discarded this towel in the corner of the fake hollow, as it was a man made object that she found to be unnatural and strange.

"What time is it?" whispered Jewel. It took a few seconds for Blu to reply.

"Evening."

"Well, in that case, I'm tired," she announced, "And so are you, it seems." Blu nodded, not removing his face from her neck, which caused temporary rifts to appear in her feathers. "Okay, well, I am going to sleep now, which will involve another change of position. You've had a good fifteen minutes resting against me, now, and I must admit, I am feeling a bit stiff," she informed him.

Blu was upset that she was insinuating that she wished for him to leave the cosy confines of her neck, but obliged this change. Slowly, he got to his taloned feet, and when Jewel did so, too, he helped her up by letting her take his wing in hers. "Such a gentle-bird," she complimented.

"Why don't we rest on the towel? We can make it into a sort of nest. The walls of the hollow are concave to allow for this kind of thing," suggested Blu. While the towel was a foreign and unusual thing to Jewel, she agreed that it was soft, and would be adequate for spending the night on.

Jewel stood back to allow him to do so. The male took the towel and made a kind of nest with a fairly small circumference with it, which would be big enough for them both.

Upon completing it, Jewel was proud of her partner. "For a human nest… It looks somewhat comfortable," she admitted, "But it will never nearly compare to a nest in the jungle…" Blu smiled at her.

"It's definitely safer," he beamed.

Jewel scoffed, "A safe hollow is a hidden one, and if you can't hide it? Build it as high as you possibly can."

Blu laughed, awkwardly and said nothing, as though waiting to make his exit to find another hollow to sleep in for himself and leave Jewel in peace.

He never got the chance. "So," she began, sucking in a quick breath and facing the male, "Would you like to… Sleep with me?" she purred. Blu gulped, but wasn't nearly as nervous.

"Well, I… I was thinking of going elsewhere and leaving you in peace," he explained.

Jewel seemed downcast. "Oh," she said.

Blu quickly followed up, "But I'm not sure."

Jewel nodded and told him, "Oh yeah, if you want to, you can go somewhere else, but, I kinda wanted…" she informed, trailing off at the end of her sentence to figure out what was the optimal thing to say at this point in time, "I kinda wanted you next to me when I fall asleep," she admitted. Blu was not put off by this proposal.

"I guess I shouldn't really be away from you. I wouldn't want to have to… Travel, if you are in any sort of pain. It's best I'm there already, right?" he reasoned. Jewel smiled at him, warmly.

"Right," she agreed. The pair then simultaneously faced the nest.

"Ladies first," he declared with a charm. The cliché was hackneyed and stereotypical to humans, but to Jewel, it was a micro selfless act.

And so, being wary of her wing, Jewel inserted herself in the makeshift nest, and laid on her back, so that her injury was off to the left. She looked at Blu, and gestured for him to come in, and affirmed this verbally, "Okay, come and lay down next to me, sweetie."

Blu obliged her and entered the nest. He laid on his left side, to face her, on his left. With this position, Jewel encouraged him, "Wrap those loving wings around me, please. I wanna fall asleep in your full embrace," she crooned.

Once again, the male did as she wished, and held onto her. He managed to insert his left wing under her back and his right wing was draped over her stomach, sandwiched between her broken wing and her left side. Her right wing lay dormant at her side, and served as a soft spot for the male's chest.

Finally, he sidled right up next to her, and to ensure that he was holding her tightly enough, and that she was comfortable, he gave the female a soft squeeze, before releasing the tension and instead opting to gently stroke her chest to a barely noticeable degree. She squeaked when he did so, which Blu found monumentally amusing. Jewel picked up on this and asked, "What's so funny, honey?"

Blu elected not to explain. "Don't worry about it, but, are you comfortable?" he asked.

The female nodded, and turned her head to face him, "Oh, yeah. I am very, very comfortable. I feel so safe and loved," she breathed.

She closed her eyes, her head still facing him, and remained silent for a few seconds. Blu continued his present motions, and similarly closed his eyes.

Out of the blue, Jewel smirked gently and asked an innocent question. "Why are you… Stroking my tummy like that?"

Blu answered quickly, "I thought you might be a dog. That's what you do to dogs who want attention." She looked playfully incredulous, though she was not asking an amusingly rhetorical question.

"And why do you think I might be a dog?"

"When I squeezed you a second ago, you squeaked like a chew toy. A chew toy being a rubber thing that squeaks and dogs like to chew on them," explained Blu. Jewel looked thoughtful, "So if a chootoi is something that a dog chews on, then why would me… Making a sound like one, make me a dog?" she asked.

Blu shrugged, "I don't know," he admitted.

"You didn't think that through, did you?" she chuckled, sleepily.

"Nope," confirmed Blu, and Jewel copied his confirmation.

"No," she whispered.

"But, would you like me to stop?" asked Blu. Jewel shook her head.

"No, not at all. It feels very pleasant," she told him. Adding to the thought, Jewel went on, "In fact, I will be honest with you, Blu, this isn't my first relationship. But, you know, if I pledged to give myself to some of my prior partners? Things would have almost immediately gone somewhere that I don't think has even once crossed your mind this evening."

Blu looked at her, warmly, sweetly ignorant, "What hasn't crossed my mind?" He proved her right with this statement.

"Exactly," she replied, before continuing, "I feel safe with you, you know," she told him. Blu was pleased to hear this, and so voiced his satisfaction.

"I am glad you do, honey. I just… Want you to be happy. I want to look after you," he explained.

"And that is very precious, and, it is the reason why I trust you, you know, sweetie," complimented the female. "If the most you'll do to me extends to hugs, reluctant face touches and figuring out if I'm actually masquerading as a certain animal which is unrelated to a certain noise I made by rubbing my belly, then I think no problems will arise whatsoever," she went on, finishing the latter words barely holding back her laughter at the absurdity of the statement. Blu similarly joined in with her amusement. He leapt to defend himself.

"Wha-a-at? I thought everyone knew that dogs go 'squeak', not 'woof'. It was a perfectly legitimate proof of concept, and actually, come to think of it, you said you like it, right?" asked Blu, to which Jewel nodded.

"Mhm," she affirmed.

"Technically, since the test was to see if you would indeed like it, then, wouldn't that mean that it was true?" stated Blu, mysteriously.

Jewel raised an eyebrow.

"I don't follow," she admitted.

Blu looked at her and said, with mock seriousness, "Jewel. I have bad news." The female's beak dropped in similar mock disbelief.

"No…" she breathed, trying not to laugh.

"Yes, I'm afraid… You are a dog," announced Blu, shaking his head solemnly.

Jewel held back a snort of laughter and announced with blatant playful sarcasm, "Whatever will I do! Ruff!" Blu found her dog imitation to be obscenely funny, and burst out laughing, but still maintained a soft grip on the female. Their playful banter, even if it was a bit peculiar, was what would go on to strengthen their love for one another.

The pair continued to share their amusement, but as their mutual laughter died down, they were left with just the visages of each other to keep them entertained, which was more than enough for both of them.

Their heart rates slowed, but increased in pressure. Their minds went to similar places, and the pair wondered how they could vent the feeling they were experiencing.

"You know…" whispered Jewel, "There are other things we can share, besides hugs." Blu looked at her, with a dreamy smile on his face.

"Like what?" he replied, his voice a similar whisper.

"Well, remember what happened on the way down, just before you saved my life?" prompted the female. Blu's blood increased in temperature, and an itch of heat descended along the length of his spine.

"Y-yeah?" he replied, nervously.

Jewel narrowed her eyes and asked, sweetly, "Would you like to… Experience it all over again?" Blu looked uncomfortable all of a sudden. Being close to Jewel felt special to him, but he had no desire to kiss her, as the sensory overload of being held was overwhelming enough. He recalled the kiss they shared as they fell to what Blu thought was their mutual demise, and even though he personally experienced it, he could not personally conceive of the pleasure he felt, even knowing he was going to die.

It frightened him to think of how he might feel when he was alone to savour the taste of his partner without any kind of inhibition. He didn't like where his mind might go, and he was hellbent on loving her, and learning to do so for the way she made him feel alongside her acts, with a respectful hint of her physical attraction added to that mix, but the act of tasting her once again was an action he worried might dull or subtract from the feelings he was currently experiencing.

Being held, to him, was magical and new, and he wanted to explore that feeling and learn all about it. He felt a genuine fear that if he was to kiss Jewel again, all of that magic would be removed from the purity of a hug, even if their proverbial kiss would be shared in modesty.

As Blu comprehended this fact in his mind, and wished to tell Jewel he wanted to say no, she prompted him, but with care. "Hey," she whispered, "I'm not asking you to kiss me, I'm… I'm asking if I can kiss you. It's okay if you aren't comfortable with that. I can see that look on your face," assured Jewel, tenderly.

Blu shook his head, silently. Jewel was internally very surprised, but she understood. She affirmed his fears with a slow, poetic blink.

"I… It's just that… Ahh…" he stammered. The male inhaled deeply and let out the pent-up oxygen in one controlled exhalation. Now fully composed, he gave his explanation. "I'm not even used to being… Physical… With you… When we kissed, It was… So special, and, I don't really just want to," he answered, stumbling as he went, but took a second to fix his gaze on the female's beak before finishing his response, "I don't really want to take away from holding you close, by sharing something so… Intimate. I'll be ready in time, but, for now, I think it would be best that I get used to your body, and you get used to mine," he finished, before adding on a quick desire for affirmation, "...Right?"

Jewel closed her eyes, shook her head slowly and smiled a full smile at him. It turned into a grin as she opened her eyes. "That is just… The most perfect, perfect response. You really, really respect me… That much?" she crooned, almost seeming somewhat lost for words. It took a lot to shake Jewel, but everyone has their limit.

"A perfect response for a… Perfect girl," replied Blu, his voice taking on a similar purr to Jewel's intoxicating whispers.

The female was awestruck that anyone could give such a response. She let out the softest, most gentle noise of pleasure at the response she had just been given.

"Ohhhh…" she cooed, looking at him with an intense and passionate longing. Blu looked at this gaze and reflexively closed his eyes, and for a few seconds held some pride in his ethics. Jewel shook her head gently, and out of the blue, she whispered, "Hold me tighter…"

The male smiled and obliged her, clasping the female even closer to him, squashing her slightly in the process. This caused her to laugh at the amusement of the gesture. "Hey, not that tight. You're squeezing me like a nut you're struggling to crack," she giggled.

"Oh, sorry," he laughed, nervously, releasing the tension at once.

"Oh, it's okay," replied Jewel, sucking in a few quick breaths. "It's nice to feel wanted!" The male smiled at her.

"Yeah, I do want you. And I'm… Very grateful to have you here with me, right now," he sighed with content. Jewel looked at him and flashed a similar smile. For the entire night, she had barely gone a minute without smiling.

"You're grateful for me? Well, I'm even more grateful for you. I didn't need to do much, just get you out of a cage, and I didn't even need to do that. I could have just let Nigel capture me, because we escaped in the end, didn't we? Because you saved me," she breathed, her voice was dreamy and longing.

She allowed that thought to roll around in her head for around two minutes, which was spent in silence. Blu elected to remain quiet, since Jewel was no longer looking at him, even though her eyes were transfixed on his face; she was looking through him, not at him.

Blu laid back, and so did Jewel. One-hundred-and-twenty or more long seconds of silence were endured between the two, before Jewel broke it, at last.

"You saved me…" she spoke in barely any kind of a voice at all, and Blu didn't even hear it.

"Sorry?" he enquired. Jewel turned to face him, her eyes practically bursting with love and thankfulness.

"I haven't really… Thought about it up until now…"

"Thought about what, sweetie?" asked Blu, somewhat more seriously this time. Jewel's beak dropped open and she smiled at him in a manner where she looked so whole and so full of energy.

"You saved me," she said, somewhat quietly, but loud enough to be heard. Blu inhaled and began to respond.

"Well, I mean, I suppo-" But Jewel cut him off almost immediately.

"You saved me! You really, really saved me!" she exclaimed, striking a chord in the male's heart and giving him a feeling of satisfaction in what he had done. It was clear by the look on her face that she was truly ecstatic, and she continued to repeat the same phrase over and over again, while holding him ever tighter as she did. "You saved me! Oh, my love, you saved me!" she rejoiced.

Blu interjected with a statement of his own so as to give Jewel some credit for their mutual safety and for being in their present situation.

"Well, you know, you did save me from Nigel, didn't you?" prompted Blu, but Jewel wasn't going to take this answer.

With this, she countered with, "Save you? I just landed a few blows on the brute before he played dirty and captured me. We'd have ended up in the exact same situation whether I had intervened or not, but, I suppose, we wouldn't be here if I hadn't come. If I had just gone to the party with Nico and Pedro, then we wouldn't be here now. In fact, I could be dead, because Nigel may have found me and killed me himself if I were unsuccessful in fighting him off." Blu felt a spark of accomplishment dance within his heart, which lept from within and displayed itself in his eyes.

"I… I guess you're right," he agreed. "I really did save you." Jewel nodded vigorously.

"I respect your wishes, that you don't want to be kissed, but if you did then I would really, really, really want to do so, right now," she admitted.

"I'm afraid I still wouldn't be comfortable with that," replied Blu.

"It's okay," assured Jewel. "It was just… A thought. But, I will say now, there is something similar we can do. Something special, but something that won't take away from the sensation of holding me," she revealed. Blu was interested by this offer and so raised his eyebrow as if to say, 'tell me more'.

Jewel dipped her voice to a whisper, winding down from her prior excitement in anticipation for what was to come. "Do you trust me?" she asked, solemnly, her voice a guttural, endearing whisper.

"Yeah, I… I trust you," replied Blu, a sense of confidence in his voice despite his not-so-fluent response. Upon hearing it, Jewel began to bob her head closer to his, and closed her eyes, reflexively.

Blu had to test his trust of her to its fullest extent. As she drew closer, he thought about saying something to her about what it was that she was doing, but he elected to remain quiet. Slowly, surely, her head drew closer and closer. Blu didn't know what she was doing, but he didn't shy away from it.

Ever so gently, the most miniscule of contact was made between the pair's beaks, and when he felt her head and the weight behind it, combined with her soft breath against his face, and her lavish perfume of exotic fruits and spices gracing his nostrils, he felt fully compelled to close his eyes in turn. Jewel bowed her head, still keeping contact with his own beak.

The female, after a second of facing downward, inhaled and made a speech. One that was not rehearsed, but came from the heart.

"Tyler 'Blu' Gunderson," she began, addressing him in full, causing the male to gulp when he heard this, before going on to make her statement. "You have saved my life, and my continued existence is only because of your selflessness and utmost care for me, Jewel Anne Moreno. In return for this act," she delivered, stopping to take a sniff as the speech she was giving was emotionally intensive, indicated by the quavering tone her elegant voice took on beginning when she recited her full name, which she buried deep within before continuing. "In return, I will never leave your side. I will be with you until the day you die, or the day that I die, whichever comes first, and then after that I will wait for you as I walk the path for you to join me. I will devote my life to you, and my sole mission will be to spend it with you. You don't need to ask if I will marry you, because the answer is yes. You don't need to ask if we can be mates, because the answer is also yes," finished the female, letting out a pained exhalation.

The later parts of her statement were delivered smoothly, but the female held onto that composure by a single thread. Jewel lifted her head, contact with his beak still remaining, to look into his eyes, where it was revealed that both pairs; male and female, were sodden with tears, as was necessitated by the heavy bouts of emotions being handed out.

"The… Sole act of… Sacrificing yourself, truly sacrificing yourself…" quavered the female, who received a gentle, supportive wing against her side courtesy of her mate, "That alone makes you worthy of my heart and my soul. I just… Haven't had… Time to think about it, but it's true. You were there, and you saved me. I owe you my life," she cried, softly.

The female closed her eyes and let her emotions run freely, and Blu was similarly unable to do much besides feel overwhelmed. Jewel buried her head in his chest as he laid on his back and proceeded to dampen his plumage.

The noise she made was dreadful, but it was all made in good spirit, as though she appeared to be in the deepest pit of sorrow, her heart and soul were what prompted this reaction, as it was the only one her physical form could give in return to this pressure. Blu just held her tight as he felt her body convulse, as if she had repeated hiccups as her diaphragm was interrupted from inhaling oxygen due to her present state. It mattered not to Blu, as he was happy she saw him as a safe space. Though Jewel was crying like a baby, Blu somehow had the willpower to speak.

"Are… Are you asking me to marry you?" he asked, through his own emotion. Jewel was beyond a response, but Blu recalled her speech. She said the answer was Yes, but in time, and so with this information in his mind, he just held her ever tighter and closed his eyes.

The female continued to use him as her own personal sanctuary.

For a good ten minutes did the pair continue to weep, until they wound down from the umpteenth high of the day. It could be said that their exchanges moved so fast, and their relationship went from enemies straight to lovers in just over 48 hours, but it was the true content of a rare character, in the form of Blu, that was shown to Jewel, someone who could appreciate that character. The two lovebirds were proverbially made for each other, and it didn't take long to discover this.

"Jewel…" whispered Blu.

"Y-Yeah," she responded, her voice still yet to regain its firm, silky tone.

"You said that… You would marry me, and be mates with me?" he breathed.

Jewel sniffed and replied, "My heart, soul, body, and mind belong to you, now. You need to take care of me, and be gentle with me, and love me. I will bring it all right back to you."

There was a sense of peace present in her soul that revealed itself in her words.

Blu smiled from his position which faced straight up at the ceiling. Jewel's head was still laid on his chest, facing the wall.

"I don't know what to say to such a thing," replied Blu, before thinking of one thing he could promise that was relevant. "Of course, my heart, and my mind, my soul and my flesh are all yours, too."

"I am glad your heart belongs to me. It sounds so strong… So healthy, and yet, so wise," she breathed. Blu took a wing from her back and placed it on the side of her head that faced upwards, so as to shelter her other ear, and allow the sound to seep into her mind. As he kept it there, he also toyed gently with the graceful little curls that protruded from the back of the female's head, letting them bend under his wing and then softly, silently, spring back into place and rock to and fro for a second or two afterwards. Blu found this amusing.

"I love your crest, honey," whispered the male. He realised it was of little point saying such a thing, as the female was essentially deaf.

However, she could hear something spoken in English emerging from within him and so mumbled, "Hmm?"

Blu removed his wing and repeated himself, "I was just saying that I love your head crest."

Jewel chuckled softly and whispered in response, "I can feel you playing with them. It tickles."

He smiled at her and continued to play with them, simply enjoying the moment as it came to him, but there came to him a realisation that Jewel was his, and that was a very overwhelming thing. He sniffed once more, and continued to toy with Jewel's feathers, moving on from her crest, and then down her neck to draw invisible patterns and designs on her back.

"Mmm," she sighed. "That feels… Restful." Jewel was laid on her right side, on her unbroken wing so that she was able to rest her head on his chest in the first place.

The warmth of her flesh against his own invoked a sensation within his heart that could not be replicated by anything else other than true love. As he held onto her, around her back, he took his right wing and ever so gently touched the female's face, her eyes still closed.

She sighed, contentedly once again, and breathed, "If you're not careful… I might fall asleep with all of this wonderful stroking." After a few seconds longer of the same gestures upon her face, Jewel spoke once more, "I'm proud of you, you know. You could do just about anything to me right now, within reason, and I wouldn't protest one bit, but you just want to make me feel comfortable. Make me feel safe and warm and loved. I didn't see my life going this way."

"Oh?" prompted Blu, to which Jewel nodded.

"I thought for sure I'd be… Dead by now. But I am so glad that I'm not. After all I've been through…" Blu went to ask her about the latter part of her statement, but Jewel moved on too quickly. "But that's all in the past. I want to be present in the… Now," she finished, sloppily, as her haste to move on with conversation came at a detriment to her grace in speaking.

The male let her just rest for a moment, but as he continued to toy with her face, and let her natural scent cloud around in his mind, he reminded himself of her prior statement, 'You could do just about anything within reason and I wouldn't protest one bit,' she had said.

"Honey…" he whispered.

"Mhm?" Jewel hummed, prompting the male to deliver his request.

"Can I… Look at you? Your face?" It was not what Jewel was expecting, but she was happy to oblige him.

"Of course," she replied, letting herself rise somewhat. Blu supported her as she did.

"Here I am," she chuckled, somewhat awkwardly, but mostly happy to mutually gaze into her partner's eyes. He caressed the side of her face and the sensation caused a chill to flow through her veins and her eyes to close for a few seconds. When she opened them once more, she saw the male gazing back at her, with a conviction in his own eyes, but not one that instilled any fear.

She knew.

"Y-You don't have to, if you don't want to," she assured him, shakily, the initial chill giving her a taste of what was to come.

He said nothing, and instead, he simply brought her head to his, and went for her beak, and engaged in a kiss not dissimilar to the one they shared when they believed they were in the last moments of their life, only this time, there was still so long left they had on the earth. They thought, as they continued their brief contact, of what would happen in the future.

A mutual vow was made to protect one another should the worst happen, and so too was a wanting to bring into the world and raise young. They seemingly had a discussion, with a foregone conclusion; in time, the pair would live such a dream.

All of their thoughts seemed to be intertwined, and their contact said more than words ever could. From the outside, they kissed, but on the inside, there was a reinforcing of a bond that was soon to be unbreakable, and such a thing is so easy to misconceive or to share in vain, but the two macaws were fortunate to share such a thing in a moral and upstanding way, as was the closest to perfection as could be.

When they drew back, they were left gasping for breath, and were fully sated. There was nowhere else it would lead to, because in an event of pure circularity, the pair were right where they wanted to be. Blu didn't need to be afraid anymore, he didn't need to be anxious and he didn't need to hide his feelings. Similarly, Jewel learned that there was freedom to be found in an earthly being, and that love could come from the most unlikely of places.

She had seen something she had never envisioned in her years of nomadic life, and that was a soul as genuine and pure unto her as Blu's. She recognised that he wasn't perfect, and just the same, Blu recognised that Jewel wasn't perfect either, but the flaws in the couple were ones they were able to overlook as being mere character features, rather than irritations.

They just laid right where they were, breathing heavily, beaks wide open, smiling wholeheartedly at one another, their eye contact saying just as many words as when they shared their contact. It was this exact exchange that had gone on for the whole evening that was the truest definition of love. Such a four letter word was often diluted to any point where two living beings were together and felt a connection, however mild, and however wrong, but mostly focusing on physical attraction to the flesh.

Jewel was perhaps the most beautiful girl Blu had ever seen, and would ever see, but such looks were not something that mattered to him. He saw Jewel as an angel, but an angel of living tissue, one that would fail one day, and would not be young forever. He wanted to love her as she was, as one day, the world would no longer see her as beautiful, though, in his heart, nothing would ever possibly change that fact.

It was to be said, quite certainly, the two birds, though they had only known each other for such a short time, were, to the purest, truest and most sincere definition of the word, in love. Not in lust.

"I…" breathed Jewel, "I've never…"

"Shhh," hushed the male. "Go to sleep," he then crooned. Jewel smiled at him, and gave him a slow blink of affirmation.

"I love you," she whispered. Blu blinked at her in return.

"I love you, too, my precious Jewel," he replied.

Upon hearing this name, the female went blank and just continued to look deeply into the eyes of her partner. Blu reciprocated this gaze.

Seconds ticked by, before the pair closed their eyes and shared one last quick kiss. Over in an instant, it was all they needed. For a few seconds longer, after this final gesture, did they continue to look into each other's eyes. Their retinas burned with passion, and both birds looked as though they wanted to simply merge together and be one, living in unity in total ecstasy.

It was not to be. They were tired, and such a thing was not possible in their skin and their flesh. Jewel, without removing eye contact with the male at any point in time, rested her head back down on his chest, and continued to look at him for a few seconds, before slowly, surely, her eyes both gently slid shut, and did not open again.

Now that they were together, and as close as they could be, it was time for the male to earn some well rested sleep.

He closed his eyes once more, but this time, he wouldn't open them again, either. He knew he would look at Jewel all night if he allowed himself. But it didn't seem to matter, because although his eyesight was no longer in use, the sharp and fiery tang of her fragrance still circulated through his veins like a kind of anaesthetic. The baby blue hue of her feathers burnt into his retinas provided a kind of permanent backlight to his inactive vision that served as a constant reminder to her physical appearance.

In Jewel's own mind, she was left with the same feelings. Blu smelled of coconut on account of having frequent baths, and although it was slightly unnatural to Jewel, it reminded her of home, with a hint of something sweet to it, which was so fitting, and she loved every little bit of it that she inhaled.

So too were the insides of her inactive eyes adorned with the hue of her partner. She didn't quite know what kind of tint of cerulean he was. She just elected to call the funny shade of dark blue that was present on his plumage, 'Blu', as this was the most candid and fitting name. Blu Blue.

Both male and female, smiles on their faces, joy in their souls and love in their hearts, slowly, surely, drifted off to sleep. It was undoubtedly certain that they would dream of each other. With so much dopamine flooding their system on account of the evening they had shared, it was little wonder that they both fell asleep in minutes.

And in the end, the aviary in all its imperfect glory was left with the sounds of two sleeping lovers to be seen as the only authentic sounds to be heard within. The lights stayed on, there was paint peeling from the walls, the trees and plants were plastic and never alive, but that didn't matter. They were together, and that was enough.

---

Epilogue

At first there were only lights, then shapes, then colours.

The male blinked. He had no idea what time it was, but all he did know was that he was suddenly back in reality. And his first thoughts were that there was something strange lying against him. It wasn't a hot water bottle, or a weighted blanket, or a teddy bear.

The strange thing seemed to move, and was pressed up against him. It looked reminiscent of a stuffed animal, but it had a warmth to it that was dramatically unlike an inanimate object; it undulated and had a sense of weight to it. It was light blue and female. The sound of her breathing and his own were the sole sounds present in the atmosphere.

Blu closed his eyes, and softened his own breathing. The female's head was laid on his chest, and all he could see was the crest that clung boldly to the back of her skull. As he inhaled and exhaled, his chest rose and fell, and there was a pleasure taken from seeing Jewel's head rise and fall with it, along with the contact pressing up against his side with every breath she made.

Inadvertently, with the grip he had on her, Blu gave the female a gentle squeeze. As he tightened his wings around Jewel, holding her tightly to him, she let out the softest, gentlest of pleasured sighs from within her sleep. Though it was invisible to him, a smile crept across her face, even if she was still deeply rooted in her current dream.

Whatever it was she was currently dreaming about was just fantasy, as the thing she was enduring in the real world was a true dream. She was warm, safe, loved, and cared for in the wings of her partner, and even though she was miles away, her love for him still improved dramatically.

Then something happened. A burst of warmth washed over her, but she didn't even truly know what happened. A disturbance was planted on the top of her head in the form of the softest and most tender of kisses courtesy of the male.

It was a gesture that held no connotations to it, other than the ones he truly felt, which was a cocktail of the most moral kind of love and affection one could possibly muster for their true soulmate. Blu drew back his head and rested. He held onto the female knowing that she was his, and he was hers, and that nothing would ever change that.

Even when one of them would breathe their last, and leave the world forever, this truth would stay the same, as they might be apart but in their hearts, they would still be firmly connected. And when they would be reunited, they would go on loving one another, to the truest and furthest definition of the word 'Forever'.

The male then thought to himself, how on earth did he get here? With this wonderful girl wrapped up in his arms, clasped close to him, so in love. He held in his mere embrace someone who cared, and would protect him and build a hollow for him and raise young with him. It was so daunting that such big things could come from such a small being.

Jewel was his wildflower, his jungle girl, his protector, his lover, and his partner. She was a free and airy spirit who only ever loved the world, and it was when he thought of her as such did he really truly reflect on how he got to where he was, now. That one little maxim that was to be wild, and free. Or indeed the whole concept of freedom itself.

The male thought of that word, what it meant, and how it related to Jewel. He smiled as he drifted away on that definition, giving the female one last tranquil stroke as he did, before closing his eyes and falling back to sleep.

Freedom.

The condition of being able to, or allowed to do something, say something or think of something without being controlled or limited in some way, by anyone or anything, be it sentient or not, and be that interference deliberate or more up to chance. Whether it is an action done unto one by a single person, or whether it is from a combination of a few things.

The most candid way of summing up the contrary to this concept was a fate that Jewel was currently suffering, and as was he.

The pair were birds in a cage. But their confinement didn't matter. They were together; they had one another, and they had the love to see it through. In their own way, with the endless depths of their hearts and the unending bounds of their souls, though their physical forms may have been inhibited by the confines of the aviary, their love was as wild and as free and as genuine, tender, structured, moral, and teeming with integrity as anyone could ever hope to experience it.

In short, Blu and Jewel were together, and by extension, they had their Freedom.