Hi all, this isn't my first time dabbling in fanfiction. But it is my first dipping into this fanbase after watching the films a couple days ago and finding myself inspired and in love with them. This will be a short story, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

Letting Go

"And maybe, just stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about us."

Those were the last words she said to the already crushed Blu, before leaving him like everyone else.

He had only wanted to help. He had only wanted to fix his mistakes. But anything he did backfired. And in the one moment that it all mattered, the one that would've righted all of his wrongs, he screwed up. Now he was hated by all, even by his family it would seem.

He had never been the most popular to begin, particularly with his father-in-law. Even Roberto managed to replace him as the father figure in a matter of days. But he had at least hoped he wouldn't be the shame of the entire Spix Macaw population.

"Why am I even still here? I obviously don't belong. I'm a city bird, not a rainforest bird. I can't change overnight. But it's clear Jewel and kids love it here. I've never seen them so happy before. They belong here. But me? Never. Though she's too kind to admit it, Jewel would rather be with Roberto. 'Oh Roberto! You are so handsome, so amazing! You would make a great dad!' Yeah, a dad to my kids!"

He kicked a rock out of frustration, but immediately regretted it as a sharp pain drove up his talons.

He slumped. There was nothing he could do to change things now. Any attempt would just result in hostility from the other Spix Macaws.

Blu was too depressed to do anything else, but decided to find somewhere distant from the others to rest. Why mope here when he could find his own pit of doom?

But before that, he wanted to find his kids. He wanted to see if maybe they still looked up to him, it was worth a shot anyway. He couldn't exactly feel any worse at the moment.

He strapped on his fanny pack, and took off.

He avoided the central flying area above the lake, wanting to avoid the glaring eyes of his species.

Though Blu didn't feel at home, he couldn't deny the place was beautiful, far prettier than even Rio or Minnesota.

The waterfalls' roar rumbled through the Amazon as the water cascaded over the ridge into the crystal lake below. The land was rich in bounties of flowers, several species not even he recognised. It was a canvas of colour that covered the ground and walls. But this place was home to more than just the radiant birds that inhabited the bright skies. From stygian black panthers that stalked the dark undergrove, to the opportunistic snakes that coiled in the trees, to the tiniest insects that swarm in their millions.

Despite the multitude of danger, he would have loved to live here. But alas, this was a treasure out of reach.

Up ahead was Roberto's spare nest. Though it was more of a mansion than something he claimed to have just thrown together. He wasn't keen on that Macaw. There were absolutely no problems about him, and that was what was most bothering. He was pristine. The perfect jungle-dwelling specimen that had everything a mate could want.

Normally that wouldn't bother Blu, but it only made his flaws all the more glaring. Not only that, Roberto had his eye on Blu's family. The one thing that he had that Roberto didn't. It made sense, why else hadn't he found a mate for himself yet? The females practically threw themselves on him.

But for all the conspiracies he could throw, he had no evidence to back them. And each second that bird wormed deeper into his family, boring a hole between him and them.

He flew through one of the many entrances of Roberto's palace. "Kids, are you here?" he called, using his wings to amplify his voice. "Kids?"

Childish laughter could be heard emanating from one of the holes opposite him.

He managed a weary smile. At least they managed to stay cheerful.

"Hey, kids?"

He wandered closer to the hole, only to be met with a gut-punching sight.

Roberto had his perfectly kept wing around Jewel, her head pressed up against his neck. Just slightly beyond them were his kids. Tiago was flying backwards, while the sisters watched on, trying to understand how they can do that themselves.

He could see Jewel's and Roberto's beaks moving, but couldn't hear anything. He didn't need to.

This confirmed his suspicions. This confirmed his decision.

His head drooped. This was the worst decision he had ever made, but also the best.

He turned, and bumped into the chest of the last bird he wanted to see - Eduardo. His eyes were stern. Blu could tell this was a silent fury.

"Eavesdropping on my daughter, now?"

Instead of being scared, he was just angry. "Eavesdropping? She's my mate!" He narrowed his own eyes and looked away. "Not that it matters anymore..."

"You have sided with the humans, failed at every chance I've given you to change, doomed us all to a death of slow starvation, and upset my daughter. And you think you have the right to be angry with me?"

"I'm aware of all my mistakes, 'sir'. I know as well that I've been selfish towards my family. But you will be happy to know that I have made my decision. I'm leaving here, forever, never to return."

Eduardo seemed mildly surprised at this. But this didn't change his facial expression. "Leaving?"

"You were right." He pushed out his wings. " You were right, I don't belong here. The rest of my family do. I've come to the decision to leave. I won't be a burden to you, Jewel, the kids, and everyone else living here ever again."

"That is perhaps the best decision you've made thus far."

"Right again, Sir!" Blu sarcastically replied. "I was about to leave, but I wanted to say goodbye to them alone, one last time. Guess I can't now." He dragged himself over to the hole he had crawled through before. "I know for a while they will miss me. But, I also know that they will be happier in the end."

He stopped before the entrance to the hollow, one claw perched on the rim. He turned back once more to Eduardo. "Promise me two things, please. One, you and Roberto will keep the family safe, they will need you when I'm gone. And two, help them forget about me."

Eduardo's stoic figure remained unmoved.

Blu took one final deep breath. "Goodbye."

With that, he pushed himself out. His last flight in Sanctuary.

"He did what?!"

It had not been long after Blu's departure. But when Jewel came to ask her father if he'd seen Blu, he told the truth.

Roberto agreed to help her search for Blu, as did Aunt Mimi when she overhead the commotion.

In the face of her furious daughter, Eduardo tried to remain level headed. His wings remained at his side. "He said that it would be in everyone's best interest if he left."

"And you let him?"

The others could only listen solemnly. None of them could understand why Blu would just abandon his family like this, the kids in particular. They were scared, but most of all, they missed their father.

"It was his decision, and his alone. All I did was watch."

This did nothing to soothe her. "Did he mention anything, a reason? A direction?" She paced back and forth hurriedly.

"Nothing. All he asked for me to help you and the kids forget him and to look after you."

"And you agreed?-" She froze in place. Her head slowly craned towards her father. "You-" She pointed a wing accusingly at him. "You did this didn't you? You chased him away."

Eduardo's shoulders tensed up a little. His eyes widened in surprise. "I-"

Everyone looked on in shock. Mimi stared at her brother in confusion. Normally, Roberto would've jumped to his wingman's defence by now. But against Jewel? What was he meant to do?

"I knew it. Blu would never do this by himself. Why, dad? Why did you do this to him?"

Eduardo was done being calm. He flailed out his own wing in defence. "I did what was best for our tribe. He was never going to be one of us, he is in with the humans. I gave him so many chances to change his ways."

"Chances? What possible chances have you actually given him? Oh, you mean that one day of training? How could you possibly expect any bird to be ready after one day?"

"Roberto could do it. And I expected any mate worthy of you to be able to do the same."

Roberto flinched at the mention of his name. The other birds only squirmed in their feathers as the screaming match intensified.

"When did you get to decide who's good enough for me?"

"Since your last mate lost our side of the grove! It's because of him that we might be forced to leave our sanctuary. The place we had called home for the last fifteen years."

Jewel's voice grew dangerously low. "It's because of Blu, that we have a family." She viciously prodded her father, causing him to stumble backwards. "It's because of Blu, that you get to be a 'pop-pop'." Again she jabbed him again with his wing. "And it's because of Blu… that your daughter-, that I'm," she shook her wing feathers towards herself, "I'm still alive. He rescued me when no one else would. I could list a hundred a hundred reasons why I love him but I don't have the time. I have to find my mate before he makes the worst mistake of his life."

The tribe leader said nothing. His anger had abandoned him. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking under his blank frown.

She turned her back on her father and walked away.

Aunt Mimi was the first to approach, and placed a wing on her shoulder. But Jewel had no time for another argument. "If you're gonna lecture me, then don't." That was more a warning than advice.

"Don't worry honey, I understand, perfectly." She glared up at Eduardo. "It's him that's gonna get the lecture."

Jewel returned with the briefest of smiles. "Thanks, Aunt Mimi."

Mimi patted her on the shoulder. "Now go and find your man, he needs you."

She moved on past her aunt, only to be met by her children and Roberto.

"Alright, Mum, let's go find dad!" Tiago said. He bounced forward and punched the air.

"Not this time, kids. I need to find him quickly."

"But, Mum." Bia spoke up. "We can cover more ground together."

"I'm sorry, but I got to find him now. I hate to say it but you will just slow me down."

"He's our father as well, Mum." Carla, the last of the chicks argued.

"That's enough, all of you." She was getting annoyed with all of the delays. She turned up to her childhood friend. "Roberto, I need you to look after them until I get back, Please."

"Not a problem, Ju ju. You can count on me."

Jewel sighed relievingly. "Thank you, this means a lot to me."

The kids tried to argue, but their mother ignored them.

"Now, now, amigos. Everything will be alright. Your daddy will be back real soon, bien? Oh, Jewel, if it helps, I'm fairly sure I saw Blu about twenty minutes ago while I comforted you heading for the Flower Veils."

"And you didn't think to tell me before?"

"Sorry. Didn't think it was important before now. He could've gone anyway in Sanctuary in those twenty minutes. I didn't think he would leave."

"Okay, You made your point. But are you sure it was him?"

"Yeah, pretty sure, they were wearing a weird thing around their waist."

"There's no doubt that's Blu." She growled. "Fine, thanks for telling me."

With that, she sprinted to the edge of the hollow and practically flung herself out with volatile speed. As she streaked across Sanctuary, the gears in her head groaned from the speed she was thinking. She was trying to think like Blu. "If I was Blu, trying to leave here, I would… go back the way we came!"

Of course he would head back to Rio. It was were Linda lived after all. Despite knowing the rough direction he was going, it didn't make the task of finding him any less daunting. "Maybe finding help wouldn't have been a bad idea…" But it was too late to turn back.

Twenty minutes was a lot of time for a bird to cover ground, even for a slower flier like Blu. She was trying to find a blue needle in a rainforest sized haystack. The amazon was vast, and held more untamed wilds than even Jewel could ever want. For once in her life, Jewel hoped that useless piece of rubbish called the GPS kept him on the straight.

She soared high over the pink flower veils and even beyond the towering tree line.

"Hand on Blu, I'm coming for you!"

That was her last thought before vanishing out of sight of home.