Chapter 4
A friendship almost broken
Disclaimer
I do not own Rio.
Eight years before the Exodus, two thousand kilometers to the west
"Hurry up guys! Last one to the edge is a rotten egg!" A high pitched feminine voice rang through the jungle, the tone indicating it belonged to a preteen child. About a dozen or so Spix's macaw chicks whizzed passed the thinner jungle surprisingly fast for their age. The mixed group of boys and girls were obviously playing, giggling and laughing as they seemed to be racing against each other.
The birds were dodging branches and tree barks, even the occasional adult who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. For and outsider, this looked like a very reckless and dangerous thing to so, since there was no sign of any adult supervision whatsoever. However, there was a good reason these chicks could afford to fly aimlessly without a care in the world.
The territory they were soaring through fell under the control of a Spix's macaw tribe, which was thought to be the only flock left in the Amazon jungle. There were whispers and tales, sometimes the occasional claim of sightings regarding other blue macaws to the east, but they were never confirmed and thus were stuck being a rumor at best. The tribe was nowhere near the size of the biggest known groups, quite the contrary actually.
The surrounding lands were occupied by other species, and just like their eastern brothers and sisters, land disputes and violence was not a stranger to them. Under normal circumstances, flocks of small size didn't last very long, usually they were expelled or even out right killed by their enemies via sheer numbers alone. But these blue macaws had a very big advantage over the other tribes; They were not afraid to interact with anything human related.
The chicks continued their small competition, but as time went on their path was getting more and more obstructed. The relatively flat area with the occasional tree and mostly taller earthly vegetation gave way to a denser jungle, forcing them to pay better attention to the environment than out speeding each other. This resulted in a mostly fixed position, with rarely any overtaking happening via speed alone. Now, the kids gained advantages by flying in the optimal curves and angles. After a while of this enduring race, a very wide, strange spiderweb like structure was uncovered by their vision, which was a mix of mostly brown and sometimes shining gray, coupled with smaller vegetation once again. It stretched all around their horizon, giving it the appearance as if it was never ending. They recognized it as something their parents called a fence.
The children slowly but steadily reduced their speed, seeing that their finish line was just up ahead. It was a small boulder sticking out of the ground, barren from any vegetation minus light moss coverage. The female chick in the lead with light blue feathers, gray beak and golden eyes was first to fly over it, quickly turning around with a U turn and cheering wildly as she did so. The rest of the group was less enthusiastic, since that was the finish line they were trying to get to first.
"Aaaaand Diana won… Again. Nobody seen that one coming." One of the chicks exclaimed with fake excitement, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he landed on the boulder and began preening his developing dark blue feathers a second later. He rolled his blue eyes once he saw the young girl's reaction, quickly glancing over to watch as the other kids landed on the boulder to catch their breaths. Some just laid out on the rock while others with a bit more energy sat down.
"You are just mad because I beat you again, aren't you?" The winner continued to grin as she flew back down after getting rid of her excess speed, joining her friend group as they calmly rested from the taxing race. The chicks were panting at first but their breathing soon became regular, allowing them to speak properly without interruption.
"I'm not mad. I just don't think it's fair. You are at least half a day older than all of us here." The boy responded back, attempting to find a good excuse for saying his previous statement, even though it didn't really stand up to scrutiny at all. He was hoping the others would just drop it, but unfortunately for him, someone had to point it out to his dismay.
"Half a day of development cannot account for her better average stamina and endurance Lucas." A boy spoke up from behind them, walking beside a pouting Lucas and a proud Diana to look forward with no obvious target in sight.
"Oh zip it with those big fancy words, will you Blu?" Lucas was not pleased by the comment, but although his voice appeared to be harsh at first, deep down he meant no hostility towards the blue macaw. The group knew this, which was why nobody stopped him and why Blu took no offense to the comment, lightly chuckling instead.
"So, what do we do now?" A female a bit younger than the group's average age asked out loud, switching the topic and causing all of them to realize just how bored they would be unless they found something to do. Problem was, nobody planned the activities in advance, resulting in an awkward silence as they tried to come up with something entertaining to do.
"I know! Let's go look for a pond somewhere!" A boy suddenly spoke up, enthusiastically jumping up and curling one of his wings to form a fist in the air. He phrased the sentence to sound like a good challenge, something which was irresistible for a child to deny. Naturally, his idea was not met with any objection so the children leaped into action right away, not wasting a second.
"Good idea. You stink anyway, so it will do some good." A girl commented on the sidelines before she took off, causing the whole group to laugh at the boy's expense. Of course, the young boy was not amused one bit.
"HEY! I DON'T STINK!" He yelled out loud, but by that time the others have already scattered in every way possible. He just sighed in frustration and took off into the air himself, flying in a direction where the least birds went, increasing his chances of finding a good spot.
By that time, Blu was already far away from the boulder, scouting the area with his eyes for anything which might resemble water, either flowing or still. After flying for minutes on end, he couldn't find a single drop of water no matter how hard he tried. According to his mother, rain was a bit rarer than when she was a child, but finding a puddle shouldn't be that hard. Blu started to regret his decision to fly towards the border, but before he could change his mind and turn around, something caught his interest.
The young macaw instinctively slowed down to get a better look at whatever alerted him. Once he could focus better, he realized the formation he was looking at was not water, but it was a very unusual structure and warranted some examination. He considered and concluded he had enough time to check it out and still make progress on his original objective.
The formation was a bunch of dead tree branches put together with mud and leaves on top of it, basically creating a not so waterproof but acceptable shelter from the elements. The appearance indicated it was not used for a very long time, and mother nature was in the process of reclaiming it unless it was fixed up. Blu softly landed a few meters from the structure, cautiously walking towards one of the bigger holes in the side wall which resembled an entrance.
He stopped walking when he realized there was something sticking out of the dirt a bit to his right, the shape being completely unnatural and out of place. He turned away from the shelter and inspected the anomaly by stepping closer. The macaw removed twigs, leafs and other debris, uncovering something which was both familiar and unfamiliar to him. It was a human made object, but that was all he could conclude. The child could identify strange symbols of a different color on the side, something his father told him humans called letters, and they apparently somehow conveyed sounds.
Blu's curiosity was now over the roof and he decided to tinker with it. After gripping and feeling it out, the young macaw soon realized it was not one solid object, but something with a separate top firmly placed on it. He carefully jammed a talon between the fine nook, wiggling his claw a bit to make some space. Once he had a solid grip on the top part, Blu pulled on it as hard as he possibly could. After a few seconds of intense struggling, his small body pulled together enough strength to remove part of the lid. With less force holding it down, the rest separated with less and less force required. Once the lid was completely removed, he regained his balance in time to avoid falling on his back. The newly exposed surface revealed even more puzzling sights, but before he could continue examining the contents, he realized how much time had passed.
"I can't waste time doing this." He admitted to himself loudly, taking a few steps backwards to give him enough space to lift off the ground. While he was dying to find out what this box was, he didn't want to be left behind by his friend group. Blu quickly memorized the surrounding area before he leaped in the air, continuing his search for water. He had to scout his part of the jungle before the time was up.
Half an hour later
Turns out Blu was not too far off from a rather big pond for macaw chick standards. In the end it was Lucas who found it, but the location was close enough to the strange shelter that Blu could return there later if he felt like it. The kids were now enjoying the impromptu bath time, giggling and laughing all the way through it. Some were enjoying the cool water against the hot and humid air, while others were actively spraying it on each other or swimming around in circles. They were completely oblivious to the fact that two pair of eyes were watching them from the denser part of the jungle in complete silence and stillness.
"What do you think? Agustin dropped by about half an hour ago, he said the patrol is nowhere near us. We got a clear chance here." One of the spying birds spoke up, his masculine voice barely audibly at all. No one could hear him unless they were within a very close proximity.
"Are you serious? They are kids for fuck's sake. Our mission is to keep an eye on the patrols and get out, not to start an incident." The spy's partner replied with a very agitated and disgusted tone, not approving whatever his partner was apparently suggesting.
"Oh come on, don't be a fool Pablo, these are Spix's macaw chicks. Their next generation, their future. We take them hostage, our enemy will not dare to do anything. We can finally have a bargaining chip!" The first spy explained the value his suggestion would be worth with his partner, but the coldness of his voice and general lack of empathy made Pablo's blood boil. If this wasn't a mission and they weren't in enemy territory, he would have surely punch the guy out cold.
"Or we will anger them enough that they launch a full out attack in revenge. Don't be stupid Ugo." Pablo shot back, trying to reason with the younger and hot headed macaw why his idea was stupid and unnecessarily risky. He saw his partner didn't get it and was about to go elaborate further when a new bird landed behind them too close for comfort, causing both of them to jump, expecting the worst.
"Easy fellas, it's me." The intruder held up his wings, showing no hostility whatsoever. The two spies recognized him a moment later, lowering back down their guards, accompanied with heavy sighs.
"Damn you Agustin. How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?" Pablo angrily remarked, indicating this was not the first time the bird did this to them. He could have been an enemy, causing him to attack and reveal their position by doing so.
He just chuckled in response, but changed to a much more collected and serious mood a second later. "There is a problem. Team three got stuck in one of those human structures, and as per our orders, we need to free them to evade detection. Your team was the closest, so I will need one of you for assistance."
"Have they been caught?" Pablo questioned right away, worry in his voice. He known every single bird in team three so it made it a bit personal for him. The fact that they were trapped made him uneasy, since unlike the blue macaws, they knew nothing about the buildings humans left behind, making any rescue attempt hard if not impossible.
"No, the Spix's patrol will not come for another hour or so. It also happens to be that their patrol shift will be soon, which gives us a great window of opportunity. Although in the end it is an order, will you help me?" Agustin requested the assistance, knowing full well they couldn't exactly decline. Still, he was taught manners and politeness was a part of his nature, something his teammates respected. Pablo was conflicted within, since he wanted to save his fellow comrades, but that would leave Ugo alone with no backup. He stayed silent for several seconds, heavily debating whether going away to help was really the best course of action.
At the end, he couldn't argue against orders, which left him with only one choice. While he was not comfortable leaving Ugo behind, he trusted his superiors judgment, if not Ugo himself. He couldn't really blame the bird for the hostile outlook he had towards the blue feathered macaws, but assaulting children was where he drew the line. The only thing he could do now was hope Ugo can keep his cool while he is away.
"Alright, I'm going. Ugo, stay here and continue to keep an eye out for patrols. Nothing else, got it?" Pablo turned towards the fellow spy with a serious and stern look on his face, making sure to relay the fact he was not joking and it was in fact an order. The other macaw simply nodded without a word, even though his eyes clearly stated he didn't like it. "Okay. Let's go, lead the way Agustin." The two older spies took off as silently as possible, leaving the intruder all alone in the canopy.
Ugo waited patiently for several minutes to make sure his comrades were truly gone before he quickly scanned his surroundings carefully. With the exception of the children below him, he couldn't see any signs of other macaws in the area, giving him the bravery he needed to follow though with his own plans. Disobeying orders was something he despised and was almost disgusted with, but his past couldn't allow him to just sit back and watch.
The caninde macaw leaped off the branch he was hiding on, quietly gliding towards the small pond below him, carefully steering himself so his shadow would not be cast in an area where the children could spot him. He gracefully landed on the ground, the soft dirt muffling any sound his talons would make. He slowly walked towards the children, remaining undetected until he finally reached the pond's edge.
"Huh. Who are you mister? You look weird." Lucas asked out loud suddenly with unease, spotting the adult macaw only a few meters away from them. His friends quickly gone quiet and looked towards the direction the chick was facing, noticing the bird themselves. Lucas didn't realize his honesty in speech would possibly land their whole group in trouble, but unfortunately the damage was already done, causing the mildly angry face to slowly morph to something they could only describe as pure hate. By now, every chick was frozen solid by a sudden surge of fear for their lives.
"Weird? Well, not surprising I guess, coming from a bunch of brats growing up in isolation." He spoke up with disgust, closing his eyes as if he didn't even want to look at them. "I'm a macaw just like you, only I'm… how should I phrase it, better." He explained scornfully, further frightening the children who had no idea what was happening. "You all know nothing about what's going on, right?" He added shortly after, the tone clearly insisted they answer fast.
"N… not re-really." Blu managed to gather up the courage and speak up, even if he stuttered all the way through. The others remained silent, too afraid to even move a muscle.
"Your pitiful tribe is in war with ours for a long time now… And for reasons I cannot even comprehend, your tribe is winning!" The caninde macaw spoke with more and more venom dripping from each word he said. The kids instinctively bundled up together to feel a bit safer, not that it mattered too much if the stranger tried anything.
He suddenly started some sort of twisted laughter as he continued. "My tribe actually wants to make peace. Peace on Spix's macaw terms." Ugo finally moved his body, walking towards the children with sharp claws opened and ready for an attack. "No… I will not allow my tribe to be shamed. I'm going to use you as hostages to get my tribe what we deserve!" He angrily remarked, spreading his wings to take flight. The chicks figured out that this was serious and finally turned around, jumping up from the shallow water, desperately trying to take flight themselves.
It was only then they realized they were soaked in water, unable to generate enough lift to take off. With flight out of the equation, their only choice was to run, and that they did. Blu forced himself to look back and saw the mad macaw closing in on them fast. His fight or flight response was hard to beat but he had to come up with a plan or else they were done for. He looked around, desperately trying to find something which could help him.
He remembered the shelter next to that strange box he found before he joined his friends in the water. The entrance was just big enough to fit them through, and big enough inside to shelter all of them. If he could just get there, maybe he can call for help. "Guys! A hiding place to our left! Come on!" He gathered all his strength to call out, fighting back his own terror in the process. The other chicks were too afraid to argue and with nothing better to do, followed his lead.
"Oh no you don't!" The caninde macaw yelled out as he flew closer, flapping his wings harder to catch up with the kids. He decided to jump them exactly because they were wet and unable to escape, he couldn't afford to let them rat him out if an adult actually dropped by. He extended a talon forward, almost reaching the slowest blue macaw. Ugo developed tunnel vision and realized a low hanging branch was coming up right at him as he was reaching out. The chicks were small enough to run below it, but he had to dodge it unless he wanted to suffer possible injuries. He pulled away in the last moment, giving the fleeing kid a chance to catch up to the others.
By the time he recovered from the dodge, the children were almost near the hole one of them was talking about. He gained altitude and attempted to dive bomb them, aiming for the entrance ahead. If he could cut off their only escape route, they were finished. Fortunately for the blue macaws, he was a second too slow and crashed in the dirt just as the last chick ran inside.
He growled in fury, quickly standing up and dusting himself off. "You little punks will pay dearly for this." He threatened with rage, turning around to face the entrance. He could see all of them bundled up together, shaking like leafs in the autumn winds. "I'm going to get inside there somehow, and all of you will be sorry!" He laughed at their despair, realizing they basically trapped themselves with that move.
The children yelled out in fright when the adult macaw basically rammed the dirt structure, his body weight applying too much force for the material to resist. With the second run, he managed to break the wall completely, gaining entry to the hideout. There is no point hiding in an area where the enemy was, so the chicks took the opportunity to dart out next to him. For the most part, this plan worked, the majority of the blue macaws managed to get out, but three were not that lucky.
Ugo opened up his wings fully, blocking the exit for the three slowest chicks, who were caught in his grip a moment later. He had to make sure to not apply too much pressure, since a dead bird was no use as a hostage. The three kids trashed around and tried to either bite or claw their way out, but their still underdeveloped beaks and talons did little to no damage to a fully grown macaw.
"HELP!" They yelled out in unison, managing to outcry the chicks who were free but still panicking. Satisfied with his catch, the caninde macaw turned around and walked outside, only to see the children still near him, completely petrified to move once more. He considered snatching up even more but his ears picked up a sound he really didn't want to hear.
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" A deep masculine voice rang through the jungle, and moments later several fully grown macaws emerged from the treetops, flying towards the ground as fast as bullets. The blue macaws landed, their talons making almost no sound as they made contact with the soft dirt below them.
They all carried spears or sticks with them, and their expressions were everything but friendly. Shit. Ugo cursed himself, realizing he was in big trouble if he managed to identify one of the enemy correctly.
"Who the hell are you?" The biggest macaw questioned right away, not realizing at first that the caninde was holding three chicks in his wings. There was silence at first, Ugo busy trying to come up with some snappy introduction when one of the children managed to free their beak for a moment.
"DAD!" The chick cried out in fright, before the caninde macaw reapplied the pressure, silencing the kid once again. The damage was already done, since the adults heard it. They inspected the intruder better and horror morphed on their faces when they saw the helpless chicks being held as prisoners. Their eyes were now throwing daggers and burning with fury.
"Blu?!" The big macaw asked out loud in shock before his rage overtook him. "LET MY SON GO YOU BASTARD!" He roared as loud as his lungs physically allowed, preparing to charge the intruder head on. One of his comrades stepped in, restraining the raging macaw before he could leap away.
"Casper! Get a hold of yourself, he's taken them hostage!" The smaller but still well built macaw reasoned, managing to stop the bird in time before he did something rash and possible tragic. Casper regained his composure but his face did not change in the slightest. Nobody had to really guess hard what he wanted to say, but Ugo beat him to it.
"My name is Ugo from the Caninde macaw tribe. The atrocities your species committed shall end now. I have taken three of your children as hostages, and they will only be released once a peace treaty is met with our terms!" He exclaimed as loudly as possible, making sure every adult heard him loud and clear. His face was neutral, since he couldn't allow emotion to be visible, good or bad. If he wanted to be taken seriously he needed to get the upper hand and control of the situation as fast as possible. He already managed to emotionally rile up the tribe leader, who happened to be in the right place in the right time. Ugo also realized just how valuable one of these chicks was, since not only was he a Spix's macaw, but the son of the leader.
"Atrocities? You dare accuse us of such when your tribe started the whole war, and now you are taking children as hostages?!" Casper countered with dripping venom from his voice, growling like a rabid animal by this point. Internally his parental instincts clashed with his rational mind in an epic power struggle, and it showed even though he tried to hide it.
"Cut the chit chat. Unless you want these three to go to the afterlife, I suggest you all lower your weapons, NOW!" Ugo ordered, barking the command for emphasis. The intimidation appeared to work when he started to squeeze his wings, causing the chicks to cry out once again. Neither blue macaw dared to move forward upon hearing the cries. He finally got the upper hand and was now in complete control of the situation, which he used to his advantage. The caninde macaw began to walk backwards, knowing his comrades will come from behind him whenever they get back.
The staring contest continued between the two sides as Ugo moved backwards, but he felt something weird hit his talon during a step. He quickly glanced behind him, finding a strange box in his way he didn't notice before. He wanted to examine it but that was not an option right now when enemies surrounded him. What he managed to conclude was that it was human in origin, which should have caused him to panic, but seeing the blue macaws not even paying attention to it, he decided to ignore it.
Tensions rose almost to a breaking point when he realized the Spix's macaws were actually trying to surround him slowly, flanking him from both sides. This forced him to continue backwards, with no real way to go around the strange box but above it. He extended his right talon to find a good grip on the object, feeling something cold with the same texture as the fence they encountered earlier. Ugo paid absolutely no attention to whatever that was and lifted himself up to the top of the box.
Suddenly his ears picked up a whistling sound coming from his right side, and as a response, he instinctively turned to the left to evade whatever made the sound. He was right to do so, as a spear came soaring through the air only centimeters from his right shoulder. If he didn't move he would have been hit and that would have been potentially game over. Unfortunately for Ugo, this action caused him to loosen up his grip, allowing the three still struggling chicks to break free and fall to the ground, free from his prison.
His eyes widened when he realized he lost control once again and desperately tried to snatch them up before the enemy could use the opening to attack. Due to his imbalance, he rested his left leg on the opposite side of the box for better support, but it turned out that was the final mistake he ever made in his life.
Ugo suddenly felt a jolt of pain run across his entire being, paralyzing him instantly. His legs went completely numb at first, before unimaginable pain followed right after. He howled in pain as something alien flowed through his nervous system relentlessly. The box contained a bunch of high powered batteries, and his body unintentionally completed the circuit. He trashed around for a few seconds as his muscles contracted uncontrollably and way above their limit, causing them to sustain heavy damage. Due to this, he couldn't scream anymore because his breathing was no longer uniform, and he started to feel really light headed when an unexplained piercing pain manifested within his chest. After a few seconds of this silent agony, the final spark of life left his tormented body as suddenly as lightning strikes.
The corpse slowly bent to the right side enough that gravity could take over and force the body downward, breaking the circuit and allowing the muscles to finally go limp. Ugo's lifeless body fell to the dirt floor with a quiet thud, leaving the frightened children and shocked adults alone. The macaws eyes were wide in disbelief, freezing for a second because it was completely unexpected. A new blue macaw dropped down from below a tree canopy, staring at the dead body with a morbidly neutral face as he walked next to the warriors. "I go through all the trouble to make him dodge my spear, giving us an opportunity to have a good old fashioned fight and he just dies on us?"
Some time later that night
"What's the report?" Casper's voice echoed through Blu's room. The chick was tucked away safely underneath his already sleeping mother. The warmth her body emitted was slowly pushing him away from consciousness, but the voice brought him back to reality in an instant. Curiosity getting the better of him once again, he peeked his head out as much as he could without waking up his mother to hear better.
"If I had to give it a key word, suspicious. The Caninde tribe confirmed the intruder was one of them, but according to their leadership, he was an exiled bird who wanted to stir up trouble. An attempt to keep the war going between us… Permission to speak freely?" A new voice spoke up, this too belonging to a male but the pitch indicated he was younger in age, while the tone was submissive in nature.
"Permission granted. What's on your mind?"
"I don't buy that story for a second, sir. There are a lot of problems with this explanation, and the ene…" He stopped for a moment, but continued right after by correcting himself. "Caninde tribe provided very little evidence to support their claims. If they are lying, that means they sent that intruder knowing what he was planing to do." The reporter finished explaining his point of view, and after a few seconds of silence, it was met with an answer from the older macaw.
"Yes. Everyone in the council including me understands it was a lie… But this war lasted for far too long and cost a lot of brave men and women. Birds who's lives were precious and cannot be replaced. Their desperate plea to brush this under the rug proves they are in a similar situation. It would be beyond stupid to push it further… Even if one of the hostages was my very own son." The silence returned for a few seconds once again, but without direct sight, it was impossible to guess what was happening in the other room. "What about the intruder's cause of death?" The question followed and was met with a response almost as soon as he finished asking it.
"The intruder had no visible injuries at first glance. However, our medical team discovered two very serious burn marks on his two talons. It made absolutely no sense at first, but we also examined the human box which he stepped on… As it turns out, they were some sort of very powerful batteries. That bird was electrocuted, and by the looks of it, he died fast. As you know yourself, no visible signs of prolonged struggle." His speech indicated he was finished speaking for the most part.
"I see…" The authority figure commented, his tone conveying that he was deep in thought. As soon as he reached a decision about how to proceed, he made sure to voice that. "Things will continue to go as planned. Proceed with the peace negotiations; Once that mess is sorted out, get rid of that box. Last thing we want is one of our own getting killed. Dismissed."
"Yes sir." The submissive macaw respectfully replied and left shortly after, his talons scraping the wood bark before ending in fading wing flaps. Blu was way past his bed time, and now that he successfully eavesdropped on the conversation, he could go to slumber in peace. The chick buried his face in his mother's soft plumage, dozing off to the dream world in the safe presence of his parents.
Present day
Two blue feathered macaws flew above the Spix's macaw territory in a hurry, flying as fast as their bodies allowed them while still being careful enough to dodge any incoming traffic or obstacles in their way. The female was in the lead while the male was struggling to keep up, and from the looks of it, the young woman was not happy at all.
"Ugh! When I get my talons on him, he will wish he can forget what follows that!" She exclaimed in anger and frustration, her golden yellow eyes scanning the horizon like a predatory hawk, attempting to find any familiar landmarks which would tell her where her current destination was. The other macaw was starting to pant from the exhaustion but tried his best to keep up.
"Hey… I know you're mad at him and everything, but we don't need to rush like we are flying for our lives here." He commented between panting, the tiredness in his voice finally clicking something within the female, bringing her back down to earth. She slowly decreased her speed to allow him to catch up but made sure to maintain that tempo as they continued to soar through the air.
"Sorry Lucas… But Blu can really get on my nerves at times. This is not the first time he did this." She apologized for her outburst, keeping the lead as she directed them towards the area she was sure Blu would be found.
"No worries. But where are we going exactly? He could be anywhere." Lucas pointed out, not catching the terrain they were flying through. If Diana was not busy flying, she would have probably made a face palm in that very moment. She sighted heavily, realizing her friend would not know unless she told him the obvious.
"Ever since Blu got his own hollow, he spent less and less time with us. Ever noticed that?" Her answer finally kick started the gears within Lucas's mind, the realization hitting him like a giant tidal wave.
Suddenly the odd but numerous events of the past few months made sense to him. Thinking back, Blu did turn a bit more distant ever since he got his own place. He was never a very social bird to begin with, a much more reserved and shy type, but his recent behavior was out of character even for him. "You are right. You think he might be doing something in his home?"
"Probably, I'd be willing to bet on it. Whatever he's doing or hiding, it occupies him enough that he forgets to even come to our final match of the season. I want to know what's going on." Diana confirmed his suspicions, keeping an eye on the horizon as they reached the living area where their friend lived. She glanced along the canopy, trying to find a familiar pattern of trees which would tell her where the hollow's entrance was. After searching for a while, she managed to recognize something and located Blu's potential hideout in mere seconds. The two macaws banked to the left, preparing to land on the tree branch as silently as possible to not disturb the residents who lived there.
Meanwhile, said blue macaw was oblivious to the outside world around him, tapping his talons to the beat of music as he seemed to move around the giant hollow. The interior looked like a weird mix of a natural and man made living room. It was mostly natural in appearance, but it was clearly modified to fit a pattern instead of the randomness of nature. Metal and plastic was scattered all around, retrofitted to serve this macaw for various purposes.
People would recognize them as furniture in the form resembling tables or shelves. On top of them were various items like cups or tools to work on materials. Small sheets of paper were scattered around the walls, displaying blueprints for various contraptions. Some of them had real life prototypes or even finished products below them, but most were still under construction and looked like a mess to an observer.
The hollow was one giant hole, capable of easily fitting five to six adult macaws if necessary, but it didn't end there. Small holes littered the walls, allowing in natural sunlight to illuminate the living area. Due to their large numbers, the room would remain lit for as long as the sun was up, no matter the angle. On various sides further holes were carved in by force, separating the main interior with multiple primitive rooms. Small pieces of cloth were hanging from rusty nails, serving the simple function of providing privacy for whatever reason. The main entrance was also modified, starring a piece of wood latched to the side by a small metal hinge. It was by no means sturdy or well designed enough to prevent a break in, but it did a pretty good job of insulating the hollow from the outside weather.
The blue macaw kept running back and forth between one of the smaller and living room, carrying supplies with him as he worked on something on the largest table in the center made by a broken metal plate. A single piece of paper was in front of him, displaying the project he was currently working on. Surprisingly enough, the object contained something no human in their right mind would ever think animals could use, let alone understand: electronics.
Using his talons with great precision, he picked apart human tools for various electronic parts, placing them on the object in question just like he designed on the blueprint. By using some wires and a battery, this macaw was able to create a soldering stand, heating up a small needle using the electric current provided by the battery to solder pieces together. He was so caught up in his work, he failed to notice the knocks on his front door.
"BLU! OPEN UP!" Diana shouted from outside, standing at the door impatiently, glaring daggers at the wooden plate in front of her. What infuriated the macaw was the fact that the music was not even playing that loudly, yet he appeared to be ignoring her entirely. Lucas walked up next to her and knocked a bit harder, but ultimately got the same response as his friend.
The woman finally lost her patience, she grabbed the edge of the plate with her right talon and yanked it open forcefully, making sure to not actually damage it. Last thing she wanted was spending the rest of the day fixing his door. Thanks to the fact that the entrance was well shaded by leafs, the open door didn't let more light in than the small circular holes, ensuring Blu still didn't realize people were looking for him.
The two intruders prepared to look away in case they intruded on something embarrassing or private, but their gaze met something akin to a busy workshop, their target's back turned towards them. Their eyes scanned the room in wonder, seeing all the tools and blueprints scattered around. Turns out Blu hid them whenever they came over, but obviously he couldn't do that now.
Then, the duo spotted the portable small radio which was basically right next to him, explaining why he didn't even realize they were there. Lucas was reluctant to step in, but Diana held no such reserves, still angry at the macaw. She invited herself in, walking towards the still busy bird with determination. The male looked around outside before slipping in himself, careful to close the door behind him. It was clear whatever Blu was doing in his spare time, he didn't want others to see, so the least he could do is prevent the entire tribe from peeking inside.
Diana carefully walked up behind Blu, who was still oblivious to anything from the outside world. She remembered that on top of her scolding, she will have to include this as well. After all, they could have been thieves or even murderers. The young woman flipped the radio's switch with a swift talon movement, instantly covering the room with an eerie silence.
At last, this finally alerted Blu's brain that something was not right. He thought maybe he knocked it over with his wing or something, and as such, he turned his head towards the radio. His reaction was actually quick enough to have a glance at Diana's retreating talon. Instinctively his eyes followed it until it met with a body, and then it shifted towards the owner's face.
It took him a moment to recognize the facial features, and only then did the panic kick in. He yelled at the top of his lungs in fright, jumping up and tearing down the blueprint, trying desperately to hide the project with it from her probing gaze. His mind was racing with thoughts, the strongest was how she got in there exactly.
"Whoa! Easy there Blu! It's just us." She held up her wings, jumping back a bit herself at his sudden terror filled reaction. As soon as the blue macaw understood her words, he calmed down quickly, only then noticing the other male in the room. His wings were still scrambling behind him in a futile attempt to hide whatever he was working on.
"HOW did you guys get in here?!… And when?" He spoke up, forming the first two coherent sentences of the day. Diana and Lucas glanced at each other before redirecting their gaze towards the blue macaw who was still in the process of calming down his breathing and heartbeat. Lucas wanted to speak up, but he realized it was his friend who was truly hurt, and as such, she should tell what was needed to be said, even though he was not happy himself.
"Well, the door is not exactly locked now is it?" She spoke up with a thick dose of sarcasm, folding up her wings next to her body in a more relaxed pose. Blu's expression changed from frightened to annoyed pretty quickly at the remark. Usually he was a reserved person but the clear violation of his privacy and break in of his home was not something he let slide.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll install a lock then, should have done it a long time ago… That still doesn't give you right to just barge in on someone like that! What do you two want anyway?" Both macaws knew he was right to be upset about it, but Diana was not about to forget the reason they were here to begin with. The fact that Blu asked them meant he either forgot or was trying to shift blame, which boiled her blood. However, both of them known the macaw since their childhood and knew Blu was not one to shift blame, at least he owned up to his mistakes and accepted consequences. That left only one option, but she would still give him a piece of her mind.
"What do we want?! You forgot, didn't you!" Her eyes lit up with fury, Blu realized in an instant that was not the proper question he should have asked. Lucas wanted no part of it and conveniently stayed silent during the exchange. Diana was not someone you messed with when she was angry, and this was approaching that level quickly. Blu decided to use his brain and think hard, since he actually valued his life and made enough mistakes today.
"Oh… It was today, wasn't it?" He questioned with a genuine sad undertone, but was hoping it wouldn't be the answer. Then again, if he was wrong she would get even more angry so there was no way he would get out scot-free. Luckily for him, her emotions shifted to a 'better' kind of angry, but it was still unpleasant to say the least.
"YES!" She shouted in his face, knowing her voice was decibels above what birds would consider loud and painful. He visibly flinched and closed his eyes for a moment, but he realized he deserved it so he didn't dare shoot back. "You promised us you'd be there… Both of us." Her voice was a lot quieter now, the anger was replaced by a mix of disappointment and sadness.
Somehow this stung more than the angry yell, and it only made Blu feel worse when he glanced over to his friend who had the same look in his eyes, but stayed silent. "I'm so sorry guys. I have no idea how to make up for this… I wanted to go, honest. I got up earlier and decided to work until it was time and I guess I just got caught up…" He replied to both his friends with the same tone and volume as Diana's last sentence, but the disappointment was directed at himself. The genuine reply was picked up by both, but an awkward silence followed.
Lucas decided to be the ice breaker so he filled his lungs and spoke up, breaking up the awkward climate within the room. "Dude, we don't hate you for it, you don't need to 'make up', we're just a bit hurt, ya' know?" He reassured Blu, and Diana realized he just made the perfect opportunity to switch topics. After all, now her frustrations were dealt with, no need to keep those emotions festering. Those things led to friendships breaking up.
"If you really want to 'make up' for it though, you could start by telling us what that thing is. If it made you miss our game, I'd like to know what it is." She gestured towards the bundle behind Blu, who was still trying to cover it with his wings but of course he was fooling nobody. He visibly tensed up once again, eyeing both of them sheepishly.
"Oh, this? Ha, it's nothing. Just a lame…" He trailed off, trying to think up something plausible in a reasonable time frame to make it more believable. "Support! Yeah. Door support for the hollow." He forced an awkward smile, but dropped it moments later when he saw both of them form an annoyed and unimpressed face.
"I knew you were a bad liar but this is just ridiculous." Lucas commented dryly. Blu took a deep breath and sighted, looking towards the ground in frustration. There was no way he was slipping out of this one, so better if he revealed it himself. He might be able to restrain Diana, but Lucas? No way. He turned around and stretched out the slightly crumpled blueprint, allowing the two macaws to finally lay their eyes on the object in question. He walked aside to give them a better view.
It was a long and sleek metal rod. It had three places for proper grip, one being the center and two others slightly below and above it. This meant it could either be used with one talon or two wings. From both ends a small metal triangle with two points protruded in a ninety degree angle. It was not big or long enough to cause any serious injury, but it looked sturdy enough to not break even if it was hit really hard. In addition, the rod itself had a few wires and electronics dangling on it, giving away it was only a prototype.
The duo stared at it for a few seconds in total silence, but couldn't figure out what it was exactly. Lucas voiced his confusion, knowing Blu was too much of a nerd to resist explaining something. "Uh. I'm lost. What is it exactly?"
He complied with the question and extended a talon towards the rod, picking it up and firmly holding it with both his wings in a clear block position. This little hint helped both macaws to realize it was indeed a weapon of some sort, but the confusion returned with even bigger force when they thought about the problems associated with it. This time Diana queried. "Uh, Blu? We know your good with basic long stick training, but just because it's metal doesn't mean it will be useful against sharp things… So that includes most enemies."
They were baffled if not out right crept out by his reaction. Diana didn't even remember the last time she saw that expression on Blu's face if ever. The guy was smiling with smugness! He accompanied it with chuckling, as if this was the single most naive thing she ever said in her life. In response she got agitated again, but unknown to her, it was her and Lucas's turn to jump in fright.
Blu raised his left talon up towards the dangling mess of wires and other components, pushing a small box against the rod to give it stability as he flipped the small switch. For a moment nothing happened with the exception of a faint buzzing sound catching their attention. It distracted them enough to not focus on Blu's apparent weapon, giving them the shock of their lives when suddenly bright blue electricity shot out of both ends, connecting and forming a continuous arc just under a centimeter from the macaw's own talons. The arc was wobbly at first, branching in all directions like lightning itself, before it stabilized and formed a tighter and finer line.
They instinctively jumped backwards with a yelp, eyes wide with disbelief. They only calmed down somewhat after seeing Blu wield the strange weapon with the upmost confidence and trust. Both birds managed to get their breathing under control but remained silent, watching as he goofed around with it in awe. Lucas soon realized he was demonstrating possible attack moves, as the arc was always facing away from him as he moved.
"IS THAT LIGHTNING?! You tamed lightning?!" The man finally broke the silence and exclaimed with wonder and excitement, the previous scare completely left behind him. The enthusiasm caused Diana to jump once more, who was not as pleased, although it was unknown if the reaction was towards the macaw or Blu's invention. Lucas slowly stepped closer to get a better view, but Blu moved it away before he could touch it, knowing it would hurt the macaw. Something he had to learn the hard way.
"In a way… Yes, we could say that." With that, he turned off the device with the same switch, watching as the stable arc quickly dissipated in the air, leaving no trace of it ever being there. After careful observation, he could see small turbulence around the edges, indicating the metal heads were heating quickly. This was a problem because it meant the weapon can't be active for prolonged use. He dismissed the thought, leaving the problem for a later date to solve. The blue macaw moved back in front of the table and placed it down before turning back to face the still somewhat shocked duo. "So uh. Now that that is out of the way and all… What now?"
"Hold on a minute. Rewind. Is that lightning deadly? I mean, it's cool and you'll definitely get all the ladies attention if you swing that around, but what's the practical usage here?" Lucas took the macaw's question as an invitation to query further, genuinely interested in the weapon's capabilities. He walked over next to Blu to get a closer look, while Diana took the opportunity to inspect the rest of the room thoroughly. Her eyes scanned through the various blueprints and contraptions, getting tangled up in the details. She couldn't figure out what most of them did, but admired the complexity nonetheless.
"Remember that incident when we were little kids?" He asked back with a serious tone, his stare turning ice cold in the process. He didn't have to remind either bird, both knowing immediately what he was referring to without him even specifying. Both macaws looked at Blu, not yet following why the topic was brought up.
"The bird died on the spot. In an instant." Diana explained, recalling the event as if it was yesterday. It was the only death she ever saw apart from her grandparents, but while those were peaceful passings surrounded by family, that bird's life was torn away from him violently by lightning. People don't forget those sort of things, especially as kids.
Blu nodded at the statement, and bobbed his head at one of the rooms, telling the others to follow him without words. The two macaws followed Blu silently as he made his way towards the selected room. He stopped in front of the red fabric and using his left wing lifted it up, standing to the side right after that. Lucas and Diana peeked inside and could see the outlines of multiple cuboids which were eerily familiar to them. As they focused better in the low light environment, they could finally pick out details on them, and after a moment of realization Diana jumped back in terror.
"YOU BROUGHT SOME OF THEM BACK?!" She yelled in confusion and panic, not even caring if anyone heard her from the outside. At this point, Blu could actually be convicted as a criminal. Lucas was not far from continuing on that line of thought.
"Are you crazy?! That thing literally killed a bird. What are you doing with it?" He paused for a moment, shaking his head as thoughts raced through his mind. "Actually, I don't want to know. We're going." Lucas turned towards Diana and grabbed her wing, walking towards the door with haste, probably to tell someone what they just saw. Blu practically ran to the exit and blocked it, holding up a wingtip in the process to further the point he was about to make.
"Shhhh! The neighbors will hear you guys. Just wait, let me explain!" He pleaded, starting to regret his decision about showing them the real secret he hid for who knows how long. The two birds considered just shoving him away, but Blu was tougher than he looked. It would cause quite a commotion and they could get in trouble too, although nearly not as much as Blu. Their friendship was suddenly on very shaky grounds, but they decided it was worth hearing him out. Worst case scenario they won't believe him and report it.
He collected himself somewhat seeing that they were willing to listen and took a deep breath. He didn't even know how to explain it. In hindsight, he should have planned for something like this, but too late for that now. "When dad ordered us back home, it shook me like everyone else. I couldn't help anyone… none of us could. I was furious, I wanted something which could diffuse a situation without harming anybody… These batteries were very effective in ending a life, but I thought, wait a minute. If it can kill, surely it can do less serious harm too. That's when I got an idea." He paused for a few seconds, gathering his thoughts. He finally unblocked the exit, seeing that he peeked their interest enough to be certain they won't bolt out the door right away. Blu walked over and sat down next to the device, looking through the blueprint as he continued.
"Father would never allow such a weapon because of the possible dangers, but this could be a game changer. Our borders are constantly attacked or harassed even now. The fence and general human stuff kept them away for now, but they are getting braver every day. Meanwhile, our tribe barely grown anything, I wouldn't be surprised if it was actually the opposite. We need all the advantages we can get. Why not negotiate by proving to them we don't mean harm but can deal it." He finished his reasoning, looking back to observe their reactions carefully. Silence followed for several minutes as they thought about his point. While their tribe was learning more and more about humans every day thanks to all the things they left behind, electricity was that one thing nobody ever dared to properly get into.
Several fatal accidents made sure to make every bird wary, only learning the very basics to keep the human structures running. Nobody ever thought about weaponizing it, so Blu's invention would certainly be a first. Now that they thought about it, it could be very useful indeed, but neither of them were really comfortable having lightning within a centimeter of their talons. As a result, they couldn't decide what to think about all of that. They couldn't ask for outside input since that would put Blu in big trouble, so they were left conflicted.
"Look. I know what I do is something possibly worthy of even exile, but we need to do something. You can't aim for peace when the opponent has a bigger stick than you. This could even out the odds." Blu added after getting tired of the silence, hopefully giving his friends some ground to begin a useful conversation. It did the trick, because Diana spoke up after considering his newest point.
"How safe is it? For yourself and the opponent?" Blu smiled weakly at the question, because it meant at least one of them was able to look at it objectively instead of straight denial due to it being considered taboo or dangerous. He picked up the weapon once again to show it off as he explained.
"The wielder is pretty much safe. The arc doesn't really branch off, so unless you get really unlucky it will never touch you. If it is such a safety issue, I can always just install a frame around the holder." He demonstrated his point by moving his talon along the rod, raising his claws to show why it cannot harm someone unless they intentionally want to hurt themselves.
"The opponent is a different question. Right now this battery here is too weak to cause any damage. It hurts really bad, but nothing life threatening. When it is done, I'll install one of the cells from the dangerous stuff… That will be able to do a whole range of damage. From harmless paralysis all the way to fatal." The quick straight to the point explanation answered the questions and concerns she had towards the weapon.
"Let's say you finish this and it works. How did you plan to present this to the world? Last I checked, your old man doesn't really like secrets. Especially if it is some sort of potentially instant kill weapon." Lucas pointed out the problem Blu already knew about, yet he couldn't help but feel lost after he mentioned it.
"I have no idea. I thought once it was done and I know what can and cannot be done I could try to come up with a presentable case. If you two don't bust me before, that is." He jokingly responded in an attempt to lighten the gloomy mood, but deep down he was praying they wouldn't betray him. He really felt bad about lying to his family or them, but it was done exactly to avoid this situation. Diana and Lucas stayed silent and glanced at each other, silently conversing between themselves.
At this point it was not about Blu harboring a deadly object or making an even deadlier weapon out of it, it was about their friendship. Friendship relied very heavily on trust, and Blu broke that delicate trust with a heavy swing from Thor's hammer. It would be completely acceptable to just break off all contact, but neither of them were known to hold a grudge. Sure, things will be shaky after this and Blu will have a lot of amends to make, but both of them knew they had to give him a chance. Once both of them were sure they came to the same conclusion, they moved away from the door, walking next to the blue macaw.
"We won't." Diana announced with a straight face, not letting any emotion through. She carefully observed as Blu's posture relaxed somewhat, as if a giant boulder was lifted from his shoulders. He was about to speak up when the female quickly swung her wing across his face so fast her wing was a blue bur. The resulting smack was loud enough to echo across the hollow, but light enough to not cause injury. "That was for lying to us."
Lucas couldn't resist and slowly burst out laughing until the woman turned around a glared daggers at him too. He shut up fast after that but still couldn't hold back light snickers. Meanwhile, Blu finally came back to his senses, rubbing his face with his left wing to ease the pain. "Yeah… I deserved that." He accepted the punishment, but walked a few steps away from Diana just to be safe.
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Okay. So, I managed to get over a massive writer's block, and I just realized it has been nearly three months since the last update. Ooops. My apologies!