Chapter 6
First blood
Disclaimer
I do not own Rio.
One week later
Blu perched on the highest branch of a jungle tree, scanning the surrounding area with his brown eyes eagerly. The sun barely rose above the horizon, drowning the Amazon in its warm light. He could see blue macaws already up and about, beginning their no doubt busy day.
He woke up well before the sun even shown itself to make sure he had everything packed up and ready. A couple of birds were dumbstruck seeing the leader's son out in the open, since it was common knowledge by this point that Blu was not an early riser. Interestingly enough it looked like he was the first to arrive.
He sported a gray fanny pack, filled with the necessary supplies one must bring with them on a trip this long and dangerous. Blitzkrieg was strapped on his back securely, not accepting the standard wooden spear Mark wanted to supply him with originally. After bugging the blue macaw all week long when the training sessions ended, the veteran finally gave in and allowed him to bring it, much to the relief of both his friends.
The scarred parrot was very curious and tried to probe as much as he could once he finally saw the weapon, but surprisingly Blu managed to hold out, adamant on keeping his secret to himself. Mark was not stupid, he knew that weapon had more to it than Blu let on. If not for the shape, then just by knowing Blu's hobby of making random contraptions in his spare time, but he decided to drop it because the last thing Mark wanted was to weaken their unit cohesion.
As Blu's gaze continued to sweep across his horizon, he caught a glimpse of a bird who was very familiar to him. He focused on the blue blur which kept growing in size, identifying him as one of his closest friends. After about a minute, the bird in question managed to lock on Blu's figure and silently landed next to him a few seconds later, wings folding up once his talons made contact with the wood.
"Blu is the first one here? At this hour? Is the world really ending today?" Lucas didn't even bother to greet his friend, moving on right away to playfully mock his sleeping habits, attempting to start their day on a bright mood. His response was met by a harmless shoulder punch from the teased macaw.
"Oh ha ha. Very funny." Blu sarcastically remarked, rolling his eyes in pretended annoyance. No matter what he did, Diana and Lucas just couldn't stop teasing him for his sleeping habits. He liked his sleep god damn it! He inspected the friendly parrot more thoroughly, raising an eye at the obvious lack of something he thought should be there. "Weren't you supposed to carry the transporting net for the parts?"
Lucas's response was to shake his head. "Nope. Last minute change in plans. Rodrigo will be tasked with that." Blu didn't say anything to that, ending that conversation with just a mere nod. The two remained silent for the next five minutes, enjoying the relative peace and quiet the morning provided. Neither felt awkward about the silence, but Lucas wanted to change that if he could help it.
"So. Our first real mission huh?" He stated, not removing his eyes from the horizon where the remainder of his team was supposed to appear.
"Yeah. We're not little brats anymore. I don't know how to feel about this though." Blu responded, his voice sounding a bit heavier than usual. This caused the blue eyed macaw to glance towards his friend in a questioning manner.
"What you mean?"
"Not going to lie, I'm really happy dad decided to trust me enough to allow this to happen. You do not want to know what my mother's reaction was when she first heard about it." Just the mention of Blu's mother made Lucas shudder. He remembered a few times when they got in trouble for mischief, that woman was no joke. Compared to her, Diana was a gentle flower when it came to angry outbursts.
"But another part of me is a bit… I don't know, scared? Adults are now going to treat us as equals, but am I selfish or… even weak to miss the protection childhood provided?" Blu questioned, but even he didn't know if the question was directed for Lucas or himself. Maybe both. "When we were kids, all we had to worry about was what we wanted to do all day. Now we're going to have full blown responsibilities. It's a bit daunting."
The question definitely caught Lucas off guard, but after silently pondering over it for almost half a minute, he realized it was not as easy to answer it as he originally thought. The points Blu made seemed valid, at least he admitted that he felt the same way. "Selfish? Weak? For being afraid of the future and missing the protection childhood gave you? Nah. I don't think so. It just means you have feelings. Nothing to be ashamed of." He answered honestly, turning towards the blue macaw, causing Blu to mirror his actions.
"We're not kids anymore. We are men now, it is time we paid back the debt we owe to the tribe for raising us in a happy and safe life yeah?" Lucas extended one of his wings, curling the end to resemble a fist. Blu thought about what his friend said and smiled in return, nodding his head.
"Yeah." He extended his own wing, meeting the other parrot's in a friendly fist bump. They rocked a small smile on their beaks, enjoying the rare bonding time. To their dismay, a feminine voice chimed in, catching both of them by surprise.
"Aww. You two would make a cute couple. When is the wedding?" Diana warbled with amusement, startling them further by dropping down to the branch right next to them. The two males shot glares at her, but instead of intimidating her it just caused Diana to progress from giggling to full out laughter.
"I'm sure you'd like it if we were a couple… We had a rare bro moment there you know. Girls always ruin things." Lucas grumbled, acting annoyed in the hopes of getting back at her with guilt tripping but the laugh reassured him it wasn't working. He just sighed in defeat and waited for the woman to regain her composure. When she was finally available to actually converse with, he decided to probe her for the rest of the team's whereabouts. "Any news on the others?"
"Nope, I uh… I actually thought they would be here already." She admitted a bit sheepishly, inside relieved that she wasn't late. Unlike her two companions, her morning did not start splendidly, causing her to run late by several minutes. It was then that she actually realized Blu was there too. Not only that, he was here before her! "Lucas, who is this impostor? No way Blu is not still sleeping." She added with a very obviously faked accusing tone.
"Diannaaa. Not you too." Blu groaned, knowing the reaction was exactly what the golden eyed female wanted. He knew as long as he gave in, they would continue to tease him, but trying to ignore it was easier said than done. Before things could progress further down the 'pick on Blu's undying love for sleep' fiasco, he attempted to change the topic as subtly as possible. "For real though, where are the others? We should be going soon."
"Good question." Lucas pondered over the question, scanning the horizon to see if he could spot any of them. Something didn't add up; They were responsible adults, who were given a mission by non other than the tribe leader himself. Not to mention this was crucial to the flock's very existence. While he and Diana tried to find a logical reason, Blu slowly unfolded his wings, readying himself for flight, probably to try and round them up.
Their ears picked up the distinct sounds of branches snapping and leaves ruffling, tensing their bodies as an automatic response thanks to the vigorous training. The noises advanced, originating closer and closer to their position until they managed to distinguish three separate sources. The next few seconds were completely silent ignoring the ambient jungle noise. The three macaws instinctively reached for their weapons, ready to use them in a moment's notice.
Suddenly without warning, three blue blurs dashed out from the tree's canopy below them, each targeting a different macaw. Blu's eyes widened in shock before he realized what was happening. "Ring formation!" He yelled without even thinking, removing his weapon from his back, jumping back towards his friends. Lucas and Diana followed suit as neither had the time or reason to question his order, forming a ring on the middle of the wide tree branch, covering a full 360 degrees with their raised weapons.
The attackers swung their own weapons, clashing with the defenders, locking them in place. Time froze for a moment as the trio inspected the intruders in great detail. Their faces were wrapped around with cloth, hiding their identities.
Diana glared daggers at the fabric, trying to find any distinguishable feature she could use. After focusing enough on the holes left open to see, her eyes widened when two differently colored irises stared back at her. "What the." She mumbled under her breath, but the intruder heard her. The parrot raised one of its wings, causing the rest of them to jump back, giving the trio space to their surprise.
The mystery birds grabbed their cloths with a free talon and yanked them away, revealing their faces for all to see. The younger macaws stared at them for several seconds with stoic expressions, silent without speaking a word.
…
…
"WHAT?!" The trio yelled out in unison, almost falling of the branch in response. The faces they made were priceless and should have been saved in a picture for all to see. The intruders smirked or grinned, savoring the moment while it lasted. After Blu and his companions managed to restart their brains, they shouted together without even thinking what the other wanted to say. "WHY DID YOU THREE ATTACK US LIKE THAT?!"
Once the outburst passed, Mark secured the weapon on his back. "Don't need to be so riled up. We were just doing a drill." He admitted, the grin never leaving his face. He was proud how far they managed to come in that one week. Sure, they were nowhere near a level where he would send them into battle willingly, but by working together they could probably take down less than three opponents of average skill.
Before the scarred macaw could continue on, additional wing flaps caught the disorganized group's attention. Six pair of eyes locked on the new intruders, but their gaze relaxed when they realized who the newcomers were. Casper Gunderson arrived with a few elders and guards in tow. The team straightened their posture, greeting the leader in unison.
Blu was not surprised when he saw his father's attitude. It was not the pleasant and friendly manner he was used to, but a strictly professional and collected one worthy of a leader. Casper silently nodded in a return greeting, studying them in close detail. Seeing that everything needed was there, he turned to Mark and the two silently conversed.
"I see everything is prepped and ready… It is time. I will not waste time nor bore any of you with long winded speeches." Casper announced, receiving the team's undivided attention. "Hold your head high, for you are a proud member of the Spix's macaw tribe. May your journey be successful. Godspeed, Team Lucifer." The six macaws almost instinctively raised a quick salute while waiting on Mark to make the first move. The gray eyed macaw stared at the tribe leader's light blue eyes for a moment longer, finding out all he needed to know.
The team leader turned around, unfolding and spreading his wings. He leaped in the air, quickly gaining altitude in the process. This notion was followed by all five members, and after a few seconds the branch was clear of blue macaws completely. Casper and his delegate watched silently as the six parrots, now known to the world as Team Lucifer flew away, racing towards the heart of the dangerous Amazon to the place which might hold their last hope of survival. Good luck son. He spoke to himself, taking one last glance at their retreating forms before turning around and getting ready for another exhausting day of politics.
Five days later, 1500 kilometers south-east of the Spix's macaw camp
The jungle was relatively silent tonight, the usually live and dynamic forest was almost frozen in place, only disturbed by the occasional movement of animals or the gentle breeze. The cloudless sky was filled with a sea of twinkling stars, keeping the half lit moon company in the unreachable heavens above.
Luna shined down upon the canopy, giving just enough light to illuminate the surface for most creatures to see. Six shadows silently moved above the leaves, blending in almost perfectly despite the clear hue difference. Their varying shades of blue helped them remain unseen to a casual observer.
The bird leading the group glanced up, acknowledging the time which had passed since their journey began. He looked back and could see the symptoms of fatigue starting to appear on every single macaw. "All right. I think we made enough progress for today. Let's find a place and bunker down for the night." He announced as silently as possible, making sure his voice could only be heard within a close proximity. Nobody said a word but deep down they were all relieved when hearing the order. The group slowly but surely decreased their speed, now looking in all directions to find a suitable place to rest.
"There! That looks like a good place to settle down." Diana's soft but tired voice spoke up while she manipulated her index feathers on the left wing just enough to convey the location without disrupting her flight. The small flock turned their gaze towards the direction, quickly finding the spot themselves.
"Very good Diana. We can land there." Mark approved of the location, proud of how soon his pupils got used to the true jungle in the last week or so. It came as a bit of a surprise as well, because out of all the younger adults, Lucas was the most well adapted to actual wilderness, something which was becoming a less common trait. He could see the advantages humanity offered, but still believed they were wild birds, belonging in the chaotic world of nature.
Without another word, the group banked to the left, flying over to the designated area. The macaws extended their wings to the maximum, gracefully gliding forward until their talons scraped the tree bark. Once their legs could support their bodies whole weight, the macaws folded their wings and began to scan the immediate area for possible threats.
Diana's choice was now obvious to everyone involved. The tree branched out a lot, giving them plenty of space to rest on the level they were on, while the branches above and below them slightly curved, hiding the place pretty well from prying eyes. "We can pack down here. Blu, how is our supply doing?" Mark began preparing the area for a well deserved rest. Upon hearing the new set of orders, the blue macaws placed down their supplies and weapons, finding a comfortable place to catch some shuteye.
"Considering we were on the road for five days now? We are doing excellently. Probably rationing too much to be honest." Blu swiftly reported their status, checking the various supplies they were carrying with them. Most of the food was reserved for this part of the journey, which leads through the eastern wastelands they have to cross in order to get to their destination. Thankfully they rationed well, so for now everything was going according to plan.
"Good. Things are going smooth so far." Mark responded, but his voice carried faint traces of worry and unease as he spoke.
Lucas caught up on it and was glad someone else also noticed it. "Too smooth for comfort." He added his own observation to the mix, going by past experiences. No matter how well thought out a plan was, something was bound to go wrong, and the later it happened the worse consequences it carried.
Now they were far enough from the tribe that the only ones they could rely upon was themselves. Due to the nature of the lands they were currently on, even tribes were few and far between. This meant they were truly alone, or if they weren't, the company was guaranteed to not be friendly.
"Well I don't know about you boys, but I think I'm off to sleep." Sara announced, already finding a comfortable place near the base of the branch. She gathered about a dozen big leaves to cushion the rough tree bark, allowing her the maximum comfort possible for someone who is constantly on the move.
The rest of Team Lucifer followed her example, resulting in a chaotic airspace within the tree's canopy as the blue macaws searched for big enough leaves. Ten minutes later the tree was only inhabited by sleeping or dozing off macaws, close to each other to provide protection and increase the chance they can aid each other if someone decides to attack.
Two hours later
Diana slowly began to stir, her consciousness returning from the relatively peaceful slumber she enjoyed. She wondered for a moment why her her body woke her up, but a slightly dry throat gave the answer she was looking for. She slowly opened her eyes and they adjusted instantly, since the brightness didn't really differ from when her eyes were closed.
She glanced up and could still see the endless sea of stars and that weird white streak across the sky. Diana remembered how Blu once told Lucas and her that they were apparently a huge collection of suns just like the one they saw every day, only much further away. She dismissed the claim, not really understanding or interested how that could even work.
She slowly rose up and looked around, only to find everyone else fast asleep. Her body's urge was stronger now, and for a moment she considered opening up one of the bottles they carried with them to quench her thirst. The female slowly walked over and grabbed a bottle with her right talon, using her right wing to removed the top, exposing the liquid under it.
Diana raised it up to head level and was about to take a sip when she thought about it once more and came to a different conclusion. After rethinking the idea, she discarded the plan because those bottles were supposed to be reserved for emergencies. She remembered seeing a small stream a bit to the west when they were finding the location for the night and considered it a good alternative.
She placed the bottle back down but while deep in thought, she forgot to put the cap back on. The macaw was now contemplating whether not she should wake up anyone to accompany her to the stream in question, since they were in unknown territory in the dead of night. Going off alone is not the safest thing one can do here, but she decided against it, thinking how silly it would be to disturb someone just because she wanted some water.
Diana turned around and walked to the end of her branch, doing a quick scan of the area for anything unusual. After finding nothing out of the ordinary, she spread her wings and leaped off, gliding away to make as little noise as possible. Unfortunately for her, a pair of green eyes were patiently watching the canopy a few trees over from where they rested, following her form as she left the safety of her group. The mystery bird licked the outside of his beak before leaping off himself, gliding after his newest prey in total silence.
The Spix's macaw flew as close to the canopy as possible, only gaining altitude to check whether or not she was still flying towards the stream, ducking back down right after. The jungle was relatively quiet tonight, which somehow managed to alternate worry and calm every few seconds within her gut.
Thanks to almost no ambient noise, she could hear any potential predator or enemy if they chose to ambush her, but it also filled her with a bit of dread, thinking what might have caused this area to be so deserted. I should have chosen something closer to a source of water. She thought to herself, easing up a bit when she reached the clearing the stream of water carved out of the jungle floor.
Diana slowed down her speed, making sure to go as slow as possible while still maintaining her altitude. Her golden yellow eyes glanced back and forth, examining the open area in great detail. She was looking for animals first, then clues which might indicate if any were there in the past or potentially hiding. Finding nothing worthy of alarm, she approached the stream's bank swiftly. Her wings managed to thrust forward, powerful enough to get rid of any momentum she was carrying.
After landing softly on the dirt, her eyes glanced back at the flowing water once more, allowing her to inspect the bank with more detail. She was looking for any signs of predators hiding beneath the surface, caimans especially. Their favorite method of catching prey was to ambush unsuspecting animals attempting to drink, shooting out of the water in surprise.
Diana was relieved to find no such trace of the wretched monster, or any other threat for that matter. With her mind now at ease, she walked forward a few steps, lowering her head so the beak can meet the fast flowing clear and cold water. She drank as much as she could before her body couldn't take it anymore, forcing the parrot to raise her head back to normal height. She let out a loud gasp, allowing the air rich with oxygen to fill her lungs.
With her now satisfied thirst, she stepped back a bit and closed her eyes, enjoying the bit chilly air as it slowly blew past her body, cooling her down. The rushing of the water was the only thing she could hear, and it was doing a damn good job at relaxing her.
…
…
"I always thought your species was a myth." A deep masculine voice spoke up from behind her, freezing the blood in her veins as she realized it was coherent speech. She was confused, not understanding how someone could sneak up on her like that. She opened her eyes and turned around so fast the tiny droplets of water on her beak and upper neck flew off, drying the macaw instantly.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she saw the origin of the unknown voice. A male macaw stood about a meter away from her, about the same size as her. How did he get so close?! She questioned herself with a mix of annoyance and anger. She carefully sized up the stranger, trying to guess what his motives were.
The parrot's plumage was mostly green with red and blue on the tips of his wings and tail feathers while his head also had a bit of brownish color to it. She thought hard for a moment, trying to recall the features until a name popped up in her mind. "You're a severe macaw." She stated with a distrustful tone, recollecting herself enough to change her stance from frightened to defensive. Right now she had absolutely no idea what the man wanted and couldn't show fear.
The severe macaw chuckled at the statement, cutting a few vines which were wrapped around his body, something Diana just then realized as she was too occupied to notice it before. Her eyes widened even more in horror as the male removed a sharp ended wooden spear. "You are a very observant one, aren't you?" He pointed out the fact with an amused tone. "And you are a Spix's macaw I presume." He added shortly after, now wielding the weapon but not showing signs of attacking just yet.
"And what if I am? Who are you anyway?" She questioned him back, slowly scanning her surroundings to find anything she could use to her advantage. Fortunately it looked like her opponent was the talking type, so as long as she could keep him talking, the blue macaw had a better chance of finding a weapon. Which she was now regretting a lot for not bringing her own.
"Oh, right… Where are my manners? Danilo, at your service." He answered her question in a delighted mood, slowly moving the spear around his talons. Now at least she could refer to him by name, which meant she could start probing him more. She managed to find a broken stick to the side of her, next to the stream. Now she had an objective to work towards. Diana slowly started to move in the direction, but did so in a curved path, making it look like if she was trying to flank the severe macaw.
Thankfully he either didn't notice her plan or chose to ignore it, because he made no obvious move to attack. She spoke up once again, making sure to keep the conversation flowing as best she could. "Danilo huh? Interesting name. And just what is a macaw like you doing all the way out here, alone?" She was carefully reading his expressions but failed to find anything which could be of use.
"We are indigenous to this area. As for why I'm alone? Well, you see I was exiled from my tribe a long time ago." Danilo replied plainly, watching her facial expressions just like Diana was doing. He finally began to slowly turn, making sure to keep his gaze on the blue macaw as she was slowly circling him.
The female was not sure if she should be relieved or even more worried. Now she knew he was alone, so she didn't necessarily have to worry about a possible ambush. On the other hand, exile was done for terrible crimes when death was too severe or if it was outlawed all together.
"Exiled? What could you have possibly done to deserve that?" Diana continued to move towards the stick as well as probing the enemy who appeared to be unaware of her motives. What made her truly worry was the almost sadistic smile which crept up on his face as he understood what she asked. She was starting to really regret coming here alone.
"I'm sooo glad you asked. It's been a while since somebody talked to me this much… You see, people kept telling me I was not right in the head." Danilo started to spin the spear around in erratic ways, silently demonstrating just how good he was with the weapon. "I was little, and our tribe was attacked. I lost both of my parents and my two little sisters right before my very own eyes."
"When I first tasted blood in that war, something woken up in me I thought didn't exist. A… voice if you may. It kept telling me to hurt, craving violence and blood. The lack of conflict after the war only made it worse… The itching, the urge was stronger than ever."
"So my tribe, being the cowards they are, banished me. Jumped me one night and tossed me here to fend for myself. But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Because now, I hunt unrestricted, free from the bounds of laws and rules." A chill ran down Diana's spine, eyes widening at the realization. Her body was screaming at her to move, but her mind just froze in the moment, unable to decide what to do.
"You, my dear Spix's macaw… WILL DIE HERE TONIGHT, FOR I CRAVE YOUR BLOOD!" Danilo roared with maniacal laughter as he finally moved his body towards the blue macaw with full force, spear in talon, pointing right at her. Somehow Diana managed to get her feelings under control and instinctively jumped to the right just in the nick of time, dodging the fatal blow. Now that she didn't need to conceal her plans and movements, she got back on her feet and ran towards the stick as fast as possible, since she had a distance advantage.
The severe macaw recovered from the missed attack and charged her again, now yelling a full out battle cry as he closed the gap between them faster than what Diana thought was possible. She had no doubt, her opponent didn't lie when he said he was not right in the head, he was crazy. Just as he was about to strike the female down, Diana managed to grab the stick and turned around, blocking the spear with a loud snap as the two weapons clashed.
Back at the resting place
Snap
Blu opened his eyes upon hearing strange but muffled sounds. He raised his head and looked around, trying to find a source for the anomaly. He failed to find anything interesting but quickly realized Diana was nowhere to be found. Finding it strange and a bit alarming, he lifted his body up, walking around to investigate, trying to be as stealthy was possible to avoid waking up the others. Apparently he was not too successful in that endeavor, because Lucas stirred awake a minute later.
"Blu? Why the heck are you up so early?.. And where is Diana?" He asked groggily, brushing his eyes with his wings to wake up fully. He was considerate enough to not speak at full volume as he did so. Blu seemed to pay him no attention at first, causing Lucas to shoot a glare at him. He was quick to take that back when he realized Blu was looking around agitated, his eyes full of worry. Lucas opened his beak to ask a question but Blu beat him to it.
"I can't find her anywhere. She was gone when I woke up." As he told him everything he knew, Blu managed to spot a clue which might lead them to a trail. He stared at the supply area with curious eyes, and Lucas quickly caught on, glancing towards it himself.
"That bottle. It shouldn't be there." Blu stated the fact, slowly walking over to inspect it closer. The duo made their way around the still sleeping blue macaws. When they arrived at the supplies, Lucas picked up the water filled bottle, realizing the lid was removed intentionally.
"Do you think she was thirsty?" He asked Blu, holding the bottle towards him, who in the meantime picked up the lid. He was silent for a few seconds, formulating possibilities and scenarios. He shortly after came to the conclusion that she must have been, but for some reason decided to not drink from the bottle. That however only left one viable option.
"There is a stream not too far away from here. I think she wanted to drink but thought she shouldn't from the emergency supplies." Blu explained his theory as he gave the lid to his friend, turning around to face the jungle.
"So she went to the stream." Lucas finished his train of thought, closing up the bottle and placing it back with the rest of the supplies. After that, he walked next to Blu but stayed silent, seeing that his friend was deep in thought. Their silence was broken by a sudden but distant yell, a yell they instantly recognized.
"Diana!" The duo exclaimed in unison, running off towards a branch next to them. Lucas grabbed a standard wooden spear while Blu went for his prototype weapon by instinct. Using vines conveniently laying around the branch, they quickly tied the weapons securely on their backs and leaped off the branch, flying towards the source of the scream, not caring at all for all the ruckus they stirred up.
A few seconds earlier, at the bank of the stream
The spear whizzed as it tore through the air, only to be blocked by the stick Diana still managed to hold onto. She used all her might to push it away, jumping to Danilo's right, spinning her body to angle the stick the right way to hit her opponent. Unfortunately, he was quick enough to turn around and jump back, missing the sharp end of the broken stick by a few centimeters. Using the opening and his weapon's length to his advantage, he hit her on the head, dazing the macaw enough that she fell.
Diana yelled in pain, her scream echoing around the jungle. The severe macaw advanced, holding the sharp rock tipped side facing her. He leaped in the air, extending the spear as much as possible. What he didn't notice early on was that the blue macaw also raised her weapon, and while he would strike her down no problem, there was no way for him to stop in time to avoid impaling himself in the process. Danilo didn't want to risk it and pulled out in the last possible moment, giving Diana enough time to shake off the dizziness and stand up.
"I gotta give you credit, woman. You are better than most non combatants I faced before." He taunted her, trying to aggravate the parrot. To his irritation, no matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't get inside her head and force her to do mistakes. He was quick to calm down however, because at the end of the day taunting was only a tactic. He could very well see that his skills were beyond superior, and unlike him, her stamina was rapidly depleting.
Danilo decided he gave her enough time to rest and charged again, this time using the spear to simply hit the blue macaw non fatally. She managed to block the first two swings but couldn't raise her stick fast enough to block the third, landing a strike on her right wing. She grunted at the pain but didn't give up and instead she used the opportunity to jump back while the severe macaw swung his weapon around.
The male was getting bored with the fight and decided it was time to end it. He formulated a quick plan based on what he knew about her and how she fought. He began by spinning his spear in his talon a few times to intimidate his opponent. After that, he leaped forward and hit her stick first, trying to disarm her. The attempt failed but he quickly jumped back, avoiding a counter attack with ease.
Danilo then went in, striking her with a few bluff blows which she easily blocked. He then spun around, attempting to hit her legs. Diana noticed what he wanted to do and quickly moved her weapon in the way, blocking the blow. For a moment time froze between them and she was sure she was starting to get the upper hand. Her eyes carefully analyzed his face, but was dumbstruck when the severe macaw just smiled.
Before she could react, he punched her chest full force with his free wing, since she left that completely defenseless when she blocked his last attack. With that, she fell right in his trap. Too easy. The male told himself, observing his downed opponent. She yelled in pain as she was thrown backwards and landed on her back, knocking the wind out of her. Due to instincts taking over, she dropped the stick and before she could get her body back under control, the male macaw grabbed the weapon and threw it far away.
Once he was sure Diana was truly defenseless, he casually walked over to her still struggling body and placed a talon on her neck, pinning her down without any effort at all. She was still having trouble breathing and now couldn't even properly think. The already disturbing smile changed to a wicked one as he eyed her downed form with delight. "Shame. I was starting to enjoy this fight… Oh well." He grabbed the spear with his wings and raised it high in the air, readying himself to strike her down. The young woman could only watch in horror but alas, she accepted her fate. She closed her eyes tightly, preparing for the immense pain and the end of her life, but it never came.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" A distorted voice of two combined rang through the jungle coming from her right. She opened her eyes just in time to see a big blue blob flying right towards her attacker. Danilo was caught completely off guard and never expected to be body slammed via high speed from not one but two birds at the same time.
The three feathered bodies clashed and after a brief battle between forces, the severe macaw's body flew towards the opposite direction faster than he could counter it. After transferring all of their momentum to the green feathered bird, both Blu and Lucas dropped to the dirt about a meter from where Diana was pinned down only a few moments ago.
Blu was the first to move by rolling around, attempting to get back on his feet. "Ugh. Maybe that wasn't the best idea." He admitted as he started to feel his left side aching, but ignored the pain when he saw his friend who was still laying on the dirt with a shocked expression. Shocked but still alive. He thought with relief.
"Amen to that. Body slams hurt." Lucas added as he got up himself, and by then Diana managed to get her breathing under control enough to properly move. She attempted to stand up but failed to do so. The two men hurriedly walked over, now bombarding her with questions.
"Who was that creep?" Lucas asked with a very agitated voice, looking back towards the direction where the attacker should have landed.
"What did he want?" Blu followed up right after, although he had much more worry than anger in his voice.
"We need to get out of here! That guy is a madman. He's exiled, sick in the head and kills birds in cold blood!" She answered both questions with one sentence, now using Blu as a support to stand up. Even with the help, she was worried about how they will actually get away. She was in no condition to fly, and that body slam probably did a few numbers on both of her saviors.
"That creep wanted to KILL you?! Well, good thing we launched him into the afterlife then." Lucas exclaimed with shock in his voice, still finding it hard to accept that a random bird was about to kill his friend like that. He finally managed to dust himself off and walk near the others, when Blu jumped him out of the blue.
"GET DOWN!" This time Blu slammed against his own friend who was confused, but just as his body was thrown out of the way, a stick came flying through right where he was a moment ago. By the time he and Blu hit the ground, Lucas realized that shot would have impaled him on the spot. As soon as he could, he turned around and couldn't believe his eyes.
The severe macaw was standing near them with his weapon at hand, but his stance looked like he just thrown something. "Guess again, punk." He spoke up, his maniacal laughter now replaced with steaming fury and the glare held so much venom it could kill if manifested.
"Blu! You okay?!" Diana yelled as she ran next to them, the yell causing Lucas to turn around as well. His eyes widened in horror as a gash was visible on Blu's right side, slowly oozing blood on his feathers and the ground beneath him.
He could see that it was not life threateningly deep, but it was an injury nonetheless. The stick. He concluded Blu was not fast enough to fully dodge it himself. This infuriated the blue macaw even more, turning back to face the green feathered attacker and locking his gaze on him.
"You little punks think you can take down the mighty Danilo?! I have slain dozens of birds, my wickedness caused my tribe to exile me. You are nothing more than worms on the ground next to me." He taunted while slowly walking closer, spinning the spear around his talons once more. Although his movements were a bit faltered, which made sense. A body slam does that to you. Unfortunately, while Diana would ignore these taunts, Lucas was another story all together.
"You are insane." The blue macaw replied as he slowly stood up straight, cutting the vines with the help of his talons, freeing his own spear in the process. He grabbed it and held it firmly in a protective stance. He could hear Blu grunting behind him and Diana attempting to treat him.
"You should have ran when you had the chance. But oh well, now I will enjoy ENDING ALL OF YOU!" Danilo yelled at the top of his lungs as he lunged forward. Lucas braced for the impact and moved out of the way just in time to evade the attack. He raised his own spear and attempted to stab his enemy, but the green macaw was quick to turn around and block the attempt.
The two charged and blocked each other's attacks several times. Neither of them showed any sign of backing down, but the battle was draining them fast. Lucas was younger and quicker, but his skills were a lot rougher than the polished ones of Danilo, even after Mark's mentoring.
The blue macaw quickly learned that the best strategy was to dodge and block as many attacks as he can, always staying on the defensive. While Diana didn't really hurt him, she managed to drain him a fair bit, and the body slam made sure to knock a lot of his health down. Enough that all three of them combined were probably on equal terms with the crazy parrot.
Meanwhile Blu got over the worst of the pain, unable to look away from the life or death struggle his friend was currently engaged in. He moved one of his talons closer to his body and snapped the vines, releasing his own weapon. Diana's eyes widened at the move, stopping his talon from reaching Blitzkrieg.
"Are you crazy?! You are wounded and you want to go against that guy?!" She scolded him as quietly as possible, doing her best to not draw the green macaw's attention on them. Although looking at the fight, maybe a distraction wouldn't be so bad for Lucas's chances of survival.
"Lucas won't last against that guy alone. My weapon is a lot stronger, I need to help him." Blu responded, forcefully removing her wing from his talon but being careful to not hurt her. Diana was not prepared for it but realized just because he was clumsy Blu, he was still a male with strength. There was not much to do now, seeing that he made a decision. She let go and stepped back, considering finding the stick which saved her life a few minutes ago. Blu ran off, his movements were erratic but as soon as the adrenaline started to flow through his system, the motions became clear and focused.
In Lucas's case, said adrenaline started to drop and with that, fatigue and mild pain followed. He began to slow down and Danilo even managed to score a few hits on him, making the situation worse. The determination this guy has is unreal. He thought to himself. While thinking that, he made a mistake which resulted in a full blown hit, causing him to lose balance. Oh shit! He exclaimed within himself, not knowing what to do. He was surprised when he saw Blu charging right at them.
He did not approve, but looking at his current situation he welcomed the help. He made sure to not react to his approach, that way the green macaw will not know he was coming. Just like he predicted, Danilo was preparing to land another strike once again, and in the process he left his back completely exposed. Blu used the opening to his advantage. He raised the metal rod as high as possible and hit down hard, landing a perfect hit on the severe macaw who screamed out in pain, falling back himself.
"Nice hit Blu!" Lucas exclaimed happily, raising his wings in a cheerful manner before a jolt of pain hit his body, reminding him he just got beat down hard. Blu stopped next to him, but instead of staying there, he charged forward aggressively, something which surprised everyone. Both Lucas and Diana expected him to take up a defensive position like they did, but he did the complete opposite and they began to worry.
As he charged forward, Danilo recovered from the blow and raised his spear up in the last possible second, meeting the metal rod head on. The snap was loud, and the green macaw's eyes widened at what he saw. The spear formed a very small but noticeable crack. Impossible! Could this bird hold so much power?!… NO! He pushed these thoughts and kicked Blu away, giving himself space to recover. He couldn't let his adrenaline drop, because then he would die. It was something he loathed, to die to these inexperienced birds. The crack worried him, and he didn't know the damage was done thanks to the sturdy metal rather than Blu's strength.
The severe macaw quickly got back on his feet and returned the attack tenfold. He began to swing the spear left and right relentlessly, throwing in the occasional stab attempt. Blu managed to block or jump away from most of the attacks but the wound on his side really made battling hard for him, the fact that he wasn't really the best fighter didn't help his situation either.
He relied on the notion that his weapon was a lot sturdier than Danilo's, and after realizing he made a crack, he tried to apply as much pressure on the weapon as possible, hoping it might break. As the assault continued, the crack started to spread, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get it to break. While he was distracted by that, the green macaw surprised him with a wing punch, landing it right in his chest, knocking the wind out of him.
"HA! YOU ALL FALL FOR THAT!" He screamed in a twisted combination of joy and hatred as he attempted to attack Blu once again, but he was stopped by another annoyance. WHAT NOW?! He thought for a moment when he felt his weapon being blocked. He removed his gaze from the struggling Blu only to meet Diana's furious eyes. The woman found the stick she used to defend herself and was now using it again.
"Feisty one aren't you? I'll make sure this is the last thing you do!" He roared as he broke away from her, raising the spear to attack the female with his full attention. She copied Lucas's strategy, slowly luring the enraged macaw away from Blu, who was starting to regain his composure. The continuous coughing aggravated his wound, but he couldn't worry about that now, seeing his friend taking the full pounding once again. That's when something popped into his mind which he seemed to completely forget. That's it! He exclaimed with excitement, grabbing the metal rod next to him.
Blu slowly but surely got back to his feet, ignoring the throbbing pain coming from his side. He held the weapon in a horizontal position, preparing a charge. Lucas was still laying down but kept observing the battle and realized what he wanted to do. Diana caught a glimpse too and rethought her strategy, concluding her job was then to distract the berserk macaw. Blu started slowly walking, then jogging, and by the end running towards the duo, keeping the weapon extended in front oh him.
Diana meanwhile dodged multiple attacks, always making sure to keep Blu in her peripheral vision. When she saw he was close enough, she suddenly changed her tactic and caught one of his attacks, locking the weapons together. This surprised Danilo, struggling and ultimately failing to free himself or his weapon. His strength was finally starting to run out, not that it mattered too much by this point. "What kind of trick is this?!" He angrily questioned, not getting why she would deadlock both of them like that.
Meanwhile, Blu gathered enough momentum and leaped in the air as high as he could. This is it. He thought, flipping the switch on Blitzkrieg for the first time since the tests. As expected, the arc of electricity formed a moment later, giving of a medium strong blue glow. He rotated the rod to face vertically, grabbing a firm hold on it with his talons as he flew towards the lunatic.
This time, it was Diana who smirked, which only enraged Danilo further. "WHAT'S SO FUNNY?!" He yelled at her, but she didn't need to respond. By then, Blu was close enough that the arc's light illuminated both of them, and the severe macaw saw their shadows form. Impossible! It is night time! He screamed inside his mind, before it occurred to him that the angles meant it came from behind him, and apparently the female macaw was also looking that way. He could see lightning reflecting from her pupils.
Danilo turned around and froze at the sight. Blu was coming right at him, but he wielded the lightning! He was so focused on the arc that he didn't even feel when Diana jumped back to avoid electrocuting herself. Time seemed to slow down as he watched the iron rod come closer and closer. He prepared for the pain of a rod hitting him, but it made contact and he felt no such sensation.
The pain was alien and a lot worse. Blu slammed down as hard as he could. As soon as the arc came in contact with the severe macaw's body, the electricity began to wreck havoc on his nervous system. At first it completely paralyzed him, before the resistance was too big and he actually started to burn. He howled from the pain, unable to move, think or do anything else. His body started to randomly jerk, and after a few seconds of this unbearable state, he suddenly gone quiet, his organs shutting down one by one.
Blu understood and finally moved the weapon away, allowing the arc to form once again. As soon as there was no connection, the green macaw's body went disturbingly limp and fell to the ground in defeat. Blu flipped the switch and the arc of electricity was gone, the jungle suddenly becoming as still and quiet as before. The only sound was the stream and the three blue macaw's heavy panting and grunting.
Lucas finally got enough strength to stand up and walked over to the scene. He made sure to forcefully kick away the damaged spear just in case, lowering himself to the limp body with tension in his own. He placed a talon on Danilo's neck, removing them a few seconds later and taking a few steps back. "He's dead." He stated the fact, and as if a huge boulder was removed from their shoulders, the three macaws fell on ground in relief. Finally the fight was over.
…
…
"Just what in the actual fuck is going on here?" Of course the peace couldn't last forever. The rough voice of an angry Mark boomed around the area, accompanied by wing flaps and talons scraping the dirt behind the exhausted trio. It didn't take a genius to figure out the rest of their team caught them, but neither macaw had the strength to move a muscle in protest.
"What happened to you three?!" Sara shrieked the moment she saw their bodies littered with bruises and cuts. Rodrigo instantly ran up to them, inspecting the seriousness of the injuries one by one.
"Who is that?" Rodrigo followed up when he saw the corpse in front of Lucas and Blu. The three looked at each other, silently debating what to tell the older adults.
Morning
The endless sea of stars were finally drowned out by the first rays of the Sun as it crept up on the horizon. The jungle sprung to life once more, continuing as usual, not even acknowledging the horrors which transpired during the night. The six Spix's macaws woke up from their restless sleep, some easier than others. Rodrigo personally inspected all three injured team members and concluded that they couldn't leave right away, the injuries required at least another few days worth of rest.
Needless to say, neither young macaw was happy but it was not like they could do something about it. Out of the three, it was Lucas who coped the best. He suffered light injuries with the most prominent being bruises. The problem with him was that his right wing got a big hit, making flying uncomfortable at best and not possible at worst once the adrenaline left his system. Thankfully he should be up and running by the next day if he doesn't strain anything.
Blu on the other hand, was a different story. At first he was too shell shocked to even comprehend the full extent of his actions. The gash left by Danilo's throw practically grounded him, needing the full support of another parrot to do anything which would be outside a tree's reach. Rodrigo cleaned the wound and bandaged him up, but it would take several days until the gash was healed enough to resist the stresses of flight.
All of this not counting the other bruises and cuts sustained after the fight. All in all, Blu felt like shit. But not because of the physical beating he endured, oh no. Ironically, he would possibly even kill to feel bad about his injuries. What tormented the macaw was actually guilt. Blu started showing heavy guilt and trauma from actually murdering someone. Neither Mark or Rodrigo were surprised, in fact, they were expecting it.
Anybody can act tough, but when push came to shove, first blood affected everybody, no exceptions. Most were negative, while rarely the sensations and feelings were morbidly positive. It was these individuals one needed to look out for. Luckily, Blu displayed the most common type of response out of all the possible outcomes. Depression, lack of appetite and an unhealthy dose of vomiting.
Lucas and Diana felt deep sympathy for their friend, but before either of them could act anything, they were brought to the side by Mark and were told explicitly to not bring up the topic. They were all prepared for the very real possibility of killing or being killed, but this was something everyone had to go through themselves. The only things they could do is offer their support if Blu wanted to accept, and that made their hearts ache.
As if not having enough problems already, this realization drove Diana over the edge. She broke down after learning what Blu was going through, and Lucas was having a hard time trying to rank which one of his friends was actually more devastated, if that could even be summed up. Rodrigo being a seasoned veteran himself knew exactly how to help out with first blood reactions, so Blu was left in his care for the most part.
This left Diana to Lucas, who was more than happy to talk with her. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the light blue macaw blamed herself for both of their physical and on top of that, Blu's mental injuries during the night. This was something he could, no, needed to address before it spiraled out of control. Having one emotionally wrecked macaw was bad enough.
The bodyguard in training flinched at the dull pain of flying, but he had to find the woman as fast as possible, and the best way was circling around the tree. He quickly found Diana on one of the higher branches, gazing at the horizon and rising sun. The male silently glided towards her, extending his talons to get a firm hold on the tree before he folded up his wings, keeping a respectable distance at first.
He looked towards the parrot's face, seeing the slight glow of wet feathers below her visible eye, clear indication of tearing up or even crying. She didn't react to his arrival, still adamant on watching as the star warmed the planet and soaked it in light. Lucas gracefully walked next to her, glancing towards the horizon himself, the two enjoying the peace of the morning.
Remembering why he was there, he decided it was a good opportunity to break the silence. "You know I hate seeing you cry right? What happened there was not your fault." His deep voice rumbled as a half whisper, loud enough that she could hear it but not high enough to be uncomfortable at this hour. Diana raised a wing and wiped away the remaining tears from her face before locking eyes with the man next to her.
"Not my fault? Did you see Blu back there? God, it is like his soul was broken… He never hurt a damn fly, Lucas. And because I was an idiot, he… He had to kill a bird." Her voice trembled more with every single word spoken, fighting back the tears which were threatening to come back. She felt horrible for two reasons. One for placing Blu in that position, and the guilt of actually feeling horrible when her problems were nowhere near as serious as his.
He wrapped a wing around her gently, pulling her closer in a friendly reassuring hug. "Nah. Mark told us things might get ugly. We all knew this can happen… But you are wrong in blaming yourself. If anyone is at fault here, it was that crazy macaw." He comforted his friend as best he could, no sarcasm or lies in his voice or words. He felt a boulder drop from his shoulders when he felt her heart beat and breathing slowly calm down and return to normal.
He smiled at the reaction, seeing that his point actually came across just as he intended. "Besides. He's getting help from two war veterans. He'll be fine before you know it." They stayed silent after that for minutes to come, but he swore he could see the smallest upwards curving of her beak, the clearest sign of a smile on her face.
On the opposite side of the tree, the situation was not as happy. Blu was sitting near the base of the branch, his back propped against the tree's massive bark, glancing towards the jungle with an empty and unfocused gaze. He periodically looked down at Blitzkrieg, which was laying on the branch a bit in front of him. He averted his gaze as soon as it landed on the shining metal rod, the horrifying memories flooding back to him like a tidal wave every time.
The agonizing scream, the involuntary and painful jerks of their bodies as the arc relentlessly assaulted their nerves and muscles. The faint but lingering stench of burning flesh filled his nostrils, invoking nausea and urges to gag, but he already emptied his stomach several times now without eating anything, leaving him with the irritating need to vomit without the ability to do so.
But that was not the worst part, far from it. The final nail in the coffin was when he remembered their eyes. People say the eyes are an open window to the soul, and Blu was sure of it now. He could recall the absolute pain, panic and confusion whenever they didn't close their eyes in agony, and the horrible process of life literally leaving their bodies. The eerie jiggles and hazed eyes left behind, unfocused on the world around them, never to take in the wonders life had to offer again.
The incident eight years ago didn't phase him because he was just a child, not having the faintest of clue how the world worked. But the psychopath's death made him vividly remember the candide macaw's death in detail next to Diana's attacker's, crumbling his mental health. He was so caught up in his flashbacks, he failed to notice Rodrigo arriving next to him. "Blu?" He called out, but as expected got no response. "Blu." He raised his voice a bit, but no reaction met his efforts.
He closed his eyes and sighed, thinking about how to get his attention without startling the boy. He decided with a gentle shoulder shaking, making sure to stay alert and ready to jump away in case of a shocked attack, which while not common did happen from time to time. "Blu Gunderson." He gently shook the male on his left shoulder, finally shaking him out of whatever flashback he was suffering from.
Blu's neck stiffened and his head snapped to attention right away, but thankfully he didn't lash out. Instead, he was confused for a moment before his brown eyes settled on the older macaw, calming down a bit. He let go a breath he didn't even know he held, allowing fresh oxygen to enter his body when inhaling.
"Flashbacks?" Rodrigo questioned as politely as possible, raising an eye in the process. Blu thought about lying for a moment, but figured the medic was not easily fooled and there was no reason to hold back anything at this point.
"Yes." He stated simply, not even bothering to maintain eye contact with the parrot. Instead, he continued to stare ahead of him, not focusing on anything in particular. What Blu did make sure of, was to not glance at his weapon, fearing the torment which awaits him if he does.
"Thought so. Pretty standard reaction to first blood." He stated, watching the blue macaw's face closely for any emotions or reactions. To his dismay, Blu displayed only gloom, although from the flicker of his eyes he knew the macaw understood what he said. The medic opened up his fanny pack and after a few seconds of fumbling around, held up a few roots which were cleaned of dirt or any other residue. "Here. Take these. They taste like shit, but it is a natural sedative."
Blu finally moved his eyes and inspected the strange looking roots, contemplating if he should eat it or not. It didn't look like something you would consume willingly, but Rodrigo being a medic, he probably known better. With the possibly most lazy and piss poor coordination in history, Blu raised his left talon and accepted the medicine, holding it up to his beak.
After taking a quick sniff, Blu decided to just get over it as fast as possible. He bit down on the vegetation, chewing it a bit before swallowing. Rodrigo was right, it tasted nasty. But not bad enough to invoke a vomit response, so to minimize his suffering, he bit down over and over until his talon was empty. While he consumed the wretched medicine, the medic took the opportunity to sit down next to him, allowing the macaw to observe the young adult in a more discreet manner.
For minutes, nothing was spoken between the two parrots, the gentle morning breeze ruffling the tree canopy above and below them. Rodrigo couldn't help but develop a subtle, almost unrecognizable smirk when he saw Blu begin to physically relax as the roots started to take effect. Minutes went by again in silence before the veteran decided it was time to add in the verbal medicine into the mix.
"You are not the only one going through this, you know. During the war, I had to treat a lot of macaws for these kind of reactions, fair to say I've seen em all." The medic spoke up, breaking the silence, eyes glued to the troubled macaw as he talked. He wanted to make sure Blu didn't feel either embarrassed or ashamed about his situation, because that would be unnecessary extra anxiety to deal with. "Right now the healthiest thing to do is speak your mind. So on that note, what is on your mind?" He continued, trying to get the young macaw to begin his own healing. Many people underestimated the power of someone just simply listening to your problems.
"I'm horrible… I killed a person." His voice trembled a bit as he spoke, causing Rodrigo's eyes to widen a bit before controlling his facial expressions. Even with a strong sedative in place he was still negative to some extent.
"I had my fair share of meeting horrible people. You are not one of them." The veteran shook his head at Blu's statement, trying to convey his logic to the patient next to him. "That psycho was a murderer. Yet, you now almost weep at his demise. Most people wouldn't even bat an eye, yet you care. If that isn't a sign of a kind person then I don't know what is." The best part was that he didn't even lie about that. It amazed him how caring the leader's son was, but that kind of kindness can really bite someone in the behind in the world of politics. Maybe it was a good thing that the tribe leader was working on a new governing system.
"But I killed him. There were other ways to…" Blu started to ramble, trying to come up with rational ways to subdue the sick bird, but his thoughts were stopped in their tracks when the medic interrupted him with a bit of a forceful tone.
"No. That sick and twisted excuse of a bird wanted to murder Diana in cold blood. If you didn't end him now, he would have just continued spilling blood. You probably saved dozens of future lives next to Diana's."
"But that is exactly the problem! He was mentally ill! He was sick! We learned from the human archives it is not their fault. We should have detained him and help cure that mental illness…" He paused for a moment, looking down on the metal weapon for the first time without a serious flashback. "Instead, I killed him in cold blood." Blu closed his eyes with a deep sigh, letting the pent up frustration and anxiety out with his breath as the medicine continued it's course through his body.
"One of the most important rules you learn in war, and definitely the most painful is this: No matter how hard you try, you can't save everyone." Rodrigo chimed in, taking up a more somber expression himself as he recalled the horrible memories and lessons learned with war. The statement started to echo in Blu's mind for reasons the young macaw couldn't understand yet.
…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…
Well, this came out faster than the last one, didn't it? I'm a bit proud of myself for that one. Considering Blu's tribe needs electricity to secure their borders, I thought the name Lucifer, the light bringer suited their team nicely.