Chapter 7

Lost and found

Disclaimer

I do not own Rio.

North of Team Lucifer

Anyone going through the barren lands would have been taken back by the sight of an entire macaw flock resting on dozens of trees as the sun crept up on the horizon and lit up the jungle in the morning. The parrots began to slowly regain consciousness, preparing themselves for another exhausting day of running away from their overrun homeland.

Watch guards who were on night duty were relieved by fresh macaws, allowing the tired birds to relax. Unfortunately, they won't be able to sleep until the next night, but this taxing rotation was the only way they were able to secure the tribe. Others were handing out food for the day, supplementing the small amount the tribe could harvest from the surrounding area. Sadly for the Spix's macaws, the barren lands proved their worthiness to the name when it came to food.

Eduardo was up and about, ordering his subordinates around the clock. The stress was already starting to creep up on the elder, and if the rumors were true, they were nowhere near out of this wretched land. It didn't help that even if they make it out alive, they would still have to settle down somewhere, which might belong to another tribe, causing tensions at best and an all out attack at worst.

"Tell the food scouts to fly around one more time. Move everything that isn't rotten and is edible, I don't care if it is just one bite's worth." Eduardo commanded a young male, who threw a quick salute and left the tree within seconds. The advisors were in charge of organizing the matters too small or inconsequential to the tribe's existence such as petty conflicts or requests. The tribe leader closed his eyes and pondered over the tasks for today.

Making sure everyone is fed, gathering every useful resource and finally plotting a course for the tribe to take. So far they were going north-west, because the rumors said that was the closest area with sustainable terrain. Yes, Eduardo was desperate enough that the only guide he had were rumors. He sighed in frustration, wanting to punch something to vent some of the tension in his body.

"Dad?" A feminine voice caught his attention, washing away most of his anger for the moment. The only macaw who could calm him down was his wife, but his daughter came very close in second place. There was just no way for him to stay mad when Jewel was around. He opened his eyes and greeted the young adult with a slight smile on his face.

"Good morning Jewel. Anything wrong dear?" Jewel shook her head, but concern was visible on her face when she saw her father. Capable of reading him like an open book, there was not much he could hide from his daughter; And she knew he was stressing a lot.

"No. But I should be asking you the same thing." This caused the elderly macaw to chuckle, deflecting with humor as best he could. Jewel didn't want to probe more, having a pretty good idea what sort of problems her father had to face. A part of her felt horrible for what she was about to bring up, but her conscience wouldn't let her rest, and after a lengthy talk with Mimi, her aunt managed to reassure her it was the best choice. "Melisa and I finished the plan."

Eduardo's expression turned somber quickly, even though he expected the statement. Ever since they left their home, Jewel was nagging him about it, and the fact that he almost lost her to humans on the last patrol didn't help with the matter. However, unless he wanted to act childish, there was no reason to not allow her to go.

Since he was responsible for every single blue macaw, the fact that at least a dozen were captured by poachers during the evacuation was a heavy burden on him. From a numbers game perspective, the loss was almost nothing when your tribe has hundreds of individuals. But leaving them behind to their fate was just wrong, not to mention it would cause tension within the tribe. Why should they follow a leader who would gladly leave them behind?

The other important factor was that the only birds who actually had a chance of freeing the prisoners were Jewel and Melisa, since they were the ones who were captured and managed to escape. "I see. When do you two plan on leaving?"

"As soon as we can." Jewel quickly answered the question. As if one cue, Melisa arrived on the branch next to them. She threw a quick salute in respect, which the leader reciprocated. The woman looked between the two parrots and understood what their conversation was and how it was going.

"Every day we spend flying, their trail gets colder, sir. In a few days, it might be gone for good." Melisa reasoned, leaving next to nothing the tribe leader could refute. He just nodded in response, agreeing with her assessment. Still, he was skeptical about their ability to actually free the trapped macaws. After the whole evacuation, both parrots gave him a detailed explanation separately. From what he could understand, the only reason they succeeded was because the humans were asleep. Yes, Jewel did open the harpy eagle's cage, but that was a big gamble that just paid off in the end.

But like all gambles, sooner or later you lose, and when your life is on the line, you lose everything. There were hundreds of things that could go wrong. Humans could stand guard and capture them, or maybe even conspirator birds. After all, it was not uncommon to see other animals help poachers. Pets. That's what they were, and in the jungle, the label pet was just as negative as traitor or murderer. "IF you two can free them… How are you going to find your way back?" He questioned the duo, making sure to empathize the conditional.

The two women decided to ignore it, expecting something like that. "I'm pretty good at tracking. Our flock leaves behind a pretty noticeable trail after all." Jewel elaborated, taking a tiny bit of pride in her skill. "And if worst comes to pass, we can just ask around for directions." She added shortly after, making her argument as foolproof as she could.

"Fair enough. Team composition then. Who is going to accompany you two on the rescue mission?" Eduardo continued his probing, and it turns out he found the weak point he was searching for. The two macaws tensed up a bit, not expecting that question in particular. Their body language told the whole world clear, they weren't comfortable explaining that part.

"Well… We thought about it for a long time, considering what the tribe's situation is and all. In the end we decided that the best course of action would be if we go alone." Melisa explained with a bit of a forced awkward smile, hoping the reaction wouldn't be as bad as she expected. Unfortunately, it was exactly as bad.

"Alone?! That is too dangerous!" Eduardo almost erupted with a mix of worry and anger. "Even if you two know how to free them, what if enemies jump on you? Or if the humans set up traps. Or-" He continued to list reasons why bringing backup to something like this was necessary, but he was cut off by his own daughter.

"Humans think we are stupid!" That sentence seemed to have done the trick, causing the elderly bird to shut up for a moment as he processed the information. "They won't lay traps for birds, thinking they would actually rescue their kind." She turned around and glanced at the horizon. The parrot wasn't curious about her father's thoughts in that moment. It was the truth and it hurt a lot. All this time they thought humans were doing it for their own survival, and then it turned out all that suffering was for nothing. It was for some worthless concept the two legged mammals created for themselves. If that wasn't the embodiment of evil itself, then nothing was in Jewel's mind.

"They think we are mindless creatures. Who don't feel anything at all." Melisa added shortly after, but soon recognized it didn't really help the conversation, even if it was the truth.

"You are basing all of this on something a harpy eagle told you!" The tribe leader finally retorted.

"Not this again… He had no reason to lie! He was stuck, just like us." The leader's daughter retorted in annoyance, sick of hearing that excuse. "Every time I think back to that day, I cringe at the thought of what I did. When I extended my neck like that… But what he said makes sense, and it fits humans completely."

"At least take Roberto or Esteban with you!" Eduardo stubbornly pleaded, but even he could see he lost the battle in the end. There was nothing he could say that would change either of their minds on the matter.

"They are both needed in coordinating the flock, you know this. Even with all those advisors of yours, without those two you would probably drop dead from fatigue." Jewel stated, her voice carrying faint traces of scolding. She did not approve how her father kept pushing himself the past few days. "You said it yourself. The survival of the flock goes above all else, individuals included…" And now came her secret weapon, one she was reluctant to use. She used his own words against him. It seemed to have done the trick.

"But we can't just let our fellow flock mates stay behind if we can help it. And that is exactly what Jewel and I can do." Melisa chimed in, attempting to reason with her leader. "That means as few birds as possible." Silence followed after, a long and uncomfortable silence. Eduardo was deep in thought, currently fighting with his inner demons. His rational mind fought valiantly against his heart, which was screaming at him to forbid his only daughter to fly out once more.

She left his protection before, and it almost certainly costed her life. Then, it was Jewel being in the wrong place in the wrong time. Now, she was adamant on flying head first into that same trouble willingly… But he had to accept she and Melisa were the only ones who had any chance of freeing their brethren. In the end, logic won the fight and he finally gave in. "Very well, can't argue with that… Take whatever you need, get ready, then report back to me." Eduardo replied in a tone which conveyed total defeat.

"Will do, sir." Melisa replied, following up with a slight bow in respect. She turned around and spread her wings apart, leaping off the branch to get ready for her mission. Jewel looked back for a moment, but her father did everything he could to not look at her in the moment. Understanding he needed time, the young macaw silently left the tree to follow her friend, leaving the elderly leader alone.

"I'm getting too old for this shit. Once we reach safety, I'm going to have to prepare a successor." Eduardo grumbled under his breath, finally admitting to himself it might be time for him to retire soon. But not yet, his people still need him for the time being.

One hour later

The two young women arrived at one of the tallest trees in the vicinity. It was located near the edge of the Spix's macaw blob, serving as a scouting point. Eduardo and his advisors just finished their daily session, successfully deciding the route for today. As expected, they would continue flying towards the north-west, since they didn't encounter anything which would suggest a better direction. So far the only contact they had were strays or a few groups of less than two dozen birds. Obviously, neither even thought of attempting an assault on an entire tribe.

The two macaws landed on one of the higher branches, right next to the tribe leader and his company, which consisted of Roberto and Esteban. Although, considering how much they assisted the elder macaw during this evacuation, it shouldn't be that surprising. Melisa was actually relieved by this, because this meant she didn't have to round up the two boys individually to say goodbye.

Their arrival was quickly noted by the perching parrots. Esteban was the first to speak up, realizing they were there to say goodbye and head off. "Just so you two know, we are pretty bummed that we can't come and help, but oh well. Guess that is life… We're going to miss you gals." He greeted them with a somber smile on his face. He really wanted to go and help them, but he knew he was needed in the tribe right now.

"Same here. It is going to be boring without you two." Melisa replied with a smile, and she meant what she said. Esteban knew exactly how to raise their spirits when something gloomy happened. Sure, Roberto was the 'macho, tough guy' who was always confident, but even he needed some mental support from now and then.

"Good luck Ju-ju! You and Mel stay safe out there!" Roberto said goodbye to them both after giving the women a surprise hug. Just like the tribe leader and his friend, he too wasn't that pleased by the situation, but he agreed if there was anyone who could pull it off, it was those two.

"Thanks, Beto." Jewel replied once they separated, a small smile on her face. Her father patiently waited for the young adults to properly finish their farewells before he joined the conversation. Roberto and Esteban unconsciously made way for their leader to walk through.

"You two are ready I presume?" Eduardo got right to the point, trying to make it as painless as possible. For an outsider this might have looked like a cold gesture, but both knew the blue macaw enough that this was his best way to cope with the situation.

"Yes dad, we are…" Jewel confirmed, doing her best to assure her father. She knew such a thing was not possible, a father will always worry for his daughter, but it was good enough. "We'll get them back, I promise." She added shortly after, earning an approving nod from the tribe leader. Without warning, he stepped forward and wrapped his wings around the surprised macaw. Jewel recognized the gesture and returned the hug.

Even though they were better prepared, both of them knew there was a real possibility neither would actually return, and thus, she didn't dare not take the opportunity to show her father how much she loved him. There was no need for words, actions spoke louder anyway.

"Just be careful, please." He whispered, and Jewel was sure she could actually hear his voice crack for a moment. The two family members soon parted, and stepped back a few steps. The men realized what they wanted to do and made some space so that they could fly away unhindered.

"We will." Jewel responded, fighting back a few tears which were threatening to break free. This was not the time to break down, the mission didn't even start yet. She collected herself by breathing in an out, calming her nerves as best she could. The two women's demeanor changed in a moment's notice. They were no longer two macaws enjoying the life and protection of a tribe. They were macaws on a mission to venture possibly further than anyone from their tribe.

They were on a mission to save their brethren, or die trying. Without any further words, Jewel and Melisa unfolded their wings, and with one fell swoop the blue macaws were already in the air, racing away from the tribe they knew their whole life. First stop, back to the grove and figure out where did the humans go.

Three days later, South of Eduardo's tribe

The next few days went by agonizingly slow for the Spix's macaw team, but the reason was different for every bird. Mark, Rodrigo and Sara were busy discussing what needed to be changed in their original plan to still make it back on time. As if that wasn't a big enough issue, storm clouds were gathering in the sky, forecasting a big and relentless storm.

Lucas was starting to get restless with the lack of flight, but he counted himself lucky regarding his injuries. If everything went okay, their medic would allow him to fly upon his next checkup, which was scheduled to be in a few minutes. But no matter how much he tried, it left a bitter taste in his mouth, because his friends were not in the best of shape mentally speaking.

His impromptu speech helped Diana cope, but it didn't stop her from blaming herself entirely. Then again, as bad as it sounded, she was ultimately right. The bad decisions she made that night did in fact cost them dearly, but Mark was less hash than they expected. This was because one good thing did come out of this whole fiasco; It was a very important and hard lesson.

Danilo embodied the dangers of the barren lands, and showed them just how savage the jungle can be. It also made them respect and value the team on a whole different level. Back in the tribe, they were used to being surrounded in a functional and safe community, which meant one could live happily alone if they chose to. Here, without a group one was pretty much a goner.

Although Mark made sure to be outside Blu's earshot, he admitted that as much as this tormented the blue macaw now, the experience would most likely shape Blu to become a much stronger macaw in the future. During the nights, he told the younger macaws stories about the Spix – Caninde war, and if any war mongering feelings resided within Blu's friends, they were quickly eradicated. The thought that war was like their battle with Danilo just on a much larger scale managed to solidify their stance on war for good.

On the upside, Blu did start to recover somewhat. His mood was less depressed and a tiny bit of life returned to his chocolate brown eyes. His face however refused to show any emotion. It was a blank, neutral expression and his voice sounded like he was tired all the time. The rest of his team made sure to not bring up the topic as much as possible, which seemed to help him return back to being a functional member of the team.

"Blu! Lucas! Get your butts down here, checkup time!" Rodrigo called out from the lower branches, his deep voice easily traveling through the canopy. Lucas heard it loud and clear, excited to finally have his bandages removed. He was about to glide down when he stopped himself, quickly turning his head to the direction Blu was last known to be.

Before yesterday, he needed to be carried everywhere because of the deep gash, but it healed enough for him to glide to most places by now. Lucas waited for a few seconds but didn't see him emerging. He decided it was best if he checked up on his friend. Even if he was in a bad mood, the gash had to be looked after, so he was ready to drag the macaw down if necessary. Lucas leaped in the air and flapped his wings a few times to gain altitude, allowing him to glide to the branch which would lead to Blu in theory.

Just as he got a solid grip on the branch, the leader's son emerged from the shadows. The two made eye contact, but neither felt the need to really converse. The silent message Lucas sent was received by Blu without any problems. The blue macaw's side was wrapped in a piece of white cloth, stained a bit by both blood and general dirt from the environment. Luckily it didn't limit Blu's mobility as much as one would have thought.

Taking the initiative, he leaped off the branch and began his slow descent to the lower canopies. Lucas was right behind him, slowly circling the tall tree as he did so. While in the air, their brains turned to autopilot giving their minds free time. The blue eyed macaw decided to speak up. "So, how you feeling?" It was a simple question, which gives Blu the option to either elaborate or shut down the conversation without sounding rude.

"Good, I guess. Still hurts to fly, but at least it didn't get infected…" He answered the question in that unnerving neutral tone, and just when Lucas thought this was the end of their small talk, he continued. "Overall, I feel a lot better than before… I think. Not sure how to explain it honestly." The honesty caught the blue macaw a bit off guard, but he won't complain about it. A small smile crept up on his beak.

"Great to hear it man! If you continue this rate of recovery, you'll be even better physically than me." Lucas joked around, hoping it might spark some sort of emotion. Unfortunately for him, Blu just nodded at the statement, but considering how he was before, it was definitely progress, so Lucas took what he could get.

By this time, the duo finally arrived at the branch Rodrigo was currently perched on. Carefully aligning their bodies, the two macaws both caught the branch with their talons, preventing themselves from falling down. The team's medic already laid out most of the supplies he would use, so they made sure to land somewhere that won't allow them to accidentally push things off the edge.

The checkup went the same way it did the days prior. Rodrigo cut the old bandages with his claws, throwing it away to the side to be later disposed. He went ahead and inspected each bruise and cut separately, using his years of knowledge to decide whether it needs additional treatment or not. Just as Lucas thought, his injuries were basically gone. After what felt like forever, the blue macaw permitted the young bodyguard flight.

Turning his attention to the other parrot, the situation was not as splendid. Thanks to the frequent disinfecting and bandage changing, the deep gash on Blu's side healed surprisingly fast. It still needed a few more days worth of healing until it could indefinitely resist the stresses of flight, but all in all his recovery was going nicely. To be on the safe side, Rodrigo decided to cover up the wound. "Looks like I managed to patch you two up nicely. Hopefully we can get out of here in a day or two." The veteran reassured them, seeing the eagerness or anticipation on both macaws. Nobody wanted to stay here longer than necessary.

Once the medic finished tying the final knot on Blu's brand new bandage, Mark, Sara and Diana arrived at the scene. The new appearances did not seem to surprise Rodrigo, who just acknowledged their presence and turned back to his supplies, packing them up. "Now that the checkups are done, I'd like to discuss a few things." The scarred macaw grabbed everyone's attention. Five pair of eyes watched him, waiting for him to continue.

"These past few days were… eventful to say the least. We altered the flight plan a bit to make up for the lost time. That means we-" The gray eyed parrot didn't get the chance to finish whatever he wanted to say. The peace and quiet was disturbed by the sound of multiple twigs snapping and branches moving. The blue macaws instinctively tensed up and moved towards their weapons, preparing for combat.

"HALT!" A deep rugged voice boomed over them, causing them to freeze like a statue. A second later, about twenty macaws dropped down from the canopy above, surrounding them and blocking all available exits. The intruders were all equipped with spears and made sure to point them at the team, but didn't advance further.

Their plumage quickly gave away their species and caused Diana's eyes to widen. "Severe macaws." She spoke under her breath, loud enough that her team could hear her, but due to their proximity, the other party probably understood too.

Mark cursed in his mind, angry that they were caught off guard so easily by so many parrots. Realizing they were hopelessly outmatched, even if they dashed for their weapons they would just end up getting impaled on a stick. He slowly but steadily motioned with his wing, telling the rest of his team to just wait. The ambushers could have killed them easily if they wanted to, but decided against it. That meant they wanted something.

"Intruders! You are within our territory, explain yourselves!" An older male spoke up, probably the leader of the group. His gaze was stern and unyielding, but it didn't harbor anger, just suspicion. The 'within our territory' statement caused Mark to raise an eye, but he wasn't stupid enough to question it regarding their circumstances… yet.

"My name is Mark, and this is my team." The scarred macaw asserted, motioning his wings around the blue macaws, standing tall and unyielding himself. He made sure to not show any intent of hostility, but he knew that cowering in fear wouldn't help them either. The fact that the parrot wanted an explanation meant it was possible to salvage this situation. "We are members of a tribe far away from here, on a mission. We are only passing by."

"Passing by? Our scouts reported your team was staying here for two days now." The leader retorted, the accusing and distrusting tone not leaving his voice for a second. His subordinates kept their grip on the spears tight, and their bodies were tense as a spring, ready to leap on a moment's notice.

"Some of our members got hurt. We wished for them to recover a bit before we continue." Mark replied as calmly as he could, his expression stoic. So far the conversation didn't go in either direction, which meant he couldn't do anything.

"Those items with you. They are human. Things from those wretched creatures are forbidden in our territory." The leader spoke up once again, directing his glance at the team's supplies. The malice at which he spoke the word cemented Mark's view on the ambushers. He had to be really careful going forward, because just uttering the word caused the macaws under the leader's command to be on edge.

"From what I understand, this is the barren lands. Territories are unheard of around here. At least there are no border markers which would have alerted us that we are trespassing." This was a risky reply, but if the blue macaw could get more information about who they worked for, it could help them get out of this mess alive. If they were truly from a human hating tribe, then their best course of action is to just submit and get out. If they were a group of bandits looting, then it might be best to give them what they demand.

"Where did you get them?" The severe macaw retorted back, seemingly acknowledging the statement but chose to ignore it. While it seemed like a dick move, he had the superior force to back him up and allow him to do it.

"There was an abandoned human camp near our tribe on the way here. We looted it, since they might come in handy." The statement was only half a lie, since it did originate from an abandoned camp, and they did take it because it would be useful. The answer turned out to do the trick, since it caused the severe macaw leader to think about his next actions. His concentration was broken by one of his subordinates, who spoke up, grabbing his attention.

"Sir. We found blue feathers near Danilo's corpse. It must have been them."

Damn it! Mark cursed in his mind, wanting nothing else but to slap and possibly strangle the macaw himself. Not only were they possessing human items in front of a human hating group of armed parrots, but now their involvement with the deceased psychopath was also brought to light. He was not a religious bird, but he was debating on praying at his point. Their fate might very well depend on what the group's relationship was with the crazy murderer.

The statement caused the severe macaw leader to narrow his eyes on Mark, but he stayed silent, his eyes slowly wandering through the rest of the blue macaws. Rodrigo managed to succeed in showing no emotion, while Sara kept glancing between the soldiers. Lucas, Blu and Diana decided to just avoid eye contact as much as possible, watching the weapons directed at them instead.

After what seemed like an eternity, he relaxed and commanded, but this time he directed his instructions at the soldiers next to him. "Stand down." The severe macaws obeyed right away, relaxing the tension in their bodies and moved their spears away from the blue macaws, but made sure to hold a firm grip on them. The sync and unison told the blue birds that these were trained soldiers and not just mere thugs.

The Spix's macaws let out a breath they didn't even know they held in, relaxing themselves as much as someone who is surrounded by strangers can. Mark was still probing the other leader for clues, but he failed to find anything noteworthy. What was apparent, was the severe macaw's silent question asking for details about his mission. That was something he could not speak of, and his whole team was ordered to die before giving that up. He just had to hope transparency would be enough.

"I'm afraid I am in no authority to give details about our mission. We swore an oath. What I can say however, is that it has absolutely nothing to do with either your tribe, or this territory in general." He informed him, remaining as stoic as possible. "Like I said, we only stopped here so our teammates can heal."

The response was as vague as the severe macaw expected, but it didn't help hide the scowl on his face for the lack of information. Still, considering what position they were in, the blue macaw was calm, which meant he was a very good liar, or told the truth. Deciding to give him a chance, he could see that the scarred parrot was eager to ask something. The severe macaw silently nodded at his request.

"I couldn't help but notice your change of demeanor when your subordinate mentioned this Danilo bird. I'd like to verbally confirm what you already know just in case. Yes, we killed him." As expected, the statement didn't cause surprise for the severe macaw, so Mark continued with his question. "I have a feeling we were not the original reason your group was dispatched. Was it?"

The group leader just nodded, confirming Mark's suspicions. "Correct. Danilo was a loose end regarding some of our affairs. He was exiled, told to never return. Scouts saw him multiple times in the last few months here. Our leader finally had enough and sent me to eliminate him." The severe macaw explained, clearing up some of the confusion the other party might have. "Looks like you did it for us… But didn't exactly get away scot-free." He made sure to point out the bandages on Blu, who had a light scowl on his face in response. The move peaked his teammates interest, since it was the first emotion he actually displayed in days.

"He attacked me at night, attempting to kill me for no reason. It was self defense." Diana clarified, speaking up for the first time, gathering the confidence to do so. She wanted to make sure they didn't see them as the aggressors who killed him just because he was alone and outnumbered.

The leader looked at her for a moment, but disregarded what she said nonchalantly. "I don't care why you did it. What matters is that he is dead…" He paused for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. "Now… about what to do with all of you." He thought out loud, but the way he said it caused the blue macaws to tense up once again. The sentence sounded rather ominous.

"I'm not a heartless monster like Danilo, so I won't harm any of you. Even though you are trespassing AND hoarding human items for whatever reason… Best I can do is this." He reassured the group once he saw what their reactions were. "When we got here, Danilo was dead. No idea who or what killed him. Neither of you were here." This seemed like a great deal on paper. Their mission would be completed, and Team Lucifer got out of it without causing a diplomatic incident. The severe macaw followed up by narrowing his eyes. "However, this does mean that all of you need to go. Now."

The rather harsh delivery once again caught them off guard with the exception of Mark and Rodrigo, but neither were happy with the offer. Mark really didn't want to push their luck, but the offer was absurd considering the circumstances they were in. "Not to be disrespectful, but there is a storm brewing right now. It will hit in an hour tops. Flying would be too dangerous in that weather. Can't we remain here until it passes over? We will be out of here the moment it is safe to do so." He tried the diplomatic approach, offering a good compromise.

The leader closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. If any independent patrol appears, all of us will be busted. You either willingly move now… or we have no choice but to force you." With that statement, the other severe macaws raised their spears once again, reminding the group they were serious in case they forgot. "You have ten minutes to do so."

The implications finally caught up with Rodrigo, and the macaw was furious. He glared daggers at the group leader, but realizing that will do them no good he looked at his own leader. "Mark, Blu is in no condition to fly that much, and we can't carry both him and his equipment!" The scarred macaw was aware of this and opened his beak to respond, but another bird beat him to it.

"I can do it." Blu exclaimed, not wanting to complicate the issue any further. After all, how far away could this tribe's borders actually be?

"Blu, if that gash was a few inches deeper, you'd be dead. The fact you can even glide is probably a miracle on its own. You can't fly like this." Diana cut off the blue macaw, scolding Blu to the best of her abilities. She clearly heard Rodrigo forbidding Blu from flying anywhere. Not to mention even if he could fly, it would just destroy all the healing progress done over the last few days.

"WE HAVE NO CHOICE!" Blu surprised everyone by shouting, instantly silencing the almost two dozen birds in the area. The sudden outburst granted him the opportunity to explain his reasoning. "If we don't go, these guys have every right to do whatever they want… Hell, we would do the exact same thing if this was the other way around, and you all know it!"

Thunder crackled in the distance, grabbing the whole group's attention for a second as they turned their heads towards the source of the ominous boom. As if on cue, the wind increased in strength, shaking the massive canopies of the ancient jungle trees around them. This was the worst possible time for any bird to head out on a long journey, but alas they will have to.

Blu sighed in frustration, knowing full well the pain and strain flight will take on his body. He would bear it, not because of social expectations, but because the team's needs simply outweighed his own. "The sooner we go the faster we can find shelter." With that statement, he ended the conversation. He ignored the eerie silence of the macaws around him, opted to instead walk over the item pile and find his weapon.

Mark realized there was simply no way to talk Blu out of it, and no way to make the severe macaws change their minds, he simply shook his head. He later turned towards his teammates. "Pack up. We're heading out." The other blue macaws didn't dare to say anything, obeying his command at once.

The severe macaws were silent, watching as the blue birds attached their weapons and other gear. Meanwhile the weather continued to worsen, and they couldn't help but show some guilt about the situation they forced the parrots into. When everyone was ready to head out, the leader spoke up. "Good luck with your mission, for what it is worth, I'm sorry it came to this."

Mark glanced at the severe macaw for a moment, deciding whether to speak or not. Recognizing there is nothing further to talk about, he chose to simply nod his head as a farewell greeting. Taking the lead, he unwrapped his wings and with a powerful jump leaped off from the branch, leaving the canopy behind. The rest of Team Lucifer followed suit, and soon enough the severe macaw group was left alone, unconsciously deciding to bundle up together as the wind continued to increase in intensity. They could hear the faint noise of rain droplets hit the leafs above them. Neither of the parrots wanted to be in the flying group's place.

One hour later

"Bullshit! We are in the middle of the barren lands and these jackasses come here, telling me I was in their territory?" Lucas yelled out, trying to get his voice through the storm's noise as the group continued to soar through the air as fast as they could. "Did these idiots even hear of this invention called tribal borders?!" He continued his rant, trying to force some of the pent up anger out of his system. The other members didn't interrupt him, thinking once he managed to vent things would return to normal. Well, all but one.

"It doesn't matter Lucas. They had the advantage in numbers, they could have told you they were some sort of divine entities and you would have been forced to believe it." Rodrigo impatiently retorted, having enough of the younger macaw's antics. "We should count our lucky stars they didn't loot or murder us." He added shortly after, trying to make him understand just how bad that could have ended. The sudden perspective change seemed to have worked, because for the most part Lucas's ranting stopped.

"It is still a dick move! This weather is getting worse by the minute, and yet here we are risking our lives because they don't have basic empathy." The young bodyguard grumbled under his breath, periodically glancing behind himself to see how his friend is holding up. This wouldn't be that bad if they were all healthy and able to move at full speed. "Blu? You okay there buddy?"

The brown eyed macaw was everything but okay, but Lucas's question brought the entire team's attention on him, something he really didn't want. It was clear he was struggling, the wound getting more and more aggravated with each wing flap. "I'm going to manage." He tried to reassure them, but his ability to hide pain was not developed enough to fool veterans like Mark or Rodrigo.

"Leaving their territory is pointless if you drop dead, Blu." Mark pointed out, signaling the others to slow down. Blu managed to keep up at the beginning, but as time went by he started to fall back further and further. Meanwhile the rain was now pouring from the sky, decreasing visibility quite substantially. If that wasn't enough, seconds later massive gusts of wind swept across the area. The spectacle was truly phenomenal if one ignored the circumstances. The usually still jungle canopies connected together, forming a surface which waved like the ocean.

Blu didn't care about that, what he noticed was what his team was trying to do, and was having none of it. "N-No! We need to keep going!" His response was to increase his speed at the expense of even more strain on his body. He refused to be the reason they need to land before they were surely out of whatever tribe that group of severe macaws were talking about.

The rest of Team Lucifer wanted to protest the action, but in the midst of their arguing, neither paid close attention to their surroundings. Without even realizing it, the group started to gain altitude, subconsciously hoping they could escape the debris that started to fly around from the canopies. The raging storm had a terrible surprise for the group. The fast wind managed to mask the sound of something coming right at them.

"Blu, for the last time. Snap out of this and let's land!" Diana pleaded, starting to struggle herself against the weather. Blu said something, but a badly timed thunder deafened her for a moment. While she didn't catch what he said, what the female did catch was a weird shadow form below the canopy. From the size it appeared to be massive, and the shape resembled nothing she ever saw before.

Instinctively, the blue macaw removed her gaze from her injured teammate and looked forward. Her eyes widened in disbelief and without even thinking, she let out a blood curdling scream. "WHAT IS THAT?!" The scream had the desired effect. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and faced forward, only to react in similar ways.

"HOLY CRAP LOOK OUT!"

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

From seemingly nowhere, an enormous construct was soaring through the air, on a crash collision course with the whole group. From the very limited time they had to process what was in front of them, it reflected some of the light, and they only knew one material which did that. Metal. Mark quickly concluded this had to be human made. He couldn't voice this discovery though, because instincts took over and he yelled out the necessary commands instead. "SCATTER!"

The Spix's macaws frantically tried to get away, but the strong winds made it difficult. They only had seconds before impact, but thanks to their superior reflexes, they were able to maneuver away from the monstrosity's hull. All expect for Blu, who's tired and injured body couldn't generate enough momentum to fully get away.

"BLU!" His teammates screamed his name in desperation, but it didn't do anything good. Time seemed to slow down for the macaw, watching as the giant hunk of metal soared passed him by mere inches. For a moment he was relieved that the danger was over, but unfortunately he wouldn't be awake to know just how mistaken he was. While he did manage to just barely dodge a head on collision, a protruding piece of metal on the airplane's side managed to hit his head with just enough force to knock the macaw out.

The massive winds and turbulence generated by the aircraft swept up the parrot, pushing him along with the currents. He was unconscious, unable to hear the faint cries of his teammates as the wind continued to blow him away to who knows where.

One day later, somewhere in the Amazon

Two blue macaws soared through the lower canopy, using the thick net of leaves as protection against the cold rain and wind raging above. The duo was looking for adequate shelter which was close enough to a clean water source and food. Ironically, the rain didn't help in hydration because most areas where the water collected was too dirty to actually drink.

Jewel caught her friend's attention, showing her a tree in the distance where they could safely land. The vegetation grew thinner, marking a river or stream in the vicinity. Sure enough, just beyond the targeted tree, a clean river flown, bigger and wider thanks to the storm supplying more water than normal. The birds landed on a low hanging branch, inspecting themselves in closer detail now that they were not flying.

"Ugh. I regret the decision to head out. I'm almost soaked." Melisa pouted, shaking her body a bit to dry herself as much as possible. She didn't have enough moisture to render her flightless, but if they can't find shelter soon, it would become a reality. A flightless bird in the Amazon was a dead bird, so she tried to avoid it if possible.

"It was pretty clear an hour ago, I thought it blew over." Jewel admitted, trying to lighten up the situation a bit. It hit the mark, causing Melisa's beak to curve a small smile. Taking the moment to properly rest her wings, she looked around for possible shelter. Usually finding a hollow was not too difficult, but this was the barren lands. Without a big enough animal population, manually created holes were rare to come by.

Jewel soon joined in, going by the two heads are better than one idiom. She failed to find anything worth noting as a shelter, but instead a strange object caught her interest in the river below them. Her turquoise eyes landed on a strange blob floating on the surface between the chaotic currents. It was a mix of white, blue and something shiny. The out of place thing caused her to concentrate as the object floated closer and her eyes widened in disbelief when the form became much more profound.

"What is that?!… IS THAT A BIRD?!" She exclaimed frantically, pointing at the floating body. Melisa looked at the direction she was pointing at and after recognizing the shape, she too was speechless for a moment. It was definitely a bird. And the feather color was disturbingly similar to their own. Before she could reply anything, she felt the branch wobble under her feet, courtesy of Jewel leaping off and gliding towards the stranger.

Jewel's eyes scanned the area near the body, searching for possible sings of a predator. Finding none, she glided closer until she was only a talon's reach away. By this time Melisa got the memo and caught up with her, the two hovering over the cold water's surface. They didn't know how to get the macaw out of the water safely, not to mention if it was even alive. The duo looked at each other and silently conversed, somehow coming to the same conclusion. Time was of the essence at that moment.

They dropped down, just enough to be able to extend their talons and grab the limp and wet body. Both could feel heat radiating away, indicating the body wasn't in the water for long, which meant there was hope. Jewel grabbed what she though was the shoulder area while Melisa firmly held the talons poking out of the water. With one powerful motion, both macaws pushed up with all their might, successfully lifting the limp body out of the cold water when their strength overcame the water's surface tension a second later.

As they continued to gain altitude, the remaining water poured out of the body's plumage, turning the wet parrot lighter by the second and thus making it easier to carry. Not having enough time to plan, they flew back to the branch they perched on moments before.

It was high enough that they were safe but wide enough to allow all three of them to land at the same time. The duo carefully dropped the macaw on the branch before landing themselves, catching their breaths, lightly panting. Now that the body was out of the water they could inspect it more thoroughly.

It was definitely a macaw. The features and weight matched male and the plumage was navy blue in color. Although sometimes it might be hard for humans to distinguish between certain macaw species, Jewel and Melisa could recognize a member of their own without difficulty. This person was a Spix's macaw without a shadow of doubt. A thousand questions raced through Jewel's mind, but she managed to push them to the back of her mind for later, right now the most important thing was to see if he was actually still alive.

The duo stared at the body and were relieved when they saw his chest rise and fall. Although it was rough, he was breathing. Barely after they dropped him off, he began coughing up excess water, reminding the parrots what to do. Jewel grabbed his right shoulder with a talon and slowly turned him to his side, allowing the liquid to exit his mouth before he could drown. After a nerve wrecking ten seconds the miserable coughing stopped, leaving them in relative silence, only disturbed by the ambient jungle noises and the ragged breathing of the stranger.

"Who is this guy? Doesn't seem familiar at all." Melisa questioned, not able to place the face anywhere. This wasn't enough to raise suspicion though, since their tribe was big enough that for one person to know everyone was pretty much impossible. She glanced at her friend who's expression told the same story.

"The river flows in the opposite direction. Unless he was lost a few days ago, there is no way he followed after us. The tribe is in the other way." Jewel concluded, remembering where they were flying from. Now that his condition was somewhat stabilized, she could direct her attention to other details on the unconscious male. Her eyes inspected the shiny rod still attached to his back by vines, furrowing her brow in an attempt to find out what it was.

She never saw anything like it, and actually winced a bit when she touched the surface, surprised by the coldness of it. Her eyes widened when she realized why the feeling was familiar. The human cage had the very same heat sucking surface as that rod. This raised red flags, but in order to not freak out Melisa and giving this stranger the benefit of the doubt, she decided to keep this to herself for now. The best guess she could make was that it was a weapon, because that was the closest thing the shape matched with.

The next thing was the white fabric wrapped around him rather tightly. Melisa had a similar interest, because she grabbed one of his wings and moved it over, exposing his full torso so they could see what the white fabric was for. They gasped when they saw a long red stain on his side. It didn't take a genius to figure out it was a bandage for a wound.

"We need to remove whatever this is and clean the wound, unless we want it to get infected." The brown eyed macaw stated, earning a simple nod from her companion. She looked around, scanning the surface for any herbs they could use. Letting out a quick and quiet frown for her search yielding no results, she directed her gaze to the light blue macaw. "I'm going to look around for something useful. Try to remove that bandage and… whatever that is on his back." With that order passed, she leaped off the branch towards the denser part of the jungle in silence.

Jewel decided to start with the strange weapon, concluding it would just get in the way. With swift movements from her right talon's sharp claws, the vines were cut, loosening the metal rod from his body. Using her wings to lift the unconscious body a bit, the woman was able to pull out the weapon from under him, placing it aside for further inspection later.

She examined the fabric's texture and toughness, figuring out if she could just cut it instead of rolling the poor soul around trying to find the knot holding it all together. Although cold due to still being soaked with water, she was pleasantly surprised how smooth it was. There was no way he found this in the jungle, this had to be somewhat related to humans. How he got it she was not sure, but whenever this stranger woke up he would be in for a lengthy questioning.

Albeit with more difficulty than the vines, her claws managed to triumph over whatever bonds held the fabric together. With quiet rip sounds she slowly but surely cut the bandage in half over the middle of his chest. Grasping the now useless cloth with her talon, she pulled it away from the body and yanked it over the branch, not caring where it might have landed.

Without any obstructions, she could finally see the wound the male tried to heal. To her surprise it was not as bad as she initially thought it would be. Signs of proper care were evident, and while the water managed to aggravate it, it was not something a bit of disinfecting couldn't solve.

With no more tasks at hand, she walked a few steps over and sat down, looking towards the ravaging river as it tugged logs and debris along on the surface. She closed her eyes and sighed, trying to calm her mind from the sudden turmoil. The last thing she thought was meeting a stray tribe member barely two days after getting permission to go back and free their trapped brothers and sisters.

Jewel was contemplating turning back with the injured macaw, because there was no way he would survive in such a condition alone. But if that happened she was not sure if they would get another chance, not to mention they were bound by time. After all, wait long enough and any trail turns cold. She frowned, concluding their only option was to continue, taking him with them.

A pair of wing flaps brought her back to the real world, head snapping towards the source of the sound. Her eyes met with familiar brown ones and quickly turned around, giving the female space to land. Between her talons were multiple types of herbs, vines and leaves. Throwing all of them on the branch, she looked at the injured macaw and was pleased to see the trash removed.

"While I make the disinfectant paste, could you look around and try to find a dry place big enough for all three of us? At this rate he will catch a cold on top of all his troubles. And we could use some warmth too." Melisa politely requested, already picking up different herbs and attempting to mush them together with a rock.

"Sure." Jewel replied with a small smile, leaping off the branch and flying away parallel with the river since that was the easiest way to find anything. The dark blue macaw continued mixing the ingredients, swiftly with no unnecessary movements. The end result was a green pasty substance littered with small bits of leaves. Once she was satisfied, she let it sit for a while as she prepared a few leaves she left alone.

The surfaces were cleaned before she flew back, possible because she found a clean pond while searching for the necessary herbs. Melisa neatly laid them flat against the tree bark, making sure not to touch anything. Last thing they needed was to contaminate them and cause infections later on when their purpose was to prevent it.

With everything prepared, she walked forward a few steps to take a look at the wound Jewel exposed before. True enough, it was much better than expected. The area was red due to irritation and a bit of blood was still pouring out, but thankfully no sign of infection. She grabbed one of the clean leaves and placed it near the wound, glancing up at the unconscious bird's face. This is going to hurt, sorry. She apologized within her mind, but it had to be done.

She applied a bit of pressure and as gently as possible scrubbed the area, removing the dried blood and dirt. As expected, the stranger's body did not appreciate the gesture and even though the man was unconscious he groaned in pain. Ignoring it as best she could, she kept working on cleaning the wound. Throwing the leaf away once it collected all the gunk, she turned back to check on the earlier made paste.

Thanks to the additional time, the paste softened a bit, making it perfect to apply. Catching another leaf with her wing, she dipped the same side's talon in the paste, pouring it on the green surface. Slanting it around a bit to even out the paste, she turned back towards the injured macaw and thought about how to best apply it.

Since the wound was as clean as it could be, she opted to just rub it on the gash's surface. Placing the leaf over it, she heard the almost silent but slightly pain filled hiss from the unconscious macaw. Even though he couldn't see it, she had an apologetic smile on her face, knowing the paste stung like a son of a bitch. As soon as the gash was covered with the medicine, she removed and threw away the leaf just like the last one.

As if on cue, Jewel dipped below the canopy near the tree they were on, landing a few meters away from them to make sure her landing wouldn't knock anything off. Melisa glanced up from the injured macaw to meet her friend's gaze. "Found anything?"

"Yes. One just on the river's bank a bit down stream. We can carry him there easily." Jewel walked next to her, curiously watching as her friend worked. "How is he?" She asked, tilting her head a bit to the side in uncertainty as she saw the pained expression on the unconscious bird's face.

"I cleaned the wound and then applied the disinfectant. All in all, he's taking it like a champ. Or he's just too knocked out to scream like most people." Melisa admitted with a slight chuckle, the reaction mirrored by her friend a second later. The dark feathered macaw turned around to prepare a few vines and the last leaf she had laid out. She examined the vine in closer detail, pulling it to check how elastic and strong it was while also searching for possible tears.

Finding no problem with it, she placed it behind her so when she turned back it would be within talon reach. Moving on to the final leaf, the female scooped up a bit more of the paste and made sure to smear it all over the clean surface. After she was satisfied with the amount, the macaw turned around for the last time and carefully placed it over the wound, shielding it from further damage while also providing fresh disinfectant for the time being.

"Can you lift him up a bit? We need to make sure the bandage won't fall off." Melisa's request was granted without question as soon as she finished asking. Jewel once again grabbed the stranger by his shoulders, lifting him up from the tree branch just enough to give her friend enough room to work.

The impromptu medic got to work right away and wrapped the vine around his torso three times where the leaf was placed. Silently nodding that it was done, Jewel lowered the unconscious macaw back down, taking a step back to give Melisa room. While the brown eyed parrot tied a secure knot, Jewel walked over and picked up the strange weapon. She was surprised by the weight of the rod. It was heavier than a normal stick but not by much. In fact, the added mass probably made it superior to regular wooden sticks macaws usually fought with.

Thunder crackled in the distance, illuminating the jungle and penetrating even the thick canopy above them, casting fractal like designs of light on the surface before vanishing just as quickly as it appeared. The duo looked up at a clear patch and saw the rain pouring down harder now. "We should go before it gets worse." Jewel advised, looking for a spare vine on the branch. Finding none available, she turned around and fortunately her friend managed to bring back more than necessary.

"Yeah." Melisa agreed, eyeing the finished bandage with pride on her face. I knew mom's teachings were not for nothing. She thought to herself, redirecting her attention to her friend a few seconds later just as the light blue macaw tied a vine around her torso, the stranger's rod firmly attached to her back. "You want to bring that back too?" She questioned, tilting her head to the side in curious fashion.

"Mhm. It might come in handy." Jewel replied. The two macaws jumped into the air and quickly got a hold of the stranger, now able to find a comfortable position. With their combined strength, the unconscious parrot was lifted off the branch and the group was on their way to find shelter from the relentless rain, with Jewel in the lead.

…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…

At last, fate has brought our favorite blue macaws together! This is where the fun begins.

I knew tying together the two storylines was going to be tough, but this was just ridiculous. And I have the story outlined! … Roughly. This chapter was rewritten three times before I arrived here. This was the primary reason the chapter took so long to come out, so apologies for that. I hope the quality didn't suffer too much for it.

The world really didn't need a pandemic on top of all its troubles already. I'm starting to feel it's effects, and I'm the stay inside all day type of guy, so I can only guess what 'regular' people go through. I hope my story can offer some people temporary escape from this whole mess.

Stay inside, watch out for each other and we will get through this!