Chapter 8
A rocky start
Disclaimer
I do not own Rio.
Blu's mind was dark as the starless night sky, the feeling of bone chilling cold and suffocating silence accompanying him in the void that was his mindscape. He couldn't register the passage of time, so Blu had absolutely no idea how long this state lasted. From seemingly nowhere, a light flashed brightly on the horizon, enveloping Blu in nonsensical dream sequences which turned out to be a mixture of his memories and feelings; The best way he could describe them was fever dreams. As the silly images evaporated from his mind, he started to slowly regain his awareness.
The first thing which returned was his feeling of touch and temperature. The macaw deducted that he must be inside a hollow, because he could feel the rough tree's texture underneath him, while cold breezes swept by his back, courtesy of winds blowing inside an open entranced hollow. Moments later his hearing joined his ever growing list of senses and after the annoying ringing passed, he heard the gentle tap of rain pouring down on the jungle's canopies outside.
Blu's facial muscles got right back to work, forming a grimace on his face as he felt the first wave of dull and stinging sensation of pain radiating from his side. It was nowhere near unbearable, but it would hinder his movements if he had to do anything physical right now without some sort of painkiller. Panic enveloped him for a moment when he heard talons scraping the tree bark just a few centimeters from his resting position. Before his fight or flight response could take over, he got control over himself and stopped his body from acting out any sudden movements.
He calmly thought it through and realized somebody probably helped him, and while it was possible the savior left and some unknown predator found him here, he didn't give too big of a chance for that possibility. After all, why would someone help him only to leave the unconscious macaw unsupervised? Finally, Blu managed to get back manual control of his eyelids, allowing him to slowly open them. Gradually his brown irises dilated, granting his pupil the ability to gather enough light that he could see what was going on around him.
Blu lazily opened his eyelids about half way, allowing his eyes to regain their focus on their own. His vision was met with the semi dark interior of a hollow, the light coming from his back, casting an almost unnoticeable shadow on the wall. The real kicker was the mass of dark blue right in front of him, which seemed to twitch and tense up the moment it realized he was trying to focus on it.
"Ah, you're awake." The feminine toned voice called out to him in a mixture of relief and surprise, causing him to concentrate harder to get the focus he needed. Seconds later his eyes finally complied to his request, granting him a clear glance at the stranger. He withheld his breath when he comprehended what was before him.
A female macaw with dark blue feathers rivaling his own, coupled with a slightly lighter shade of brown eyes then what he saw when looking in a mirror. In fact, if someone asked him what would he imagine himself to look like with a reversed gender, this stranger would be the answer. The deepest, most primal parts of his brain caught all the subtle cues, telling him this woman was about the same age as him but perhaps more importantly, the species was definitely Spix's macaw.
Before his dumbfounded staring would become disrespectful and rude, he tried to think of something meaningful to say to break his silence, but failed to come up with anything engaging. In the end, he decided to just stick with the basic set of questions one can ask in a situation like this. "Ugh… Where am I?" He groggily questioned, trying to force sound through his barely used syrinx.
His lack of aggression led the female to visibly relax her tensed body, maintaining eye contact with the dazed parrot. "You are inside a hollow in the barren lands. My friend and I found you in the river." She carefully explained as best she could, eyeing every move the stranger made, but couldn't find any malice in them, only confusion.
"I see… I, uh. I believe I owe you for treating me?" He nodded his head in acceptance and questioned her role, fixing his posture by the second as the final waves of drowsiness left his body. The Spix's macaw let out a quiet chuckle in response to the query.
"Understatement of the century. If we didn't see you when we did, you would have drowned in a matter of minutes." She replied, allowing the information to sink in. It didn't hurt to make sure the bird knew he owed them his very life, after all, you never know when you might need a favor. Before the male could continue to steer the conversation, she carried on with her own question. "What's your name?"
The macaw tilted his head to the side, finding the question strange, as if it was the stupidest question he ever heard; He was the leader's son after all. Without wasting a single moment, he responded. "Blu. Blu Gunderson." The quickness in answering put the woman at ease, because it meant he didn't have to think about a fake name. Then again, he could have decided upon a fake name before whatever happened to him, but that wasn't likely. What made her raise an eye however, was the use of a double name.
"Blu? Gunderson?" She repeated his answer to make sure the macaw wasn't just still dazed or confused. Once again, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, he simply nodded. She could see the faint traces of suspicion forming in the back of his mind via his eyes; Apparently her response wasn't what he was looking for.
"What's yours?" He asked out of the blue, breaking her concentration. She was taken back by the sudden interest, but realized it was only fair to repay the courtesy.
"Melisa." She answered calmly, but soon realized the parrot was still waiting, as if she also had two names. Before it would turn awkward, she corrected herself. "Just Melisa. I… I don't have two names." She continued to watch the macaw as the subtle suspicion and confusion carried on going, causing her to become uncomfortable and tense again. If anyone here was weird, it was him, not her.
Blu on the other hand understood the predicament, and he had a very bad feeling about this whole situation. First off, as much as he hated it, every bird in the tribe knew who he was. Second, she seemed to have been taken back by the existence of family surnames, which made him raise his own eyes. With the force of a tsunami hitting shore, concern quickly flooded over him as he puzzled together the knowledge he gained.
The woman told him he was still in the barren lands. Surnames were something they picked up when his tribe first occupied the abandoned human base and they learned the writing system. This meant that to his knowledge, the Spix's macaw tribe was the only animal group to apply this irrefutably useful feature. But here lies the problem, she was without a question a blue macaw, so why was the concept so foreign to her?
The other fact of the matter was that ever since he was little, he knew the inner happenings of the tribe because his father didn't think he would care enough to listen in on leadership matters when home. He would have known if anyone was banished to the barren lands for crimes, yet he never heard of such a case.
Next was her age. She was definitely about the same age as himself, but that would mean somehow a chick would have been exiled, and that was not something his father would do. So how did a relatively young parrot like her end up here? Maybe she had parents and they were banished before she was born? Blu mentally shook his head, stopping the thoughts right there. Something was definitely wrong, and he was determined to find out what, but right now he couldn't afford to show even the slightest bit of possible aggression.
Before the tension could escalate any further, distraction arrived by the form of Jewel, who just got back from scavenging. The two macaws inside the hollow snapped their heads towards the entrance when they heard the wing flaps and talons scraping. Seconds later Jewel stepped in and froze for a moment when she saw two pair of eyes on her instead of one.
Her eyes immediately glued to the stranger who was still in a sitting position but definitely awake. The only new feature she could see were his brown eyes, which were staring back at her in a probing manner. "I'm back with food." Jewel greeted with a normal tone once her temporary shock was over, holding up the brazil nuts in her right talon. "Already met Melisa I presume?" Her question was directed at the male macaw, who after a moment of consideration nodded.
"Yes. I woke up a few minutes ago. I'm Blu Gunderson, nice to meet you." Blu replied in a similarly neutral tone, managing to completely hide his true emotions. He wasn't as startled as they expected because Melisa made sure to mention she was not alone. He took the time to subtly inspect the newcomer, taking in her features to memory. Bright blue plumage and brilliant turquoise eyes stared back at him. Wait what? Brilliant? Where did that come from? He asked himself, dismissing the thought right away, since the new parrot got ready to speak.
"Nice to meet you Blu… Gunderson. I'm Jewel." She introduced herself with a slight nod, but once again, the mention of a double name painted a weird look on her face, temporarily breaking eye contact to look at her companion in question. Melisa just shrugged, not knowing what was up. Without any useful information, the woman decided to drop it for now and welcomed herself in, throwing the food near the walls for later use.
The next ten minutes or so went by with a snail's pace, and awkward for every participant involved. Obviously, both parties were wary of each other, wanting know just how the other got into the mess they were now in. Attempts at small talk were tried by all three of them, but due to the lack of chemistry they quickly died down. This irritated the cyan blue macaw, and in turn caused Blu to honestly miss unconsciousness. He glanced at the parrot and saw that she was about to blow. Perhaps things will progress somewhere now. He thought to himself.
"Okay, this is starting to get ridiculous!" Jewel erupted with irritation sizzling on her face, eyeing the lone male with a sudden probing gaze that was way more intense than before, ignoring all social politeness as she did so. "All three of us know something is wrong, so let's drop this nicely getting along attitude and get to the point." The blunt statement caused a shift in Blu as well. He understood his timid nature won't help him in this situation, as it would just undermine his credibility. A frown developed on his features and he narrowed his eyes at the blue macaw in response.
"So I was not alone in this then… I guess beating around the bush isn't everyone's cup of tea." The idiom seemed to miss both women but it wasn't something important enough to acknowledge in the moment. Before either of them could retort, Blu pressed on, finally voicing the thoughts inside his mind. "Not to sound ungrateful for the rescue, but why did two banished birds help a tribe member?"
Both macaws' features went through confusion, feeling insulted and finally hot furious glares which bore right into his very soul. This caused him to mentally flinch, remembering a certain woman from his close friend group. Melisa sputtered a few incoherent words at first, collecting herself to angrily retort in their defense. "Banished?! Now listen here, did you hit your head so hard you seemed to forget the little fact Jewel right here is…"
Meanwhile, Jewel's eyes widened at the implications the question held and moved next to her friend, placing a wing on her beak before she could announce to the world at large what her family relations were. The angry macaw temporarily directed her gaze at her, fury still in her eyes. Jewel just subtly shook her head, getting the message across right away. 'Leave that out for now.' Melisa although hesitantly at first, nodded her head in acceptance. She didn't know why Jewel wanted to keep her identity a secret yet, but figured she would get her answer soon.
Unfortunately, the outburst did not go unnoticed by Blu, who cleared his throat to gain back the two females' attention. "Jewel is what?"
"If you don't know it, then that is none of your concern right now." Jewel answered flatly, stating end of discussion on the matter. Blu kept his eyes narrowed on the light blue macaw, but found her will to be made of steel. As a response, he mentally backtracked, causing him to examine his own emotions and actions. Considering he was hurt and outnumbered two to one, he was really in no place to demand anything right now.
Blu couldn't figure out what made him outburst like that, since this was not his nature. If either Mark or Lucas saw this, they would say he grew a spine or balls respectively. But that doesn't help if you get beaten up on it, he thought, so instead he decided to fall back on a strategy that never failed him before. "Okay. Let's backtrack a bit and calm down. I guess all of us were a bit on edge… We both have questions and want answers." The inner diplomat tore to the surface with a surge of confidence even Blu didn't know the origin of. "So let's compromise. You two ask one question, then I ask one. Repeat until we are satisfied. Sounds good?" He suggested.
The hostility on his face vanished, replaced with a neutral but considerate look. It was a gamble, because he just gave up most of the mental ground he gained with the initial retort. The women would either see it as weakness or an admirable trait to know how to lose and accept not being in control, something that was rare when it came to any living being; Men especially.
The two blue macaws glanced at each other, silently conversing between one another. They were friends for so long they could read each other like an open book, which was a good tool to use when wanting to communicate without an outsider knowing what they were thinking. The change of demeanor surprised them, but considering what was happening it was a nice change. "Alright, sounds fair enough." Jewel announced their answer, directing her vision back at the brown eyed man, still with a distrusting gaze.
"Seriously. What is your real name." Jewel took the following silence as an invitation and began her series of questions, starting with the blue macaw's weird habit of using two names.
"I'm being serious. My name is Blu Gunderson." He replied, but couldn't help the irritation which dripped from his voice at the accusation of possibly lying. He had no reason to do so. "I have two names." He added shortly after, remembering how weirded out they were about this fact.
"How old are you?" Melisa was next as per their agreement, hoping to gain enough information so she could place him somewhere in the tribe. On the outside he was a completely average looking macaw, but some of his antics were alien to say the least. Something like this would surely have circulated among the tribe.
"Ten." The response was brief and on point. The trio heard a faint hissing sound from outside, but with the wind still blowing, the jungle canopies emitted lots of sounds. With no repetition, the group ignored it and turned back to the conversation. Now, it was his turn. "Are there any more blue macaws around us?"
The two women shook their head in unison. The reaction was too quick for them to think about it, which gave Blu the feeling they were telling the truth. At least he didn't have to worry about a possible ambush in his injured condition.
"How did you get separated from the tribe. That gash looked pretty bad." Melisa remembered the whole ordeal regarding his injuries. The wound didn't look natural, and she did spot a few faint bruises when treating him. This meant he saw combat. But against who exactly? Why was he such an enigma to them?
Blu seemed to hesitate for a moment once he understood the question, going as far as breaking eye contact as he pondered over what to do. It was top secret, only the council knew what was going on. Like Mark said to the severe macaws, they swore an oath to keep their beaks shut. This included even Spix's macaw tribe members, and that meant banished birds were even less entitled to that information. "I got injured while saving a friend in the barren lands. We were sent on a mission."
He finally looked back at the two blue macaws and his gaze shifted towards Jewel. He could see her lungs expanding as she got ready to speak, but somehow he knew exactly what the parrot was about to ask, and decided to answer it right away, saving time. "The mission is classified. Given to me by the tribe leader himself."
This raised every red flag inside Melisa's mind. She immediately looked at Jewel, silently asking if it was true. Surely, being his daughter, she would know if a mission like this was indeed ordered by Eduardo. Although it made little sense, the tribe was in the other direction when they found him in the river. Why would the old bird send any team away from the flock in a time like this? After all, they had to literally beg and nag him so they could go and rescue their trapped brethren.
Jewel shook her head in a definite no, having no knowledge whatsoever about any mission like that. There were two possibilities here. Either her father didn't tell her, or this Blu Gunderson was lying. She believed the latter, and she was not going to let this lie slide. They managed to catch him in the act, even though he played the seemingly innocent pretty well. Perfect time to figure out his connection to humans.
"Yeah, sorry but we won't buy that talk." Jewel retorted, tensing up her body unconsciously in the process. The action hasn't gone unnoticed by the macaw next to and in front of her. Melisa slightly adjusted her pose to better block or attack, and if the light blue parrot's actions were somehow missed by Blu, the medic's certainly forced him to move.
Even though the leaf and vines were still wrapped around his body, he could move enough to change his stance without much discomfort. He took one step backwards, but stopped when he felt his tail feathers lightly brushing against the hollow's wall. Blu adjusted his posture and unfolded his wings a tiny bit, making him appear bigger as a result. This conversation was derailing very fast. His eyes broke contact once again and quickly darted around the hollow, searching for his trusted weapon.
Jewel noticed what he was searching for and took a step back herself, her right talon landing on Blitzkrieg. There was no way for Blu to get to the weapon without going through the female. If he came at her full force then it might work, but for some reason people had a tendency to underestimate Jewel. And she also had her friend beside her.
"The tribe leader wouldn't send macaws away from the flock in times like this. It is not nice to lie." She stated as a matter of fact, narrowing her eyes at the still considered stranger. "I had it with this. Where did you get those human bandages? And what is this weapon? Talk!" She commanded, getting her body primed and ready for an attack.
Not good, not good! Two versus one and I'm cornered! Just great. Blu thought to himself, not budging an inch. He was confused, not understanding how the situation deteriorated so fast. Sure, they were wary but until he mentioned the mission things were going great. "Where did I get the stuff?" He repeated the question just to make sure they were on the same page. The lack of response gave the answer he was looking for.
"Hmph. I got it from the human camp." Seeing that he was outnumbered, he thought it was best if he played along and answered their interrogation. But he still didn't know why they were so hostile all of a sudden. Were they jealous perhaps? "After all, I live there, it wasn't hard to get them." He added shortly after as a matter of fact, but the reaction was not what he expected.
"What." Melisa blurred out in sudden confusion. The answer simply didn't compute in her mind. It didn't want to compute. There was no way a blue macaw would work with humans. Yet this bird just told them he practically lives with them. A misunderstanding, but neither party knew that as of now.
Her companion froze just the same. She stared at the man in complete disbelief, even lowering her guard for a moment in pure shock. It took a few seconds for her to fully process the implications, and let's just say the result was not pretty.
"YOU ARE A PET?!" She shrieked from the top of her lungs. Her body was loaded like a spring, her right talon's claws were raised and extended forward, ready to leap at the blue macaw in an instant. Humans were the reason her tribe was in this mess, and it looks like she found the first Spix's macaw who willingly worked with them. He was a pet, a traitor and the only reason she didn't leap was the similarly powerful outburst.
"What?! NO!" Blu boomed in return. If Jewel's scream didn't alert everyone in a two mile radius to their presence, Blu's certainly did. "How dare you?!" He continued his shouting, forgetting for a moment he was outnumbered and cornered. "We are not pets!" His eyes were narrowed, and he got into the battle stance he learned from basic school. It was the only one he knew, and Mark made sure he trained enough to be fluid in it. It was far from being the ideal form for wing to wing combat, but alas that's what he had to work with.
"You said you live in human buildings!" Melisa was the next to shout, getting ready to attack the male in a moment's notice. She kept her peripheral vision on Jewel to follow her lead if she made a move. With how things were turning out, she was starting to regret treating this Blu Gunderson.
"Which was abandoned by them for decades now!" The young man retorted, not removing his gaze from the two macaws even for a second. He could see they were ready to attack any moment, so he kept all of his senses on high alert. Blu could have sworn that on top of the ambient jungle, he heard leaves ruffling near the entrance of the hollow. He ignored it once again, since he couldn't afford the luxury of glancing to the sides.
Both parties had the same train of thought, and as it turned out, it was a big mistake on their part.
"Nnnoisssssssssy fooood." An alien and bone chilling voice filled the hollow. The three macaws froze like statues for a moment, and that was just enough time for the intruder to make its grand entrance. An enormous green tree boa pushed itself inside the hollow, leaping at the closest parrot to the hole, who happened to be Melisa.
The dark blue macaw didn't have enough time to react. The snake quickly opened its mouth and caught the bird, causing all the inhabitants to scream with a sudden panic. Using the confusion to its advantage, the boa quickly pushed more of its body inside and began to curl around the still stunned macaw. The only thing Melisa could say was a weak "Can't breathe." She quickly realized how bad of an idea that really was. The snake kept its grip firm, and the moment Melisa's lungs exhaled air to speak, the powerful muscles tightened around her torso, making sure she could no longer take more air in.
By this time, Blu and Jewel managed to stand up. The sight was truly horrifying, in fact, they were certain this was probably the nightmare for many prey animals in the jungle. Jewel remembered her encounter with the harpy eagle's glare while in her cage, while Blu recalled both Ugo and Danilo's confrontation. His wings began to tremble, his brain entering a new panic attack episode.
Jewel seemed to display the same behavior, but the sudden dose of adrenaline from her brain quickly made her snap out of it. She knew they were in really big trouble, and every moment wasted was one moment closer to Melisa's early death. Seeing her friend in that state, rage quickly consumed her, like a wild fire engulfing a dried forest. Soon enough the bird could only see red. "LET HER GO!" The blue macaw leaped forward, extending her open talons full of sharp claws.
Due to the small hollow, impact was quick. For a moment she thought her talons managed to pierce the snake's scales, but instead the reptile opened its mouth and turned its face to a perfect angle, allowing the razor sharp needle like teeth to block the macaw's attack. Jewel quickly jumped back, spotting the metal weapon laying on the ground. Acting on pure instinct, she quickly picked up the alien rod and held it firm. She was by no means a master when it came to long stick fighting, but it would have to do.
The macaw looked over to see what Blu was doing, and wasn't impressed to say the least. The poor soul was shaking like a leaf in a storm, but his eyes were not focused at all. This probably meant he was suffering from some sort of panic attack. Unfortunately, the bird was of no use in this state, so she did the only thing she could think of. "SNAP OUT OF IT!"
The yell did the trick perfectly. Blu snapped out of his episode, returning him to the real world, but he couldn't decide which was worse to be honest. Now with adrenaline in his own system, his training with Mark finally kicked in, turning his brain to overdrive. He looked around the room quickly, noting every detail his eyes could see. Blitzkrieg was no longer on the ground, it was between the wings of Jewel interestingly enough, who used it to block the snake's attack.
Not that he wanted her to be unarmed and thus vulnerable, but a frown did develop on his face. The metal rod was the only weapon in the hollow, and he was pretty useless without it. That was until he looked at the entrance and realized there was a whole world out there. A world where he could run off to and live to see another day… But that wouldn't be right. Even though the two women and he were practically at each other's throats a minute prior, they were Spix's macaws. Not to mention they saved him from drowning, so technically he had a debt to repay.
While the outside world would be his way out of here, it would also be the only way he could get something to fight with or figure out a plan. Without a second thought, the blue macaw darted at the entrance, quickly dodging the snake's body which tried to hit him in the process. The natural painkiller made him forget his injury, allowing the macaw to fight with his full potential.
Jewel was shocked at the move, she didn't want to believe what she just witnessed. Instead of helping her, the parrot just dashed off and left the hollow. "HEY! GET BACK HERE COWARD!" She yelled out after him in fury, but a reflex dodge brought her back to reality. The snake was still there and adamant on attacking her, while also continuing to strangle Melisa. Jewel had bigger issues at the moment.
Blu passed the entrance and had to squint his eyes in response, the outside light slightly blinding him. He landed on a branch just a few meters from the hollow, and although he'd never admit it, he wished he didn't turn back. Now, he could see the true extent of the reptile, and it nauseated him. The boa was probably longer than three meters. It could strange all three of them if they were in the open. Luckily, the snake decided to attack them inside the small hollow, which meant its truly enormous size advantage was practically thrown out the window.
He glanced around once more, and this time he was pleased to spot several objects of potential use right away. A handy thin branch grew right beside him, which would make for a perfect long stick. He thought about bringing it back and exchanging it with Jewel for Blitzkrieg. If he could get his hands on it, electricity would surely have a word with the assaulting reptile. The problem with that approach was the hostage situation, electricity was not known to be picky.
The next idea still consisted on trading the weapons, just for a different purpose. Even though he couldn't use his trump card, it was still a metal rod with sharp and pointy ends. Jewel could distract it long enough to allow Blu the opportunity to stab the scaly reptile. He didn't care how big or scary it was, being stabbed hurt. It was something he could personally testify. But that idea too had a big weak point, he had no idea how the snake would react. Yes, it could let go of Melisa in pain, giving them a chance to escape, but it could also increase the pressure in response, crushing the parrot.
With that idea discarded, his gaze fell on the second object of interest, or rather, objects. Multiple vines grew directly over the hollow's entrance. I could make a slingshot with it if I had ammo… And suddenly, a lightbulb went off inside his head. It was time the snake had a taste of its own medicine. Blu leaped off the branch and barely avoided a crash landing against the tree bark.
Using his beak and claws, he snapped one end of the vines, giving him a pretty strong makeshift rope. Tugging it a bit to make sure it managed to unstick itself from the trunk's surface, the blue macaw dropped down and entered the hollow, the vines securely sitting between his beak. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dimmer environment, and he could see Jewel lashing out against the reptile, barely missing the snake's face.
He quickly looked at Melisa and was relieved to see her still struggling. Not because he was a sadist, but because it meant there was still hope. Blu ran towards the light blue macaw, halting himself just when the boa decided to lash out. His quick reflexes saved him from being bit by the snake, and Jewel only then realized he was back.
She was surprised to say the least, but there was no time to really call him out or thank him. She saw the group of vines in his mouth, but she was unable to figure out what he planned to do with it. Still, she wouldn't say no to help no matter how little it was. Taking the opportunity which has risen after the snake lashed out, she used Blitzkrieg to scrape along its scaly hide, causing it to shriek in pain. It quickly retracted its body to move in a more defensive position.
This was the opening Blu wanted, and used it to its full potential. He quickly dashed in front of the injured serpent, making it to the other side of the hollow. Once he was there, he waved with his wings, grabbing Jewel's attention. The light blue parrot turned towards him with a questioning look, and although she didn't exactly know how, she understood what he wanted a moment later.
The female lunged at the still defensive snake, enraging it further. "Pessssst." It hissed in fury, dodging the attack and moving in to bite her. She spun around and blocked the boa's attack just in time. Meanwhile Blu flew over it, carefully dragging the vines with him. Now the hook was officially complete. The boa didn't seem to notice it, and Blu wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.
While the serpent prepared for another attack, he quickly scanned the hollow's ceiling, and it turned out luck was on their side today. He saw a perfect protrusion where he could wedge himself and the rope. Now with his new target acquired, he looked back at the battle which was still raging next to him. The snake just missed another one of its frontal attacks, hitting the hard tree bark. "Youu will payy for thattt." The serpent threatened as it shook its head a few times to get rid of the dizziness. The boa retracted once more to get its bearings on its prey.
Check mate. Blu exclaimed smugly within his mind. Once more, the blue macaw dashed in front of the snake, successfully managing to wrap the rope around the beast's neck. The boa's eyes widened, finally feeling the thick vines around its neck. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be able to do anything against it. Without wasting a moment, Blu spread his wings and dashed towards the protrusion full speed. He quickly tied the vines around it, giving him more surface area to work with.
"Let's see how you like it!" He taunted before pulling the vine as hard as he could. The snake hissed in anger as it felt its body being lifted up by the vines. The serpent tried to thrash around, but the rope was too strong. Moments later, it was forced against the wall, and from that point onward the scaly reptile felt the very same force it used to hunt all its life.
Jewel was awe stuck at the sight, dropping the metal rod as she felt it was no longer needed. Never before had she seen a snake choking. Her eyes slowly wandered over to where Blu was, and she could see that he was struggling. Understanding this was their only chance to save Melisa and defeat the predator, she flew up next to him and grabbed the vine. She propped herself against the hollow's wall and pulled with all her might.
The snake continued to thrash around, desperately trying to break free and escape, it no longer saw this venture as profitable. The vines and the two macaws pulling was too strong however, and since its whole body was still dangling outside the hollow, it couldn't muster enough muscle power to free itself. From this point onward, it was a battle of attrition, one the macaws would win. Blu and Jewel continued to hold out firm, listening to the sounds it made. The protrusion hid the snake from their view, so the only thing they could go off was sound. After maybe a minute of this epic fight, the mighty snake finally started to slow down with its erratic movements.
Consequently, the death grip it held over Melisa finally lessened, and a few seconds later the blue macaw fell down from the snake's wrapped body, hitting the hollow's floor harder than normal. She broke out coughing immediately, but as time went on, she got control over her breathing back. Melisa opened her beak and inhaled the deepest breath of her life. Waves of euphoria flushed through her body, taking in the sweet oxygen her body so desperately needed.
Meanwhile the two parrots continued to pull on the rope, and after what seemed like an eternity of struggle, the serpent finally ceased to move completely. The two macaws kept their hold firm, carefully listening to the inside of the hollow. They could hear Melisa's ragged breathing, but no movement or protest from the predator. "I… I think its unconscious. We can let go now." Blu spoke up, heavily panting himself from the labor intensive task.
Jewel looked at him as if he was pink. "Are you out of your mind? If we keep it suffocating, it will die. Then the danger will be over."
"It is knocked out, and most of its body is outside. If we let go, it won't be able to hold onto anything, and it will fall down." Blu replied between his heavy panting, propping himself to a more comfortable position on to the wall. "I doubt it will survive the fall." He added shortly after, looking at the light blue macaw next to him.
She was about to protest but decided not to speak. Yes, it would fall down, but there was a chance it would survive the fall, and then come back for revenge. Then, she realized they would probably be out of this hollow very soon, so even if it did climb back, it would only find an empty hollow for its troubles. Nodding her head in agreement, the two macaws simultaneously let go of the makeshift rope. Now that nothing was holding the massive snake's body, gravity swiftly took over.
As the serpent's body fell down, the vine went with it. The unconscious head hit the side of the entrance on the way out, lowering its chances of survival further. Finally, the massive serpent left the hollow completely, leaving the three macaws in relative silence. Until they heard a faint thud seconds later, then silence once more.
Blu and Jewel glided down to the floor and the woman quickly ran over to her friend, checking if she was okay. Blu looked around and found his faithful weapon companion on the floor right next to him. He picked it up with his wings and moved over to the entrance, carefully peeking outside to make sure the snake was truly gone. He couldn't see anything, which meant they were most like likely safe for the time being.
With that no longer lingering in his conscience, the blue macaw turned back and walked over to Melisa, who was currently brought up to a sitting position by Jewel so she could breathe better. Blu stopped at a respectable distance from the two and made sure to drop the weapon as a sign of trust. "How you holding up?" The dark blue macaw who could have passed as a distant relative in terms of appearance looked at him with a wary gaze.
"Considering I was almost crushed to death, I'm fine I guess." She answered the question, keeping her eyes glued on the male. After what seemed like minutes, he finally let his guard down and plopped on the floor, exhaustion catching up with his body. The lack of adrenaline also reminded the blue macaw of Danilo's curse.
"Ugh. Damn that severe macaw." He cussed to nobody in particular, more annoyed than anything about the injury. Surprisingly, the pain was not as bad as he remembered, which made him think. Was Melisa's treatment so much better than Rodrigo's, or was he out cold long enough that it managed to heal?
"Severe macaw?" Jewel questioned with a raised eye, not expecting that statement. How a macaw from a species she barely saw in her life came into the picture, she didn't know. Luckily, Blu was kind enough to elaborate.
"He was the bird who threw a spear at me." He clarified, also giving the two women further insight into his past. It was not intentional, but by the time he realized his error it was too late anyway. He was really tired, and honestly, he didn't give a damn what they wanted to do from this point onward.
An enigma, this Blu was, and perhaps they judged him too quickly. His still confusing connection to humans unnerved the two childhood friends, but the actions he just displayed were in complete contradiction to what he should have been like. Melisa felt her stomach turn as she realized just how close she was to actually die. Jewel fought for her without question, which she would never forget, but she had to admit it wouldn't have saved her.
She barely made any progress with the reptile, and if she was strangled for another minute or so, she would have been dead. The only reason Melisa was still breathing and Jewel was not lying on the floor crushed or bitten to death was Blu's quick impromptu plan. Who would even think of using vines to strangle a boa. It was unorthodox, and it probably made him a dangerous opponent. They didn't get a chance to see him actually fight with the metal rod he originally had with him, but now she didn't want to battle against him.
Jewel had a similar train of thought. She was sure his connection to humans meant he was a traitor, and when he dashed out of the hollow she truly thought that was the last time she would see the macaw. Instead, he came back with a ludicrous idea and it actually worked. Not only that, when the snake did go down, he didn't run away. He got his weapon back, and she was sure he had enough stamina to get away from them. She had to look after Mel right now, and couldn't pursue him.
Instead, Blu walked back to them, disarmed himself and promptly succumbed to his exhaustion. The parrot was pretty much defenseless, and he didn't really have a reason to trust them. After all, they did almost jump him before the serpent decided to crash the party. Looking back on things now, maybe the intervention wasn't a bad thing. This Blu Gunderson certainly won himself a second chance in her eyes.
"Let me check your wound." Melisa suddenly demanded, standing up from her resting position. Jewel wanted to protest the action, but the dark blue macaw placed a wing on her shoulder, stopping her. "Don't worry, I'm fine now. Just a bit winded."
"Why? You two were pretty adamant about jumping me before the snake butted in." Blu sarcastically remarked, raising his eye at the sudden demand. Honestly, he had no idea why he acted the way he did. It just didn't feel right to leave them, but technically he was still in danger, at their mercy.
"Perhaps we… judged too harshly." The unofficial medic answered, rubbing the back of her neck with her right wing sheepishly. "You could have run, but you didn't."
"As much as I hate to admit it, you saved my friend." Jewel stated with traces of annoyance in her voice. She hated being wrong, but she gave credit where credit was due. "I guess we owe you an apology." She added, inspecting the downed macaw's reaction.
"Okay, that means we are even now. So I should get going then, we probably wasted enough of each other's time." Blu said, uncertainty coating his tone. He didn't expect the apology, but accepted it nonetheless. Two apologetic scary women were certainly better than two scary angry women.
The dark blue female huffed at the response, walking over and placing a talon over Blu's shoulder, immobilizing the parrot. He yelped in surprise but the medic shut him off before he could continue. "Stop whining." Melisa quickly found the knot she made a day prior, and with a swift move from her beak, the vine let go.
"Hey! This could be classified as assault! I'm a tribe citizen and I know my rights!" Blu tried to protest against the woman's actions, but he was too tired to do anything and his rambling fell on deaf ears. For the first time ever, Jewel actually chuckled at the scene. This caused Blu to stop his rambling, but turned his head towards the light blue bird. "What's so funny?" He asked, annoyed by the situation.
"You ramble too much, you know that?" Jewel replied, an amused smirk on her face.
Blu rolled his eyes at the remark. "Oh ha ha. Very funny." He fake pouted like a child, but decided to stop talking before the woman would use it against him. Meanwhile, Melisa removed the leaf which was covering the wound, exposing it to fresh air. Blu shivered for a moment, as the cold air blew over the uncovered area.
"Huh. It is almost healed. At least I see no blood. Now that's a miracle." The medic concluded, seeing no irritation or blood around the wound. The disinfectant paste did its job perfectly it would seem. And this was after surviving a boa attack. The pain he was experiencing was probably just nerves firing from movement. From what she could see, Blu would be ready to fly anytime.
"Well, good news Blu. Looks like you can fly." She broke the good news, causing the blue macaw's eyes to widen. He moved his head to see the area himself, and Melisa retracted her foot, allowing the pinned down macaw to move freely.
"But it still hurts." Blu spoke up, although he was probably just speaking out loud. He was not out for more than two days, and according to Rodrigo he shouldn't be healed yet. The confused parrot looked back at the dark blue macaw with a questioning look. "What did you treat me with?"
"A disinfectant paste my mother taught me." She proudly replied, puffing out her chest, happy her work was acknowledged by someone.
Melisa walked backwards, arriving next to her friend. She decided to give the man his space. While she did that, Jewel's mind flared up once again, remembering the 'conversation' they had before the boa attacked. Sure, they were now even as far as debt was concerned, but the weather was still busy clearing up. This meant they would be stuck here for a few more hours, and she still wanted to know who exactly he was.
His lies about being in a tribe still concerned her, but a strange thought crossed her mind. It was but a small whisper, tugging at her mind with an idea that she didn't even dare to consider until now. But with all the strange and alien behavior, it might just be true.
Silence fell on the trio, and before it would become uncomfortable or awkward, Jewel decided to retry their previous conversation. Perhaps now that all of them released their pent up frustration it would go smoother. "Maybe we can start this over." She spoke up, grabbing both birds' attention. They figured out what she meant, and Blu gave her a silent nod in confirmation.
"Why do you think we are banished exactly?" She got straight to the point, remembering how Blu called them banished out of the blue. That would mean that he didn't know who they were. Only possible if he lived with another tribe, and that was simply preposterous… right?
Blu was silent, taken back by the question. It resurfaced his suspicion regarding the two women. Of course they were banished, how else would Spix's macaws end up in the barren lands? And if they were from the tribe then they would know who he was, wouldn't be hostile to the human items and wouldn't be here to begin with. No mission was sent out here to his knowledge. "Not to offend, but of course you two are banished." He exclaimed, and continued before the macaws could retort.
"I'm pretty sure my father would have given me a heads up if we ran into macaws this far east. The tribe is probably a week due west from here after all. So either you followed us, which I find unlikely, or you must be banished. The question is why?" He finished his explanation, watching the two macaws carefully. He mentally prepared for another possible outburst, but he raised his right eye when the women's mouths dropped.
Jewel was speechless. The response shocked the parrot to her core. Her mind exploded, millions of thoughts racing through it, all coming to a single conclusion. She desperately wanted to just spill word after word like an active volcano spills out magma, but nothing left her throat for several seconds. If someone didn't have context, they would think she was choking.
The reaction caused Blu's face to morph into concern, but before he could speak, the light blue macaw took a step back, but he couldn't figure out if it was due to fear, shock or maybe both. When Jewel finally managed to get her thoughts under control, she spoke, although hesitantly and barely avoided stuttering. "You are from… The west?" The statement brought Melisa up to speed, who in turn took a step back in shock just like her friend. Thankfully Jewel voiced what she wanted to ask, saving her from having to go through that stutter herself.
The reaction cemented Blu's theory. At least that was what he thought for now. He simply nodded his head in confirmation, not removing his eyes from the two women in front of him. Since neither of it was a lie, he was as calm as one could be in a situation like this, further proving them he was sincere. "Yes. My name is Blu Gunderson. Son of Casper Gunderson, the current leader of the Spix's macaw tribe."
Jewel's eyes widened at the statement. It made so much sense now. He was acting entitled because in his eyes, he was the member of the family in power. No matter how much she looked into those brown eyes, she couldn't find even a trace of lies in them, only the truth. She was devastated for a lack of a better word.
Her home was continuously destroyed by humans ever since she was young enough to remember. The one thing she was certain was the fact her tribe was the last safe haven for Spix's macaws, ever since the truly mighty tribe was halved centuries before. Now, this man stood before her, a living, breathing proof that there were MORE of them out there.
"Why are you two banished?" He spoke up, breaking Jewel out of her train of thought. It startled her for a moment, but she managed to regain her composure. Her world was still crashing down on her, causing the small smile on her beak to appear more forced than she wanted or intended it to be.
"We're not banished. Not from the tribe at least." Jewel answered, calming the nerves which were firing relentlessly. This realization gave her something she lacked ever since the human attack happened. It gave her hope. Hope that there was life beyond the barren lands, and when they made it through, others like them, no, long lost brothers and sisters would be there to welcome them. Blu on the other hand was not as relieved, because the cryptic answer might as well have just crushed his carefully formulated theory.
Melisa managed to recover herself, coming to the same realization as her longtime friend. She was well beyond excited by the prospect of meeting kin who were thought to be dead and gone long ago. She caught the male's confusion and continued Jewel's answer before the blue macaw could question it. "We are not banished from the tribe. In fact, the tribe is about a day from here, continuing flying north-west so we can reach the other side of the barren lands." Blu's eyes reflected a sudden turmoil of emotions when he understood what the woman said.
Jewel saw the change of expression, as Blu's face displayed confusion and later on shock. "My name is Jewel. Only daughter of Eduardo, the current leader of the Spix's macaw tribe." She properly introduced herself, watching the not long ago complete stranger's reaction carefully.
It was Blu's turn to experience his world slowly shatter as he pieced together the answers the two women gave him. Banishment was such a simple explanation, and Blu loved simple. But no, they just had to tell him things which implied the most important event of his people's history was wrong. But it made too much sense to disregard it, no matter how improbable it was. The name Eduardo didn't ring a bell at all for example. And it explained their complete lack of human trust as well as not having family names.
"You two… Are from the east?" He finally managed to force air through his syrinx. He saw for the first time the two womens' faces display genuine smiles as they realized he caught on. Jewel replied non verbally with a definitive nod of her head.
"And you are from the west." She added shortly after, just in case both parties got into the misunderstanding of the century. The answer solidified shock on the man's face. Yep, all three of them were definitely thinking the same thing now.
"We thought we were the only ones left. The rumor goes that when that thing happened, only half of us managed to get away." Melisa explained what was going through her mind, trying to piece together what might have truly happened back then. "There was no way to get beyond the fire, we thought everyone else died. So we flew the only way we could, to the east."
Blu understood, finally managing to regain his composure. The tale was remarkably similar it seemed. "Barely a hundred and fifty survived on our side. We though the exact same thing, that we were the last ones. Only difference it seems is that we were on the opposite side of the fire. The west side." He told them his own version of the tale, and it became apparent really quickly why neither of them searched for survivors.
Three hours later
The next three hours passed in a blink of an eye for the three blue macaws. Ever since they found out the truth, the trio was basically inseparable. They both had so many questions about each other's tribe, the parrots almost forgot to eat. Thankfully Jewel remembered this, and brought the brazil nuts to the center of the hollow.
They were sitting in a close circle, enjoying the much needed meal. The storm had finally passed, allowing the group to head out their separate ways. Of course, neither had any intention of leaving. Blu was fascinated by the stories the two women told him. He could barely believe their tribe had nearly a thousand birds. Just imagining that many blue macaws perching on some big cliff or tree made his head hurt.
Similarly, Jewel and Melisa listened to every little detail as the blue macaw explained how his own tribe worked. It took them a while to fully accept the whole living in human buildings concept, but after hearing his arguments, they admitted it did make sense. Still, erasing generations worth of instilled mistrust and fear couldn't be done in a few hours, and Blu knew this. He made sure not to push anything on the macaws, just pointed out it existed or worked a certain way.
"So… Now that we know the whole story. Care to tell us what was your mission about?" Jewel questioned, knowing full well she pushed her luck with that one. Blu was adamant on keeping his oath, and she could only respect him for that. She was a bit ashamed that she thought him a traitor at first, but since she didn't know the whole story, she excused her behavior.
He scratched his chin, pondering over how to answer it. He could see that they were dying to know, but an oath was an oath. However, knowing they were not banished criminals, he decided a vague but accurate description wouldn't hurt anyone. "There is something in our tribe that helps keep it alive so to speak. But it is decades old at this point." He paused for a moment, thinking if he should reveal his true talent. "Because I am one of the only ones who understands how it works, my father sent my team and me to get a new one."
"Problem is, it is in a human city on the other side of the jungle." Blu explained with a sigh, remembering the route they had to take. He wouldn't trade that mission for anything, but crossing the whole damn continent not once but twice was not on his fun things to do list.
"City?" Melisa questioned the alien word, tilting her head to the side in confusion.
"Oh, right. Should have told you what that means, sorry." He apologized, forgetting they were nearly oblivious to humans as a whole. "Think a tribe, just for humans. And they make their own homes instead of using trees." The explanation was quick and on point. The two nodded in understanding.
Realizing they would probably question further, he took the liberty to continue his story. "I don't know how long now, less than a week perhaps?" He asked out loud, trying to remember the exact time of the events. He gave up a few seconds later, recognizing it was not important. "We got attacked by some crazy severe macaw, and I ended up injured as a result." Blu pointed at his side, where some of the dried paste still clung to his feathers. He's going to have to get rid of that the first chance he gets to have a bath.
A frown developed on his features, remembering the next part. Which was conflicting to say the least. For one, thanks to those macaws, he ended up separated from his team, making their job ten times harder. On the other hand, he still had trouble believing he found birds from another tribe. Just what were the odds of that happening? "Then, a tribe out of nowhere appeared and told us to leave, in the middle of a storm I might add." His voice carried venom as it deepened, accompanied by a low growl.
"Flying in a storm?! That is reckless." Melisa covered her beak with her wings in shock. Flying in a storm was equal to a death sentence in most cases. You could get hit by debris, get soaked and lose the ability to fly or sometimes even be the victim of lightning strikes.
"Yeah, but we had no choice. I was okay for maybe the first hour. Then…" Blu stopped mid sentence. He tried to recall the events, but still couldn't figure out what that thing was in the air. All he could conclude it was definitely man made. "Something knocked me out while in the air… Next thing I know I'm in the hollow with you two."
"So, your team is probably searching for you?" Jewel asked.
Blu shook his head. "No." This made the two women raise an eye. What kind of teammates would leave one of theirs behind? And why was he acting like it was totally fine? "The mission is too important for that. Hopefully they continued to go on, my tribe needs them to succeed." He looked outside, watching the clouds breaking up in the sky. "I'll find my way back someday."
"What about you two?" Blu directed the conversation on the two other occupants. He turned his head towards their direction, trying his best to hide his somber mood. What surprised him was that happiness was missing from their faces too. "You said your tribe was a few days away from here. That is still the barren lands."
"We are desperate." Melisa replied, looking down at the ground. The light blue parrot placed a wing on her shoulder in a comforting manner. Blu didn't understand what she meant with that, but seeing their gloomy mood he wanted to back off the topic. Before he could do anything though, Jewel spoke up.
"We are fleeing from humans." She clarified, trying hard to not growl the last word.
"Poachers?" Blu pieced two and two together, having a pretty good idea what humans might have done. After all, poachers were not uncommon near their territory either. It was one of the reasons he never actually saw a human before. Blu was forbidden to ever leave the confines of the tribe.
Jewel confirmed his assessment by sadly nodding. "Yes. Our tribe was on the run from humans for as long as we can remember." She delved further into their history, explaining that ever since Europeans arrived, they were prime targets. "They attacked our last home, tearing down our food source. With nothing left to eat, we were forced to leave. The other neighboring tribes moved away as well, which left us with no other way." The bright blue macaw told their current story, remembering how pissed her father was after he got back from the meeting.
"The tribe is currently going north-west. Where hopefully we can find a place to settle down again." Melisa added shortly after, recalling the direction where the tribe was heading.
Although Blu didn't know Jewel's father, he understood why his decision was to flee. It must have been a difficult choice, and no doubt he has to somehow keep up morale every single day. But that didn't explain why Jewel and Melisa was here all alone. Especially if Jewel was the tribe leader's daughter. "But, why are you two alone then?" He questioned their situation, tilting his head in curiosity.
"Well… We kind of have a mission of our own. When the tribe evacuated, not everyone made it out." Jewel pointed out, but didn't elaborate further.
Blu caught on, nodding his head in understanding. "And you two want to save them." He thought out loud, thinking that was the only logical reason. When your whole tribe is on the move and needs every bit of help it can get, sending as few birds as possible is always the right decision.
The blue macaws nodded their heads in confirmation. "We wanted to travel back to our old home, since that is where the trail starts." Jewel explained her plan, she didn't know why, but for some reason she thought she can trust him with it. "But Mel and I will have to head out soon. The more time we stay here, sitting on our butts, the more clues will be lost." The bright blue macaw stood up from her sitting position, thinking about going for a quick flight to ease her sore muscles.
Blu glanced outside, spotting the clear blue sky. The storm clouds have since moved on, and the blazing Sun resumed its work to evaporate the excess water from the jungle. Due to this, the humidity level began to rise, but that didn't bother him. Unlike humans, bird didn't use sweat to cool off, thus no reason to feel discomfort.
What it did mean however, was that it was the perfect time to head out and resume their mission. He looked back, watching Jewel and Melisa as they were no doubt getting ready to leave the hollow. The trio was surprisingly quiet, because they had to make a decision soon, but neither party was looking forward to it. Would they stay together, or part ways and finish what they started?
In the beginning, Blu was adamant about returning to his original assignment. Finding Team Lucifer and continuing their way to Rio de Janeiro. Problem was, he had absolutely no idea where he was right now. He didn't even know what day it was. The chances of him finding and catching up with them was basically nothing.
On the other hand, the two adults next to him were on a mission to free their tribesmen from human poachers. That was a dangerous endeavor, and he felt obliged to join them, at least until he could reliably find his way back to his team. He knew exactly how cages and other human objects operated, which would give them an edge.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, clearing his mind. The action did not go unnoticed by the female macaws next to him, who looked towards his direction. He made his choice. They were his species, probably many many times removed cousins even. Leaving them to face such a threat, he would never forgive himself if he found out something bad happened to them when he could have prevented it. Hell, he would probably help them even if they were caninde macaws. Nobody deserved to rot in a metal cage for the rest of their lives if they were innocent.
Blu grabbed a fresh vine he cut not too long ago and swiftly tied it around his back and torso. Using his right talon, the macaw got a decent grip on the cold metal rod and lifted it, attaching it on his back a moment later. Now with the weapon semi secure on his form, he quickly tied a knot, making sure Blitzkrieg wouldn't fall off.
"Wow, where are you going?" Jewel asked, tilting her head to the side in a curious fashion. They could see he didn't want to attack them, so she felt no reason to tense up. But his body language clearly gave away his intention, he wanted to move.
"Finding my team is near impossible. And, considering I grew up around human stuff, I'm probably more versed when it comes to their objects." He turned around and looked Jewel in the eye, with a new found determination they were unfamiliar with. "We need to free your tribesmen."
"But we are still very much strangers to you. Besides, like you said, you helped save me, that makes us even." Melisa countered.
"We are strangers, true. I guess uh, we will just have to get to know each other on the way." He countered the argument in a nonchalant manner. "About the even part, that is just nonsense." He added shortly after. Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind which might just help their cohesion to settle, he thought it was worth a shot. "After all… Birds of blue feathers…" His voice trailed off, waiting patiently to see if they would recognize it.
The awaited realization indeed dawned on the two macaws. They smiled, remembering the all so famous quote. "Have to stick together." Jewel and Melisa finished in unison, and just like that, something clicked between the three of them. From this point onward, they were one team.
Blu just smiled in return. Without another word, the three macaws walked over to the entrance and spread their wings, leaping into the air to find Jewel and Melisa's old home and begin their new adventure.
…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…
A bumpy start for our feathery friends, but what better way to sow the seeds of friendship than some good old life threatening danger.