Chapter 9

The loggers' aftermath

Disclaimer

I do not own Rio.

Amazon, near the Pit of Doom

Without a tribe or Blu's injury to slow them down, the three blue macaws made tremendous progress when it came to distance. They had to stop for one night, and it was only around noon the next day when Jewel's eyes widened as she looked at the horizon. Memories started resurfacing, both good and bad. Even though their home was ravaged by loggers, all the good and fun memories made sure to repress any sort of panic attack from getting a hold of her. That's what she thought for the time being, anyway.

"We're here!" She exclaimed happily, grabbing her companions' attention. Melisa recognized the formations right away, while Blu just cheered them on in good spirit, since he had absolutely no clue where he was. Surprisingly enough, the terrain looked very normal for something that was supposed to be 'ravaged' by humans.

As if the world heard his thoughts, it made sure our group's happiness would be short lived. The very landscape began to drastically change as they approached the actual Spix's macaw home. As the horizon revealed more, they could see perhaps the biggest change the two legged mammals inflict on the Amazon on a regular basis. The lush and green forest started to thin unnaturally quickly; Even Blu's tribe had a much nicer transition from dense jungle to flat plains.

Jewel began a slow descent towards the jungle canopy, her body language clearly telling the others that she wanted to land. The blue macaws navigated their way towards a big tree that somehow survived the attack near the very edge. The branches shook under the weight of three parrots grabbing it with their talons.

Once Blu folded his wings and no longer had to waste brainpower on flight, he could fully take in the damage. He was speechless, and he dared not take a look at his two companions. Even though he wasn't looking, he could see their breakdown as tears fell from their eyes. It was brutal. For as far as they could see, nothing remained standing. The lush green canopies were replaced by the ugly brown color of the bare ground where the once great trees stood. It was like a wound upon the Earth itself. "What the hell." He spoke under his breath in disbelief.

"Now you see why we fear humans?" Jewel spoke up, wiping away the tears from her face with her right wing. Turned out she was not prepared for the sight, but at least it reassured her that Melisa and she were right to urge the tribe to flee when they did. Even though the tribe had trouble with food, that was nothing compared to what happened here.

"I knew they were capable of doing big things… but this is… I don't even know." Blu admitted his ignorance, not able to remove his eyes from the now practically wasteland. It would take years if not decades for the jungle to heal itself, and he had a feeling humans would see to it so that never happens within their lifetimes anyway.

"Well, now we're here. How do we begin?" Melisa questioned the group, glancing from side to side, her eyes scanning the horizon for anything suspicious or out of place. One thing they had to watch out was the possibility of poachers still roaming the area. It wouldn't be the first time the wretched creatures stayed behind to capture unsuspecting macaws returning back to the flock after a long journey.

"Scan the perimeter for any sign of human activity?" Blu offered a possible plan of action, furrowing his brow in the process as his mind went through different possibilities. Humans were too noisy to remain undetected out in the open, and since they couldn't find anything between the dead vegetation on the scarred earth, the only place poachers could hide was the dense jungle. If they search the area and made sure no humans were present or close enough, they could investigate the tribe's last home in relative peace.

"Sounds like a plan to me. They can't really do much on the jungle floor, so if there are still humans here they will be near the edge." Jewel agreed with the plan in question, explaining where to look for the two legged mammalians. Blu might be knowledgeable about human items or customs in general, but considering he never saw one before in his life, his knowledge of human behavior was severely lacking. In contrast, Jewel and her tribe had to deal with poachers and loggers on a regular basis.

With no further question or objection from either member, the three macaws leaped off the branch they were occupying a second ago and headed north, following the destruction's well defined edge. Their eyes darted around the terrain beneath them, searching for any clues which might indicate enemies.

Before they arrived at the tribe's home, the three macaws continued their conversation from yesterday, getting to know each other better with each interaction. While there was still a tiny bit of friction between them, the three parrots reached a comfortable acquaintance level of friendship. If for some reason any doubt about where Blu's loyalties lied still lingered, they were all but gone by the end of the trip. In return, Blu got comfortable around the two girls to drop his carefully constructed facade, allowing his true personality to shine through.

When they still considered themselves strangers, he held back much of who he was in favor of a more professional and diplomatic approach, but strangely enough something clicked within the group and by now, Blu was almost as comfortable around the two outsiders as he was with Diana and Lucas. This change came gradually so neither macaw noticed it or grew suspicious. During their travel, Jewel talked about a lot of places within the tribe, and now as they patrolled the area, Blu found himself recognizing some of the landmarks.

Even though he never saw these places before, he could somehow picture how they might have looked like before the humans came in. Seeing their current condition deeply saddened him. He was used to human buildings and understood just how superior they were compared to regular jungle trees; He couldn't help but think that the natural habitat offered a much friendlier and welcoming atmosphere.

Being surrounded by enemies on all sides, Blu never really got the chance to see what the truly wild jungle looked like. However, during his earlier travel with Team Lucifer and now the two girls, he started to appreciate the simplicity and freedom the wild jungle provided. That last thought made his mind halt for a second. Team Lucifer. Huh. I wonder how they are doing? He questioned within himself, his mind trailing off to his original team.

He felt a sudden rush of guilt, realizing he was so busy learning about this other tribe that he completely forgot about them. And even worse, he was confident they were probably stressed beyond belief. He also dared to bet that Lucas and Diana were struck with grief, and no doubt Diana might blame herself for his alleged death. He knew his friend was in a bad condition after the attack, until Lucas talked some sense into her that is.

Blu never blamed her for the events, but since he was stuck in his own pit of misery, he never got a chance to talk to Diana and tell it, something which he really regretted now. He could only hope they managed to hold themselves together and continue, but knowing Mark was the leader gave him some peace of mind on the matter.

Just as he finished that thought, his mind snapped him back into the real world, realizing they just passed the tree where they originally perched half an hour ago. Considering neither of them found anything even indicating human presence, the group concluded it was safe to check out the area. This did not mean that they could let down their guard though, since traps might still have been set.

The group made their way through the desecrated land in utter silence, the only sound accompanying them being the wind hissing by their ears. While they certainly talked a lot, silence was no longer weighed with an awkward atmosphere; Currently neither blue macaw had anything of value to add to a potential conversation.

Now that they were flying above the destruction, Blu got a very detailed look at what the mammals actually did. The once mighty and sometimes even ancient trees' existence was only indicated by cut trunks. Even though the last thing someone would associate the jungle with was order, layout which was now no longer blocked by giant canopies showed that trees didn't just grow randomly and willy nilly. There was a clear pattern, an average distance between trunks, giving it a bit of a grid feeling.

The next thing Blu noticed was the debris left behind the destruction. It was a combination of now rotting broken branches and leaves, the decaying corpse of the jungle foliage. As far as he could see, there was no indication of any animal remains, but considering how much damage humans made in so little time according to Jewel and Melisa, he was sure this was the unmarked grave for many unfortunate animals.

The two women of the group lead the way, since they were the ones who could even hope to recognize this mess. Without the tree line to help them navigate, the macaws were forced to look at the less known or obvious terrain features to get their bearings, and so far that endeavor was successful. In only about a dozen or so minutes of flying, they reached the outskirts of what Jewel knew as the Pit of Doom.

The politically important pit was well hidden on all sides, thus Blu had no idea it was there until they were practically above it, causing him to lose focus for a moment as the crystal blue sparkle of the water in the depths filled his vision. Unbelievably enough, the pit was not really touched by humans from what he could see, at least the description the women gave him perfectly matched what he was now looking at. The water was still crystal clear and the vegetation seemed unharmed, giving the Pit of Doom an oasis feel between all the destroyed forest around it.

He also found it remarkable that even though there were four or five tribes living in this area, they managed to agree on a neutral zone to discuss all of their problems. They could sure have used something like this back at home, he thought. While the male was busy looking around to get familiar with the landmark, his two companions scanned the area for a different purpose. They were looking for signs of human activity.

Fortune smiled upon them, because Jewel caught sight of a few non natural looking objects near one of the ledges. For the first time in probably an hour, the light blue woman's voice alerted her companions' ears. "There! Look!" Not wanting to break formation, she extended her right talon to point at the area of interest. The other blue macaws followed her talon all the way to the pit's wall and sure enough caught a glimpse of the anomaly.

Neither bird had difficulty identifying the objects in question. They found a human camp, and from the stuff littered around the abandoned tents, Blu's heart started pumping in morbid excitement. He knew full well what these creatures did, but he couldn't help but be excited to do some detective work. This would be the first time he handled human objects which didn't originate from his tribe's camp. Before they could get near the abandoned settlement, a different sound caught their attention.

"Help!" A faint but distinct yell echoed around the pit's walls. They instinctively turned their heads towards the origin of the sound, and since all of them moved, they were sure beyond a shadow of a doubt it wasn't just in their heads. Sure enough, the cry was picked up once again, but Blu had trouble locating the source. Jewel and Melisa's hearing was better trained, especially Melisa's, since she was frequently on the patrol roaster.

"It came from that direction." The dark blue macaw pointed her talon at the horizon. Neither parrot had a better guess, so the group banked their wings and flew away in a hurry. As they soared through the air, the subsequent cries were getting louder and more local. The origin seemed to be coming from the south side of the destroyed forest; This made them anxious, but the thought of someone in need overrode their fears. After maybe five minutes of flying around the area, they managed to locate the source.

Jewel and Melisa halted in mid flight, and even Blu hesitated for a moment when he saw the location. It was another abandoned human camp. Not bigger than the one inside the pit, just a few tents, a long burnt out fireplace and pieces of trash scattered around. But that wasn't what caused the blue macaws to hesitate. It was a pile right next to the camp, a pile of rusty cages. Their frame was made of wood, while the sides were covered by wire mesh.

Most of them were empty, but there was two which apparently had occupants inside. One appeared to be a blue and yellow macaw, judging by the golden yellow they could see of its tail feathers. Whoever it was, the body was facing away from them, unconscious. The cage was lying next to the pile on the floor, so for the moment whoever was inside it was probably safe.

The other occupant was not as lucky. The blue macaw group figured out the male was probably the source of the cries for help. Unlike most cages, his prison was suspended above a branch for some reason, right above a semi big river no less. Why humans would put it there, Blu couldn't figure out. The occupant was a scarlet macaw, but he didn't seem to be in good shape.

He was really slender for a male, going way beyond what a feminine genetic influence would suggest. This was a clear sign of malnourishment. He barely moved his body, because every movement was amplified by the cage, and in turn it made it swing. The problem was that by doing it, the metal clasp burrowed itself into the already thin branch, and it looked real close to breaking.

If the cage fell into the river, that would mean the end for the scarlet macaw unless he knew how to breath underwater. He was weak, but his green eyes managed to pick out the three blue parrots against the green foliage of distant trees. As if he gathered all of his remaining strength in a final vain attempt, he yelled out. "PLEASE! HELP ME!" The desperation and terror could be felt in his voice, and Melisa had a guess birds left him to his fate before they arrived here.

"Hold on!" Blu yelled back, flapping his wings hard to close the distance gap between them, with the two women behind his heels. The blue macaw flew next to the cage and hovered there, making sure to not direct air towards the already unstable prison. His chocolate brown eyes inspected the cage in closer detail, trying to find anything resembling a lock or hinge.

"Oh, my, thank you. Thank you for stopping." The red macaw practically sobbed, seeing that the group didn't abandon him. He was too weak to jump from joy, even though he wanted to do nothing else.

"What happened to you?" Melisa asked in concern, hovering next to Blu. She could now say without a shadow of a doubt, the macaw probably lost a third of his body weight.

"The humans… They captured me but, but then they left. I'm so hungry and tired, I can barely speak." The red parrot finally managed to collect himself enough to talk, but his voice was coarse and rough. No doubt he was probably shouting all week. "I tried to get out but I can't. The cage will fall soon and I'll drown." He continued his rambling, not caring if what he said was redundant. The scarlet macaw was relieved to finally talk to somebody.

"Sit tight, we'll get you out of there." Blu reassured the trapped macaw, but the seeds of doubt started to grow deep within his mind. Unlike Melisa's impromptu diagnosis, he scanned every inch of the cage but couldn't see any sort of locking mechanism. What kind of cage is this?! He asked himself, the gears within his mind working in overdrive. He was pretty sure the macaw didn't turn to liquid and seep inside the wood and metal prison, so there must have been some sort of entrance.

While Blu kept looking and brainstorming ideas, Jewel glanced back at the other prisoner near the camp. They had to be delicate with the scarlet macaw to prevent him from falling, but no such danger awaited the blue and yellow macaw. Understanding there was not much she could help in the air, she glided towards the human camp.

She kept all of her senses on high alert, remembering her previous encounter with the two legged mammals. For what it was worth, it seemed like the scarlet macaw was right, the camp was abandoned. If someone told Jewel she would be standing next to a human settlement a few weeks ago, she would have laughed. But not anymore, she had to get over her fear. With her mind at ease, Jewel landed on the soft dirt, about a meter away from the cage. "Hello?" She called out, waiting patiently for the prisoner to wake up.

She didn't see any movement, but she could get a better glimpse of the unknown parrot's body structure, and concluded it was a female. She was way too skinny as well, but considering neither had probably food in a week minimum, it made sense. "Hey, we're here to help. You okay there?" She walked closer to the cage, lifting her right talon up to grab and shake it. It was not a polite way of waking up someone, but they weren't in a situation where they could really choose.

The somewhat vigorous shaking indeed had an effect. With no active support, the macaw's body fell to the side, giving Jewel a glimpse of her face. The body fell down with a quiet thud, and Jewel's breath suddenly stopped. Her eyes widened and her heartbeat rose to levels only comparable to the stunt she pulled with the harpy eagle weeks back.

…

…

An ungodly shriek pierced the ears of both the scarlet and blue macaws, making them turn around to where the sound was coming from. They caught a glimpse of Jewel as she leaped back from the cage, promptly falling down on her back, her wings and talons trembling in terror. "JEWEL!" Blu and Melisa yelled in unison, bending their bodies to fly horizontally at the distressed macaw.

Barely a second later, the two blue parrots landed next to her on the dirt and Melisa ran up to her. "What's wrong?!" She asked, concern painted over her face. Blu looked into her eyes and realized they were focused in front of her, on a single object. He followed her gaze with his own until it landed on the other occupant's cage.

While the dark blue female continued to try and snap her companion out of her sudden terror filled panic, the male walked towards it, trying to figure out what might have caused her to react in such a way. After taking a few steps forward, his vision was clear enough to see what made Jewel scream.

His body acted on its own, outside of his control. "Fuck." He cussed out loud, turning around to face away from the sight. His stomach started to twist and churn in an almost unnatural way as the worst case of nausea he ever felt overwhelmed him to his core. He could feel his breakfast and bitter bile rising from his body, relentlessly assaulting his throat to escape to the outside world.

He gurgled and used his wings to keep his beak shut in a vain attempt to resist his body, but after a few seconds of fighting, he lost the battle. He had enough self control left to turn away from his two companions before his stomach completely emptied itself on the jungle floor. His talons were suddenly too weak to support him, and the parrot promptly fell to the ground, still coughing up the remaining contents of his digestive system.

Melisa was dumbfounded at the display. Two normal and probably battle hardened macaws were basically defeated. One of them was hyperventilating on the ground next to her, while the other just vomited everything he ate that day. She didn't want to leave Jewel's side, so the macaw did the second best thing. She squinted her eyes, focusing on the cage which managed to beat both her companions.

She realized why they acted the way they did. She looked away in a hurry, but she managed to not break down in shock. The blue and gold macaw was dead, probably for days by this point. The almost always humid and hot jungle didn't really help the deceased body in staying together. Just from that glimpse, she could see the body was already decomposing, and she concluded the only reason they weren't smelling the awful stench was thanks to the wind.

Meanwhile, the scarlet macaw was observing the scene from his hanging position in the air. He felt guilt pull on the back of his mind, since he knew about the blue and gold macaw all along. "She's dead, have been for days now." He yelled out, making sure the blue macaws heard him.

Blu's body decided it had enough, and gave the macaw a much needed break from coughing and vomiting. He regained his composure and stood up as slow as he could, albeit a bit wobbly at first. He took a deep breath to clear his head and spit on the floor, attempting to get rid of the bitter aftertaste.

"What the hell is wrong with these people?" He asked to no one in particular, shocked beyond what mere words could express. His tribe kept a respectable distance from humans, but unlike most wildlife, they had a tendency to be a bit biased when it came to how bad the mammals were. Their abandoned buildings gave his tribe shelter, but this day kept destroying his image of the world's dominant species.

The level of destruction they could so effortlessly inflict was worrying, but this new revelation was something entirely different. The jungle's destruction? He could understand that, even if he was obviously against it. He saw how and what they made, and wood seemed to be a common building element. If he jumped loopholes and ignored enough morals, he could possibly say they needed it for their own survival.

But that blue and yellow macaw… There was nothing logical about that, it was plain and simply evil. Nobody benefited from caging and leaving her to starve to death like that. Something deep within him, his unconscious mind grabbed his heart. It was a feeling of dread, panic and pure terror. During their conversations back in the hollow, he could only offer sympathy for Jewel and Melisa, as he felt himself being an outsider to their problems. But now, he understood exactly how they felt, and it was horrible. Silence followed the group for a couple dozens of seconds.

…

…

"She's dead, we can't change that… But we can still save that guy." Blu shook his head and exclaimed, making sure to avert his gaze from the decomposing body as he turned around to face in the trapped scarlet macaw's direction. They were too late to save the female from her cruel fate, but there was still a possibility to reunite at least one family. He quickly looked to his left to check how his two companions were doing and was relieved to see both Jewel and Melisa back on their feet, even though the light blue macaw's expression was haunting.

"You're right… But just how on Earth are we going to get him out of there?" The impromptu medic asked, directing her question at Blu in particular, he was the one who said he understood cages after all. Blu's puzzled expression slowly morphed into a frown as his chocolate brown eyes scanned the vicinity. From the looks of things, his brain was already racing with ideas and possible solutions, but his frustration indicated things were not looking good.

The navy blue parrot closed his eyes and shook his head in disappointment a few seconds later, audibly scoffing at his own failure to solve the problem. "I don't get it. I saw lots of cages before but never one like this before." He admitted in irritation, looking back at the helplessly dangling macaw above the river. "I'm sure he didn't melt inside there. But for the life of me, I can't find a lock…" It took him a moment to remember asking the trapped bird what he knew, after all he was the one in the bad situation since the beginning.

"How did you end up there in the first place?" He raised his voice, thus clearly indicating his question was meant for the scarlet macaw.

"I… I don't remember clearly." The prisoner admitted, attempting his best to recall the memories while his mind actively fought against it, trying to protect his remaining sanity by suppressing the traumatic memories. "I was captured while getting breakfast from a brazil nut tree. Then they threw me in this cage and sprayed me with something." He explained between shallow breaths, doing his best to prevent a panic attack. "Next thing I know, I was hanging on the branch."

Blu turned around, scratching his lower beak as he processed the answer. The fact that the red feathered parrot was knocked out made him think. Why would poachers sedate a captured bird? Most of the time they just catch the victim and quickly throw them inside a cage, closing the entrance with a lock. The only reason they might put him to sleep is to make sure he would stay put while they close it.

He removed his talon from his lower beak and his eyes widened in realization. The Spix's macaw quickly turned around and spread his wings, leaping in the air a second later. He flew next to the suspended cage as fast as possible and stopped, examining the sides once more. Blu's eyes followed the cage's edges, taking notice of every little detail he could find. The macaw was searching for irregularities in the wooden frame, and his efforts were rewarded.

"What the…" He exclaimed out loud in pure confusion, and his tone did not do much in calming the trapped macaw inside. "They burrowed the metal mesh inside the frame." He explained his findings, not even bothering to watch the prisoner's reaction, knowing full well it wouldn't be good. Blu snapped his neck backwards when he heard unfamiliar wingflaps, only to calm down a second later when he recognized the two women.

"We need to think carefully about this." Blu announced, his tone carrying faint traces of authority in the matter, but it also invited brainstorming from his companions. He focused his gaze on the burrowed side, trying to estimate how deep it actually was. At first, he was hoping the poachers did a crappy job by barely burying it in, allowing them to pry it open without too much effort. Unfortunately, there was no reliable way for him to find out the depth, and considering how loosely the cage dangled in the air, he didn't want to risk it.

Blu's following silence unnerved the scarlet macaw, his green eyes watching the blue colored parrot ponder. Deep down he knew his fear was irrational, but he couldn't help his slowly rising panic by the thought of his rescuers abandoning him after failing to find a way to free him.

"Could we lift his cage and carry him over to the river bank so it won't dangle up here?" Jewel spoke up for the first time since her close encounter with the dead bird below them, her voice trembling as it still carried faint traces of shock, but it seemed like she was through the worst of it and regained her composure for the most part. Her suggestion was immediately acknowledged and accepted by Blu via a gentle nod of his head.

"Good idea. Then we won't be racing against time." The navy blue macaw glanced up at the metal clasp, praying that the branch can withstand the weight for another minute or two. Not wanting to waste another second, he flew around the cage, facing the two females as he explained the plan. "Okay. I'll need to detach the clasp from the frame, which means I need you two to support his cage. If the branch breaks it might as well take us with it." He glanced towards the metal clasp, knowing they would follow his gaze and thus made sure they were all on the same page.

The blue macaws nodded their heads in silence, understanding what he wanted to do. "Melisa, you grab the frame in front of you, Jewel fly here and grab the opposite side." Melisa flew next to the cage and carefully caught the wooden frame between her talons, making sure to not apply any pressure for now. She didn't want to introduce a weight imbalance before her friend was in position.

Meanwhile Jewel flew around the cage, making sure the air currents generated by her wings would stay clear of the dangling prison. Following her friend's example, she grabbed the cage and waited for further instructions. Once she was in position, Blu flew above the branch to inspect the clasp in greater detail. He was relieved to find a protruding piece of metal, which would be used to detach the cage. "Great. Lift it up somewhat and try to keep it steady."

The Spix's macaws both flapped their wings harder in response, and slowly but surely the cage was raised by a few centimeters. It was by no means a big feat, but it was enough to relieve tension from the branch. Now it was Blu's turn to shine. He landed on the prison to get a better angle at the clasp, but he forgot to mention this and thus the girls had to make a split second adjustment now that there was a macaw's worth of extra weight pulling them down.

He seemed to realize his mistake and quickly glanced at Jewel with an apologetic smile on his face, but it was met with a glare, rightfully so. He decided to just get on with it before their patience dried up, and quickly turned back to the task at hand. Meanwhile the trapped scarlet macaw looked up in a curious fashion, although he did move over in case the metal mesh decided to break under Blu's weight.

Blu found what he was looking for and bit the small piece of metal with his beak, taking one last glimpse at it to know which angle to pull. At first it didn't want to budge, but the parrot didn't give up. After a few attempts of trying to yank it out with as much force as his neck muscles allowed, panic started to bubble within his mind, because the stubborn piece of metal had no intention of coming loose.

Thankfully he got a sudden idea to move his talons a bit to the side, grabbing the wooden frame and giving himself much better support. Once again, he yanked as hard as he could and to his delight the metal finally gave in and he removed it. As soon as nothing was holding the clasp together, the whole contraption broke apart and fell into the river below them. Since Jewel and Melisa were still busy keeping it in the air, no sudden movement happened.

He spat out the long rod and didn't give it a second glance as it fell down, joining its companions to rust away at the bottom of the river. With one strong flap, he was back in the air and thus lessening the load the two women had to carry. Blu helped out further by grabbing another side of the cage, making movement much easier. The scarlet macaw closed his eyes tightly and grabbed the metal mesh with claws, wings and beak, shaking from fright like a leaf in a wind storm.

Not wanting to torture the poor soul any further, Blu judged the distance from the river bank to guess how hard he had to flap to actually get there. "Great work. Keep the cage balanced, I'll get us to the shore." Over the course of two minutes, the three blue macaws slowly but surely flew over the river, gently dropping the prison on the soft dirt, and thus ending the red macaw's countdown to death.

The blue trio landed next to the cage and wondered what to do next. "How will we get him out of there?" Jewel asked her male companion, trusting he could figure it out. Failing to save the trapped macaw now would just be horrible after all they've been through. As a response, Blu placed a claw between the burrowed mesh and wood, gently applying pressure, trying to pry them away. He could feel the resistance and stopped before it would be too much for his claw to bear. A broken claw would take ages to grow back.

Understanding raw bird power won't solve this issue, he turned his head towards the camp, trying to find anything which could help pry open the cage. For a moment his thoughts lingered on Blitzkrieg, but honestly he had no idea what the weapon's actual limits were. The last thing he wanted was to break it and cause an accidental discharge.

Thankfully he found more than one candidate which looked tough enough for the job. He flapped his wings and glided to the center of the camp, which was also the middle of the trash pile. From what he could see his target looked like a support for one of the tents. The metal rod was heavier and definitely sturdier than Blitzkrieg, which meant if that couldn't open up the red macaw's prison, nothing could. Satisfied by his find, Blu got a firm hold on the rod and flew back, the act of flight demanding more from him thanks to the added weight.

Meanwhile Melisa excused herself to go look for food while Jewel remained by the prisoner's side to calm him down. While they couldn't carry him to his tribe, they could provide him with food to recover enough for flight and find his family.

Blu threw the metal rod at the ground and landed next to the cage, taking a second to find the side where the burrowed mesh was located. Jewel looked at the rod with curiosity, interested to know how the man would figure out the solution to their problem. Once he found the weak spot he was looking for, the blue macaw picked up his newest tool and wedged it against the metal mesh and hard wood, finding a comfortable position where he could exert the most force.

He looked at Jewel, his gaze requesting her assistance. "I need you to hold the cage firmly. Whatever you do don't let it budge." The light blue parrot just nodded silently, walking to the opposite side of where Blu stood. She unfolded her wings and made sure to hug the prison as best she could while burrowing her talons deep into the soil for added stability.

Blu glanced at Jewel, reading from her body language that she was as ready as one could be. He followed her example and dug his talons in the dirt, feeling the strong grip it provided. Now it was time to see who would win, an average sized macaw versus metal lodged in wood. With all his might he pushed on the rod away from the cage, transferring the force to the side of the cage.

Jewel finally felt the cage push against her, trying to rotate and resist Blu's force. As a response, she pushed back and closed her eyes in concentration, adamant on not letting the cage move even a millimeter. She could hear her companions' grunts as he applied more force, and this struggle continued for several seconds.

The navy blue parrot kept his sight on the rod's tip, watching what the metal mesh would do. So far it resisted the macaw's push, and he could feel his lungs burning from the lack of oxygen. He was so focused on prying open the cage that he didn't even take the time to breathe. He was very close to his limit and felt that the rod would break before the cage did, but he suddenly heard a loud crack.

His eyes focused on the contact point and could see the mesh started to separate from the wooden frame. Now with newly found vigor he kept pressing on, and finally the tool won over the metal wood combo, opening up the whole cage's side while also breaking the frame. Now with no resistance against it, Blu stumbled and since his talons were dug into the dirt he promptly fell forward, landing on his face and eating dirt.

Jewel was much more fortunate and managed to stop pushing before it was too late. She opened her eyes the moment she heard the metal give in and got a front row seat view of Blu's face burrowing in the mud. Silence followed for several seconds as everyone processed what happened.

The sudden silence was broken by a laughing Jewel, followed by the trapped parrot. But the cause of laughter was different for each case. The scarlet macaw was laughing and tearing up in joy, realizing he was truly free. Meanwhile Jewel couldn't stop replaying the scene of Blu face planting, the fact that he slowly got up and kept spitting out dirt with an angry expression certainly didn't help.

"Yuck. Ugh, I'm going to have to wash my beak now…" He complained to no one in particular, but his companion's laugh didn't help him feel better. "Very funny, top comedy from the one and only Blu Gunderson." He bickered back in annoyance, but the more he heard her laugh the less he felt anger. For some reason interestingly enough… it calmed him.

"Sorry Blu, I couldn't help myself. That was too good." She finally got a hold of herself and apologized for her rude behavior, the navy blue parrot's neutral shrug told her that her apology was accepted. With a forceful pull she dislodged her talons from the dirt and walked over to the now open side in case the prisoner needed help.

"I can't believe it… Thank you!" The scarlet macaw kept repeating the sentence as he tried to get up but his wobbly feet didn't give his rescuers too much confidence that he could get out on his own. Blu stepped inside and put a wing around the weak bird, making sure carry most of his weight as the blue macaw helped him step outside… to freedom.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Blu called out. "We still need to find you shelter." The blue macaw explained as he looked around the river bank, trying to find a suitable shelter. It would take the red parrot at least a week to get his strength back. Leaving him exposed like this would be no better than leaving him in the cage to begin with.

"There should be a hollow near the edge around there." Jewel pointed her talon in the direction their current objective was. Blu's sight followed her talon and managed to spot the abandoned hollow.

"That will work perfectly." The blue macaw happily exclaimed, inspecting the area around it with a probing gaze. He checked the condition of the tree and was relieved to see it was structurally sound.

The next ten minutes went by painfully slow as the blue macaws figured out how to drag the scarlet parrot up to the hollow without injuring him. In the end they were successful and Melisa managed to return with nuts and berries.

"You're very malnourished. Are you sure you can survive out here?" Melisa questioned the red macaw with a doubtful expression, not feeling comfortable with the bird's idea. Sure, they got him out of the cage and supplied him with enough food to get him back on his feet, but this was still in the middle of the Amazon. Predators could be nearby, waiting for the perfect moment to grab an easy meal.

"Yes. You three already did so much for me, even though I'm not even part of your tribe." The scarlet macaw tried to dismiss her concern with a wave of his wing.

"Nobody deserves to be locked up like that…" Blu spoke up under his breath, but due to their close proximity everyone heard him loud and clear. Nobody knew if he was referring to the red parrot or the dead blue and yellow macaw. That event was still very much fresh in everyone's mind.

"Please forgive me for the question but… how come you three are here?" The previously trapped macaw asked the sudden question, catching the blue trio off guard. "I thought the Spix's tribe ran away with everyone else." He quickly added, not wanting to sound rude or ungrateful, but the reason genuinely interested him.

"Not everyone made it out." Jewel began her explanation but stopped when she realized the bird didn't need further elaboration, after all, he lived through it just like them. "We are here to get them back."

The red macaw sagged when he realized what she meant. "I'm sorry to hear that." He didn't know what else to so say, resulting in a few seconds of silence between all of them. He spent a moment glancing between the three blue macaws before he came to a decision. "In that case, I wish not to burden you any further. I am forever in your debt."

"Nonsense-" Blu wanted to stop the parrot but he silenced him with a wing.

"No, it is true. My very own tribe left me for dead." The scarlet macaw looked away, his eyes yelling to the whole world what he felt: sadness, sorrow and betrayal. "You are supposed to be a rival, an enemy, yet… you helped." He continued, re-establishing eye contact with the blue macaws before he respectfully bowed. "Thank you. Now, do not let me hold you back from your mission, there are birds who are in bigger need than me."

The trio was taken back by the sudden gesture, but accepted it nonetheless. They all came to the conclusion that the scarlet macaw was through the worst and they were certain he would be okay from this point onward.

Jewel smiled at the polite gesture. "I wish for a speedy recovery."

"May you be safe and your journey successful." The red parrot returned the farewell and silently watched as the three blue macaws left his temporary hollow and flew away, returning to their original mission.

Twenty minutes later

Now that the trapped parrot was free and safe, the three macaws returned to their original plan to find clues about their captured tribesmen. The camp at the Pit of doom remained just as they left it, undisturbed.

Blu was the first to arrive after circling a few times to make sure nobody else was there or hiding, he slowly glided down and landed on the ground next to the fireplace. He folded his wings and took another view from below, trying to see if he could spot something which was hidden by the heights above. He didn't find anything out of the ordinary but concluded these humans were nothing like the humans who built his base.

Those people left the building relatively tidy, while these people just littered everything around the ground from trash to equipment like flashlights, documents, maps and other trivial stuff. From the position most stuff was in, he realized these poachers must have left in a hurry. Jewel and Melisa landed behind him but further out, not wanting to disturb the detective in his work.

The man got right back to his task and walked around, not interested in the general trash but any paperwork he could get his talons on. He found a few sheets of paper half buried in the ground, soaked in mud and water, but the macaw knew the material well enough to remove it with care. He read parts of the paper which were not destroyed or smudged, realizing it was not what he wanted.

The blue macaw went around the camp and did the same procedure with every sheet he could find, but nothing was giving him results. Meanwhile the two girls quickly got bored and decided to step closer, their curiosity getting the better of them. After all, it was not every day one could examine human objects this close.

This search continued for several minutes, but by the end Blu had to admit defeat when it came to the littered ground. There was simply nothing he could use to even begin piecing together where these humans might have gone. His eyes moved upwards and met with one of the tents and that got him thinking. The object was used as a sheltered nest for the two legged mammalians, so it would stand to reason if they had something important with them it would be stored there. Maybe this isn't a dead end just yet. He thought to himself, walking over to the closest tent to him.

His gaze inspected the entrance, recognizing the contraption which held the fabric together. With one fluid motion, he leaped in the air and flapped his wings to gain enough altitude to grab the zipper puller with his beak. The moment he bit down, his wings taken on a gliding position and he let his body weight and gravity do the work for him.

The iconic zipper sound echoed around the pit, immediately grabbing Jewel and Melisa's attention. By the time they identified the direction where the sound was coming from and turned towards it, they only caught Blu as he safely landed in the dirt and stood in front of a now open tent. "How did you do that?" Jewel asked in awe as she made her way to the entrance, inspecting the fabric with great interest. She was sure it was solid fabric a second ago, yet Blu cut through it with no effort whatsoever.

"Oh, its a zipper. You just pull on it like this." He demonstrated how it worked by pulling it upwards, thus sewing the fabric together below him. The light blue macaw pressed her right talon against the fabric, confirming it was indeed closed together. As soon as she retracted her talon Blu pulled downwards, opening up the entrance once more.

With her curiosity satisfied, Blu held up a wing in a stop motion and carefully poked his head through the entrance, his brown eyes adjusting to the inside lighting rather quickly. His body was tense as a string in case he had to jump out in an instant, but even after multiple passes through the tent he didn't find anything threatening.

With the coast clear, he withdrawn his wing and stepped inside, the fabric ruffling against his plumage as he made his way inside. Blu's eyes were now busy scanning the sleeping quarters for anything of value. He could hear his two companions squeezing themselves through the entrance, but he didn't really acknowledge it, as he was busy taking in the layout.

It was not big for human standards, just a regular sized camping tent for two people. There was one creased sleeping bag on the floor and a small collapsible table near the opposite end. The dark material was excellent at keeping the light, humidity and heat outside. It was noticeably darker and drier inside, and the only source of light was the rays coming through the now open entrance, casting a long shadow of all three macaws on the opposite side.

What caught Blu's interest was a white contrast on the top of the black table, a stack papers. He carefully flew on the edge of the table, keeping his wings extended in case the collapsible couldn't handle his weight. Thankfully the table seemed to be able to hold him just fine, and he relaxed his grip on the plastic and folded his wings. The tent was successful in keeping the document in pristine condition, allowing Blu to read it with zero difficulty.

He caught his breath in sudden shock, his eyes widening in disbelief. The action did not go unnoticed by his two companions who voiced their sudden concern. "Blu? You okay there?" Melisa questioned as she looked up, not comfortable joining his side on the table in fear of ruining something.

"Huh? Oh, yeah…" The male responded after regaining his composure, turning around to face the two women with the paper in his right talon. "It's just… I didn't think we'd find something like this." The blue macaw admitted, waving his right wing to the two parrots so they would join him and see what all the fuss was about.

The two females complied with the silent request and a moment later were standing next to the Spix's macaw. "This is a journal." Blu exclaimed in a very excited tone, showing the piece of paper even though he knew they couldn't read anything off it.

"What's a journal?" Jewel asked in curiosity, eyeing the strange material in Blu's talon. She remembered what the young man told her yesterday, how humans can communicate without actually being there by using what he called writing; And she guessed this was one of those things.

"People write down things. What they did, what they were feeling and other stuff." Blu explained as his eyes skimmed through the page in question, searching for any information which could benefit their search. "Our home had tons of these stuff, it was how we learned most of what we know about humans." He added shortly after, conveying just how important these were.

While he was busy prying through the document, Melisa turned around to inspect the rest of the stack. She was surprised to recognize the very top page. From what she remembered, it was something called a map, and it was a very simple concept. People drew down the landscape to locate places later. At first she thought it was stupid, but Blu explained that humans did not possess navigational instincts like they did; At least not as sophisticated as theirs.

"Hey, that looks like the groove!" She exclaimed, snapping her companions out of their own little world. They walked over to her and confirmed her statement was true. Jewel instantly recognized landmarks on the hand drawn map, while Blu's focus was on other aspects. The map had markers and writing on it. Realizing it might hold crucial information, he placed the journal on the side and inspected the outlines in detail.

His eyes caught something very interesting and he walked over the map to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Before the two girls could question the reaction, he stepped back and held a claw over a red circle which was right next to the groove. "This place. It says Spix's macaws were captured here." Blu's voice trailed off as he read further. Obviously the statement grabbed both macaws' undivided attention. The next piece of info confirmed he was not lying, or his guess was extremely lucky. "15 in total." He added.

"We lost 15 tribesmen to the poachers." Jewel confirmed the numbers after swallowing a lump in her throat. Bad memories were surfacing which she had to actively repress.

"In that case, looks like we found out where the poachers searched after they took down this place." Blu thought out loud, scratching the underside of his beak while he pondered what to do next.

"But they are obviously gone. So this doesn't help us much." The light blue macaw sighed in frustration, massaging her temples with her right wing to ease the sudden headache she was experiencing. Melisa placed a wing over her shoulder in a comforting manner with a weak smile. Jewel looked up and returned the smile in compassion.

Understanding the map was no longer helping, the male went ahead and picked up the journal once more, continuing from where he left off. After reading a few sentences his spirits began to rise. "Don't be so pessimistic Jewel…" Blu's voice trailed off as he read further. "These fools just wrote down where they are going." He finished his sentence, causing both macaws to look at him with both a questioning and hopeful glance.

"Are you serious?!" The two women asked in perfect unison.

He nodded his head in conformation. "Yes. They wanted to go by train but it wouldn't accept them so they went back the way they came with a truck." He continued explaining what he was reading on the fly. Suddenly he froze in place, eyes widening in shock. Now he really couldn't breathe from the surprise, his brain practically shut down as he processed the words on paper. All he could mutter was a faint 'No way!'.

"What is it?!" Jewel and Melisa had enough of his antics and walked to either side of his shoulders to see the paper, even though it was technically futile.

"This… According to this… the train goes every day to…" He paused for a moment, reading the word ten times over to make sure he wasn't imagining it. "Rio de Janeiro." Blu practically whispered the words in disbelief.

"Wait, isn't that the city your team has to go to?" Jewel asked the shocked macaw, trying her hardest to remember why that name sounded so familiar.

"Yes. That is exactly where my team has to go." Blu answered her question after shaking his head in an attempt to get his act together; It worked. As great of a news that was, he understood it was not exactly something they could utilize all on its own. Since the information was the final sentence on the sheet of paper, Blu tossed it aside and jumped on the pile to search through it. He read the top title of each page and threw it aside if it was not relevant.

He wanted to pinch himself, not sure if this was reality or not. He couldn't believe how lucky they were. He managed to find the time schedule of the very train mentioned in the journal. Blu's eyes skimmed through the tables and a smug grin crept up on his beak. "Girls, we hit the jackpot!" He announced as he turned around to face his two companions. "The train passes through here every day two in the afternoon." He explained his findings, and just to make sure they knew just how tight of a window they had he told them the current time. "It is about 11 AM right now judging by the Sun."

"We have three hours to catch the train. After that, two days of waiting and we'll be in Rio!" He added shortly after, and the reactions he got was worth all the hype he made. The last time he saw the two women so happy and excited was when they realized they were from a different tribe. They knew this meant they would be one step closer to freeing their brothers and sisters.

But as he learned by now, 'Wild' birds were pretty unpredictable. Out of nowhere Jewel leaped forward and wrapped her wings around the stunned man in a tight hug. "You're the best!" She exclaimed happily, forgetting all personal boundaries and just who was present in the moment. Meanwhile Blu was stunned, he couldn't even move a muscle even if he wanted to. He could feel her heartbeat through her chest and it sent a small shiver down his spine. Lucas would be laughing his ass off if he saw the blue macaw in his current state.

The joyful outburst's moment was soon enough over and Jewel's mind caught up with her actions. She tensed up for a moment when she realized just what she had done and leaped back just as fast as she lunged forward a few moments ago. The two macaws looked at each other and suddenly both flustered, their feathers standing up in embarrassment.

Melisa was practically standing in the sidelines and just silently smirked, but it looked like neither macaw noticed it. For a moment she was about to comment but refrained from doing so, not wanting to interfere in whichever direction this would be going.

Jewel was the first who get voice back. "Sorry about that." She quickly apologized. "Uh, well we couldn't have figured this out without you here so… Thanks." She averted her gaze and explained her reasoning with a faked smile, hoping to get past this interaction. She had absolutely no idea why she did what she did.

Blu seemed to snap out of his daze and nodded. "Ah yes. You're welcome, happy to help." He tried is damn best to not stutter, still processing what exactly happened. A dreaded awkward silence made its appearance but Melisa realized it was time to butt in and get things back on track.

"So, when are we going and where?" Her attempt to change topic was as obvious as the morning sun, but both macaws were secretly thanking her for it.

Blu cleared his throat. "According to the journal we need to head directly south and we should find it easy enough." He managed to push this incident to the back of his mind, deciding to make sense of it later.

"Great. So we can go then?" Jewel asked, unfolding her wings to get ready for flight. Before Melisa could follow her lead, Blu caught their attention.

"Wait. We got about three hours, and I need a few things before we move out. Supplies if you may." The two women were puzzled what he meant by it but shrugged and went with it anyways. For the next ten minutes Blu went over the pile of paper once more, making sure not to miss anything important. After being confident enough that they knew everything, the trio left the tent and started to gather the supplies Blu requested. Which was weird to say the least, he wanted yellow flowers.

The two childhood friends knew by now not to question his weird requests and did as they were told. By another half hour both returned to the camp site with all sorts of yellow flowers while Blu found a small plastic cup to store it in. After shoving all of them inside, the trio was ready for the journey. They took one last glance at the Pit of Doom before flying south to where these alleged train tracks were located.

Sure enough, after about an hour of flight they found the tracks in question. Jewel and Melisa were baffled how such a thing could be so close to their tribe without them knowing about it. The group sat down on a branch overlooking the tracks and finally got some time to rest and think. So much happened that morning that all three of them would have enough to chew through the following two days.

Just as expected, the macaws heard a loud rumbling noise around two in the afternoon and managed to spot the incoming train. At first the two women were startled but Blu managed to convince them it was no danger. That didn't mean Blu wasn't nervous, this was the very first time he saw a train in operation.

The macaws flew above the train tracks just as it passed under them. They saw a big enough opening and took advantage of it by carefully lining up with the train wagon and flying inside one of the compartments, which was actually almost empty excluding a few crates. The blue macaws made themselves comfortable, knowing this will be their home for the next two days.

Unknown location near Rio, outside an abandoned storage building

Near the very edge of the lively city, a storehouse stood isolated from everything else. Disrepair was evident on the outside, with rust taking over the outer metal plating, somewhere literally eating it away. The building itself was surrounded by an equally rusty barbed wire fence. Due to being so far away from civilization, nobody cared enough to investigate it, making it a very valuable hiding place for a certain 'businessman'.

Marcel Ribeiro parked his brand new car near the rusty entrance, turning off the engine to limit its noise. The engine ticked as the metal made it cool down to ambient temperature. The Brazilian man opened the car's door and slowly stepped out, lighting up a cigar as he inspected the rundown building in great detail. He searched for any sign of a possible break in, but he smiled when he saw none whatsoever.

A white cockatoo flew out through the open door, landing on the man's shoulder. With no occupants left inside the automobile, Marcel raised his right leg and gently kicked the door, hearing it close with an audible click a second later. He inhaled as much smoke as he could with one breath and threw the half used cigar on the ground, trampling it as he exhaled the toxic fumes back into the air.

The man walked forward and stopped at the gate, digging his right hand into his pocket until he found what he was looking for. He pulled out a rather large key and used it to unlocked the rusty lock which kept the frontal gate closed. Once the rusty contraption unlocked with a familiar click, the cockatoo leaped off the man's shoulder and grabbed the gate with his powerful talons, his weight causing it to move and squeak as it did so.

Marcel paid no attention to the stunt, indicating this display of intelligence was a regular occurrence for him. He walked inside the dusty property, searching for his trusted outside garden chair. He found it soon enough next to the building's wall, and after walking over to it, the man promptly sat down, enjoying the summer sun on his skin. After maybe ten minutes of waiting around, a large truck's rumble disturbed the area, causing the man to open his eyes and look towards the entrance in anticipation.

Soon enough, an almost equally rusty and rundown truck drove in, parking right in front of the warehouse's entrance. Marcel remained seated, watching the doors open to see who would step out. As he expected, the two poachers known as Tipa and Armando exited the vehicle, both dirty and sweaty after being in the jungle for who knows how long.

"I hope you two didn't come back empty handed; Again…" He greeted the two men, who returned the greeting subtly. Marcel could see the chubby man's excitement bubbling on his face, while Armando had a much more reserved expression. The lean man opened his mouth to respond, but the almost childlike Tipa interrupted him.

"Oh, you won't believe what we caught!" The obese man happily exclaimed, running up to the back of the truck and opening it up eagerly. His partner understood what he wanted to do and went over to help him open the back doors, revealing a sight that caught Marcel's breath. His eyes widened in disbelief, quickly getting up from his chair and walking over next to his henchmen.

"Are these what I think they are?!" He asked, looking through the two dozen or so cages in awe.

"Yes! We found a flock of Spix's macaws when we accompanied the logging company."

"But how? Our intel says he doesn't know where the flock is yet."

"We found them by accident."

Marcel counted each distressed bird with a smug expression. "Boys, this will make us rich!" He happily exclaimed, already seeing the piles worth of money he would get for them. He high fived Armando, while Tipa followed up by an unexpected hug. "Ugh, go take a shower you two." The man ordered, trying hard not to gag due to the unpleasant body odors which surrounded him.

The three men walked away to discuss what to do next before they unloaded the trapped birds. This left the Spix's macaws all alone in the truck. One of them, a fifteen year old male sat back down in his cage, sighing heavily. "What are they going to do with us?"

"I heard humans eat birds." Another male spoke up from the back of the truck, but the others were not happy about the morale damaging remark.

"Ah, shut it Cezar. Those stories are exaggerated." A third one retorted, adamant on making sure the group didn't lose hope. Right now, they couldn't allow despair to take a hold of their minds. Surely, opportunities to escape will come, and they had to be mentally there to grab them the moment they appear.

"Correct pretty bird. Eating your kind would be such a waste." A masculine sinister voice interrupted their gloomy conversation, causing all fifteen blue macaws to snap their heads at the origin of the mysterious voice. The truck went dead silent all of a sudden as the parrots inspected the newcomer. They never seen a bird like him before, nor did they know of anything which resembled him. He was well built, had a bigger body mass than most macaws and sported a snow white plumage with a golden yellow crest on his head, almost like a crown.

"Who are you?" The female closest to the entrance questioned the new bird, who in turn focused his dark brown eyes on the blue macaw.

"Who am I?" He repeated the question mockingly, walking right in front of the metal cage, his form dwarfing that of the Spix's macaw, who stepped back unconsciously from the intimidation. "You may know me as Nigel. I shall be your captor-" He paused for a moment, rephrasing his words. "Sorry, entertainer… for the time being." He chuckled at his own slip up, but a blue macaw was not having any of it.

"You bastard! Let us go! How dare you betray avianity for these human scum!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, squeezing himself against the metal bars as much as he could. The cockatoo smirked at the remark, seeming to enjoy the glares and hatred which was directed at him. Nigel turned away from the intimidated female and walked over to the yelling blue macaw with interest. Not many people dared to insult him, which was the reason interacting with new prisoners was such an entertaining activity for him.

But unbeknownst to the trapped macaw, he uttered something he really shouldn't have. "I bet your family would be disgusted with you if they saw you." The white cockatoo's mood changed in an instant, and not for the better. Instead of the infuriatingly smug smile, his face morphed into one of pure hatred and rage.

Nigel extended his right talon and lunged forward, trapping the blue macaw's neck between the metal bars and his talons. The parrot had absolutely no time to react, and lost his ability to breath instantly. "PEST!" The white bird boomed with anger, his eyes seeing only red. "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK OF MY FAMILY?!" Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on who you ask, the offending macaw never got the chance to ponder over his mistake. With barely a flick of his wrist, Nigel applied pressure to the victim's neck, and a moment later a bone chilling snap echoed inside the truck.

It took the blue macaws a few seconds to realize just what had transpired. Screams of terror and anger filled the cargo hold as the now deceased blue macaw's body went limp and fell down on the floor. Nigel turned his head to face the remaining captives, his glare silencing any opposition immediately. Every parrot moved as far away back as they could, not wanting to be the next victim of the crazy cockatoo.

He took a deep breath, clearing the rage filled haze from his mind so he could think straight again. When he managed to regain his composure, he looked back at the corpse and frowned, realizing the dent he just caused in his profit margins. "Shame." He spoke out loud in a disappointed tone, shaking his head from side to side. Before anyone could say anything, the white cockatoo spun around and spread his wings, using his powerful muscles to lift his body from the truck's floor. The captives only heard near silent wingflaps as their captor left the area.

It didn't take long for Tipa and Armando to return and begin unloading the cages. Marcel opened up the old storage building's main door, and the blue macaws' eyes widened in shock. It was full of cages like their own, and every single one contained at least one occupant. The birds were mainly macaws, toucans and parakeets, but the occasional eagle or falcon made sure to break up the colorful pattern.

What all of them shared was the same almost lifeless gaze, as if their very souls were broken. The blue macaws swallowed the lumps that formed in their throats, understanding what awaited them. Some couldn't take it anymore and broke down in sobs, while the weaker minded ones just fainted.

The slender poacher finally arrived at the murdered parrot's cage, realizing it was unresponsive when he lifted up the metal prison. "Marcel! We got a problem!" He yelled to his boss, who went over the moment he heard his name being yelled. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened to the blue feathered animal, and the Brazilian man just scoffed in response.

"Too bad it died on the road. Throw it in the garbage, it is useless to us dead." With that instruction set, Marcel turned around and went inside, getting the food ready. As much as he thought this type of work was beneath him, he knew keeping these birds alive until they arrived in the hands of his customers was probably more important than catching them in the first place. Besides, neither of his henchmen possessed enough intellect in his mind to know what food to give which bird.

…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…

Thank you Proffesor Ass Spiders for the reviews, they were insightful!

Chapter 5 was by all accounts an outlier in terms of length, but in hindsight it should have been split up in two. Apologies about that.

There is a soft cap of 10k words per chapter in the editor I use, and I usually manage to write everything I want a chapter to contain within that limit. If that is not the case, then the problem is most likely I can't find a place to split the chapter without making it feel "forced". I like my chapters to be self contained if that makes sense.

This was a bit longer than usual as well, but I will keep your suggestion about making future chapters shorter in mind for the upcoming updates.