Diaglo kept flapping on and letting the air lift him along. Hours after Eduardo's warning, he and Bia had flown off to join their siblings Carla and Tiago who are perched with their respective partners in a mango tree that was quite far from their ravine. It was a long flight, but the mango trees there bloom the best mangoes - Making it a famous hangout spot for Diaglo and Co along with other teens coming from the sanctuary's other tribes
As they flew, the sky had already begun to darken with grey blooming up ahead. Diaglo frowned slightly. It wasn't raining or drizzling just yet and macaws or chicks on varying species can still be seen flying around. Bia seemed to be alright and if she wasn't worrying, then so should he…
"Bia! Diaglo!" Tiago was the first to see them and he began to wave them down as a young female scarlet macaw blinking sleepily under his wing. Carla who was resting against Miguel's ivory plumage flashed a smile as Bia and Diaglo landed. "Hey bro, sis." She greeted the two and Miguel smiled.
The two brainy siblings returned the smiles with a 'Hi' and they noticed the light blue-purple girl with 'braided' head feathers starting to get up with a yawn, stretching. It was Aria; Tiago's other half of the heart.
"Someone's sleepy. Hey Ari!" Diaglo smiled in recognizing the girl. Tiago blushed under his feathers as Aria got up, ruffling her feathers slightly to get rid of the sleepiness. "The weather's pretty cool today. Nice for a nap to make up for my sleeping late last night." Aria meekly said and she looked dreamily at Tiago. "We were having a nice flight across the river before bed. It was amazing,"
The city tribe spix macaw nuzzled Tiago with a loving smile which prompted Tiago to nuzzle back, wrapping his wings around her. Carla and Miguel were doing the same nearby and Bia crooned adoringly. "Tiaria on the loose!" She giggled and Diaglo chuckled with a fold of his wings, the other four smiling with shrugs.
Tiago and Carla have certainly found their other halves while Bia did too, having had had her eyes on a male spix. Diaglo on the other hand was yet to settle on a partner himself, yet he wondered how he'll ever find his own one day. Love, as Miguel had quoted once, is a beautiful treasure that takes time to find. Therefore Diaglo found no reason to rush and was happy for his older siblings.
"So, you guys heard of the incoming storm too huh?" Carla suddenly spoke up with concern in her tone. Bia and Diaglo nodded and the plump older sister gazed up at the darkened sky. "I think it might be on its way anytime soon. Look, the sky's turning grey!" The other five pairs of the rest followed her gaze. It's true, the sky was indeed grey and it was turning greyer as more clouds rolled in. Fortunately there was still no rumbling of thunder and the tribe macaws around are still going on with their business.
Bia shrugged with the others. "Must be a cloudy day I guess. And besides, even if there is going to be rain it sometimes doesn't wind up too heavy or lasting for too long." Her siblings nodded in agreement as did Aria and Miguel.
"That's true. I've experienced a rain shower like when I was a chick." Said Aria with a wince. "My little brother literally skedaddled back home at the first second of drizzle but by the time he returned to the tree, the rain had stopped!"
The others eyes aside from Bia and Diaglo widened in surprise. The bespectacled chick held up a wing finger. "Such phenomenon can happen sometimes. And also, there are such happenings where it rains on one spot and it doesn't on another." He looked at the others. "Remember our last trip to Rio with Lalia, Rodrigo and Giro? Carla, Miguel and Bia and I were at the beach while the rest of you guys came in wet from the rainshower at the sanctuary!"
Bia, Miguel and Carla snickered in remembering this while Tiago rolled his eyes amusingly with Aria sniffling a laugh. Even though it was unpleasant getting wet feathers, it was still a funny memory to recall. Especially when they had reacted so funnily to the strange rain - Tiago in particular had immediately jumped into the conclusion that one of Rafael and Eva's kids who happened to be with them had done a rain prank on them in the rainforest. "Haha very funny," Tiago was trying to look annoyed but he was noticeably smiling as well.
The moment was simply too humorous to be mad at, they all could agree. "It was definitely no prank. Just rain being mysterious in its natural course," Diaglo mused to himself and then he stiffened, feathers bristling slightly as he felt a presence behind him. He turned around.
The mango plantation they were in is rather close to the end of the sanctuary by a short distance and beyond that, Diaglo swore he saw a flash of color through the leaves. It appeared to be a bird judging by the obvious wing flapping but it seemed to be wearing a cloak made of leaves. It's back was turned towards Diaglo and he couldn't see its front. What was that?
His curious instincts taking over, Diaglo felt the urge to investigate but he made sure to let his older siblings and friends know. "Hey guys, I'm gonna go fly out for a bit. I hope you don't mind." Carla, Bia and Tiago nodded in approval. "Okay little bro. Take care!" The five teenagers all waved after Diaglo and he took off. The flight lasted only about a couple minutes due to his speed having been quickened from the curiosity. His eyes were focused on the cloaked figure as he perched on an upper branch, at a respectful distance from the figure.
The small, adolescent spix sized figure had sunk it's curved beak into a mango and with effort, plucked the large fruit off its branch. The force of the tugging sent the bird stumbling back and part of its leafy cloak had flapped; Exposing plain blue wingtips. Diaglo gasped aloud with his eyes widening. There is only one kind of bird known in the Amazon jungle for plain blue wings and judging by the size, it definitely wasn't a Hyacinth or a Lear's macaw.
"It's a spix's macaw!"
The words escaped from Diaglo's beak at a loud tone and he covered his beak. The figure had instantly snapped its head to the source of the outcry. The shadow coming from the hood of the leaves rendered the wearer's face too dark to see but there was enough light from outside for Diaglo to see a grey beak and a pair of violet eyes. But before Diaglo could take a longer look, the figure had fled without hesitation; A leafy body vanishing to nothing over the sanctuary's border.