Amazon Adventures

Chapter Eleven: Ring Of Shame

(Note: Check out the Rio wiki page "Rio 2 Deleted Scene" for some background on this one.)

Late one afternoon, Roberto sat in his hollow, reflecting. With everything that had happened in recent months, such as Jewel's return, and the attack of the loggers, he couldn't help but remember his past experiences with humans. From under the feathers on his right leg, a small metal ring with the name "Polly" (The "o" shaped like a heart, with a smaller red heart within) slid down to the ankle. That ring was Roberto's greatest shame. How he got it was a sorry tale.

Years ago:

A few years after the fire that had taken Jewel's mother (and as was thought at the time, Jewel herself), Roberto was flying across the jungle in search of food. He found a Brazil nut hanging from a tree. Perching on the branch below, he prepared to get it... But was suddenly captured in a net, and unceremoniously shoved into a cage.

"Never seen one like this before." A human, his face covered in stubble, peered in. "Bet Gordo gives us some decent scratch for it."

"Aw, yeah." Another agreed. "We're gonna be sittin' pretty."

"Let me out of here!" Roberto squawked, banging against the cage. "Let me out!"

"Shaddup!" The stubble-face shook the cage violently. "Let's put 'im with the others."

Roberto found himself put in the back of a van with various other caged birds. At that point, he was too terrified to even speak, his breathing become ragged and gasping. The last time he saw humans, they had destroyed the tribe's home, and killed his best friend. He couldn't bring himself to think about what they might do to him.

After a long ride, his cage was removed from the van.

"Got some great ones today, Gordo." Stubble-face declared. "Check this one out!"

"Well, well." Gordo, a chubby man with glasses, looked at Roberto. "A rare breed, to be sure. I'll get big bucks for this."

Gordo opened Roberto's cage and reached into it, grabbing him tightly. Roberto bit his hand, but the thick glove the human was wearing rendered his attack useless. Roberto was placed into a another cage; A bell-shaped one with lots of bars, just wide enough to stick his head out. A swing hung from above, and a mirror was at one side. Roberto looked through the bars, seeing that he was in a place with lots of humans, all walking to and fro. That place was Manaus, just outside the Amazon. He shrunk into the back of the cage as Gordo paid the poachers. Gordo then turned to look at him.

"Don't worry, little fella." He smiled. "You won't be here long. A rare specimen like you'll soon be snatched up."

"What?" Roberto gulped.

"He means you'll be bought soon, kid." A hyacinth macaw spoke up.

"Bought?" Roberto asked.

"Yep." A black canary nodded. "If a passing human likes the look of you, he'll take you home, and make you his pet."

Roberto stiffened. He had heard stories from Eduardo of the so-called "pet" birds; how they had surrendered their dignity and pride to live with humans.

"No way." He shook his head. "There is no way I'm becoming a pet."

"Like you've got a choice." The hyacinth macaw snorted.

After a long day, and a cold, unforgiving night (spent in Gordo's van), Robert awoke to find the marketplace once again abuzz with activity. His stomach growling, he forced himself to eat the pellets Gordo had slipped into his cage.

"What I wouldn't give for some fruit." He shuddered.

Just then, a little girl put her face in front of the cage.

"Hi, pretty birdie!" She squealed, tapping the cage with her finger.

"Ah!" Roberto yelped.

"You're funny, birdie." The girl giggled. "Mommy, I want this one!"

"Ooh, he's a handsome one." A woman leaned in to gaze at Roberto. "We'll take this one, please."

"An excellent choice." Gordo smiled. "And for a minor additional cost, I can fit him with a leg ring, with the name of your choice. I've got 'Squawkers', 'Beaky', 'Feathers' or 'Polly'."

"I want 'Polly'!" The little girl jumped up and down.

Gordo grabbed a leg ring, and, once again wearing gloves, reached into the cage.

"No, no!" Roberto struggled as one hand grabbed him. "I won't be a pet! And my name's not 'Polly'!"

The other hand forced the ring onto Roberto's ankle.

"There, all done." Gordo nodded. "And I'll throw in the cage as a bonus."

"Yay!" The girl cheered, as her mother picked the cage. "You're going to love it at our house, Polly!"

"This can't be happening." Roberto despaired.

The girl and her mother entered their house, where a man was sat in the living room.

"Daddy, daddy!" The girl sang. "Look what I got! Isn't he pretty?"

"Yeah, yeah." The father said without enthusiasm.

Roberto's cage was hung on a stand at the far corner of the room.

"I'll be right back with something yummy, Polly." The girl smiled.

"I'd settle for a way out of here." Roberto cringed.

The girl returned, carrying some round, flat objects.

"Wanna cracker, Polly?" She asked, holding it at beak level.

Feeling the pangs of hunger once more, Roberto reluctantly took a bite. The cracker was salty, and tasteless. He could barely bring himself to swallow it.

"Aw, he likes it!" The girl told her mother. "Polly want another cracker?"

"No-" Roberto was cut off as another cracker was forced into his beak. "Yuck!"

"I told you you'd love it here!" The girl giggled.

That night, the mother placed a sheet over the cage.

"Hey, what is this?" Roberto yelled. "Hey!"

"Quiet, bird!" The father hit the cage.

"Leave the poor thing alone." The mother admonished him.

"Why couldn't she have wanted a goldfish?" The father bemoaned. "At least they don't make noise."

And so, Roberto's nightmare began. Every day, he was subjected to yet more crackers, each time hearing the girl trill "Polly wanna cracker?" Roberto hated them, but they were the only food he was given, so he forced himself to eat them. With each passing day, he started to lose hope of ever getting back home, and he felt himself losing his mind, as he remained trapped in his tiny prison, unable to fly.

One morning, the mother walked over to the cage. Taking a sniff, she grimaced.

"Ugh, it is definitely time to change your papers." She groaned, opening a window to let some fresh air in.

"About time." Roberto growled. One of the worst parts of his captivity was having his droppings right beneath him, soaked into the newspaper on the cage floor. The stench was almost too much to bear.

"Stinky Polly!" The girl snickered.

"Honey, can you get Polly out of there?" The mother asked her husband.

"Fine." The father sighed.

As the cage door opened, Roberto realised that a chance for escape had finally come. He let the father lift him out of the cage, then bit him on the thumb.

"Yeow!" The father yelped. "Lousy bird bit me!"

Roberto took flight for the first in days, making a beeline for the open window.

"Come back, Polly!" The girl yelled.

Ignoring her, Roberto soared through the open window, and into the blue sky.

"Freeeeedooooom!" He cheered. "No more pet! No more cage! No more crackers!"

He let out a laugh that bordered on madness, overjoyed to finally be free.

Roberto headed towards the lush greenery of home. Along the way, he enjoyed the fruit and Brazil nuts he had been denied for so long, savouring every bite. After two days of searching, he found his tribe at last. He almost went to meet them then and there, but stopped when he remembered the ring on his ankle.

"I can't let anyone see this." He realised. "If they knew I was a pet..."

Gingerly, Roberto eased the ring up his leg, until the feathers on his thigh concealed it. Then, he flew down and rejoined his friends.

"Hey, guys!" He yelled. "I'm back!"

"Roberto?" Eduardo gasped. "Is it really you?"

"In the feathers." Roberto nodded.

"Where have you been?" Mimi asked. "We've been looking all over for you!"

"I was... ambushed by humans." Roberto told them. "I managed to get away, but I was too injured to fly. I had to lay low until my wing was fixed."

"We're just glad you're back." Eduardo placed his wing on Roberto's shoulder. "After everything that's happened, we couldn't afford to lose any more of us."

"Thank goodness you got away from those awful humans." Mimi declared. "If they had gotten their hands on you..."

"Yeah..." Roberto nodded. "That would've been terrible..."

The rest of the tribe gave Roberto a hero's welcome, believing the lie he had told them. Roberto kept the truth hidden, telling no-one. But the psychological scars ran deep, and the thought of humans tormented him in his nightmares.

In the present, Roberto shuddered. Even after all that time, the memories of his time in captivity haunted him. While Blu had taught him that not all humans were to be feared, it would be a long time before Roberto felt himself at peace with those memories. On that day, he might actually find the courage to reveal his dark secret. But until then, it would have to stay a secret, and the ring would have to stay hidden.

To Be Continued...

(Rio 2 and all associated characters are the property of Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox.)