Chapter 2:Calm Before The Storm
Jewel was actually enjoying her peaceful sleep, despite the events that unfolded several hours prior. Little did she know, her mate was not faring as well. She felt him shift and squirm next to her, followed by a terror-laden shriek.
Jewel was instantly startled awake, and she found her mate plastered against the wall just behind her. He chest was heaving steadily and his pupils were dilated.
"Blu! What was that for? I was having a lovely rest! Can't you be quieter next time?"
Blu turned to her, and he spoke in stunned fragments.
"Meteor...terrible...death...nightmare..."
As Jewel soaked up his words, she immediately grew shameful of her hostility.
"You had a nightmare? Oh, I am so sorry! Are you okay?"
She climbed from her nest and ambled over to him. After fanning him gently with her wings for several minutes, he regained most of his composure.
"Are you feeling better now?" I'm sorry for yelling..."
"Yeah. That fanning felt nice, so thanks. Consider your apology accepted..."
Blu lifted himself from the wall and shambled back to the nest.
Jewel reclaimed her spot next to him, and after placing her wing on his back, she asked, "What was the nightmare about? Do you mind telling me?"
"I, uh, dreamed that I had flown back to the meteor. The jungle around it was slowly dying right in front of my eyes. As I kept watching, my body grew numb, and then I fell off of the branch I was perched on. I landed right next to the space rock, and I couldn't move. Then I...I...died..."
As his words pealed into the air, Jewel now realized why he had been torn from his sleep.
"Oh, that's terrible! Thank goodness it was only a dream! That couldn't possibly happen for real, right?"
"I hope not, Jewel. There is no telling what that meteor can do, if it does anything at all. I pray that we don't find out, either."
"Me too. Can you try to go back to sleep?"
"I will try my best, Jewel. Good night..."
"Good night, Blu. See you in the morning..."
The two macaws settled down in the nest once again, and the veil of sleep was hesitant to visit them again. After spending nearly an hour in a nervous, half-conscious state, they finally slipped into the black.
As the night dragged on around them, they prayed fervently for the sun to rise as quickly as possible, hoping that neither of them would be haunted by any recurring nightmares.
The following sunrise provided a welcoming kiss for the two macaws, and they awoke feeling quite relieved.
"Good...morning, Blu. Man, do I feel great!"
"Good morning, Jewel. It's like I never even had the nightmare! I feel like I've been charged with energy!"
After heartily stretching their wings and walking around for a few moments, the macaws felt a gnawing sensation deep inside them. Blu's stomach, in particular, was sending audible hunger signals.
"Maybe we should go get a bite to eat. Your stomach rumbles are making me even more hungry!"
"Are they? Well, lead the way, meu anjo!"
Jewel smirked and blasted from the hollow, shouting, "Last one to find our breakfast has to carry all of the food back!"
Blu took off from the tree, and he saw that she was already halfway across the clearing. "Hey! Não é justo! You had a head start!"
Jewel did not reply as she pierced the border and vanished, and Blu powered his wings in response. He soon entered the jungle in her wake, and he frantically scanned around, hoping that he would have the good luck to find a decent fruit tree before her...
Much to his relief and enjoyment, the odds had swung in his favor, and Blu alighted in the crown of a dragon-fruit tree.
He called out, "Oh, Jewel! Adivinha o que eu achei! Come here, honey!"
Blu did not have to wait long before he saw a blue shape weaving through the greenery towards his location. Jewel alighted down next to him, and her face was fraught with disappointment.
"Oh man! I guess you won the game, Blu. I guess we should head on home now. Let me pick some of these first..."
She was obviously more disturbed than she let on, and Blu knew just the remedy for this situation.
As Jewel began carefully plucking the pink fruits from the tree, Blu declared, "Wait here, Jewel. I will be right back!"
He glided from the tree, and was soon obscured by the lush sea of jungle plants.
"Ele não está voltando. I bet he flew straight for our nest! Well, he won fair and square..."
Much to her surprise, he soon returned, and clutched gently in his right talon was a stunning, rose-tinted orchid. He climbed over the branches and stopped in front of her. He firmly inserted the orchid into her head feathers and stepped back to admire her.
"Uma orquídea para você, meu amor."
"Thank you, Blu! I thought you had gone home to wait for me! You-"
Before she concluded her assumption, he proceeded to extricate two dragon fruit from her talons and hold them with his own.
"Why did you do that?"
"You looked very disappointed that you lost, so I brought you the orchid to cheer you up! Oh, and did you actually think that I would make you do all of the work?"
"I am a little frustrated, but you won fair and square. I should be the one to-"
Blu lifted a wing to her beak and stared deeply into her eyes.
"Shhh. No more arguing. I am going to help you, whether you like it or not. I love you too much to see you tire yourself out over a silly game."
"I...don't know what to say..."
"A simple 'thank you' would suffice..."
His caring words had touched her heart, and she decided to skip the thank you. Feeling adventurous, she merely closed her eyes and locked her beak with his. His surprise soon turned to passion, and he kissed back instinctively. After a few minutes of allowing their tongues to dance with each other, they drew apart and collected themselves.
"Did that suffice, Blu?"
"Mmmm. I believe so, my love-hawk. Let's head on home, shall we?"
"Depois, bonito..."
After a smooth flight back to their home, the two macaws feasted contentedly on the fresh fruit. Their stomachs full and their minds clear, Blu and Jewel focused on how they would pass the time on this oddly peaceful day.
They soon remembered the tumult of the previous night, and they realized that one party in particular needed a visit from them.
They headed back out into the afternoon glow and flew on a northwesterly track through the sanctuary. They had purposely flown to the west of the meteor, and it had remained well hidden among the leafy undergrowth.
They encountered the objects of their search soon after: a trio of roughly adjacent trees almost directly in their flight path. However, they soon discovered that the trees were empty, which meant their children were away.
They landed in the center tree and contemplated the courses of action that they could take.
"Well, I had hoped that they would be here. What should we do?"
"I don't mind waiting for them to come back. I would hate to leave, only to have them show up right after!"
"You make a good point. Let's get settled down and keep a lookout for them..."
The two macaws waited patiently in the sheltered hollow for their children to return. The sun continued to trace its daily arc across the sky, and the temperature outside had climbed steadily. Blu and Jewel settled down for a quick nap, hoping to gain some relief from the now sweltering heat outside.
Over two hours after their arrival, their children had returned to seek refuge from the heat, and Vicente was the one who had discovered them.
He stood on the edge of his hollow and whispered hotly, "Ricardo! Esperanza! Look who I found!"
He trudged over to his sleeping parents, and his siblings soon joined him.
"Should we wake them?"
"I think so, Ricardo. They must have come here to check on us."
"Who wants to do it?" queried the female.
Both Ricardo and Vicente whispered instantly, "Not me!"
"Darn! I was too late..."
Esperanza moved forward and stroked her wing across their chests, one by one.
They stirred at her touch, and their eyes creaked open moments later. A veil of jovial recognition stained their faces, and they quickly rose to their talons.
"How have you been, meus filhos? We have been waiting for you!"
Ricardo smiled and said, "We've been doing just fine, mother. We were talking with some of our friends, but it just got too hot, so we opted to come home."
"We are glad to hear that. It was so nice this morning, and now look how it turned out!" exclaimed Blu.
"Well, is there anything that you wanted to tell us?"
"Not really, Vicente. We just came to have a nice family chat. Is there anything that you three want to tell us?"
Before one of them could answer, Blu suddenly felt a more pressing concern arise in his mind.
"The chat can wait, Jewel. We need to go see Linda and Tulio! They must be so worried about us, what with the meteor yesterday and the heat today!"
"Oh, my! You're right! Do you want to tag along, children?"
They all three shouted, "Of course!"
The five macaws emerged from the tree and set their flight path for the sanctuary building. The moist jungle air only made the heat worse, giving the atmosphere a sticky quality. The flight across the jungle was an irritating one, and the macaws were relieved to see the ivory facade of the building appear between the gaps in the undergrowth.
They glided around the structure in search of an open window, but it dawned on Blu that Tulio had closed them so that he could operate the A/C.
They landed at the foot of the polished wooden front door, and Jewel proceeded to strike it with her beak several times.
A loud shuffling could be heard from behind the door, and moments later, it flew open. Standing in the entrance was none other than Linda, and she was looking down at them with a mix of surprise and happiness.
"Oh hey guys! Come on in! Tulio and I were going to check on you, but it grew too hot... "
The five birds clambered quickly inside, and they were met with a refreshing blast of cool air. Linda closed the door resolutely and walked over to the five birds, who were now gathered on the living-room floor. Blu and Jewel gazed around curiously and gave short squawks.
They then gazed up at Linda and squawked again. She guessed that they were wondering where Tulio was.
"Tulio isn't here right now, Blu! He and Fernando had to go pay some bills and take a trip to the market. They didn't want to go out in this heat, but I made them do it anyway! Vanessa needs some more food. She-"
Vanessa, having heard the raucous noises outside of her bedroom, quickly opened the door and dashed towards the source of the sound. She stopped in the hallway and glared at the blue objects sitting in front of her mom.
She pointed at them and chuckled, "Birdies! I...hold them! Come birdies!"
Blu and Jewel noticed Linda's daughter staring directly at them, and Blu asked, "Why is she looking at us like that?"
"I don't know. Should we be worried?"
At that moment, she hobbled forwards and stretched out her arms, giggling all the while. She ran right up to the blue birds, and in one quick motion, grabbed Jewel and squeezed her to her chest. The baby was stronger than she looked, and Jewel gave a shriek of alarm as she tried to struggle free.
"A little..help here...Blu! I can't breathe! Do something!"
Blu stared at his captive mate as she squirmed in Vanessa's grasp, and he had to admit, it was actually quite amusing.
"Like what? Attack the baby? I am sorry, but it's kind of funny, seeing you wriggling about like that!"
"Oh...really? Espero que ela agarra a próxima!"
Linda was concerned that Vanessa was possibly hurting Jewel, so she pointed at her daughter and declared, "Não! Coloque-a para baixo!"
"Okay!"
Vanessa released her grip on the female bird, and she dropped awkwardly to the carpet beneath. Her feathers were terribly ruffled, as if she had been zapped with electricity.
"The nerve! It seems that Linda has some more work to do regarding her daughter's manners. Just look at my feathers!"
Blu pointedly turned away, and his quivering body could mean only one thing: he was trying his best to contain his laughter, but it wasn't working too well.
Her three children were trying to hold back their amusement as well, and their faces were contorted from the effort.
"Oh, you think this is funny? It's your turn, Blu!"
Jewel tromped over towards her mate, but a flash of movement stopped her in her tracks. Vanessa had reached down and snatched Blu up instead! She proceeded to nuzzle and constrict the macaw, and Blu gazed down a Jewel with a desperate look in his eyes.
"Why are you just standing there? Help! Ahhh!"
Blu gave a frustrated squawk, and his attempts to get free were futile. Linda immediately went over and peeled her daughter's arms off of him. She scolded her and placed her resolutely on her hip. Blu was rendered into a mirror image of Jewel, and now it was her turn to laugh.
"Ha ha ha! If I may use an old quote of yours: "O que vai, volta!"
"At least we're even! Now, can we cease the humiliation and have some quality time with Linda? That's what we came here for!"
"Sure, Blu! Your request has been granted! I'll remember this day for quite awhile!"
"So will we!" exclaimed their children.
Linda had brought Vanessa's high-chair into the living-room and rooted it next to the couch. After setting her down in it and sticking a bottle in her mouth, Linda dropped onto the couch and clicked on the TV. Jewel had lofted herself onto the soft leather next to Linda's head and turned to face her mate and children.
"Você vem ou não?"
Blu swiveled around to them and said, "Come on, you three. We better not keep your mother waiting..."
Blu perched on the opposite side of Linda, while his three children settled themselves down at her feet. A cooking show had just come on, and Linda had riveted her eyes to the screen.
As the lady on the show began setting out the ingredients for some sort of stew, Blu felt a shroud of nostalgia smother him, and he shuddered slightly.
Jewel noticed his reaction from the corner of her eye. She crept carefully along the sofa behind Linda's head, and he scooted over for her.
"Ha algo de errado?"
"Not at all, Jewel. This show just reminds me of the Rachel Ray I watched back in Minnesota. Linda would sit down in front of the tiny TV she had and write down the recipes she liked. Sometimes, she would make them for dinner and share the food with me..."
"That must've been nice."
"Yeah. Maybe we can stick around and see if she will make us some of that stew for dinner tonight."
"I don't see why not. I just hope that it will turn out as good as it looks on the TV! I'm not trying to say that Linda is a bad cook, though."
"I know, honey. Let's get back to the show..."
True to form, Linda had rushed into her bedroom and returned with a notebook and a pencil. She deftly began writing down the ingredients and the directions as the cook spoke, and although they were in Portuguese, she had no trouble understanding them.
The cooking show wrapped up an hour later, only to be followed up by another. Vanessa had fallen asleep in her chair, and Linda got up from the couch to tend to her. She removed her from the chair and carried her to the bedroom.
After putting her gently down in her crib, Linda returned to the couch and pulled out her cellphone. She dialed her husband's number, and he answered on the first ring.
"Hello, dear! I need to ask you something."
"Yes, Linda?"
"Can you go to the market and pick up some things for dinner tonight? I have a recipe for some stew that I want to make."
"Okay, Linda. What do you need?"
"I need..."
She had proceeded to tell him the ingredients, and after saying goodbye, she hung up the phone. She turned around to face Blu and Jewel and declared, "Would you like to have some stew tonight? It will be just like old times, Blu!"
Before replying, he gazed at Jewel and said, "Told ya!"
He faced Linda and raised his foot, and she smiled happily. They conducted their trademark "handshake," and Blu gave a soft shriek of joy.
The day dragged on, and shortly after the five o'clock news session, Tulio and Fernando had arrived, albeit hot and sweaty. They threw open the door and asked for Linda's help in unloading the groceries. After making several trips in and out, they had brought in a large number of plastic bags loaded with food.
Linda went into the kitchen and started sorting through the pile of groceries on the counter, while Tulio had shambled into the bathroom for a much needed shower. He had emerged after a longer than usual shower, and Fernando went in next.
He then joined his wife in the kitchen, and sorting the rest of the groceries consumed the remainder of the hour. Hunger brewing in both of their stomachs convinced Linda to prepare the stew. The five macaws moved over into the kitchen and alighted on the slick tile counter.
They watched curiously as she moved about the space, going back and forth between her notebook and a covered iron pot on the stove. Tulio would occasionally pause her determined shuffling to give her a cooking tip, or at other times help her measure out the proper amount of a spice or herb.
A short time after the pot had started to simmer, despite being covered with a lid, strong scents had escaped and mingled with the air. The most noticeable odors were of onions, fish, bell peppers, and a sweet undertone that Blu and Jewel could not place.
The meal seemed to be taking longer than the macaws expected, and they had grown restless on the counter. Blu swiveled around and glanced at the clock above the TV.
"It's already 7:15, Jewel. Maybe we should go occupy ourselves until Linda and Tulio are finished cooking."
"Oh, wow. I guess you're right. Why don't we go take a nap?"
"Sure. We can go off into the enclosure where we first met."
"Fine with me..."
The five macaws squawked before flying off to the aviary enclosure, hoping that the two humans would get the message.
"I will come and get you when it's done!" shouted Linda.
The dish was finally ready to be eaten over thirty minutes later, and while Linda had been setting the plates out on the table, her husband had gone to retrieve the five macaws. They alighted once more on the counter, and the familiar smell from before quickly perked them up.
Fernando and Tulio were already seated, but Linda motioned for them to hold off on eating. She filled five small bowls with the chunky stew and brought them over to the waiting macaws.
"This is Moqueca Bahiana. Go ahead and try it! I left everything in it except for the fish, since I know that you won't eat that."
The tantalizing smell arising from the bowls was too much to resist, and the blue birds slowly munched on the oily bell peppers on top. They then sipped up the small amount of juice at the bottom, and their eyes widened with joy.
"Do you like it?"
One by one, they stared at Linda and gave high-pitched squawks.
"Wonderful!"
She returned to the table, fixed her own bowl, and declared, "Let's eat, everyone!"
As the three humans dug in, the macaws consumed the rest of their meal.
"I figured out what makes this stuff so sweet!"
"What is that, Jewel?"
"Coconut oil!"
"Really? Well, it sure is good! I would never have guessed that coconut oil would make a stew this luscious!"
"Me neither..."
The five bowls were empty before the humans had finished, and although Linda had offered them another round, they simply had no more room in their stomachs. The blue glow of evening was pouring in through the closed windows, prompting Blu, Jewel, and their children to head home.
They flew over to the door and waited patiently for Linda to let them out. She bent down and whispered, "Goodbye, my lovely macaws! Stay away from that meteor, you hear? The police came and sectioned it off yesterday, and they still have to sort out what to do with it.
Anyways, try to get a good night's rest and have sweet dreams..."
The macaws nodded and lifted off into the still-warm air, executing a quick one-eighty and heading back for the jungle. They stopped in Blu and Jewel's home for awhile to say their goodbyes.
"Good night, Mama. Good night, Papa. Doces sonhos. Nós te amamos."
Blu and Jewel then gave each of their children caring hugs, and they followed it up with a final parting speech.
"We love you too. Just like Linda said, do not attempt to visit the meteor again. It is nothing but trouble. We hope that the police will eventually do something about it. But for now, just be careful where you fly, okay?"
"No problem. We will see you tomorrow!"
They smiled one last time and flew from the tree, the sound of their wing-beats quickly soaked up by the humid atmosphere.
"I was thinking that...maybe we should go check out the impact site one more time. What do you say, Blu?"
"Hmmm. Eu sinto um hipócrita neste oco..."
He glared directly at his mate as she spoke.
"I am sorry, Blu. It's just that...I am still curious."
"Here's a saying that we use back in America: A curiosidade matou o gato..."
"That may be, but we are not cats, Blu."
"Oh come on, Jewel. You get the point! I, for one, do NOT want to go back there. I am not inclined to reliving my nightmare."
"Nothing will happen, Blu. That's all it was. A nightmare. It can't be real. Let's just go see it one more time."
No matter how hard he tried, Blu knew by now that she could not be swayed.
"If you insist, Jewel. But this is the last time, okay? I don't want either of us to get hurt."
"Fine with me, Blu. Now come on. It's getting dark out..."
Jewel led the way towards their destination, and an odd feeling of regret was crawling around inside her. She merely ignored it, since she felt that it was just a subconscious reaction to Blu's nightmare. They arrived at the impact site after a few more minutes of flying, and they were shocked at how the jungle had changed over the past day.
A large area portion of the jungle was blackened and dead, and a fetid smell had permeated the area. Blu and Jewel had been forced to observe the scene from the ground, as all of the nearby trees had been rotted away somehow.
"What is going on? This is terrible! The jungle is dying! It wasn't like this yesterday!"
Blu's nightmare relapsed mentally, and he began to quiver with fear.
"J-Jewel, this is part of w-what I saw in my nightmare. We h-have to go! Now!"
"You are just being silly! Nothing is going to happen to us. I want to look around for a bit..."
Unbeknownst to them, an odd black shadow was creeping across the ground, an it had drawn very close to them as they argued.
"You have seen enough, Jewel. We need to go home. I think the whole jungle is in danger, not just us. Please?"
As much as she wanted to stay, her skin had begun to crawl, and this place did appear slightly creepy.
"Well, I am getting a little freaked out. Fine, let's go. Though I still don't see what could possibly harm us..."
She walked a short ways before lofting into flight, and as Blu made to follow, he took one step and tripped. His feet had somehow gone numb, and he was stabbed with fear once again.
Oh no! I have to get away! I don't want to die!
He flapped his wings desperately as he began to lose his balance. Thankfully, he had gotten airborne, and he flew rapidly away from the death pit behind him. He caught up to Jewel without her even knowing that he had lagged behind, and they were soon back in the comfort of their tree.
His feet had regained their feeling, much to his relief, and he settled down in his nest. Between the concern over the meteor and his food-laden stomach, his mind was drained, and he tried to doze off. Jewel, however, had been waiting all day for something more...energetic than sleep.
She climbed in beside Blu and whispered, "I want to tell you something, handsome..."
"I am trying to sleep, Jewel. Can't it wait until tomorrow?"
She pulled him from the nest and dragged him over to the wall opposite the exit hole.
"No, it can't. I have been waiting all day for... a little action..."
She shoved him mischievously against the wall and reclined against him, locking her beak with his. As much as his body had wanted to refuse, his mind had told him to keep going. The stuffy atmosphere had only served to magnify the level of passion that they had reached, and the heat of their twin bodies had risen to match.
Blu, however, was not ready to engage in this level of intimacy with Jewel. Not tonight, at least. As their tongues continued to slide over each other in a sensuous dance, Jewel grabbed Blu's neck and pulled him closer to her. She then locked her feet with his, trying her best to keep him trapped in their stimulating embrace.
He slowly stood up and pinned his mate against the very same wall, and he withdrew his beak from hers.
"Why...did you stop? Isso foi incrível! Eu quero continuar..."
"Not...tonight, Jewel. I am not...ready yet. We can pick up...where we left off...in a few days."
A dissatisfied fire burned in her eyes, and she screeched, "Not ready? Since when? We haven't made love in god knows how long! I want to feel you again, Blu. Every...single...inch of you."
"I know, Jewel. But I promise to indulge you, in every way possible, after five more days."
He forced himself against her intoxicating body, and their fluid-slick tongues met once again, sending electric jolts throughout their bodies. He drew back and whispered, "Deal?" "Mmmm. So wonderful. You have a deal, Blu."
He walked with her back to the nest, and they lovingly settled down next to each other.
"Good night, Jewel. Lembre-se, mais cinco dias."
"Eu estarei esperando..."
Blu stared at her momentarily before shutting his eyes with a sigh. Despite the lingering lust inside of her, something about his previous glare caused the pangs of regret to surface again.
His eyes. Why were his eyes so dull? They used to be a rich brown hue, and now they lool like mud. Is he getting sick? I guess I will find out tomorrow...
Jewel willed the negative feelings to go away, and they seemed to obey her. She slipped into an anxious sleep, knowing that each sunrise brought her that much closer to the night where Blu would fulfill his promise...
A/N:
Meu anjo.=My angel.
Não é justo!=No fair!
Adivinha o que eu achei!=Guess what I found!
Ele não está voltando.=He isn't coming back.
Uma orquídea para você, meu amor.=An orchid for you, my love.
Depois, bonito...=After you, handsome...
Meus filhos.=My children.
Espero que ela agarra a próxima!=Just wait until she grabs you next!
Não! Coloque-a para baixo!=No! Put him down!
O que vai, volta!=What goes around, comes around!
Você vem ou não?=Are you coming or not?
Ha algo de errado?=Is something wrong?
Doces sonhos. Nós te amamos.=Sweet dreams. We love you.
Eu sinto um hipócrita neste oco...=I sense a hypocrite in this hollow...
A curiosidade matou o gato...=Curiosity killed the cat...
Isso foi incrível! Eu quero continuar...=That was amazing! I want to keep going...
Lembre-se, mais cinco dias.=Remember, five more days.
Eu estarei esperando...=I'll be waiting...
