"Trading one For Three"
Chapter 3
Jewel had strange emotions and thoughts, standing there holding wings with Blu. [Should I tell him? When should I tell him? How will… how will he react?] Naturally, self-doubt worked its way into her mind. A frown crept on her phasing physique and Blu pulled her toward the cup of cocoa and cookies. She laughed and let herself be hurried to the platter, the look on Blu's face full of sheer excitement and anticipation. He showed her the ropes; swirling one of the cookies in the steaming cup of Hot Chocolate before munching, and she followed suit. Her eyes lit up upon tasting the cookie, let alone dipped in the savory chocolate. The two indulged, letting their senses be overwhelmed by the richness of the chocolate.
After the tray contained nothing but crumbs and the cup was drained, Linda picked up the tray and the two birds took to the air, flying outside of the two open front doors. It was a dark day, clouds blocked the sun, and it was cool. The wind blew, the trees swayed, the day hung heavy with dread. Up ahead, Blu was moseying along, gliding slowly. Jewel had never been more careful in her life, no more risks, and no careless tricks. Blu flew in loop-the-loops and so on, turning to his sides to find that Jewel was falling behind. He took into consideration that she hadn't flown in a while and needed to get back up to par when he noticed her eyes drooping. "Jewel?" He called to her, concerned. She looked up hazily and said, "I'm fine Blu, I…" She fell into unconsciousness, dropping a little before jerking awake. "I… I jus-"She started dropping like a stone to the gravel below. "Jewel!" Blu shouted, diving toward the tarmac. The wind burned his eyes as he realized; [I won't make it in time…] He clenched his eyes shut, thinking solemnly, [This is going to hurt] He flipped himself upside down in mid-air, clutching Jewel in his wings as he plummeted to the hard gravel and landed with a thud on his back. Then everything went dark.
Jewel woke up cheerily in the hollow and tilted her head to the side to say good morning to Blu. "Hey-"He wasn't there. She turned her head to the side, seeing nothing but the dark brown of the hut. She sat up and rubbed her head when her memories flooded in. "Blu?" she called out to no one in particular, "Blu?" She remembered fainting high in the air, and filled with panic. She patted her stomach frantically, feeling around, relieved when she felt the two lumps in her belly. She took a deep breath, and pondered where he might be, then, briefly, how she was still here. [He saved me,] she thought, [Again…] She walked out hazily with a headache. Jewel looked around; no food around the hollow, and Blu was no-where to be found. She flew towards the vent, ready to go through for the first time. She landed with a clink, staring down the metal hallways. She walked through slowly, considering how she would've escaped had she fit through the grate. Slowly, each hallway was looked down, and she became worried, when she stared down to see a blue feather tucked into the metal. She smiled and pranced over, seeing another blue feather in the distance. She followed that one, and another, not expecting it to end when suddenly she was blinded by a light at the end of the metallic hallway. She flew through, into the human's treatment room. People in lab coats were scattered about, tending to the injuries of some of the birds recently rescued. She frowned when she couldn't find Blu.
Her mind raced, and she took to the x-ray room where she'd been taken many times prior. She perched on the thin windowsill and peeked in, finding it to be empty. Jewel thought of the room her last visit and shrugged off the idea, but went ahead anyway. As she flapped to the window, one or two feathers fluttered gently to the floor. She gripped on to the thin surface and looked through to see Tulio hunched over Blu with a metal tool in his hands. She pecked at the door and he turned around to let her in. She flew on to a table next to the bed was Blu was lying on and gasped at the sight; his back feathers were red, embedded with small rocks. She shut her eyes and turned away, it was too horrifying. She heard him working frantically, the soft plucks of rocks, clinking into a small porcelain dish on the side. She tried to turn to look at him but flinched at the red splotches. Tulio was washing his hands when he said softly, "You know, you're lucky to have someone like Blu." He turned the tap and dried his hands, chuckling, "Saving your back at the expense of his own." Jewel nodded solemnly in agreement.
She perched next to him, stroking his wing, watching him sleep. It was dark outside, the clouds seemed endless. Jewel watched the grey roll by, towards her, then past, alone in this room with Blu. A solid ten minutes later, he stirred. Jewel suddenly felt alive again, as if a surge of energy coursed through her veins with his waking. "Blu?" she cooed quietly, he shook his head a little and cringed, the pain running up his back. He turned his head towards her and opened his eyes to see Jewel with an angry look on her face, with dry tear streaks contradicting the current mood she displayed. "Blu… you can't…" Jewel started, looking at him now with sympathy, "You can't just go risking your life everywhere you go…" He looked at her adoringly, and chirped, "Only for you, Jewel. I can't let anything happen to-" Jewel cut him off, "I get it, I do, but-" It was Blu's turn to interject, "I'd give anything to know you're alright, and-" "No!" Her eyes clenched shut, "Blu you don't understand, I-" Blu said meaningfully, "I'd to anything I could to keep you from getting hurt…"
Jewel opened her eyes, letting concealed tears flow, "Nothing hurts me more… Than seeing you-" She sniffled, "In… in pain- Because of…" She broke her eye contact, looking up to the ceiling, "Because of me…" Blu frowned a little, "I'll be fine Jewel," she had enough of his stubbornness, "Sooner or later, something will happen… and- and you… you won't be." Blu reassured her, "It's alright Jewel, I-" She finally snapped, "No! It's not alright Blu!" It was then, in blind rage, sitting next to his hospital bed that it came out; Jewel inadvertently blurted, "I can't raise our chicks without a father!"
The cloud layer cleared, the sun shone brightly through the never-ending darkness.