Author's Note: Scarlet's reign of terror stops for a break here. Two characters by the name of Blu and Eva make their appearance here as well.

Speaking of Eva... In my research regarding all of the entries in the Rio archive, Eva has never had a major role in any of them. I thought, "It's time that Eva gets a place under the spotlight for once." There's one problem though. I had to give her first major role in a HORROR story. Oh, well. I'm sure she'll make a great hero. If Jewel can be one, then Eva can be one as well. ;)

Anyway, thank you all for your support, my dear readers! Especially Rapture at Sea for his special assistance! :D

Alright, then! Enough chit-chat from me. Let's get this show on the road!

A Horrible Discovery

The sun has risen... the wave of light is slowly eating away the darkness. But will it keep away the monster of darkness that now roams and haunts the jungle? Nevertheless, one must always be careful, even if a crimson demon is on the loose.

More units from the USAASF as well as units from the U.S. Army and the Brazilian Army were sent in to investigate. And... they just got their answer.

"They were all slaughtered mercilessly. My God..." A Peregrine Falcon named Travis, the sergeant of Bravo Team, commented as he looked at his surroundings. Bodies of the patrol unit were scattered around. There were some hanging on branches, beside the bases of trees and in the middle of the barren area. Some of the bodies even had some of their parts amputated. Blood nearly covered the whole jungle floor they were on.

Sergeant Travis was walking around the area where Scarlet murdered all of the patrol unit. The humans and the other units of the Avian Special Forces were scouting the area of the Bio Experiment Institute, looking for survivors.

Travis was new to that level of massacre. Normally, he would see bodies with gunshot wounds or knives sticking into them. But seeing the dead scattered around and brutally mutilated was not normal for him. Luckily, he had the stomach to take in the sight and continue the investigation.

All the bodies he passed by, or at least most of them, suffered the same kinds of fatal injuries, but one body that he suddenly spotted right in front of him caught his attention. "W-what the..."

He jogged over to the body, and what he saw made his heart jump. It was a Hyacinth Macaw operative. His face had extreme agony and fear written all over it, a big chunk of his neck was missing and his whole uniform was covered in his dried blood. "Shit..."

He examined the body more, hoping to unearth clues that may lead to Scarlet's whereabouts. But then he stopped once he saw a big hole in the corpse's chest. He cocked his head in curiosity and slowly put his wing tip inside the whole. He then moved his feathers around and here is what he found out: "Holy shit... his heart's gone!" This sight nearly made him vomit. Of all the things he had to see, it was a heartless body... literally.

Right when he was about to take his tags and do the same with the others, a few of his allies came up from behind him. He looked at them with a saddened and angered expression as he stood up. "Scarlet's going down. She needs to pay for what she did," he said sternly and walked away. As for the others, they took a look at the corpse and were shocked as well. "Ugh... poor guy."

As Travis took all of the dead soldiers' tags, he noticed something odd. He didn't collect everyone's tags. Feeling worried, he grabbed a piece of paper from his pocket, which was actually a list of the soldiers from the patrol unit. "That's odd. I wasn't able to check one name. I got everyone's tags." He kept staring at the name until he realized something. "Hmm... Corporal Dennis... wait... then that means he's still alive! He's probably hiding somewhere in the jungle!" Travis exclaimed his thoughts aloud.

Feeling relieved that someone survived Scarlet's carnage, he called everyone from his unit to give them the mission briefing. "Alright, guys. On me."

"What's this all about? You found some clues, sir?" inquired a Military Macaw.

"I checked this list as I gathered all the dead soldiers' tags. While doing so, I noticed that one name wasn't checked, and that's Corporal Dennis," he said as he showed every one the piece of paper. By the time he said this, everyone started murmuring to each other. "So... you mean to say that he actually survived this sick blood-bath?"

"As of now, that is the only possibility I can think of. He's probably somewhere in the jungle."

Travis looked at all of them and thought, Maybe I can send half of the team to look for Dennis, and the other half can go around to warn every denizen of the jungle.

And with that, he decided. "You boys ready to go inside the jungle?"

"YES SIR!"

Due to their confidence and determination, he put on a smile and gave them the objectives. "Okay, so here's what we're going to do: you need to split into two teams. One team will look for Dennis, while the other team goes around to warn the denizens of the jungle about Scarlet. At first they might not believe you, but just in case, show them the information. This info cannot be classified as it may put lives in danger. Clear?"

"Affirmative!" they all said in unison.

"Now, if any of you are able to locate Dennis, whether he's dead or alive, inform me immediately. Hooah?"

"HOOAH!"

Their mission accepted, they checked their gear and prepared to set out for the jungle. But then they were stopped by Travis and reminded them about something. "Oh, and one more thing: If any of you happen to find Scarlet, do not hesitate to eliminate her. And, for the love of God, do be careful."

The soldiers smiled as they nodded, split into two teams and then disappeared into the green maze of beauty, which was now contaminated by evil.
In the meantime, Travis just stood in his place, looking at the list as he pondered about Dennis and his whereabouts. "I hope you're alright. Don't worry. Help's on the way."

Unfortunately, none of them knew that Scarlet had already claimed Dennis's life. And if they weren't careful, she would claim theirs as well.

Eva's POV

"UUUUUURRRGGHH... aah..." Nothing felt better than a good night's sleep, and a good morning stretch. My friends and I had quite a party for the whole afternoon yesterday. I'm just surprised that Rafael was still in one piece by the time I got back. I expected him to have bruises or missing patches of feathers, but I have to say... I'm impressed. He was able to survive the kids' reign of childish terror. But that excludes Ryan and Emilia. They're older than the rest of the kids and they are responsible enough to know that others can get hurt from what the younger ones do.

I sat up from the nest, rubbed the morning sand off my eyes (the stuff that forms on the sides on your eyes when you wake up) and cocked my head sharply sideways. I like it when I feel pops there. I then looked to my side and there laid Rafael. Our kids were scattered around the hollow. It's a good thing our hollow is wide, and I have to thank Rafael for that. He's pretty good at choosing places to settle in. "He he... the Samba King's exhausted," I said as I looked at my sweet papaya.

Tired, eh? Well, that got me thinking. Perhaps I could gather breakfast for him and the kids for a change. He deserves the break.

So with that, I stood up from the nest, fixed my head feathers, and leaned towards Rafael's cheek so I could kiss it lightly. "I'll be back, my love," I said silently, hoping that I wouldn't disturb him.

I then went straight for the hollow, until I heard Rafael moan. I sharply turned to face him, fearing that I did disturb him. "Ooooh, Eva-baby... uuunnhh... yeah, that feels good... mmmm..." He said with his eyes closed as he squirmed in the nest and moved his wings as if he was grasping on to me. Heh... he's just fantasizing about me and him "doing it." Honestly, I'd love to do it with him sometime, but the kids are always around. And knowing them, it's going to be really hard to distract them from... what Rafael's dreaming. "Someday, honey. Someday..." I said while smiling at the ridiculous Toco Toucan who I came to know and love.

Knowing that nothing will distract me anymore, I immediately headed out to get some nice fruit for the family.

A few minutes later...

Let's see... we've been having the same kinds of fruits for weeks. I'm thinking that it's time to bring in a different flavor. The guys back at home might not like it, but they have no choice. If Spix's Macaws can reach the brink of extinction, then mangoes and papayas can do so as well... at least that's how I see it. "Hmm... perhaps a nice guava would do. Or maybe some grapes and berries. Or... or..."

"..."

"..."

"... mangoes? Agh, darn it! There has to be another kind of fruit that I could bring back!" I was getting ticked off really badly. I'm tired of having the same kinds of food every time! Sure, I like mangoes and papayas. In fact, they're my favorite! But having my tongue deal with the same flavors every time makes eating dull.

Feeling extremely irritated, considering my short-metered temper, I placed both of my wings on the sides of my head and exclaimed, "How hard is it to find a different fruit!"

"Good morning, Eva!"

"EEK!" I suddenly shrieked because a voice greeted me without warning. I quickly turned around, and I happened to find a smiling cerulean bird staring at me. It was Blu. "Woah! I'm sorry. Didn't mean to scare you there, he he."

"Oh... oh... he he. Good morning to you too, Blu." I was breathing quite deeply. I'm easy to surprise at times. "I, uh, I'm pretty sure you heard me shouting, right?" I said while rubbing the back of my neck with my wing.

"Yeah. I saw you perched here, speaking your thoughts out loud. It's got something to do with fruit, right?"

"Yes! I'm just tired of having the same kinds of things every time. Mangoes, papayas... jeez! Is there something different out there that I can enjoy?"

Blu then giggled at what I said. Well, just wait until you feel what I feel. "He he he... how about some strawberries and cream? Alex and I had those when we were in the States. I'm pretty sure they have some here in Rio too."

Strawberries and cream? Is he fooling with me or something? If I want to get those around here, I have to BUY those! I mean, strawberries thrive in the cold, and Rio is obviously the exact opposite. And even if I did have money, the humans would be wondering, "Why the hell is a bird flying around with cash in her talons?" The same applies with the cream. Looking at Blu with my eyes half-closed, I crossed my wings. "You're kidding me, right? Would it look normal for a bird to go around with cash, hmm?"

And with that, Blu just smiled nervously. "Well, um, I guess."

After a while, we just stood there; not saying another word. This was getting me nowhere. Rafael and the kids were probably awake by now.

I was about to tell Blu that I had to go and just get whatever I could find, until he proposed an idea. "Would you want me to help you in your search for new fruit?"

Well, that could do. It's better than having to bring back the same junk or not having to bring back anything at all. "Why, thank you, Blu."

And so we took off. It's really nice of Blu to do such a favor for me. Jewel really is lucky to have him.

We'd been flying for what seemed like 7 minutes and we still didn't find anything interesting. If we don't find something quick, I swear I'm going to take all my anger out on Rafael... which is not likely to happen because nowadays, he finds ways to calm me down. Sometimes he even tries to seduce me into making out with him. Well, I know that will calm me down but every time things start to get steamy, the kids barge in.

Anyway, during that 7-minute flight, we didn't talk about anything. We were just silent. I hate it when there's silence between me and someone else, especially if the silence is not necessary. Hmm... what to say, what to say, what to say... I thought with nervousness. What is there to talk about? If I were Blu, what would I be interested in when it comes to making conversations? Hmm... maybe he likes talking about mysteries? Oh, which reminds me... before I slept last night, I thought I heard some distant popping sounds. I figured it wouldn't be those tiny fire crackers, since Carnival finished about 3 months ago.

"Um... Blu?"

"Yes, Eva?"

"Did you um... by any chance, hear some distant popping sounds last night?"

Blu looked at me with a look of curiosity. At least I was able to get some talking started. Eerie silences kill me. "Uh, no, Eva. I didn't hear any. Why?"

"Well, it's just that when I got back home from a party that my friends held at the Hip Foliage, I heard popping sounds coming from the distance. You wouldn't think that those are gunshots, right?"

"Eva, I don't think Alex would do target practice in the night. Plus, he conserves his ammo for real emergencies. Besides, he's a good-enough marksman."

"Oh, I know that! But you wouldn't think that those gun shots came from... armed smugglers? Because I- (SNIFF, SNIFF) What the..."

My speech was interrupted when I caught a scent. "Eva? Is something wro-UGH! What is that stench?"

A stench? That's odd. I sniffed again to make sure that I was smelling the scent that Blu smelled as well. And sure enough... IT REEKED! "Ugh! Oh, Deus! It smells like rotting meat!"

And like Hell it did! The stench was strong enough to make me puke! It's either the human butchers in the public Rio Market dumped their left-over meat close by, or someone really IS rotting out there. Which means...

Wait. I'm sure the humans are smart enough to properly dispose of their waste. So if that's not the case, then... Oh, Deus. "Blu? I think I know what's rotting."

Blu then looked at me, disgusted. Clearly, the stench was too much for him. "You do?"

"Yes! C'mon! Let's follow the trail of the stench so we could-OOF!" My speech was once again cut when I bumped into something. And because of that, I lost my flight path. I thought I was going to fall to my death, but luckily, I landed on a lower branch. And whatever, or better yet, whoever I bumped into fell right next to me.

My vision wasn't really blurred up, so I was able to make out the being I bumped into. It was a Military Macaw. I could tell from the green feathers on his face. But something covered the top of his head and the rest of his body. And it looked weird too. It's as if he was wearing some sort of uniform. I wanted to get up, but the impact momentarily paralyzed me. The weird macaw was able to get up. Then he looked at me with concern.

"Oooh... I-I'm sorry, miss. A-are you alright?" His accent... it was like Blu's. Like him, he's probably an American.

He then knelt over to me and gently grabbed my right wing. At least he was gentle. I gladly accepted his wing and helped him pull me up. As soon as I stood up, Blu landed behind the guy with the uniform. "Are any of you hurt?"

"No. We're good. I apologize for my carelessness. I was flying really fast because a weird and strong odor filled my nostrils. It smelled like rotting meat. I was beginning to worry that whoever was rotting was a missing ally of mine." The Military Macaw said as he lightly dusted his dark uniform with his wings and inspected all the weird gear that practically covered him. "Oh, and where are my manners? My name is Allan Collins. Bravo Team Private of the United States Anthropomorphic Avian Special Forces."

W-what? Bravo Team Private of the what? I swear, I felt my jaw drop down when he said all of that. Hell, I could even see Blu's expression from behind this "Allan."

He looked surprised as well, which led him to start asking questions. "Anthropomorphic Avian Special Forces? How come I've never heard of that organization before? When was this organization founded, Mr. Collins? Oh, and by the way... I'm Blu. The one you bumped into by accident is Eva."

He smiled as he shook our wings. "Delighted to meet you two. Uh, I don't want to be rude, but I don't have time to give you the full details of the organization. But I'll just leave you the gist. The United States Anthropomorphic Avian Special Forces, A.K.A. the USAASF, was founded in Washington, D.C., February 13, 2012... 3 years ago. The observation of an eagle named Alex Eisenhower brought this group to life. He was the first anthropomorphic being in the world. The organization is entirely composed of avian beings, such as the three of us. We are a force that is determined to serve and protect our nation, as well as to aid our international allies. In short, we function just like the human military."

Wow! So that means Alex is partially responsible! But then how were they brought into the organization? Is it by their will? Or are they forced to? "Um, excuse me Mr.-"

"Please... Allan would do just fine."

Wow! He's such a gentleman. "Uh, okay. Um, Allan... what inspired you and your multiple allies to join such a group? Aren't humans enough to protect a nation?"

Suddenly, Blu gave me a look of worry. Great... did I say something wrong? "Never mind what I asked."

"Oh, no. It's alright. If you must know, everyone who is part of the organization willingly joined. They were ready to put their lives on the line for others as soon as they found out about their unique skills- Wait... Shouldn't have you heard about this? It was 2 years ago that we were able to prove to the whole world that we could be just like humans."

"I'm sorry. I haven't been watching the news in a while," said Blu. "Eva here is native in the jungle. That's why she doesn't know. She doesn't really have contact with the television at the nearby sanctuary."
Allan seemed to have understood. He smiled and was about to say something, but then that damn stench came back.

"Uh, guys? I've got a suggestion. Why don't the three of us find out where this horrible smell is coming from, huh?" I said as I covered my nostrils.

The two birds agreed and after another minute of recuperating, we set out once again.

"If the observation on Alex was responsible for the birth of your org., then you probably know him, right?" I asked with sheer curiosity. It looks like Alex had a lot of friends in his country's government. "Yes, my good lady. If I remember correctly, he's now living somewhere around in the jungles of Rio, right?"

"Yes."

"Oh, I see. What about you two? By looking at your faces when I mentioned his name, you two seemed to know him as well."

"Oh, yeah. We know him, alright. In fact, he's our friend!"

"Oh, then that's good! He's a really good guy! He always likes to give a second chance to everybody." That proves it then. He knows Alex the way we know him.

After a while, we stayed silent... AGAIN! How long must I cope with silences that always seem to be eerie? And this time, we weren't flying anymore. We were WALKING! Ugh... Oh well. I guess a little foot cardio wouldn't hurt. Besides, the odor was getting stronger and stronger as we traveled. Allan must've feared that we would miss whatever he was looking for if we flew. Which reminds me... a while ago, he said that he was beginning to worry about whatever was rotting, and said that it might be his missing ally. If it was, then I pity his dead partner. He probably wasn't used to the jungle, got lost, and then was killed by predators.

After a few more minutes of walking, we stopped in front of a bush. The odor was becoming really intolerable! I felt my last night's meal climbing up my body and making its way to my throat. "I think we're here. I hear flies buzzing. It's probably from the other side of this bush," Allan said as he positioned himself in front of the bush.

Just as he was about to part the bush into two, he turned his head to us and looked at us with concern. "Are you guys ready for this? You might see something pretty ugly."

"Just so long as we get rid of the damn stench!" I exclaimed in annoyance, which made Blu stare at me in disbelief. "What? I nearly puked on the way here!"

And then I turned back to Allan. "Let's go."

Truth be told, I wasn't actually ready to see what's on the other side of this bush. I have this weird and uncomfortable feeling in my guts, and it's telling me that there really is something wrong on the other side. But it was already too late as I had given Allan the go-signal. He nodded as soon as I said so and then slowly started parting the bush. "Alright. Here it goes..."

Sergeant Travis's POV

Damn... I searched the whole island that housed the Bio Experiment Institute, and there are no signs of Dennis or Scarlet. Where the hell could either of them be? Perhaps they could be hiding in the jungles of Rio's mainland. The area there is much bigger and either of them could hide anywhere. Hell, they can even hide in the city!

Feeling 100% sure that they weren't here, I took out my radio. I'm going to tell the corporals of both of the teams that Dennis and Scarlet are not on the island. But... once I was about to turn the knobs on the radio, I started hearing a voice from it. "Sergeant Travis! The... found it... Dennis..." I recognized the voice through the intruding static. It belonged to Private Allan. If I understood correctly, he said that he found Dennis. "Private! Say again! I repeat, say again! What about Dennis?"

"... the Corporal... blood... his guts... murdered... (Continuous Static Sounds)."

"What! Private Allan, you there? Say again! What's Dennis's status?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Corporal Dennis is dead! Blood's splattered everywhere in his area! His guts are lying all over the place! And what's more fucking scary... is that his heart's gone! It looks like it's been torn right out of him!"

No... it can't be... "Did you find any clues?"

"I found a few red feathers beside his body. And that can only mean one thing: Scarlet murdered him."

Damn it! Then that means not a single member of the patrol unit survived, and Scarlet could be somewhere in the mainland's jungle! "Alright, then. Take his tags and whatever personal items he's got on him and then start warning everyone about Scarlet. The human officials are already spreading the news about the project's failure in the city."

"Yes, sir."

"In the meantime, I'll tell the rest of Bravo Team about Dennis. Travis out."

Damn it. This whole project was supposed to be a life saver for the Scarlet Macaws. And all it took to ruin it was a machinery error... Bullshit!

Eva's POV

After seeing that body, I ran to the nearby bushes and puked out my last night's meal. If it's not the stench, it's the body! I mean, his guts were not where they're supposed to be! His intestines were right next to his feet, his stomach looked like it was forced into his talons and his heart was... I don't even want to be describe it! I didn't want to describe anything, and I didn't want to think about it in the first place! But such a sight could force you to think of it! "How... how could someone do something like this?"

I was waiting for a reply from Allan, who was burying his friend... but he didn't reply. All Blu and I heard from him was heavy breathing. He must be really depressed about his death. Were they close? With our concern growing, we both went closer to him and patted his shoulders. "We're sorry about your friend, Allan," Blu said with truth in his voice.

Allan still didn't say anything, but after burying his friend, he turned and looked at us sternly. We were beginning to worry that we spoke at the wrong moment, and we just stared back at him looking worried... Until he said, "You don't have to be."

He sighed and added, "Look. You all have to evacuate the jungle. It's not safe here anymore."

I was shocked when I heard him say that. Why would it not be safe around here? Is it the predators? A predator could have been the one responsible for Dennis's death. That "Scarlet" person he was talking to his friend on the thing about might be the predator. "What do you mean 'It's not safe?' "

Author's Note: I'll leave that as a little cliffhanger for you. :)

Finally, Eva gets a major role! However, Rio Fanfiction Lover 72 also has a story that involves Eva a lot. :D

Feel free to review! I'd be really happy to see them. :)

More will come!