Author's Note: Hello again! I hope you enjoyed the little peace that was placed in the previous chapter. :D

But... that has to go for now, as a serious matter has been left as a cliffhanger there.

This might be a bit short. But I and Rapture will try to at least make it exciting... and a bit humorous. At least the mood would be lightened up a bit before the carnage starts. In fact, carnage WILL return here. That's why the title of the chapter is named as such.

When exactly will the gore return, you ask? Well, let's just say that you'll find out soon enough.

Anyway, enjoy this new chapter, courtesy of me and Rapture! :D

PS: I have nothing against Kipo. It's just that I get too excited that I immediately choose someone for a certain role. But in Tales of an Eagle, him being one of the bullies, yes. That was intentional. But all-in-all, I really have nothing against him. :)

"When Horror Makes a Comeback"

Seeing a brutally mangled rotting corpse for the first time in reality is not a very good way to start the day. And that is definitely not recommended anytime. However, Blu and Eva started their day that way, and it led to the tough female Keel-billed Toucan (Eva) puking out her last night's party dinner.

But what really got the two worried about is what murdered the eagle, and how can it have the stomach to inflict such damage. And it looks like they're about to find out.

Eva's POV

"A WHAT!" I exclaimed in surprise, disbelief and a wee bit of fear.

"Yes. A Scarlet Macaw named Scarlet did this. Hell, she even killed a whole unit of soldiers like me and Dennis! She killed the surviving humans in the Bio Experiment Institute right after the accident! She's clearly fucked up!"

I felt like my head was spinning. I was hoping that this was just a stupid nightmare.

"Keep in mind that she's no ordinary macaw. She's physically mutated, incredibly strong, super stealthy, and creepily attractive. She can attract an unwary male and torture him once lured. At least that's what I think she can do. But all-in-all, she can kill whoever she sees and whoever dares to cross paths with her." Allan said as he held his little gadget thingy with a screen. It was showing me and Blu a picture of a Scarlet Macaw who's in some kind of tube. I stared at the picture and examined it more, while Blu was shivering and stuttering.

"Oh, m-my... You- You mean to tell us th-that she d-did this... to the eagle?"

"M-hmm."

And with that, Blu fell to the ground and laid flat on his back, gazing up in the canopy above. I found it silly for him to act like that. I mean, can't he be as strong as Jewel? Sure Jewel would be shocked to hear such news but she won't be put down immediately. Gosh...

With my eyes half-closed, I went over to Blu and stood above him. I blocked his canopy view and his eyes got into contact with mine. "You know? You won't survive a minute in this jungle if you allow yourself to be beaten by worries like this."

"I can't help it. The sight of that poor eagle... the fact that a mutated Scarlet Macaw did such a thing to him... What if she gets us?"

Okay... He has a point there. I didn't think of it that way. My eyes widened and my wings drooped as realization hit me. "Oh. Good point."

I then lowered myself and grabbed his wing so I could bring him back up to his feet. Once I did that, we went over to Allan, who was checking on his little gadget. "So you want us to evacuate?"

He turned his head to face me and Blu and said, "Yes. As soon as possible, you all need to get out of here. It's not safe here anymore. If Scarlet could take down an eagle and a whole unit of soldiers like me and him, then she could kill all who live in this jungle. Including you two."

I covered my forehead with my wing and shook my head as I tried to register what Allan had told us. Clearly this isn't a nightmare, and trying not to believe this will only waste our time. Aww, Hell! I can even feel chills going down my spine!

We all stayed silent for the time being. Blu was trying not to completely lose his cool. I was still trying to register all of the horrible facts that Allan just mentioned. Allan... well, he's fixing up his gear.

I watched him gear up, He checked his little pockets on his uniform, checked his guns and all other kinds of stuff. And it got me thinking... How does one become an anthro-guy like him? I used to wonder about it and I even thought about asking Alex, but I felt that it would be quite an embarrassment. Don't ask me why, but that's what I felt.

While he was prepping up, I went over to Blu. I was thinking about asking him if we could trust him. "Blu. You think we can trust this guy?"

"Of course, Eva. He's the only one from the three of us who knows about Scarlet and how she murders others. It's a lot safer if we follow his directions. And please heed my words. I know convincing Jewel into doing things is hard but I'm sure you are much harder to-"

I stopped him there with a death glare. He pretty much shrank as I put my glare closer to him. "I-I-I uh... I'll take that part back. Let's just follow this guy's instructions."

With that, I backed up and smiled. "Good."

"Alright! Let's go! We can't stay here much longer." Said Allan as he went over to me.

"Okay. I'll lead the way."

We've been flying through the jungle for about 20 minutes now. We warned every bird who passed by about Scarlet. Some believed us as soon as we explained everything. The Bio Institute accident and the murders and stuff. But others turned us down. We begged of them to heed our words, but they just ignored us. They probably thought we were crazy. I was getting pissed if you know what I'm talking about. I was on the verge of beating the next guy who turns us down.

Feeling hopeless, I exclaimed my anger in front of Allan as we perched on a nearby branch to rest. "We're getting nowhere! Almost everyone turned down our warning, even if we had the proof! If anyone else turns our warning down again, I swear to God, I will beat the crap out of him or her until he or she decides to heed our words!"

My reaction caused Allan to giggle. I didn't see what was funny. I was being serious. "Oh, you think that's funny, huh?"

"He he he... Yeah. Pffft-he he he..."

Ooh... the nerve on this guy...

"Hey! What's going on out there?" A voice suddenly called out. It sounded near... and familiar.

"Whoever's out there, you interrupted my son's slumber!"

"It's alright, Dad. I'm fine. I slept early anyway." Said a voice that sounded really young.

"Holden, are you even sure you're fine?"

"Yes, I am, "Mr. I'm Too Concerned For My Adopted Son". Ha ha!"

"Alright, alright. Fine, Scarface."

Adopted son? Wait! I only know one person in this jungle who has an adopted son. And that's Alex! We're near Alex's hollow! "Sorry, Alex! Didn't mean to interrupt your son's sleep!"

"E-Eva? Is that you?"

And with that, Alex poked his head out of the hollow. He eyed his surroundings and after a few seconds, he caught us in his sight. "Hey, Eva! Hey, Blu! Hey- Uh, who's that guy in the USAASF uniform?"

I was about to tell him about Allan, but then Allan spoke up in an excited manner. "Red-eyed A.! It's been a while!"

After hearing his voice, Alex's red eyes widened. "Allan? Is that you?"

"Yeah, Eisenhower! Who else would it be? Arlene the Washingtonian Blue Jay?"

A few minutes later...

We were invited to go inside Alex's hollow for the time being. His adopted son, Holden Eisenhower, conversed with me and Blu about how he's coping with his new parent, and he seems to be doing fine with him.

Now, about Holden... Like me, he's a Keel-billed Toucan. He lost his parents after they went out to get some food. He didn't know what happened to them until he went out to find them himself. He wandered around the jungle for a few days and nights just to find his missing parents. In the end, he did find them... being devoured by a snake. Capturing the sight in his eyes made him burst into seemingly endless tears, which caused the snake to attack him as well, due to getting caught. The snake's attempted attacks gave him a scar lengthening from his top-right eyelid to his cheek.

Thankfully, Alex was around the area, looking for herbs. He bumped into Holden just as he was about to be eaten.

After killing the snake, Alex made a willing choice to take him under his wing, figuratively speaking. And here he is now.

"I'm fine with my new Dad. Thanks to him, I was able to get over my parents' deaths in just a whole year." Holden happily chirped.

As for Allan, he was conversing with Alex about the good times he had with him in the past and stuff. But after that, things got serious. He began to talk about about the Bio Experiment Institute's accident and about Project: Scarlet's failure.

"Damn... so it's possible that the Scarlet Macaws would go extinct anytime soon?" Alex inquired.

"Yeah. But there's something worse and more terrifying than the extinction of the Scarlet Macaws."

"And what is that?"

"OUR extinction."

With his remark, Alex arched his eyebrow. "How can we become extinct? Our species are not even endangered. At least mine isn't anymore and I don't remember yours going down too."

Allan shook his head and gave him a stern look. When he spoke once more, his voice was soaked with grave feelings. "You really don't know what's going on, do you?"

"No, I don't."

"Christ... Well, you have to know that-"

I know this will lead to him telling Alex everything. And I'm tired of hearing the tragic and fearful events. So I just turned my head to face the outside part of the hollow.

The view was wonderful. The trees around were naturally placed in their perfect spots. If you look straight ahead, you could see the sun reveal itself. It's still morning, so the sun's still bright yellow. Looks like Alex chose the perfect spot for him and his adopted son. One thing's odd though. How can he handle the heat of Rio? I know he's already lived here for 4 years and he's already gotten used to it, but his natural habitat is in the colder regions of the world.

Oh, well. I guess I should just be happy that the heat's not melting his feathers.

I smiled as I gazed upon the view outside Alex's hollow. I let my eyes turn to every direction it wishes to point at. But my wandering stopped as it caught sight of a fruit tree. And it wasn't an ordinary fruit tree. It was a passion fruit tree! Finally! Something different to bring home!

My smile widened more as I continued staring at the fruit. But suddenly, the fruits that I was looking at were blocked... blocked by something red. I narrowed my eyes to get a better view, and when my vision's definition changed, I realized that I was looking at a red bird with colors of blue and yellow. It was a Scarlet Macaw. A female one.

But something's odd about this macaw. Her size didn't seem to fit her species' natural shape. Meaning, she's bigger than an average Scarlet Macaw. I studied her being, only to be suddenly fearfully astounded by her other features. Her talons were really sharp! Not only was she abnormally big, but she also has freaking sharp talons. Big ones too! What on Earth happened to her? And... And the look on her face...

She seems to be smiling in a very creepy manner! And she was smiling at ME! Her seemingly ominous grin sent charges of chills up my spine. What's next is that she elevated one of her wings, pulled out a feather and started slowly waving it repeatedly from the left to the right, as if she was telling me that I was naughty or something.

I wanted to look away, but strangely, I couldn't. My eyes were locked onto her devilish being. I also wanted to tell the others, but something felt like it was holding my beak shut.

As I continued to gaze upon her, I noticed that her beak started to move, which meant that she was going to speak. "I wouldn't do that if I were you... Eva."

How the Hell did she know my name? What's going on? What's going to happen to me? And how could I hear her if I'm in the hollow, and she's further outside? "You shouldn't involve yourself in these kinds of messes. If you continue, your friends will be picked off. One. By. One."

"..." Nothing escaped my beak. I couldn't say a word.

"I'm giving you a choice here. And you know what's going to happen if you give me the wrong answer. So you better heed my words..." I felt my shivering grow stronger. I couldn't feel my legs and my heart was beating really fast.

"Otherwise..." After she said that, she mysteriously disappeared. And I was able to feel my legs again. My shivering stopped, but I was sweating like crazy. Who the Hell was that? It can't be her.

I shook my head a couple of times to make sure I was not seeing things anymore. And once I looked outside again, the creepy macaw was gone.

Feeling relieved, I let out a sigh and put on a small smile as I angled my head until my eyes were looking directly at my legs. 'It's just my imagination. It can't be her...' I thought to myself.

I thought about looking outside again, just to be sure.

So I did...

But when I did, the creepy macaw appeared right in front of me. My eyes widened in sudden and extreme fear as I stared at her cold and murderous glare. "OTHERWISE YOU AND YOUR MOTHER FUCKING FRIENDS WILL END UP LIKE DENNIS!"

After she yelled, I screamed and fell on my back. I even covered my eyes with my right wing like a light shined upon them. "AAAAAGH! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

I'm pretty sure that my scream caught everyone's attention. I wanted to open my eyes, but fear was holding them tightly shut.

Pretty soon, everyone in the hollow was around me and started asking me what was wrong and if I was okay. "Eva! What happened?" Said a worried Blu as he held my sides and lightly shook me.

With my eyes still closed, I stuttered, "F-f-freaky m-m-m-macaw... C-c-colored red... E-evil... Death h-holding... S-s-s..."

"... S-s-scarlet..."

I should have known that she was Scarlet. The abnormalities... Oh, I hope the others spot her before she runs off.

After I mentioned her name, silence followed. I waited for a response from any of them.

"Eva... There's no one outside." Alex said. How can it be? I just saw her right in front of me. And she yelled! How can they have not heard her yell?

Meanwhile, a lone spoon-billed bird was wandering the dark and thick parts of the jungle. It is rumored that some of the best fruits were located there, but they were guarded by malevolent spirits. Is it all worth it? He doesn't even know what's out there. What's really out there. A creature that's hungry for blood.

"I don't know if what my friends told me was true. But in order for me to find out, I have to venture these so-called cursed areas of the jungle." The bird confidently remarked. Kipo was his name.

His surroundings became dark as he traversed the foliage covered maze. There weren't any other creatures roaming around. They had feared that they would be killed if they trespassed the spirits' territory. Kipo was never really superstitious and was always the adventurous one. So he had no worries about getting possessed and what not.

The silence around him was eerie, yes. But it did not get the best out of him. "If I live to tell the tale and even bring back one fruit, I'll be able to convince almost everyone that there are no such things as evil spirits living in the jungle."

As he continued his journey deep into the dark jungle, he began to hear sounds. But this time, the eerie feelings got to him. The sounds that erupted from what seemed like it was around him made him feel a little uncomfortable. "Okay... This, I did not expect."

Scarlet's POV

I see him. My new victim. Oh-ho... His beak's conveniently long. Long enough for me to shove it in his throat! I enjoyed killing Dennis, but this Kipo is sure to meet my violent needs.

The rumors of disappearances and brutal killings by the so-called spirits aren't true, but I will make them true... starting with this lone Spoonbill.

As he cautiously walked along the cold ground, passing many thick vegetation patches, I quietly stalked him, eagerly waiting for the perfect time to strike. I wanted him to experience the most pleasurable time with me. And when I mean pleasurable, I mean PAINFULLY PLEASURABLE. I have given the same treatment to some humans, an eagle and a few macaws. But that isn't enough! I need more ways of expanding my creativity when it comes to the art of torture and death! I need to expand the number of lives I've screwed with and ruined. I will not allow myself to spend a day without thieving at least one soul.

The darkness and eerie silence seemed to have penetrated his mind. I could feel his fear and nervousness rising. I could hear him shiver at the very thought of the rumors his friends told him about. Yes... panic, blood and death are a few of the things I strive for. They excite my mind and body and ignite cravings that I can't refuse.

Seeing that pink bird all shaken up and weak was like a visual drug. I thirsted for his blood. I thirsted for his heart. I thirsted to see him perish in front of me. "Mmm... I can't wait to have you in my grasp."

My whisper caused him to stop dead in his tracks. He began to scan around him, his pupils dilated with fear and his breathing ever so speedy. "H-hello? Is someone there?" he worriedly whimpered. Shit. He must have heard me craving for his life.

"P-please. If- If you're one of the evil spirits, I apologize for my intrusion. I'll l-leave."

And that was my cue.

I jumped out form behind my hiding spot, which was a large tree that was right next to him, and landed right in front of him. My sudden appearance made him gasp in shock and stumble backwards. I flashed my signature smile and peered into his fear-filled eyes. "Greetings, lucky one."

He was paralyzed with ultimate dread. All he could do was stare back at me. "W-who are you?"

Slowly advancing to my frightened target, I placed a wing on my chest and introduced myself. One must be polite before starting a slaughter-fest, no? "My name is Scarlet, dear fellow."

"A-are you one of the s-spirits?"

"Spirit? No. I'm just a flesh-and-bone macaw who happens to be quite hungry today." That was the complete truth. The gnawing in my stomach needed to be satiated, and he was going to be my main course. But first I have to prepare my meal, which most people would call torture. I kept my pace and continued to close the gap between me and him. His expression of uncertainty was still glued to his face. He probably understood my message. But just in case, I spruced it up for him. "If you don't know what I mean, then let me explain. You were curious about malevolent spirits haunting this very patch of the forest, huh?"

"Y-y-y-yes."

"Then let me get this into your head. Those 'spirits' that you and your friends speak of... they're not true. They're just mere stories and fairy tales that parents tell to their children during bedtime."

"Phew! Then that must mean I'm safe... right?"

My smile widened after his question of uncertainty. He wasn't anywhere near safe. Not while I'm around. And soon, this whole jungle will never be safe! "You're getting colder on that account. You were doomed the instant you laid eyes on me. Simply put, your journey ends here."

His eyes widened in shock and disbelief. I could tell his legs were trembling as his heart was beating lusciously fast beneath his chest, the pulses calling out to me. Oh, I couldn't wait to plunge my beak into his flesh and feathers and shred him up, to grab his limbs and snap his bones. Such audacity makes me so... giddy. "W-what do you mean? You're not going to kill me, are you? I-if this is your territory, then I'll leave."

Leave, eh? Well, that's not going to make me happy. "Oh, but I won't let you."

I was going to charge towards him and pin him to the tree right behind him. But then I felt something convulse inside me. I cringed at the feeling, and before I could even make a sound, the skin over my spine split like a banana being peeled. I screamed in pain as I collapsed to my knees. My smile disappeared and morphed into a frown of extreme agony.

In the midst of my shouts, I heard the Spoonbill gasp. But then he was suddenly cut off. I lifted my head to see what had happened. When my vision began to clear up, I noticed that he was still there, but two slimy things were wrapped around him and his beak. They were like long pink vines riddled with blood vessels slathered in scarlet. I had to assume it was my blood. I traced them back to their source, and a most interesting sight revealed itself to me when I turned my head around. The two naked vines. At first I was a bit confused. But after a while, I began to realize that my physical makeup had gained a new feature. The searing miasma from the middle of my back was the sign of their emergence. I... had grown a pair of TENTACLES! And they were already gripping very tight on my victim's body and beak.

My evil smile returned and all the pain went away. My torn flesh crawled and sealed itself back together, the unpleasantness lasting for only a few seconds. Feeling re-energized, I stood up and trotted to his position. Once I pulled a stop in front of him, I peered into his eyes. "You think you could get away from me, did you? Well, I'm truly sorry… what was your name? Um... Kipo!"

Again, his eyes widened. But this time, it was due to the notion of his coming defeat. He couldn't do anything except try to squirm out of my grasp. I could feel the tugging transmitted to my body via the tentacles, but I was much too strong to be moved. I wasn't going to let him go, no matter what. "Aw, you're probably wondering how I know your name, huh?"

"Mff! MMMMMMMFFFFF!"

"What's that? You want me to start the party? Sure!"

With that being said, I flailed my tentacles around and forcefully threw him into the trunk of the tree behind him.

The impact with his body and the tree trunk sounded with a pleasant thud. His eyes closed in the resulting pain. I could hear his muffled voice. He so wanted to scream in order for the pain to alleviate a bit. But I didn't let my grip loosen. We may be in an isolated part of the forest, but that doesn't mean that nobody could hear his screams. One must be careful when it comes to tormenting an individual.

Once he was surely pasted on the tree's trunk, I fully closed the gap between me and him and poked his stomach with my sweetly hooked talon. "Pudgy, don't you think?"

His response was a desperate whimper. It sounded like music. "Ooohh... Yes. Your cries and whimpers of fear really make me giddy. I can't wait to spill your insides all over the place."

Still looking at his now teary eyes, I lowered my foot while trailing my talons against his feathers. I was aiming for his leg. The top part of his leg, that is. He shuddered as my talons tickled his feathery skin.

Right when I reached the top section of his thigh bone, I focused one of my talons on it, preparing to dig in and feel his warm life fluids. "Are you ready?"

"MMMM! NNNN!"

"I'll take that as a yes."

Thus began my play time.
I forced my focused talon into his skin, feeling the blood soak the natural blade. Every inch that I covere, Kipo flinched and screamed out muffled sounds. If only we were in a place where no one could find... I could listen to his screams liberally without having to worry about anyone hearing him.

I continued to force my talon in until I felt his thigh bone. I forced a smile once I touched it. I couldn't wait to pull it out. "He he. Don't worry. This is only going to hurt a lot."

Ignoring his muffled pleas of mercy, I inserted my other talons, wrapped the bone around my foot and tugged it weakly. He whimpered more in the ensuing pain and agony. "Aw, does it hurt? Good! I'll make it hurt MORE!"

And with that, I hardened my grip on the bone and pulled it out with no trouble. The sound of flesh tearing and blood spilling and the agonized muffled yell of pain echoed through the silent jungle. Hell, even the blood splattered on my face! Reminds me of when I pulled Dennis's heart out. Ah... good times.

"I want you to scream, but I don't want any other birds hearing you."

"PLTH!" he muffled with tears rolling down his face. When I looked into his eyes, I saw plenty of negative energy inside him. And I felt pretty good making him emit them all. "Oh-ho! There's more where that pain came from!"

Tossing away his bone, I closed my eyes tightly and began to make raspy growling sounds. With the new feeling on my back, I tensed the muscles there to release another surprise. My intention was to grow out another tentacle. "Nnnnnggh! Rrrrgghh! Aaaargh!"

And sure enough, it did. A third tentacle spurted out of my back, showering more small droplets of blood on the ground. I opened my eyes one more time and peered at him with the most devilish grin I have ever produced. "Wanna know where this will go?"

Kipo shook his head sideways, as a response that meant no. Well, that's a shame. "Hmm... too bad. I might as well show you."

I didn't want to waste any more time, honestly. So without taking any second thoughts, I quickly trailed my tentacle down to the hole I made on his leg and simply entered it. I dug deeper inside his leg and then went upwards. Before long, I felt my tentacle touch his innards. I guessed that I made it to his intestines.

"Ooh! My favorite!"

"HNNNG! PLTH NNN!"

"Aw, don't worry. I'm only gonna pull it out."

"NNNN!"

"Cry all you want, you little bastard. I'm not going to feel any sympathy for you."
I then hung my tentacle onto his soft gut and pulled it downwards. I led it all the way back to the hole I made on his side and dragged it out, causing him to release more muffled screams and cries. But you know, since we're deep inside an isolated part of the forest, maybe no one could hear his screams. I guess I could let him cry out his delicious music.

So I unwrapped his beak, but kept the assigned tentacle hovering above him just in case. "AAAAAAAGGHHHH!"
I couldn't help but laugh at his expression. It was just so priceless. A teary-eyed snitch who just emitted his full scream power all because of pain. Just how I like it. "Ha ha ha ha! Man, I love hearing that!"

"Agh... why are you doing… wha... what are you?"

Wow. Not only is he going to taste delicious, but he's also going to sound stupid when I chew on his being. But since he asked, I might as well be polite and answer. So I sneered into his eyes and wrapped his beak again with the assigned tentacle. "What am I? I, sir, am a fucked up Scarlet Macaw who's out for blood. Whatever fucked me up turned me into this. And I LOVE it."

Not giving him a chance to make even another muffled whimper, I shoved my tentacle inside him again and went for his wishbone. Like what I did to his thigh bone, I tugged it a few times before I actually yanked it away.

The white shape burst from the hole, thus making sounds of bone crushing and organ mushing. The Spoonbill's body deflated, his blood rushing from the hole like a faucet. His eyes bulged and looked like they were going to pop out.

Such a sight made me smile, as usual.

Knowing that his now-deflated body served me no purpose anymore, I tossed it away. I then put all my tentacles in my back and piled the Spoonbill's organs tohether. The sight made my beak water and it forced me to lick my beak. I know this is going to be scrumptious. "Oh, I'm going to love this."

Author's Note: Well, that's done. Sorry for the late update. I've been busy over the past few weeks, and I'm going back to school soon. But that doesn't mean that I'll stop. Of course I'll still continue what I started.

However, they might not be as fast as they would usually be (minus the responsibilities). XD

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. The next one is called "Dead Jungle" (in reference to the game "Dead Island"). :D

Reviews are greatly appreciated! Any oddities that I or Rapture missed... you know what to do! XD

We'll see you all in the next! :D

Once again, thanks, Rapture! Thank you very much! ;)