Zenaida and Jespa had disappeared into the roots of Roberto's tree - at first, they had been running too fast, and he had lost them briefly, but Zenaida's coughing had revealed their location. Roberto, hugging the shadows, slid against the wall behind them, the root concealing him from view. He held his breath, treading lightly, trying to listen and stay unseen and unheard.

At first, he thought about peering around or over the root, but realized that he would be easily seen. Then he spotted a slight rise in the root - it wasn't flat against the ground, leaving a gap. He felt a shiver run down his spine, remembering how the roots of Sophia's tree had been ripped from the earth. He assured himself that his tree was large, strong, and the roots dug deep - the elements would not be able to bring it down.

By now, the crowd had dissipated, some at the entrance of his home to see how their scoremarker was, but most had retreated to their homes. Many were at the foot of their trees, inspecting them to ensure that the rain hadn't washed too much soil away from the roots. The rain was now a light drizzle, and stars and an onyx sky were chasing away the grey clouds. That must have been the final storm.

Jolting out of his thoughts, Roberto crouched himself level to the gap, peering underneath. The back of Zenaida's feet were hardly inches from his face; looking up, he couldn't see her expression, but based by the sickened and worried tone of her voice, he could assume that she looked as stricken as she sounded. Jespa, meanwhile, wore his usual expression of thunder and annoyance.

"How dare you! This is the fifth time in two months!" Zenaida said, with utter disgust. "You have a problem, son, and you need to get your head examined - grabbing your sister's wing again!" Roberto felt a wave of shock. He's done it before? Why did she never tell me?

"She's faking!" Jespa snarled. "She's always been an attention-seeking and spoilt brat!" Roberto had to clench his beak shut to stop himself leaping out at Jespa there and then. Jespa's feathers were bushed with unobtainable rage. "Can't you see? She'll bat those sad, pretty little eyes like some jaguar cub, to get you to melt, just like how dad did when he was alive. She'll win you over and then she'll stick the thorn in it."

"Don't be so stupid, Jespa! Don't play that game again - it's getting annoyingly repetitive. She's the victim in this, not you." Zenaida snapped back - her right wing shook, and Roberto couldn't help but wish she'd slap her son across the face. "Get it into your thick skull - what happened when you were children was not her fault."

"I saw it happen!" Saw what happen?

"What you saw was an accident!" Zenaida spat, fiercely, before coughing several times. Once it passed, she went on with a firm voice. "It was my fault, and it was a mistake I'll regret for the rest of my days -"

"You're lying to protect her!" Jespa accused. "Your motherly love makes you blind - you can't take the blame for what she did. She's a spoilt, manipulative, twisted and malicious fool, and the tribe deserves to know what she did!" Then there was the sound of wing against cheek as Zenaida slapped him across the face.

"That was for being a spoilt brat, not for petty name-calling. Sophia didn't do it - I swear on your father's grave." Do what? Roberto wanted to scream the question. Zenaida thrusted her beak forward, so she was right in Jespa's face. "You are to stop this business, and you are to stay away from her. I know what you're doing, Jespa - you're making her life a misery as part of your petty revenge scheme." Zenaida's feathers rose. "You constantly interfere with her love life - had you not scared Jacques and the last eight males she's fallen in love with away, I would have been a grandmother long ago. If you're not going to be the one to give me grandchildren, it has to be her."

"She doesn't deserve happiness!" Jespa blurted out. "My father turns in his grave, when she feels happy. I will get my way, mother, if it's the last thing I do!" Jespa spun round, tail sweeping across the floor. Then he looked back, with slitted eyes. "That Roberto. He doesn't know that he's just saved the life of a monster." Zenaida shook as Jespa flew away - then she coughed again, so violently it probably shook her lungs. Roberto ducked as she suddenly hopped onto the root, directly over him - he couldn't let her see that he had been eavesdropping.

She muttered under her breath. "I fear what he'll do when I die." She then landed on the root behind Roberto - she rose her head to the stars, unaware that he crouched barely a foot behind her. "I'm sorry, Andre. I really am. Maybe I'll see you again soon." Then she flew into the tree, leaving Roberto utterly confused. That conversation made barely any sense.

Later

"You are one lucky bird." Said Mateo, packing away the last of the medical herbs. Sophia sat in Roberto's nest still, where the dazed look in her eyes was almost gone. Roberto leaned against the wall behind the nest, unable to take his eyes off Jespa and Zenaida. Zenaida hadn't noticed, but Jespa was narrowing his eyes back at him. Roberto had been trying to figure out what their bizarre conversation had been about, with no success. He suppressed a frown at the suspicious look on Jespa's face. Does he know I was listening? "Okay, I've given you something for the shock and I've put something on your wound - that pesky cut on your neck should heal within a few days because it's not too deep. I don't think we'll have to check on you again, but if that wound gets infected come straight to us. Clear?"

"Thank you very much, Mateo." Sophia sighed. "I'll keep an eye on it."

"Excellent." Mateo said, looking satisfied. "Just make sure nothing dirty gets into it and it'll be gone in days." Tucking the medical herbs under his wing, he nodded to Roberto, Zenaida, and Jespa - before turning and leaving the tree. Moments later, however, he popped his head around the corner. "Zenaida, I strongly recommend you get home. You need rest, if your illness is going to improve." He held a knowing look in his eyes - silent words were exchanged by their eyes. Sophia and Jespa were glancing between the two - were the healer and elder female keeping something from them, regarding Zenaida's illness?

"Alright, Mateo - I'm going now, anyway." Zenaida turned to Sophia, before resting a wing on her shoulder. "Look after yourself, flower." Sophia blinked, utterly puzzled by Zenaida's new kindness. Jespa made a gagging noise at the affectionate word, and Zenaida turned her burning golden gaze to her son, before speaking with her old, usual ferocity. "Jespa! Come with me. It's your shift tonight." Briefly, it looked as though Jespa was about to argue, but then he marched toward Zenaida.

"Get well soon, little sister." He muttered, before storming out, after his mother. Roberto watched him leave - his skin still crawled from the disturbing conversation he had witnessed. Sophia covered her forehead with her wings, and sank into his nest.

"This has been the worst day of my life." She groaned. She peeked up at Roberto through her wings. "My neck hurts, I'm homeless and I'm absolutely smothered in - ugh, I really hope this is just mud." She looked down her front, appalled by what she saw.

"I'm sure it is just mud. Do you want to clean yourself up?" Roberto asked, motioning toward the pool of water in his hollow.

"Trust me, I'd love to, but I'm shattered." Sophia's head nodded up and down occasionally - her eyes kept shutting and opening.

"You just get some rest." Roberto said, in a soft voice. "Don't worry, you can sleep there tonight. You know..." he ran a wing through his head feathers. "I don't mind if you live here, until you find yourself somewhere else... I do love the company." Sophia gazed at him, just about hearing his offer in her sleepy state - then she managed a sleepy nod.

"Thank you." She murmured. "If it weren't for you I'd be... long gone." then she yawned, and gave up, sliding into the bottom of the nest, burrowed in moss like a mouse. Roberto reached into the nest and tucked stray bits of moss around her, and she smiled in her sleep. His heart made a mysterious flutter.

He didn't mind her using his nest for tonight - he was happy to sleep outside. Casting a final glance at Sophia, Roberto flew silently to the tree entrance, where he settled against the entrance edge. The atrocious weather had ceased, to reveal a starry night sky - the tribe was at ease, now that the fallen tree posed no risk, the storm passed, and Sophia was going to be fine, the macaws were in the world of slumber.

He found his gaze sitting on Zenaida's tree - while she was no where in sight, the light blue patch outside it told him Jespa was there; he remembered how Zenaida needed someone at night in case of her needs or emergencies. Roberto couldn't tell whether his eyes were open from the great distance, but Jespa was turned his way. He jolted, remembering the conversation he had eavesdropped on. He had completely forgotten.

Roberto glanced back at Sophia, who slept in his nest, already in deep sleep - 'a monster'? 'Malicious'? Surely that was Jespa's exaggerated emotions talking. Looking at her beautifully structured and innocent face, Roberto couldn't believe Jespa's words. But then he recalled something from the morning.

"She may look like an angel, but she sure isn't one." Roberto's heart lurched again. Jespa was crazy, wasn't he? Of course Sophia couldn't have done anything. But then, they all had secrets - a fact he knew all too well. Roberto shivered as a cold wind ruffled his plumage - whenever was it cold? It was the Amazon Rainforest, for goodness sake.