The next morning, Roberto was uncomfortably aware of Jespa's stare. From where he perched in the clay licks, Roberto could see the scrawny and bedraggled Jespa in the trees below. Obviously he was shocked - usually Sophia's male more-than-friends were scared off by now, and Roberto should've run at hearing the family secret. He wasn't scared, though - well, not terrified, at least. Roberto swallowed his clay piece hard, before pretending not to notice, turning back to the clay face.
"He's staring, isn't he?" Sophia muttered, in utter discomfort.
"Sadly yes." Roberto replied. Sophia had been awfully quiet since last night. He couldn't blame her - she had revealed such a big secret to him, and she was still worried about Jespa and facing the club and Victoria again. Unfortunately, this wasn't the only thing - news of Zenaida was going around the ravine. The mother of the scoremarker, the famous no-nonsense macaw with the biggest attitude in the ravine, was getting worse.
Sophia wanted to visit Zenaida, but the ever-closer Festival of Stars made visiting her daunting. Roberto remembered how Sophia had spoken - yesterday morning her delirious mother had said, regarding the celebration, "What a wonderful night to die." There were rumours that Zenaida's lungs were suffering after such a long bout of coughing, combined with her weak immune system - in his time being in the tribe, Roberto was sure she had caught every illness under the sun.
"Maybe you should visit Zenaida." Roberto suggested. Sophia stiffened, a piece of clay pausing inches from her beak.
"I don't know if Jespa'll let me anywhere near her." She admitted, putting the clay down.
"Then I'll convince him." Roberto said, glancing over his shoulder, down to the trees below - but to his surprise, Jespa was gone. "If I can find him, that is."
"Leave it, honestly. I doubt he'll appreciate it." Sophia was right. Jespa did hate him to the core. She went to pick the clay back up, but didn't lift it. "You know what? I'm going to see her. If he tries to stop me, I'll give him a piece of my mind. After last night I'm not in the mood for him to cause me anymore problems."
"Are you -"
"I don't need a bodyguard." Sophia teased. She leaned forward, kissing him on the cheek. "Although, I will let you know if I do." She traced his wingtips with her own for a moment, before turning and flying down the clay licks. She felt guilty for feeling happy, at this time - but talking to Roberto? She couldn't help but smile. Yet as she distanced herself from the claylicks and neared her birthplace, the smile began to fade, for she was reminded of Zenaida.
Sophia slowed, seeing a group of teenagers fussing over some large leaves. "This is stupid! Why did they make us get some leaves when we can't even make a leaf lamp?" Conplained one. With a jolt, Sophia was reminded of the upcoming festival - sending your love up to the stars, to remember your loved ones. This time of year was one of the most painful, as she remembered him. She still felt Andre's talons stumbling over her.
Sophia found herself flying toward a certain tree. This was where Andre had been buried, under the roots - the tree was too small and lacked a hollow, so burying him there had been ideal. His funeral had been the worst day of her life. Jespa had never stopped glaring at her throughout the whole ceremony, while the weeping Zenaida had had an iron grip on both her and him, meaning she could never escape the funeral or Jespa's anger. Or her guilt.
Soon, she was standing in front of the grave. There was a large, flat stone sitting on it, carved with the family's names, but Sophia felt that it looked rather 'sad'. Feeling an urge to brighten it, Sophia picked up the dead, withered flowers - likely laid by her mother before her illness intensified - and tossed them away. Spotting a lovely patch of violet and lavender flowers, Sophia picked a bunch, before returning to the grave. Arranging them with care, she rested them down onto the mossy earth. She sat down, and gave the soil a gentle pat.
"There you go, dad." She said, fondly. Yet her words were tinged with guilt. "I know it wasn't entirely my fault... but I still can't help but feel..." Her eyes travelled to the stone - and then her heart stopped. Beloved Andre, laid to rest by Zenaida and their children, Jespa and Sophia. But she could barely read her own name, or the 'ren' part of 'children'. Gouges in the stone scratched out the letters, so it instead read, Beloved Andre, laid to rest by Zenaida and their child, Jespa. Sophia knew who did it. It could be no-one else - then she sprang to her feet.
"I'll kill you, Jespa." She hissed. Blood hot and charged with rage, Sophia whirled around and flew, faster than ever before. "Jespa!" She shouted, furiously. Her shouts attracted various looks, but she didn't care. She was going to kill him. "How dare you -" but en route to the last place she saw him, a piercing cry of terror reached her ears.
"Mom! Dad!" The wails were of a male chick - unmistakably, Tiago's, despite the fact that she had only known him for less than a few weeks. Sophia instinctively turned to the sound, flying straight for it - to her surprise, she was headed for Jespa's tree. Yet as she neared it, she felt a flash of dread. As she landed on the main branch, she had to duck a flying stick. A blue blur came flying, straight at her. "Sophia!" Tiago cried, tearfully, diving into her wings. She was shocked - the usually plucky chick seemed terrified. "I-I was only trying to get the spider! It c-crawled in there, and he wasn't there so I thought I'd just go in and g-get it..." Tiago stammered. "But then he came in and -"
"Do you want your flaming spider?" Snarled the voice, and Tiago shrank into her wings. To Sophia's horror, Jespa came storming out - followed by the corpse of a large spider. Jespa flung the body down, but it was then that Sophia realized that it was legless. The legs soon followed, flung down onto the branch. "Crawl back to the city you came from!" Jespa roared. By now, both Tiago's wails and Jespa's voice had attracted an audience. Not a good audience.
"What's happened?" Eduardo demanded. To Sophia's dismay, the patriarch was accompanied by Mimi and Blu, although Jewel and the girls were absent - perhaps this was good, since Jewel had such a temper. Immediately, Tiago wriggled out of Sophia's grasp, fleeing to the sanctuary of Blu's wings. Eduardo's scorching and accusing gaze rested on Jespa.
"Dad, it was horrible! I went to get a spider because I saw it go in, but then he came back and -"
"Woah, woah! Slow down!" Blu said, in alarm, but Tiago rushed on. What the chick said chilled Sophia to the bone.
"He grabbed the spider and tore off it's legs, one by one!" Tiago wailed. This rendered all the three adult relatives - and the crowd - speechless. But not Sophia. Already enraged with what Jespa did to the grave marker, Sophia seized him by the neck.
"He's just a boy!" She shrieked. "First you vandalize Andre's grave marker -"
"He what?" Gasped somebody in the crowd.
"-and now you not only cause unnecessary suffering, but also terrify a chick? You disgust me!" Sophia couldn't help herself. She leapt onto Jespa, raking her talons. The crowd started gasping - some even started cheering - but then, moments later, wings were wrestling them apart.
"Enough!" Shouted Mimi. "You lot! Get Jespa to Eduardo's hollow." Carlos and Tobias hauled Jespa away, ignoring his curses and shouts. Sophia went to follow, but Mimi interrupted. "Sophia, leave! Go to your mother." Seething, Sophia turned, and shoved through the crowd. She was worried to see that Blu and Tiago were gone - what if Jewel found out? She wasn't the forgive and forget kind.
Her heart pounding and blood roaring in her ears, Sophia shot across the ravine, ready to tell Zenaida - but thought better of it. She couldn't take anymore stress.
Sophia landed on a branch, and went to enter the hollow, before she paused. Zenaida couldn't see her like this. Smoothing her ruffled plumage and trying to calm herself, Sophia looked at her talons to make sure that none of Jespa's feathers were stuck in them. Her heart sank - it was this branch that changed her life. She swallowed hard, and looked over the edge. She closed her eyes - behind her eyelids, there were flashing images of Andre falling to his death, while her ears rang with Zenaida's wails and Jespa's accusing voice. Shaking her head, Sophia prepared to face her mother. Forcing a smile and cheerful voice, she took hold of the entrance cover, although she couldn't stop her shaking wings.
"Mother?" She asked, pushing the moss curtain aside. Zenaida lay, alone, in her nest - and Sophia was greeted by the thick, humid air. She gasped. "Mother, you can barely breathe! Honestly, your lungs can't take it!" Sophia threw open the curtain, and luckily, there was a decent breeze. Zenaida hadn't replied. She looked over her shoulder, with a frown. "Mother?" She said, much louder, knowing for sure that she must have been heard.
There was still no response. Sophia found herself slowing down, as she approached the nest - but then, she was standing above Zenaida. She was laying with her back to Sophia - she could practically see the fever and heat radiating off her. Zenaida's feathers were dark and damp with sweat, and she was trembling. Worried now, Sophia turned Zenaida over - but then she screamed. Behind her, she heard flapping wings.
"Sophia!" Shouted Jewel, her voice drowning out Sophia's scream. Her turquoise eyes blazed with blue flame. "Where is he? I'll flay that brother of yours when I get my talons -" but then Jewel's beak snapped shut, for she saw the blood down Zenaida's front.
"Get a healer!" Sophia cried. She was barely aware of the chaos that followed, as healers swarmed the hollow. "Mother, mother!"