Hello again, everyone! If you want to know, I won't be updating this story as much, so be prepared for long waits. But, of course, there are over Rio stories every day. So check those other authors and their stories. Anyway, on with the story :)
At first, Will felt worried. He felt no warmth by his side, and when he opened his eyes. His mate was missing. If it wasn't for the bright yellow orb in the sky, he would have assumed she had been taken in the night. He was always cautious, in case his old foes were to return. After discovering it was late morning, he climbed out from the comfortable nest and began his morning stretches, which included cracking his back and neck a bit. He spent half a minute doing this until he was certain that his muscles were fully awake. Only then did he decide to take a morning flight. He stepped out onto the branch below the hollow entrance, and basked in the sun for a short moment, taking in the fresh air. He then stretched his wings out gracefully, arched his upper body forward, ready to do a runner towards the end of the branch, and then-
"BOO!" The sudden loud voice startled the blue macaw so much that he ended up falling, a screech escaping his throat, stopping himself before hitting the ground with a lucky catch of a lower branch. And who else would be above him, but his troublemaker of a son, Lucas. He could feel the wingbeat from his large wings, his hazel eyes staring down victoriously. He had short tail feathers, and one head feather pointing up. The mischievous child fluttered down, still managing to stay in the air during his laughing fit. It seemed that all that time laughing paid off, so he could do it at anytime, while doing anything. Will pulled himself up and stood, watching his son come to his feet. It was a stupid move for the boy, as his father's talon shot out and wrapped itself around the tall macaw's waist. He wriggled around, but when he saw his father's menacing eyes close to his, he ceased his struggle.
"H-hi dad" his voice was shaken with fear, the unlimited punishments rushing through his head. Fortunately, Will was forgiving at the time. But that didn't stop him from giving a lecture. As soon as he set his son down, the young macaw knew what he was in for.
"Do you realize how dangerous that was? If I hadn't caught this branch, I could have been killed" he scolded, shaking a feather like a finger at the boy. He could already see his son's lower beak quivering, and his eyes becoming wet from fresh tears. He kept on going, though this time less stern, kneeling down to the chick's height. "Maybe next time, think about what you are doing. Okay?" He spread his wings into a welcoming hug. His son nodded slowly and accepted the hug. They held it, and later broke it. Will used a feather to wipe a tear and a smile broke across his face. "No more, okay?" His son nodded again. "Now go play." Unexpectedly, his son took off. He could have sworn he heard snickering. Only then did he recall how much of a trickster the prankster was. He was about to give chase when he heard someone land by his side, and turned his head to the lovely face of his mate. He felt hypnotized by her hazel eyes. It took most of his willpower to move his eyes from hers and notice the talon full of berries she held.
"Good morning, dear" she greeted with her light tone. Her voice always soothed his heart. She nuzzled her head against his neck, and he did the same with the top of her head feathers, soon meeting his beak with hers. "You ready for tonight?" Will nodded and they shared a kiss.
"So sweet" a tiny voice piped in. They both looked down to find their tiny daughter, Emma. She held a purple berry in her small yet firm grip. Her hazel eyes watched them from below. They both smiled down sweetly at their adorable daughter. However, the moment was short lived when Lucas came flying by. And at a low height, snatching one of the berries his mother carried from the branch.
"Thanks mom!" he called back. Will prepared to give chase, but Larissa held him back with a wing on his shoulder. He looked at her, confused.
"Deal with him later. Right now, you should eat." He gave a nod and picked up a couple of berries himself and took each in one gulp. He prepared himself once again, this time giving Larissa a look that requested permission to leave. She granted it with a playful wink, and he took off.
His search was in vain, however. No matter where he looked, he could not find the boy anywhere. But he could guess where he was. He scoured the several hideouts he had found over the past year. Some were abandoned rotting trees, and some were logs, and even a few were burrows. But all were empty. He had to admit that the boy was smart. But he had to come home some time. And when he did, he would be there.
He returned home, huffing and puffing from his tiring flight. Larissa and his two other children were there to greet him. Emma was resting in the children's nest, as they all slept in the same one, so it was twice the size of the parents nest. It made her look smaller than what she really was. He noticed that they also had a visitor. Roderick sat with who he called his Aunt Bia and listened to her lessons.
He was much like her, being into things that others normally weren't interested in. Will guessed it was the human side of him. He recalled how different she was to her younger self, when he first met her. The feathers on the back of her head had grown to the bottom of her neck, and her tail had fanned out more. Her brown eyes had grown larger, but her wings were still at the same scale to the rest of her body. So they were still small compared to the rest of her.
Roderick's own features resembled hers by a lot. His intelligent brown eyes were much like hers, and he had three feathers drooping back, the middle being a half longer than the others. His tail even curved slightly like hers. His own wings, though, were of normal size.
She held one of her old books she had kept with her since she was young. On the front, it had the words 'Bird Mutations', so Will guessed she was teaching him about mutations in a bird's DNA. Roderick noticed his father and glanced up to give a small wave before returning to the world of knowledge. Bia chuckled to herself at how his eyes never left the pages, and she turned it before he got to attached.
"Any luck?" Larissa asked. Will shook his head, frowning as he did. He let out a heavy sigh and his head hung low. She lifted it with a wing so they were almost beak to beak and staring into each other's eyes. "He'll come back. Besides, I have a plan." She leaned in and whispered into his ear. He smirked, liking every bit of it.
For most of the day, Lucas had hid in one of his secret hideouts that he knew his father had never found. It was well stocked, with a berry bush nearby, plenty of shade and a creek just below the hole in the tree. It was too small for anything bigger than him, and he could just barely fit in. He peeked outside, and once the fugitive was sure it was clear, he sped past, clearly knowing of the danger that could have lurked nearby. But there was another reason for his great speed. Very soon, there was to be a little concert. It was being hosted by his Aunt Carla, and that's why he wanted to be there. Because if she was there, then surely the one was there too. Just thinking about her made his heart pound. He closed his eyes, imagining her before him. Luckily, he opened them to narrowly dodge a tree, only to crash through a cob web, followed by some leaves, then some twigs. When he came out the other side, he looked like some kind of jungle monster. Spitting bits of leaves and webs out of his beak as he flew, he hoped that no one would see him, let alone recognize him.
When he came upon his tree, he ducked through a hole he had always covered in case of emergencies and darted into the bath they had after making sure it was empty. He was sure he was safe. He was mistaken, as he spotted a dark shadow covering him. He felt a gulp down his throat as he looked up to see his father glaring down at him.
"H-hi again. H-how are you?" he asked. His father made no attempt to answer, and instead dragged him out from the water and sat him in the chick nest. He had his wings folded onto each other and stood tall before him.
"You are in big trouble, mister." Lucas looked at his talons glumly. "For your punishment, you are staying here. The others already left." The chick's beak fell open. The one chance he had to see her, and he blew it. He mentally kicked himself, his own wings crossed with a pouting face. "You only have yourself to blame." With that, his father turned and left the boy to sit in the parent's nest and began sorting through things with his back on the troublemaker. Time went by at a slow pace, and the chick had nothing to do. Sometimes, he paced back and forth, and other times he tried to sleep. But he couldn't stop thinking on what he was missing. Lucas soon had enough. It was time to put his own plan into action. He rotated himself around and, using a stick from the nest, began drawing his invisible map, memorizing the movements of the stick as if he were drawing in dirt.
Will was peacefully sorting through a collection of books that Roderick had been given by Blu and Bia, searching for something to read. He soon found one that was a personal favorite, and opened up a story 'Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring'. He enjoyed every bit, however the occasional grunts from his son disturbed his peace. He occasionally looked back to find him playing with a stick. However, the tenth time he looked, he found himself surprised. Roderick had disappeared. He rushed over, and all he found was the stick he had. He picked it up, then noticed something attached to it. Before he knew it, he had activated one of his son's magnificent traps.
What is his plan? Find out in the next chapter. See you all then :)