Jewel relaxed her running pace. She, while still holding Blu, had made to some part of the jungle. The trees mostly covered the view of the sky, but a few feet out, the moonlight reflected off the ground. Jewel was able to peek through the trees by moving her head and saw that the ground the moonlight reflected on was part of a cliff. In fact, she saw more trees and the city of Rio below in the distance. Then she remembered. It was the cliff Rafael tried to give Blu flying lessons from. She put down Blu so he leant against a rock. He looked at her.

"Jewel, why did we stop?"

"To stop your bleeding," she answered, looking for a leaf and a vine. "I think you lost too much blood, Blu."

Blu shook his head.

"No, I'm fine."

Jewel wasn't convinced.

"Blu, don't lie to me," she said in a settled voice.

Blu was about to say something, but he figured not to. He sighed and said something else.

"So, where are we?"

Jewel walked over to Blu with a leaf and a vine with decent length. She lifted his wing and pressed the leaf against Blu's wound. She held it in place with her broken wing.

"Jewel, don't use your-"

"It's fine," she assured, wrapping the vine around his chest to keep the leaf in place. "Blu, do you remember this place?"

Blu looked around to observe the scenery. There were trees, bushes, vines, and a few spots were the moonlight leaked through. He faced Jewel.

"Should I?"

"Here, I'll help. You remember Rafael's flying lessons?"

"Yeah? Well, kind of. After that landing, most of the flying lesson was just-a blur."

Jewel smiled.

"Oh, Blu."

She sat down next to him and rested her good wing on his right wing.

"Well, this is where we walked through to get to the cliff. I saw it in the distance."

"But how do you know?" he asked and ten took a short pause. "To me, it's all the same."

"Well, once we're out here, you'll understand."

Blu faced Jewel in questioned.

"Jewel, you still want to live here?"

Jewel nodded.

"Yes."

"But-we were almost killed."

"I think there's something that Americans say: there's no place like home. The jungle can be a dangerous place, but…it's my home."

Blu looked out towards the jungle. Quiet; mysterious; deadly. A word like home was not his best description for the jungle. But Jewel… He couldn't leave her. He loved her too much. He just didn't love the jungle.

"Blu?"

Blu looked back at Jewel.

"How's your wound?"

"It's doing better, thanks to you," smiled Blu.

She let out a breath of relief and rested her head against his head.

"I'm glad."

Blu smiled and closed his eyes to enjoy the moment. It didn't last forever though. Jewel lifted her head after a few moments and stood up.

"Well, we better keep moving."

Blu wanted to say no, but she was right. They were being timed. His wound was prone for infection or blood loss. If they were too far from Tulio for a while, the blue bird could die. He didn't want that. He reached for Jewel's helping wing and grabbed it. Jewel put a wing over her shoulders to support his standing. However, something was heard. They looked at the direction they came from and looked to the sky. Clouds were getting darker now. It seemed a morning night storm was upon them. They noticed something coming from the sky at them. It smacked the ground at full force. Thunder soon was heard. Flashes of thunder helped see the view in front of them. Their eyes widened as they realized it was a bird.

"Flor?" wondered Jewel nervously.

Soon, another came down and landed behind Flor. Jewel gasped as the eagle, somewhat beaten, grinned wickedly.

"Hello, my meal."

"You-" started Blu, "you're still alive?"

"Of course I am. What? You honestly thought I would lose? How absurd."

The Crested Eagle looked down at Flor and shook her head in disappointment.

"She did give me a good fight, but… Oh, well. She had to be the hero. Tis a shame."

"You monster!" sneered Blu.

"Honey, don't blame me. It's life."

The eagle wrapped her right talons around the corpse's neck.

"You see, out here in the jungle, only the toughest survive. It is the law of the jungle. It has been like so even before you or I was born. Do not blame me for the girl's death. I was just trying to survive."

Blu narrowed his eyes in frustration. She was right though. It was the way nature worked. However, the death of Flor was just too cruel. She had helped him in any way possible, and her reward for her efforts was death. Was this life? To just do your best and then die? The eagle picked up the body and threw it towards the macaw couple. It rolled once on the ground before stopping near them. Another lighting of thunder appeared, and then came the rain. The eagle briefly looked up and then faced Blu and Jewel.

"Wet food is really not my style, but I am famished."

The eagle started walking towards them. Jewel and Blu glanced at the body once more and then took off running. They ran out of the trees and started running along the cliff. It abruptly ended as they reached a ledge too high to jump from. Jewel tried to look for a new path, but the eagle caught up to them and cornered the couple.

"Now, Dearie, step away from the edge. I rather not pick scattered pieces of you."

Jewel panicked, frantically looking for a chance to escape. She then felt Blu's wing moving off her shoulders. She faced Blu. Wordlessly, he walked up in front of her and faced the eagle.

"Well," grinned the eagle, "this is interesting. Looks like the blue knight wants another beating."

"Blu, don't."

Without looking back at Jewel, he replied, "Jewel, get out of here."

"No!" cried Jewel. "I won't leave you."

"We don't have time for this. Just go!"

"I think not, Romeo," said the eagle.

The eagle came at Blu with full force. She pinned the bird down, but she made the mistake again of not keeping him down by his neck. He bit her leg and pushed himself up. While she was momentarily vulnerable, he clawed her chest. This time, it was closer to her heart. She flinched in the sting, but she didn't allow Blu to strike her down. She noticed Jewel was now beginning to escape. She used full force and grabbed Blu's right wing with her right foot. She hovered briefly off the ground to grab the same wing with her left foot and snapped it. She threw Blu aside.

"I'll deal with you later."

Blu managed to see the eagle take off for his girlfriend. He weakly extended his good wing out.

"Jewel," he breathed weakly.

The running Jewel pressed on. She glanced back to see the eagle catching up to her. She looked forward and ran faster. It was pointless though. The eagle had flown over her and landed in front of her. Jewel came to a halt. The skies flashed white with thunder as rain continued to fall. The eagle grinned.

"Looks like your time is up, Dearie."

Jewel took a step back in fright.

"No. It wasn't supposed to end like this!"

The eagle shook his head in disapproval.

"What did you think? That you were to live happily ever after with your future mate? Ha! Life is not a Disney fairy tale. There is no princess. There is no prince. There is no castle. There is no happy ending."

"You're wrong," said Jewel, shaking her head in disagreement. "There is happiness in life."

"Well, probably. I'll be happy after my meal and you- Oh, that's right. You'll be dead. Life is a two-way street. For one's happiness, one has to be sad."

"Not all the time!"

"Well, I would love to continue to chat, but I need to survive."

The eagle reached out for Jewel. Jewel closed her eyes to await death…but it never came. She opened one of her eyes and then both when she gasped. Another bird had wrapped both of its feet around the eagle's neck. The eagle frantically tried to get it off by using her wings, but the bird was too strong and didn't allow it.

"You bitch! You killed Flor!"

"So?" questioned the eagle, finally grabbing the bird's tail feather with her wing.

"Xavier," breathed Jewel.

"I won't let you take another life!"

"How noble of you, but," said the eagle, grabbing his neck with her other wing, "you'll be seeing her shortly."

"I know," he breathed.

The eagle was surprised on what he said. Jewel was startled on what Xavier said. Why would he say that? Soon, her question was answered. Xavier used all his strength to pick up the eagle. The eagle squirmed to break free, but Xavier didn't budge as the wing around his neck tighten up. Xavier briefly looked at Jewel and smiled. Jewel's eyes widened as she realized what he planned to do. He quickly flew off the cliff's edge with the eagle still in his clutches. Jewel saw as he abruptly started to head-dive rapidly from the sky towards the lower part of the jungle. The eagle struggled to break free.

"You know that we're going to die at this speed. Do you really want to give up your life so easily?"

"I cannot forgive you on killing Flor. Besides…I was meant to die the day I met you."

Jewel looked down from the cliff as Xavier and the eagle disappeared into the jungle. A bang was faintly heard, as if something with great speed smashed against a rock. A few birds in that area were startled by the sound and either began squawking and chirping or just flying away. The rain settled down and stopped. A tear escaped Jewel's eye and then a whisper from her beak.

"Xavier…thank you."

Jewel looked back and finally spotted Blu on the ground.

"Blu," she breathed and starting running towards him.

Blu lifted his head again and weakly saw Jewel coming towards him. He smiled. Jewel slowed down as she neared him and got to her knees. She caressed his head with her wing.

"Jewel," he breathed, closing his eyes briefly. "You're safe."

"Blu."

"What happened to the eagle?"

"Xavier saved me."

"What? He's-he's here."

Jewel shook her head as her eyes glittered with water. She whipped her eyes.

"Not anymore."

Blu understood and slowly tried to stand. Jewel supported him from his side that had the good wing. She put his wing over her shoulders, but Blu moved his wing away.

"Blu, you-"

"Jewel, I can manage."

Blu slowly walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down. He sighed. He turned back to Jewel and walked up to her.

"Let's get back to the sanctuary."

Jewel nodded, and they started walking along the cliff. Soon, the skies started to clear up. The moonlight shined down through two holes in the clouds for a moment or two. One ray of moonlight beamed down to some area in the lower part of the jungle, and the other ray lighted the area where Flor's body rested. Blu looked up at the sky as they walked. He saw a very bright star through each of the holes in the clouds. Blu smiled.

At least they're together again. Flor; Xavier. Thank you for everything.