HI! I am still out here...School just started and I haven't had ANY time to write whatsoever. So here you go, and just a warning... It is suuuuuper long. It's way longer than I would normally go, but I'm trying to get on to the adventure so these next two chapters are going to be huge! So thanx for being patient and stickin' with me!

Chapter 4

Words Said and Actions Spoken

Nico stepped away from his girls, giving them both a soft kiss, Gwyn on the cheek and his dear Sonny on the beak, and walked into his kid's bedroom. Upon entering, Diego looked up and murmured a soft "Hey."

Nico stood over Diego's bed, casting a long shadow over his son. He crossed his wings and smirked, saying sarcastically, "Don't tell me you're having love problems too?"

Diego's face broke into a grin and he laughed. After a few moments, he sat up and shook his head, "No…well, not problems just…"

Nico raised an eyebrow, "Just what?"

Diego shrugged, "I'm just…trying to think of what to say…"

Nico realized what he was talking about. He replied, "Ohh…" With a shrug, he added, "Just come flat out and ask, kiddo. It's a fifty-fifty chance no matter what you sa-" Nico stopped talking the second he saw his son's agitated glare.

Diego crossed his wings over his chest and replied, "That wasn't quite the response I'd hoped to get." He paused and sat up, dangling his legs over the edge of his nest, "How did you ask grandpa if you could take mom out?"

Nico opened his beak, but then changed his mind. Quickly closing it, he tried to think of a back-up answer, but Diego had already caught on. His face broke into a grin, "Oooo a story! This should be good!"

Nico looked away and laughed. "Umm…"

Diego rolled his eyes, "Come on, surely it wasn't that bad!"

Nico's eyes widened at the memory. He only laughed nervously and called into the other room, "Hey Sonny? Diego wants to know how I asked your dad if I could take you out!"

There was a sound of ruffling feathers from the other room and Sonny suddenly burst in, Gwyn hot on her heels. Sonora quickly grabbed Nico's wing, dragged and shoved him out the door before poking her head back in with a sweet smile, and said, "We'll be right back."

With that she disappeared. Gwyn and Diego stifled their laughs with their wings when they could hear their parents' muffled talking from the other room. Nico was talking smoothly and calmly as usual, while Sonora's voice was a much higher pitch and much quicker.

Sitting on the bed next to her brother, Gwyn said, "Now I'm really curious…"

Diego only nodded when their parents suddenly walked back in, Nico a smug look on his face and Sonora a slightly peeved. Apparently he won the battle, but she would be present for the recounting of this tale.

Nico looked at his two chicks, his smug expression diminishing quickly, and being replaced with embarrassment. "So…you guys reeeeally wanna hear this story?" The looks he received from his chicks read "Duh"; he frowned and sighed. "Okay…" Diego and Gwyn waited patiently but excitedly for the story to begin. Nico cast a sidelong glance at the now amused-looking Sonora, sighed again, and began…

"Okay, so we met senior year, you guys know that…" The kids nodded when he paused, smiled wistfully, and continued, "We obviously became friends instantly and hung out as much as we could. But it finally dawned on me that I should talk to your grandpa. So I asked Uncle Pedro and Rafael where you're mom lived so I could talk to her dad and surprise her with the news." Nico paused again when Sonny put her face in her wings with a laugh; he frowned, "The funny part isn't even here yet!"

"Continue!" Diego pressed impatiently.

Nico exhaled and continued, "The next morning rolled around and, after some fun time at the beach, I flew to your mom's hollow… I… uh… knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. When the door finally opened, I was greeted by a middle-aged sparrow who smiled brightly and ushered me inside. Before I could say a word, she said, 'Oh, you must be Precious's boyfriend! Come in, come in!'" Nico paused with a sheepish grin, "I honestly thought that was Sonny's nickname that her mom gave her, so with a shrug, I followed her in!" He shook his head and his chicks giggled. "Stupid choice…"

Sonny prodded, "Keep goin!"

Nico glared at her and she only gigled, "So I waited in the doorway for a minute because the mom disappeared to go find her mate and daughter. I became increasingly nervous, but finally they returned…" He bit the side of his beak at the memory, a look of complete discomfort etched on his face.

Gwyn smiled and asked, "What happened?"

Nico shook his head as Sonora laughed at his expression, "The daughter was the scariest thing I have EVER seen in my ENTIRE life!"

The kids burst out laughing with their mom and he continued, "No, seriously! Not to be mean, but she wasn't even close to decently cute! I was skeptical about the whole situation anyway, but it was then that I instantly knew what a horrible mistake I had made…" He shook his head in embarrassment, "I went to the wrong hollow."

Diego held his stomach from the laughter he was experiencing, and toppled backwards in his nest. As he flopped onto his back, Gwyn gasped through her giggling, "So what did you do?"

"Well," Nico nervously laughed, "Before I could even say anything, the dad started getting all formal-like, saying, 'So you'd like to court my daughter, hm? What makes you eligible for such an honor?'" Nico laughed at the memory and added, "I tell ya', I just about laughed in his face! He was such a weirdo… but I digress. After a few seconds, I dumbly mumbled that I had gone to the wrong hollow… yeah, the father drove me out so fast I thought he was gonna kill me."

Sonny smiled, "I just happened to be flying by my neighbor's house when their door suddenly burst out and I saw my best friend flying out for his life. I managed to catch his attention before he left."

"As I recall," Nico smirked and stepped over to his girl, "You plowed me over."

"You ran into me for the first time that day." Sonora grinned and they shared a deep look and smile from the memory.

Diego asked eagerly, breaking their moment, "And? What did you say?"

Nico thought for a minute, "Huh… I don't remember."

"WHAT?" Gwyn and Diego exclaimed.

Nico grinned, holding his wings up, "By the time I got there, all my fear was gone! I was just happy that I was at the right house!"

Sonny smiled, "I don't know the full details, but I know that Nico was just himself, and my dad was able to just be himself and they hit it off really well." Then they both shuddered, "It was my mother that took some convincing…"

Nico nodded, "Yeah, but she came around. The rest is history." He added with a smile, and they shared a long kiss.

Gwyn smiled happily, finally knowing how her parents started dating, but Diego sulked, "What was the point of telling us all that? I didn't get any helpful tips to asking him!"

"Diego, I gave you the two best pieces of advice I have for that situation!" Nico smiled, and counted on his flight feathers, "One, make absolutely positively sure without a shadow of a doubt that you are at the right hollow!" Sonny and Gwyn laughed at his stressing of certain words, and he continued seriously but softly, "And two, if you care about her, it doesn't take some fancy, magical words to ask. Be honest, respectful and look as promising as you possibly can that you can and will take care of his baby girl. Chances are he'll give you a chance."

Diego looked at Nico in amazement, and then suddenly asked, "Where do you get your wisdom?"

Sonny laughed as Nico stood up straight, acting cool, "Comes with age and experience, kiddo. Someday ya' might just be as lucky as me." Then he spun Sonny around and ended with his wing wrapped around her waist.

Diego laughed, "Well, I'm just like you in every other aspect of life; looks like I'm in good shape!"

Nico smiled, happy to know his son was excited about being just like his dad.

Manny and I sat on the top of a beautiful trolley, leaning up against the gear box, snuggled up together, his wing around my shoulders. This was officially the best moment of my life…besides the fact that I was still steamed at my parents from after school. We were in the middle of talking about it though.

Manny winced, "Well, maybe you shouldn't be so touchy. You know parents only get grouchy when their kids are grouchy."

"That's true," I agreed with a sigh, but added, "But my dad has been so off lately! I don't know why, he's just so much quieter these days and constantly stares at us like we have junk on our faces or something. I don't get it." I shrugged with a sigh.

Manny shrugged, "Well, maybe it's just because you guys are getting older? When my oldest siblings left the nest, my mom almost went nuts. She couldn't sit still anymore; she always had to be cleaning something. Finally, my dad literally made her sit down before she had a heart attack." He paused, thinking.

I looked up at him, highly confused, "And?"

"And that's when she broke down and cried into his shoulder for hours." He nodded solemnly, "Yeah, she just kept sobbing that she missed them even though they were only a few trees away…" He sighed again, then tisked his tongue, "But hey, she got over it. They still come to visit when they aren't busy with their kids and stuff, so it's no big deal now."

I nodded with a smile, thinking about how good he was with his little cousins. I had been over once when his sister was over and He had been incredible with the little feather-balls, it only made me fall for him all the more. I mean what's cuter than a guy who plays with chicks? Then I looked up at him and murmured, "Uncle Manny…"

"Hey, that's a highly esteemed position!" He declared with a smirk, not looking away from my eyes.

I laughed, "I'll bet!" After a few moments, I shrugged, "I don't know. My mom will probably cry, but I just can't see her losing her mind. She's too strong for that." At this we both nodded, "My dad on the other wing…" I tapered off, thinking, "He's a big softie, deep down. He probably just doesn't want to let us go." I looked away thinking hard about what that nightmare would be like.

"That's exactly what it is." Manny agreed quietly. After a moment of silence, he looked over at my pensive expression, and squeezed my shoulder, regaining my attention, "Don't worry about it, okay hun? When he's ready to let you go, I'll be right there to take his place."

I looked deep into his beautiful grey eyes, "Really?"

Manny nodded and added, "And I'll wait as long as it takes for him to let go."

I could feel my heart pumping faster, making my breath harder to catch, and my cheeks heat up with a blush, "Promise?"

With his other wing, he caressed my cheek, making the touch almost tickle, rested his forehead on mine and whispered, "With every feather I've got."

I smiled and looked down, breaking eye contact, but he had other plans and reached down, pulling my chin back up to regain the electrifying eye contact, and said firmly, "I love you, Sel."

I felt my eyes widen and my heart rate shoot through the roof as his soft voice landed on my ears. Then I smiled softly and murmured what I had been meaning to for a long time, "I love you too, Manny." Then, to the surprise of the both of us, he slowly closed his eyes and leaned forward. I didn't draw back, I didn't want to, just leaned forward as well, tilting my head a little until our beaks met. At first it was strange, then all of that melted away as my reeling mind realized that this was my first kiss, ever! Then I wasn't thinking anymore as I savored the soft, tender, wonderful kiss.

Manny slowly pulled back a moment later, breaking the kiss. At first I didn't know what had happened, but I blinked open my eyes, and couldn't help but beam at Manny, when our eye's met. He laughed a little nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, "Wasn't planning on that to be honest…"

I watched him and smiled, nuzzling my head under his chin, "It's okay." I replied quietly. He rested his head gently on top of mine, pulling me closer, and together we watched the sunset as the trolley travelled through the city we both loved, almost as much as each other.

Diego landed on the front porch nervously. Not long after story-time at his family's hollow, he had left to go talk to Lillie's dad. He stared up at the door fearfully, not wanting to knock but wanting to all at the same time… not wanting to face Carlos… not-

"Diego?" a quiet voice asked, interrupting his thoughts. He jumped and whirled around to see Lillie hovering behind him. He blinked and gulped; the setting sun was shining down, an orange glow glinting off her golden feathers perfectly, making her blue eyes sparkle, it took his breath away.

Lillie landed in front of him and waved a wing in his face, asking again, "Diego?"

Diego shook his head and stammered, "Oh, uhh… h-hi Lillie!"

Lillie smiled but looked around uneasily, and whispered "What are you doing here?"

"Umm… Well-" Diego started, but the door creaking open from behind him and Lillie's eyes widening in front of him stopped his voice right in his throat.

"Inside Lillie." A male voice snarled behind him.

Lillie sadly murmured, "Bye Diego." and quickly flew around him and inside. Diego turned around nervously and faced the voice. Carlos closed the door behind his daughter, crossed his wings and scowled down at the teen, making him feel like a bug that was about to get stepped on.

Finally, after a few moments of awkward silence, Carlos snapped, "Who are you and why are you here?"

Diego could feel his heart racing. He took a silent deep breath, and squeaked, "Hi," he frowned as his voice squeaked, cleared his throat, then continued with his voice back to the normal richness, "Hi! I'm Diego-"

"Not Nico's son?" Carlos's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Diego opened his beak, but nothing came out. His eyes shifted a little bit, his beak still agape. "Uhh… yes?"

Carlos scowled, "Did he send you to apologize?"

Diego raised an eyebrow in confusion, his own brown eyes narrowing, "Umm-"

"Good, 'cause it is about time. We've been living here for sixteen years now, and he finally sends a sad excuse for an apology." Carlos said nearly half to himself.

Diego frowned, but bit back a smart retort. Snapping now would mean he would never see Lillie again, and that thought forced him to wipe away his frown and try to continue, "No, I'm actua-"

"I'm surprised at you." Carlos interrupted again, "You look exactly like your father, you don't have the carefree and outspoken personality he has." Diego did a double-take; everyone he knew said the exact opposite! Diego opened his beak again, but before a sound could come out, Carlos spoke again, causing Diego to sigh, "It almost makes me wonder if you can sing like him, too. I heard your father sing one time and that was good enough to pass as I'd say decent…"

"Can I ask you something?" Diego blurted, at the end of his rope. He didn't come to hear what this bird had to say to belittle his dad!

Carlos frowned sternly, "If you were my chick, you wouldn't get away with that kind of rudeness. I see that, strangely your parents lack in the discipline department."

"Trust me, my parents do quite well with punishments," Diego smiled sarcastically.

Carlos growled, "Apparently not well enough because you keep-"

"Can I take Lillie on a date?" Diego blurted loudly. Enough of this! Was his thought before his widened as he realized how loud the statement had been. The look on Carlos's face was absolutely priceless however; his face was frozen with confusion.

He snapped out of his daze and asked defensively, "What?"

This was it; Diego knew that he was about to get booted for good. He sighed and asked quietly, but firmly, "I came to ask for your permission to take Lillie on a date." He looked up at Carlos hopefully, but didn't make baby eyes or anything; he only did that to his mom…it rarely worked anyway.

Carlos exhaled deeply, thinking about what Diego said. Diego stood his ground and stayed perfectly still, looking him in the eyes. Finally, Carlos asked, "You'd be the first to come here to ask about Lillie."

Diego honestly smiled and replied, "I liked her the first moment I met her."

"Where was that?"

Diego thought, "Umm… the waterfall. My sisters and a couple friends of ours were hanging out there after school one day, and Lillie and some of her friends stopped by. She knew my friends, and my friends introduced us to their friends and Lillie. We've been friends ever since."

"When was that?"

"About six months ago," Diego replied.

Carlos asked next, "What do you plan on doing on this date?"

Diego rubbed the back of his neck, "Umm… I honestly haven't really thought that far ahead… maybe go on a trolley ride or go to the beach? I'll run any ideas by you before we go anywhere!"

Carlos looked over Diego's head and said gruffly, "You sure seem willing to do anything."

Diego smiled and replied nervously, "Well… she's worth it." Then he was able to let his lopsided grin come to his face, and felt a little better. Carlos remained silent for the next few minutes. Diego nervously chewed the edge of his beak, waiting to hear the worst.

Carlos finally looked back down at him and said, "I want her home by nine."

It took the statement a minute to process in Diego's mind, but when it did, his eyes widened, his beak split into a huge smile and he nodded vehemently. "YES! ABSOLUTELY!" He exclaimed excitedly.

Carlos chuckled a little and rolled his eyes, "And there's the Nico within."

"Yup! Been here the whole time really but-" Diego stopped when he noticed the scowl on Carlos's face. He snapped his beak shut when a flight feather suddenly emerged and pointed in Diego's face, "You can take her on a date, but it doesn't change anything between our families. Understood?"

Diego blinked and nodded, but Carlos wasn't done, "AND," he added with extra emphasis, "If you hurt my little girl physically or emotionally, don't expect daddy to save you. You'll be hearing from me and you'll take what I have to say like a man. Got it?"

Diego's eyes were wide as saucers by now, but he nodded vehemently. Carlos stepped back and opened the door, calling, "Lillie!"

Lillie emerged a moment later, batting her eyelashes and looking very innocent, and asked quietly, "Yes?"

Carlos cocked his head at Diego and went inside. Her eyes widened and a huge smile broke across her face. Once the door closed, Lillie threw her wings around Diego's neck and squealed excitedly. "Oh my gosh, he said YES!"

Diego was surprised, "Wait, were you eavesdropping?"

Lily drew back with wide eyes, and said sarcastically, "I ain't droppin' no eaves!"

Diego laughed, "You hang out with Ray too much!"

"Oh, you're one to talk!" Lillie rolled her eyes, but they continued to hold each other in a loose hug. Gently they rested their foreheads together and gazed into each other's eyes.

Diego smiled, "Well, when do you wanna do something?"

"Well," Lillie thought, "Not tonight because mom has plans… how about tomorrow night?"

"Okay!" Diego agreed, "You decide what you wanna do, okay?"

Lillie nodded and pulled him to her again, and held him tightly. "I'm so excited!"

Diego hugged her back, never wanting to let her go, "Me too!"

Once they parted, he looked up at the sky, "Oh boy, it's getting dark; I gotta go."

"Oh yeah… get home safe, okay? Wouldn't want you to miss our date!" Lillie shot him a wink and a sly little grin.

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it for ANYTHING!" Diego grinned.

Lillie smiled, "Promise?"

"Promise." After another quick hug, he said, "See you tomorrow, beautiful." He winked, placed a soft kiss on her cheek, and took off into the evening air.

"Bye!" Lillie murmured, dazed after what had just happened. Then she smiled and flew into her room, wanting to document this moment in her diary so she could have the memory even when she was old.

Diego, on the other wing, felt totally bullet-proof! He pumped his wings as fast as he could, ecstatic to tell his family the great news!

It was close to eight thirty when Selena and Manny were flying through the darkening forest. They were chasing each other through the trees, laughing.

Selena called behind her teasingly, "What's wrong? Too slow to catch up?"

Manny pumped his wings harder and faster, catching up to her in seconds. He steered into her gently, pushing her over a little, "Well, would you watch where you are going?" he smirked.

"I am watching where I'm going; unfortunately, you are not!" Suddenly, Sel pulled up and he looked ahead of him. He gasped and tried to swerve away from the thick patch of leaves hanging off a branch ahead of him. He was unsuccessful and received a resounding *THWAP* in the face.

"Oww!" he muttered, blinking wildly as he kept flying. Selena rejoined him, laughing at him. He looked over and scowled, "You're mean."

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

The couple kept arguing as they flew past the well-known home of Pedro and Nora. They didn't notice the yellow blur fly out of the hollow and follow them from above.

"I am NOT mean!" Selena yelled with a laugh.

"Yes, you are!" Manny argued.

"You both are weird, that much is true!" A voice rang out.

The couple looked up to see Gwyn smiling above them. "Oh," Sel smiled, "Hi sis."

"Hey," She replied, gliding to their level.

"Where did you come from?" Manny asked.

Gwyn smiled, "I was at Uncle Pedro's; I was just leaving when you guys flew by, so I thought I'd join you."

"Oh ok." Manny nodded.

Selena asked, "What did you do all day?"

Gwyn shrugged, "Eh, nothing really. Talked with mom and dad for a while, and then went to Ellie's after dinner. How was your guys' day?"

They smiled simultaneously, "Good!" They replied after sharing a knowing, and very emotional look. Apparently they didn't want to go into details because they remained silent.

"Good." Gwyn replied softly.

Selena suddenly looked down at the bushes and hovered in place in confusion. Her sister and boyfriend stopped as well, Manny asking, "What is it?"

"I don't know, I think I saw something shiny. Let's check it out!" Selena grinned. Before they could object, Selena dove to the ground. They quickly followed her and landed next to her on the ground.

"Sel, we shouldn't be on the ground this late," Manny warned looking around protectively, and ruffling his feathers.

"I'll be just a second…" She countered, rummaging through leaves as she walked behind a bush.

Gwyn watched her uneasily as Manny scanned the surrounding area for possible predators watching or looming nearby. Gwyn blinked confusedly when a few leaves fell off a bush near Sel, and she saw multiple rows of thin, silver horizontal and vertical lines…

Gwyn gasped and flew forward as fast as she could. "Selena!"

"Hold on, I think I found it," Sel replied tugging at ne of the metal lines on the ground. Gwyn shot into the cage and pushed her sister out, just as the locks snapped and the doors closed with a metallic slam that echoed through the forest.

Selena gasped and jumped up, running to the cage walls with Manny, "Gwyn!"

Gwyn stood up and ran to the wall, holding onto her sister's wings through the bars and trying to keep calm. Sel looked at Manny frantically and asked, "What do we do?"

"I don't- LOOK OUT!" He suddenly tackled Selena into the bushes when a human emerged from a few bushes away. He walked up to the bush, picked up the cage holding Gwyn captive, and started to walk away. A few other humans emerged as well, holding their own cages filled with other birds.

"NO!" Selena exclaimed, "We can't let them take her!"

"Come on!" Manny pulled her to her feet and flew into the air quickly. Selena followed and they rapidly caught up with the humans. Manny distracted them by flying around in their faces while Selena tried to open the cage.

Gwyn called up to her desperately, "Sel, get out of here!"

"No!" Selena grunted as she pulled on a latch, "I'm not leaving you!"

The human suddenly turned and saw Selena pulling on the latch. Using Gwyn's cage, he shook it roughly and flung her off. She quickly righted herself in midair and flew back to the cage; but this time, the human swung it like a bat, and the cage made contact.

Selena felt and heard her wing snap as she fell to the ground with a scream. She landed hard on her back, but the momentum caused her to flop and roll a few feet before she finally skidded to a stop.

"Selena!" Manny called desperately, landing on her side. He rolled her over and she cried out in pain, clutching her wing. She ignored her wing for a moment and watched the humans throw the cages into the back of a truck, climb in, and drive away into the night.

"No… Gwyn!" She sobbed and reached out her good wing to the truck. All adrenaline kicked in further when Manny picked her up, placed her on his back and flapped into the air. He had to get to Nico…

"See, it wasn't so bad was it?" I congratulated my son with a pat on the back.

Diego sighed, "It was…pretty frightening in some parts, not to mention he still hates your guts, but hey! He said yes so that's all that matters!"

I cocked my head to the side, "He still hates me?"

"Not that we blame him," Sonora smiled, sitting at the table and flipping through a magazine. "You did break his beak."

"He slapped you in the face! Why wouldn't I?" I exclaimed, throwing my wings into the air and walking over to her. And he's darn lucky Sonny pulled me off of him… I thought darkly and wrapped a wing around her. Nobody touches my girl and gets away with it.

As if she sensed my anxiety she reached up and planted a kiss on my cheek, cupping my face with her wing. I looked down into Sonny's beautiful green eyes, and smiled. There was just no way I could stay unhappy when she was around. Then we turned back to our son for more of the story, when he looked out the front door.

"Hey guys!" He called and we looked up to see Manny and Sel come through the door. It was strange at first, seeing Selena on Manny's back, but that was very short lived. Manny crashed to the floor, sliding across the living room on the rug, as Sel toppled off his back and wailed in pain. Sonora and I leapt up and flew across the room. She picked up our daughter and held her to her chest trying to get her to calm down before she hyperventilated, and I looked at her wing.

"It's broken." I shook my head. Then a frown came to my face and I turned to Manny and growled, "I'm going to ask this one time, and I had better get a straight answer. What happened?!"

It was then I noticed the cut just above Manny's left eye that was still bleeding a little bit, and the absolute exhaustion that was in the boy's face. My heart started pounding against my breast-bone when Manny looked up at me and choked, "I'm so sorry…"

Sonora picked up Selena's head from her shoulder and asked her in a soft tone, "Selena, talk to me sweetheart, what happened?"

Selena held her face in her good wing and tried to calm her breathing. Panting, she sobbed, "G...G…G…Gwyn…" She couldn't continue as more sobs racked her body and she turned to cry into her mother's chest.

My eyes widened as my heart dropped. Desperate now, I turned back to the boy and held him up by the shoulders, asking frantically, "What happened!"

Manny took a few deep breaths to calm down, and Diego stepped up, placing a wet cloth to his cut. Finally, Manny said shakily, "S-she got c-caught by s-smugglers."

Sonora gasped sharply as though she had been slapped, Diego's wing dropped from Manny's face in shock, and I stepped back as my wings started shaking. My eyes darted around the hollow, and I was breathing heavily. No…not another one of my girls…NO!

"Dad?" Diego asked, stepping forward to make sure I wouldn't pass out.

I snapped out of my daze and asked immediately, "Where did they go?"

Manny struggled to keep composure again, but finally managed, "Sel and I tried to fight the humans to get her out, but one broke her wing so I couldn't follow them. They got in a car and left."

I suddenly snapped into action, "Sonny and Diego, take Selena to Albert to get her wing taken care of."

Sonny shakily nodded, though I knew she wanted to come with me; before I said anything else, Selena choked, "D-dad?"

I knelt in front of her and looked into her crying eyes. She sputtered, "I… I'm so s-sorry…" She burst into tears again and I pulled her into my wings, careful not to move her broken one. Sonny stood and started pacing as Sel cried into my chest and held onto me for dear life; as if letting go would kill her. I rubbed her back, fighting back the tears I could feel coming; after a few minutes, she started to calm down and I pulled her back.

Looking her in the eye, I said, "This is not your fault, Selena. Humans do this every day to birds everywhere." She looked like she was going to lose it again, so I added, "I'll bring Gwyn back."

Selena sniffed and asked, "But what if you can't find her? What if they leave Rio before you find her?"

I managed a small smile, and refused to be negative, "Don't focus on the 'ifs' sweetheart; alright?" Selena slowly nodded and I hugged her one more time.

Then I stood and went to my mate, "Sonny…" I grabbed her wing and she whirled to face me.

"I'm coming with you." She said determinedly, and even though her voice cracked from the sobs she was fighting incredibly hard to keep back, she sounded like the warrior she was.

"Hun, you've got to get Selena to Albert, or her wing won't heal properly, and she'll never be able to fly again." I forced her into a hug, and let her cry some of her tears for a moment while I stroked her head and neck. She buried her face in my chest, and I could almost hear our hearts breaking. After a minute, I pulled back and planted my beak on hers. I didn't know what else to do to comfort her for the time being, and as I pulled back I used my "thumbs" to wipe away the tears that were streaming down her beautiful face. "Be strong, sunshine. I'll bring our baby girl back."

"I'll try Nico…" She gasped and blinked a few times to stay the tears.

"There's my girl." I kissed her forehead and turned to my son. "Help your mom." I instructed him and Diego nodded ferociously. I walked to the doorway and stopped, looking down at Manny, who was sitting on a stool, his face in his wings. I could tell he thought he was going to lose his girl, and that we were going to hate him, but I wasn't going to do any of that. I bent down and pulled the teen up by his shoulders very gently. Manny made eye contact with me sadly, and I could see a few tears there in his eyes. He was fearing the worst.

I swallowed thickly and said quietly, "I don't blame you in the least bit." I softly shook his shoulders, and made him keep eye contact. "You did everything you could to get Selena home in one piece, and for that, you're number one in my book." Then we shared a small smile, "Now I have only one more request of you."

Manny's eyes widened a little in surprise, but he replied "Anything Mr. Canary."

"Alright two," I stepped back and extended a wing, "Call me Nico, and please stay with my girls until they get back home from Albert's, and keep Sel calm." Again the boy nodded and I turned to Sonny, "I'll be back when I can."

Sonora nodded, saying "Good luck…" And I flew out the door as fast as I could. A two minute flight later, I landed in Pedro's hollow. The family was currently playing a game on the floor, but looked up and smiled when he walked in.

"Hey… man…" Pedro's smile diminished into a frown at my expression. "You alright?"

"No." I sighed, biting back tears again; before I completely lost it, though, I added quickly, "I need you to come with me."

Pedro nodded and stood, "You two listen to your mama." The kids nodded and they watched with Nora as their dad followed me out the door. "What's wrong bro?"

"Gwyn is gone." I choked.

"What!?" Pedro gasped, "She was just here!"

"I know. Sel and Manny just burst through the door, Sel with a broken wing, and Manny with some bumps and bruises, and said that Gwyn got taken by smugglers."

"NO!" The cardinal nearly screamed.

"We need to go and look for her!" I replied.

"Ok just let me tell Nora." He went inside and I started pacing. Almost a minute later he returned and we flew off into the sunset. Hold on baby girl! I'm coming!

I shivered in the cage, wrapping my wings around myself to keep warm. The stupid humans had the AC blasting in the truck and we were all freezing. I had been in the cage for hours now, but I had no idea how many. The third stop we made I heard a loud struggle and yet another cage was chucked inside.

"How dare you touch my father?!" The voice sounded a bit familiar, but it had been so long since I had heard it, I couldn't be sure.

"Tico! Get out of here and get your mother and aunt Sonora! They'll be able to help!" It was, as I feared. The voice belonged to a bird in a cage that was thrown directly above mine.

"Uncle Tadeo!" I cried and leapt up to the roof of my cage and he looked down with a gasp.

"No…Gwyn!" He knelt down to the floor and took my wing through the bars. "Minha sobrinha doce (my sweet niece)! How did you end up here?" I couldn't explain without crying so I just shook my head and tried to get closer to him. The humans returned to the car and we drove for a while before we stopped again.

Suddenly, the doors of the truck opened and the silhouette of a human scared us half to death. We jumped back and I pressed myself to the back of the cage, while my uncle squawked and pecked at the man's hand; he was left on top of my cage and we were both carried out of the truck and into an airplane.

"No…" I whispered. I turned and looked at the forest around us; I looked longingly at the Corcovado Mountain where the Cristo Redentor stood at the peak. Help us! I cried out to Him, hoping he could hear me.

"You horrible humans will be sorry!" Tadeo cried shaking a wing at them, but it was no use. The man sat our cage down and stacked more and more around us, and my home became more difficult to see. After ten minutes, I could just see the morning rays of sunlight stretching across the periwinkle sky and the human closed the hatch, shutting us away from our homeland forever.

Please Review! I need a review! I haven't had one in so long...;)