Chapter 12- a nasty mockery
Meanwhile, back in the Sanctuary de Amazon
The activities of the Amazon jungle continued with monkeys swinging through the trees, predators such as snakes minding their own business or waiting for prey, and birds flew through the canopy. In the Amazon Sanctuary, the three tribes (the Spix and red macaw tribes and the much-larger mixed-species tribe led by flying foxes Augustus and Melissa) continued their usual activities as well. Parents continued to raise their chicks, pups, flaplings (baby pterosaurs) or other young; teens chatted and more animals foraged or went about their usual activities and jobs as well as visit their friends in the other two tribes. In the Spix macaw tribe's territory, just near the boundary to the territory of the red macaw tribe, a certain colourful macaw teen who was a cross between a scarlet macaw and a blue-and-gold macaw was out with some friends. This Catalina macaw was Sheldon and he was equipped with a drawing pad and some pencils and was examining a pupa and drawing it. Like Bia, Sheldon loved to draw things in nature and was very knowledgeable about biology and maths much like Bia and her father Blu. With Sheldon were some of the friends of him and company including Carla, Bia and Tiago, most of who were now either teens or approaching young adulthood; Esmeralda the great green macaw, Victor the hyacinth macaw who wore his signature coconut shell cap, Orquidea and her brother Brock the blue-and-gold macaws, Spyro the archaeobird and son of archaoebird clan leaders Eragon and Andromeda, and Sandalwood and Connie the flying foxes, the former who was the oldest child and son of Orion and Ahsoka.
Though Carla and their cohorts were roughly the same age range, their maturity ages varied with their species. For Spix macaws like Carla, Bia and Tiago, they became adults at around age five. However, Amazon flying foxes like Sandalwood and his sibling matured at age two years, meaning a shorter childhood for the winged mammals so Sandalwood, together with Connie, were actually young adults already. However, they were still somewhat childlike. Hyacinth macaws like Victor, however, matured much later at around seven years so Victor was essentially still a chick but he was showing signs of a gap difference in height to the smaller macaw species. When hyacinth macaw chicks grew, they undergo a growth spurt and the height difference between them and the average-sized macaw the like Spix, great green and scarlet increased rapidly until adulthood. Archaeobirds like Spyro reached maturity at around five years, roughly the same as the Spix macaw so Spyro was also a teen. Because Carla, Bia and Tiago and their cohorts were going through the transition period to adulthood with Sandalwood and Acerola nearing the end of theirs earlier, some of them had begun dating. Sheldon's sister Opal was dating Brock, Orquidea's brother while Sandalwood was dating Connie. In the three tribes, it was never recommended that couples go out alone and instead date with other couples or have chaperones go with them. For the Amazon flying fox clan, it was mandatory that teen pup couples have friends or chaperones around them when they go out on dates and Sandalwood and Connie were surrounded with such, and Orion had been utterly firm with his older son to treat Connie with utmost respect. After all, the last thing anyone needed was unplanned impregnation or eggs, but I digress.
"Once a caterpillar has eaten its fill, it finds a suitable and safe spot to pupate," Sheldon told the other seven perched on a branch opposite him and the pupa, his colourful wings holding the drawing pad and a pencil. The Catalina macaw carried a small leaf-bag to hold his supplies while flying, "It will hang from its caudal or tail end by a piece of silk and shed its skin to form a cocoon."
"Most of us know that, Sheldon," said Esmeralda, some berries clutched in her talon.
"Indeed," added Spyro, "Mom showed me a caterpillar turn into a cocoon when I was learning to glide."
"And after some time, the caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly," said Orquidea with a fascinated smile. Nearby, Sandalwood and Connie who hung from their feet from a nearby and higher branch as bats almost always did, smiled. Sheldon nodded in response to Orquidea's answer.
"Correct," said the Catalina macaw as e finished off the drawing of the pupa, "and once a butterfly leaves its pupa, it will look for a mate and start the lifecycle over," he then gazed at his finished drawing of the pupa and smiled in satisfaction.
"It's amazing how different the caterpillar looks to a butterfly, isn't it?" said Sandalwood.
"And I think it's understandable that caterpillars have to eat and eat and eat and fatten themselves up for the transformation," added Connie, "I always thought caterpillars were greedy gluttons who gorged themselves on leaves for no apparent reason until Sandalwood here told me that it was to prepare to become a butterfly."
"Yes, they will need every resource they can get their mandibles into in order to grow and finally pupate," said Sandalwood.
"But still," said Spyro, his brilliantly iridescent violet plumage and aqua blue flight feathers on his wings, legs and tail glinting beautifully in the sunlight like a cluster of gemstones or the iridescent wings of the insect the group was discussing, "how does a caterpillar become a butterfly in that leaf wrapping?"
"We have always wondered how the transformation goes," added Brock who stood next to Orquidea. Sheldon then closed his eyes and pointed a feather upwards.
"That's easy to explain," the Catalina macaw began, "The caterpillar's body breaks down with its cells undergoing a process called apoptosis to..." as he entered technical territory, Spyro's eyes began to spin faster and faster as his brain became overwhelmed until finally, he took action.
"STOOOP!" screeched the archaeobird, making Sheldon stop, and the others jump, "I get it okay!? The caterpillar just undergoes an amazing transformation into the butterfly within the pupa with the formation of the wings and the other parts that ONLY butterflies have, and that's good enough for me."
"Yes, you don't have to start using nonsensical words and describe in detail what happens within that leaf casing," added Victor.
"Yes, only Sandalwood here is able to understand that bizarre language," put in Connie with a nod to the male teen bat with yellow fur next to her who smiled.
"But to know that the caterpillar actually becomes mush to rebuild itself into a butterfly?" grunted Esmeralda a little repulsively, "Ugh, that sounds gross."
Sheldon opened his beak to speak when suddenly, spiteful laughter emitted nearby, pulling his attention and the attention of the other seven the laugher's way.
"Huh!?" Spyro grunted as a cerulean macaw, the laugher, flew in. This macaw was female, had long flowing feathers extending from her crown to her shoulders where they curved up at the ends, a slender build and a white patch enclosing each eye with an additional band over the beak. Her eyes were a shade of green but in them was not a good concoction as they glared at Sheldon and company. Like Carla and her cohorts, this Spix macaw was a teen but she was one of the macaws that should NOT even be on the territory of the Spix flock. Disgust rolled through Esmeralda, Victor, Orquidea, Brock, Spyro, Sandalwood and Connie as they glared at the macaw as she flew in.
"Aguamarina!" grunted the second one in the list, the hat-wearing hyacinth macaw, in disgust.
"She should NOT even be roaming her former tribe's territory," added Esmeralda repulsively.
"Sorry, but it sounded quite funny, four-winged feathered lizard," crooned the macaw, Aguamarina to Spyro at the expense of the young archaeobird's feelings and he winced at the insult. It was a BIG offense to call an archaeobird a lizard when they were BIRDS and not REPTILES. Sandalwood and Connie then dropped from their overhanging branch onto the one five of the birds were perched and crawled over to Aguamarina, indignant glares on their faces.
"What are you doing here, Aguamarina!?" demanded the male yellow flying fox.
"You KNOW you are NOT allowed in this territory," said the other, the female, "especially after you and your mother have been banished by both yourselves and Mr Eduardo and Miss Mimi for your attitude towards many of the other macaws especially Mrs Jewel."
Sheldon then flew in, his talons clutching the drawing pad with the pupa picture as Aguamarina took no notice of the two flying foxes. Then her green eyes caught the pad.
"Huh, is that a drawing of a leaf?" asked the Spix macaw and with that, she snatched the pad from Sheldon's talons to the Catalina macaw's anger and glared at it.
"It's a pupa actually," snapped Sheldon and he stretched his wings to snatch back his drawing pad but Aguamarina shifted it out of reach, "Give it back, Agaumarina."
The others attempted to grab back Sheldon's pad for the Catalina macaw but Aguamarina hovered into the air and continued to glare at Sheldon's drawing of the caterpillar cocoon. Then the Spix macaw launched into a laughing fit. This laughter was not at all nice laughter. It was cold, mocking laughter, as chilly as the water in the Amazon River. Sheldon looked on, offense taking over his look while the other seven glared on angrily. Victor even took off his shell hat and prepared to throw it at Aguamarina but Brock and Orquidea stopped him and shook their heads, prompting the young hyacinth macaw to put the idea on hold as he glared at the cold Spix macaw. Then what came out of the daughter of Jewel's main nemesis Myrtle triggered a shockwave within the group.
"Well, I don't see how a lousy nerd bird with such a messy combination of colours for a plumage would make a great BOYFRIEND to ANY female for all I know," the Spix macaw crooned nastily, "Why do you think I stole that male macaw from that female nerd bird daughter of that frog-face Jewel and her stinkin' city pet mate?"
Aghast looks formed on the faces of Esmeralda, Victor, Brock, Orquidea, Spyro, Sandalwood and Connie and the lower mandibles of all SEVEN of them were dropped wide open, their eyes inflated out of their sockets. Sheldon, however, looked on, rigid as the scathing comment carved a claw mark into his feelings. Then Aguamarina tossed the drawing pad back at the offended Catalina macaw. The manmade block of drawing paper bound by a series of solid rings struck him on the head and he caught it in his wings.
"Thanks, it was good for a laugh," Aguamarina scoffed, "an' you certainly did brighten my day," then she flew off but not before giving Sheldon one more scathing comment as a parting gift, "See ya, son of Rottin' Ruby."
The other seven scowled after her in UTMOST disgust and OUTRAGE.
"OOOH, THAT Aguamarina!" snarled Connie, her wing thumb swiping at some leaves and sending two of them into an aerial dance in a rage, "WHO does she think she IS!?"
"Yeah, how can she just fly in and insult Sheldon like that?" asked Esmeralda.
"And Spyro," said Brock with a nod to the offended metallic violet and aqua blue archaeobird who was still hurt from Aguamarina's calling him a lizard. Then Sandawood turned to Sheldon.
"And you did an amazing job drawing that pupa in detail and all," added he.
"Yes, and Aguamarina's JUST like her mother," added Orquidea in disgust. Then Victor realised what had just come out of Aguamarina's beak about Sheldon's mother.
"Wait a minute, did I just hear what she just called Mrs Ruby right as she flew away?" the young hyacinth macaw asked, gazing at the other seven for confirmation. Then it hit Sandalwood and he flinched HARSHLY.
"Auntie Ruby is NOT gonna like THAT when she hears what Aguamarina had just called her," the flying fox growled.
"And neither will his uncle and Mrs Jewel," put in Connie, "According to them, they used to be VICIOUS enemies even where they met their mates and THAT was a frequent insult she called her..."
Then Sheldon scowled volcanically at Aguamarina as she disappeared with no HINT of remorse whatsoever into the trees and clenched his beak. His blue eyes flared with IMMENSE offense at what the Spix macaw just called him, especially during her parting comment of mockery. Then he and the other seven either took off or dropped from their branches and flew or glided off in the direction of the Spix macaw tribe to report to Eduardo and Jewel of Aguamarina's intrusion and what she had called Sheldon in particular.