Chapter 17- Raul's confrontation
Raul stood in the heated spotlight glares of his parents but he felt the temperature rise when he noticed three certain teen macaws approaching and he fidgeted in discomfort, wanting to fly away but could not. He briefly flashed the three teens a look and winced. Then Jacobo proposed the first question.
"Right, son, let's get this over with," he growled in a typical tone a father used when a child was in trouble. Raul shuddered. "Now tell us honestly. Where have you been just as the storm was arriving?"
"You should have arrived back at the ravine before the storm arrived as we have commanded when you left, ESPECIALLY when the rains and the winds were increasing," added Donna. Raul's eyes darted from his mother to his father and back and he didn't answer this question at first. Finally he spoke.
"I-I-I told you, I was swiped by a jaguar," he replied in a slight stammer, "I realised that the storm had come and on my way back to the ravine, I was trying to avoid the rain by flying close to the forest floor on my way back here."
"Where from, Raul!?" another voice asked. Raul turned and saw a chubby cerulean teen macaw glare at him with her angry green eyes. Flanking her were two more macaws, both male. One was blue with brown eyes and the other, electric blue with sea-green eyes and the eyes of both of them were laced with glares like the first one. Raul flinched. In the background, the fourth macaw had her face turned away, not wanting to look at him. Then one of the males, Tiago, spoke.
"I hope it was not from Aguamarina and her mother's hollow, was it?" he asked.
"Tiago, Carla, Virgil," Jacobo rebuked but Donna raised a wing to him and told him silently to allow them to join the confrontation. After all, Raul had been hanging out with a forbidden teen macaw who had upset their sister and friend and she thought it was best if they joined in the confrontation. Jacobo reluctantly allowed the three macaws, Carla, Tiago and Virgil to join in. As they did, an older, female macaw with curly head feathers, purple eyelids and a chubby build like Carla entered the hollow and shook her feathers of the rainwater. Mimi had turned up to check on Bia but when she saw Raul, she decided to join in the confrontation after asking one of her great-nieces if she was alright. Like Carla, Tiago and Virgil, Mimi had a hunch about Raul's whereabouts and the reason for his late arrival in the dangerous storm. Donna then asked Raul.
"Are you absolutely sure you have not come from Aguamarina and Myrtle's hollow, son?" she asked, "Because you know full well that that mother and daughter are STRICTLY forbidden as they are exiled members based on their attitude towards Jewel and her family and also the red macaw tribe, in addition to attacking Brisa, a respected tribe member in an attempt to get Roberto."
Raul nodded timidly before nodding to the scratch on his flank. "And Aguamarina gave me this claw mark as well..."
"Agauamarina scratched you?" asked Carla, "Despite her VILE attitude, she rarely claws ANY other macaw or other animal or inflicts ANY other kind of physical injury on them."
"Yes, unlike her mother who was actually physically violent when she tried to take Uncle Beto from Aunt Brisa and attempted to pair up with him against his wishes," put in Tiago. Jacobo glared at his mate and also two of Blu and Jewel's chicks. He didn't only believe Raul's story in getting scratched by a jaguar, but he also believed that his son had something to hide even under his apparent visit to Aguamarina and Myrtle's hollow.
As Jacobo and Donna continued to confront their son, Carla, Virgil and Tiago turned to gaze at Bia and noticed a familiar chubby old macaw talking with her. Flashing a look at Raul and his family, the three left and joined Mimi and Bia as the former comforted the latter.
"Are you planning on visiting Rudi over what one of his daughters had almost done to Bia?" asked Virgil. Mimi gazed at him with an angry glare.
"I initially did but Eduardo advised against it," she replied, "Especially regarding his obnoxious mate Tremaine. That mate of his CANNOT stand me at all ever since I told her off over her slandering of Felipe and his tribe and her insensitive remarks of our tribe's past war with his and she retorted with a spray of such HORRID verbal abuse that I will NOT describe. My wildflower Jewel is gonna do that, together with Ruby, Antares and Samara so I am gonna leave that to those four."
"After all, Aunt Mimi, Rudi is Uncle Antares' brother and Aunt Samara's cousin," said Carla. Tiago and Virgil, together with Bia, nodded in agreement. Then Mimi breathed a sad sigh for those two glaucous macaws. "It must be HORRIBLE for those two poor macaws to put up with this, especially Antares based on his relation to Rudi as his BROTHER..."
"And that one of his NIECES would do that to poor Bia," said Tiago with a nod to his sister who also nodded. Nearby, Raul was ordered near the hollow entrance by his parents and severely told to stay there while they had a word with Nuvem who was looking over another macaw casualty, one who had injured her wing, with another assistant. Jacobo and Donna were planning on SEVERELY disciplining their son after their short word with Nuvem. Virgil, Tiago and Carla glared at the sorry macaw and decided to confront him one last time while Mimi continued to comfort Bia. Bia stole one bitter glance at her ex before resuming spilling her feelings to her great aunt. The trio approached the distraught and sorrowful Raul as he gazed sadly at his feet. His wing clasped the medical leaf with the paste and held it over his scratch. Then he slowly looked up and when he saw the trio, he winced at their angry glares. Like Jacobo, they had a hunch that he had something to hide and that his story of his visit to Myrtle and Aguamarina's hollow wasn't really true. Raul began to timidly ask the tree.
"Is-is-is Bia gonna be alright?" he asked.
"She's none of your concern anymore, Raul," snapped Virgil, "The way you treated her when you went off with Aguamarina had been disgraceful."
"Yes," put in Carla, "Our sis had been in distress for a long time after you dumped her."
Tiago nodded in agreement. Then Raul lowered his head again. "I heard she had been attacked by one of the nasty glaucous macaws and that you saved her life, Virgil."
"That's none of your business either," said Virgil, "And knowing what a cowardly, scaredy-macaw you are who only cares about himself above everyone else, you don't deserve to know about how Bia feels."
"Your her new date now, aren't..." began Raul but Tiago cut him off.
"Don't even ask that question, Raul," Bia's brother growled, making Raul flinch. Raul then lowered his head again as the three sat near him. There was a moment of silence above the four except for the noises of the rains, winds and the thunder outside and the macaws talking quietly in the medical hollow. Then Virgil broke the silence.
"We may have had our moments from time to time, especially when you were dating Bia and I was a little jealous," he said, "But if you are hiding anything, at ALL, now is the time to spill it."
Carla and Tiago gave agreeing glares as Raul shot Bia's new date a frightened look. He winced at the pain from his scratched side and clutched his medical leaf on it. Carla then hardened her glare.
"And if it is UTTERLY stupid or beyond that," she said, her voice tone low and deadly, threatening, before pausing before saying the next segment of words, "Then you will surely regret it for a long time to come."
"Especially if it is regarding one of our family members or extended family members," put in Tiago to which Raul flinched and shot him and the other two a timid glaze.
"Raul, have you been hanging out with any other macaw or macaws besides Aguamarina?" asked Carla. Raul flinched.
"N-n-no I h-h-haven't," he replied, "It-it-it's just Aguamarina..."
"We can tell that those claw marks on your side and how they have been inflicted are one, NOT from a jaguar and two, NOT from Agaumarina either as she is rarely physical violent despite being a brat," said Virgil. Raul felt his stomach drop and his nerves tremble.
"But there ARE other forbidden macaws that are TRULY violent like Katrina from Rudi's family and clan," said Tiago, "And it is important that we and your parents know, so we're asking you again, have you been hanging out with ANY of them, at ALL?"
As he asked this, Virgil looked up and saw Raul's parents Donna and Jacobo have a word with Nuvem and Mimi and also apologise to Bia for their son's treatment of her and that they owe her parents Blu and Jewel an apology when they get the chance.
"Have you been hanging out with ANY of those macaws, Raul?" asked Tiago again, pulling Virgil's attention back to the talk. Raul looked at Carla and Bia's brother.
"Tell us, Raul," Tiago demanded in a louder and more pressing voice, "Have you been hanging out with ANY of those forbidden macaws!?"
"Be it Millie, Tillie, two more of Rudi's daughters, or any of the others?" added Virgil.
"Or worse, Katrina, that vile (bleep) and one of Millie and Tillie's half-sisters that almost killed our sister?" added Carla. Raul, at first, hesitated and trembled but then finally, he buckled under the pressure and spilled the truth.
"I-I-I had been with a group of macaws... and flying fox exiled from Mr Augustus' clan... led by Millie and Tillie..." he whispered, regret boiling in his voice. Shock washed over Carla, Tiago and Virgil and they opened their beaks and widened their eyes in disbelief at what they were hearing. Raul continued, his regretful gaze on the three disbelieving macaws. "A-a-and we attacked a little macaw chick... tore out some flight feathers from... one of her wings and... a-a-and dumped her into a jaguar's den. I-I-I didn't intervene or-or-or Millie and Tillie would... attack me and when I objected, they did, gave me this-this scratch and expelled me from their group under a V-V-VERY painful death..." he pointed to the covered scratch on his flank, hidden under the medical leaf Nuvem's assistant had given him. Carla, Tiago and Virgil continued to gaze at Raul with wide open beaks and eyes, exchanged glances and got up and left in the direction of a certain group of macaws. Raul saw where they were going and was seized with panic. Immediately, he spread his wings and bolted for the exit but as he was about to flee, he bashed into a handsome blue macaw with the unmistakable set of head feathers as he arrived with his mate and two chicks. Roberto released a squawk of angry stun as Raul crashed into his side while the other three behind him, Brisa, Lavendulan and Finnick who shook their feathers of the rainwater, flinched and shot Raul an angry glare. Roberto then seized Raul.
"What in the AMAZON RAINFOREST were you TRYIN' TO DO!?" demanded the handsome Spix macaw in his silvery voice laced with anger and annoyance.
"I'm SO SORRY, Mr Roberto!" replied Raul. As he said this, a screech rang out and another macaw surged towards him. That macaw was saturated with EVEN GREATER anger.
"RAUL, I'm gonna RIP YA FEATHERS OUT!" Bia screeched and she tackled violently into Raul, knocking him down. Then Bia flapped up and flared her claws to rake over Raul's plumage but Tiago and Virgil rushed in and seized her to restrain her while four more macaws, all of them adults, appeared. Bia was pulled back by Tiago and Virgil and then Carla who also helped to restrain her ENRAGED sister.
"I'm GONNA FLAY YA," screeched Bia, her eyes spewing hazel volcanic ash plumes. Her fiery eyes also spewed tears and sent rivulets of them down her cheeks, "HOW COULD YA JOIN THAT BUNCH OF MACAWS THAT ARE SIBLINGS AND FRIENDS OF THAT BRUTE THAT NEARLY KILLED ME!? HOW COULD YA DO SUCH A THING TO THAT POOR MACAW!?"
"Why didn't you do ANYTHING when that little macaw was left in MORTAL danger like a JAGUAR'S DEN by that gang, ESPECIALLY when she has been RENDERED unable TO FLY!?" demanded Mimi angrily.
"I-I-I was too afraid to intervene under the threat of Millie and Tillie's..." explained Raul who was clearly frightened by the volcanic storm of Bia, that storm being MORE violent than the one outside.
"Oh, you SHOULDN'T have just ABANDONED HER, Raul, you FOOLISH LAD," yelled Mimi, "CERTAINLY not in these stormy conditions and CERTAINLY not in the den of an apex forest floor predator."
The commotion attracted the audience of the other patients and visitors and Cassia and all eyes turned to the scene as Bia screeched at Raul and struggled in three pairs of wings acting as restraints.
"I'M GONNA CLAW YA REAL GOOD!" screeched she as she continued to struggle in Virgil, Carla and Tiago's wings, the three struggling to get her under control.
"WHAT'S GOING ON!?" demanded Roberto, his crest flared in fright at the storm while Brisa huddled a terrified and confused Finnick and Lavendulan, their crests also flared, from the confrontation. At the same time, they were horrified.
"THE family of the macaw you LEFT IN THAT JAGUAR'S DEN with that gang is GONNA BE UTTERLY DEVASTATED because of YOU!" shouted Nuvem angrily.
"Which macaw was this chick and where in her tribe's territory is the jaguar's den you left her in?" demanded Mimi.
"It was a glaucous macaw chick and the jaguar's den is in the mixed-species tribe's territory!" replied Raul. Mimi then darted out of the medical hollow and rushed off in the direction of a certain tree in the storm. She had gone off to alert her brother Eduardo about this revelation. Then the storm calmed down and Bia finally burst into tears. Nearby, Donna and Jacobo were looking on, EXTREMELY furious glares on their faces.
"I cannot believe you would DO such a thing, Raul," cried Bia as Carla, Tiago and Virgil held her. Behind Raul, Roberto shot a disbelieving look at Brisa, Finnick and Lavendulan, the latter two clutched in the former's wings.
Later
After everything had calmed down in Nuvem and Cassia's medical hollow and the patients apologised to for the commotion, Raul found himself surrounded by the angry glares of a number of macaws. Two of them were his parents, two more were Carla and Tiago, another was Roberto and another was Cassia. Nuvem had left to help calm the patients down while Brisa, Finnick and Lavendulan had gone to check on Brisa who had returned to her medical bed-nest with Virgil. The reason Roberto's family came here was to check on Bia. Raul quivered violently and guiltily before the angry glares of the six macaws surrounding him and now that the REAL truth had been spilled, he was in even DEEPER water than ever, and he knew it. Then Donna opened up the confrontation.
"So, what were you doing hanging out with that gang of forbidden macaws and that flying fox in Augustus and Melissa and their large multiple-species tribe's territory?" she asked in a low, calm and angry voice, her wings folded.
"I-I-I... thought Millie and Tillie were... nice macaws," replied Raul shamefully, "In fact they invited me to... join their group..."
"And then what?" asked Roberto, his wings also folded and his face wearing an angry glare, "You found their marauding activities appealing and fun, did you?"
"Or did you decide to join that bunch TO CAUSE TROUBLE!?" demanded Tiago and with that, he lunged at Raul but Roberto barked at him to contain himself which he did.
"Cool it, Tiago," added Carla. Tiago flashed his older sister a glare and returned it to Raul.
"No, Millie and Tillie invited me to join their group and they seemed like really nice glaucous macaws," explained Raul, "But the moment they started planning on causing a chick trouble, I objected but Millie and Tillie threatened to savagely attack me if I backed out, so I went along with them."
"Which macaw chick did you and your 'friends' target, ground by tearing out their wing flight feathers, and then leave in that jaguar's den?" asked Jacobo.
"It was um... a macaw that is smaller than... the average sized teen macaw..." he timidly revealed.
"What macaw species was this chick?" asked Donna.
"Glaucous," replied Raul. Shocked and UTTERLY horrified gazes were exchanged between the six listeners and Roberto's head feathers spread out lightly. Roberto then glared angrily at Raul.
"You participated... in targeting little Trixie, the youngest daughter of Sirius and Samara... in their tribe's territory... and left her for dead in the jaguar's den with that bunch of delinquent macaws led by Rudi's daughters Millie and Tillie," the handsome macaw whispered in UTMOST disbelief. Carla and Tiago then began to tremble with RAGE while Donna and Jacobo's angry glares hardened. Cassia put her wings to her beak in UTMOST stun at what she was hearing, wishing Raul was joking. However, the guilty and tearful look on Raul's face said otherwise, and CLEARLY.
"I don't know what to say about this, folks, honestly," said she to the others. Then Tiago approached Raul threateningly to the guilty macaw's fright.
"He needs evictin', that's for sure," he growled.
"Tiago, let us see to this," said Jacobo to which Tiago obeyed.
"M-M-Millie and Tillie were the ones who decided that Trixie would be a target..." e explained.
Then Cassia walked up to Raul.
"Raul, you don't UNDERSTAND how DEVASTATED that poor little glaucous macaw's family's gonna be if they find out what has happened to her," said she, "Especially if she is found..." she trailed off, not wanting to say it. Then tears welled in Cassia's eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry, folks," she whispered and she went off to weep. Nuvem came by and when he saw his mate go off to weep, he went to comfort her but she urged him to go and see Mimi and Eduardo and tell them which macaw had been left for dead by Raul and his 'company'. He came over to Roberto, Jacobo, Donna, Carla and Tiago and asked which macaw was the victim of Raul and 'company's' antics.
"Trixie," said Roberto. At first, Nuvem flinched in horror but then he regained his composure, went for the exit and left in a hasty flight to Eduardo and Mimi's trees to alert the tribe leaders of the macaw that had been targeted. The confrontation continued.
"Raul, blaming Millie and Tillie for Trixie's possibly fatal predicament is NOT gonna get you out of trouble," said Roberto, "YOU made the decision to participate in that group of delinquent macaws' antics in putting her life in literal danger," as he said, Carla and Tiago began to weep, "And her family, clan and mixed-species tribe will be unable to send out search parties to find her until that storm out there lessens, but if they do manage to find her and it is too late, the consequences are gonna be UTTERLY DIRE!"
Raul flinched as Roberto continued; "Now if we pull through this day and you grow up, pair up and have chicks of your own, this day will BITE you like a piranha, perhaps for the rest of your life."
"I can't imagine Sirius and Samara's reaction if they find out that Rudi's daughters and perhaps some of his other chicks had been the ones to endanger the life of their youngest daughter," said Jacobo in a dangerously low voice, his son not looking at him due to EXTREME shame and guilt, "After all, Rudi is the cousin of Samara and what his chicks will have done to poor Trixie will be like the ULTIMATE family betrayal that is too unfathomable to comprehend. And what makes it worse, your participation in abandoning poor Trixie to her death and your cowardice in not doing anything about it," Jacobo hardened his glare as his son flinched, "That is EVEN worse than you treatment of Bia over there," he nodded to said macaw as she continued to talk with Virgil, Brisa, Lavendulan and Finnick while sobbing, "when you left her for that forbidden teen macaw Aguamarina. You see, there is an IMPORTANT rule regarding life-or-death situations involving other macaws in our tribe, and that is, where possible, saving the lives of other macaws and friends that are in mortal danger," he then nodded to Virgil as he hugged the sobbing Bia, "One example is Virgil rushing to save Bia from that violent glaucous macaw Katrina when she intruded into our territory and tried to kill her..." Raul looked up at Virgil and flinched tearfully. Jacobo then raised his voice to an angry growl.
"In other words, he DID NOT JUST STAND THERE AND LEAVE BIA TO DIE AT THE CLUTCHES OF THAT SAVAGE DAUGHTER OF RUDI AND TREMAINE, never mind SIMPLY ABANDONING A HELPLESS MACAW with DAMAGED WINGS TO THE FATE AT THEW JAWS OF A JAGUAR!"
Raul tearfully then tried a futile attempt to apologise.
"I-I'm sorry..." he said but his father finally snapped.
"JUST GET PREPARED TO BACK TO BACK TO OUR HOLLOW, SON!" he snarled, making Raul flinch. Raul scrambled to the hollow entrance and stayed there until his parents were ready. Jacobo, Donna, Carla, Tiago and Roberto then left to check on Bia as she continued to sob in the wings of Virgil, Brisa, Lavendulan and Finnick, the devastating news regarding Trixie's possible demise being too much for her to handle. Raul then gazed at the scene of sorrow until his guilt finally boiled to the point such that he could not contain his emotions any longer. The shameful teen and ex of Bia then pressed his back against the hollow wall, buried his face in his wings and broke down HARD, his upper body rocking with every sob.