A/N: Here it is, my latest chapter. This one took a while to think up because I wanted to fit a new subplot into the greater story.
Tiago I
Tiago Gunderson bore witness to some of the most consequential moments in the history of his tribe. He watched it go from a group of three hundred Spix Macaws fleeing from humans and surviving off of one Brazil nut grove to a diverse and powerful mini-nation held in high esteem by its fellow tribes for its freedom and progress. Like his home Tiago had become wiser and more settled down over the years. After the battle with the loggers, his father's injuries and new job kept both his father and his mother in or around their home for a good five years, forcing him to become more independant and composed. However, despite being a little more prim and proper, Tiago was still a teenager and was one hell of a catch for the teenage girls of the tribe. He was tall (nearly Blu's height) and had more charming and suave features than he did as a chick. He was also powerful and of "noble" birth. His mother, Jewel, is the daughter of Eduardo, the leader of the tribe, his father, Blu, is the tribe's undisputed hero. He was as well known as it got and could have any girl in the tribe… almost any girl…
Madalena, the daughter of Jordana, the Pit of Doom scorekeeper, the girl he couldn't have but wanted the most. She was stunningly beautiful. Her green eyes shone like emeralds in the moonlight, her crest feathers, long and well groomed, her smile melts his heart and she makes him feel happy just by being around him. But alas, no matter how badly he wants to be with her and how desperately she wants to be with him, they cannot have each other because her father is none other than Roberto, his estranged uncle. Tiago knew that if he even tried, his mother would be furious… after all, she made her feelings towards his uncle clear many years ago...
Four years earlier, after the logger incident
"Mama, why do you hate uncle Beto now?" Tiago asked his mother who was watching the sunset from the door of their new hollow.
"Sweetie… your uncle Beto betrayed me and daddy pretty badly, so we don't talk very much… hate might be a bit strong" Jewel kindly replied.
"What did he do? Is he the reason dad can't walk or see?"
Jewel sighed and cleared her throat, "Tiago, let me explain it to you as simply as I can. I grew up very close to your uncle Beto here in the Amazon, after all, everyone was expecting us to get married"
"Why?"
"Because I have no brothers, so whoever married me would become the leader of the tribe. Roberto's dad always wanted him to marry me… even recently."
"So is that why Roberto was acting like daddy by being kissy-kissy with you?"
"Sweetie, I never kissed Roberto"
"No, but you treated him like daddy"
Jewel sighed again and turned her head away from her son so he would not see her guilty tears welling up.
"Anyways, Roberto hurt us by trying to take daddy's credit for beating the loggers and reminding everyone about daddy's mistake at the Pit of Doom, luckily, it didn't work."
"Mommy, is uncle Beto dangerous now?"
"... Yes Tiago… He is"
From that day onwards, he avoided all contact with his uncle, but now, it was hindering his goal to date Madelena. Perplexed by the situation, he decided to turn to his dad for advice.
"Gilberto, How long until the council announces their decision on that vote?" Tiago heard his dad's anxious, muffled voice through the door.
"Two days, the last round of debating is happening today"
"Ok, good, make plans for-"
Nervously, the teenage macaw knocked on his dad's office door, cutting off the conversation.
"Come in" Blu called out. Tiago nervously let himself in
"Hey son, what's up?" His father calmly asked.
"Um… not-not much dad" Tiago stuttered. Needless to say, Blu saw right through his fib.
"Gilberto, can I have a moment with Tiago? It's not too much trouble for you right?"
"No trouble at all boss, I'll see you two at dinner" Gilberto reassured, walking out into the hallway and closing the door.
"Son, what is going on, why are you so nervous?" the caring father asked, turning his full attention to his son.
"You see dad, I have a crush… this girl in the tribe-" Tiago started, his dad raising an 'eyebrow' and listening intently.
"And… I don't know if you and mom would approve…"
"Well, why do you think that?" Blu calmly asked his son.
"Because she's… she's Roberto's daughter" Tiago quickly explained, anxious to hear his father's reaction. Blu calmly walked to his son and put his wing around him.
"Tiago, she is not Roberto himself, I am fine with it! You are talking about Jordana's daughter correct?"
"Yeah dad" a relieved Tiago said, hugging his father and crying tears of joy into his dark blue feathers.
"Thank you dad! Thank you so much!".
"Son, you are my pride and joy. As long as she is a fine young woman, I will happily allow you to date her. The only thing I ask is that you bring her to meet your old man some time."
"Can I go tell her now? She'll be so happy to hear this!"
"Sure, as a matter of fact, invite her and her mother to eat dinner and celebrate the results of the council vote tonight, I'm sure the others won't mind".
"Really? You'll invite them?" Tiago asked in jolly disbelief.
"Of course son!" Blu reaffirmed, receiving a huge hug from Tiago.
Blu chuckled and ruffled his son's crest feathers affectionately, enjoying their father-son moment.
"What about mom?"
"I'm sure she'll love her".
"But… her and uncle Beto… what she told me".
Blu pondered this for a moment before advising;
"Introduce her to your mother first, let them get to know each other before the dinner"
"Dad, are you sure that's a good idea?" Tiago asked worriedly.
"Maybe it's not a great idea, but it's the best idea we have right now" Blu replied. Tiago quickly nodded yes and ran out the door
"Thank you dad, I'll see you later!" he called back.
"Go get'er son!" his father called back with an ear to ear grin.
Madalena I
Madalena waited patiently by the waterfalls for her best friend and love interest, Tiago. Ever since the two of them met, they were inseparable. Both the macaws were kind, funny, athletic and lovers of a good prank. However, it wasn't this alone that gave them a shared feeling of love, it was a mutual act of affection and rebellion, an act that made Madalena feel independant; She carried on a relationship with a bird her father and grandfather hate.
You see, Madalena doesn't exactly have the best relationship with her father and grandfather. Her father, Roberto, courted the affections of her mother about twelve years before Jewel returned. He charmed her with his suave and debonair ways. He told her she was the only woman for him, and treated her like a queen… until she got pregnant with Madalena. After all, she was an accident, conceived by mistake, a mistake Roberto never wanted to make. In order to keep his reputation and stay in the dating game, her father and grandfather blackmailed her mother into claiming that her daughter was a child of rape. This tore her mom apart inside, but she had to do it to protect her family. Whenever Roberto was around, he would lay down strict rules and beat her and her mother. So, in order to oppose him, to prove that her wretched father would not keep her down, she allowed herself to fall in love with Tiago, all she was waiting for him to do was ask her to be his girlfriend… oh how she longed for that day.
"Madalena!" Tiago's excited voice called out from behind her.
"Hey Tiago, what's u-" She started before being interrupted by a passionate kiss. After overcoming the shock of being kissed by her crush, she returned the kiss, full force. Their tongues danced a tango as each one enjoyed the taste of the other. After about a minute, Tiago broke the kiss to tell her something.
"Madalena, I talked to my dad, he's cool with us going out, we can finally date! And he invited you and your mom over to dinner!" Tiago told her with jittery happiness.
"...Really?!" She excitedly asked.
"Really" Her now boyfriend reassured, earning him an even more passionate kiss.
"So… what about your mom… is she okay with us dating?"
"I… I don't know… " Tiago honestly replied, "My dad suggested you meet her properly before the dinner… is that ok?"
"That's fine by me Tiago… just make sure she knows we're dating before she meets me."
Antonio I
"Roberto!" Antonio called out from outside his son's hollow, "come out here this instant!"
"Coming dad! Just gotta fix my crest feathers to look fly!" Antonio merely facepalmed and turned to Oswaldo, who accompanied him to see Roberto.
"Oswaldo, this boy is a great liability". The council leader informed his colleague
"No, he is a great asset. Nobody knows of his problems and they all still assume he is the macho-bird of the tribe." Oswaldo retorted
"You mean, nobody knows of his problems YET, it's only a matter of time before people discover that he has had multiple illegitimate children with multiple women, hell, he even has a scarlet macaw child! The minute the tribe discovers this, his reputation will die!"
"Then we must do everything in our power to make sure they don't discover this".
"Fair enough".
Madalena II
To say Madalena was excited when she flew home was an understatement. Not only will she be able to date the bird she loves, Tiago, but she has a great shot at making a good impression on his mother as well. All she had to do now was explain the situation to HER mother.
"Ma' are you home?" Madalena called out into her hollow.
"Yes filha (daughter) I'm here" Her mother kindly called back, approaching her daughter and hugging her.
"How was your day?" she asked after breaking the hug.
"Fantastic!" Madalena joyously replied.
"That's good to hear! What happened to make it so fantastic?" Her mother inquired with a slight smile.
"Mom… I have a boyfriend!" She answered, causing her mother to give an excited, short gasp.
"Filha, that's fantastic! Who is it that has captured your heart?"
"Tiago"
"Filha… you don't mean Blu's son right?" her mother asked, surprised by her daughters revelations.
"Yes mom, that's the one"
"Wow! Look at you! Snagging a taker! Looks like you like powerful men sweetie" Her mother teased.
"Mooom! please stop. I can't have you acting like this around me since they invited us to dinner today!"
"They did what?!"
"You heard me, we're having dinner with the leader of the tribe and his family today, oh, and his mom will be here any moment to get to know me."
"Madalena, why didn't you tell me sooner, urgh!, I've gotta go get ready!"
Jewel VI
"I must be the luckiest girl on earth" Jewel thought to herself as she and Blu relaxed for their afternoon siesta. She was lying on him, resting her head underneath Blu's and watching the beams of sunlight poke through their curtains as the wind blew them.
"Blu… are you happy in our relationship?" Jewel quietly asked her mate.
"Yes, of course honey. We have three wonderful children, we love each other, and we have a great home" Blu replied, not even opening his eyes.
"I know, It's just that sometimes I catch you with this sad look on your face, like you feel empty or sad." Jewel worriedly explained to Blu.
"Jewel… It's nothing serious, don't worry about it"
"C'mon Blu, I can tell when you're lying, what's bothering you?" Jewel asked rubbing a wing on Blu's chest while looking up at him with a concerned expression
Blu looked away from Jewel for a second before clearing his throat to speak.
"Jewel… I'm worried that after the vote, that we will be in danger. That somehow the council will retaliate, and you kno-" Blu began rambling
"Shh, not another word Blu" Jewel inturrupted him, kissing him to prevent him from talking on.
"We are a family, as long as we love each other, we'll be ok"
"Speaking of love honey… it looks like our little Tiago has found someone for himself" The male informed his wife, wanting to change the subject.
"Really? Who?" Jewel inquired, caught off guard.
"A girl called Madalena, she's the daughter of the football team's scorekeeper."
"Honey… isn't she Roberto's daughter?"
"Yes, but that doesn't mean that the two can't date…. She's not a 'legitimate' child of his, he isn't present in her life."
"Blu, I don't know… this might not be a good idea"
"Look, I told Tiago she could come over for dinner today, and that after our nap is done you would at least get to know Madalena… it's not a good thing to judge people baby." Blu gently admonished
"I suppose you're right Blu… but, you scheduled this without me knowing, so as a punishment, I'm leaving right now" Jewel jokingly told her husband as she got up to leave
"Promise you won't leave your lovehawk for too long? Blu called out to her.
"I promise" Jewel simply returned before spreading her wings and taking flight.
Jewel VII
Jewel took a deep breath as she knocked on Jordana's hollow door. She tried to relax, but couldn't. After all, her son had a girlfriend… What if she was just using him? What if she was crazy?.
No answer came from the stubborn wooden door.
"Hello?" She called out
CRASH! The sound of breaking glass and the flapping of windows broke the awkward silence.
Needless to say, this alerted Jewel quite a bit, causing her to slam open the door with her body and barge through the hallways of the house. Until she saw them, mother and daughter, bruised and bleeding. Going off instinct, she picked up Madalena and put her down on a bed.
"My god, who did this to you dear?" Jewel inquired with horror
"Dad"