"I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am, Carli." Bruno said, quietly.
"What will we do, Bruno?" Carla whispered, in a strangled voice, burying her face into her wings. She leaned on Bruno, hugging her knees. "What will happen to my family? The tribe? We'll fall apart." That was true. Jewel was one of the most respected and beloved macaws in the entire tribe. The devastation would be terrible - she had already been lost before. Bruno was too shocked to believe it himself - he was hoping that this was just some horrible dream. Carla's kindly, sweet mother - was going to die within a few weeks? He felt like crying himself. Jewel was so young - far too young, too innocent. It wasn't fair. His parents were friends with Jewel, had been her friends growing up - how would they feel, about the news? How would Eduardo tell the tribe that their heiress was going to die?
When Eduardo retired, Jewel, as the eldest and only child, would become the tribe's leader, with Blu at her side. But if Jewel died… who would take Eduardo's place? And, more worryingly - there was the question of Blu. Carla had told Bruno of Blu and Jewel's love story, shortly after they first met. Blu would rather leap out of a plane, unable to fly, than live without Jewel. If Jewel died - would he be able to live without her?
Tobias and Isabella had told Bruno that when Tia died, Eduardo had gone into a long period of grief that had lasted for over a year. He had been so depressed, that Mimi had had to take care of the position of leader until he finally snapped out of his trance and pulled himself together. The scars of his loss were still with him now, however, twenty years on.
But Blu was much more sensitive, more soft-hearted than Eduardo. How would he cope with losing the macaw he loved so dearly? If the hard-as-rocks Eduardo became depressed, what would happen to Blu? Bruno had heard stories of macaws committing suicide when their mates died, unable to cope. Bruno felt a sickening feeling. He could picture tribe members asking where Blu had gone, after Jewel was pronounced dead. He could imagine a body being found in the river, and he felt sickened by that thought.
No. I won't let that happen. Carla, Bia and Tiago can't become orphans. He looked down his best friend, whom he loved. You deserve so much better. There has to be something we can do… Something then dawned upon him - there was one thing Carla had mentioned to him, when she had been reciting Bia's words. It may sound dubious… but if there's nothing else that can save Jewel, what other choice do we have?
"Get up, Carla." Bruno said. Carla looked up, confusion crossing her expression.
"What?" she asked, sniffing heavily and wiping her wing across her eyes.
"Carla - tell me." Bruno took Carla's wings in his own. He was determined. He wasn't letting Carla's heart be broken - she didn't deserve that, and neither did the rest of her family. This was the final option - the only option left. It sounded crazy, but it was the last and only resort. "You mentioned a myth."
"Yes… that's what Bia told me… Roberto and Sophia were telling grandpa and Mimi…" Carla's voiced faded, and she frowned. "What are you getting at, Bruno?" they looked at each other. Carla blinked, staring up at him; then Bruno saw something light within her emerald eyes. "Bruno? Do you… believe in myths?"
"Some of them." He answered. Bruno looked at Carla for a long time, before speaking again. "Where's your sister, Carla?"
Later
Bia stared at the ground, tears making her vision blurry. Tiago sat a foot from her, the same way. It was the middle of the night, and they were still in Roberto and Sophia's tree - where the tree's owners were right now was a mystery. Maybe they had left the ravine, to get to grips with the reality of Jewel's diagnosis.
Azure, Isaac, Bromeliad and Orchid were sitting around them, looking just as depressed as they were. They had been sitting here in silence for an hour, trying to find the courage to speak to each other, to offer words of comfort, but couldn't find any. My kids'll grow up with one less grandmother, Bia thought, and this only added to her distraught.
Did Blu know about Jewel's diagnosis yet? Had Roberto, Sophia, Eduardo and Mimi found the courage to tell him? Bia didn't want to know how Blu would react - she didn't want to find out. Bia wondered where Carla was - she needed her sister now, more than ever, but she wasn't here. The moment Bia had broken the news to Carla and Tiago, Carla had bursted into tears, before fleeing the tree, clearly going to find Bruno, seek comfort from him. Just as Bia was thinking this over, Carla's voice sounded from behind them.
"Mom's not going to die." Carla said. All of the six looked up, to see Carla and Bruno standing in the nest entrance. Carla's face was still tear-stained, but unlike her younger brother and sister, there was a look of determination and hope on her face. Bia and Tiago looked at each other, confused - Bia had heard what Roberto and Sophia said. Jewel had a few weeks at the most to live.
"What?" sniffed Tiago, rubbing his eyes. Carla and Bruno entered the hollow, before sitting down.
"Bruno's got an idea." Carla announced, her wings crossed. Everyone exchanged glances, and shifted closer, so that they could hear more clearly. She turned to Bruno, nodding. "Go on." she urged. Bruno nodded at her, before turning to Bia.
"Bia - when you were eavesdropping on Roberto, Sophia, Eduardo, and Mimi - you mentioned a myth."
"Yes." Bia murmured. "The Red tribe's matriarch told Roberto and Sophia about it…" Bia could tell what Bruno was getting at - but it was silly. How could he think that it was real? "But it's a myth, Bruno. They're just stories…"
"Not necessarily." Bruno insisted. "Some are real. Go on, Bia - tell us. What was the myth about?" Bia looked at the others, expecting to see disbelief of a 'myth'; but, to her surprise, there was a glimmer of interest. You seriously think that a myth has the potential of being real? She thought. Azure wrapped a wing around her shoulders.
"Go on, Beatriz." He said her full name in a gentle, encouraging voice. Bia's actual name was 'Beatriz'; her parents had argued over 'Beatriz' and 'Bianca', when she was born, but then they realized that the first three letters of 'Bianca' could also be a nickname of 'Beatriz.' It was a wonderful alternative. Bia looked up, into Azure's eyes. His blue eyes, with their amber dash in one, were comforting to Bia. Just one look into those eyes made the pain she was feeling dull down a bit. It wouldn't hurt to tell them the myth, would it?
"Fine." Bia sighed. "It could take a few minutes to explain, though." Bia looked at Azure again, and he nodded. "Okay." She murmured. "The myth is known as 'The Estrella.' As we all know, 'Estrella' means 'star' in Spanish -"
"Does it?" Tiago interrupted. Bia rolled her hazel eyes.
"Pay attention in Mimi's Spanish lessons, little brother. As I was saying, this myth is called 'The Estrella', because it starts with a shooting star." This beginning sentence had been enough to seize everyone's attention. "Just over a thousand years ago, a comet burned up in the atmosphere - but it was no normal shooting star. It was special." Bia paused, looking at her friends, wondering that they didn't believe it - but they were clinging onto every detail. Bia's voice grew more confident as she went on. I suppose the tale's not entirely ludicrous. "Just over South America, a tiny fragment of this comet got through the atmosphere, and landed somewhere in Peru. Peru, I know - but hear it out. This part of the comet, made of ice and some kind of special stone, landed, and from it, there supposedly grew a few special plants. It was either a fruit or a flower, I can't remember. As it was born from a shooting star, it was named the 'Estrella -' and yes, Tiago, it means 'star' in Spanish. But this is no ordinary plant. When it's ingested by the patient, it can heal anything." At this, her friends began whispering. "Literally any injury, any illness. The Estrella is said to only make itself visible to those who need it most. But macaws have searched for it several times, out of curiosity - and they never found it." Silence spread over everyone - it was a long while until anyone spoke again.
"It could exist." Murmured Orchid, in a hushed voice. "It doesn't sound ridiculously false…" she shook her head, as if shaking off her doubt of the Estrella's existence. "'Visible to those who need it most?' Maybe those who tried to find it didn't have a fatally ill or injured companion."
"Fair point - Bia did say it was 'out of curiosity'…" Bromeliad was nodding, but she still looked reluctant to believe the tale. "But… Peru? That must be miles away!"
"Peru… it's not as far as it sounds." Isaac commented. "It's not as far as you'd think."
"How would you know?" asked Azure, in mild surprise. Isaac looked at his younger brother, shrugging.
"Do you remember when all eight of us went onto that boat, a couple of weeks back? We spoke to Rafael, Pedro and Nico on the foam, or whatever that thing's called…"
"Phone." Carla corrected Isaac.
"Yes." Isaac nodded. "There was a map on the wall, of South America. I gave it a quick scan, found Rio and where we are now - then I looked at the countries around the Amazon, compared the distances. Surprisingly, Peru is almost equal to the same length as here to Rio, maybe even a bit less, depending on how deep you go into Peru." When they stared at him, Isaac shrugged. "I'm very observant, you see."
"It's shorter than the distance between here and Rio, and that journey takes a couple of weeks at the most… you, Isaac, are brilliant." Said Azure. He rose his wing, and Isaac clapped his wing to his in a high-wing.
"Okay, I think that the best plan is to leave early tomorrow, without anyone knowing." Carla suggested. "We can't tell anyone. There's no way they'll let us leave - they would think it was pointless. Bia said that Eduardo refused to believe it, so he'll refuse to let us go. It's best if they never know. We should gather supplies - we'll need to find a map, maybe a clock and a compass…"
"We should be able to find those things on a boat tour…" Bruno suggested. Most of them began suggesting ideas, except for Bia and Tiago.
"Whoa, whoa -" Tiago held up his wings. "Hold on... Are we being serious? We're going to Peru, for this 'Estrella'… and it might not even exist?"
"Come on, Tiago!" Orchid said, in a persuasive voice. "It does make sense. This so-called myth… it sounds so real."
"Guys?" Carla said, softly. Her eyes were welling up with tears again, as she looked at her friends and siblings. "There's nothing else that can cure mom. It's worth a try. What if we didn't decide to go… and it actually does exist? Then mom would have died, when there was a chance that she could live." Carla then stood up, blinking away her tears. "The Estrella could be mom's only chance of survival. It is her only chance of survival. I know, it could be a treacherous and pointless trip… but isn't it worth a try? Come on! Who's with me?" she exclaimed. Bruno immediately stood up. Bromeliad, Isaac, and Orchid soon followed. Azure was nodding to himself, before he rose; Tiago looked at them, reluctance in his brown eyes, before he sighed, standing up.
"So, we're doing the standing-up-in-agreement thing? Okay." He shrugged. "Peru, here we come." The seven looked at Bia, who was still sitting. Azure held out his wing to her, and she hesitated briefly.
"It's worth a try, Bia." Azure reasoned. Bia looked from his face to his outstretched wing - was it worth it? Bia looked at all her friends, wondering if it could be true. Myths were stories - not real… But then she remembered her sister's words. Mom's only chance of survival. Bia looked at Azure again, before reaching up, taking his wing, before she stood. Orchid, for the first time in a few hours, managed a smile.
"Ladies and gentleman." Orchid said. "We are going to Peru."