Outside Eduardo's tree, the Spix's macaws, and the Green-Winged and Scarlets, were shouting out all kinds of suggestions for the plan, even if the discussion didn't hear it. When Mina had had to go back to her home at that bizarre call, she had quickly instructed them to make a plan in which they achieved their goal while they got in and out without injury. They needed to rescue Sophia, get rid of the weapons via the underground stream Mina had described, and to do that, they had to get in unseen. Most of the Hyacinth tribe were now staying in Felipe's Kapoks - to his fury - so the cave wouldn't be swamped in Hyacinths, but there would still be heavy security and guards at every turn. A group of small, light blue macaws would stand out like a pink chameleon on a tree trunk.
The discussion members consisted of Eduardo, Mimi, Felipe, Azalea, Roberto, Johanna and several other macaws, Spix's and Red - Blu was with Jewel, while they had felt that Isaac and Bromeliad weren't mature enough to be part of the conversation. The other members were intelligent and wise, part of Eduardo and Felipe's inner circles. They were all trying to figure out a plan that suited the requirements, but it was difficult, especially when the cave sounded so complicated. Roberto wasn't part of the conversation, much - he was instead pacing up and down, gnawing his wingtips, listening to every word.
Outside, Bromeliad and Isaac were trying to listen in, unable to conceal their frustration at not being included. "How are they going to get in?" Bromeliad fretted, walking in loose, uneven circles, a trait she showed whenever she was nervous or worried. Isaac couldn't reply, too absorbed in trying to listen to the discussion, but then Bromeliad yelped in surprise. He turned just in time to see Bromeliad catching her foot on a root, before she went tumbling, head-first, into a yellow flower patch, the kind females used as bodypaint in the 'Beautiful Creatures' dance. Despite the situation, Isaac couldn't help but laugh, laughing even more when Bromeliad emerged from the bushes. "Oh, no." Bromelaid muttered, looking down at herself in dismay. The cerulean feathers of her chest and face were now invisible, transformed to bright yellow.
"That's made my day, sis." Isaac chuckled, unable to wipe the grin from his face. "I barely recognize you, actually... if your feathers were darker, and the yellow was just on your face, I'd swear you were a..." Then he blinked, looking Bromeliad up and down. "Holy mangoes. That's it."
"Huh? I don't understand." Bromeliad was baffled. Isaac pushed past his sister, looking more closely at the yellow flowers, before he spotted a collection of darker blue ones behind it.
"Our ticket into the cave." He replied, before diving into the dark blue flower patch, knowing that Bromeliad would know what he meant. Meanwhile, the discussion inside Eduardo's tree was continuing, macaws putting forward their ideas and voicing concerns.
"First off, our group will leave via the tunnel in the waterfall cave, and do everything in their power to stay out of sight. Mina will lead us, using a route where we cannot be spotted by Kerja's spies - and yes, we can trust her." He glared at two Green-Winged macaws, who were muttering in doubt. "We will need to get into the cave unnoticed - a distraction could draw out some of them, decreasing our chances of getting spotted." Eduardo said, his talon placed on the diagram in the soil. The large circle represented the Hyacinth cave, with a series of squiggly lines outside one end representing the jungle surrounding it. "Johanna, I believe you had an idea for a distraction?" He prompted. The Blue-and-Gold leader nodded, rising to her feet, approaching the diagram.
"Yes. A light display - it'll surely lead some of them out. By a light display, I mean fire." Naturally, her suggestion resulted in fierce objection.
"We have suffered two devastating fires in the past, Johanna - one took lives..." Mimi looked sideways at Eduardo, Felipe and Azalea, who all looked away. "And the recent one almost killed Roberto's entire brood and my niece's kids." Mimi continued. "We cannot start a fire - what if it spreads?"
"No, you misunderstand." Johanna shook her head. "We wouldn't set the forest on fire. That would lead to deaths, and that's not the Blue-and-Gold's style." Johanna picked up a stick, before pointing to one end. "Imagine this was a large branch. Here is where we would light the branch, and the rest would be soaked in water, to stop it spreading down and burning talons. If several macaws flew in the trees, each holding flaming branches, it would draw the Hyacinths out to see what it is - if Kerja sends someone to investigate, there'll be plenty of puddles to throw the fire into, with the rain we've had. And with several macaws spaced out with flaming branches, the distraction will last."
"You know, that's actually not a bad idea." Felipe said, but the others were still muttering in reluctance, and the surprise was obvious, given Felipe's own memories of fire. "It's better than live bait." He pointed out, and that seemed to convince the others. He nodded to Johanna, before he turned to Eduardo, to allow him to carry on.
"Thank you, Johanna, Felipe. With the distraction in place, our group will quickly slip into the cave, using the shadows as cover, and Mina as a guide. Roberto and Mina will free Sophia, while the rest of you destroy the weapons. The group will then reunite, and follow Mina out through the closest and easiest escape route. Agreed?"
"Agreed." Murmured the others, in unison.
"Who will be going, besides Roberto and Mina?" Asked Azalea, leaning forwards. "I'm not sure if our tribe will be much help, but I'm sure there'll be a few volunteers."
"Anyone strong should go," Mimi advised. "The younger and the elderly are out of the question - and not you, brother." Eduardo's pale green eyes flashed, but as he opened his beak to protest, he was drowned out by agreements from the others. They all agreed with Mimi - the main reason for Kerja's planned attack was Eduardo. Kerja wanted revenge, and if he went, she'd surely kill him. It took some persuasion, but finally, Eduardo gave in, agreeing to stay in the ravine, but he was still angry. "The same goes for the leaders." Mimi continued, looking at Felipe, Azalea, and Johanna, and the three nodded with reluctance.
"There's something we haven't covered." Johanna said, and they turned to face her. "Even with the distraction in place, there's no guarantee the cave will be empty. The rescue party will be seen at some point, with Hyacinths at every turn - there's a slim chance of reaching the weapons and Sophia." Behind them, the pacing stopped, as Roberto had frozen at this statement. "Any ideas?" She asked, biting her lower beak. There were none; but at that moment, a female Spix's macaw let out a high-pitched shriek of fear. Upon seeing the two figures in the tree entrance, they recoiled in fear and bewilderment. Then Felipe was hurtling across the room, letting out an infuriated squawk. He bowled over the right figure, talons wrapping around his throat; the figure let out a shocked cry, fighting to shove the angry Scarlet macaw away.
"Hey!" He exclaimed, in a familiar voice. "It's us!" Felipe stopped, blinking in surprise, before he released him, recognition lighting in his eyes.
"Isaac?" Felipe asked, incredulously, backing away. Roberto turned at the mention of Isaac, eyes widening at the sight of him. He walked up to his son, looking him up and down; he then touched the yellow on Isaac's face, and Roberto's wingtip came away, covered in yellow pollen.
"What... on earth..." Roberto asked, looking from Isaac to Bromeliad. The pair's light blue feathers had transformed - now, their plumage had turned darker, to a midnight blue. Of course there were Spix's macaws in the tribe with darker feathers, but this dark blue was accompanied by yellow face markings. Isaac and Bromeliad's eyes were dusted in yellow pollen, the one females used in the 'Beautiful Creatures' dance, and there were crescent-moon shaped yellow parts by their lower beaks. They looked eerily like young Hyacinths, but smaller. Now, realizing that the two macaws weren't as they appeared, the others came forward, staring at Isaac and Bromeliad.
"Goodness..." Mimi said, in awe. "You two... look just like Hyacinths." She turned to the others, who's looks of shocks had transformed to looks of amazement.
"We thought we'd help." Bromeliad explained. "You see? The group can hide in plain sight." Gasps sounded around them, of agreement and praise.
"It's marvellous!" Azalea praised, looking excitedly around. "You'd blend in perfectly - you look just like them, only smaller. With our size, any of us could pass for a younger Hyacinth, looking like that..."
"I just fell in a flower patch. It was Isaac's idea." Bromeliad added, nudging her brother. "He deserves all the credit." Isaac blushed as the older macaws began commenting on his brilliance. Roberto was shaking his head in disbelief.
"You know what Blu said to me, when you were born, Isaac?" Roberto said, the first time he had spoken in several minutes. "He said that 'Isaac' was the name of a human genius. And you, Isaac, are a genius."
Meanwhile
Kerja lay in her nest, the tears falling as heavily as the rain outside the cave. Could she dare face the expectant tribe outside her new hollow? She heard them muttering, saying that she was too young - barely a young adult, and she had a mangled foot. What sort of an image would she paint? A foolish girl with a deformity, devastated by the death of her beloved father. She'd look weak. Kerja didn't want to face them all - the grief was too fresh, and there was a chance she was going to break down in front of the whole tribe. That would reassure their confidence in her, if she greeted them on her first appearance as leader in tears.
It had been a few weeks since Jorge had died - no, she reminded herself, been slaughtered - by Eduardo. She felt the familiar burst of fury, reminded of the cowardly Spix's leader. How dare he? He had killed Jorge in cold blood, with the very knife Kerja now held in her talons. A fire ignited in her brain and her heart, and suddenly, her grief transformed - transformed into rage. The fire spread, burning through her blood, her veins, her bones. Suddenly, she felt an eerie calm.
She looked at the knife handle, where Jorge had recorded his kills by making a nick in the old wood. Kerja picked up the knife, before she etched a new mark into the surface - half as long as Jorge's nicks. She would extend it to full size once Eduardo had paid the price. It would take as long as it needed - she'd attack when he was least expecting it. She'd make him and his entire tribe pay dearly, no matter how long it took. Kerja would never let it go - she would keep fighting until Jorge's restless spirit had some closure.
Outside, she heard Beryl's voice, hissing that it was time. Then the tribe began chanting her name, meaning that it was time for her to make her appearance. Kerja stood up, Jorge's knife tightly wrapped in her deformed claw, before she saw his most prized possession in the corner of her eye. A necklace hanging on the wall, with banished tribe feathers, and the jaguar tooth. She looped it over her neck, before turning, stalking toward the entrance, ready to face the tribe - her tribe. She'd do everything Jorge wanted for the tribe, and then she'd find a way to put his spirit to rest. Kerja was determined to show Eduardo just how fierce she was, but she'd wait until the moment was right. When his life was finally happy. When it was, she would cut a scar into his life - a scar that would never fade. She'd take everything from him - and when every trace of happiness was gone, Kerja would kill him.
Kerja blinked at the memory. She hadn't remembered that moment in years - when she had officially declared war on Eduardo and his pathetic tribe. She still felt the exact same emotions. Grief, rage. It had only intensified over the years, and now, she was closer to her life goal. They had finally extracted some useful infomation from Sophia, but the question was; what should they do with her now? They had what they needed - information about the ravine layout, the secrets of the Spix's. Sophia was now worthless. Maybe they could keep her alive for longer - there were still unanswered questions. Alternatively, they could get rid of her...
"Madam," said a voice, behind her. Kerja turned on her perch, where Mina stood.
"Well, it's about time I saw you." Kerja said, flatly. "I barely see you nowadays - where are you, chatting to our neighbours?" She had meant it as sarcasm, but Mina's eyes widened, and she began running a talon through her left wing feathers, something she did whenever she was nervous. Mina coughed, before meeting her mother's grey eyes.
"No, madam." She said.
"Good. Anyway, what do you want?" Kerja picked up her knife, inspecting the sharpness of the blade.
"I was just checking out the tunnels - apparently, the poles in the Forbidden Tunnel are getting incredibly old, and need replacing, because the tunnel might collapse... Oh, I just thought I'd ask about the prisoner." Mina leaned against the a hollow entrance, casually. "What has she told you? Anything useful?"
"That information is classified, Mina." Kerja replied, sharply. She frowned to herself, wondering why Mina had a sudden interest in the prisoner.
"I see. Well, I'll just be off now -" Mina began, turning to leave.
"Wait." Kerja called out, and Mina turned. She narrowed her eyes, seeing how uncomfortable Mina looked. "Is there something... irritating you? You seem... tense."
"Of course not." Mina said, her tone neutral, but there was something in her eyes - something strange. Kerja nodded slowly, watching Mina go. She had an idea about her daughter's behaviour. But it was something she really didn't like.