Grieving The Loss

Now in this chapter my dear readers, we will be looking at how our friends deal with the loss of their dear friend Fernando. As well as Aiden saying an emotional farewell to his closest friends…who he turned against after realising how evil they were. Not only that…we will also see Lila and RDJ having a very emotional conversation. So let's not spoil anymore, let's get to it!

We Start Off With RDJ…

After an hour of sitting and waiting in the sewer tunnels for the guards to leave and search elsewhere, RDJ slowly peered out of the sewer gate. Scanning the area for any sign of them, which to his luck…there was nobody in sight.

He leapt out of there, and checked his weapons for any potential damages at all. Which luckily didn't have any major issues.

The head of the assassins sighed heavily after everything that happened today…and the only thing he could really think about…was how he held his brother in law in his wings…as he departed from this world and onto the next.

"Oh god…I can't believe he's actually gone? I knew I should have just come here alone…then maybe I wouldn't have already lost two of my good friends! Well…this is gonna be a really emotional day!" RDJ thought to himself while rubbing his eyes.

He flapped his wings and flew through the alleys to get back to base. Only because he didn't want to give his position away to any of The Remainders.

"I just hope Lila won't be too disappointed when I tell her I'm…not in the mood right now…"

Now Let's Head On Over To Aiden…

Nothing but silence filled the bell tower room where our beloved scarlet macaw male sleeps.

On the wooden floor laid the body of the deceased Remainder Johnny…with his former best friend Aiden staring down at him. With nothing but tears in his eyes as he felt this strong pain hit his chest.

He wiped the tears away quickly to avoid being seen by any of his associates, so they wouldn't think any less of him. As he thought they would do.

(Aiden…you can't keep hiding away from her? She just wants to comfort you and be there for you…)

Devine spoke in a low tone of voice, as the scarlet male just shook his head from side to side. "I can't Devine…I'm not going to fall into that emotional death trap…" He whispered to himself as he crouched down on the floor.

(But if you keep hiding yourself away…you will never be able to keep her in your life? She loves you for you…not for the things you do!)

"Oh would you just leave me alone?! I already told you I'm not going to fall into that trap!"

(Fine! Maybe I'm better off taking over Monifa for a little while!)

Devine shot out of Aiden's body pretty quickly, and found herself moving her energy out of the room…and just as things went silent for a bit…

"AHHHH WHAT THE…hell…" You could hear the African grey female shouting from the other room. Clearly indicating that Devine had entered her body.

(Ahhhh, you're taking over Monifa?! I'm gonna take over Keith!)

Soon Devil Darkness was heard from the other room, and the barn owl was actually sitting right next to him.

"Don't you fucking…HEY!" Keith also shouted from the other room, as Devil Darkness then took over Keith's body. And without any other words spoken…both himself and Devine in Keith and Monifa's bodies went for a fly around the city. Leaving Jameson passed out on the floor, and Aiden alone in the room with his former friend.

"Sometimes I wonder whether we were meant to be bonded?" Aiden grumbled irritably, as he hovered above Johnny's body. He then picked him up in his talons and carried him out of the church.

Wherever he was going…that was unknown to the others…

Now Let's Check In On Tomada And Alex…

"NO NO NO! You can't put a Jack on top of a Queen! That's cheating!" Alex whined angrily, throwing his deck of cards on the table.

"You could not be a sore loser more could you? Haha!" The peregrine falcon chuckled as he too threw his deck of cards down. "Just tell me…do you enjoy losing?"

"Fuck off!"

"Hahaha I'm kidding Alex. Ahhhh dude…I'm missing Sorrel already. A third of a year out here feels like four lifetimes."

"I know how you feel. I think about Siax every day since coming here. But…we made a promise to help RDJ in any way that we can!" Alex smiled at his friend and put the cards away. "Hey, do you remember the time, that Siax and Sorrel tried doing that upside down drinking thing? Then Sorrel slipped on the lemon juice and landed on Cabot?"

"Oh yes! I remember that day haha! Ooh, how about the time you and I tried to beat RDJ at a wing wrestle? And even with both of us before building up our muscle, he still beat us?" Tomada chuckled while they patted each other on the backs.

"I still think one of my favourite memories was Lila and RDJ's wedding day…that was truly beautiful!"

"It really was…But…I still hope the two of them can hang onto that marriage? I'd hate to see if things didn't work out for them." Tomada sadly replied as he flicked a grape at the wall.

"Ummmm…knock knock?"

Suddenly, Tomada and Alex looked up from their conversation. Once they did so, they averted their eyes towards the gaping hole in the church entrance. To see four young female green winged macaws, all looking really anxious.

"Yes? May we help you ladies?" Alex was a little sceptical of their presence, and went to reach for his nunchucks. But Maria stepped forwards and put her wings up.

"Woah woah woah there guys! We are not here to cause any drama! We were requested to come here by the hot guy in the cloak? RDJ?" Maria spoke in a hasty manner, defending her case.

"Oh, well in that case. My name is Alex, and this is Tomada!"

"Hi." Tomada waved at the females, who all just nervously huddled together. "So why were you requested here?"

All four of them were unsure on how to respond to this question. So…instead of saying any words…they slowly parted either side…to reveal the most horrific sight that the snowy owl and falcon have seen.

"HUAAAAAA! FERNANDO!"

Both of them instantly ran over to where they stood and examined the body for themselves. And as much as they were hoping that he was asleep…they knew he was sadly lifeless.

"Oh my god…" Tomada whispered sadly as he turned away from the body to put his face in his wings.

"Did you kill him?!" Alex asked in annoyance while pointing his wingtip at them.

"No we didn't kill him! Some guy named The Destroyer did! Then his men started chasing RDJ through the city." Sylvia explained while she lowered her head.

"Who chased RDJ?"

Soon, Lila walked into the main hall to see the four newcomers in the church. As well as the lifeless corpse of Fernando laying in front of them.

"Huaaaaaaa! Is he…Is he dead?!" The blue female covered her face in shock, as the others slowly nodded their heads. "Who…Who did this?!"

"The Destroyer…"

Another hush fell upon the church, as everyone turned and saw none other than RDJ entering. With his hood pulled down so that the others can see his face.

"Honey…what happened?" Lila smoothly asked her husband as she approached him gradually. She lifted his head up with her wingtip and stared deeply into his eyes. "Honey?"

Instead of answering her verbally, he instantly wrapped his wings around her in a loving hug. Not squeezing too tightly because she was more sensitive than him. But strong enough to be a deep meaningful hug.

"I t-t-tried to save him! I w-w-wasn't fast enough! I failed AGAIN!" He emphasised in disappointment, as he cried into her shoulder.

"It's alright sweetie…it's okay. I'm sure you did your best." The blue female comforted him, as she laid her head on his shoulder. As the hug continued whilst she let a few tears go herself.

"Right…well…here you are guys. We are…so sorry for your loss and everything. If you need us again, don't hesitate to ask! Let's go girls!" Maria ushered her friends out of their way. But just before they managed to leave, Tomada quickly caught up with one of them.

"Wait! Hold on! There is something you can actually do that might help in this situation." The falcon responded as he approached the females. "What do you know of a macaw named Fred?"

"Oh that guy? Hmph! He is a total loner! I see him heading down to the club most nights to masturbate over other females dancing! He's a total creep!" Sylvia spoke as her friends nodded their heads in agreement.

"Well we've just been informed that he's trying to steal Lila from RDJ! The blue female in there hugging him?"

"Why?"

"We don't know! But that's what we need to figure out. If you and your friends just keep an eye on him for us, we'd happily return a favour to you!" The falcon smiled at the ladies, who immediately agreed with his offer.

"Of course. We know what it's like to lose someone so close to us! We will happily do this for you! Let's get to work girls!" Maria beamed, as all four of them flapped their wings and departed the church. Leaving the others alone to grieve after the loss of another friend.

RDJ slowly broke apart from the hug with his wife, and brushed a wing up against her cheek. As she nuzzled her nose into his wing.

"I honestly did try Lila…But The Destroyer got there before I did! Then when I tried to take him on…"

"You tried to fight him? But…how did he escape?" Lila widened her eyes in surprise. Thinking that this was strange how RDJ failed to kill someone's in combat.

"He used the same trick on me that Iris did on the cliffs, to rescue you, Jameson and Tomada! Exactly the same way."

"But…how is that even possible?"

"I don't know…but something in my head is telling me that…he must have been there…the day that I almost died!" RDJ thought out loud, as he placed a wingtip on his chin to think. "None of this makes any sense? How could he have been there? How could I not have seen this?"

"But I thought Jair told you everything?" The purple eyed female asked, cocking her head to the side in curiosity. "Surely he couldn't have missed this?"

"No…surely this is not something he has forgotten…something very weird is going on here! I don't know what it is…but whatever it is…it's not going to bd pretty!" The head of the assassins mumbled in that same saddened tone. As he sat down on the hammock in the main hall.

"So what does that mean? Does it mean that the assassins could be in danger?" Andy entered the conversation, as himself and Jacqueline walked in the hall.

"I'm not sure! If I knew the answer I would tell you. But I'm afraid I know nothing about this one." RDJ claimed, while he wrapped a wing around his beloved, who sat next to him.

"Well in that case. I say we bury the body, and immediately get to work on finding out The Destroyer's next move!" Tomada pointed out as he went to pick up Fernando's deceased body. But RDJ immediately stopped him.

"No, stop!" He put his wing up in front of the falcon, stepping just a few paces in front of him. "Iris told me that he would have wanted to be cremated…so I'm gonna take him to that island by the coast and burn his body."

"Do you need us to come too?"

"Actually…I'd rather I do this alone okay? There are some things that I need to say to him before I…you know…" RDJ told him calmly, placing a wing on his shoulder.

"Oh…are you sure? You don't need any of us to…"

"I'll be fine buddy! Jacqui, can you do me a favour and keep Lila company for me while I'm gone?" The head of the assassins asked the blue spix's female. Who nodded her head as a yes. "Thank you. Honey…"

RDJ approached his wife and gave her a passionate kiss on the beak, as he held her gently by the waists.

"I'll be back as soon as I am finished. But…is it okay if…maybe we…" As he was about to finish his sentence, Lila shushed him with a wingtip and kissed him on his cheek.

"It's alright sweetie. We don't have to make love tonight. I know that you've been through a lot today…maybe tomorrow?" She asked him with hopeful eyes, and he just smiled at her deeply.

"Tomorrow sounds perfect to me mi amor!" RDJ blushed a little when talking about this…as did his beloved.

He then picked Fernando up in his talons when hovering over his body. Then he took to the skies to find the island he was talking about to burn Fernando's body.

As for the rest of team samba club…they all just lowered their heads sadly in grievance. Turning to one another and hugging each other, as they all let loose a few tears.

"I just…I just can't believe he's actually gone you know? Oh poor Iris…" Jaime was the first to break the silence as he wrapped his wings around Andy and Jacqueline.

"He died too soon! Why did that bastard have to kill him?! WHY?!" Alex grumbled angrily, punching the wall really hard. Even though it hurt like hell. "DAMNIT!"

"You know that's your fault if you punch a wall. You need to just hold in these angry emotions and unleash them when we are in battle!" Jaime remarked with a small chuckle. "Besides, I think we need to maybe lay low for a little while. After Fernando's death, and their weapons being destroyed we might need to be more careful."

"But they are going to raid the birds of this city? They will steal anything they can to build their numbers back up?" Alex remarked and leaned up against the wall.

"Well…I suppose we will just have to ask RDJ what the next move is. Last thing we wanna do is lose another friend so soon…" Tomada explained, as everyone in the room nodded their heads in agreement.

Now Let's Head On Over To RDJ…

The blue and gold male carried his deceased brother in law far away from the church to make it over to the island where he would cremate the deceased military male.

He landed on the shore of this small island and laid Fernando on his back gently after landing.

RDJ sighed heavily and prepared to gather up some wood and leaves to burn so he could burn the body as requested.

Luckily for him, the island already had some pretty good wood to burn, as some had been cut down previously. Which he did find was a little weird. But he thought nothing of it.

"Okay…this should be enough!" He carried the wood under his muscular wings to a certain spot right in front of where he stood.

By throwing the wood down in a pile, he took out of his arrow bag some lighter fluid that he picked up back in the city.

He then sprayed it all over the pile, took out a match and struck it on the rock besides him. Before throwing it down on the fire. Lighting it up immediately as the fluid helped the process a lot quicker.

"Okay buddy…let's get you cremated!" RDJ sadly mumbled and he picked Fernando's body up in his wings. Then with one strong throw, he chucked him on top of the pile. As the fire slowly started to burn the military male's body.

RDJ took a few steps back to watch the body of his friend burn. He placed a wing curled into a fist on his chest, bowing his head in respect. "Thank you for everything Fernando…I swear I'm gonna avenge your death…"

As he continued to lower his head sadly…someone tapped him on the shoulder lightly.

He turned around slowly to see who was standing behind him…and it revealed to be none other than Aiden who was there with a glum look on his face.

"Oh…hey kid…are you okay?" RDJ asked the young scarlet male, who looked at him with so much sadness in his eyes.

"I had to watch…my former friends burn…as I burned their bodies over by the shores." Aiden muttered softly, wiping away the tears that he had in his eyes.

"Oh…I'm sorry to hear that. So it was you who chopped those pieces of wood down?"

Instead of answering him, he just nodded his head. Then he walked over to him and stood by his side. As the two of them stayed there in silence whilst watching Fernando's body burn into ash.

"Was he a close friend of yours too?" The scarlet macaw asked him, breaking the silence between the two.

"You could say that…ha…haha…I remember when we first met you know?" RDJ chuckled a little bit, as he covered his beak to hold his laughter. "I remember when he was crawling away from me after the battle at São Paulo stadium. And I ended up interrogating him to get information on the whereabouts of Armando. But of course he told me everything he knew, then begged for me to spare his life. So…I did."

"So he was just an associate?"

"For a little while. But then I saw him again when he arrived back in Rio with my friends Blu, Jewel, Alex and his wife Sisx. Along with my sister Iris."

"You have a sister?" Aiden rose his eyebrow curiously, intrigued to know more about his mentor.

"There's a lot about my past that I dare not to speak of. But I am grateful to know that I do have blood relatives still living after my parents were murdered." RDJ explained as he placed a wing on his shoulder. "And then of course Fernando married my sister, and after twelve years together…we became very good friends. Haaaa…such a shame that he had to go so soon…"

The duo then once again fell into a deep silence whilst watching the fire. But just as a certain someone thought that this would be a quick and easy thing…Aiden suddenly started to have…thoughts in his head.

"Mentor? May I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead Aiden." He replied whilst smiling at him.

"Does it ever get easier? You know…letting go of your past?"

RDJ sighed once more and pulled his hood back down so that Aiden could see his face. "The more you run away from your past kid…the easier it is for it to catch up to you. Sometimes you just have to embrace it…learn from it…become who you're truly meant to be."

"I understand that…but…how did you do it?" Aiden asked him with curiosity in his eyes.

RDJ slowly sat down on the ground and patted a spot next to him. Aiden gradually sat down on the ground next to his mentor and rested his head on his wing while listening to him carefully. "Well…I learned from my past…the mistakes I made…the stupid decisions I made…and all the rage and anger I built up over the years I just let go. I let go of all the hatred and the anger and…well…I soon realised that fighting for the ones I love is much much more rewarding than fighting for revenge."

"I guess that makes sense."

"It does! If I hadn't have met Lila, I probably would have gone down a darker path. And possibly got myself into a dangerous situation and have gotten myself killed. If it wasn't for my beautiful wife…I would never have felt so free."

"Yeah…that does sound more rewarding…" Aiden paused briefly as the image of Allie popped in his mind again. It felt like she was constantly on his mind…the way she talks…the way she flies…the way she fights…her perfect slim body that makes him feel so warm inside. He was so confused by all these thoughts…he didn't know what to do. "Ummm…Mentor…may I ask you one last question?"

"Sure, fire away!" He replied with a warm smile, relaxing on the ground with his talons crossed.

"How did you know that…Lila was…THE one for you?" Aiden emphasised, trying to get some advice for his confusion.

"Wow…Haa…I suppose, when we first met in The Amazon, I was so nervous around her and quite confused I guess? I had all these confusing thoughts and all of these warm feelings in my chest. I didn't know whether I was coming down with something or wether there was something…there with her you know?"

"But how did you know she was the one for you?"

"After we had our first kiss, I thought that there was a girl here who didn't care about my muscles, didn't care about my looks, or the way I saved her life from Nigel! Literally, she was into me for my personality and my kind and caring traits. But that one night…the night where she made me cry for the very first time in seven years! That's when I knew…Lila is the love of my life! And I will never stop loving her until the day I die!" RDJ explained and patted him on the back again. "Why are you asking me of this?"

"Oh…well…you see…a friend of mine, is confused about this…girl right? And…he ummm…asked me for advice a while ago? But I ummm…wanted to know what to tell him? My friend…" Aiden lied as he didn't want his master to find out about what he was truly feeling.

But unfortunately for Aiden…RDJ saw right through this lie. But, decided to word his response differently to not make him uncomfortable.

"Well you can tell your friend this. If a girl is constantly on his mind…and he has this warm feeling every time he thinks about her…then he should march straight up to this girl and tell her how he feels. Because trust me…girls like that come once in a lifetime! It's better to take a risk and find out, rather than doing nothing and not knowing." RDJ replied whilst chuckling inside, knowing that Aiden was clearly talking about himself and Allie.

"Thank you mentor, I know what I must do now!" Aiden suddenly brightly smiled and leapt into the air to fly back to the church. Leaving the head of the assassins alone on the island.

"Yeah, I better get back too! Lila will probably worry if I am gone too long." RDJ thought out loud as he went to leave himself. But just before he left, he took one last look at the fire with sorrow. Nodded his head in respect and flapped his wings to fly back home to his wife.

Let's Check In On Allie Now…

Our pink female macaw friend had been sitting alone in the bell tower after Aiden had left with the body of his old best friend from years ago.

She was sitting on the mattress whilst thinking about the moment on top of the greenhouse in the city…carrying softly after her complete embarrassment. Especially since she told him how she felt about him, and he didn't say anything in return.

"Sniff…Why did I have to say that I love him?! I had to scare him away didn't I? We had a good thing going on as friends. And now he will never look at me the same way he did again!" Allie buried her face in her wings whilst letting out a few more tears. Soaking her wings with her sorrow. Continuing to feel like she made a huge mistake.

Knock Knock Knock!

Allie looked up from her wings…only to see that Aiden was standing there in the doorway leaning up against the wall.

"Oh…h-h-hey Aiden! I was just…getting something out of my eyes!" Allie lied, quickly drying her eyes with her wings.

Instead of replying to her, Aiden just smiled deeply at her. Whilst having a very warm feeling in his chest as he gazed at her.

Allie stood up from the mattress and strolled over to her friend, scratching the back of her head nervously. "L-L-Listen…about earlier…I know that you probably won't want to be near me for a while. As I may have scared you off because of what I said…but I just couldn't hold it in anymore! I just had to say that I Lo…"

Suddenly, Aiden just grabbed her by both shoulders and instantly locked beaks with Allie. Taking her completely by surprise as her eyes widened. But after a few seconds she closed her eyes to enjoy this incredibly passionate kiss.

Their tongues swirled around each other's beaks, as he lowered his wings to her hips. Whilst she then wrapped her wings around the back of Aiden's neck.

Both of them didn't want this kiss to end and tried to keep the moment going for as long as possible, but unfortunately for them they needed to part beaks to gain some much needed oxygen.

"Wow…" Both of them simultaneously spoke at the same time, as the two of them had the biggest smiles on their beaks.

"Now that I was not expecting!" Allie giggled in surprise, bashfully hiding her blushing cheeks behind her wing.

"Allie…I'm sorry I couldn't say this earlier! But…I love you too!" Aiden remarked in a blissful way, as his heart continued to bear very fast. "It's just…I was so confused by what I was feeling, that I didn't know whether it was love? Or wether I was coming down with something…but when I look deeply into your eyes…I know now what it is…I'm in love with you too…"

"Oh Aiden…" She cried tears of joy now, as the excitement built up inside of her. And her smile widened even wider.

"Oh Allie…"

Both of them shared a very warm and passionate hug, whilst Allie rested her head on his shoulder as he kissed the top of her head feathers.

The two of them now had confessed their love for each other…and they were so happy and blissful at this point.

They didn't even realised that a certain someone had been watching the entire thing.

"Hmmm…looks like your 'Friend' took my advice seriously?" RDJ whispered to nobody in particular, smiling at the two new lovebirds. Before he walked up the steps to get to his room that he shared with Lila. Only to see that she had been waiting for him to return from the island. "Oh honey? You're still awake?"

"I couldn't sleep. Are you okay? How was the cremation?" Lila asked him with a saddened look, as she wrapped her wings around his neck.

"It went as well as it could have done. I just wish it didn't have to go the way it did so soon. Now Iris is gonna be devastated…" The blue and gold male sadly replied, lowering his head downward a little.

"Well…If you want? We could still fool around tonight? Help forget about it?" Lila proposed with an eyebrow raised, as she pressed her breasts up against his muscular chest. "It's been almost a year since we last had sex?"

"I know…haaaaa…I just…I don't want to keep losing the ones I care about! How many more have to…"

"Shhhhhhh…" Lila shushed him with one of her wingtips, then with her talon…she brushed it up against his muscular thigh. Causing him to shiver a little bit. "Let's not talk anymore…let's just…have some much…needed…alone time?" Lila purred whilst kissing him passionately on the beak. Rubbing her breasts up against him to tease him.

"Mmmm…that feels nice…but…" He put both wings on her shoulders and sadly smiled at her. "I'm not quite feeling it tonight. Can we try tomorrow night instead?"

"Oh…sure! I'm sorry…I didn't meant to force you…"

"You weren't forcing me at all my love." RDJ sweetly replied and calmly kisses her head feathers lovingly. "I just don't feel up to it tonight. So let's just wait until tomorrow…I should be feeling better by then."

"Okay…cuddles then?" Lila smiled at him warmly, as she laid comfortably on the bed.

"I'll come to bed in a few minutes or so. I'm gonna find out the secrets of the second and third keys. Just so we are getting closer to the end."

"Wow! Three keys already? We are on track! That's fantastic news!"

"It is indeed! I'll be in the study room for the minute, I'll see you in a few!" RDJ kissed her one more time on the beak. Then left the room to head back to the study.

"Ahhhh…things are finally starting to look up!" Lila beamed in excitement, before closing her eyes herself and drifted off to sleep.

Somewhere In The City…

In the very same building where the weapons and cargo had been destroyed…The Destroyer had returned from the prison after escaping RDJ. And hiding in town for a few hours to avoid being seen by him.

He arrived through the broken window that RDJ and Aiden had flown in and out of previously, before walking straight into the burnt out and destroyed space.

But just as he arrived at the scene…a bird wearing a cloak was standing there…talking to another bird in a cloak with their hood up. Not revealing either of their faces.

"There you are! Where the fuck have you been?" The older macaw in the hood grumbled at The Destroyer, who was now wearing a hood over their head after the mask had been destroyed. "What happened to your mask?"

"That stupid cunt RDJ destroyed it! Now I have to get a new one!" He grumbled irritably, as he sighed heavily.

"Fine, you can take anything from our main base by the old water tower in the city. Now will you tell me where you've been?"

"I've dealt with the military macaw Fernando. He was suspicious of our actions. So I dealt with him to help speed up our plans! I would have got here sooner, but I had a little scuffle with RDJ." The Destroyer explained and pulled the hood up further over his face.

"And you survived? Wow…not many birds survive against him." The other figure in the room finally spoke. Keeping a strong pose whilst talking to The Destroyer and the other hooded macaw.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"You need not worry about that master. You should only be grateful that I'm bringing you inside information." The figure explained as he chuckled at the duo.

"What kind of inside information?" The Destroyer asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Information about the marriage of RDJ and Lila…trust me…I know a lot more than you think!"

"It's settled then! Destroyer…I want you to learn as much from in as you can! As for myself, I'm gonna try and lead the raids by the docks. If needed, we may need to set up a new supply den." The hooded female macaw chuckled sadistically, as she left the burnt room instantly to leave the other two alone to talk.

"So…what would you like to know first?" The bird who revealed to be a male asked, leaning up against some broken chests.

"Every…little…detail!" The Destroyer narrowed his eyes…learning the info he needed to start the next phase of their plan.

Well now, that was interesting wasn't it? Cremation of deceased friends, RDJ opens up about his past to Aiden, Aiden then confessed his feelings for Allie whilst sharing their first kiss, and now The Destroyer has an inside man?! I wonder who it is…I hope you guys and girls enjoyed the chapter and see you all for the next one!