Chapter 27- continued journey to Rio and an escape realisation

Meanwhile

Blu and company had stopped in a place for a rest and were eating some fruit they had managed to find for lunch. Blu and Jewel chopped up some fruit for their chicks Carla, Bia, Tiago, Neptune, Arrokoth and Chrysocolla and distributed the pieces to them while Aurora and Zephyr tucked into a mango meal with their chicks Justin, Charlotte, Matilda, Virgil and Eustace. Nearby, Roberto, Brisa, Finnick and Lavendulan ate some berries while the glaucous macaw families had a variety of fruit and ate together as a large family. Sirius, Samara, Tristan, Quincy, Sapphire and Trixie shared their food with Antares, Bellatrix, Levi, Aiden and Phoebe. Ferdinand and his interspecies family had already eaten their fill and Ruby, Opal and Sheldon were taking a short nap in a nearby tree. Near the scarlet mate of Ferdinand and their Catalina daughter and son, the flying fox family were eating upside down. Ahsoka suckled Ganymede and Gordie while Orion ate some more fruit with Sandalwood, Acerola and Hermione.

Before the group set to looking for some food during their rest stop, Blu had always wanted to take some canned fruit and nuts to help feed the chicks and the pups but Jewel had told him to scrap that idea as it was not a natural source of food for the group's young. After all, the other adults including Ferdinand were STRICTLY against their young eating food from artificial sources such as from cans and Jewel did not want Neptune, Arrokoth and Chrysocolla to start learning that their food came from the wrong sources similar to how Carla, Bia and Tiago, the older brood, had almost done. To add, Orion was ABSOLUTELY against his pups eating artificially prepared food and did not tolerate his children eating such. Fresh fruit, he was fine with that but NOT tinned fruit or human food containing fruit. Since the incident with the vending machine in which his two youngest sons Ganymede and Gordie had stupidly got stuck in an attempt to obtain a fruit bar, Orion had become suspicious of Blu sneaking fruit-containing human food to the pair. However, it was proven false to Blu's relief and Orion wanted to avoid dangerous situations in the future. The other macaws, especially Antares, Samara, Ferdinand, Ruby, Zephyr, Roberto and Brisa were also against their chicks eating human-prepared food.

As the group ate their meals in a secluded area where no human would find them, the Spix macaws began to discuss.

"Where are we going to sleep once we get to Rio?" asked Aurora as she fed a piece of mango to Charlotte.

"Finding uninhabited trees is going to be VERY difficult as usual," said Zephyr, "Our former trees have been taken up by new residents since we left for the Amazon."

"We cannot use our birdhouse either," said Blu as he fed Neptune and Arrokoth some berries, "It didn't matter when we just had our first brood but now we have these three," he nodded to his new sons and Chrysocolla, his new daughter, "There will not be enough room for the six of them."

"Our compartments will be too small for two chicks anyway," said Bia.

"I'm not willing to share MY room with our sometimes-annoying brothers and sister, anyway," muttered Tiago, "Certainly NOT trouble here after he had set off that boat horn," he shot a sour glare at Arrokoth as he said this. Arrokoth flinched at this glare.

"At least you didn't set off the boat horn the LAST time we hitchhiked a boat, bro," grumbled Carla accusingly, Bia looking on with an agreeing look.

"I did NOT set off that boat alarm during that time either," retorted Tiago, "I don't know WHY you two keep bringing up THAT incident time and time again since Arrokoth stupidly pressed that button thinking it to be some sort of fun thing to press."

"Well, he's been disciplined anyway, along with Chrysocolla, Ganymede and Gordie for wandering off and causing a panic among the rest of us," said Jewel firmly, her glare on the pair as they continued to shamefully eat, "Hopefully this will teach them an IMPORTANT lesson about wandering off in humans' places."

"Especially a city like the one we are currently in," put in Aurora nearby, "There are SO many dangers lurking around every corner."

"NOT a place for a chick or pup to get lost in," said Roberto sternly. Then curiosity welled within Aurora and Zephyr's five chicks.

"Mom," asked Justin.

"Yes, son," said Aurora.

"Have you ever got lost in a city when you were our age or younger?" asked Charlotte. Aurora's face formed a 'yes' look.

"Once, in London in the UK across the Atlantic Ocean," said she, "It was shortly after I and your glaucous uncle Sirius and auntie Bellatrix had managed to escape that lorry, or truck as they're often called here."

"It was a TERRIFYING experience, honestly," said Bellatrix from the glaucous group, "We have had several narrow escapes while we wandered aimlessly around the English place."

"Thankfully Matthew found us and took us in," said Sirius in agreement. Tristan, Quincy, Sapphire, Trixie, Levi, Aiden and Phoebe gazed at the two in wonder.

"It's an excellent thing he did, you two and Aurora," said Antares as he held a nut in his talon, "Otherwise you three wouldn't have survived for much longer."

"When you showed us pictures of this place called Linda when you were under the ownership of your companions," said Samara.

"London," corrected Sirius.

"Um, London, when Matthew and his parents used to own you during your adventures during our visit to Milo and Ellie last summer," continued Samara, "we had been UTTERLY unnerved."

"It surely must be bigger even than Rio," said Antares, "If Samara and I were ever taken there as chicks we wouldn't have had a hope."

"It's a terrifying situation to be in," said Brisa who looked on with Roberto, "A young chick in a strange city like London. The chances of him or her or them in your case, of surviving in such a MASSIVE place as London are pretty slim."

"That would have been me in Minnesota," said Blu, "Only it had been snowy and freezing. If Linda hadn't found me, I would have likely died from hypothermia from the cold."

"What's hypo-thingie-dummy?" asked Brisa confused at this term.

"It's when the core temperature of your body drops dangerously low," said Bia.

"Yes and it can be fatal," added Quincy who was also scientific-minded. Then Sandalwood dropped from the tree and touched down near the macaws on the ground.

"For example, the majority of the passengers aboard a ship called the Titanic in that freezing ocean," said the golden yellow bat, "When I saw a book about the disaster, Mom (Ahsoka) explained to me about the disaster."

"Yes, landing in the water on a clear dark cloudless night can be fatal within minutes," said Blu.

"Can we move on please?" said Roberto with an uneasy look on his face, "I hate the thought of talking about stuff like this."

The group agreed and did so before Jewel brought the group back to the main subject. "Right, where are we gonna have our temporary home for our early summer?"

"We could stay in the attic of Matthew and his family's place," said Aurora, "It's fairly large."

"Absolutely," said Sirius in agreement, "We can ALL stay together in that place."

"We can build makeshift nests there," added Bellatrix. The others gazed at the three former companions and pets of Matthew and his parents as they thought about this suggestion. Some, such as Jewel, Roberto and also Ferdinand, weren't keen on the thought of staying in a place of a human building but since the finding available tree hollows in Tijuca Forest was slim especially for seven families, and Blu and Jewel's birdhouse built and hung near Tulio and his family's cottage wasn't large enough to accommodate their three new additions, the group eventually settled on Aurora, Sirius and Bellatrix's suggestion. Then the group resumed eating.

As they ate, Blu gazed over his children, his face glistening with pride. His first brood, Carla, Bia and Tiago will soon be young adults due to leave the nest while his second brood Neptune, Arrokoth and Chrysocolla were growing. The three were showing signs of maturity including Tiago though at times he was a little immature, crude and childish but he was respectful and protective of his friends, particularly of his sisters and Matilda who he was dating. All six chicks showed a combination of both their parents and Blu can practically see himself and Jewel in each of them. Out of the three first-brood children, Tiago resembled Blu the most and has his darker blue feathers and brown eyes. Bia was an exact mix of Blu and Jewel and had inherited her mother's cerulean feathers and her father's brown eyes though they were a lighter hazel. She had also inherited her father's love of science and maths while Carla resembled Blu the least. The combination of Blu and Jewel's traits were also present in the second brood chicks. Neptune, the eldest of the second brood, looked exactly like a young Blu with green eyes and like Blu and Bia, like a scientific subject. However, he was more into stargazing than any other scientific topic unlike his sister and father who were all-rounded. Arrokoth resembled a male version of a young Jewel with brown eyes due to his cerulean feathers. Chrysocolla, however, was quite different. She looked like a combination of Blu and Jewel but her feathers were cyan and cerulean. Her eyes were teal exactly like Jewel's. Neptune seemed to like hanging out with his father than his mother but Arrokoth and Chrysocolla prefer to hang out more with their mother. The three second-brood chicks were also showing signs of a free spirit, a personality trait Blu knows full well existed in Jewel but the most free-spirited of the three was Chrysocolla. Blu then turned his gaze to the other children of the group with a smile and observed the five children of Zephyr and Aurora, Justin, Charlotte, Matilda, Virgil and Eustace in particular. Those five were also maturing and interestingly enough, the three boys of the clutch, Justin, Virgil and Eustace, had often been respectful throughout their childhood though sometimes they had the odd situation in which they behaved immaturely much like Tiago. Blu in particular favoured Justin and Virgil as these two treated his older daughters very well and were protective of them, especially Virgil with Bia and his rescuing of her from the clutches of the violent daughter of glaucous macaws Rudi and Tremaine, Katrina had garnered respect from Blu and his mate. THAT was the sort of male macaw Blu wanted his daughters to hopefully become mates of. The maturation was also true of the glaucous and Catalina children and also Sandalwood, Acerola and Hermione though Sandalwood was technically already a young adult for Amazon flying foxes matured earlier than macaws, at two years old. However, he preferred to stick with his parents to help them raise his younger brothers Ganymede and Gordie. Blu smiled as he looked forward to the older children become young adults, leave their parents' side and hopefully find mates of their own and perhaps have chicks. Smiling, he resumed his meal.

After the meal, the group continued to rest. Blu gazed out into the cityscape in the tree with Ahsoka who hung upside down from a branch above the one Blu was perched on.

"Do you remember when I cooked pancakes for our chicks and your pups during our previous trip to Rio, Ahsoka, when we stayed in Tulio and my human companion's cottage?" asked the companion of Linda.

"Yes," replied Ahsoka with displeasure, "and it was a very silly thing to do as well as pancakes are a human food and not natural. You were honestly reprimanded by the others including your mate Jewel for feeding our kids including Sandalwood, Acerola and Hermione such junk."

Blu breathed a sigh and remembered the SERIOUS lecture he got from some of them, particularly Orion and Antares who were absolutely against their children eating human food.

"I'll never forget Orion's severe lecture," said he, his gaze on the brown flying fox as he talked about his history with Sandalwood, Acerola, Hermione, Ganymede and Gordie, the six of them also hanging upside down.

"Yes," said Ahsoka in severe agreement, "He was HONESTLY not pleased, I can tell you. I'm glad you learnt that lesson WELL and helped Orion in retrieving our youngest sons who stupidly went into that vending machine to get a human fruit bar."

"Have you ever tried any human food at all?" asked Blu.

"No," said Ahsoka, "My carer Joanna NEVER fed me anything of the sort. She always made sure that I ate natural food, be it freshly picked from the trees or purchased from the fruit stalls. And ever since Joanna released me (now that I was able to fly) and I joined Orion in the Blu Bird Sanctuary, became his mate and I became pregnant with our first pup Sandalwood, Orion had strictly told me that our pups be raised in a natural or semi-natural environment, NEVER human and THAT includes finding our food in the natural habitat. Though we had to return to Tulio's Aviary to have an ultrasound scan of my unborn pups to check that they were healthy before their birth and also to birth our pups so that their health can be monitored post-birth due to our species' EXTREME rarity like yours, the Spix macaw, the natural jungle was the place for us and our pups."

"Weren't you Joanna's pet?" asked Blu.

"No I was not," said Ahsoka, "I was a foster bat. Joanna took me in as a pup and raised me but she NEVER saw me as a pet like she would a macaw, a city cat or a city dog. Flying foxes are one type of animal that do NOT make, and should NOT be made, pets. We bats tend to be carriers and vectors of various nasty diseases and can pack a nasty bite, even as pups and because of these; we should never be handled by humans who are inexperienced, unvaccinated and unlicensed. In order for a human to handle bats, they have to have a special licence for their safety and thankfully, Joanna was licensed and also vaccinated as she was studying chiroptology as part of her university work and also to become part of the team of chiroptologists working at Tulio's Aviary who are dedicated to protecting rare bats."

Blu blinked his eyes in confusion at Ahsoka's use of such terminology such as 'vectors' and 'vaccination' as he didn't think that she would have an understanding of these advanced words. Ahsoka formed a small smile on her muzzle.

"Yes, I have been reading some books while I was growing up with my foster carer and have become familiar with quite a few scientific terms," said she.

"Do you know what Newton's laws of physics and motion are?" asked Blu as a test.

"Only the basics," said Ahsoka, "But not to the same extent as you, Bia or even my own son Sandalwood."

Blu smiled as Ahsoka continued. "And because part of his employee group works to protect bats, Tulio and some of the others are also licensed and vaccinated as they also help in these areas."

"Such as that clan of Linda's orange bats we discovered in that cave when our sanctuary was in danger of loss," said Blu.

"Indeed," said Ahsoka, "If it wasn't for the discovery of them, we would have lost our homes as a sanctuary and you, your family and Linda and Tulio have been hailed as heroes, including by us."

Blu flashed a proud smile at this before he turned to gaze at Ganymede and Gordie.

"When we get to Rio, we must get a picture of those two, and also of my and Jewel's second brood and, if Brisa and Roberto are okay with it, them and their two new chicks Finnick and Lavendulan and have their pictures added to our human companions' album."

Ahsoka smiled at the idea. Then some silvery singing filled the air. The ginger bat and Linda's companion traced the sound to their sources and gazed at two certain Spix macaw chicks as they stood before their parents, practicing their singing talents, the father, Roberto, correcting them here and there.

"Finnick and Lavendulan certainly have inherited their father's gem-like voice, haven't they?" said Ahsoka, "Even I can never sing as well as them."

"Finnick is almost a spitting image of his father except that he has light blue feathers like his mother Brisa," said Blu with a smile, "And Lavendulan is EVER so bright in her blue colour. That is why I suggested the name to Roberto and Brisa as her plumage colour reminded me of that copper-arsenic mineral."

"I've seen a picture of those crystals in a gem book before," said Ahsoka. Then the two continued listening to the pair's gem-like voices decorate the air as they continued to have their singing lesson with their father, their mother looking on proudly. Then after another hour, the group was back in the air and they resumed their journey to Rio. Trixie rode on Sirius' back while Ganymede rode on Ahsoka's breast and Gordie was carried by Blu at Orion and Ahsoka's permission to have his turn in carrying one of the mischievous twin bats. Blu flashed a gaze at the lump of chocolate brown fur with black wings on his back, unable to remember if this pup was Gordie OR Ganymede. How identical the pair looked was UTTERLY astonishing even for him.

Meanwhile, back in Rio

Intensive sobbing filled the air in the artificially built jungle of the maimed animal enclosure, many of the inhabitants focussing their gazes on the crier in concern and worry. Hauyne was back in her and Luke's hollow, weeping her eyes out, her tears falling as heavy as rain on a bad thunderstorm day. Earlier, Eva had said something INCREDIBLY insensitive to her and had hacked and slashed Hauyne's heart and sensitive nerves in a certain area. With her were Jean-Luc and Iris and they were doing their best to comfort the severely emotionally wounded Lear's macaw as she continued to sob heavily. Some of the other residents had offered drinks of water in fruit shell cups and some food to help but Jean-Luc and Iris had gently told them to stay away from Hauyne until she had calmed down, however long that may be and they obeyed. However, Iris and Jean-Luc had said thanks to them for their offer before they left.

Standing a few metres away from the Lear's macaws' hollow, Chip, Nico, Pedro and Luke looked on, the latter UTTERLY and understandably furious. The three little samba DJ birds could NOT believe that Eva would say something SO insensitive to a macaw that had suffered fertility issues like Hauyne while the male one-winged Lear's macaw had NEVER felt so humiliated in his life but it was not just the fact that his mate had had her feelings lacerated. Nico and Pedro, who had entered the Enclosure to visit the Lear's macaw family as they regularly did, have been met with the harrowing scene of a sobbing female Lear's macaw. Jean-Luc had been the one to explain everything to them including what Eva had said to Hauyne and Quaoar's incredibly brave attempt in rescuing Scottie from the stupid toucans. When Nico and Pedro heard about the former, they had been in UTTER disbelief with the former almost fainting. The pair were thus as disbelieving as their friend Chip who had heard those words straight from the screechy keel-billed toucan's beak. However, Hauyne hadn't been the only one to be hurt by Eva's scalding words. Those words had sent damaging sparks and have injured Luke and Quaoar as well. Luke had instinctively tried to fly after Hauyne but to his humiliation he realised that he couldn't, an insult to injury of the WORST kind, the damaging sparks described and Quaoar felt UTTERLY hurt from those words too. Due to his mother being completely infertile and unable to have any more chicks, Quaoar sadly could not have biological siblings and he had also left upset. Then Chip, Nico and Pedro whispered something to Luke and then left for the exit while Luke went to approach his hollow.

Outside the entrance, Milo sat a few metres away, a worried look on his face. Then a red-crested cardinal, a bottle-cap wearing canary and a red-footed honeycreeper appeared out of the entrance and flew to him.

"How's Quaoar, Milo?" asked Nico.

"Izze treated yet?" asked Pedro.

"He's only come away with minor injuries which I initially thought he had sustained trying to rescue Scottie from those stupid toucans until he told me that the toucans had landed him in trouble with some of the Tijuca Forest community members," said Milo, "and they beat him up, thinking him to be the one responsible for Scottie's situation..." OUTRAGE flared within the Dalmatian, "Honestly, that toco toucan and his keel-billed mate certainly do have a problem on their wings..."

"Bu' wha' Eva said to Hauyne I can NEVER get over," said Nico, "In fact I nearly FAINTED. I didn't wanna believe Jean-Luc bu' he told us tha' it was true. TRUE!" he flung his wings into the air as he said this.

"SOOO insensitive," said Pedro in agreement.

"'Specially after what she 'ad t' put up with when tryin' for chicks," added Chip, "An' Quaoar with th' inability to 'ave any brothers an' sisters. I don' think Hauyne is in th' right state o' mind for lil' Quaoar at th' moment..."

"Maybe not for a while," said Milo.

"An' another thing," added Pedro, "T' hear that Quaoar 'ad tried to rescue Scottie..."

Suddenly, Nico cut him off when he small navy blue form fly out of the entrance to Tulio's Aviary.

"Oh, 'ere 'e comes," he said. The other three looked up and saw the form, Quaoar, fly to them. Because his injuries had only been minor, he didn't need urgent treatment and a long stay in the medical room of the Aviary but his injuries and his black left eye will need some time to heal. He was met with a pair of ASTONISHED gazes from the canary and the cardinal.

"Boy, Quaoar, we though' you got wrecked," said Nico.

"When Jean-Luc an' also Chip 'ere also explained t' us 'ow you tried t' rescue Scottie from dat ordeal, even riskin' yaself gettin' BADLY hurt from 'dat crash with 'im, we COULDN'T believe our ears," said Pedro.

"No, I escaped in the nick of time before the toy cart crashed," said Quaoar, the hurt from Eva's words spewed at his mother put aside for now, "The moment I felt the thing begin to tip when those toucans swerved sharply to the right at that high speed, I knew I had to bail."

"It was an EXTREMELY brave and extraordinary attempt, I can tell you," said Milo before his anger against the toucans, particularly Eva, showed itself once again, "But as for those big nosed birds, THEY are the COMPLETE opposite: OUTRIGHT cowards who ABSOLUTELY refuse to face disaster themselves."

"You go' dat right, Doggie," said Nico.

"Their antics are HONESTLY gettin' outa wing," said Pedro, "Many of th' other friends such as Kipo an' even dat lil' King Kong are on th' same perch as us on dat one."

"Mauro and his gang are in agreement about those toucans?" asked Milo with surprise.

"Those lil' pesky primates an' loathsome looters may be pesky an' loathsome, 'specially t' tourists an' their valuables, boy," said Nico, "Bu' even THEY know full well how far is too far. Ironic really."

"Well, all they do is steal valuables from the tourists and bother them," said Milo.

"Exactly," said Pedro.

"'Owever, those troublesome toucans HAVE been botherin' some tourists too, but their methods of stealin' their bling are FAR more aggressive," said Chip. As he spoke, a green parakeet flew in and touched down and began to walk towards the four. It was Federico, a friend of Milo and company.

"Orton, Kipo's cousin, has witnessed some of 'em in action while he was datin' Rosie an' believe me," Chip's face turned dark, "They actually ATTACKED those tourists t' take their bling, something th' pesky marmosets would NEVER do."

"Seriously?" said Milo in disbelief. However, Chip nodded to confirm that he wasn't joking while Quaoar looked on, stunned at hearing this. He had absolutely NO idea that the toucan gang's naughtiness would spiral into such area; another reason NOT to hang out with that lot for him then. Then a green parakeet appeared to the surprise of the five.

"Oh, Hi, Federico," said Milo.

"Wha' brings you 'ere?" asked Nico with a smile. Pedro, Quaoar and Chip also smiled on, the middle one only slightly for he was still deeply hurt from Eva's words to his mother. Federico then gazed at Quaoar and flinched when he saw the few bruises and black eye the Lear's macaw teen had sustained.

"Good grief," he spoke, "What happened to little Quaoar there?"

"He's been on a rescue attempt of one of my sons when Rafael and Eva's stupid toucans pulled him at high speed in that cart," explained Milo.

"But I couldn't bite through Scottie's binds in time to free him and those toucans turned sharply and he severely crashed," put in Quaoar.

"Those toucans, HONESTLY," growled Federico with disgust, "They seem to get worse and worse by the day."

The others nodded in agreement before Federico moved on. "Anyway, the reason why I have come is because I have been to visit Sabrina's family's house quite some distance from here but when I checked on that family of four, they did not seem very happy at all."

"Why? What's up with them?" asked Milo.

"They are having financial trouble," replied Federico, "But that's not all. Sabrina is nowhere to be found and the four humans have been looking up and down their house for her. The boy and the girl are ESPECIALLY distraught. I have been trying to help by looking around the neighbourhood and have even asked the city animals around the area. The city dogs and cats and pets of the family's neighbours wouldn't answer and they didn't care (to my surprise and disgust as I always thought that a neighbourhood's dogs were friends like their owners) and the feral birds such as pigeons who frequent the area didn't know when I asked them."

The other five exchanged looks.

"Sabrina hadn't been very 'appy when we tried t' visit her dose previous times," said Nico, "In fact she told us t' stop our visits t' her place as she was so miserable."

"Maybe she's escaped or sommat?" asked Pedro.

"I don't know but I hope she hasn't gone far," said Milo sternly, "That family of four loves her and if she is not found or she does not return, things are gonna be bad for her and for them. Unfortunately there is little I can do since her place is far away from here."

Sighs escaped the five birds and they said nothing and Quaoar was confused at why Sabrina would just run away from her owners like that. Just then, a burly toco toucan and a green-winged macaw arrived, having exited the Enclosure for Maimed Animals.

"We're gonna have to take care of Quaoar until Hauyne's lacerated feelings are soothed which is sure to take some time," said Jean-Luc, "She's too emotionally wounded to tend to her son at the moment and Luke wants to be alone with her."

"Eva certainly HAS done a good job in slashing the poor Lear's macaw's feelings like a rabid cat with those words," growled Iris in disgust. The others flinched when they heard this and Quaoar lowered his head, a tear beginning to well in his bruised left eye.

"That keel-billed toucan is just as BAD as her delinquent offspring, honestly," growled Milo as he gazed at the weeping little Lear's macaw, "Tell you what; I'll look after him this time. I'm sure Ellie wouldn't mind him staying with us for some time until his parents feel better..."

"Good idea, Doggie," said Nico. Federico looked on confused.

"Eva's been NASTY to Hauyne?" asked he.

"'Tis a long story, Feddie," said Pedro.

"Ya, you don't wanna know," put in Chip. Federico looked on, keenly wanting to know but then he abandoned the thought. Then a thought about a certain family of mammals with wings came to Milo's mind and he scowled.

"The way Eva treated Hauyne based on her delinquent offspring's torrent of lies," growled the Dalmatian, "THAT is strongly reminiscent of what happened to Orion and his family when those toucans lied about Sandalwood, Acerola and Hermione being the ones to bother Mauro and his marmoset gang over a year ago, landing them in trouble with the marmosets in the process."

"And then those brats lied to their parents about THEM being the ones to bother those pesky primates," said Federico, "And Eva called those three poor young bats delinquents and branded Orion and Ahsoka as the BAD parents. No wonder the flying foxes' relationship with them has become strained."

"Looks like Luke and his family have followed suite," said Jean-Luc, "I wouldn't be surprised if any of those toucans, perhaps including Rafael but excluding Diantha and a few others, would be fiercely driven off by Luke if they try to go anywhere near them..."

"Sommat's gotta give," said Chip. The others nodded to this fact in agreement. Suddenly, the group was alerted by the sounds of frantic talking coming from the entrance to Tulio's Aviary. Milo and the others turned and gazed at said area and to their surprise; they saw some of the researchers looking around and chattering frantically.

"Do you guys see the looks on the faces of those researchers and hear how they are talking?" asked Jean-Luc, "They sound so distressed."

"Are they still looking for that stinking cockatoo and his 'other froggy half' who are still missing?" asked Milo. The group then began to approach the researchers, among then Nick and Joanna, the companions of Luke and Ahsoka respectively, as they continued to talk.

"Tulio is gonna go UTTERLY BERSERK when he hears about THIS!" cried one of the other women, "We were SUPPOSED to be keeping an eye on 'em in the artificial jungle chamber!"

"Artificial jungle chamber?" repeated Quaoar.

"It's the place where Blu met Jewel, Ahsoka met Orion and so on," explained Milo but then realisation crashed upon the Dalmatian, "I think those researchers might be looking for the two golden fruithawks and two Luna owls who are supposed to be in there."

The moment this sentence left the Dalmatian's mouth, Jean-Luc and Iris rocketed for the entrance with Nico, Pedro, Chip and Federico in tow. Quaoar went to follow but a white paw appeared and seized him.

"Oh, Quaoar, you're coming with me," said Milo and with that, he pulled the little Lear's macaw with him.

"Can't you follow them Mr Milo?" asked Quaoar.

"Dogs aren't allowed in that place," replied Milo, "C'mon, let's get prepared to go back to my owners' house. Matthew will be coming by to pick me up any moment but you MUST stay out of sight of my owners."

Quaoar breathed a sigh and relented.

Inside Tulio's Aviary and the jungle chamber where Blu and Jewel met and Aurora, Sirius, Bellatrix and Ahsoka their mates some time later, some of the researchers searched for the four missing and INCREDIBLY precious birds, checking under every leaf, fern, rock and in every hollow, nook and cranny. Because the door to the artificial habitat was open, Jean-Luc, Iris, Nico, Pedro, Chip and Federico were able to access the room quickly and without the effort of having to open the door themselves. As soon as the six were in the room, they began to help look around for the four missing birds.

"If Katniss, Soren, Cassiopeia and Aragorn have managed to escape this place, it will NOT be good..." said Jean-Luc as he craned his neck into a hollow to find it empty. He hid behind a large leaf as a man walked past to shout to some of the other researchers. Then Fernando's voice summoned the attention of the other researchers including the six birds.

"Guys, look," called the former smuggler and Tulio and Linda's adopted son. The others came over to the young man and he pointed to something, his face laced with dismay. The other researchers including Nick and Joanna as they entered the room, and also Jean-Luc, Iris, Nico, Pedro, Chip and Federico, gathered around Fernando and followed his point. The moment their eyes landed on what Fernando had found, their faces melted to looks of worry and dismay as well. The six birds gazed at the spot too, saddened and worried.

"NOOO..." breathed Iris in disbelief while the others looked on in silence. Before the group was a grate, the very same grate Jewel and later, Zephyr and the others, tried to escape through. However, those macaws and Orion had been unsuccessful. This time, however, the grate had been successfully pulled from the wall and there it lay, cast aside like a metallic carcass. The mouth of the vent lay open and agape, like the mouth of a cave but rectangular. Fernando and the others gazed at the dislodged grate and opened vent, one conclusion drawn in their minds while Jean-Luc, Iris, Nico, Pedro, Chip and Federico looked on in silent disbelief.

Katniss, Soren, Cassiopeia and Aragorn have INDEED escaped this place and Tulio's Aviary through this tunnel. The researchers dreaded Tulio's reaction when this news reaches his ears.