All Notes & Disclaimers are established at the bottom.
(Please leave a comment and enjoy!)
Chapter Fifty: Family Moments Part 1
Three days ago…on a beautiful morning, things seemed mostly quiet across multiple cities, including one Rio de Janeiro. But far away from it, quite a number of miles away, past the beaches and more, it was not so quiet.
A plane was up in the air where the sunrise would touch it, and the back hatch was open. A whole flock of different birds flew out of it, and a few moments after that, a couple more jumped off.
The two were in the air, falling, and they were Blu and Jewel, the blue macaws. They jumped out of the plane, intending on escaping from the clutches of the human smugglers, and Chama, their pet, who turned out to be a traitor.
Before jumping off, Blu had quickly hovered and carried Jewel with his talons. He was trying to keep his balance, gliding through as best as he could. But before they were close to the water, Jewel struggled, releasing herself from his talons, and turned to embrace Blu with her wings.
"Whoa! Jewel, what are you doing?" Blu said in surprise.
"Blu," Jewel said. "…I wanted to do this just in case. I want you to know that I love you! I love you so much, and I never want to let you go."
"I…I love you too, Jewel. But right now we're falling and, if you don't mind me saying, you're being just a little crazy."
"Then I guess we really are a loving match. I say we're chained to each other birds!" Then, she kissed her husband in a surprise attack while making a deep smile.
As they continued falling, Blu felt mesmerized by the kiss. And remembered a long time ago of a similar fall Blu had when he fell out of his tree. But by focusing more on the kiss, he closed his eyes and started opening his wings differently. Then when they reached the water…Blu hovered higher, and higher, and higher until he was able to fly all the way.
After releasing the kiss, Jewel was brought back into her husband's talons and saw everything. "Blu…you're flying!"
"Wha…I-I mean, I am? I AM! Whoo-hoo! I-I can't believe it!" Blu continued going higher, finally feeling the proper ability to fly going through him without a problem.
Then Jewel replied, "Believe it! Nigel was right."
"Wait, Nigel?" Blu flew forward and looked back with his head. "Right, Nigel. Are…are you sure, he'll be okay?" Then faced forward again.
"To be honest, I don't know. But he's a tough one, and he did give us the chance to escape. Let's just hope he's right about that other girl."
"Me too. But hopefully…hopefully we'll both find out soon if he's okay, and hopefully we'll have this adventure over before the next one begins."
"Oh? And what exactly is our next adventure, my handsome hero?" Jewel grinned, knowing what Blu meant.
Blu flew through the air more, coming closer to the city saying, "Getting ready to raise our kids in our home, Rio de…" But then he noticed something odd. "Wait a minute. That's not Rio!"
The moment Blu made that statement, he and Jewel both felt horrified. Because as they got closer, they saw it was indeed not Rio de Janeiro, but a totally different city. The two were shocked to the max, but nonetheless, they saw their friends from a distance and followed them.
Eventually, while each and every one of them surprisingly stayed together, they landed down near the jungle. Just a spacious area where they figured they would regroup. But as they all did, not one bird spoke alone, but all of them together like a mob.
Every bird, including Blu, Jewel, and their friends, was on the ground but everyone kept murmuring. Every bird moved their beaks, freaking out over the circumstances. Blu looked and even saw Jewel run up and hug Eva and the others, and talked with them the same way they all did. Meanwhile, he stayed quiet and watched. Feeling scared as they did, but didn't want to think about it. He just kept hearing,
"Where are we?"
"What are we gonna do?"
"Where's Rio?"
"How do we get back?"
"Is anyone hurt?"
"Hey." Blu spoke, after hearing everyone say so much. But they didn't hear him, so he continued. "Hello. Hello. HEEEYYYY!" He screamed off the top of his lungs, feeling as agitated as he sounded, until everyone looked at him. "Thank you." He calmly said as he noticed. "Sorry to yell, but I knew you guys wouldn't stop."
"Stop?" Said one of the formerly captive birds, a tiny yellow one. "Stop what, stop freaking out? How can you ask us about that?"
"Yeah." Said another one. "We just got out of that giant metal death trap, landing in a totally new city that isn't our home, and you expect us to calm down?!"
"No!" Blu finally replied. "I expect you to not panic and just listen. Which, yes, is the same as calming down. But just hear me out. I know you're all scared. Heck, I'm more than terrified. My wife and I were the last ones to get out, and she got hurt before that. I had to fly out and help her before we got here. I was hoping that after that we would finally be safe, and get back our normal lives. Then this happens. We're suddenly in a new place, as you said. So yes, it is scary. But…that doesn't mean it's all bad."
"Really, how?"
"Look around you? Are you, specifically you, alone here? Is anyone else hurt, or do you think you're the only one who feels lost?" He stopped for a second, and every bird did look around, shrugging and nodding, knowing what he meant. So he continued, "No. You're not alone. We're still together. The moment you all got out of the plane, we could've split up, but instead…we stuck together. And right now, as we figure out where we are and how to get home, I suggest we stay together. At least for now. We stay together, look after each other, find food, proper shelter, and in the meantime, allow me to take some time to think. Because I believe I have an idea on how we can get back, that is, if you are all willing to listen and follow my plan later."
Once again, there was silence, and at a moment of surprise…Blu heard clapping. Every bird was clapping for him, seeing how well he got their attention. He smiled, feeling pleased, especially when he saw his friends clap too, and his wife smiling deeply.
From there, every bird stayed where they were, talking amongst themselves. Blu faced his friends, seeing they were all there. Jewel, Rafael, Eva, Nico, Pedro, Mikka, Leo, Angel, Carlos, Sophia, and Luiz. He was glad they were safe, and felt his adoptive father Leo pat his back.
"Way to go, man." He said.
Jewel, "That was a pretty good speech, Blu."
Blu, "Thanks. It was nothing. I just saw everybody panic and I knew someone had to help everyone feel more at ease."
"Well, you handled it pretty well, bro." Said his sister Angel. "But…Jewel, how are you feeling?"
"Me?" Jewel looked at her wing, and her smile changed into a frown. "Fine that we're all safe, but I'm not fine about my wing."
"Oh dear." Said Sophia. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. How did this happen?"
Blu, "It was an accident. After you guys left, Chama caught and accidentally pushed Jewel against the wall, and a cage fell on her wing."
Jewel, "Still, Nigel was able to help us."
Rafael, "Hey wait, yeah. Where is Nigel?"
"Uh…" Blu felt hesitant to say, so he pointed up to the sky where the plane was still in sight.
"Up in the plane?"
"I'm afraid so. After you left, uh…one of the human smugglers came out, and Nigel wanted to stay and buy us some time. So we left. And believe me, that was a rush. But what was exciting was the fact that…I flew. I was able to carry Jewel and flew up with complete accuracy for the first time."
Mikka and Leo, and the gang, were completely stoked to hear that. Though Jewel looked at Blu for a moment, knowing he didn't explain the whole thing.
Then he continued, "I…I don't know how long it's gonna be until we see Nigel again, but we have to hope that we will return. Just like how I believe if we work together, we can get home."
"Oh man." Said Nico.
Pedro, "As if things here weren't already super X to the extreme."
Mikka, "Well, as extreme as things are, Blu's right. Which is why I want to ask, what is our first move again, honey?"
Blu, "Like I said, we stay together, find food and shelter. After that…" He stopped for a moment, and looked over at the distance. He noticed how big and intriguing the new city appeared. So he looked back at his friends, saying, "…after that, we split up into small groups. Each group flies around one section of this new city, gathering whatever information you can. Such as the name of the city or finding maps. And maybe more food depending on the ones here may turn out, to which we can maybe all do that in about an hour or so. How does that sound?"
Every bird, and dog, nodded.
"Good." Blu continued. "For now, let's just take the time to rest. That especially means you, Jewel."
Jewel, "Okay."
Eva, "Jewel, come with me. When Rafi and I landed, we found one spot that looked comfortable enough to rest in. I think it will be good for you."
"Thanks."
Eva gently put her wing around her sister's shoulder, helping feel comforted and walked her over to the spot. Blu stood where he was, taking a good look at his wife. Rafael noticed and decided to talk.
"You okay, amigo?"
"Huh?" Blu looked at Rafael and replied, "Oh yeah. I'm good. It's my wife I'm worried about. Her wing is broken and the timing of it is even worse."
"Well, don't worry, Blu. Remember, we're with you all the way. After all, you came up with the plan, and we'll follow you through."
"Thanks, pal. Though, about the plan, after we establish it with everyone later, would you be alright if I stayed behind? I think I'd be more comfortable here looking after my wife."
"Oh, of course. I doubt any bird in their right mind would be against that. And with how much you've helped out and have more things to prepare for than this, I say you both deserve a good long break."
"Thanks."
Blu was happy for his friend's usual understanding. So he walked up to where Jewel and Eva were going, telling them what he wanted to do. Then Blu eventually explained the rest of the plan to everyone, to which they all agreed to, and they went off.
Most of the birds divided into small groups, and each flew around the city. Trying to find out what they could. Blu and Jewel stayed behind, same as for Mikka, Leo, Carlos, and Sophia, while the other friends joined the groups.
Meanwhile, Rafael and Eva were in their own group. Just two toucans were in the air flying together, viewing every building they passed and humans walking by, until they stopped and rested on top of a street light.
"Wow." Eva spoke. "It's weird seeing this city that we know is new, and yet…still feels like Rio."
Rafael, "Yep. To my eyes it looks like a combination of both Rio, and that place Blu talked about sometime before. I think he called it New York?"
"Yeah, that was it. But still, I know this is totally different. And…oh." She started to feel sad and terrified.
"What's wrong, my mango?"
"I'm just worried about our kids. I know they weren't on the plane with us, so they must be back at Rio, right?"
"Oh yes. Don't worry, sweetie, I'm sure they're safe. I remember we brought them to the hospital so Linda and Tulio would babysit them, at the same time they were watching Blu and Jewel."
"True, but wasn't that cockatoo still around the time when they got knocked out and captured?"
"Fair point. But again, if they weren't on the plane, then the hospital is the only other place they could be. We just have to have faith. Enough to know that we will get home and be able to see them again."
"Hm. I hope so. And I also hope that if Linda and Tulio are still looking after them, they'll be able to handle their wildness. Remember how well things went when they first met our kids? And how Blu and Jewel encountered them when they were a little older?"
"Oh boy, do I." Rafael chuckled, along with Eva. Then when he saw his wife smile again, he said in a smooth tone, "And you know what else I remember, my tasty mango?"
"What's that?"
"I can still remember that time when we went on our first date…" He started placing his wings around her. "…and that song you sang on the night I first saw you. The most beautiful bird in the world."
"Oh." Eva chuckled, feeling pleased with her husband's flirting again. "You know I remember that pretty well too. Oh, back then I was so young and felt so nervous around you. Now…I feel like I can do anything with you."
"The feeling is mutual."
"Hm." She hugged him tightly, to which he encouraged. "I love you."
"I love you too, my sweet mango. Beyond any doubt."
"In that case, once we get home and reunite with our kids, how do you feel about a homecoming party in the club?"
"That would be fantastic."
"And then a day or so later, let's just have a whole day all to ourselves."
"I agree. Although…we are technically alone now. And Blu never really said when specifically we could all come back. So, we would want to consider this as our us-time?"
"Absolutely, my juicy papaya."
The two continued hugging, and unlike the other groups, they treated their current position as another date. At the same time, they thought a little about Linda and Tulio, who were also stuck on their own little adventure.
Miles away, back at Rio de Janeiro, all things seemed regular in the birds' original home. Except for what was in the animal hospital. Linda and Tulio Monteiro were both on the ground, sleeping, but not voluntarily. For they were also attacked by Chama, being given the same sleeping pills as the others were. Though, despite that, they were safe. They were sleeping on a cold hard floor, and had just small scratches on their cheeks, but nobody was hurt.
Then suddenly, Linda woke up. She opened her eyes and sat up, rubbing and yawning before saying, "Ugh…what happened?"
She looked around, having a fuzzy feeling in her head until she saw Tulio and remembered what happened last night.
He was still sleeping, so she patted his cheeks, trying to wake him saying, "Tulio? Tulio, are you okay? Wake up." Then he finally did.
"Huh? What…Linda?" He said.
Linda replied, "Yeah, it's me. You okay?"
"I think so…nope. Ow." He felt his head hurting, but Linda gently helped him stand up. "Oi. The last thing I remember was…being attacked."
"Right, I remember it too. It was that cockatoo. She came up at us all of the sudden while we were watching…" Linda explained, then gasped as she realized something.
"…Blu and Jewel!" They both yelled.
The two suddenly felt scared, fearful for their blue bird friends, so they ran across the hospital before reaching the artificial breeding chamber. They found the door and opened it, and saw that it appeared to be darker than normal. So the two slowly walked in.
"Hello?" Linda first spoke. "Blu? Jewel?"
"Are you both okay?" Said Tulio.
As they continued walking, their hearts were racing, fearing something bad was about to happen. Then as they approached the fake tree where they would most likely find Blu and Jewel in, they looked in the knothole, and suddenly heard…
"Intruders!"
It came from a high squeaky voice (though a squawk to them), making the two humans jump in fear and see a vague swarm coming out of the knothole and onto them. It looked like a swarm of small birds. They flew around, pecking Linda and Tulio's heads, and then tied up their legs before they fell to the floor.
"Ah!" They yelled and hit it. They still weren't hurt, but felt inconvenienced until the lights suddenly turned on, and they looked to see…it was the toucans.
"What the? Rafael and Eva's kids?" Said Tulio.
Linda, "What the heck are you doing?"
One of the toucan, Carlos, named after Eva's father, said "Wait guys. False alarm."
"Aw." They replied with disappointment. As if they were trying to catch a real intruder.
Tulio, "Not again. Would you kids please be so kind as to untie us?"
Carlos, "Okay."
To Linda and Tulio's ears, they still just sounded like squawks, but they knew they understood the message. So the toucan chicks untied the knot on their ankles and gave them the space to stand up.
By that point, Linda asked them, "Kids, what's going on? Where are Blu and Jewel?"
"Try asking him that." Said Sophia, one of the kids who was also named after one of Eva's parents. Then all of them pointed to one corner of the room. Certain fake plants were in the way of the view, but when Linda walked over to it, she moved them and heard muffling sounds. She looked closer, and saw a young boy tied up and gagged by the mouth.
"What the?" Linda became surprised and helped untie him. "Are you alright?" She asked him.
"Yes. Thank you, uh…oh. Hello." Said the boy, who was surprised and scared as he knew he was talking to the owners of the hospital.
Linda, "Hello. Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
"Oh, uh…I'm Fernando, and I…" The boy, Fernando, looked around, definitely feeling fearful of the situation, and saw all the toucans squawking, squawking over how they knew what he was doing.
"Kids, kids. Will you please quiet down for a moment." Tulio suggested, but then Fernando sighed and finally said, "No, no, wait. I…can only guess, these guys are trying to tell you what happened, but I'm just gonna say it. I'm sorry. I…I was the one who let that cockatoo in and she took your birds away."
Linda gasped, "What?" Then she stood up in shock.
Tulio, "What? Kid, do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?"
Fernando, "I know, I'm really sorry, I just…"
Linda, "Wait a minute. Tell me again, you said you were the one who let that cockatoo in? The same one that attacked us?"
"Well…yes, but I didn't wanna hurt anybody. I was aware she used those pills to put you to sleep for a bit, but…"
"Just hang on. If you were supposedly working together, then why are you still here? Assuming she and the others are here too."
"Actually, I…I don't think they are. I'm sure they would've shown themselves to you. The last thing I remember was walking inside when you two were knocked out. Chama led me to the breeding chamber, and then…I blacked out. I don't believe it, but I think she knocked me out. She knocked me out and took your birds away herself."
Tulio, "Uh kid, that sounds wildly far-fetched."
Linda, "Actually, I don't think it does."
"What?" Tulio became surprised and placed his hand on Linda's shoulder. He continued, "Linda, are you actually trusting this boy? We don't know him. And he just said he helped our friends get captured."
"Tulio, you know we've been through a number of crazy stuff with Blu and Jewel before. And don't forget, we were attacked by one cockatoo and seventeen baby toucans in the same week."
"Okay, fair point, but-"
"Just listen." Linda looked back at Fernando. "Fernando, while I may be shocked with everything that's occurred, I want to find Blu and Jewel. Can you help me?"
Fernando, "You want my help? Are you sure?"
"If it means saving my friends, then yes. Right now you're my only hope."
"Okay. Then yes, I'll help. Honestly."
"Good."
Tulio, "Uh Linda? Are you absolutely sure?"
"Definitely. Right now, I don't have a choice."
"Then…okay. But when we're done, I think we need to have a good talk with your parents, kid."
Fernando, "But I don't have-"
Linda, "Alright then. Let's go, come on."
She took Tulio's hand, taking him outside as they were ready for their next adventure. Meanwhile, Fernando stood where he was for a second, feeling annoyed that they didn't let me finish explaining an important detail about him. But then ignored it and just followed the adults while the toucans chose to stay behind.
"Uh…what are we going to do then?" Sophia asked her siblings.
Carlos, "I guess we wait for Martella like we've been doing."
"Okay." They all said, and decided to wait. Hoping their other sibling would come back, and maybe be given the chance to explain…how to bring everyone back at home.
To Be Continued…
Rio: A Different Kind of Story No3
An hour or so later, Blu, Jewel, Mikka, and Leo were together in the breeding chamber still. They chatted and laughed, talking about their lives together.
Leo and Mikka helped calm Jewel down earlier by explaining to her the kind of bird Blu was. He was kind, smart, and brave. He wanted to get acquainted with Jewel, and as Mikka and Leo were able to convince her to listen, she did, and felt good knowing Blu better.
Blu explained how things in his life went, and for Jewel, she told her story. Years ago, she was separated from her family by loggers. They started a fire and destroyed their home, causing Jewel to lose track of them, and become lost. So she spent her days alone in the jungle, but learned how to survive and love her freedom.
Blu showed sympathy for her and pointed out that she didn't have to be alone anymore. Blu had tons of friends, and suggested that she could join their group and have a good life among them. Jewel felt unsure, and secretly felt like he was only trying to get close to her. But mentioned she would think about it.
From there, the four stayed together while Linda and Tulio went out for dinner. Making it a peaceful evening as Mikka, Leo, and Blu shared a hollow to sleep in while Jewel stayed on her own. But instead of sleeping, she thought more about what Blu was offering, thinking maybe it would be nice to be part of a family again.
Suddenly, she saw the room's door open and out of pure instinct, she flew to it. Then Blu heard panicking from his sleep. He woke up and investigated…only for him to be knocked out…by a cockatoo.
To Be Continued…
Notes & Disclaimers:
• Rio is Blue Sky IP.
• "You're my only hope": It was originally "lead." But the thought of a Star Wars (LucasFilm IP) quote came up.
• "Martella": If you're wondering who that is, that is also one of Rafael and Eva's kids. With a name I made up, and soon I'll try to come up with something that makes her an important part to how she helps everyone get back to Rio.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is that. For now, of course. What you just read was the 50th, THE 50TH chapter to one of my oldest stories on FFN! Though technically 49 since the last chapter was "No2" of the "Rio: A Different Kind of Story" summaries. Either way, I hope you guys liked it, and (among other things) just know that the next chapter might be a little shorter.
(1) Answers to Questions or Reviews
(2) "Rio: A Different Kind of Story" on Hold
(3) My Thoughts on "Knuckles: The Series"
(4) What I'm Gonna Make and Publish Next
So far, I've seen a few folks respond to my re-publishing of "The Stories of Harry and Annabelle." Thank you for that, including Zoroark X, who asked, "Are you planning any Super Mario Bros Fanfics?"
My answer, my friend, would be no. I did have thoughts of making a series called "GameVerse," which would be like my own version of Super Smash Bros. But that one might as well as be part of my "C's Summary Collection" in the future.
Also, to anyone who has recently asked me or invited me along with many other fellow readers to read the new stories you have published, I apologize for not showing my comments to them so much. As I've stated before, I prefer to go at my own pace. I will still read and comment on the stories when I can, but thank you for requesting me.
As for my stories, lately I've found that publishing one or a few chapters per month seems to work better for me. Just so long as I can time everything properly. Either way, thank you everyone also for being patient with me. Though while this series goes on, "Rio: A Different Kind of Story" will be put on hold for now, just to see if I can complete this story arc before that. If I use the same plot.
If anybody also asks how I'm doing outside of my fanfiction writing life, I'm doing fine. Still enjoying the pop-culture that's coming out…including with the news of the Knuckles series. Though let me mention that even though I may still see it eventually, the plot feels weird. I mean…it takes place after Sonic 2, and Knuckles intends on training Wade the way of the echidna. That feels a little weird, but hopefully they'll make it work, especially with what characters and stories they include.
So with all that being said, maybe the next things I'll work on are the other stories I'm trying to fix. Plus, maybe the starting of the final arc to one certain story. What story do you guys want me to continue?
Until then, please enjoy what I have published here, and even on DeviantArt. Thank you for reading, and see you next time.