CHAPTER NINETEEN

The large round face of the harvest moon slanted down upon the blackened night sky. Like a silent sentinel, it kept watch, waiting for the time when it would disappear amongst the dawn. Every day seemed to be the same old routine. The sun would rise upon the horizon and brighten everything with its cheery warmth. That much almost seemed like a guarantee, even within the cooler autumn and winter seasons. Another guarantee was the silence which reigned across the countryside, the birds all slept within their hollows, the crickets had long since retired from their chirping and the buzzing of fireflies almost non-existent across the serene landscape. In every sense of the word, the world rested in peace and quiet, unaware of the lone traveler traveling along the ground far below. It was a hawk, a vicious, evil, creature that portrayed himself in an innocent light. For thirteen long years, he built up the veil of deceit and he hated every second of it. His eyes burned with a vengeful fury towards his hosts who took him in and allowed him a place to live. Every second of his existence became centered upon the day when he would get to strike back. He knew that moment drew closer with each passing second. He just needed to await the command from his employer, and he would gladly obey.

The hawk chuckled to himself as he eyed the treetops. They blew in a silent breeze allowing dark shadows to move upon the path. His body trembled with eager anticipation. His eyes shined bright, glowing a soft red tint. He coveted the moment where he would get to kill once again. He longed to see their insides dripping from their open wounds. For so long he waited to see the role, a young Spix Macaw half breed would play in the up-and-coming events. He would be sold into slavery and then what? What was so important about his survival? The Hawk's eyes narrowed; these things would soon be answered by destiny… as much as he hated to admit it. Now as he stood here, he searched for that same Macaw half breed who was his brother. The young creature had seemingly dropped off the face of the planet. He scanned the darkness making sure he used his sense of smell. The macaw held a peculiar aroma that didn't match any other species of bird. He contained a certain musky scent barely noticeable to most normal birds. He forced a wicked smile and breathed outwards underneath his large blue hood. He waited silently, allowing himself a quick scan of his environment. The macaw was somewhere up ahead, though he could also sniff the scent of others with him.

"Damn," he growled.

His eyes darkened with his growing frustration. He had not expected this turn of events. It would only serve to make his job harder.

"He is supposed to be at home. He needs to keep our father distracted so I can finish off Maria without any interference. Of course, it doesn't matter, Luciano will share the same fate, but I must wait for destiny to decide on when that will be."

The hawk cackled as his eyes shimmered with delight. One way or another, he would achieve his victory. One way or another he would destroy the Macaw's life, he would destroy his family, his friends, and everyone he cherished.

"I'm coming, Rico." The hawk chuckled evilly. "I'm coming for you."

Emerging from the darkness a group of robed creatures emerged from the jungle. They kept their heads bowed low. Their marked limbs glowed bright cutting through the darkness like wildfire. Stopping at the Hawk's side, he stared at them for a few moments. He recognized these creatures. The one in white was Amber, the Spix Macaw who swore her allegiance to them. The creature in black stood tall, arrogant, and proud very similar to how Roger carried himself. The creature dressed in green was Jollo, and finally the creature in yellow was the Marmoset Jose. Marco cracked a smile as he stood side by side with his brothers once more.

"Talking to yourself?" Roger arched a curious eyebrow. He chuckled to himself. "It's nice to see that even after all of this time apart, you haven't lost an inch of your diabolical nature."

Marco shoved the scarlet macaw with a single wing. He glared at him with a stern expression. The macaw stumbled backwards a few paces and tripped over his own robe. Marco's beak twisted into a savage sneer.

"You have gotten soft and lazy." He explained, "Perhaps I shouldn't have had you simply wait for my return. It seems it did not do you one bit of good. Such a shame."

"Yeah, well, you're the one who ran off and haven't made contact with us. We were beginning to think you died or something."

Marco cackled and rolled his eyes at the Scarlet Macaw's stupidity. He obviously failed to recognize the danger signals. With a fit of rage, the Hawk turned upon his comrade and smacked him upside the head with a single talon. The razor-sharp nails dug into the back of his skull tearing several large gashed and drawing blood.

"You're lucky," Marco grinned, "If I was one of our enemies, you would have been dead from that. Are you going to be a liability, Roger? I don't do well with liabilities. They are nothing more than an annoyance to be taken care of upon the battlefield. It would be a shame if you fell into that category. We would need to find a replacement."

Roger's eyes widened as he swallowed a lump in his throat. He turned away, defeated, and insulted. He could not hide his less than impressed look upon his face. His beak trembled as he thought about his death. He knew Marco would not hesitate to slaughter him especially if he no longer held any use to the Hawk's plans. His eyes narrowed and his beak curled. He would never let that happen.

"No," he frowned, "I am sorry, Big Brother. I will not fail in our mission here; give me my orders and I will obey."

Marco thought about it for a moment. "Good, you smart after all it seems, but do not make any more mistakes. Obedience is what I expect from all of you however I am afraid that I am not done here yet. You are here because the time of our attack is close at hand. You must remain hidden, find a place where you can strike at a moment's notice but do not make a move against anyone until I give the command. I will join you soon enough."

The group of robed creatures bowed with respect and hurried off to do as their commander instructed. Marco watched them disappear. A wicked smile formed upon his face.

"You better not fail me, Roger," he said. "I do not forgive failure. That's the difference between you and me. I would never fail my friends."

#

Rico hovered in place for quite some time. His soulful brown eyes peered out through the darkness, scanning the environment for any trace of movement. Slivers of moonlight illuminated portions of his face. He slender black beak curled with eager anticipation. He could hear voices coming from up ahead and from the way they bickered and rambled on without end, he knew who they were… his father, Luciano, and his good though often-timid friend, Alberto. Cutting a smile, he dove from sight into some nearby bushes. As he landed, his ears caught the sound of more movement, this time coming from behind.

THWACK!

The half breed Macaw flinched as a large pile of orange and dusty brown foliage flew straight out of the tress and struck him in the chest. He did not have time to dodge. He stood tall and took the impact head-on, wincing as he held a sturdy wing to his chest and stumbled backwards a few paces. His beak trembled as he pretended to be injured. He continued to wince and pretend to struggle to keep himself level on his talons. However, he had expected the attack and looked forward to paying back the favor. His talons shifted across the dirt leaving a few impressions from his nails along the ground. His ears twitched as he listened to a couple of playful giggles coming from around the bushes. He straightened himself and formed a sly smile.

"Very funny," he called out. "Why don't you come out here and fight a leaf war like a pair of good honest creatures."

A black and white Toco Toucan emerged from the underbrush. His orange beak maintained a wide smile. He continued to laugh and tapped his wing along his stomach. A female blue and gold macaw followed suit. She, however, was not laughing. She stared at the toucan with an unimpressed expression.

"Francisco, that was mean." She berated her young friend. She studied Rico's chest for a quick second and frowned. "Look at that red mark, the barrage must have done a lot more damage than you would like to admit."

Rico lowered his head and studied the red mark the female pointed out. He felt embarrassed by her compassion towards him. He could feel his heart skip a beat at her voice. He never knew someone who cared about others… let alone show him sympathy. He tried to avoid eye contact but found it to be quite impossible. He shuffled a talon across the dirt and tried to avoid any sort of flattery towards her compassionate nature.

"I'm fine, Adriana," he admitted, "The leaves didn't hurt. Believe me. I have suffered a lot worse."

"How did you know we were coming?" Francisco pouted. He peered at Rico with a stern expression. His beak resembled a bit of resentment towards being told off by the young female in his presence.

Rico smiled and shrugged his shoulder. "I could hear you two a mile away, even with my father and his friend arguing. You aren't exactly subtle cutting through the bushes the way you were."

"My thoughts exactly…"

Rico's face filled with fear at the sound of the familiar voice. His entire being filled with dread, knowing he had been caught in the act. Without a word, he shifted his attention to the jungle to see Marco step out into the dim moonlight. He looked around with a stern eye. He did not look amused or happy to have found them. In fact, he looked enraged. He paced back and forth between the trio of birds who hung their heads low in guilt.

"You are all in a lot of trouble." He snarled. "All three of you have broken Luciano's rules. No one is allowed to leave the grotto after the sun sets. No one is allowed to mingle in the jungle without a just cause. I suggest that you return home immediately and have your parents deal with you."

Rico and his friends were too afraid to make a move. They peered at each other, timid and guilt-ridden. They knew they had disobeyed the rules, but they wanted to have a bit of fun. They kept their heads bowed low.

"I would suggest you get moving, NOW!" The hawk demanded. "If I have to ask again you will be punished three times as bad. Get moving!"

Rico nodded. He could not argue with his elder. He frowned and peered back at his friends for the umpteenth time.

"I'm sorry, guys." He sighed.