"Eduardo, sir, you need to wake up!"
The grizzled leader snapped awake, standing straight up in his secluded nest. Peace and quiet didn't stop emergencies from interrupting his scheduled off day. Radiant rays trickled through the messenger-disturbed, leaf-covered entrance. She appeared disheveled, meaning she'd been fast and done her job well. Eduardo rubbed his eyes, mentally preparing for the worst.
"This better be a good one, Jizkil," he welcomed.
Eduardo made sure he appeared stiff and concerned yet inclined to listen without consequence.
"The Scarlets have-" She took gulps of air in rapid succession before continuing. "-declared war! They have your daughter's mate in holding!"
"How so?" Eduardo asked–very, very calmly.
Jizkil stuttered for a moment before collecting herself. "He allegedly violated territorial boundaries in search of a 'perfect Brazil nut for his wife'. They are holding him."
Gritting his beak, Eduardo deeply breathed in and out. Feathers shaking, he prepped for flight. This had to be a mistake, or some inane Scarlet plot. Wings stretched, and tail muscles awoke. He walked to the edge of his hollow. While doing so, he kept eye contact. Keeping messengers' nerves down was critical for reception and delivery.
"Usual grounds of neutrality?" he asked.
"Correct!"
"Thank you, Jizkil. Take an extra ration on me."
Jizkil saluted with their left wing. Eduardo nodded in return, and he dropped out of the hollow. A pleasant rush flushed by before his wings spread.
How the piranha did Blu do this? He should know the rules by now!
He swept up in an arc with the speed of a raging river. Quickly, he cawed for the four guards nearby to follow him. Others went forth to fetch the remaining six council members, Peri excluded. Flapping faster and faster, he felt himself strain near his limit. War was a serious threat, nearly the result of a few miscommunications over the years. Only the experienced could handle this. Fear could be a fuel.
Flying through the densely populated center, Eduardo could see faces of concern and panic flash by. The word always spread; especially when the subject was about the Scarlets. Breathe in and breath out, he sped through with a smile to relieve them. The delegation members gradually clumped together as he shot through to the meeting location. Treacherous jungle passed without concern.
Four guards, six council members, and himself soon alighted upon the sandy island in the middle of a beautiful stream. Noz Stream both provided life and death for both tribes. It gifted plentiful freshwater for each to thrive. Yet it also contained treachery, claiming souls in its depths. As the central demarcation between each cluster of avian populaces, crossing it required stringent procedures or situations.
Today, a flock of seven reds, and one trapped blue, waited near the shores of their sand. Eduardo skimmed the surface, feeling its coolness to the heated air above. Seconds later, he landed, running onto the shore. Gracefully, he stopped himself before the halfway boundary, marked by a line of brown and gray stones. The other Spixes arrived, not too long after.
With a huff, Eduardo stepped forward as they formed a crescent behind him. Expectedly, Roberto, as second in command, walked halfway between him and the group, to establish authority, and in case of an emergency caution as their most skilled warrior. Nodding, Eduardo took a huff and looked directly at their gathered neighbors. Focuses mutually locked, it started.
"We have come, as obligated," Eduardo said.
Mildly chuckling, a familiar smug-faced leader emerged from the camouflage of red bodies and green wings. He strode forth, stopping just at the boundary as well.
"We meet again, Eduardo," Felipe greeted with a bow.
Eduardo bowed back, even if it was a joking gesture. "I was brought word you hold one of us captive, as I now see."
"Oh, yes, yes, we do." Felipe's expression conveyed immense satisfaction.
"Release him, and we can talk this out," Eduardo nearly growled.
Felipe simply wheezed.
"What do you find so funny?"
Felipe wheezed again, though he answered this time. "Trying not to mention the war, are you?" he teased.
Eduardo jumped straight in. "War is not the answer, Felipe. Your father-"
"Was a slimy, deluded fool!" Felipe's beak snapped. "And yes, it is!"
Eduardo narrowed his gaze. "He would not want to see you like this."
"Well, you don't see his dead face standing here, do you?" Felipe paced, taking in the pleasant sight of a moody Spix. "You have to deal with me now."
"Whatever mistake Blu may have made, we can correct it." Eduardo attempted, knowing in his heart his worst fears were peeling to the surface.
The scarlet macaw stretched his wing casually. "Ah, but you can't!"
"We-" Eduardo tried to speak.
"Are resource-squandering, stealing nomads who belong elsewhere!" Felipe laid out his thoughts in broad daylight.
"That is not who we are, and your father knew that." Eduardo shifted, feeling himself growing uneasy.
"There are differences between us, Eduardo, Eduardo, Edward, Eddy, Ed, as my father would have said."
Eduardo narrowly avoided rolling his eyes.
"You lot are stiff and stuck in custom, as bringing your entire ward shows, whereas we show strength and intelligence. I only need myself to resolve disputes."
"That's because we respect the treaty established by your father."
"And that's another thing different about us!" Felipe went on, drawing lines in the sand with his talons. "We have integrity and honor! Unlike your daughter, courtesy of her mate."
Eduardo minutely quivered. Felipe always knew where to strike deepest. It was one of his strengths, and impossible to exploit. He had to be the better bird.
"If you have such respect, then avoid war."
Felipe lightly churred. "Oh, we have respect, alright. We respect tradition, customs, each other, our ancestor's ways, treaties, and the like. We just don't respect you."
"If you respect tradition-"
"Then we go to war!" Felipe leaned forward, beak spread wide.
"No, you do not." Eduardo tightened his chest, repressing the building rage.
"I am following the clauses outlined in our lovely little treaty, Ed." His grin seemed to grow.
"Felipe, there are families-"
Felipe kicked sand at Eduardo's face. With a swirl and an array of dancing motions, he froze in a jubilant pose. His eyes gleamed like diamonds. Impossible to break. Eduardo spat the sand back at Felipe's feet.
"And they're your problem, now! All thanks to this fantastic nut case you adopted a couple of months back! Isn't it great?"
The pit in his stomach now sunken in, Eduardo's gaze darkened.
"So, this is your final answer, Felipe?
"With glee!" His face showed as much.
"Pit Of Doom, then?" Eduardo predicted.
"Bring your best players," his tone shifted. "I look forward to meeting worthy opponents.
"One-week preparations?"
"You know your stuff, old Eddy!"
"This is the way."
With a mocking salute, Felipe walked backward to his guards. "Let him go, and off we flow!"
Two of the bigger Scarlets tussled forward, with Blu squished in between them. The Scarlet delegation proceeded to take with deadly silence. Eduardo flickered his tail for two of his own to recover the lost Spix and take him to the infirmary. He glanced at the nervously shuffling Blu, as he was shoved across the border and face-planted. With a stern stare, he signaled they were going to conduct a heavy talk later. Blu was picked up and guided away with care.
This is going to be a very long day for me.
One by one, the council members, having bore witness to the official declaration of war, left the island to return to the heartland. Neglecting their duties, even briefly, tended to pile the workload quickly. The remaining two guards left at their leader's insistence. Only Roberto remained behind within a minute. Eduardo dunked himself in the stream as everyone cleared.
The Scarlets were out of sight by the time Eduardo returned from his refreshing dive. He was tempted to throw a conniption for the first time in a long time. But that would be immature. Instead, he opted to pick up a rock and hurl it across the stream. The rock blundered into tree roots with a smack before plopping into the water to join its brethren.
"Screw them!" he yelled out loud.
Roberto shuffled to his side and pulled him in tight with his wing. "We will obliterate them, Eduardo."
"Roberto, how did it come to this?" the elder confided. "Not two months after my daughter is alive, and we're at war! At the risk of losing it all, as we did alongside her the last time we relocated!"
"Perhaps, Eduardo, this is a test of our strength,"
Eduardo rambled on. "And all thanks to my daughter's spouse, no less! For all the training I put him through, he threw it all away! He still can't do anything right!"
"Eduardo, listen to yourself!"
Roberto shook him and looked him straight in the eye. Eduardo looked straight back, lightly shaken.
"Inhale."
He did so
"Now, exhale."
A wind emitted from his beak.
"Are you calmer now, Eduardo?"
He nodded.
"Good."
"Thank you.
"Stay calm.
"I am grateful for you, you know."
Nodding, Roberto took him in for a full hug. "We must do our best, Eduardo. That is what we can do."
Though he felt intense, he simmered down at least a little. "Felipe is… is so invidious!"
"That he is, that he is.."
The embrace lasted a bit longer before both parties broke off to stretch and properly think. Eduardo took this time to reflect.
For all his flaws, my daughter's beloved is genuinely trying. Something must have happened out there that they're not telling us. Something he can't or won't tell. I won't let him be dragged off for trying to love her!
Roberto interrupted him, clearing his throat. "So, what are my orders?"
With Roberto's vigorous and emboldened request, Eduardo smiled as a spark ignited in his heart. Flames of love spread to every feather in his being. They would win this. Felipe would be proven wrong. For his tribe's future, for his daughter. He gave a sharp, sheen eye to Roberto.
"I am counting on you," he declared. "Round up your best soldiers, and win this for us!"
Roberto saluted and stormed away towards the heartland. Eduardo watched on, calming himself down still.
What would I do without you, Roberto?
The clearing had a nice breeze now.
You've been there for me. When Jewel was gone, and I broke, you led us to safety.
Eduardo could never repay him for that. That day–that day was his darkest. Roberto had saved him, saved them all. What wouldn't he do to protect the tribe? Eduardo felt a wave of peace rain upon him.
They would win this war. Together, together as a tribe.