Chapter 25: Sapphire's days in Peru
Sapphire: "Right when we lost Jewel, I was in shock. I went back to search for her, but a flaming branch fell on me, and I was engulfed in flames. More branches fell, and I thought it was the end. By some miracle, I survived, but for three days, I wandered aimlessly, searching for the tribe. I couldn't find them. Heartbroken, I went westwards until I reached the distant lands of Peru."
The crowd listened intently as Sapphire continued, her voice painting vivid images of her journey.
Sapphire: "The Peruvian jungles and mountains were a stark contrast to the dense forests of the Amazon. There, I met four tribes led by a scarlet macaw named Ignacio. These tribes were: a scarlet macaw tribe, who had lived there for generations, a blue-and-yellow macaw tribe to the south, a caninde macaw tribe who had fled from Bolivia due to poachers and loggers, and a tribe of grey parrots who were smuggled out of Africa."
Sapphire paused, letting the significance of these tribes sink in. She could see the curiosity in the eyes of her audience. She continued; her voice steady but laced with a tinge of sadness.
Sapphire: "Ignacio was a strong leader, but he had suffered great loss. He was once married to another scarlet macaw and had their daughter named Mia (points at Mia). His wife died, and later, he sought to unite all four tribes by marrying the three female leaders of each tribe. Together, they had three children: Arturo, the dreamy, adventurous and free-spirited blue-and-yellow macaw you all see next to me (points at Arturo) ; Nicole, a caninde macaw, who was incredibly intelligent; and Orlando, a grey parrot, who was very stubborn and had strong leadership qualities. Tragically, all their mothers died shortly after their births, leaving Ignacio heartbroken."
Sapphire's voice faltered for a moment as she recalled the pain of those days. She took another deep breath and continued.
"When I arrived, I took on the responsibility of caring for the four children, despite not having a true relationship with Ignacio. It was a difficult time, but I felt a sense of purpose. Around that time, I also met Megeslav, alongside his wife Carina and their two daughters, Svetlana and Lilian."
She looked out at the sea of faces before her, seeing understanding and empathy in their eyes.
"As the children grew, they became leaders of their respective tribes. Arturo led the blue-and-yellow macaws, Nicole led the caninde macaws, and Orlando led the grey parrots. Mia, Ignacio's daughter, led the scarlet macaws. When they were eight years old, Ignacio passed away due to a heart attack, and the tribes looked to these young leaders for guidance. I became the ambassador, keeping good relations between the four half-siblings."
Sapphire's voice grew more intense as she reached the next part of her story.
Sapphire: "East of our border was a tribe of pure orange macaws known as the Emberwings. Their leader, Alessandro, was peaceful and wanted to create cooperation with the four other tribes. But his son, Terrin, was far from this kind of policy. Terrin was ambitious and wanted all of South America under his control. When his father died, his influence grew, and he filled the minds of his tribe members with his grand visions, including his love interest and later wife, Davina, who was even more bloodthirsty than Terrin."
Many macaws, especially the Azuls, gasped at the mention of Terrin and Davina, sensing the danger these names implied.
Sapphire: "Terrin and Davina formed an inner circle of evil with five other powerful Emberwings. War seemed inevitable, but we didn't know when it would come. Eventually, an incident sparked a brutal war between the joined forces of the four tribes and the Emberwings. The war lasted for two years, with neither side yielding and the death toll rising."
Sapphire's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she relived those painful memories.
Sapphire: "I was the biggest thorn in Terrin's ambitions, and because of that, he began to hate Spix's macaws intensely. He also hated scarlet macaws, as they, under Mia's leadership, offered the most resistance. Eventually, the war ended with a massive earthquake. Countless trees fell, and the mountains seemed to crumble. I was knocked out by a rock, and when I woke up, the place I called home for eleven years was in complete ruins. All of the tribe members seemed to have been crushed by the earthquake."
The crowd was silent, hanging on every word. Sapphire's voice broke as she continued.
Sapphire: "I was heartbroken once again. For four days, I searched for survivors but found none. I gave up and decided to live alone, thinking the Emberwings were no longer a threat. For seven years, I lived alone in the forest, fending for myself until Blu found me and brought me back to the Spix's macaw tribe."
Sapphire's voice softened as she concluded her story.
Sapphire: "Now, I see I was wrong. Terrin and the Emberwings are still a threat, and we must be prepared for what is to come."
The clearing was silent as the gravity of Sapphire's story settled over the gathered macaws and other animals.
"Wow." Jasmine said. "I knew Terrin was someone who wanted to seek power, but I never thought that he wanted all of South America for himself."
"Neither did we." Andor said dumbfounded.
"What was that incident that caused the war, actually?"
Sapphire hesitated to tell them, but if was Arturo wo made a scoff.
"Yeah, why didn't you tell them, Sapphire? Arturo asked.
"Because it could bring up some traumas to you and knowing how you would react to it, it was best Sapphire didn't tell them. Plus, there are children here, little brother." Mia said sternly to Arturo.
"There are-" Arturo said with some laughter in is voice, clearly not amused.
"Those orange maniacs tried to burn me alive!" Arturo suddenly yelled.
This was something no one had expected Arturo to say and everyone, especially the Azuls gasped in horror.
"And if it wasn't for Megeslav's brave intervention, I would have been reduced to ashes! How did you expect me to react?" Arturo said with his wings wide open.
"Like my brother!" Mia suddenly yelled. "Like the boy that had back no matter what, and still has."
Then suddenly Sapphire entered the conversation very seriously: and pointed the tip of her feather towards Arturo: "And whom I always supported no matter how selfish or stupid his choices."
"Guys." Blu said. "This isn't the time to fight among ourselves. We have to stay focused on the main threat here: Terrin and the Emberings."
"Blu is right." Jewel said. "The Emberwings are now our main focus."
"What I want to know, however, is how the Azuls here had faced both Terrin and all of his Emberwings." Megeslav said.
Many macaws began to murmur in agreement with Megeslav's statement.
"Yeah, I also wondered how that came to be." Eduardo said.
Amalia and Andor looked at Thomas and Jasmine and Andor asked: "Thom? Jas? Would you do the honors of telling everyone?"
"Alright." Thomas and Jasmine said in unison as they flew towards the podium.
Jasmine: "It all started after we lost our younger brother, Blu…"
And so, Jasmine and Thomas began to talk on how they lost their younger brother and the journey they experienced afterwards.
To be continued…