Chapter 36: The argument

Thomas, Blu, Eduardo, Arturo and Roberto dashed out of the entrance to the tunnel they had flown in about 40 minutes ago. They were all panting heavily and all birds of the Azuls, Spix and scarlets that were near the tunnel's entrance noticed it, including Andor and Amalia.

"Guys!" Amalia yelled. "What happened?"

They were all panting, but Roberto was the first one to speak.

"She was so fast and swift, and her attacks were so hard to dodge." Roberto panted.

"Who?" Megeslav asked.

"Shira." Thomas said with disgust but also panting. "Her skills haven't left her for one bit."

This sent a shockwave through all the spix macaws, scarlet macaws and Azuls. Did they really fight Shira?

Just as the guys were catching their breaths, flapping could be heard from the left tunnel.

"Everyone, in position! Be ready for anything!" Andor yelled as he readied his battle stance.

Everyone else also did as Andor told them to do, but they all tensed down when they saw that the flapping came from Jewel, Jasmine, Sapphire, Mimi and Mia. The 5 females were also panting heavily.

"Girls!" Rafael yelled.

"Jewel! Jasmine!" Blu yelled worried.

"MOM!" Bia, Carla and Tiago yelled worried in unison.

"Sapphire! Mimi!" Eduardo yelled worried.

"SIS!" Arturo yelled worried.

As the 5 female macaws landed, they all panted heavily.

Blu and his kids ran towards Jewel, Eduardo to Sapphire and Mimi, Felipe and Arturo towards Mia and Thomas and Amalia to Jasmine.

"By Oðsen, Jasmine, what happened?!" Thomas exclaimed.

Jasmine was panting so loudly that she barely could speak.

"Even though the battle ended in a draw, we were almost no match for her fighting skills." Mimi said.

"Who did you face?" Thomas asked.

"Davina." Jewel replied. "She was fighting like a devil against the five of us!"

Then, Eduardo saw the talons marks on Sapphire's belly.

"What happened to you, Sapphire?!" Eduardo yelled shocked as he held his wife.

"She knocked me out and decided to continue the battle by waking me up by putting her claws onto my belly." Sapphire said.

This made Eduardo growl in anger.

"Did you 5 really face Terrin's wife?" Thomas asked to which Jewel, Sapphire, Jasmine, Mimi and Mia nodded.

Thomas sighed and said: "And as we facing Shira wasn't enough…"

Sapphire's eyes widened and asked shocked: "You faced Shira?"

"Yes." Blu replied. "And she was relentless with her so-called 'shadow attacks'."

Eduardo then turned to his son-in-law and said: "Yes, and she almost even killed you."

Everyone gasped, especially Jewel, his kids and Sapphire.

"But how did you escape her grasp, Blu?" Rafael asked.

Roberto, Blu, Eduardo and Arturo looked very nervous at each other, whilst Thomas looked away a bit.

Eventually, Roberto broke silence.

"Well, let's say that Thomas was quite overprotective of his brother and…" Roberto said but hesitated.

"And what?" Amalia asked.

Roberto's nervous look turned into a serious one and he said: "…and his inner demon got out."

All the Azuls gasped in horror at this, and Jasmine put a wing on her face in complete disbelieve.

"Did Big Bad Thom come out of him?" Willfried asked shocked.

Bia, Carla and Tiago were paralyzed. They had seen Big Bad Thom once before, when he was taking ahold of Thomas back at the sanctuary and they had heard of how it first emerged from their aunt, but now that it has temporarily re-emerged in battle was very frighting.

Thomas looked very nervous as many eyeballs were pointed towards him.

"Yes." Blu said. "Thomas' inner demon did temporarily take ahold of him to save me."

Blu then turned to his kids and said seriously: "And since the Emberwings are now not the only danger, I believe we should send you three back to the safety of the sanctuary."

Bia and Carla (dumbfounded): "What?!"

Tiago: "What?! No, come on dad!"

Jewel (confused): "What? Blu, aren't you overreacting a bit?"

"I'm not overreacting, Jewel!" Blu insisted, his voice carrying the weight of his fear. "The Emberwings are a serious threat. I don't want to risk our children's lives. They need to be safe at the sanctuary, away from all this danger."

Jewel, her feathers ruffled and her eyes flashing with determination, shot back, "Our children are growing up, Blu! They've already proven themselves in battle. Bia, Carla, and Tiago have shown that they can handle themselves. They have their friends and loved ones with them - Renaldo, Miguel, Skye. They're not helpless!"

"Helpless or not, this is a fight to kill or be killed!" Blu's voice was strained with urgency. "I'm not willing to lose them. Not to the Emberwings or anyone else!"

Jewel's frustration boiled over. "Blu, our children have already taken the lives of some Emberwings themselves! They've fought and survived. You're underestimating their strength and their resolve!"

Blu's face grew red with anger. "This isn't just about strength. It's about ensuring they don't get caught in the crossfire of a battle they're not fully prepared for. This isn't a game, especially after that Gobbla Komodo dragon nearly ate Bia and Carla!"

Jewel's beak clicked shut with irritation. "And now you're being ridiculous, Blu! They're part of this fight too. They've already made their choices. They're not just going to sit idly by while we fight this war."

Their argument grew more heated, voices rising with each new point of contention. The other birds, though concerned, hesitated to intervene. It was clear that this was a deeply personal and emotional conflict between Jewel and Blu.

Finally, Jasmine, stepped forward with a commanding presence. She spread her wings wide, a clear signal that she intended to end the argument. "Enough, both of you!" she shouted, her voice echoing with authority. "You're both acting like children that are younger than yours! We need to focus on what's best for the tribes and the Azuls, not on bickering over emotions!"

Jasmine first turned her attention towards Jewel and sternly said: "Blu, is right about this. This isn't a game at all, and everyone here must be watching their backs to not get killed!"

Blu smiled triumphantly and said: "Thank you, Jas, at least you understand-"

But before Blu could continue, he met the narrowing eyes of his older sister.

Jasmine: "I understand your concern, Blu, and I agree that we need to keep our kids safe. But Jewel is right too. They are growing up, and we have countless allies fighting alongside us. They're not the only young birds in this battle. We can't base our decisions solely on fear."

Sapphire, who had been listening intently, stepped in to support Jasmine's words. "Jasmine is right. Both of you are letting your emotions cloud your judgment. This war is bigger than any one family's fears. We need to make decisions based on strategy, not just on our personal fears and anxieties."

The argument seemed to reach an impasse as the birds stood in tense silence, the weight of the situation pressing down on them. The air was thick with anticipation, the tension palpable.

"No, it is solely the fear that drives you to go forward, including having arguments with each other." A dark and cold voice said to the right tunnel where Blu, Jewel, Jasmine and Sapphire were standing closest to. This made the 4 birds jump in fear. The tunnel's entrance was now dark as the torches had burned out, so all they saw was darkness.

"Who's there?!" Sapphire demanded, her voice tinged with both fear and anger.

The birds turned toward the entrance of the right tunnel, where a shadowy figure emerged. Sapphire, Blu, and Jewel stared in shock as a silhouette came into view.

"Well, well, Sapphire and Jasmine. It's been a while since we last met." The dark and cold voice of the silhouette.

Jasmine's eyes narrowed.

"Who are you?" Jasmine asked, though her voice wavered slightly.

"Oh, Jasmine and Sapphire…" the silhouette of the bird said. "…have you 2 perhaps forgotten about the bird who can loosen and control fear?"

When the word 'fear' was spoken out, the bird stepped into the light. Everyone gasped as they saw a bird cloaked with dark leaves on his body and had also dark leaves that almost serve as a hood on his head. His beak was filled with some markings, as if they were scars and his left eye was blind. He also wore a brace on his right talon made out of some iron and human syringes. He almost looked like a macaw version of the grim reaper.

Everyone in the tunnel gasped, but none as loudly as Sapphire and Jasmine who both shockingly said in unison: "Scarecrow…"

To be continued…