Chapter 4

There is really no reason to go to the outskirts of Moose Lake City at 5 o'clock in the morning in the middle of winter, unless you want breakfast. If you happen to catch George at the Bakery—which is a fitting name for a bakery—or Amy at the Village Café before they open up shop in the morning, they will usually throw you some of yesterday's goodies. They should seriously consider merging their business into one big magnificent food place thing. Well, they could, if it weren't for the corny little book shop that's crammed in between them.

Alice and Chloe sat around the back side of the Village Café, staring at the door, waiting for Amy to play her part. Alice snickered to herself before she glanced over at Chloe.

"Hey, Chloe, wanna hear a joke?"

"Shoot!" said Chloe, giving Alice her full attention.

"Okay," said Alice, barely able to contain her laughter, "here we go, you listening?"

"I'm listening, bird butt! Just tell the joke already!"

"Alright, alright, I'm going to!" Alice chuckled and looked around as if to make sure no one else was listening. "Here we go," she continued, "what..."

"Yeah?" Chloe's face lit up with anticipation.

"What... is blue and doesn't—"

"Is it nerd bird?"

Alice's smile dropped. "Uh... yeah"

"Oh..." said Chloe as her smiled faded. Both geese turned back to staring at the door. They stood in silence for a moment before Chloe snickered to herself. "Great joke, bird butt!" she said and raised her wing up towards Alice, "Come on, up top!"

Alice turned to Chloe and smiled. She was just about to slam her own wing into Chloe's when the door opened. Out came Amy holding the holy basket of deliciousness they had been waiting for. To be fair, the basket didn't contain anything holier than a few pieces of bread, but standing there in the freezing cold at 5 A.M., bread could beat any five star restaurant you'd find during a hot summer day in Argentina.

After finishing most of the unholy bread and cracking a few more quality jokes, Alice and Chloe waddled around the corner, heading for their next stop— the park bench outside the bookstore. Chloe let out a hefty burp while Alice tossed a piece of bread in the air, looked up and opened her beak to catch it.

"Alice, hey!" Chloe wrapped her wings around Alice and pulled her back behind the corner. The piece of bread landed in the snow where Alice had been just a split second ago.

"What?! What are you—"

"Shhh!" Chloe put her wing over Alice's beak to silence her.

"What?" Alice whispered sharply through Chloe's wing.

Chloe retracted her wing, "Look," she whispered and pointed in the direction of the bookstore. Alice's gaze followed Chloe's pointing feather and slowly peeked around the corner. There he was. The blue nerd bird was standing on the sidewalk outside the bookstore, looking up at the door.

"What's he doing?" said Alice, turning back to look at Chloe.

"What? Don't ask me!"

Alice carefully peeked around the corner again. "He's just standing there," she said.

"Lemme see," Chloe squeezed herself past Alice so she could get a peek at the blue bird. Someone must have died, the way he looked. He sighed and then his beak moved.

"What's he saying?!" Alice whispered.

Chloe looked back at Alice, "I don't know," she said, "I can't hear anything with you yapping!"

"Shhh!" Alice grabbed Chloe's head and turned it back towards the bookstore. "Look!"

Blu turned around, puffed out his chest and looked out at the street with a firm look on his face. He drew a deep breath and let it go with a huff before looking to his right, and then to his left.

Chloe's eyes widened. "Is he gonna—?" she said and turned to Alice.

Blu hopped out on the street and waddled across to the other side.

"No way!" said Chloe with round eyes and beak hanging open.

"Where do you think he's going?" said Alice, "Isn't it a bit early for him?"

"Yeah yeah, but... this doesn't make any sense," said Chloe, "I mean, where is his owner?"

Blu walked down the sidewalk on the other side of the road. He seemed to be headed downtown, away from them.

"Wait," said Alice, "do you think he's... is he running away?"

Chloe squinted her eyes, following the blue dot that was disappearing down the street. "I don't know, bird butt, I don't know"

"Hey, let's find out!" said Alice, looking at Chloe with childlike glee.

Chloe turned to Alice and frowned. "What? You wanna follow nerd bird?"

"Yeah, something's going on here, I can feel it!" said Alice with her curious eyes locked on the disappearing blue dot.

"I don't know..." said Chloe. Her face scrunched up like she had just seen someone eat a nasty bug, "I don't think that's—"

"Come on!" Alice grabbed Chloe's wings and dragged her across the sidewalk, "He's getting away! Come on!"

"Alright alright!" said Chloe, bouncing along, "Slow down!"

The geese followed Blu down the street, inching ever closer to him. Eventually they got so close that they had to keep their cackling down so he wouldn't hear them. A few people walked past Alice and Chloe like they were nothing but ghosts, which wasn't surprising considering what species they belong to. The blue macaw in front of them, however, was something out of the ordinary for the townsfolk of Moose Lake. Most people turned to look at him as he waddled down the street. Some even greeted him by name, which was slightly disturbing.

Chloe held a wing out in front of Alice. "Wait, I think he's stopping," she whispered.

Blu stopped near a bus stop and took his place among the few people standing there with their luggage.

"I have a bad feeling about this," said Alice, "where do you think he's going?"

Chloe shook her head. "Alice, you see those bags the humans are carrying?"

Alice nodded, "Uh-huh"

"Those are the types of bags they usually carry with them to..." Chloe's voice trailed off.

Alice turned to look at Chloe. "To where?" she said.

"...to the airport"

Alice gasped and looked back at the blue macaw. Right at that moment he turned to look in their direction. Alice's eyes widened and she tackled Chloe and pulled her behind a trash can, holding her close.

"You think he saw us?!" whispered Alice.

"I don't know, bird butt. If you'd let me go I could take a look," whispered Chloe.

"Right, sorry." Alice loosened her hold and Chloe slowly turned her head around the trash can to peek at the blue bird. She quickly drew her head back again.

"What?! Did he see you?" whispered Alice.

"No," said Chloe, turning to Alice, "he's getting on the bus!"

Alice's eyes grew wide. "We have to stop him!" she said.

"What?!"

"Now!" said Alice as she grabbed Chloe and ran towards the bus.

The rear door on the bus opened and Blu climbed in, careful to avoid being seen by the driver. He turned back to look at the street through the open door and sighed. A friendly robotic female voice welcomed the passengers on board and announced their next stop—Duluth International Airport.

"There he is! Get him!" yelled Alice. Blu's eyes shot up and he darted his head around as if trying to locate their yelling. The geese flew up to him and tackled him off the bus so that he landed on his back on the sidewalk.

Blu shook his head and looked up at his aggressors with his eyes and beak wide open. "Alice?! Chloe?!" he said," What are you doing?!" He struggled to get up. "Get out of my way, I have to—"

"Nuh-uh, you're not going anywhere, nerd bird!" said Chloe. The geese pushed him back down to the ground and held his wings down.

"No! What are you doing? Let me go!" he said and struggled to break free, but the two geese had a strong grip on him.

The bus gave off a blowing sound like a whale shooting water from it's blowhole, and the doors closed. Blu stopped struggling and watched with desperation on his face as the bus gently rolled away, leaving him and the geese all alone at the bus stop. When the bus had disappeared out of sight, Blu turned back to the geese, his face scrunched up with anger.

"Not cool!" he said, "Why would you do that?!" He struggled to get out of the geese's grip but they didn't let go.

"Because, nerd bird, you never go anywhere!" said Chloe.

"Well I do now, so let me go!" he said.

"Without your owner?" said Alice.

The blue bird's face softened and he looked away.

"She's probably worried sick about you, you know, sneaking away from home like that," said Alice.

"Wait, you guys followed me?!" said Blu as he turned back to them.

"Someone had to. Where are you going anyway?" said Chloe.

"I... uh," he said and averted his gaze, "it's sort of... private"

Chloe chuckled and smirked at Blu. "What, does nerd bird have a long distance girlfriend or something?"

Blu gasped quietly and looked back up at Chloe and then he quickly averted his gaze again. The thin layer of feathers coating his face did nothing to hide the fact that his cheeks were turning purple.

Chloe's eyes grew wider. "No. Freakin'. Way."

Alice leaned in closer. "Wait, you actually have a girlfriend? You?" she said.

Blu closed his eyes and turned his head away like he was trying to dig his beak into the concrete. "No..." he said, unable to control his blushing.

"Aw, what's her name?" said Alice, smiling. Chloe raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Alice.

Blu smiled to himself without opening his eyes. "It's—it's Jewel."

"Did you say Joel?" said Chloe.

Blu's eyes shot up and he glared at the geese. "No!" he said, "Her name is Jewel, J-E-W-E-L, and for your information she is the most beautiful bird in the world and I am a stupid idiot because I left her all alone back in Rio when she needed me the most and I really have to get back to her so you two seriously need to let me go right now!" Blu sucked in a big breath of air and his chest heaved with heavy panting.

"Wow," said Chloe.

"That's so romantic!" said Alice, clasping her wings together.

Chloe lifted an eyebrow and turned to Alice. "It is?"

"Don't worry nerd b—uhm—Blu," said Alice, smiling, "we'll help you get back to your girl!"

"We will?" said Chloe.

"Look", said Alice, "messing with Blu is one thing, but keeping him from his girl is just mean. Think about it, Chloe, what kind of bird do you wanna be?"

Chloe looked at Alice, then down at Blu. "She must be special, this girl. You'd really go to Rio by yourself just for her?" she said.

Blu nodded. "I'd do anything for her"

Chloe sighed and let go of Blu's wing before turning to Alice. "Alright," she said, rolling her eyes, "I guess we'll fly love-nerd here to the airport"

Alice's face lit up with a bright smile and Blu raised his eyebrows. "Really?" the two of them said at the same time.

"You'd do that for me?" Blu continued as he got up on his feet.

"Eh, looks like I'm outnumbered by you two love-nuts," said Chloe.

Blu smiled and threw himself at Chloe and hugged her. Chloe raised her eyebrows and looked down at the blue bird hugging her. When she looked back at Alice she was met with a smile and an encouraging nod from her fellow goose.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Oh I can't believe this," she said and wrapped her wings around Blu. Alice smiled as she waddled over and wrapped both of them in a big group hug.

"Thanks guys," said Blu, smiling.

"Alright, that's enough," said Chloe and wrenched herself out of the hug.

"So, you'll fly me to the airport? Are you sure it's not too far?" said Blu.

"No no it's no problem," said Alice, smiling, "unlike you, we migrate every year. This is nothing!"

"Yeah, come on," said Chloe, bending her legs and lowering her body to the ground, "All aboard the Rio express!" Blu and Alice looked at her. "What?", she said, "I can be corny too!" Blu and Alice both laughed while Blu climbed onto Chloe's back and straddled her.

"Alright, hold on tight, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!" said Chloe as she unfolded her wings and shifted her body, preparing to take off. Blu wobbled around until he wrapped his wings around Chloe's neck to steady himself. Chloe and Alice flapped their wings and the three of them took to the skies.

#

"Blu! Blu! Oh gosh, BLU!" Linda was running down the street shouting at the top of her lungs for her friend. She ran up to an older man. "Excuse me sir," she said, "have you seen a blue bird?" She fumbled with her purse and pulled out a photograph. "This is him", she said and held the photo up for the man to see.

The man squinted his eyes and peered at the photo. "A blue bird?" the man chuckled, "Here?"

Linda nodded. "Yeah have you seen him?!"

"No ma'am, I'm afraid I ain't seen no blue birds around here," the man said and leaned back.

"Are you sure, because he—"

"Look ma'am, I may be an old man but I think I'd remember a blue bird if I'd—"

"Uhm, excuse me lady," came a voice from behind them. Linda and the old man turned around to see a young boy standing there. "You're the lady from the bookstore, aren't you?" the boy said.

"Yes?" said Linda, nodding her head and stepping closer to the boy.

"I think I've seen your bird," he said.

"You've seen Blu?" said Linda, "Where?!"

"He was walking on this street," the boy said, "that way". He lifted his finger and pointed down the street.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you," said Linda, cupping the boy's hands with her own and shaking them lightly. "I have to go!" she said, and turned around and started jogging down the street. "Blu! BLU!" she shouted in all directions. The boy and the old man looked at each other and and shrugged.

Linda ran and shouted her friend's name, and then ran and shouted her friend's name some more. Eventually she had to slow down. Her legs and her lungs were aching. She walked over to a nearby bus stop and slumped down on a bench to catch her breath. "Oh Blu," she said. Her breath became shaky and her eyes stung. "Where are you?" Her breath stuttered and tears rolled down her cheeks.

A bus rolled in and stopped in front of her and made a blowing sound when it's doors opened. Linda looked up and wiped tears out of her eyes.

"Welcome aboard," the bus said, "next stop, Duluth International Airport"

Linda's eyes grew wide. "Wait!" she cried, and shot up from the bench. She jumped into the back of the the bus right before the door closed behind her. She sighed in relief and looked around. The bus was crowded with tired looking coat-wearing people and luggage of different sizes and colors. Leaving Minnesota in the winter seemed to be quite popular.

"Blu," Linda whispered and looked around. She bent down and looked under a couple of seats. "Blu, are you there?" she whispered. No sign of any blue bird. She stood up. "BLU!"

"Shut up!" someone yelled.

Linda shrunk back. "Sorry, sorry!" she said.

#

For a bird who couldn't fly it was hard to imagine how beautiful Minnesota could look from above. The snow-capped landscapes and icy lakes glistened in the morning light. The darker specks of trees, roads and houses broke the otherwise uniformly white surfaces and formed unexpectedly structured patterns.

"There!" said Blu, leaning forward so that the goose he was riding on could hear him better. He pointed down to a large gray surface mostly clear of snow, "There's the airport!"

"On it!" said Chloe, "Hold tight!" Chloe banked to her left and began her descent.

"Whoa!" Blu screamed and clutched Chloe's neck. Alice followed suit right behind them.

They landed close to the airport in a less crowded area. "Jeez, you're heavy for a nerd," said Chloe and lowered herself to the ground.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" said Blu as he climbed off of Chloe's back.

"Yeah, he's a little chubby isn't he?" said Alice, smiling.

Blu glared at Alice. "I'm not chubby!"

Alice smirked at Blu and glanced down to his belly. "I bet his girl likes that though"

Blu let out a quiet chuckle and looked away, his cheeks turning purple for the second time that day.

"So uhm," said Chloe, "I guess we won't be seeing you for breakfast tomorrow, eh?"

Blu looked up at her with a weak smile.

Alice waddled over and put a wing around Chloe. "Don't worry, Chloe, he'll get homesick soon enough"

"Yeah", said Chloe, turning to Alice, "and he could bring Joel back with him!"

Blu glared at them. "Hey, it's not Joel, it's—"

Both Alice and Chloe smirked back at him.

"Oh," said Blu, his face melting into a smile, "that was a joke, very funny"

"I think he's learning," said Alice, still smiling.

"Yep, our boy is growing up," said Chloe, putting her wing around Alice.

"Hey," said Blu, "you guys are not so bad"

"You're not gonna hug us again, are you?" said Chloe.

Blu smiled. "Well, I—"

A loud signal echoed through the airport. "This is the final boarding call for flight 267A to Rio de Janeiro. Please proceed to gate four immediately. The captain will order for the doors of the aircraft to close in approximately five minutes time. I repeat. This is the final boarding call for flight 267A to Rio de Janeiro. Thank you."

"Cheese and sprinkles, I have to go!" said Blu and gave the two geese a quick hug before he started running. "Thank you for everything!" he shouted and waved a wing to the geese while he kept running.

#

"Duluth International Airport," said a robotic female voice. The bus stopped and the doors swung open with a blowing sound.

Linda spun out of her seat, hopped off the bus and ran through the big entrance to the airport terminal. "Blu!" she cried, swinging her head around in all directions trying to spot her feathered friend. All she saw was a myriad of tired travelers dragging their luggage around like busy ants on an ant hill. Her chest heaved rapidly. Right in front of her was a large black sign that said "DEPARTURES". On it was a list of today's flights and their times for departure. "Okay, okay," said Linda, pointing to the sign and going down the list, "Rio, Rio, Rio, Rio, R—there!" The plane for Rio was set to take off from gate four at 8.00 A.M. The big clock next to the sign said 7.40. Linda gasped. "BLU!" she shouted and ran towards security.

There was a long line clogging the passage through security. Linda ran over to one of the officers. "Excuse me, officer," she said, fumbling with her purse, "have you seen this bird go through here?" She pulled out her picture of Blu for the officer to see.

"No," said the officer, without looking at the picture.

"B—But officer," said Linda, "you didn't even—"

"No bird goes through here ma'am," said the officer, crossing her arms.

"Are you sure," said Linda, "maybe he's at the gates and you just didn't see him?"

"Ma'am, there is nothing we don't see," said the officer, "Now, if you want to get to the gates I suggest you stand in line like everybody else"

"But—"

"Line!" said the officer, pointing to the end of the line.

"Oh, okay," said Linda, backing up, "thank you officer"

Linda did as told and placed herself at the end of the line. She repeatedly peeked over people's shoulders to see if she could spot her friend on the other side. No friend. She glanced over at the big clock hanging above the line. The minute hand was inching closer to take off-time. People had never moved so slowly in her entire life. What could possibly be taking so long? They only had to get their stuff through, show their passport and answer a couple of simple questions.

Wait. The passport.

Linda dug into her purse. It had to be there. It had to. The minute hand on the clock above the line seemed to speed up, and so did the people in front of her. Shoot. Only one person in front of her now. She was up next. How did that happen?

"Oh cheese and sprinkles," she said, digging through her purse, "please let it be there"

"May I see your passport, please?"

Linda looked up. The officer in front of her was asking to see her passport. Shoot.

"Uhm, sure officer, I just... I have it..." said Linda, scrabbling through her purse. She felt something. It had to be her passport. No time to look. She pulled it out and held it up for the officer to see, not daring to look herself.

"Business or pleasure?" the officer said without an ounce of emotion in her voice.

"What?" said Linda, looking up.

"Business or pleasure, ma'am?" the officer repeated.

"Oh," said Linda, letting out a nervous laugh. "Actually, it's neither. I just have to find my bird"

The officer starred at her.

"Pleasure, I guess?" said Linda with a sheepish grin.

After getting her purse and herself through security, Linda ran and yelled for her friend until she reached gate number four. She jogged up to the flight attendant standing at the counter by the gate.

"Excuse me, said Linda, catching her breath, "have you seen a blue bird?"

"A what, madam?" the flight attendant said.

"A blue bird, here," said Linda and pulled out the picture of Blu, "I think he might have tried to board this plane"

The flight attendant took his time looking at the picture. He glanced up at Linda and then back at the picture. "I'm sorry madam, I have never seen anything quite like it," he said. "Why would he be on this plane?"

"He sort of... left me a note that said he was going to Rio"

"Your bird... left you a note?" said the flight attendant, looking at Linda with round eyes.

"Look, I know how crazy this sounds, but I think he's trying to get back to Rio because he..." Linda's voice trailed off and she sighed heavily. "He fell in love with a girl," she said.

"O—kay, well you know what they say about Brazilian ladies," said the flight attendant, smiling.

"Uh, what do they say?" said Linda with a weak smile.

"Oh, uh, never mind," said the flight attendant, shaking his head, "do you have your boarding pass?"

Linda looked down, "I'm afraid I don't" she said, quiet as a mouse.

The flight attendant furled his eyebrows. "Okay, alright," he said and glanced down at his wrist watch. "Okay, look, maybe..." He appeared to be thinking. "Why don't you take a seat," he said, motioning to the chairs around the gate, "and I'll go and look for your bird, alright?"

Linda looked back up at him with a smile. "Oh, that would be great, if it's not too much trouble?"

"No problem, ma'am, you just stay put and I'll be right back," he said and disappeared down the hallway that led to the plane.

A loud signal made Linda flinch. "This is the final boarding call for flight 267A to Rio de Janeiro," a female voice echoed through the airport, "Please proceed to gate four immediately. The captain will order for the doors of the aircraft to close in approximately five minutes time. I repeat. This is the final boarding call for flight 267A to Rio de Janeiro. Thank you."

Linda walked over to a chair and slumped down. The area around the gate was empty. All the other passengers had most likely already boarded the plane. Linda glanced over at the gate entrance, and then at the big clock that hung from the ceiling. It was indeed five minutes to take-off. She rubbed her hands together, her knee jumping up and down. "Oh Blu," she whispered to herself, trying to blink away the water blurring her vision. During quiet moments like these, it was difficult to keep the emotions at bay. Aside from the blue bird waddling towards the gate entrance, she was all alone and she could let it all—

Wait. Blue bird?

"Blu?" she said, wiping the blur from her eyes.

The blue bird stopped in it's tracks and turned to her with wide eyes. Chocolate brown eyes.

"BLU!" she cried.

Blu gasped and ran for the gate entrance that led to the plane.

"Wait!" Linda catapulted herself out of her seat and chased after him, "Where are you going?! Blu!"

If Blu hadn't been using his talons to move around his entire life, he might not have been such a fast runner. For a split second Linda almost wished she had taught him how to fly when he was little, only to clip his wings later. Almost. No. Who would do such a horrible thing? It sure would have helped her now, though. Blu sprinted down the silvery hallway like a headless turkey that had caught on fire.

"Blu, stop!" Linda yelled after him, breathing rapidly, "it's me, Linda, please stop!"

#

Blu glanced behind him. His talons ached and his lungs were burning. He knew what would happen if he stopped; he would break his promise to Jewel. He said he'd be with her as soon as he could. If he let Linda catch him now, she would take him back to Moose Lake and have a long talk with him. There would be hurt feelings, tears and hard decisions to discuss. There was no time for that now. It was either now or never, or as much as it pained him to think about it, it was either Jewel or Linda. No matter what choice he made he would have to hurt someone he loved.

Blu turned a corner and reached the plane entrance. The flight steward by the entrance gasped and watched him with her mouth agape as he ran towards her.

"Hello!" he greeted her and waved his wing as he ran past her into the plane.

The flight steward merely turned to look at him without closing her mouth, like she had turned into a fish statue. She snapped out of her trance when she heard Linda shouting at her from down the hallway.

"Hey, stop that bird!"

Blu ran down the cramped aisle past all the moaning and farting passengers waiting for take off. He looked behind him and saw Linda being stopped by the flight steward at the entrance.

"Wait! That's my bird!" cried Linda and reached her hand over the steward's shoulder, "You have to let me in, I have to get my bird!"

"Please, calm down ma'am," the steward said, blocking Linda's way.

Blu slowed down and crawled under a seat. His chest heaved with heavy panting. He never had to run like that in his entire life, but even if his lungs were about to burst, it was worth it. He was on the plane to Rio now. It was all going to be—

"Gotcha!" A pair of hands wrapped around Blu's body, pinning his wings to his sides. The hands pulled him out from under the seat and brought him up to face his captor—a male flight attendant.

Blu kicked his legs and struggled to break free, but it was no use. "Hey, let me go!" he yelled and glared at the flight attendant.

"Okay, calm down little fellah," the flight attendant said with a calm voice, "let's get you back to your owner"

"What? No!" Blu kicked and squawked and struggled in the flight attendant's grip.

"Nothing to worry about, folks," the flight attendant said to the passengers as he passed them walking down the aisle, "I'll escort this little champ off the plane before we can take off. Please remain in your seats" He was headed for the cock pit. When he reached the door to the cockpit he kicked it open with his foot. "Hey fellahs!" he said.

Inside the cockpit were two large pilots that barely fit into their uniforms. They turned around in their chairs with great effort. "Yeah?" one of them said.

"Bird problem taken care of", said the flight attendant holding Blu out for them to see, "Give me a minute to get him of the plane and then we can take off"

One of the pilots sniveled and wiped his nose with his sleeve. "Yeah," he said.

#

"Please," said Linda to the steward who was stopping her from getting on the plane, "I have to find my bird!"

"Alright, ma'am," said the steward holding her hands up, "just calm down and I will let you go look for your bird, and I'll stay here in case he tries to get out"

"Oh thank you thank you," said Linda, jumping up and down on the spot.

The steward starred at her.

"I'm calm," Linda said with a sheepish smile.

"Please try to make it quick, ma'am," said the steward, motioning for Linda to enter the plane.

"Oh, sure, of course," said Linda, nodding. She entered the plane and walked down the aisle. "Blu!" she shouted. The passengers on either side of her did not look at all amused.

#

Blu struggled to get out of the flight attendant's grip as he was being taken back to the plane entrance. "Don't worry, buddy," the flight attendant said, "your owner is waiting for you right down the hall"

They passed the steward at the plane entrance. Her motionless, fish-like facial expression at the sight of Blu evoked a sort of deja vu feeling. "Wait," she said, coming to, "the bird..."

Enough was enough. Blu bit down hard on one of the thumbs that held him. The flight attendant's primal scream echoed through the hallway as he released his grip. Blu spread his wings wide, which smoothed his fall to the ground enough for him to land on his feet.

"You little—!" cried the flight attendant, holding his thumb and sneering at Blu. "Get him!" he yelled.

Blu gasped and turned around. The steward by the entrance was getting closer. It was now or never. Jewel or Linda. Blu's talons clanked against the metal floor like the sound of a machine gun as he sprinted for the plane with all the strength his legs could muster. The steward was coming right at him and Blu could hear the male flight attendant's heavy footsteps closing in on him from behind.

"Don't let him on the plane!" he heard the flight attendant yell from behind him.

The steward in front of him bent down and held out her arms ready to scoop Blu up. Blu turned to look behind him and saw the male attendant mirroring her.

Blu closed his eyes. The world around him slowed down and became darker. Small crooked brick buildings popped up all around him and yellow street lights illuminated the cramped atmosphere. Clothes hung from lines between the buildings and there were crates, raffle and people yelling at TVs everywhere. The clanking sound of a chain caught his attention as well as the ghostly sound of a familiar female voice shouting at him.

Duck!

"Ducks can fly," Blu whispered softly.

No. DUCK!

Blu's eyes shot open. A pair of hands came into view. He ducked and he could feel the hands barely touching the feathers on his head as they whooshed by. There was a couple of loud thuds behind him and the floor vibrated under his talons. Then nothing but silence. Blu slowed down and looked over his shoulder and saw the two humans laying motionless on the floor next to each other. Their eyes were closed but they appeared to still be breathing.

Blu's beak hung open and his eyes grew wide. He did just do that.

The hallway began to shake violently. A loud rumbling noise and a cascade of light came from behind him. He looked back to the plane entrance, but there was no entrance. There were only small windows passing by the opening at the end of the hallway, light shining in from the sides, which could only mean that the plane had disconnected from the hallway.

"No!" Blu's voice was drowned by the loud rumbling as he once again set his worn talons in motion and ran towards the opening. He had to lean back to help slow his body down before he reached the edge. The magnitude of space between him and the plane was too great for a flightless bird to cross. "No..." he said and reached out his wing as if trying to grab the plane and pull it back to him. His jaw hung loose and his facial muscles hung off his face as he stood there, crestfallen, watching the plane make it's final turn out on the runway and taking to the sky.

Blu was wrong. It was neither now, nor ever. There was neither Linda, nor Jewel. He turned and waddled back through the hallway, his head hanging low. He flinched as he heard moaning coming from the two humans splayed out on the floor. They raised their heads and rubbed their foreheads. Blu opened his beak as his breathing sped up. He backed up a few steps and swung his head around only to be reminded of the gaping hole into nothing.

The female steward was about to get to her feet when the male attendant held out a hand to stop her. "Wait," he said as he sat up on his knees and turned to Blu. "Hey buddy, uhm," he continued and glanced at the opening behind Blu, "we're gonna help you get back to your owner, alright?"

The female steward looked at him. "That's gonna be a... bit of a problem," she said.

"What? No no no, she's waiting at the gates," the male attendant said.

"Yeah, about that. I may have let a... woman on the plane who said she was looking for her bird"

The male attendant glanced back at the opening, and then at Blu. "Okay. That's... that's bad," he said.

Blu turned to look through the opening.

"Hey buddy," said the flight attendant and Blu turned back to face him, "I promise we'll find your owner". He turned to look at the female steward. "Right?"

"We?" she said.

"I'm not the one who let her on the plane," he said.

The female steward rolled her eyes. "Alright, when's the next flight?" she said and stood up.

The male attendant stood up and approached Blu carefully. "I don't know, but let's find out," he said and lowered his hands to the floor in front of Blu. "Come on buddy, we don't want to keep your girlfriend waiting," he said, winking at Blu.

#

"There we go," said Tulio, smiling and fastening the gauze around Jewel's wing, "a beautiful bird all set for another beautiful day!"

Tulio had brought Jewel into the room where he usually performed his checkups. Jewel stood on the table in front of him with her head hung low and her eyelids drooping.

"Hey," he said bending down to catch her gaze, "you're not fooling me with that pouty face, little lady". Jewel glanced over to Tulio's phone at the far end of the table. "What are you looking at?" he said.

Jewel waddled over to the phone, placed her talon on it and turned her head back to look at Tulio. If birds could talk, he could only imagine one word coming from her beak at that moment—please. Tulio's smile transformed into a frown. "Jewel, I'm sorry, long distance calls are very—"

The phone sprung to life and whirred around on the table, which made Jewel squawk and jump high in the air. Tulio grabbed the whirring phone and looked on the display. "Linda", it said. His eyes widened and he looked up at Jewel. The corners of his mouth raised slightly. "Well, speak of the devil, huh?" he said, pushed the green button on the phone and raised it to his ear.

"Hey Linda! Jewel and I were just—"

"Tulio, listen, I know I shouldn't be calling from the plane so I have to be quick"

"The plane?" said Tulio, his eyebrows furling, "You're on a plane?!"

"I'm on the plane to Rio, I think—"

"To Rio?!" said Tulio, looking at Jewel who's eyes were just as round as his. "You're coming back?!"

"Look," said Linda, "Blu ran away from home and I think he's on this plane. I think he's on his way back to Jewel"

Tulio's jaw dropped. "That's crazy!"

"Well, that's Blu for you," said Linda, letting out a small chuckle.

"Wha—I mean, when do you land? I'll pick you up!"

"We should be landing in about 30 minutes, I think"

"Okay, see you soon!" said Tulio and parted the phone from his ear and pushed the red button on it's display. He turned back to Jewel who was still standing in the same spot, starring at him, like a stuffed animal. He smiled at her. "Looks like someone special is on his way back," he said.

Jewel's face lit up like the morning program. She took a couple of steps towards Tulio and let out a high pitched squawk.

Tulio chuckled. He could have sworn that squawk sounded like she was saying "Blu". She knew who was coming. "Alright, let's go Jewel, I have to go pick them up," said Tulio and put his arm against the edge of the table. Without hesitation, Jewel climbed on to his arm and squawked some more. She was being awfully talkative, all of a sudden.

Tulio brought her out of the room and turned the corner towards the breeding chamber. Jewel went silent and he could feel her talons creeping higher up on his arm the closer they got. Tulio entered the chamber and marched up to the big tree and lifted his arm up against the hollow. "Go on," he said and shook his arm gently. Jewel didn't move a muscle. Tulio sighed and brought his other hand up to grab Jewel. She spotted his hand and scurried higher up on his arm and fastened herself on his shoulder. Tulio turned his head to meet a pair of stern turquoise eyes starring back at him.

"I'm sorry Jewel, but you have to stay here," he said.

Jewel turned her head away.

"Listen, I can't risk you getting hurt or lost again. What would I tell Blu if I lost you, huh?" said Tulio, nudging Jewel with his forehead. Her hard face melted and she glanced back at him. "Pleeeease," he said with a grin. Jewel looked away again. If birds could be lost in thought, this is what they would look like. Tulio could feel her loosen her grip on his shoulder, one talon at a time. She slowly climbed down his arm and glanced back at him one more time before she hopped into the tree hollow.

"We'll be right back. All of us. I promise," said Tulio and stroked her head feathers with his finger tips. Jewel flinched at first, but to Tulio's surprise, that was the end of it. She actually let him pet her. He smiled as he turned around and left the chamber.

Just outside the door, Sylvio was sitting at his desk leaning his head on his arm, half asleep.

"Sylvio!" said Tulio.

Sylvio screamed and flailed his arms around before he managed to focus his gaze on Tulio.

Tulio's eyelids closed halfway. "Keep an eye on Jewel while I'm gone, will you Sylvio?"

"Of course yes, yes I will, absolutely!" said Sylvio as he stood up and straightened his back.

"That's... reassuring," said Tulio and rolled his eyes. "Oh, and make sure she gets some food," he said before heading out the door.

#

A sea of people surged into the terminal at the Galeão International Airport. All of them travelers from Minnesota. None of them looking anything like Linda or Blu. Tulio's facial features alternated between anticipation and bleakness as he watched the last few people come through. When people stopped coming, Tulio slumped down on a bench. There had to be some sort of holdup somewhere. Maybe it's because of Blu. Bringing a bird into a country is not always easy. Yeah, that had to be it.

Tulio waited, and waited, and waited some more. Every time he glanced at the big clock hanging from the ceiling it seemed like time had frozen. His behind felt numb and he had to stand up. He started to pace around on the spot. Getting a bird through the customs shouldn't take this long. He had to alert someone. He had to ask someone.

"Tulio?" said a voice behind him.

Tulio turned around with wide eyes, and there she was. "Linda!" he cried.

Linda ran up to him and threw her arms around him. Tulio raised his eyebrows in surprise, "I thought you had gone missing!" he said to her and carefully returned the hug. "But, where is Blu?" he said, letting go of the hug.

Linda's face almost sunk to the ground.

Tulio tried to follow her gaze with his. "What?" he said, grabbing her shoulders.

"He's... I don't know," said Linda, "after we landed they helped me look for him on the plane but..." Her eyes watered up and her breathing became shaky.

"Hey, listen," said Tulio, rubbing her shoulder, "Blu is a smart bird, right?"

Linda kept looking at the ground.

"What if he somehow got off the plane after you landed?" said Tulio.

Linda looked up at him and sniveled once.

"If he did, where do you think he'd be going?" he continued.

"You think he's going to the aviary?" said Linda, wiping tears out of her eyes.

"It's the best idea I've got," said Tulio, furling his eyebrows.

Linda averted her gaze and appeared to think for a moment before she spoke. "What if he didn't get on the plane and he's still in Minnesota, all alone?"

"I don't know, Linda. If he is, is there any chance he could be taking the next flight?"

Linda rubbed her arm as if trying to soothe herself. "Well, he is a smart bird..."

"Hold on," said Tulio and pulled the phone out of his pocket, "I'll call Sylvio and tell him to keep an eye out for Blu in case he gets to the aviary before us"

#

Nuts and seeds. The only reason they call it bird food is so they don't have to eat it themselves. Come on, what's wrong with a little color? Where is all the goody, juicy sweetness at? What's wrong with a little taste? Right, that's human food.

Jewel stood in her hollow and glanced at Sylvio who stood in front of the tree with a stupid grin on his face, probably waiting for her to dig into her so called meal. She looked down to the colorless pile of nuts and seeds in front of her. It looked more like dirt and gravel than actual food. She huffed and backed up a few steps.

"Oh come on princess, you gotta eat!" said Sylvio, "It's good for you. Look!" He spooned up a handful of the pile and put it in his mouth and started chewing. Not only did the food look like dirt and gravel, it sounded like it too. Sylvio's face scrunched up and his chewing slowed down. "Okay, maybe not so good," he said. Jewel watched him spit out the food in a nearby fake bush before he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

Jewel turned her head away.

Sylvio looked around as if to make sure they were alone, and then he slowly leaned towards Jewel and blocked the side of his mouth with his hand. "Hey, I think I have a better idea, wait here," he whispered and disappeared out of the chamber, leaving the door open. Jewel looked down at her wrapped up wing and cursed Nigel for the twelve hundredth time for her inability to propel herself to freedom.

A moment later Sylvio came tiptoeing back. In his hands he was cradling one of the biggest mangoes Jewel had ever seen. She perked her head up and a wide smile crept across her beak. She waddled forward to the edge of the hollow and extended her good wing slightly as if to welcome the magnificent fruit into her life. She had to back up a few steps when Sylvio carefully placed it in front of her. It was the most glorious thing her eyes had rested on for quite a while. She could already taste the creamy, sweet, orange flesh hiding beneath the smooth green surface. Jewel glanced up at Sylvio again. He smiled and nodded at her. This was really happening. Jewel raised her head and opened her beak wide, preparing to dig into the mango.

A phone rang. Jewel froze. Sylvio fumbled the ringing phone out of his pocket and put it to his ear.

"Yes? This is Sylvio!" he said to the phone with joy in his voice. He listened to it for a moment before his eyebrows sunk into a frown. "Oh my, that poor little birdie," he said, shaking his head.

A puzzled expression crept across Jewel's face.

What birdie?

"Uh-huh, okay," said Sylvio to the phone, nodding. A moment later his features hardened and he straightened his back. "Don't you worry, Tulio, Sylvio always keeps an eye open!" Sylvio took the phone from his ear and fiddled with it before he put it back into his pocket. He leaned closer to the hollow which caused Jewel to instinctively back up a few steps. "Seems like your little boyfriend has gone missing," he said.

Missing?

Jewel's eyes grew wide and her beak hung open.

"But don't you worry, missy, Sylvio is on the case!" he said and reached his hand up to pet her. Before he could reach Jewel she ducked her head and backed into the hollow until her tail bumped against the wall.

Sylvio drew his hand back and sighed. "Alright alright," he said, "I'll leave the mango for you in case you're hungry". He turned around and disappeared out of sight.

Jewel stood pressed up against the back of the hollow, her beak open and her chest heaving rapidly.

Missing.

The echoes of Sylvio's terrible words still bounced around in her head.

Her little boyfr—uh, Blu was missing. How could he be missing? He was on his way back. Tulio said he was going to pick them up. Did Linda lose Blu? How could she? That human is not good for him. Where could he have gone?

Jewel waddled over to the big mango blocking the hollow entrance and headbutted it until it fell out of the tree. She perched at the edge and looked out over the fake jungle with tight, worried eyes, biting on the lower half of her beak.

Maybe Blu made it to Rio? What if he's lost or... what if something happened to him? What if he's hurt?

The little woodpecker in Jewel's chest banged on the inside of her ribcage so hard that it felt like it was going to burst.

What IF he's hurt and all alone out there somewhere? Someone has to find him. Someone has to. But where could he have gone?

Jewel looked up to the banged up air vent close to the ceiling. It looked just as crooked as she had left it.

Where would he have gone?

#

Blu blinked his eyes open. The world seemed to be out of focus. He looked around and tried to adjust his eyes and found that he was engulfed by a dim, orange atmosphere. It sent his mind on a quick nostalgic trip to the backyard of Linda's parents' house where he and Linda used to camp out in her tent.

He got up on his talons and slipped as the floor suddenly moved. It seemed to be made of glossy plastic. There was a square opening in the wall with steel bars going across it.

He was in a cage.

"Welcome to Rio, sir!" he heard a man's voice from the outside.

Rio. Wait. He was going to Rio, but the bus... and then the geese... and the plane. The plane! He didn't... no, wait. That guy—

There was a knock on the cage. "You still alive in there, buddy?" said a voice from the outside.

Blu squeezed his head out between the cage bars and looked up. The flight attendant from before was looking down at him with a smile. They were cramped together with a bunch of people and their suitcases walking through a large revolving door.

"It's been a long flight. Let's hope your owner stuck around, huh little guy?" said the flight attendant. The door came around to the open end and they marched out into a short corridor that lead them to a large space full of people running around in all directions. Only once before in his life had Blu been in this place—the terminal of the Galeão International Airport.

"I have to go to the bathroom, alright buddy?" said the flight attendant, "Then we'll find your owner, I promise". He darted off to the side where the signs all pointed to little pictures of toilets. Before going in, he put down the cage outside the door.

Blu peeked out through the cage. The lock and handle was located on the outside, way down there. He stuck his wing out and tried to reach it. He grunted and stretched his wing as far as he could but there was no way he could reach the lock. He swung around and stuck his talon out through the bars, but it proved to be even less useful than his wing. He drew his talon back inside the cage and slumped down in the corner.

He was in Rio, at the airport. Now what? Jewel is at the aviary. Where is that again? Maybe he should have thought this through.

Blu hung his head low and looked at his feet. A chain attached to one of them. His eyes followed the chain that led to a pair of black talons belonging to a bright, azure female form on the other end of the cage. She was cowering in the corner, her wing wrapped in bandages. She looked scared. Hurt. No, broken. Perhaps all three. She slowly turned her head to look at him. Her beak didn't say anything, but her turquoise eyes did. Blu remembered the words Jewel had said to him when they last spoke—"Don't take too long".

"Blu!?" came a voice from behind him. His eyes shot up and he shook his head. He slowly turned around and looked out through the opening, and he found himself starring right into the eyes of Tulio.

"Meu deus, it is you!" said Tulio with big round eyes. "Why are you in a cage?!"

Blu carefully glanced in the direction of the men's room.

"You know what, it doesn't matter. You've got a couple of ladies waiting for you," said Tulio, smiling, "and I'm gonna take you to them!" Tulio stood up, grabbed the cage and marched into the sea of people. He barely dodged a few people that got in his way and a few of them bumped into the cage. It was a rocky ride, much like trying to navigate a spaceship through an asteroid field. The crowd soon parted and they seemed to have made it through in one piece. On a bench by the wall sat Linda, starring at her knees, looking like someone had died. As if sensing their presence, she slowly looked up in their direction, and her eyes and mouth grew into the size of bowling balls.

"Blu?!" she said, leaning forward. Tulio performed a cheeky smile as he walked up to her and placed the cage on her lap. Linda placed her hands on the sides of the cage and peeked into the opening.

Blu's neck retracted and sunk between his shoulders as he lifted his wing to greet her. He cleared his throat. "Ehrm, uh, hi Linda!" he said with a sheepish smile.

Linda looked up at Tulio. "It's Blu! Tulio, it's Blu!" she said with sparkling glee. Blu could hardly stand on his feet as the cage kept tumbling around from Linda's knees jumping up and down.

She grabbed the handle on the cage door and was just about to open it when Tulio placed a hand on hers. "Wait, not here," he said with a smile, "let's go home"

#

Green hills, a deep blue sea, palm trees, people having fun on white beaches, warm winds caressing Blu feathers—it was like going back in time. Last time he had been in Tulio's jeep on this very road, he had been nervous and slightly anxious about meeting another bird of his own kind, a lady nonetheless. He had been nervous about what she would think of him. That hadn't changed.

Would she be happy to see him, or would he get his butt kicked? That was the question.

Blu swallowed a lump in his throat.

"Hey," came a voice from outside the cage, "you okay?". Linda was smiling at him through the cage bars.

"Yeah, sure, of course!" he said and performed a smile for his human companion.

Linda chuckled and looked around at the scenery for a moment before turning back to Blu. Her smile was gone. "So, I was thinking," she said.

Uh-oh.

"I don't think I can handle you running away like that ever again, Blu," she continued.

Definitely uh-oh.

Blu let his gaze fall to the floor.

"And you won't—" Linda drew a quick breath, "you won't have to, not if you stay here"

What?

Blu's beak hung open. He couldn't possibly have understood her correctly. He waddled closer to the opening and put his wings on the cage bars.

Linda averted her gaze from his and bit her lip. "Look," she said, her eyes watering, "Jewel needs you, and you're a big boy now. Look at what you did, all by yourself". Linda paused and looked around at the scenery. When she looked back at Blu she was smiling through tear filled eyes. "I think you need her too," she said.

Blu's eyes stung. Linda might have been right. He blinked as his vision became blurred with tears of his own. Linda leaned her head down and Blu stuck his head out through the cage and closed his eyes as he touched his beak to Linda's nose.

#

Passing through the front door to the aviary, Blu could feel his heart racing. It was really happening. Jewel was going to kick his butt, for sure, but she would be so glad to hear the good news! Going through the hall, they passed the many birds of different shapes and colors being fed and cared for by Tulio's people. For a second Blu could have sworn that every bird looked like Jewel, as if her radiant life force was seeping through the entire aviary, transforming everything in it's path into her image.

Sylvio stood by his desk in a military stance as they passed him on their way to the breeding chamber.

"Thanks Sylvio, how's Jewel? We have a visitor for her," said Tulio and motioned to Blu's cage.

"She's—I think she's sleeping, sir—uh, Tulio, sir!" he said, straightening his back even more.

Tulio rolled his eyes and opened the door to the chamber. "Ladies first," he said, bowing to Linda"

"Oh," Linda chuckled, "thank you!" She carried Blu's cage into the chamber, put the cage down on the floor and opened the door for him. Blu carefully stepped out on the earthly painted floor and lifted his head to look at his companion standing above him. "Go get her, tiger," she said, smiling.

Wow. Linda always knew the coolest things to say!

Blu smiled back at her and began putting one talon in front of the other. He turned his head back and, to his surprise, Linda was already leaving the room. Blu turned around again and marched towards the big tree at the center of the chamber. It was just him now, as it was supposed to be. His heart pounded in his chest and it felt like ants were crawling all over his legs. If birds ever skipped, that's what he would say he was doing.

He stopped at the base of the tree, closed his eyes and and drew a deep breath. Once continents apart, and now the colored pegs on the side of this tree were the only things standing between him and his promise.

Blu lifted his talon and grabbed onto the lowest peg and began climbing. Before reaching the hollow entrance he made sure to be as quiet as possible so he could surprise her. He bit down on the edge with his beak and carefully pulled himself into the hole.

"Guess who's ba—oh?", he said, starring into an empty hollow. There was nothing there besides a messy nest-like structure on the floor with feathers scattered all over it—light blue feathers. Blu's face tightened into a frown as he picked one of the feathers up with his talon. "What happened to you?" he said to no one in particular as he studied the feather.

He swung himself out of the hollow and climbed onto the nearest branch. When he reached the end of the branch he had a clear view of the entire chamber. "JEWEL!" he shouted. The only thing echoing back at him were the monkey sounds coming from the speakers.

He stood in silence as he looked around the chamber. Something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was the air vent high up on the wall, the one that Jewel had almost cracked open when they first met.

It had a big gaping hole right through it.

###