Chapter 5:Words Cannot Express

The six macaws flew just above the canopy and hovered, while Blu scanned the vast sea of green beneath him. He spotted the ever-so-familiar clearing off to the south.

"There it isss. Thisss isss it, guys. There isssn't a better time to pray than right now." Blu performed a steep dive, and the small clearing suddenly grew much larger.

They landed in the undergrowth just past the border.

Maricela faced Blu directly and declared, "Here's the plan of action: Me, my mate, and your children are going to fly over to your nest. Me and Frank will go in first and tell Jewel what has occurred. If she doesn't believe us, your children will come in and tell her as well. Then, my mate will give a signal for you to come over. Got it?"

"Yesss. Wait, don't you think you ssshould cover me up again? We forgot to put the leavesss back on at your nessst!"

"Wow. How did we overlook that? No matter. We will be back shortly. Stay hidden."

Blu and his children nodded placidly and watched as they disappeared into the undergrowth.

"Are you scared, Papa?"

"To tell you the truth, Ricardo, yesss. I am afraid that ssshe will attack me, without even bothering to let me explain. I think ssshe is going to lossse it when I ssshow her my true appearance, if not before."

Not another word was said until the two macaws returned with the leaves. They carefully re-applied them once more to Blu's face and feet.

"That should do, Blu. Are you ready to see your mate?"

"Not really."

"Good, because you are going to meet her anyways. Wait for Frank to stick his head out and wave his wing, okay?"

"Okay. Let'sss jussst get thisss over with. Go."

Maricela and Frank entered the clearing first and flew straight to the hollow. Blu's children followed close behind, but they alighted at the base of the tree instead.

The two macaws perched on the edge of the hollow, and as they slowly peered around the corner, they caught sight of a lone female macaw...

Jewel had been left alone in the hollow for several hours, for Riphate had gone out to explore the jungle and hunt, and her father had left soon after the snake to explore the city.

She was deeply worried about her children, since they had not yet returned from their morning bath.

First, my mate is taken away from me, and now my children are gone. What next? Am I going to be the next victim?

So lost was Jewel in her metal monologue that she did not notice the two macaws standing at the entrance.

"Um, hello? Is your name Jewel?"

She whirled around and laid eyes on two colorful macaws.

"Yes. Do I know you?"

"No. But you will very soon. My name is Maricela, and this is my mate, Frank."

What could she mean by that? I hope she isn't another Valentina...

"Nice to meet you. But, why are you here?"

"Frank and I heard some news about the passing of your mate. We can't imagine the sadness you must feel. We are so sorry."

At the sound of her handsome mate's name, she began to cry. "T-thank you. It Is true. Ever since that day, I have felt like half of my soul was ripped out and obliterated. I would do anything to bring him back...tudo e qualquer coisa..."

Frank replied, "What if you didn't have to do anything? What if he could come back to you...right now?"

Jewel could not believe what she had heard. Was this Frank trying to torment her on purpose?

"What did you say? Are you playing mind games with me? Is this a joke you play on parents who have lost their mates?"

"No. It is true! We can prove it!"

"O inferno que você é!"

She advanced towards the two macaws, no longer feeling sad, but furious. "Get...out...now! If you don't, you will deeply regret it!"

Down below, the three macaws heard their mother's angry shouts. Vicente said, "Uh-oh. I think we better get up there, and quick!"

They lifted off and quickly reached the entrance to the hollow. They saw Maricela and Frank backing away from Jewel in submission.

They immediately swooped in and planted themselves in front of the Scarlet Macaws.

"What are you-oh, now you show up! Where have you three been? I was worried sick!"

Jewel had tried to suppress her rage, but they still noticed it in the tone of her voice.

"We were cleaning ourselves off like you told us to, and then these two macaws showed up. They said that our father was alive!"

"Oh, so you are in on this too? If you don't watch your beaks, you are going to be in somuch trouble. How could you say something so...so... disrespectful..."

"Please listen, Mama! We saw him with our own eyes! He is...just fine!"

"That's it! I have had it with this sick nonsense!"

She looked past her children and pierced the macaws with her gaze. "You two need to leave! That's right! Fly away, you twisted parrot!"

Frank ignored her remark and rushed over to the entrance. He poked his head out and quickly waved his right wing.

Only a few seconds passed before he saw a blue streak explode from the jungle ahead.

He quickly rushed back in and whispered to his mate, "Blu is on the way. It's almost over."

"I hope you like the feel of my claws in your skin!" Jewel extended her right foot and lunged at the female.

She felt a rush of wind, and a loud plea echoed in her ears: "Jewel! Ssstop!"

She was unable to react, and she felt her talons scrape flesh. When she adjusted her gaze, it was not a red macaw that stood in front of her. It was a blue one.

She watched as a small leaf drifted down from the blue macaw's face, and she noticed three parallel scratches running across his closed left eye.

"Jewel. It'sss...me, Blu. Your mate."

She refused to listen. This was just some cheap look-alike, conscripted by those two macaws to plague her and spite her. Despite her anger, she began to cry once more.

"No, no, no. Você está mentindo. Please, just leave! And take your twisted friends with you..."

"It'sss really me! Please lisssten, my dear. Everything isss okay!"

"No...it's not! Blu is dead! Eu disse saia!" Jewel made a powerful lunge at the impostor and knocked him into the wall. She drew her talon back, and this time, her target was his throat...

Blu was knocked into the wall by his clueless mate, and he suddenly felt a strange sensation pass over him. He felt lost in his own body as his snake instincts took over once again.

His left eyelid peeled apart, causing the trio of scratches to bleed. His right eye closed automatically, and his snake eye fixed its gaze on Jewel.

She merely screamed in terror and made a swipe for his throat. Blu did not flinch or react in any way, except to hiss the word, "Ssstop."

Blu's snake eye opened wide at the command, and Jewel froze mid-swipe. "Now sssleep."

The space between Blu and Jewel seemed to ripple, as if an unseen energy was passing between them.

Jewel's wings drooped to the ground, and her eyes closed methodically. Within seconds, Jewel had been rendered unconscious by Blu, and she now lay slumped on the floor of the hollow.

Blu felt himself regain control of his soul, and his snake eye constricted back down to a thin slit.

"What did you...just do, Blu?"

"I don't k-know, Maricela. It wasssn't me. It wasss my sssnake inssstinctsss. They took over my body. I acted in ssself-defenssse..."

"What do we do now, Papa? Is she...dead?"

"No, daughter. She isss fine. She is jussst sssleeping. We will have to wait until ssshe wakes up."

Blu turned to the two macaws and said, "You can go home now. I think I can take care of thisss from here."

"Of course, Blu. We hope you and Jewel's lives will return to normal. We will see you later. If you ever need us, you know where to find us."

The two macaws flew off without another word.

Blu proceeded to tear the leaf wraps from his feet and cradle Jewel in his super-long talons. He gently moved his sleeping mate to their nest and laid her down amidst the soft moss.

He turned to his children and said, "You can go out, if you like. I need sssome alone time with your mother." They merely nodded and disappeared from the hollow.

Blu turned back to his snoozing mate, and he marveled at her beauty. He stroked her chest gently and whispered, "I forgive you, Jewel. I hope you will forgive me as well. I vow to never leave your ssside ever again. Durma bem, meu anjo. I will sssee you when you wake up..."

He settled down next to her, watching her chest steadily rise and fall. The undulating rhythm soothed him and helped pass the time to her awakening, and the moment when they would re-establish their battered bonds of love.

"Jewel? Are you up? It'sss me, Blu. I am here for you..."

Jewel heard a soft murmur resounding in her dream, and she recognized its tone. Blu? Is it really you? How can I be sure? You were...dead. But, your eye...

Blu heard Jewel whispering in her sleep, and he decided to reply, since she was somehow hearing him in her dreams.

"I wasss dead. But now, I am not. Riphate'sss venom killed me, but then, it worked in reverssse. I wasss revived, and I dug myssself out of the grave. The esssence of the sssnake became a part of me.

That isss what gave me my new featuresss: The eye and tongue of a ssserpent, and my claws mirrored sssnake fangsss. I know it isss frightening, and I hope you ssstill love me. My love for you hasssn't changed...and it never will."

So that explains it. I am sorry for attacking you. I just couldn't understand how you could possibly be alive. But don't worry. No matter how you look on the outside,I will always hold a piece of your heart, Blu. I will love you...forever and ever. And that is final.

A few seconds later, the black void of her dream melted away, and a world of soft colors drained into place. She noticed a blue figure sitting next to her, and she gazed up at him drowsily.

"Hello, sssleepy head. I misssed you. How wasss your dream?"

"It was okay. Why does my head feel funny? It feels like something was erased."

"When you attacked me, my sssnake inssstinctsss took over, and I put you to sssleep in ssself defenssse. I think it erasssed part of your memory, too. I couldn't control it."

"Oh. Well *yawn* it's okay. Now I realize that it's actually you. Words cannot express what I am feeling right now. You were only gone for a few days, and yet, I just gave up all hope.

As far as I was concerned, I may as well have been in that grave with you. I guess whoever said, "Você não sabe que você tem, até que ele se foi knew what they were talking about."

"Thossse are wissse words, my angel."

Jewel lifted herself from the comfy nest and stood in front of her mate. She peered deep into his normal eye, and she saw the reflections of an honest, brave, caring soul. She peered into his other eye just the same, and she still saw the same soul reflected there as well.

"Keep calling me 'angel' too much longer, and that may as well be my new name."

"I can't help it. I can think of no better word to dessscribe you, Jewel."

He gazed at her chest, and he noticed that the wound Valentina had inflicted had since healed over. In that one spot, a small tuft of feathers sprouted, and they reminded him of the feathers behind her head.

"I know, Blu. I don't mind. I enjoy being flattered, especially by someone as...handsome as you..."

She now stood face to face with him, and before he could reply, she melted him with a sensual kiss.

"See? I can return the favor...anytime I want. Do you mind?"

Blu breathed a heavy sigh and replied, "Not...at...all. How about one more?"

She leaned into him again, causing his transformed heart to thud in his chest.

"You know what, Blu?"

"What, my lovely mate?"

"I have a proposition for you."

"What isss that?"

She paused her train of thought and gazed at his wiry tongue as it darted in and out of his beak. The way he talked because of it sent shivers down her spine. To her, it wasn't strange. It was a sign that he had changed, and yet he had not. She admired that logical conflict.

"Do you realize that our children are nearly old enough to leave the nest?"

"Uh, not really. I have been busssy with other thingsss. You know, like being dead."

He pointedly focused his snake eye on her, widening his pupil like a pair of sliding doors.

"Point well made, serpent boy. But, my proposition is this: Why don't we celebrate your revival with a little...romance? It has been quite a while since we have...indulged ourselves."

He instantly narrowed his pupil and stared at her. "Do you mean..."

"Exactly. It couldn't hurt. Só você e eu, sozinha, em uma noite quente do Rio..."

Blu felt butterflies begin to dance in his stomach. "Uh, I don't know, Jewel. Maybe we ssshould wait until our children have actually left before we... and then you..."

"Nonsense. There is no better time to do this, Blu. We have already been through this once. How bad could one more time be? Or should I say, how good..."

She began stroking his neck with her left wing, while she placed her right wing on his back. He began to get nervous, but something inside him was telling him to give in.

It was as though he had a tiny angel on one shoulder, and a tiny demon on the other, and they were arguing back and forth, each trying to win his mind over.

"Are you sssure you are up to it? I mean, I jussst don't want you russshing into it."

"Of course, Blu. It's like we get to live part of our lives all over again. I want that."

"I ssstill think we ssshould-"

She silenced him with a third alluring kiss, and he knew that he couldn't resist. He loved her too much, and if this is what she wanted, then he wouldn't deny her.

"Se você perguntar, então você deve receber, my angel..."

The passion that was ignited in their nest flooded the hollow and spilled down onto the clearing, their own private, invisible waterfall of love...

A/N: Well, this is the wrap up chaper for this story. (I was up until 1:45 A.M. writing/uploading/editing it.) I decided to add this chapter here, instead of using it as the first chapter of my next piece. Pretty nice cliffhanger, huh? I am addicted to those, I guess! Anyways, please review, and be honest! I should have my next story up sometime today. Thanks for the feedback! Until next time... ~Wolf Out~