Amira.

                                                                                     Chapter 2

As the band of birds hopped down the sidewalk, Amira and Pedro kept going on about how great Juicy and Nico had been on stage.

“You guys were on fire up there!” Amira squawked, grinning and bumping the two small birds with her wing. Pedro nodded and gave an opened-mouthed grin. “Yea, you were up on the stage dancing with a hot wing, phew! I wanna be like you, bro!” Pedro said, hovering in front of Nico for a few seconds before joined Amira, walking beside her and listening to the two talk. Juicy smiled and took in the praise that the two companions gave out, and soon they all grew quiet as Juicy led them down the sidewalk, forgetting where she was going. “So, Juicy, where were you going to take your friend again?” Nico asked, hopping up beside Juicy. The orange bird looked at Nico, and then to the ground in thought. “Well, we were going to take the trolleys up to that mountain pillar, but the shortcut was back at those fruit stands. I’m not sure which way to go now.” Nico raised an eyebrow, tapping his chin, looking around. “Hm…to the pillar you say….ay’, Pedro! Girly wants to take the trolleys up to Louise’s!”

Pedro bounced a few times, smirking. “Oh really?” he said. Juicy tilted her head and looked back at Pedro. Nico smiled and nodded, and looked back at Juicy happily.

“Pedro and I know the way- it’s the hill Luiz's Garage is on, right?”

“Luiz?” Amira and Juicy said at the same time, glancing at Nico and Pedro.

Pedro’s jaw dropped.

“You don’t know Luiz, foo’?” Pedro asked, flying in front of the ladies.

Both of them shook their head.

“Well then, let’s go!” Nico piped up, and he and Pedro flew ahead.

Juicy and Amira glanced at each other and shrugged. “Can’t hurt to go meet someone new. Plus, we can just ride the trolley back around.” Juicy said, smiling slightly and taking flight after their comrades.

Once arriving at the trolleys, Nico and Pedro fly to stand on top of one, reminding Amira and Juicy of the trolley they had took a few hours ago. A bell rung two quick times and the trolley rolled forward. “C’mon, ladies!” Pedro called, standing on the end of the trolley. Amira and Juicy looked at each other, and took flight, flying after the trolley. Juicy landed safely on the trolley’s roof, and Amira kind of slipped on its slick surface as she landed, but quickly regained her balance.

“We should be at the pillar top soon enough-“ Nico said, hopping over to Juicy and her friend, smiling over at Juicy.

Juicy nodded. “Great~” she said flatly, and watched the as the scenery slowly pass by as the trolley started to pick up a slow, smooth roll. The female canary walked to the front of the the trolley and sat down, watching the trees slowly pass by. Nico frowned slightly and watched Juicy walk to the front of the trolley, and sighed. Pedro blinked and looked at Juicy, then Nico, then Juicy, then Nico once more. He gave his friend a small playful shove. “Go on, bro, go get her!” Pedro said quietly. Nico’s eyes widened slightly and the feathers on his neck puffed out nervously. “What? No!” Pedro said, walking back to his place that Pedro pushed him out of. Pedro frowned. “Oh c’mon, she’s the perfect hot wing for you!” Pedro said, smiling over at Nico.

Nico blinked. He didn’t deny it. She was beautiful, and pretty much the coolest- and only other- canary around, but he didn’t like her just for that. Her personality was perfect. She was just like him. She loved to dance, sing, she was great at it, and it only made his chances greater, with her being a canary.

Juicy and Nico hadn’t been ones to like romance or show interest in the opposite gender, but they had been developing feelings for each other over time. “I got time, don’t worry…she probably doesn’t even think that way for me.” Nico said, glancing over at Pedro.

Pedro frowned and crossed his wings. “What are you talking about, bird? If she didn’t, do you think she would have shown so much happiness towards you when you offered her to that dance? “ Nico frowned, and looked at Pedro with a worried smile.

“If she really didn’t like you in that way, then she would have turned you down in a weird polite lady way.”

Nico shrugged, thinking it was true. He nodded, looking back at Pedro, waiting.

Pedro narrowed his eyes, seeing Nico was still just standing there. “Well?” he said.

Nico frowned worriedly, fiddling his fingers nervously, looking at floor. Looking up Juicy, who was still sitting on the edge of the trolley, he cleared his throat and gave his body a confident shake, and walked in her direction, with a smirk.

The trolley lurched to a stop, atop the mountain pillar that Luiz’s Garage was on. Nico stopped walking towards Juicy, blinking and looking around. “Here already?” Pedro said aloud, noting that they had arrived at Louise’s place. Amira blinked and looked around, getting up from her spot and standing by Pedro. Nico blinked as Juicy got up and turned around. Juicy blinked back at him, tilting her head. “Need something…?” she asked him. Nico blinked once more, and raised his wings to hover in front of her. “Oh, uh…just coming to get you, is all. We’re at Luiz’s!” he said, losing his nervous face and smiling warmly. “C’mon!” he said happily and flew over to the large iron gate. Pedro, Amira, and Juicy followed him, all of them walking through the gate. Nico walked forward into the dark garage, looking around. “Luiz! Luiz, you here? I have some friends I’d like you to meet!” Nico called out, hopping around, looking in any hidey-holes that bulldog might be in.

Among the shadows of the boards that lined up near the roof, large yellow eyes watched as a little bird and his band entered the garage. They narrowed, and the figure bolted to another hiding place.

Juicy jumped slightly at the slight movement she saw, and hopped over to Nico, followed by Amira and Pedro. “Luiz?” Pedro called out again. All the birds’ heads turned towards another movement from the shadows. Juicy squinted and walked forward, looking in the movement’s direction.

The room was too dark to tell what was emerging, but something the figure seemed to have large wings, larger than any normal macaw’s. Nico glanced over at growing shape, and his feathers slowly started to puff out, backing out. “I don’t think that’s Luiz, yo!” Pedro said, watching around for the shape again as it disappearing.

Out of nowhere, enormous talons came thrusting out at the group of birds huddled together. Nico and Pedro let out a scream and grabbed each other; both of their feathers making them look like large fluffs.

Juicy and Amira screamed also, and scurried towards Pedro and Nico to grab onto them also, all of the birds held tightly together.

A large red-tailed hawk let out a cackle as he landed a few feet in front of the scared birds. The bird was cunning, and smart, knowing how to get what he wanted and how to ruin other’s lives. Not just be eating them, but it was much more than that…before his meal, anyway.

“Well well well, what have you brought me, young bird?” the hawk said, grinning largely and turned his head around to hang around Nico. Nico’s pupils got small and he hunkered tight against Pedro. “W-what?” he said, staring at the hawk. Juicy and Amira glanced at each other with horrified faces. “You did this?” Juicy said quietly, looking over at Nico disgustedly, and horrifically. Nico glanced over at Juicy quickly, letting go of Pedro, his feathers flattening out. “What? No! I-I thought Louise was in here!” Amira tilted her head, listening. Did he mean this bird wasn’t Louise? Juicy frowned. “You mean this is Luiz?” she muttered, frowning madly at Nico. The yellow canary shook his head. “No, Luiz is a dog. I don’t know this hawk!” he said, a hurt expression on his face as he took a step towards Juicy. The orange bird stepped back, refusing.

The hawk smirked, jumping over the two and bending down close to Nico. “Of course that’s who I am! Only Nico and his dear friend would know! My, my, I told you to bring me cooperative victims!” he said, frowning slightly then grinning at Nico, putting a huge wing around him. Juicy’s eyes widened and she stepping back, her chest heaving in small breathes, her eyes full of betrayal. “Nico, why? I thought I could trust you…” she said. Nico looked at the hawk and leaned away as the hawk’s scared beak was right next to his head as he talked. “No! I seriously don’t know him! Luiz is a bulldog! He’s lying!” he said, staring over at Juicy.

The hawk smirked. “Of course I’m not lying! Why would I lie about my