end…I might as well claim what was brought to me~” he said, and swooped off the perch with a scream, his talons reaching in front of him. He swooped towards Nico first, his wings blowing him over, talons wrapping around Juicy’s body. Juicy screamed and pecked the birds toe, making him let go. Not noticing they were high in the air, Juicy didn’t have enough time to think about spreading her wings, so she crashed onto the surface of a box, rolling off it and onto another lower one. “Juicy!” Amira screeched, and plummeted into the air, locking talons with the large bird and pecking his head, flapping her wings quickly to stay in the air.

“Argh!” the hawk said, and bit down onto the macaw’s neck, holding it there and raising her in the air. Pedro gasped and quickly took flight. “Oh I know you aren’t hurting my friends! Not Pedro’s! I won’t have it!” he said, and bolted himself at the hawk, hitting him in the face with his body and clinging to his face. The hawk let out a scream and let go of Amira, shaking his head rapidly. Amira fell towards the ground, but weakly caught herself just above ground. Juicy woke up, a scratch on her cheek and wing. She winced and shook her feathers, looking at the scene above. Nico gasped. “Get him Pedro!” he cheered and flew up, pecking the Hawk’s wings. Amira looked over to Juicy, not caring about the two anymore. “C’mon, let’s get out of here!” she said. Juicy nodded and lifted her wings out to fly after Amira, but stopped as she seen the hawk’s attention drag over to them.

The hawk, finally shaking the two birds off, bolted in the air towards Amira, grasping her body in both of his talons and swooping over the entrance gate, disappearing over the buildings, flying towards the big statue of the big creator the humans praised.

“Amira! Amira!” Juicy yelled, flying after her, but her small wings didn’t carry her fast enough to compare with the hawk’s speed.

Nico and Pedro planted themselves on the ground, glancing at each other worriedly, and soon flying after Juicy.

Juicy sighed and closed her eyes, tears coming down her face. Hearing the wing beats of Nico and Pedro behind her, she turned around, angrier than ever. “This is all your fault!” she yelled, towering over Nico. Nico blinked and leaned backwards, his eyes wide, frowning. “Juicy I-“

“Just forget it. I thought I could trust you. Turns out you are just like every other bird.” She said, interrupting him and flying away towards the forest, the afternoon sun bright in her eyes, but she didn’t care. She soon disappeared from sight of the two birds she left behind.

Nico was left with Pedro once more, his heart torn and beaten. Pedro frowned worriedly, looking after Juicy. He turned his head to glance back at Nico, but he wasn’t there. Glancing around, he spotted Nico lowering to the ground below. Pedro followed him, and watched his sad companion hop away. “Wah!? Where are you going!? You’re gonna just let her fly off like that, and let her save Amira on her own!?” Pedro called after him, point both his wings in the direction that Juicy went. Nico stopped walking, and stood still. He closed his eyes slowly, resisting the urge to let a tear slip. He turned around, looking at Pedro. “Forget it man, she won’t trust me now.” Pedro frowned, and quietly walked up to Nico. “That may be true…” he said, but put a wing to Nico’s chest. “But maybe she will trust your heart if you save Amira…” Nico blinked and looked at Pedro’s wing, then up to Pedro.

                                                                             Chapter 3

As the moon rose into the sky that night, the separated band of birds were laid down in the night with worries on their mind.

It had all been just yesterday. Surfing the fruit stands, meeting Nico and Pedro, the dance at the club…it was one of precious memories that Juicy could hold onto, but despite how happy they were, it hurt her to think of them. Not knowing how the raffle with the hawk would go, Juicy perched herself on a tree limb and tucked her head in her wing, drifting off in a peaceful sleep, giving her time to think of what shall happen- but in her dreams.

Nico and Pedro had nested under a raised box in the garage, both of them silent and unmoving. Nico’s eyes searched the floor, tucking his head back to rest. Pedro looked over at him, and then did the same, leaning his head back and closing his eyes, waiting for morning. Nico, however, didn’t fall asleep so quickly. The stings of Juicy’s words rung in his head, making him cringe slightly. He let out a quiet sigh, and finally closed his eyes, drifting off to dream a happier life as well.

Juicy’s wings flapped unsteadily as the mucky winds of morning burst out against her, making it hard to keep a good flying balance. She was at a high distance in the sky, the low clouds fogging up her vision and she continued forth towards the big monument she saw the hawk carry Amira to.

Nico and Pedro were already up as well, standing just outside the gate of the garage. They looked up towards the monument on a large mountain, a distance away, and looked at each other. “Ready?” Nico asked, spreading out his wings in preparation to take flight. Pedro nodded, but hesitated. “Sure man, but this wind is killin’ me!” he said, finally hovering beside Nico.

The canary shrugged, looking around as the wind shook nearby palm trees viciously. “We’ll have to deal with it if we are going to get Amira.” He said, and took off in the air, doing small loops regularly as he flew- to keep the wind from pushing him back. Pedro was doing the same, but with a bit more trouble.

Amira was in the hawk’s nest atop the head of the big monument, sitting against a concrete segment of a risen wall nearby, her wings tucked out in front of her, head tucked towards her body. “Oh, don’t be so scared my lady; this wind should take your mind off everything once I shove you off.” He said, smirking and wrapping his body around Amira for a few seconds, then hopped away, sitting on the edge of the nest, his wings tucked, scanning the air for any signs of the macaw’s friends. Amira shuddered and stayed silent, giving the hawk glares as he turned around.

The wind beat across Juicy’s wings hardly, making one wing tip downwards, pushing her towards the ground. She quickly straightened herself out once more, and beat her wings to the thrusts of the breeze, making it easier to fly faster as her wings up drafted the air, giving her a boost. The monument was clearly visible now, and she had almost reached it. She couldn’t quite see where the hawk could possibly be staying, but she would guess it was probably at the very top of the statue.

Arriving at the statue, Juicy swooped down to steady herself on the statue’s arm, the wind even more fierce up here. She glanced up towards the head, seeing the hawk’s head hanging over the nest he was perched in. She frowned and readied herself, then flew to the opposite arm, and started ascending towards the head.

Nico and Pedro were still a ways from the statue, due to Nico having to stop and wait for his clumsy friend to catch up. Nico glanced back at Pedro and stopped, then looked over to the statue, spotting an orange figure flying up to the head of the statue. Nico blinked and looked back at Pedro. “Hurry man, Juicy’s going to face Mr. Hawk Man by herself!”

Pedro blinked and flew past Nico. “Hey, use the wind to fly faster!” he said, doing little free loops in the air as the wind boosted him forward. Nico smiled and raced after his friend.

Juicy quietly came up on the opposite side of the hawk’s nest, poking her friend on the wing. “Pst!” she whispered, and opened her mouth to whisper again, but the hawk’s head darted to look at Juicy instantly. Amira’s neck feathers flattened out as the hawk came walking over, forgetting her friend had even come to rescue her.

“Well, well, well. Look what the macaw drug in!” the hawk cackled, turning his head to the side and grinning at Juicy. The canary frowned and hopped into the nest, puffing her wings out to the side, glaring at the hawk. “Pity. Such a bright spirit gone to waste~” the hawk said, circling the orange bird. “Not yet!” Juicy said bolting under the hawk and flying around his legs, pecking at them as she made the loop around, then flew up to cling to his head, pecking one of his eyes. The hawk let out a screech and threw the bird off him, quickly seizing her as she hit the ground, keeping her held to the ground with both his taloned feet. “You so sure about that deary?” the hawk said, bending his head down close to Juicy’s and laughing. Amira jumped up to do something, but stopped when she saw a bottle cap fling across the nest and hit the hawk in the head. Hawk let out a small scream, shaking his head. “Ola, Mr. Cackle Head!” Pedro called out, smirking in Hawk’s direction. Hawk let out a growl and glared over at Nico and Pedro, who were standing on the edge of