Fight or Flight (InfiniteChaos & JJRose)

[TheMysticNymph]

Zura jumped at the sound of another clicking beak. She looked over to Diego, he was near a large stick gesturing with his wing towards it. The macaw tilted her golden face wondering why he wasn't running. Taking a last look at the men she silently flew over to him. "You need to run, now while you have a chance. It will be a waste of life if you hang around like this." she whispered hurriedly. Zuramae scanned over the men in awe as well as fear "What are they? They project no fear, and the blunder around unafraid of the jungle. I've never seen some foolishness."
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[InfiniteChaos]

Diego watched Zura as she spoke, obviously not getting his idea and he shook his head for a moment "Zura... Take the stick into your talons, and throw it at both of them. They'll fall into the water, and we can both leave. Preferably as soon as possibly before they spot us behind them like this?" He spoke a bit quickly, yet softly, and nudged the large branch towards her a bit. 

"I know our species. Once you do that, take me, literally, carry me to your tribe. Just away from them. I know you can carry me." Diego then continued to say and moved under the leaves again where he could still see Zura and the two men.
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[TheMysticNymph]

Zura listened to his idea, understanding now. She nodded and looked at the branch and back at the men, she took a breath. Alright Zura, you can do this. She thought to herself. She fluttered on top of the the stick and flapped as as hard as she could lifting the branch into the air. She flew up behind the men near the stream, she swung the branch back and then as it came back forward she released it. The stick swooped through the air and smashed the one man in the back of the head, as he fell he grabbed hold of the other and they both went rolling into the water. She took this as she chance, spinning around she flapped back towards Diego and dove down "Diego!" she squawked urgently. She sunk her talons into the base of his good wing and pulled up. The weight of him was almost too much but she couldn't stop now, abandoning him wouldn't be right. Adrenaline pulsed trough the macaw she and she began soaring higher an higher until she was safe in the trees. She gripped Diego tightly terrified she would drop him. It only took a few moments before the tribe was in sight, dozens of brightly colored birds coated the tops of the jungle trees, they chattered and chirped hopping from branch to branch unaware of the danger below them. Zura flew her and Diego to her tree, it was the tallest amongst the tribe, the tips of the leaves looked like they were dipped in orange paint and the bark was stained a light red. She landed down on a wide plank she had placed there for her nest, she released the bird abruptly letting him drop on the plank. She stood next to him her chest heaving from the excitement.
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[InfiniteChaos]

Diego watched as the event unfolded, and she was very quick about grasping him and taking off. He was almost a little bit shocked at how fast it occured. Once they got to her home tree he shook out his feathers a bit and looked back towards where they came from, even though it was basically impossible that they would see the exact area again. But he was still just looking... They're after him. What if they get here? He looked up at Zura and smiled a little bit "See, that wasn't too hard was it?" He questioned with a light chuckle as he looked down at the towering tree and then he looked at his wing and sighed. He so wanted to just glide off of the tree right now, but that wouldn't be good for him at all. 
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Soon flapping returned to Diego's ears and saw a familiar Scarlet Macaw returning to them and landed near Diego. "Ahh. That was a lovely flight." She spoke and dropped three Brazil nuts down in front of her and pushed two of the nuts towards them and then kept the last one for herself.
Diego looked down at the Brazil Nut and then looked at Zura. Aunt Clara looked at Zura and Diego and then tilted her head, wondering what just happened.
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[TheMysticNymph]

Zuramae was bewildered, she could not even respond to Diego's jest. The White Macaw fluffed her feathers and stared at her Auntie as she landed in front of them. "There were...things in the forest. Tall, featherless. I have never seen such creatures, but they were unafraid a is they have been here for years. We barely escaped them." She breathed outward in a huff and gazed around her tribe fearful for them as she thought about the creatures coming here.
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"We must warn the others. They need to stay away from the jungle floor until further notice. It is bad enough the trees are suddenly falling, we don't need anyone killed by these things"
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Zura could not remain calm in this instance like she normally could in the face of such danger. Having an unknown element around that could be a threat to her tribe was worrying. She took the Brazil nut and clenched it in a talon firmly, she felt some stress release as she squeezed the nut she was too confused to eat and laid the morsel back down.
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[InfiniteChaos]

Diego felt like he had to say something. How to back up that he knew it though... He lived in a city. Rio De Janeiro. He can state that it is a city, created by those people. It's like a tribe here, but just... multiple more of everything. He looked at Zura and then Aunt Clara. "Those... featherless things? Those are humans. They're also the reason the tree's are falling." He stated, and Aunt Clara simply looked at him like He was the crazy one now. "Oh no, don't get me wrong. I don't hang with those things at all." He began and Aunt Clara just raised an eyebrow at him.
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"Okay look. I was flying a little too close to the falling trees just recently and saw a few of them. I saw them taking the tree's down themselves. Just... On this day I was unlucky and a tree happened to catch my wing on it's way down when I was trying to fly away from them... Cause~ they decided to try to kill me." He explained. Trying his best to not to disclose any history... He should really just come clean now... But they probably are going to hate humans after this. 
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"They're the very top of the food chain... They're spread all over the planet. ALL OVER, the planet. They destroy trees, and build even taller, grey trees." He began and then looked over down to the bottom of the ground. "Some are even taller than this tree right here." He continued. 
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Aunt Clara kept looking at him and then looked at Zura for a moment, and then looked back to Diego, when he decided to open the Brazil Nut and eat it.
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[TheMysticNymph]

Zura watched him, suddenly wary of the bird before her. Of course he was too good to be true, the first bird she had seen like her and he knew all about these, humans. They were the reasons so many of her birds were losing their homes, the reason they were losing their homes. She was upset to learn that they were all over the world, and that their trees were bigger than hers. 
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"How can they destroy so much life? I've never heard of any predator behaving this way." She looked at Clara for some sort of comfort than back at Diego, the bird narrowed her topaz eyes ."How do you know so much about them?"
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She was not happy to hear they were top of the food chain, her mind began thinking. How could they avoid them, if they were the ones destroying the trees soon there would be nothing left. She looked around at he growing tribe. Where would they all go? "Why would they want to kill you? If they are as powerful as you say, what good would killing you do them?"
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[InfiniteChaos]

"Y-you do realize that we are literally the last white and gold Macaws yes? We're worth a lot to them." He spoke lightly and looked to Aunt Clara


Aunt Clara then finally spoke up "Have you ever noticed how weird my accent is? I am not even from this area. I came from way up north. And he is telling the truth." Aunt Clara looked to Diego and then back at Zura. 


Diego watched Aunt Clara and then looked back at Zura "If... if enough birds work together they can be stopped." He spoke up a bit. "I've seen it before. Nature fighting back against them."

 

[TheMysticNymph]

She stared at him oddly, this information was new to her but it explained so much. "We...We are the last ones?" 
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She looked to Auntie ruffled her feathers "So what do we do? We are just birds, those humans are much bigger than us if what you both are saying about their 'trees' is right then we don't stand much of a chance." 
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Diego claimed to have seen it before, but how many lives had been lost in those battles. She had to admit, the idea of defending her home was very appealing.
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"I'm not so sure I am alright with risking the lives of our tribes for such a feat, but I still believe we need to gather them and warn them of this danger."
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[InfiniteChaos]

Diego watched her for a moment, and then he spoke up. "Right now, we can't do anything. I need to survey... I know how to deal with them. I've been around them for a long time... Rio De Janeiro is a city of theirs. Sort of like this place, but with people instead of birds." He responded looking around at the trees and birds flying around them. 
Aunt Clara looked down for a moment, and Diego looked over at her before looking back at Zura. and sighed lightly. He still wasn't going to talk about the Zoo life of his, or anything. That was staying quiet. 
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[TheMysticNymph]

Zura looked at him "Well, you aren't going to survey much of anything until you get that wing healed up." She commented. "Until then, you can rest here, and we will send someone buy to bring you food at mealtimes."
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 Without another word, The female flapped her wings cawing to any bird that would listen, he tribe needed to warned. She soared fluidly through the air towards their "Gathering tree" The branches of the tree were thicker and able to hold many birds at once, the top of the tree had been struck by lighting a few years ago and had never grown back, making it the perfect perch for her where all could see and hear.
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[InfiniteChaos]

Diego looked down at the branch he was standing on, and Aunt Clara looked over at him for a moment. "Don't worry... You should trust her." Aunt Clara said and Diego looked over at her at that moment. "Trust me... I dealt with them as well..." She continued and Diego tilted his head. "I was a humans pet.." She spoke and Diego raised an eyebrow. "I don't tell her... I don't know why... but I don't." She finished and Diego looked over to where she flew too and then looked back at Aunt Clara
"I actually live in a Zoo in Rio De Janeiro.. I've never experienced a Jungle before." Diego spoke up. "I just don't want her to think that I am some sort of like... I don't know, Human magnet since I lived around humans my entire life..." 
 
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[TheMysticNymph]

When the tribe had assembled and settled before her Zura opened her beak and spoke. "It has come to my attention, that our home has been invaded by a new form of predator, It takes what it wants, feeds where it feels like and is responsible for the death of our beloved trees, our beloved homes."
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The birds before her grew restless and looked to each other for guidance. "These creatures are known as humans, they are featherless and tall. They have a means of annihilation that I have even yet to understand. Until further notice, I urge all of you not to venture close to the forest floor unless absolutely necessary. I cannot afford to lose any one of you to these beast. We must not be fearful. We must stick together in this dark time, and help as many a bird we can as the trees continue to fall. I will alert each and every one of you as new developments happen. For now that is all I have for you, go in peace and freedom." She watched them hesitate, before flying off or going about their business. They didn't know what to believe or to think, and she still didn't either.
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[InfiniteChaos]

Diego looked at Zura as she spoke and sighed softly looking over at Aunt Clara and she put her wing on him "Trust her." She spoke softly and he looked back down to Zura before nodding his head giving a light smile to Aunt Clara as assurance. "Good... Now let's get that wing of yours worked on." She then spoke and lead him down the tree carefully to be worked on in Aunt Clara's home instead of Zura's home. 

---Time Skippage--- 

Since Zura announced around a month and a half ago that predators named Humans were threatening their tribe and their way of life. Most of the birds listened to her orders, a few ventured low, after spending a cautious amount of time looking around. Diego had mainly been cooped up due to his wing. But recently Aunt Clara took the bandages that were on his wing for the last month to have it heal properly. He had climbed up the tree, higher than Zura's nest and was feeling the wind lightly. He looked down at the birds quite a bit below him... He wondered of any of them have seen him before. When he honestly thought about it, He's only ever really talked to Zura and Aunt Clara since he got to the tribe, and he hasn't seen anyone else. 

No matter though. He looked down and felt the wind kick up once again.. It was his time. His time to fly once again.. With one quick hop and spreading his wings wide, with some slight stiffness in his recently injured wing. He started to glide away from the main tree. He took a light left bank allowing the find fly over his feathers lightly. Of course, the real test was speed and agility. Something he will try soon... Other than the speed part, he wanted to do that now.

With a few quick bursts, he started flying quickly around the main tree reaching a fast speed for the Macaw species. With one large corkscrew like roll upwards he slowed down and continued his circular rotation around the tree, smiling softly feeling the freedom of himself once again.

"Zura!" Diego heard a call from behind him and that raised himself an eyebrow. Soon a Toucan was coming up on his right quickly and slowed to his speed "Zura I wanted to as-" The bird stopped talking, realizing it wasn't Zura. "Oh.. .My apologizes... I was. I was looking for Zura.." The Toucan spoke lightly but was studying Diego. "Does Zura even know you're here? She'd be excited to meet you." Diego simply nodded to the Toucan. "She's up by her nest, I believe. Just look for the other bird that looks like I do." Diego responded with a chuckle, and the Toucan also responded with a light chuckle. "Take care there, senior."
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[TheMysticNymph]

Zura had been dealing with members of the tribe for the past few hours. Over the past several weeks there had been reports that the trees had temporarily stopped falling in the night. There wee also reports that all the normal predators had fled this section of jungle to avoid contact with these humans. The news was growing more unsettling by the day.
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 Last night, two of the greater trees had fallen and then had been sprayed with some sort of liquid. The liquid had made the fledglings sick, and unable to fly. After almost five hours, they had successfully performed a rescue mission and saved almost everyone. They had lost a few of the fledglings and and the adults. Now Zura's tribe was overflowing, what once was a quiet section of the jungle was now bustling and noisy with birds. She did not know how much more she could take in.
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Having dealt with what she could the macaw was now tucked neatly into her nest dreaming peacefully. She had done nothing but worry and stress and think the past few days, she had even taken to pulling out some of her beautiful feathers. Zura had never had to deal with such a thing before especially not while being in charge of  the well being of so many birds. She was beginning to crack under pressure.
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[InfiniteChaos]

Diego continued to fly softly letting the wind drag him along sightly. He then looked over when he climbed higher into the sky again and he saw the area the humans were taking trees down from... He sighed at it and began to fly towards it without anyone stopping him or anything. He just flew directly to it, and flew above it for a moment, the entire dirt brown looking area that was no longer filled with trees, but bustling noises and humans taking their axes to the trees. He sighed softly looking around at everything again.
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How was he suppose to stop them? He's basically their only link to stopping them... and they were beginning to get close to the tribe. He had to act fast, but he couldn't act fast because he doesn't even know how to stop them. He looked down and saw a few humans looking at him and then saw a familiar face. "Get that bird!" Diego heard the man call out to him, and he quickly took off back towards the tribe without a second later to think about it. 
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[TheMysticNymph]

Zura lifted her golden face from her nap and blinked groggily. Her stomach grumbled loudly protesting from the lack of food she had eaten the past few days. She had been cooped up in her tree for a while, unable to soar the skies like she normally did because of her responsibilities. With swiftness, she stood from her nest and ruffled her wings open. She would go for a fly, just a short one and be back before anyone knew the wiser. She made a small hop from her branch before spreading her stunning white wings and letting the wind take her into flight.
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[InfiniteChaos]

Diego looked back quickly as he neared the tribe's main tree. Seeing if he was being followed... Thankfully he wasn't, But that can't be good at all... Especially since he just took off in the direction the tribe is in, they're going to go directly to the tribe now. Great... He just ruined their chance here, if they follow him. He sighed a bit and looked forward and started climbing a bit to get to the top of the tree, but he saw Zura just take flight out of the tree and made a quick right handed back towards where she was flying. 
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[TheMysticNymph]

Zura flapped a smile returning to her gold face. Her wings had ached for flight and now were urging her to go faster and higher. The bird barrel rolled close to one of the trees before swooping upward into the blue sky. She danced with the sun rays that beamed onto her white wings, they reflected the gold flecks that dotted her wing feathers. He stress was melting, she felt the weights lift from her body and bring a sense of calm to her thoughts. She could feel some of the birds watching their leader, ecstatic at how free and blissful she looked. She paid their stares no mind and rode the currents of wind. The macaw began laughing joyously, she could not stop herself. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glint of gold heading towards her, she turned to see Diego flapping. He smile did not fade, she was in complete ecstasy. 
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[InfiniteChaos]

Diego soon caught up to Zura and smiled at her lightly "Enjoying yourself are we?" He questioned before he continued a little bit ahead of her and looked back. "How fast are you able to go?" He questioned with a smirk before starting to take off quickly through the jungle. He was starting to enjoy himself once again, even though he may have jeopardized the tribe. He wasn't going to let it get to him one bit. It was time for him to start enjoying his time in the jungle. The idea of flight, especially in the wild. Not bounded to a cage? Best feeling ever.
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[TheMysticNymph]

Zura smiled at him brightly. "The wind calls to me, and the sun loved to dance. I can't just ignore them." She spun in a twirl after her words and flapped a little. Her eyes narrowed at his little challenge and sped after him. The macaw was easy to spot in the light of day, his golden feather were a beacon for her to follow and slowly catch up to. She flapped and folder her wings to her side briefly to gather momentum, something she had learned to do at a young age. It was effective for escaping hungry predators. "You call that speed?' she mocked, flying ahead of him. "Watch and learn little bird."
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[InfiniteChaos]

Diego raised an eyebrow at the term 'little bird' and smirked a bit. "Oh I was just being nice to you. But I guess not... I've spent years~ in Rio getting faster. I think I set a species record Zura." He chuckled a bit and continued to fly at the speed he was still going to let her do what she wants. This seems like a good life to him. Having someone around to mess around with, and help out with as well as simply just, do whatever with. Fly quickly, do a few special maneuvers. Whatever the case may be. It was just a nice thing to do at this point. Ease the mind up, allow the stress to calm.
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[TheMysticNymph]

Zura bumped the bird forcefully as he flew with her, she glided away from him giggling. The macaw flipped and swirled releasing all her energy, she had forgotten that this was supposed to be a small flight but she was having too much fun. "Species record huh?" she asked playfully. "What were you racing against, sparrows?"  She glided further down into the dense thicket of leaves before glancing at the floor many leagues below her. She could see them, they moved slowly and searched relentlessly for something. Calling out in their strange language more appeared from the thickets. She took a look around her surroundings, they weren't that far from the tribe. Why did they come out this far? She suddenly feared for her tribe, if the humans found them they were all in serious trouble.
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[InfiniteChaos]

Diego smiled at her bump and continued to fly forward, "Actually, against Falcons." He responded with a chuckle and watch her. She flew so, majestically in the air. Kind of made him wish he met her sooner. Like, almost kidnapped sooner... He smiled a bit and followed her lower, and then noticed them. The Humans, he can hear them. They were looking for them.


"They're right here!" One yelled out and Diego looked over at the human that called out and then that human stopped "There's two of 'em..." the human spoke softly... "There's two of them!" He yelled out again.

"Sight seeing is over Zura!" Diego spoke quickly and he grabbed her talon with his and held onto her as he took off into the sky. Once he knew they were out of each by them he let her go breathing heavily... He looked down at the humans and shook his head quickly.

 

[TheMysticNymph]

The female stretched her neck out when they began screaming, they were screaming at them. She looked at Diego for a translation but he scooped up her talon and dragged her into the sky, she squawked in surprise and flapped to hold her self up. Zura felt him let her go when the humans were out of sight, she was fluffed to the extreme and looked at her counterpart. "What were they doing here? Why are they so close to the tribe?" she asked out of breath. She stared down at the floor but couldn't see anything. "Everyone has been so careful. I just do not understand." Her eyes flicked to Diego "What were they saying back there? What are they looking for?" She made a small hop toward him settling her feathers.
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