Rio 3: Reconciliation

Troubled

Peaceful. That's the way one would describe the atmosphere of this part of the Amazon. Birds were flying to and fro, getting along with each other and their scarlet macaw neighbors. Not one thing has disturbed the peace in the one year since the loggers evacuated.

Bia still loved the thrill of learning new things, with Mimi's assistance, of course. She learned various new foods and inventive ways to survive as a wild bird. Tiago always found ways to get into trouble, although not as often, now that he'd found a girlfriend in Stacey. Carla took the time to listen to the old music her mother grew up with. It sounded so good to her that she couldn't stop listening to it. As for Jewel, none of this was foreign to her. She was right at home.

The only one not fully settled in was Blu. He stared at his own reflection in a puddle that accumulated on the floor. Something nagged at him, deep in the back of his mind. He couldn't quite figure it out. The only memories he could conjure were the moments right before his capture in Rio.

"Blu?" Jewel's voice echoed from the doorway.

Because he was lost in thought, the sudden interruption startled him, causing him to panic, spin around, and fall into the puddle.

"Ooh.." Jewel giggled. "Are you ok? I didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh, yeah, uh... I'm.. I'm fine." Blu answered.

"Are you sure? You looked a bit lost when I came in."

"It's nothing, really. Just thinking about things."

Jewel gave him that eyebrow raise.

"Ok. I've just been thinking about where I came from. The farthest back I can go is to the day I was caged."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough. If it's that important to you, you'll find out soon enough." Jewel tried to assure him. "By the way, daddy's outside waiting for you. He has something important to discuss."

Blu walked up to her, gave her a kiss, and said, "I'll be ok, Jewel. Let's go outside." The two of them walked wing in wing to the front door, where Eduardo stood basking in the sunlight, waiting for them.

He turned his head toward the couple as they appeared in his peripheral vision. "Ah there's my favorite son-in-law!"

"Um... I'm your ONLY son-in-law, Eddy.' Blu replied.

"I know that. I may be old, but my memory is still sharp, Blu." Eduardo retorted. "Anyway, I need to discuss something important with you. Meet me by the falls." Eduardo turned and flew away toward the top of their magnificent centerpiece.

"It's not like him to need to talk to me in private." Blu told Jewel.

"Whatever it is, it has to do with you and you alone. I don't mind being left out of this conversation. I'll be right here waiting for you, my one and only." Jewel smiled as she touched her beak to his, and he returned the love.

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It took Blu a second to catch up to the old bird. He was still pretty agile in his old age, and managed to gain a remarkable lead on Blu despite having left only a moment before him.

"You're still pretty fast, old bird." Blu joked as he landed beside Eduardo.

"I haven't lost my touch yet." Eduardo laughed. But his face took on a more serious note as he began, "Listen, Blu. I brought you here alone for a reason. It's important that you know something."

"Sure, Eddy. I'm all ears."

"We joke around now about my old age. It's true that it hasn't quite taken its toll on me yet. But I have come to the realization that I won't be able to do this job forever. Someone has to step up to take my place."

"Ok... Have you chosen your successor?" Blu asked.

"I have Blu."

"Let me, guess. It's Roberto?"

"No, Blu. It's..."

"Jewel?" Blu interrupted.

"Listen..."

"That cranky old macaw? I never did like him..."

"BLU!" Eduardo took Blu off his endless list of guesses. "Given your resilience when we drove out the loggers a year ago, I believe YOU have the ability to take my place as the leader of this tribe."

That set Blu back a bit. Him? A leader? There's just no way he could lead a small group, let alone an entire tribe. "Are... you sure about this?"

"I've never been so sure in my life."

Blu's expression sunk a little.

"What's wrong? Did I choose incorrectly?"

"It's not that, Eddy. I've just been troubled recently. I've been trying to remember things about where I came from, but the farthest back I can remember is waking up to the birds singing in Rio de Janeiro."

"I understand; more than you know." Eduardo wrapped his wing around Blu's shoulder. "But I can this one thing for sure; your parents would be proud of the things you've accomplished."

Then it hit him. That was the one thing he couldn't recall. What happened to his parents? Were they... dead?

Blu backed away from Eduardo, a blank expression on his face. "I'm... sorry, Eddy. I need to go home and think about this."

"Are you ok?" Eduardo was now concerned.

"Yeah... yeah. I'll be fine. Just need to process this..." Blu slowly turned away from Eddy while talking, and he flew rather clumsily back home.