Rio: Endangered

Fire

Patrol duty was the thing Roberto enjoyed most about the tribe. It gave him the opportunity to roam the territory, visit others, and, in general, enjoy the beauty of nature. Picking Brazil nuts was a bonus, as long as it was within his territory.

He was perched upon a branch on one of his rounds, half-way through eating a nut. The sunlight had been streaming down through the branches the entire time, lighting up mostly the area where he sat. As he prepared for another bite into the Brazil nut, the sunlight began disappearing slowly, as if some large object had come over him. Roberto immediately looked up, and he beheld his worst fear: smoke.

"Oh, no," he whispered to himself. "No, no. Not this." Panic spread itself across his face, and he began hopping on the branch as if the floor became lava. "I -- I've got to warn them."

"Roberto!" Blu shouted as he came flying over, parallel to the smoke. "Don't just stand there! Get back to the flock!"

Roberto was left with no choice but to listen to Blu. He hadn't stopped to talk to Roberto, meaning the danger was closer than it appeared. As quickly as the smoke appeared, Roberto disappeared from his place.

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(14 hours earlier)

He'd struggled for hours. His wings were exhausted from doing a job they weren't meant to do; keeping his head above the rushing water. Finally he just gave in and let the water take him wherever it wanted; it washed him ashore before two large grey feet.

"It appears the river has washed ashore another apprentice worthy of replacing that insect-eating idiot," echoed a raspy voice.

"Yes, well, he didn't exactly do as you asked of him anyway," a female voiced laughed.

The weary bird looked up and beheld a large white cockatoo, mirroring himself almost exactly, and a tiny pink dart frog. "Who--are you?" He asked.

"So we're getting down to names are we? Mine is Nigel, the Shakespearean cockatoo."

"Gabbi. Pleased to meet you," she giggled.

"It appears you need help, but I will only help you if you help me first." Nigel offered.

As Terrin stood up, realizing just how small he was compared to Nigel, he inquired, "Just what is it you need done?"

"There is a nemesis of mine that lives a few miles upstream; Blu, in fact, and his Jewel."

"Keep talking." Terrin was liking what he was hearing.

"I have an extraordinary plan to put into action that should eradicate their pestilent species. However, I can't do it alone."

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"Mimi! Mimi!" A panicked voice cried out to her. She'd finally gotten time to relax, only to have this unexpected interruption.

"For heaven's sake, what is it, Eduardo?"

"Help gather the tribe. There's a fire spreading our way!"

"We need every able-bodied bird and animal fighting this fire. It's destroyed a part of the Amazon and is about to hit us." Blu finished.

"Oh my! O--Ok. Let's get to it!"