Rio 2 (7 page)

Eduardo gave Blu a dark look. “I shouldn't have expected more from a human's pet.”

Blu looked into the crowd. It was a sea of disappointment. Blu had let everyone—especially his family—down.

Chapter 12

A short while later, Blu sat glumly on a branch. He hung his head when Jewel approached.

“Hey, it'll be all right,” Jewel said softly.

“I think it's time we headed home,” Blu said morosely.

“The kids are thriving,” Jewel told him. “They love being in the wild.”

“What are you saying?” Blu asked.

Jewel didn't say anything at first. “Blu, maybe this place is home.”

“
What
?
” Blu blurted out. “We already have a great home in Rio!”

“I know it hasn't been easy for you to adjust here—” Jewel began.

“I've been trying so hard, Jewel, but I don't belong in the jungle. I can't do this anymore.” He could feel his heart beating double-time.

Jewel took a breath. “Maybe you just need to give it more time. Daddy and Roberto can help you—”

“Roberto!” Blu was fed up. “Enough with this guy! Oh, and P.S., your father hates me! Trust me, your family would be very happy if I left.”

Jewel was stung. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. My family is your family.”

“Your dad doesn't even know who I am,” Blu snapped. “Stu, Drew, Lou, or Sue, I'll never be ‘the bird,' like Roberto!”

“Oh, I see what this is about,” Jewel bit back. “Maybe you need to open your eyes and think about us instead of just yourself. “ She stormed off.

 

Linda and Tulio were on a mission as they moved quickly through the jungle. “We still don't have any proof of the macaws,” Tulio said.

Linda nodded. “I don't know how we're going to figure out—”

“Going somewhere?” A group of loggers stepped out of the jungle in front of them. They were surrounded. The foreman waited for an answer to his question.

“Yeah, uhhh, we're just, umm, trying to catch our tour to go zip-lining. Whee! Have you ever tried it?”

A man in a white suit stepped forward. “Your tour is over. Welcome to ours.”

 

Blu flew to Linda and Tulio's camp, noticing the crates that were marked for Tulio's conservatory. “Linda! Tulio!” But they were nowhere to be found. What he did find, though, were all the creature comforts of home that he'd been missing. Like food you didn't have to hunt for.

“Oh, I miss this,” Blu said, looking around. He spotted a small framed photo on a side table. It was of Jewel, Blu, and the kids perched near Linda and Tulio back in Rio.

Blu felt tears forming. His shoulders sagged. He'd been a fool.

Leaves rustled nearby. “Linda?” Blu called hopefully. He pulled himself together and took off toward the village. Suddenly he was tackled out of the air. He landed hard on the ground. Roberto stood over him. He looked disgusted.

“Eduardo was right! Traitor! You are not to be trusted! Human sympathizer! Everything you have—and you do
this
.”

Blu gaped at him. “What are you talking about? You're the one who's Mr. Perfect. Perfect voice, perfect dance moves, perfect wingspan.”

Roberto pushed the words aside. “All meaningless. You have the real treasure—a family. What I wouldn't give to be you. Only I'm not a traitor! Throwing it all away for a
Linda
!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait! You don't understand!” Blu said hotly.

“There are no good humans!” Roberto shouted. “They lure you in! They trap you!” Roberto lifted up some feathers on his leg, revealing a small metal band. “They did this!”

Blu looked at him, stunned.

“Next thing you know, you're in a cage, walking up and down a tiny ladder. They destroy your mind!” Roberto was out of control. “Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? Polly want a cracker? No! Enough crackers! I hate crackers!”

He was still ranting when a huge logging harvester crashed through the dense underbrush, heading right at them.

“It's them! It's them!” Roberto shrieked, frozen in place in full-on panic mode.

The harvester made a horrible, deafening noise as it barreled toward the birds. Without taking time to think, Blu flew into Roberto, pushing him out of the way and saving his life.

“C'mon! Roberto!” he yelled as the harvester destroyed the camp, crushing everything in its path. He and Roberto flew out of the way and landed on a high branch.

Roberto was hyperventilating. “Not again. Not again! No more crackers!”

Blu slapped him hard. “Snap out of it!” he commanded, shocked to see Mr. Perfect turn into a blubbering mess.

Below them the harvester continued to grind away. “Look, we've got one chance to stop this, okay?” Blu said. “I have to find my friends. You fly back and warn the others. Got it?”

“Yeah, I got it,” Roberto said, pulling himself together.

Blu nodded. “Okay. Go!” And the two birds flew off in opposite directions.

 

Eduardo and Aunt Mimi were deep in conversation. “You could talk to Felipe, work something—”

“Never. He's not a guy that wants to listen to reason,” Eduardo told her.

“Felipe's not the only one,” Aunt Mimi said knowingly.

Eduardo gritted his beak. “Everything had been going perfectly until that . . . that dimwit—” He stopped. Jewel was standing right in front of him.

“Daddy—”

Roberto flew up to them. “Humans! Loggers! The lights! The lights!” He gasped, spinning in circles.

Eduardo slapped him across the face. “Get ahold of yourself!”

Roberto took a steadying breath. “The loggers are coming and Blu is with them.”

This was too much for Eduardo. “Traitor! I knew you couldn't trust a bird raised by humans.”

“No, no, no!” Roberto corrected. “Blu is trying to help us!”

Jewel gasped. “What? By himself?”

Explosions boomed off in the distance. Jewel knew what this meant: the loggers were getting closer. The other macaws began to cry out in fear as smoke rose on the horizon.

“Okay, pack up the kids, we're leaving,” Eduardo announced firmly. “Let's go! Everyone move out! Go, go!”

Jewel hesitated, searching for the right words. “Dad! Dad . . . I'm not going with you.”

“You have to go with me!” Eduardo cried. “I will not let my family be in danger again.”

“Blu is our family now, too!” Jewel cried.

“I can't stand the thought of losing you again,” Eduardo told her, full of emotion.

“I can't lose Blu. I love you, Dad,” Jewel said.

“We're going with you.” It was Tiago.

But Jewel shook her head. “No, baby, you can't. It's too dangerous. But I want you to stick together, stay with Pop-Pop! And Daddy and I will find you, okay?

Eduardo stood tall and turned to the tribe. “Okay, move out! Let's go!” More explosions sounded in the distance.

“Doomed! Over!” Roberto cried, freaking out again.

Aunt Mimi smacked him.

“Oww!” Roberto yelped. “Why does everybody keep doing that?”

 

Things were not looking good for Tulio and Linda. They were tied to a huge tree.

“Your left . . . your right,” Linda whispered. They were working together, using the ropes and their legs to shimmy their way up the tree.

“And your right leg, my left leg . . . good!” Linda said. “Good, good, good! Now go up!” Sweat poured down their faces. Their hands intertwined around the tree.

Tulio squinted upward, into the sun, and saw vultures circling overhead. “Linda, I am so sorry. This is all my fault.”

Linda swallowed. “As bad as this is . . . there's nowhere else I'd rather be than with you. Even if it is tied to a tree.” His fingers gave hers a reassuring squeeze.

Squawk!

“Jewel! Jewel! Down here!” Linda cried as Jewel swooped down in front of them. “Jewel! What are you doing here? It's dangerous!”

Jewel landed between them and expertly picked the knots apart. Soon Tulio and Linda were free!

“Thank you. Let's follow her!” Linda said as Jewel started off in the direction of the logging noises. She flew faster than they could follow on foot.

“I told you I heard him,” Linda told her husband, joyful.

 

Blu flew high above the treetops. He could hear the sound of loggers in the distance. Ahead was a clearing where all the trees had been cut down. It looked like a war zone.

Up ahead was an area of clear-cut forest just off the logging road. He realized that this wasn't far from the macaw village.

Time was running out.

This was a big-time operation. The foreman drove a big truck, talking animatedly on the radio to his crew. A bulldozer headed through the brush, pushing smaller trees down. Blu landed and looked around, feeling helpless. What could one little bird do against all this?

“Think of something,” he urged himself. And when a huge harvester came straight at him, Blu did the only thing he could think of. He flew into the cab and yanked the keys from the ignition. “Hey!” The driver grabbed him.

But Jewel was there. She swooped in and smacked the driver on the side of his face.
Boink!
The driver let Blu go and Blu and Jewel flew out of reach.

Trees were falling all around them. And there, in the middle of it all, were Linda and Tulio.

Blu flew straight for Linda, landing on her shoulder. And as the bulldozer roared toward them, Linda and Tulio locked hands. Blu feared the worst—but the bulldozer finally stopped, just inches from Tulio. The driver was staring at something—and when Blu saw what it was, his heart swelled with pride: the entire flock of blue macaws, hundreds of them, ready to fight for the jungle.

“Dad!” Jewel cried.

“Birds of blue feathers,” Eduardo began.

“Have to stick together!” Carla, Bia, and Tiago finished.

“Get them!” Eduardo shouted, and Blu knew they were all in this together now. The birds swarmed to attack the loggers, who hid behind their machines.

“It's on, baby!” Pedro cried as Carla led the talent-show animals into battle.

Rocks rained down on the machines, denting roofs, jamming truck tracks, and plugging exhaust pipes. The excavator roared into action, uprooting a tree and swinging it toward the birds.

Then, a bulldozer clipped Eduardo, knocking him to the ground. Blu watched as a bulldozer's shovel moved toward him. But before the shovel could strike, it was grabbed by an excavator's claw: Linda was in the driver's seat!

The two machines battled for supremacy—until Felipe arrived with the red macaws.

The red macaws pelted the machine with seed pods, giving Linda the leverage she needed to tip the bulldozer over. The birds banded together to destroy the machines, unscrewing bolts and sticking coconuts in tailpipes. Together, the two tribes created a purple, swirling squadron of angry birds.

But it wasn't over yet. A tree fell, and behind it was the big boss, holding a match to a fuse that was connected to sticks of dynamite tied to every tree.

“Hey! No pyrotechnics without parental permission!” Tiago shouted as he manned a construction claw. He scooped the boss up—but the man managed to drop a lit match, which landed on the fuse, lighting it.

As the flame made its way up the fuse, Blu made a decision: he grabbed the dynamite string with his beak and flew with it into the sky.

“Blu, no!” Jewel cried, frightened.

Once Blu was above the trees, he used his best soccer kick to knock the dynamite away from his body . . .
Boom!
A huge explosion lit up the sky. Smoke enveloped Blu as he fell . . .

Chapter 13

“Hello. How's it dangling?”

Blu blinked. He was upside down, tangled in vines below the treetops. A bird wearing a mask was next to him. “Where's Jewel?” Blu mumbled. “The kids?”

“Not to worry, Blu,” the bird told him. “I will soon relieve you of your domestic duties.”

Blu blinked again. “Sorry—do I know you?”

The bird grimaced. “Sorry indeed.” He clutched Blu's neck, making him gasp.

“Bob?” It was Carla, along with Bia, Tiago, and Jewel. “What are you doing?”

Eduardo, Nico, Pedro, and Rafael joined the group.

“Carla, my dear, I've got news for you. I'm not Bob.” The bird removed his mask, revealing his true identity.

Jewel glared at him. “It's Nigel.”

“Who the heck is Nigel?” Eduardo asked, studying the cockatoo.

Nigel grabbed Blu by the throat again and held out a threatening wing. “Wait! An audience at last!” As more birds and other animals arrived, Nigel relished the attention. “Never hath a cockatoo endured such pain at the hands of so wretched a blue macaw.”

In the distance, Gabi and Charlie recognized Nigel. “It's happening,” Gabi whispered.

“Alas, poor Blu, I knew him well,” Nigel went on. “You will pay a painful price for your pestilence.”

No one saw Charlie take aim with a quill pointed directly at Blu's heart.

“Steady,” Gabi cautioned under her breath.

“My ashes, as the phoenix, have brought forth a bird that will revenge upon you all,” Nigel went on, stepping forward.

Blu looked at Nigel, then Eduardo, remembering his father-in-law's words of wisdom. “My beak is my most important tool,” he whispered. In one swift motion, he lifted himself up and used his beak to cut himself free. Then he charged Nigel. The two birds were in the middle of a fierce battle of wing-to-wing combat.

In the distance, Gabi was trying to capture Blu in Charlie's gun sight, but the macaw was moving around too quickly. But then Nigel pushed Blu back, giving Gabi and Charlie a clear shot.

“Shoot! Shoot!” Gabi urged. Just as Charlie shot the quill, Nigel lunged toward Blu. Then he froze, a look of painful surprise on his face. Nigel gasped and rolled over on the ground.

Gabi gasped. “Nigel!” She raced to his side.

“Hard to speak,” Nigel managed to say. “Is this the end? So, so, so soon. I was too young, too talented, too beautiful to live.” His voice was weak. “My final curtain call, and it's standing room only.”

Gabi was dripping with poison. She watched, appalled, as Nigel let out a last dramatic breath. His eyes closed and his head flopped motionless to the side.

“Nooooo!” she wailed. “No! What have I done? What have I done? I can't live without you! If I cannot liveth with thee, then I shall not liveth at all!” She gulped. “I just came up with that.” Then, she pushed a drop of poison out of her finger, drank it, and instantly fell lifeless across Nigel's chest.

The others watched in stunned silence. Someone began a slow clap, and a smattering of applause followed.

“That frog is not a poisonous dart frog,” Bia said. “The poisonous ones have red spots on their backs. Everybody knows that.”

One of the cockatoo's eyes opened. “What?”

Gabi opened both of her eyes. “What?”

Nigel drew in a breath. “We're not . . . dead?”

Gabi was blinking very quickly. “But, my parents always told me I was toxic and should never touch anything,” she said, mystified.

“Wow, so you're not poisonous,” Carla spoke up. “You just had really mean parents.”

Nigel rushed toward Blu, but fell flat on his face. Gabi held tight to his legs. “Oh, wow,” Gabi said, snuggling into Nigel. “So now, we can be together, my Nigel Wigel Wiggle Wumps. I'm never gonna let you go. Gimme a kiss.”

“Good luck with that,” Blu said. He and the others flew off, leaving the frog and the cockatoo alone.

Nigel's mind was not on romance. “Wait, wait! Come back!” he shouted as all of the animals left him and Gabi alone together. “You'll pay for this, Blu!”

 

Jewel leaned her head on Blu's shoulder. “So it's settled? We'll make the jungle our home. . . .”

“But spend summers and the occasional weekend back in Rio,” Blu finished for her.

Jewel smiled. “Thank you, Blu. This means so much to me. You're still my one and only.”

“Even if I'm not the only other one?” he asked.

Jewel laughed. “Especially because you're not!”

Blu smiled brightly. “Hmmm, I'm not sure I believe you,” he said coyly. “You should probably come closer.” Jewel took a dutiful step forward.

“Closer.” She took another step forward, her eyes twinkling. Blu looked at her. “I'm going to kiss you now.”

And he did.

 

Several days later, the TV news stations continued to air full coverage of the amazing events that had taken place in the forest. “It was bird vs. machine in the Amazon jungle earlier this week as these rare macaws put the
wild
in wildlife,” reported a female TV news anchor. People all over Rio were watching the coverage. The footage switched to an interview the news anchor had conducted with Linda and Tulio. “Dr. Montiero, what a journey, from Rio to the Amazon. What's next for these beautiful creatures?”

“With the discovery of these rare macaws, the entire area will be protected as a national wildlife refuge,” Tulio told the reporter. A few macaws flew over and landed on the news anchor.

“Oh, hey, hi guys. Hi,” she told them as they played with her hair. “Oh, hey, not the hair. I think you want to help me kick off Carnaval . . .
Como celebrar
!”

 

It was Carnaval time again, and the macaw village was rocking out! The talent show was a massive success. Creatures were getting down and having fun. The rhythms were sweet, the dancing was over the top, the parade floats were incredible, and the party atmosphere was contagious. And in the middle of it, Blu and his family and friends were having a blast.

Blu couldn't stop smiling as he danced the night away. He had Jewel. He had his children. His friends. His freedom. The wild.

Blu had it all!