Hey, guys! The Wolf is back...with my second Rio fanfic!

This is a sequel to my first work, The Ties That Bind. This one, plus my future works, are going to be way longer, and more comprehensive.

*Disclaimer: I do not own any characters that appear in the movie Rio. It would be pretty cool if I did, though!*

Please review when you finish. If you have to flame, go ahead.

Theme Song: Red-Not Alone

Youtube it, and see how it relates to this story!

~Wolf Out~

Prologue:The hatching of three long-awaited Spix's Macaw chicks signals the start of a new era for Blu and Jewel.

They realize that raising them will be a difficult journey, but one they will gladly undertake.

This new era ushers in a well deserved sense of peace for the macaw family.

However, a new arrival in the jungle is about to shatter that peace. It is waiting in the shadows, waiting for the perfect time...to strike...

Chapter 1:Three Tiny Miracles

Not a single nest, in all of the Blu Bird Sanctuary, could be found that radiated as much pride as the nest belonging to two Spix's Macaws. They stood and stared at the wet forms that quivered amidst the fragments of their former prisons.

"They are just so...lovely! Isn't this the most wonderful day ever, Blu?"

"Yes it is, Jewel. We have been given miracles. Three tiny miracles..."

The sun warmed air began to permeate the hollow, causing the slimy chicks' bodies to dry and fluff up. After a few tense minutes, the once hidden features of the chicks revealed themselves:

One was covered in deep blue feathers, deeper even, than Blu's.

Another chick, however, actually bore strong a resemblance to his father, due to the color of his feathers and a curious tuft of short feathers behind his head.

The last chick seemed to have inherited many of Jewel's characteristics. Her feathers matched the color of the sky above, and behind her head lay a small curtain of feathers.

"How will we tell which ones are boys and which ones are girls?"

"Uh, I think that the two darkest ones are male, and the lightest one is female. Once they wake up, we can make sure."

Soon after, one by one, the three mounds of fuzz lifted their heads up, turning towards Blu and Jewel and prying their eyes open.

"Look at their eyes, Blu. They look just like ours!" Indeed, they did.

The supposed female had azure eyes, tinted slightly darker than Jewel's.

One of the unofficial males shared his sister's eye color, while the other, the smallest one, bore eyes the color of chocolate.

The three pairs of eyes cast a pleading look, and their tiny beaks began making a chirping sound.

"I think that sound means they are hungry, Blu. You should go gather some berries for them."

"Yeah, you're right! I will try to find the smallest berries possible!"

"You just be careful, mister! No need to rush!"

He gave a quick nod before launching himself out into the cool atmosphere of dusk.

Meanwhile, as Jewel was trying to appease the incessant squeaking of her chicks, a lovely sound escaped the beak of the female.

"Hungwy! Hungwy!" The other two chicks soon copied her, and the tone of their tiny voices confirmed Blu's suspicions.

"Blu was right! We have two sons and a daughter!"

As the realization sank in, she felt an unanswered question begin to nag at her mind. "What am I missing? I can't put a talon on it."

She began pacing back and forth in front of the nest. "Oh, that's right! They don't have any names! I have to wait until Blu gets back, though. It would be unfair for me to pick them all by myself!"

She did not have to wait long, because Blu returned moments after she finished speaking.

Blu heard their tiny voices calling out, and he proceeded to reveal the contents of the leaf wrap.

The three chicks clumsily clambered out of the mossy nest and over to the berries, happily chanting, "Foo! Foo!"

Jewel sidled up to her mate and said, "You were right. One of them is a girl, and the other two are boys! I figured it out from their voices after you left. Now, there is one more thing we need to decide."

"Uh, what do you mean?"

"We need to give them their names, silly!"

Blu blinked a few times and replied, "Ohhh. How could I forget! I guess I am not so smart after all!"

Jewel smiled and said, "You see! That is why I love you. So forgetful at the most critical of times!"

Blu blushed, and she pointed at the male with the deep blue feathers. "You can name him. I need some time to think of a name for our other son."

Blu nodded and began churning his brain for an appealing name:

Manuel? No. Juanito? Too childish. Rodrigo? Too awkward. Ri-Ricardo! Perfect!"I-I got it! Can we call him Ricardo?"

"I am impressed, Blu. I think it sounds pretty nice. Ricardo it is!"

"Your turn, Jewel! What have you come up with?"

She mentally scrolled through her list of favorite names one more time, selecting one that was dear to her: Vicente. "He is going to be...Vicente."

"That is a lovely name! Where did you get it?"

Jewel began to sob quietly at his question.

"Jewel? Why are you crying?"

"Vi-Vicente was...my father's name..."

Blu remembered what Jewel told him before, after their performance at The Palm, that her parents had been killed shortly after her hatching.

"I-I am sorry, Jewel. I never knew my parents either. I know how you feel. But your father will always be here."

Jewel laid her head on his chest, feeling the soft pulse of his heart. "W-what do you mean?"

"Your father's spirit will live on, in our son. That's why you picked it, right?"

"Yes, but I didn't look at it like that. That makes me feel a little better." She gazed up into his eyes, seeing a twinge of sadness, mixed with hope.

She whispered, "Thank you, Blu." She dried her tears and turned towards their daughter. "You can name her."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Uh, okay. Let's see..." He tapped his talon for a few seconds, a habit of his when thinking deeply. "Her name should be...Esperanza. How does that sound?"

"It sounds so smooth. It is a fine choice, Blu. But why did you pick it?"

"I know what it means. It means 'hope'. I chose it because it represents the hope we can always rely on, the hope that is always with us..."

"You are right. Now I understand..." She looked down at her feet as her three children nuzzled into her belly feathers.

What she heard next melted her heart: "We luh you, Ma-ma."

They then moved over to their father and did the same. "We luh y-you, P-papa."

Blu tilted his head down and replied, "I love you too, my wonderful children."

"We no hungwy. We sweepy..."

Blu guided them over to the nest, yawning as they clambered into it. Jewel rearranged the feathers and moss to cover them more fully.

"I guess we could do with a good night's rest too. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day..."

She watched their eyes slide shut as they dozed off.

She and Blu lofted themselves up onto the the branch above their chicks.

"Sweet dreams, my dear."

"Sweet dreams, mister."

As the stars chased away the sun, the only sound that could be heard in the hollow was that of the content breathing of two macaws and their newborn chicks...