Wild Wings

To The Rainforest

Everyone was inside the Tortuga, flying towards Central America and its rainforests. Rowan was fidgeting and seemed nervous as they flew, not used to flying in a ship. 

Koki noticed and handed the teen a small object. A metal puzzle. "Here, so you don't get so nervous." 

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Rowan stared at the puzzle and moved the two pieces a bit. "It's a metal puzzle, the goal is to separate the pieces. I usually have these because flights can be a little long." 

Koki then went back to her station as Rowan started to figure out the puzzle in her hands. 

Aviva came over as Rowan separated the pieces. "Got it." 

"Wow, that was quick." Rowan chuckled and put the pieces back together. "Yeah, well, I've always been the puzzle solver of the group. Heck, I can even pick locks with a paperclip." 

"Impressive. Did any of your friends solve puzzles like you do?" 

The teen shook her head. "I say friends, they're more like family. But I helped them keep their minds sharp." 

Chris looked over and Martin spun in his chair. "Yeah, you mentioned mistaking Martin for Iggy." 

Rowan nodded and rubbed the back of her necks. "Iggy also has blonde hair. He's a good cook and likes to build things, one year he built a stink bomb as a prank. It took days to get the smell out. Dispite him being physically blind, he's pretty capable." 

"He's blind?" The girl nodded at Martin's question. "Yes, but he is more than anyone thinks at first." 

Rowan kept going, missing her family more. "Fang is the emo one out of all of us. He's smart and hardheaded, but he cares and is Max's right hand. Though I think they're gonna be more with how she kissed him on the beach." 

Chris interrupted for a second. "I thought you said you were family?" 

Rowan leaned her elbows on her knees. "There are only two of us that are related biologically. And they're the youngest of us, Gazzy, and his little sister, Angel. Gazzy mostly hangs with Iggy and helps him build things, both of them are troublemakers. Angel is only six, but she's very advanced for her age, emotionally and mentally." 

"Nudge is a chatter box, but she's got good fashion sense and is very energetic. Which is kinda why I've been fidgety, I'm not used to the quiet. Unlike the rest of us, Nudge is African American, like Koki." 

Rowan paused and breathed deep. "Max, she's our leader. Always has some sort of plan when she needs it, always has our backs. She tried to stop me when we got separated, but I did what I had to protect my family." 

Aviva, Koki, Martin, and Chris saw how Rowan's face changed from soft and happy to hard and cold when talking about her sacrifice. 

The turtle ship then landed and Jimmy can out of the cockpit. "We're here!" 

Chris and Martin were the first out of their seats and outside the Tortuga, the others following after. 

Rowan was amazed at all the trees, colors, and warmth of the rainforest. It was beautiful with all the colorful birds and flowers, like true paradise talked about in fairy tales Rowan told Angel. It was breath taking. 

A little monkey landed on Martin and started to play with the blue brother's hair. "Hey, Grabsy." 

Rowan stepped onto the forest floor and looked up at the trees, she listened to some of the birds in the trees and decided to do a small trick she used to do in the mountains. 

The girl copied the whistles and calls she heard. 

A flock of sun conures flew down and landed on her outstretched arms and shoulders. Some perched on her head and one nearly hung upside down to look at the girl's eyes. 

"Woah, Sun Conures! Rowan, how'd you do that?" 

Rowan smiled and nuzzled the bird's beak with her nose. "I just copied their calls, it's something I used to do when I lived in the mountains. Me and my friends once came upon a hawk nesting cliff, we kept our distance, but it was pretty cool when some of them flew over when I used their calls."

Chirs helped take some of the weight from Rowan by having some of the birds climb on him. 

"Haha! Still, it's pretty amazing." Rowan chuckled as she pointed to Martin's new haircut, curtesy of the little monkey on his shoulder. "Like Martin's hair." 

Martin posed a little. "Thanks for noticing." 

The three laughed and the birds flew off as they needed to move on to find food or take care of their babies. 

The little monkey, or Grabsy, jumped onto Rowan and started to try and do her hair like Martin's. But it kept falling down. 

"Sorry, little guy. My hair's a lot different than Martin's." Grabsy's mom hung from one of the branches as she took her baby back. 

Rowan felt free, like she wasn't tied down while seeing a new place. But even pretty things can be dangerous as everyone didn't know someone was watching them. 

"Let's get some lunch. I'm pretty hungry." Chris was the one to suggest it was time to eat. 

Martin reached into his backpack and pulled out some sandwiches. "Way ahead of you, Bro." 

Rowan took the sandwich offered to her, it was a simple ham sandwich, with mustard and cheese. "Thanks." She bit into her sandwich but stopped when she saw eyes in the bushes.

Cat like eyes. 

"Guys, don't move." Martin and Chris froze as the teen crouched and squinted at the eyes. Out of the bushes came a black jaguar cub. 

"Shadow!" Martin was the first to kneel down and greet the cub. 

The cub was adorable, no lie, but something was up. Where was Shadow's mom? She should be around here somewhere. 

"Where's his mom? Wouldn't she be with him?"