The sun hadn’t even cleared the horizon over Rio de Janeiro, but the air was already humming. High atop a weathered perch overlooking the Tijuca Forest, Blu stretched his wings—not to fly, at least not yet, but to feel the rhythmic pulse of the city waking up below.

He began to tap his talons against the branch. Tap-tap, slide. It was a simple beat, one he’d heard echoing through the streets during Carnival. Jewel picked up the rhythm, clicking her beak in sync.

"You ever feel like the music is just... waiting?" Blu asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Blu looked out at the sprawling mosaic of blue ocean, green jungle, and golden sand. He felt a sudden, fluttering pressure in his chest. It wasn't the panic of falling anymore. It was the weight of a secret too good to keep.