darkSpyro

Jaerl wakes up and stretches, feeling revitalized after his rest as well as the return of Sybil. Far too unwell to go hunt for himself, he lays back and relaxes, waiting for Sybil. It is true that her return has helped, but due to his negligence of eating and drinking, he is very weak.

Royal did however hear what the serpent said about his son, Jaerl. The great eagle however has decided to live nearby the warblers, who are now his best of friends. He has also been told that Sybil has returned and so he is sure that Jaerl will be alright.

AJ:
As Odette picks me up gently in her mouth, I seem to slowly relax but continue to tremble. Her gentleness calms my fear somewhat, but still even with her motherly affection, I am still worried about this Jaeger. Is he the leader of the pack? Am I really in big danger?

The still awed Warren flew besides Sybil, touching her and turning her around.
"Flesh and fur, everything's intact. Man how did you do it Madam civet? This is too impressive." an astounded Warren said, finding within himself true admiration and wonder for Sholeh's former enemy.
"Why do you always have to be so pathetic Warren? So she's alive, woohoo for her. Who cares how did she managed that? The important thing is she's not in charge anymore. Rose is." an indifferent Sholeh said, though actually admitting that she preferred Rose's reign much more than Sybil's. I was then that Sybil was reminded on why she was there.
"Sholeh... do you have any idea how much suffering you've caused? You have been here less than a day thanks to Rose's faith in you, and you are already stealing eggs!" Sybil accused, and Sholeh didn't even denied it, since she knew she couldn't lie to Sybil.
"So what if I did? Come on Sybil, this is waste of precious time. Just as you need to eat, so do I. Besides, what's the big deal? If that warbler misses her eggs so much, she can make more. No biggie. It's just the way life works. Besides, you can't kill something that hasn't been born yet." Sholeh cruelly explained, lending her point of view. Sybil was outraged, yet she hid it and remained calm...

"OK Sholeh, have it your way. I suppose you will never understand the value of life and family with a twisted view like that. And if you refuse to change, then fine. But know this; every misdeed you do, even if you don't think of it that way, will not go unpunished. You are just abusing Rose's faith in you, and that's a coward and cruel thing to do. You have been warned." Sybil said after a pause, furiously retreating. Sholeh was enraged by that accusation, but decided not to make a big deal out of it. She then returned to her good mood, even inviting Warren to the cavity so that he wouldn't get cold. Such act of kindness towards him left him in even more shock than he was on now, but accepted the offer in fear that there wasn't going to be any similar one in the future.

Sybil was muttering angrily as she walked. She wanted Rose to be in charge, but by the looks of it, she was tempted to assume her position once more, though she knew that banishing Sholeh again was probably going to return her to her mad, vengeful self. The civet was not happy. Tat was the main reason why she banished mongooses; they were just self-eccentric liars that took advantage of one's kindness, and Sybil was sick of it. As for Sholeh's punishment, she was going towards the grieving mother's tree so that she and her newborns could decide on that. It had to be something that didn't involve banishing to the outback again...

At the many warbler's tree, Sybil managed to gather a meeting between them, the most difficult in all the time since the founding of the Haven. Many warblers believed she should assume her leading role again and banish Sholeh. Others thought they should give Rose a chance and decide the punishment, while the other few wanted the death sentence.
"Banishment, imprisonment, it is all the same! The mongoose will never change, and will likely continue with her senseless persecution of you and Rose if she gets banished again!" an elderly warbler said, believing that they will never have peace if dangerous individual like Sholeh continue living!" an elderly warbler said, obviously bearing a large grudge. It was then that Sybil decided that the meeting was taking them nowhere. After she managed to shush everybody's bicker, she spoke again.
"Listen! This is a very serious matter. But we are not going anywhere with this. I think it's best if we bring Rose to the meeting as well and see what she decides. Remember that she's my successor and needs to make decision on her own from now on. And remember that Sholeh is not the only one that deserves punishment." she explained, with mixed responses, reminding them there was one of their kind who was a traitor...

Back at the beach, Cairo was watching carefully for Rose. He knew Shadow was dangerous, and he was ready to make a humongous wave that would wash both of them into the water so that he could save Rose in case that he escaped.

By then, Sayan had found the meeting for himself and had been listening in. A noise could be heard as the Amur leopard accidentally shuffled a pile of leaves.

The noise startled the warblers. They thought it was Sholeh back for more.
"Calm down. It's only Sayan." she assured, looking down at him. She didn't seem upset at all for spying.
"Now remember, don't do anything until I return with Rose. And I promise you Bonnie, you will get your justice." she said to the distressed warbler, which was enough to calm her down a bit.

Sybil climbed down the tree, relieved to see Sayan. Maybe he could help.
"Oh Sayan, it's been a nightmare up there. The warblers are in uproar, and I can't blame them. They want justice for poor Bonnie, but I just don't know what to do. They want Sholeh punished somehow, but I can't banish her again, not after Rose already gave her permission to stay here." Sybil assured, though in reality, she was more afraid that Sholeh would continue her quest to kill her if she banished her again, and with Warren at her side, it was more possible. Even though Warren was quite likable, he was still too loyal to Sholeh, and Sybil's shoulders still hurt after that hard grasp of him.

Smart guy. Cairo said in his mind, glad that Shadow opted to ignore Rose instead of trying to break free.

Back at Hunted island, Angus was done looking at the beach. The orcas must have been busy if neither of them approached, but it didn't matter. He retreated into his uncle and aunt's special tree, finding Nia between some branches, obviously distressed.
"You got grounded, didn't you?" Angus asked, knowing that there was no other reason for her to be like that.
"What do you think? And this time, mom didn't do anything! I can't leave the tree for three days!" Nia complained, furious with with such an unfair punishment. All she did was a sleepover with some friends, and to her, that was nothing bad. If only her exaggerated father could understand. To make her feel better, Angus decided to stay with her for the night to keep her company, but speaking of the Haven, he wondered how Sybil was doing out there, since she never came back to them...

"Life is great, isn't it Warren? Not exactly the way I was expecting it, but finally, here I am, where I rightfully belong." Sholeh said content, breathing peacefully. But Warren wasn't as calmed. When he was exploring, he bumped into all those warbler's tree by chance, and due to their yelling, he knew they were discussing about stolen eggs.
"So it was you Mademoiselle? You stole warbler eggs? I don't think that was a good idea. You are pushing your luck and Madame Rose's kindness." Warren expressed, then remembering that he never met with Rose like he planned to.
"Oh shut up Warren! Just like you need to eat dead meat, I need eggs!" Sholeh said with a scoff, but Warren wasn't happy.
"But you can eat other things..." Warren complained, but before he could finish, Sholeh kicked him out, not wanting to hear any of it...

The night was still young, yet it was so gloomy. It could be said that the only being happy was Sholeh. As Sybil was struggling to find a solution to the mongoose problem, many of the warblers were already planning ahead for the punishment. They were furious with Sholeh's presence.

Back at Hunted island, things were calmer, save for the grounded Nia. She waited until Angus and the rest of the cockatoos were sound asleep, and she went to the beach to talk to the being she learned to trust the most;
"Mr. Jet? Mr. Jet! Are you near? I need someone to talk to!" she called in a rather low yell so that she wouldn't alert anybody of her family. She needed someone to talk to about her unfair punishment...

Nia breathed many times before answering.
"Well, it's just that my dad grounded me for doing a simple sleepover at the Haven with Rose and Mr. Sayan. Why are parents such a pain in the tail feathers? It is so unfair! I didn't do anything wrong." she complained, actually feeling more comfortable with Jet than her own dad, and probably even her mother and cousin. She was more willing to open up to him...

As Sholeh was resting back at the Haven, she was believing that it was only a matter of time before she wanted more eggs, but as Warren said, she couldn't risk it. But then, she formed yet another one of her crazy plans, but she was going to need Warren. However, since he was now asleep, she would have to wait tomorrow morning...

"Well they should have figured it out anyway." Nia rebuffed, still angry at her dad but knowing she was going to get scolded again if he ever found out she left.
"You are the only one worth talking to. Mom is alright, but she didn't do anything today to avoid such unfair punishment. And Angus, well... he's quite coward." Nia confessed, feeling a bit bad for telling those things, but she was holding her up for so long, it was driving her crazy.

Nia was starting to wonder if it was a good idea to come to Jet, since he seemed to be on his parent's side.
"Well... at least you won't tell them I was here, will you?" she said worriedly, assuming Jet already knew that she wasn't only punished, but grounded.

"I know that!" Nia said rather rudely, believing Jet was seeing her as an ignorant. However, as soon as she realized what she did, she tried to mellow down things.
"So... want to play a game?" she asked shyly, wanting to get on Jet's good side and taking the chance to enjoy that forbidden night's freedom...

"Well, you know I like predator and prey, it helps me train escaping those other predators that really mean harm..." Nia explained, wanting Jet to know why she loved that game so much.
"... but, I know you don't like that game, so... I'll let you choose this time." she then said, demonstrating how how much she trusted Jet and how comfortable she felt with him.

Quote: Felines

Sybil climbed down the tree, relieved to see Sayan. Maybe he could help.
"Oh Sayan, it's been a nightmare up there. The warblers are in uproar, and I can't blame them. They want justice for poor Bonnie, but I just don't know what to do. They want Sholeh punished somehow, but I can't banish her again, not after Rose already gave her permission to stay here." Sybil assured, though in reality, she was more afraid that Sholeh would continue her quest to kill her if she banished her again, and with Warren at her side, it was more possible. Even though Warren was quite likable, he was still too loyal to Sholeh, and Sybil's shoulders still hurt after that hard grasp of him.

Sayan sighed, looking up at the tree and listening to the murmur of the bickering birds. "It seems that we are between a rock and a hard place here. You are right... we can't just banish her again. Doing so might delay things, but at the same time-- make it worse. We.. we could trap her. Use similar methods as they did before and give her a short leash extending from her new found tree. I wouldn't recommend immobilizing her completely and.. and house arrest by itself has shown to be unsuccessful so far. That-- and we don't want to just give her motives again. We give her a leash and promise release in a timely matter. She gets to stay home, but we still maintain some degree of control. There is also a more permanent solution, but--," Sayan looked up at the sky before continuing. "We don't want to create a mortar and only influence another to rise to the same level.," the Amur leopard added. He thought about it, but not for very long.

OOC: Sorry work. I'll be back later, but didn't want to leave you guys waiting forever.

OOC: It doesn't matter. That's why we have a lot of characters. We can proceed with the other ones while your character is with one of them

Sybil agreed with Sayan. Chaining her in a similar way she did the warblers will not only keep her away from their eggs, but she will get a taste of her own medicine.
"That is a good plan. Tie her up just for a little while so that she can finally understand there are limits... I just hope the warblers agree." she commented, very glad to have heard Sayan's opinion but very worried on how the warblers would react.
"I'm a bit worried about the vulture. He's a very nice guy once you get to know him. I just don't know what he sees in Sholeh. He's very loyal to her even though she's a jerk to him. I just hope he understands her punishment." she explained, actually liking Warren and forgetting the poor state he left her shoulders.However, as she was saying all that to Sayan, she became very worried when he mentioned permanent solution, though she didn't say anything about it...

Quote: Spyroconvexity

"Well I know of a game we orcas play. How about you fly just above the water if I can touch you with my snout you fly higher. Every time I can touch you with my snout you fly higher untill I can't anymore." Jet said.

"Well, I suppose that's a lot safer." Nia said, sounding less disappointed than she thought.
"I will still try to avoid you though." Nia assured, though with that game, the sense of danger wasn't going to be the same. She decided to go along with it anyway, and proceeded to fly very low on the water and away from Jet, going with his rules just that once.

"Ow..." Nia said quietly, proceeding to go a bit higher. That tap was certainly strong, but she knew Jet didn't mean it. He was simply too big and she too small, so she knew he simply didn't know his own strength. She wasn't no match for him, but she was determined to keep avoiding him as best as she could. Se wanted to demonstrate her father that she was a brave, strong, stealthy cockatoo that didn't need his protection...

"I'm trying!" Nia said agitated, as she got higher. She was beginning to think that she was lousy at escaping. If Jet was a predator that meant harm, she knew she would have been a goner a long time ago. However, she didn't gave up, and continued with the game.
"And easy with the snouth. Those tackles are strong." she said, feeling that last tap stronger. Jet was really getting into the game, and her chest and belly were hurting a bit.

"But I still need to learn to avoid you. I want to show my father I can run away from our natural predators. They are much smaller than you, but still." she expressed, more calmed. She could see the night was still young, so she wanted to enjoy as much as she could.
"And speaking of which, what do orcas eat anyway? My cousin Angus said she saw one of you hunt a seal once, and I believe him. But do you eat other things, like fish maybe? Mom says it's good to have a variety of meals just in case one of them become scarce." Nia then said, wanting a bit of conversation while she could think of another game.

Meanwhile at the Haven, another meeting was taking place. Sybil was just telling the warblers what Sayan just suggested, and most of them agree. Like Sybil, they thought it was a great way to make Sholeh feel what they felt when they were chained and imprisoned. However, even though they agreed, they still didn't wish to have her living there with them.
"Now come on, we are just giving Sholeh a chance to change her ways. Rose believes so, so I will believe it too. And she will get punished like we agree on, now please, calm yourself." Sybil begged as the tension built up. The ex-mother warbler wanted a more severe punishment, but for now, she was going to trust Sybil's faith in both Rose and that dreadful mongoose.

"I knew it." Nia said proud, valuing her friendship with Jet. She then had another for a game.
"Hey, I may need to return soon to get some sleep before morning. So let's play another game..." she said, as she prepared to say what she had in mind.
"You know, I found super interesting that hole behind your back, how it sprays water. You can hide underwater and try to get me wet with it. I will of course, try to avoid it. If you can get me wet, win." she explained exitedly, believing that was another good practice, and even less dangerous than the hunting or the tackle.

It was a bit past midnight. Sybil couldn't see Sayan, but hoped he was nearby. The meeting was over, but during it, she was still worried about what Sayan suggested last. Permanent solution? She didn't want to think the worst...

Nia flew, ready and alert. She was determined to dodge Jet's splashing.

Sybil went to the beach, a bit regretful that Light Beach was over and that she would have to wait another year to see it. Approaching her came Cairo. He has been near the shore all afternoon and what has gone from the night.
"Good evening miss Sybil. Is something troubling you?" he asked, knowing her too well.
"I just thought that telling the truth to everybody would make things a bit calmer. But Rose just allowed Sholeh to stay here, you know, to give her a chance. You know how she always wants to see everybody's good side. And I want to follow her... but not even a day has passed and Sholeh already stole eggs. Why the warblers are in outrage of course, and it's creating a lot of stress. I know Rose wanted to do good, but this is getting too troublesome to bear." Sybil expressed, showing that the whole situation was bothering her. Cairo smiled, but waited for Sybil to be more calmer to get what he wanted...

Sayan, meanwhile, went to where Shadow was being kept. "Rose?," he gently called out.

Nia managed to dodge some of it, but got her wing soaked and made it difficult to fly.
"Oh, bad idea, bad idea." she said, as she landed on top of Jet's head to take a rest.
"Well that was a short game. We better take it off the list." Nia suggested, as she was getting her wings dry.
"I wish we could play some more, but I suppose you are rather tired. Besides, there aren't many games we can play at. You're so huge and I'm so tiny." Nia said disappointed, wishing she could think on a lot of variety someone like them could do. They could still talk, but Nia was simply too active and rarely good at conversations...

"Why are you smiling Cairo?" Sybil suddenly asked, and Cairo quickly wiped it out. He thought he was being subtle, but now realized he didn't hid his grin well.
"Well miss, I must say I agree with you. That Sholeh is quite a pain. But you know... I just can't get over my head on why you and Rose insist on punishment when there are ways for your enemies to leave you alone... forever." Cairo finally confessed, very sure that if he used the right words, he could convince Sybil to hand Sholeh over.
"You're scaring me Cairo... you... and Sayan... he was talking about a permanent solution also..." Sybil said in shock. She didn't want to believe what she was hearing.
"Miss, please, I know that you and miss Rose are too benevolent to think about such a thing, but think about it; you will never have peace... and you will never had a real Haven... as long as creatures like her are still around..." Cairo said with malice, but Sybil was too astonished.
"You know what? I'll get it over with! I'm sorry for telling you this, but I've had it! I have a deal with miss Rose. One wrong move on part of that mongoose, and she was going to be all mine. Now that she has done wrong, tell her to fulfill that promiseand bring her to justice!" Cairo said furiously, retreating into the ocean and not caring anymore on what Sybil would think of him from now on. He has become so obsessed with that matter, all he wanted was to finish what he started.

Some minutes passed before Sybil came to her senses. It was Rose who struck a deal with him? Not Sayan? What was going on? And why Cairo snapped at her like that? He was usually a gentle giant that always listened to her, but lately, he had grown dangerously unpredictable.
"Rose! ROSE!" she called, needing to hear some explanation from the tiger...

As Sybil was heading to where Rose was guarding Shadow, she had second thoughts. Rose had plenty of things to worry about, so she decided to talk about that tomorrow. She headed home, but since she wasn't sleepy, she decided to count fireflies. She didn't have Light Beach to get her worries off, so they would have to do.

After drying her wing, Nia decided that it was time to leave. She wanted to play another game with Jet, but didn't want to draw suspicions from her family.
"I wish there was another game we could play at, but I better head back. If I wake up sleepy, father will start to suspect." she explained, getting ready to fly off...

"You'll be glad to know that the warbler situation is sorted out... for now. We have come across an agreement-- a personal idea of mine. Sholeh is to be chained-- just for a little while so that she may learn her limits and at the same time get a taste of her own medicine..," Sayan explained to Rose somewhat proud for thinking of the idea.

As Sybil was gazing at the fireflies, her worries were still there. She was unease about Cairo's behavior, but tomorrow morning, after speaking with Rose, she was going to struck a deal with Cairo in case simple conversation didn't work.

It was still three hours left before morning, and for Sybil felt eternal. She got extremely bored after counting fireflies, so she retreated to her tree. She tried to get to sleep, but it was useless. Then a few seconds, she was treated with a surprise visit by Warren!
"Hey Mademoiselle Sybil. Sorry for coming here too late. It's just that... Sholeh..." Warren began, when he was interrupted by her.
"I know about the stolen eggs. She will be punished." Sybil explained.
"You won't... you know..." the vulture said worryingly, thinking that Sybil already knew about what Cairo wanted.
"It's not what you think Warren. We won't go to that extreme. We will simply tie her up for a while so that she can finally realize there are limits..." Sybil kindly explained, but then, a new worry arrived. Sholeh was the one to be punished, not Warren.
"Warren... um... if we tie Sholeh, do you promise not to set her free?" Sybil asked, knowing how gigantic Warren's loyalty was to her.
"I understand. She did something wrong, but I promise I will let her get her punishment." Warren assured, just hoping that he didn't feel tempted by Sholeh. Before Sybil cold say anything else, he flew off, making Sybil more worried. Was he worth trusting?

"I suppose we'll have to talk to him later. Perhaps he'll understand and allow the punishment to go through.," Sayan said with a sigh. He wished Sholeh had never found that vulture.

Still one hours before morning, but Sybil couldn't wait for it. She left her tree, meaning to speak to Rose. She went to where Shadow was imprisoned, and got a little happy when she found that Syayn was with her. At least Rose wasn't alone.
"Hey guys. No trouble here?" she said casually, thinking it would be rude to go straight to the point instead of a proper greeting.

"Well good. That means Whirlpool did an extraordinary job with those knots. Splendid." Sybil said proudly, almost looking at Shadow, but she didn't dare to make eye contact. After a very brief pause, she decided to finally said what she came for.
"Hey... Rose, I'm... Cairo told me that... you made a deal with him. Something about Sholeh..." Sybil said, stopping right there. Se didn't know what else to say, so she waited for Rose to reply.