darkSpyro

Crocux arrived at the kea tree and said "the war's far from over everyone. Shadow's coming back with human cannons. we need all hands on deck!"

The keas were spread across the highest peek of the canopy, all except for Cheryl, who was looking for some beetles for a game of Beetle Bash with her brother.
"Shadow what!?" she yelled, the bad news pinning her off guard. She thought for sure they would have a moment of peace after Shadow retreated.
"That stupid Shadow is going to return with human equipment!? That imbecile! He can't just leave us all alone, can he? You should have slaughtered that filth house when you had the chance!" Cheryl said furiously, not wanting to believe that the war was going to resume itself so fast.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

"Well lucky me. Enough talk. Why are you here?" Shadow said.

Yodel realized he gave Shadow too much info, but he pretended not to care and answered his question.
"Well, I just wanted to know how far are you willing to go to conquer those islands. Cause I'm telling you, I have never seen such persistence, not even from Sybil herself." he said, almost sounding like a compliment.

Now Yodel had no doubt in his mind about Shadow's persistency, but decided to remain there with him for a while and put him to a little test.
"So I see, which is probably how you will end up if you keep pushing Sybil's patience to the test." he warned, being fully aware that Sybil had enough of showing him mercy.
"But of course, who am I to stop you? Such great ambition that one, and who knows? You may win someday..." Yodel said, giving a faint sense of hope to the Komodo dragon.

"Oh yeah, there seems to be panic about your next move. Man you must be desperate." Yodel said, finding it rather amusing, before continuing.
"So what then? After all your obsessive dreams come true, what will be next? Just enslave the rest of the Haven residents? Gather them in a food storage? Maybe mount a puppet show?" he asked, saying that last phrase with a bit of a malicious chuckle.

Yodel believed he had enough. His curiosity was quenched satisfyingly, though there was only one question left on his mind
"Well, whatever you say. Just tell me one thing; are you doing this because you simply enjoy making others miserable, or is there something you need to prove?" he asked, wondering what was the root of that brutal obsession of Shadow.

Crocux snapped at her and said "I know that already! you think I wanted to let him go!? how about this, next time you do it!"

Cheryl grew offended and upset at his misunderstanding.
"Oh no, I didn't mean you personally. I meant all of you! Sheesh, so much a Haven this place turned out to be! First a drought, and now that imbecile's return. Heh, I don't think anything can get worse!" Cheryl said bitterly, unaware that things could get worse in the future, yet many residents, especially Sybil, weren't going to give up on their homes. Not after they had been so close to that.

"Well, can't a warbler be curious? I just wanted to know where all that persistence was coming from." Yodel declared, telling the truth for once.
"Thanks for this... informative chat. Now I must head home. Good day." the warbler then said, turning around to fly to the Haven. He didn't want anyone to wrongly suspect he was up to something.

"Meh, I will watch it from a safer place. No offense, but I think it's very dumb for you to destroy the very place you want to conquer." Yodel explained, actually very worried that his own home would be among those destroyed.

Yodel opened his eyes quite big at the news, but this lasted for less than a second.
"Well, good for you. tiger never really meant that much to me, so do what you want." he said, wondering if Shadow was just trying to fool him into telling him Rose's whereabouts. Not that it mattered though. He didn't saw where Rose had been moved to, though he had a pretty good idea...

"Heh, do I look like their father? I don't know what they're doing. Sure, they are moving around a lot. I imagine planning strategies to try to stop you, but asides that, I have no idea what they're doing." Yodel said truthfully, really not knowing what Sybil and the others were up to. He usually was updated on everything that was going on, since like Sholeh, he use to spy on the Haven residents, but lately, he has just spent most of his time sleeping and minding his own business.
"Well now, if you excuse me, I have to go home." he said a bit arrogantly, preparing to fly off...

AJ: Within Sybil's tree, I curl up, trembling like a leaf, due to knowing Shadow is returning. He will most likely keep me as his pet/companion. The others will must likely die trying to protect our home.

Meanwhile Syris collapses in a hole/burrow of some kind. He is bleeding badly but he is alive. He has sabatoged Shadow's weapon, in a way that only he knows how to fix. Any tinkering with the wrong things could make it completely collapse on itself. Repairs will take much time. Shadow saw him die, so until Shadow dies he must remain so.

Yodel was very glad Shadow still treated him like a friend, and that he let him go that time. But what was better, he didn't ask him to bring his services anymore. That pleased Yodel to no end, since he didn't want to serve Shadow again, yet if there was a chance that he should win the war this time, Yodel would have a happy life either way. He was always willing to follow the stronger side.

Back at the Haven, Cheryl was done giving Crocux's news to the flock. Mambo and a few followers stayed behind to plan the strategy they and the Haven residents could use for Shadow's arrival, while the rest, among them Cole and his sister, went to the beach to help with the traps. Keas were very god with human contraptions, being experts in sabotaging them back at their original home. They were making wood traps (similar to steel traps, but using thorns), and nets that activate by walking below them. With the help of the Komodo dragons, they dug deep pits that end up below rocks so that they wouldn't be able to climb or dig their way out. It was exhausting work, but it had to be done.

Crocux helped them working hard to help any way he could. Saris stayed in the woods still crying greaving for the brother he believes is dead.

The keas continued with the traps with the help of the Komodo dragon allies. The one that was helping the least was Cheryl, who was too busy trying to avoid Crocux after she was under the impression that he insulted her.

Sybil was much calmer now, and since she was too busy with her own business to notice Cheryl's behavior, she approached Crocux.
"Hey Crocux. I just want to apologize for the way I have been acting. Too much stress makes me a horrible being." she said, being sorry for the embarrassing way she has been acting for the last week. All that situation was still making her stressful, but thanks to the distraction of making the traps, she was much more calm and composed.

Sybil only apologized when she recognized she was wrong, but in Sozen's case, she didn't believe she has done anything wrong.
"Hey, that thing with Sozen was just a personal opinion. How was I suppose to know he was listening?" she said, not wanting to apologize for that. She then remembered once more that it was Sozen who released Shadow, and that made her upset with the eagle once more.

"Yes, I know. I's still infuriating how he acted through his own will back then, without thinking what his actions would bring." Sybil said, pointing to the hard working Komodo dragons and keas to prove her point.
"Plus, it's not nice to spy on anybody." she then added, knowing that Sozen's anger back then was because he was nearby when she threw the comment.

"Well, whatever it was, I don't think he deserves it." Sybil said, once again demonstrating her stubbornness. It was fun though, how she was willing to apologize to a crocodile, yet not to a big eagle who has been there for much longer.

Crocux sighed "besides Sybil it isn't me you should be apologizing to."

"Well, I already did anyway. So then, on to work..." she said, now wanting to avoid the subject, but as she turned around, it was coincidentally at that precise moment that Yodel was returning. Sybil found it very strange how he was flying towards the Haven. It couldn't be that he was returning from Hunted island, since he hated it there. She wanted to find out what he was up to, but at the same time use that excuse to avoid the previous subject...

Crocux got in her way "no you need to apologize to Saris first! you were very insensitive to him when he found out he lost his brother and you know it!"

"Alright, to him I will. But later, alright? Let me through!" Sybil demanded, only tolerating one apology per day. She wanted to find out where Yodel ran off to...

Crocux let her through "all right."

Sybil passed, trying to avoid eye contact with him. And as she disappeared within the foliage, she headed straight to Yodel's home. When he didn't answer her, she climbed his tree in order to find him. He wasn't there though, but Sybil wanted to speak urgently with him, so she lied on a branch to wait for him.

Ironically though, Yodel was home, but he was sleeping in a compartment he made with his own beak, that acted like a private room. Many warblers didn't like him, and they usually bullied him, which is why he had that private room in order to avoid all those bad days. The flight to Shadow's island from the Haven and back was exhausting, considering he hasn't travelled in a long time, so he needed the rest.

Shi saw how beaten up Sozen was and she rushed over "oh my god! Sozen what happened?"

As Sybil waited for Yodel, she started to realize she was wasting time just lying there, so she headed to the beach. His talk with him could wait.

She arrived at the beach and continued helping with the traps, hoping Crocux didn't ask her to apologize again, since she wasn't in the mood.

Shi looked him over "you sure as hell don't look fine." Jack cuts in saying "how's dad holding up?" Shi sighed "i managed to get him to get some rest. he's going to leave to try to help but he's in no condition to do anything." Jack nodded "yea but he'll be too stubborn to listen to reason."

"Sozen! You're back!," Sayan said quickly noticing the lighting bird's return. "What is going on out there?," he then asked knowing Rose would want to know.

Shi was scared at 'human technology' "w-what kind of tech are we talking about here?"

No blood marks his path asSyril has bandaged himself up. A mound was made where he fell to allo anyone to pay their respects to him. Shadow's fury is likely much worse having lost someone so close to him.

AJ: Meanwhile within Sybil's tree, I continue to tremble and shake. With this new weapon of his, Shadow will have a straight shot right to me. What can Sybil and the others do against such power and might?

Sybil continued with the traps, though not concentrating well enough thinking of where Yodel ran off to. She didn't want to believe he went to Shadow and betrayed them all as he had done before. There were after all, rumors of someone like that, and Yodel was a high candidate...
"Peepers, tell every warbler you see to keep an eye on Yodel. And if you find him, bring him to me." she said, the warbler having inspecting the whole maneuver from above a palm tree.

OOC: Well, long time no see

Sybil continued working, sometimes engaging into conversation with the other Komodo dragons to distract herself, which what somewhat working. Peepers already gave Sybil's news, though neither of the warblers have seen Yodel since he tried to humiliate Shadow. They were too busy treating the wounds. They kept alert though

Along the ocean, Ami was trying to reach the pod as soon as possible, but even though she was going as fast as she could fly, she still hasn't even reached one fourth of the way. Not that it would matter though, because at that very moment, Cairo had ordered the pod to return to the Haven. He couldn't wait for the two days. He just had this very bad feeling that he couldn't continue to ignore, and even though there were a few objections, the members picked up the pace and proceeded to head to the Haven, knowing that they couldn't stay too long or they would get stranded and risk starvation...

There was still no luck finding Yodel, and knowing he couldn't hide forever, Sybil proceeded to help the keas, who were preparing the nets.
"Do you think there is time to bring that Whirlpool fellow here and ask him to dig a few traps?" Mambo asked, knowing that the more traps they had, then better. They knew some of them were probably going to be destroyed with the cannons, but a few of them were bound to survive.
"I am not certain we can count on him now..." Sybil expressed, knowing that the wombat was probably still too depressed to help out.

At Hunted island, Kali had finally managed to convince the wombat to get out of his sorrow corner. He was still beyond depression, but listened to her counseling and consolation nonetheless.