darkSpyro

Sybil had already thought of that.
"It's late now. I will leave tomorrow, not today. Tomorrow before I leave, I will have a long talk with him." Sybil assured, though worried on how Naga would take her departure. She had to make him promise somehow that he would honor their deal. She didn't want him to believe he was free of it just because she was away.
"If you can, have a talk with him as well. I don't think he likes being too lonely." she thought, believing that a deep part of the snake really didn't like the solitude, otherwise he wouldn't have opened up so much to her.

"Don't worry-- you got it. You've done it once before and you can do it again.," Sayan said rubbing against Rose and encouraging the future leader.

Sybil smiled at the prospect that Rose wasn't going to be alone in this journey. She had a spouse to take care of her and children to live on her legacy, both which she lacked. Sybil had hoped she could've met her own mate and continue the species. Now she wondered if she should've accepted another civet even if it wasn't a Malabar like her. It wouldn't be the same, but at least she would've had a family of her own. It was getting too late for her, for she was getting old and was losing her chance. The Haven residents were her family now, and she was going to make sure they were protected at al costs, even if it meant leaving her own home to make sure of that.

Sybil returned to her tree, getting ready for what no doubt will be a restless night. Did Shadow really cursed the island? Cause it really seemed that, when the Haven was so close to peace, something happened that obstructed it. First it was Naga, and then the wolves. Finally, after having befriended, or at least getting to a mutual understanding with the python, these wolves had to appear out of nowhere and give the Haven a brand new predicament. The idea of another war was too horrifying, and Sybil didn't want to imagine just how long this journey will take her. It was at the other side of the world, and what's worse, that was only the ocean travel. What about the land travel? It was too much to bear. Before getting some sleep, she wondered if her worried mind would have nightmares tonight. They were once about Naga, but will they be about the wolves this time? Or will it be about the bisons? She could only wait and expect Trico to come to her aid, but if her nightmare was too strong, then probably not even him would be able to help...

OOC: If you want fantasy for a while, make your characters dream before morning. If it has to do with their personalities, or simple dreams or even nightmares, it's all welcomed. If not in the mood, then we can simply skip to morning

Sybil looked solemn.While she was somewhat happy to see him and glad he visited so soon, she wasn't up to anything.
"I'm sorry Trico. I'm not in the mood for either tonight." she said, feeling depressed. Why couldn't Anue live with them in peace like many other species were doing? Why was she so keen on kicking them out? There was plenty of food and space for everyone, so why did she have to be so selfish? Sybil still couldn't find the answer, but one thing was certain; she wanted Anue gone one way or another...

As the feline couple soon returned home, they too drifted off into sleep.

And abroad, the cubs were doing the same in their new temporary 'home.'

'Snow?! Rose?!,' Sayan cried out in his dreams dreaming of a very terrible fate. 'Mother?! Sis?!, Hunter cried out in his own dreams dreaming of an eerily similar fate. In one dream, it was Naga and all the dreamer could do was try to stop it. In the other dream, it was the wolves and the dreamer was left only to watch as it happened. 'No... please... don't...,' Sayan cried out in his sleep. 'Mother... Sister...' Hunter cried out again. There were seemingly no safe dreams in this family...

His company made Sybil feel a little bit better, but it didn't erase her mountain of worries.
"I don't know if you see everything I see when I'm awake, but I suppose you know by now..." she said before continuing.
"These wolves... these accursed wolves, especially Anue... why did they have to appear? Things were going so well after Shadow left... well, except for that crocodile that accompanied Crocux, but he took care of it fast." Sybil remembered, also remembering who saved her back then. She was so confused.
"I... I tried to sacrifice Anue to Naga. It was a very cruel thing to do, but I didn't want to make the same mistakes I made with Shadow.... I wanted her dead... even if she did saved me from that murderous crocodile that accompanied Crocux. Why did she saved me? She could've just let me died and that would've been one less enemy." Sybil finally concluded, still wondering Anue's action back then. Was it to earn her trust? Cause that certainly didn't lasted, for Anue kidnapped the cubs the very next day...

"Perhaps, but betraying that trust so soon? I think it's fishy. Or maybe the fog gave her a large amount of advantage that she couldn't let it slide." Sybil concluded, thinking that Anue's initial plan was to earn her trust, but suddenly changed the strategy when the weather was to her favor.
"Well, saved life or not, she carved her own tomb. I try Trico. I want the island residents to live in peace. It's really not that hard, but if there are creatures like Anue and her wolves to refuse to see it that way, I have no choice but to resort to brutality." Sybil said bluntly,knowing she sounded like a dictator wanting to have things her way. She really wasn't trying to force someone to be happy with her rules, she just wanted peace, but Anue wanting to banish them off their own homes was going too far, so Sybil was determined to have her killed.

"Well...I have Mr. Naga on my side... I suppose... He will help me take care of the wolves." Sybil said, showing her insecurities. While she believed she was finally making progress with Naga, she demonstrated that she still had her doubts. Naga was friendly and polite with her, and it even extended to Rose and her family, but she was worried about his darker side. She still couldn't forget the sadistic pleasure he took when killing that wolf. It should be alright as long as his rather evil side didn't extended to the Haven residents, should it?

"I guess I do manage to make friends a little easy, don't I? I did manage to befriend Jet and turn him against Shadow. And I managed to be on good terms with Crocux even with that awful start. And finally Naga. Even if he did things too horrible to mention, there has to be some good in him if he was willing to open up to me and even turn against Anue and her plan." Sybil analyzed, feeling very proud of being able to make friends the way she did, even if she wasn't always successful.

"If only I could've done the same with Shadow and Anue." Sybil lamented, knowing that she tried very hard with the former. Who knows if there could've been a small chance to befriend Anue, but Sybil knew that whatever little chance she had at redemption was destroyed when she tried to sacrifice her to Naga.

Trico's words penetrated Sybil deeply, and it made her feel depressed.
"I know. It's true. Anue doesn't display the same, dark aura Shadow once did. She doesn't seem like a merciless killer to me... but... she did kidnapped the cubs and threatened them with death, all to try to make us abandon our homes." Sybil said sadly, trying to justify her earlier action and also try to feel better about herself.
"Plus, even if there is some good in her, I messed it up when I tried to give her away to Naga." Sybil commented gloomily, believing she lost whatever little chance she had in friendship with that action alone. Sybil had changed, and she was aware of it. She has become more hardened, more bitter, and more open to violence, all because of the deep wounds Shadow left her. Since she didn't have any success in befriending him, she didn't want to risk the same outcome with Anue, which s why Sybil was trying to reach the easy way out, even if it wasn't the morally correct one.

"Come on Trico. You think that she's gonna listen to me after what I tried to do?" Sybil complained, now wondering if she should've tried to take Anue's initial offer.
"One more thing; Mr. Naga already killed one of her wolves. It's only a matter of time before she finds out, or at least suspects what happened." Sybil expressed believing that just added the reasons for Anue to hate her and refuse to listen to her...

Sybil almost laughed at that statement. It won't hurt to try? What were the chances of that? Anue had an entire pack at her disposal, and Sybil, while she had many friends, couldn't take them all out at once. Sybil ordered her killed when she was trying to negotiate. She dared to believe Anue would try to return the favor. Was Trico really trying to help? Was he a deep moral part of her? Or was he too naïve to realize how badly she messed up?
"It's late. I don't want to talk about this anymore. Do you know of a soft spot here in the dreamworld? How are your feathers?" Sybil said, changing the subject quickly. She wanted a very soft spot to sleep in to try and forget about everything and rest for the painfully long tomorrow that awaited her.

AJ: As the orca greets me and asks why I am so down, I sigh deeply. Stopping I turn to face the orca. Perhaps talking to someone would help the pain that I feel.

"I feel so useless, being so small, I cannot seem to do anything to help protect those I consider my family here at Haven. When I try to fight, I only end up getting hurt, or worse captured and used by our enemies. I just... Also I kind of live a secret double life, I have family here at Haven, but I also have a second one, with the Dingoes. I know what my other family thinks about them, but I can't help it. A pair of them rescued me and cared for me as if I was one of there own and to tell the truth, I feel that way when I am with them. You see, I lost my parents years ago, in the most horrible way, poaching. I was forced to watch as they were skinned before me. I would have suffered the same fate if it weren't for those rangers. Then I met Her and well... It doesn't matter now. She's not here."

Renee listened with interest. She didn't know what a dingo was, but she assumed they were just another species taking resident at the Haven like almost everybody else.
"Well tiny one, nobody can do everything. We must only help the way our abilities allowed. Sybil is also small and that hasn't stopped her from doing great things. And look at us orcas. We are so big and one would think we're invincible, but were not. We're as vulnerable to humans as you all are. And you think size is an obstacle? Look at us! We're huge, yet we're extremely limited. We can't even help you guys on land." Renee explained, understanding Cairo's frustration. Everybody knew how much that orca hated being limited to water, since he made no effort to keep that annoyance a secret.
"You must think of what you can do, not what you can't. If you try to tackle the problem just like that, it won't get you anywhere. And if you feel depressed, at least you have an alternate family to go to. Not everyone has that privilege." she said wisely, being very happy to have someone to talk to, even if it was somebody she didn't know very well.

Sybil proceeded to do just that, being somewhat grateful to him for not pushing the previous subject. Since she was already asleep, what she did was relax, trying to empty her mind as much as she could, but if anyone knew her better, one could tell she simply had too much on her head...

Sybil didn't speak, wanting only to relax. But as she rested, one of her thought was how Rose, Sayan and the cubs were handling this situation. Clearly she was't the only one affected by today's events. The civet hated the idea of that family having a restless night, or worse, having nightmares like the ones she sometimes have. She also wondered what Anue was thinking too, and if it was altogether wise of her part to follow Trico's advice and try to start things from zero...

Sybil was still fast asleep, the same went for Whirlpool and his burrow. Since he had a tendency to snore very loudly, he left the children in another room with the promise that they wouldn't go wander off and get lost in his maze-like home.

In the kea tree, surprisingly, the first one to wake up was Mambo. He was usually the last, being how fond he was of sleeping so that he could have enough energy for the rest of the day. He wasted no time in flying to the cat pair's home to help them with this wall or fence they wanted built.
"Good morning..." Mambo staggered to the recently awake Rose, still feeling too guilty for allowing the cubs to be kidnapped and initiate this whole mess. In other words, he felt like he was the one blame for the threat of another war.

"Morning sis!," Hunter said getting up. He gave a faint smile hiding any signs of his not quite restful night.

Sayan was just waking up as well, not exactly having a restful night. "Oh morning Mambo.," he said just a little groggy.

Elsewhere-- Naga was also awake. With the Havens more dangerous than ever, he went off to get a quick snack before the day's troubles caught up to him. 'If I see her again-- she won't get away. Not this time.," he thought to himself and Ender.

"Couldn't sleep anyway." Mambo said, answering Rose. He was in such a gloomy state that he looked like an entirely different parrot. He was almost unrecognizable.
"Is everything ready for the protective field you're planning?" he asked, not in the mood for some casual conversation.

At Sybil's tree, the owner was finally starting to wake up. Although she had a rather profound sleep last night thanks to Trico's constant presence, Sybil still felt tired. Her eyes felt as if they were being dragged by an invisible force, and her body ached from all the twists and turns she did during the sleep. There was no time to complain or feel sorry for herself though, for after she saw that it was mid morning already, she knew she needed to waste no more time for the tasks at hand. She wanted to greet Rose and Sayan, but first, she wanted to confront Naga and tell him her plan, so skipping breakfast, she headed to his territory, hoping he already had his meal by now, although after the fate of that unfortunate wolf, she doubted he needed much food anyway...

"Then... allow me to recruit as much help as I can." Mambo said, flying away. It was not hard to tell how deeply troubled he was.

Meanwhile, Sybil arrived at Naga's home, in the usual spot where they meet, except this time, she was on a tree. Even in Naga's own home, she didn't want to risk an encounter with a wolf.
"Mr. Naga! Please... if... if you're nearby, there is something we must discuss." Sybil called, not knowing him well enough on how would he react with what she was about to say. She was considering so many things, and wondered what was the correct decision...

"I hope this works-- I would hate to see ours kids grow up behind walls or away from us forever.," Sayan said worried.

Naga soon caught a quick snack and returned, indeed not needing much after the previous day. "Shh... I'm here my dear Sybil.," Naga's voice soon as said as he himself appeared in front of the civet leader. His appearance was noticeably less 'show-off-y' than before, probably in part to the active troubles the Haven currently had...

Soon, Mambo came with a few of his flock and some warblers, willing to lend a wing despite their small stature. They were still upset about the threat of another war, but that didn't stop them from being kind and willing to help the cat family.

When Naga appeared, Sybil showed no fear or disturbance like she usually felt, but was still uneasy. She saw how his belly was still rather noticeable , yet slightly smaller than yesterday. A clear sign that digestion was still taking place.
"Good morning Mr. Naga. I'm very sorry to come without previous announcement, but I wanted to tell you something." Sybil said, clearly sorry for barging in like that so early.
"I... I'm trying to decide what is the best decision; you see, I... I want to try to make peace with the wolves..." Sybil expressed, Trico having convinced her. But since she doubted that would work, she proceeded to tell Naga her original plan.
"I know that you'll say that it won't work. Well if it doesn't, I... I'll have to leave the Haven in order to recruit bisons for our protection." Sybil concluded, wondering if it was a good idea to tell Naga such delicate information..

"I see-- so you wish to try again, but are still prepared to do what needs to be done. And you wish to further protect yourselves and your allies; a wise but sense-able move although it would leave them more.. more vulnerable in the meanwhile. And am I correct in assuming that the tiger would take your place during your absence?," Naga said not showing any obvious sign of how he was feeling about the whole thing. As he talked, he slowly but gently slithered around the civet in a wide circle although it seemed more for protection then the usual intimidation.

Sybil didn't feel very comfortable with Naga surrounding her like that, particularly after seeing what he did to that wolf. She didn't show it though.
"That is correct. Rose will take my place. It isn't the first time, so I'm sure she will do a great job." Sybil explained, not elaborating on why Rose was in charge once, but wanting to let him know he wasn't going to deal with an amateur.
"I know we still have that last game, and I promise you I won't forget it. I really don't want to leave... but since there is still a high chance Anue won't listen to reason, I'll have to be ready to leave as soon as today." Sybil expressed sadly, wanting Naga to know how willing she was to trust him by telling him such detailed information.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

Rose rubbed against Sayan. "I hope so too." She said. She then smiled a little seeing at all the help everyone was going through to help them.

Everyone awaited instructions on to what materials to gather, many of them having no idea what they could use, when one of the warblers asked Rose something;
"Hey. Isn't there a big eagle living somewhere here?" the warbler said, referring to Sozen. It was at times like these that a big flyer like him was needed.

At AJ's tree, Sholeh woke up as well, feeling particularly hungry today. She wanted a big breakfast. If it wasn't for her absurd limitation, she could've gone for a delicious warbler egg right about now. Speaking of which, she wondered just when Naga was planning to hunt the idiot birds again. But then... being reminded of Naga suddenly made her remember what she witnessed yesterday. It wasn't the wolf's demise. It was the fact that Naga was helping Sybil! Just to be expected. Soon, Sybil was going to take away another one of her friends. The mongoose felt depressed and her hunger almost vanished. That didn't mean she was going to sulk. She was going to confront Naga and have him explain everything. Sybil wasn't the only one who had to tell him many things today.

"I see-- well do what you have to do. And don't worry-- while you are gone, I won't let anything happen to the Feline family or anyone else. Until this whole thing boils over, no-one is truly safe and we must do what we must do.," Naga said seemingly being understanding and revealing a little of his true feelings at the same time. 'And so the civet leader leaves the nest...,' he thought to himself finding the development interesting for better or worse.

Elsewhere, Sayan gave a slight nod to Rose letting the future leader know that he would be willing to wait or receive the large eagle if need be.

With the news finally over, Sybil was about to leave his presence... however, before doing so, she looked at him again, this time directly into his almost demonic eyes.
"Mr. Naga... if it turns out I have to leave, it will be for a long time. Weeks... maybe even months. Can you make good of your promise in not hunting my warbler friends?" Sybil asked, showing that, despite his willingness to trust him, there were still many doubts in her.

Back at Hunted island, Whirlpool was waking up, but he didn't want to disturb the cubs. Being the gentle heart he always was, he was preparing breakfast for the cubs. Unfortunately for them, most of it was the usual leaves and bark he as a wombat ate. He tried to compensate the meat with a few insect, and even added a special dressing made by him to try to make the food look more edible.

"Yes...," Naga simply said with a single nod before disappearing into the nearby foliage. His demonic-like eyes watched and made sure nothing happened to the Civet leader on her way out. 'If Anue is to appear again-- the felines will be the key. Now we watch and wait.,' Naga thought to himself and Ender. If the feline family did indeed attract Anue, he would make sure to be there particularly interesting in revenge.

Sybil wasn't entirely convinced, but with her leaving, she was certain that the warblers, being their almost properly paranoid self will keep themselves much more protected than when Naga was striking. After all, Naga had bigger food sources now, so why would he bother hunting down the warblers when they were barely snacks?

The civet left Naga's territory... but she wasn't heading to her own home. She was heading to where she last saw Anue. She didn't leave the safety of the trees, but was still low enough to show she was willing to talk.

Was it going to work? Will Sybil have to leave the Haven? Or will there be no necessity for that? If Naga was asking himself that question, he would have to wait, for his visits were far from over. Also skipping breakfast, he received yet another visitor dropping in unexpectedly.
"Naga? Naga dearie. Please hear me out. This won't take long. I just want to talk to you a little." Sholeh's voice called, not caring if Sybil was nearby (she wasn't). There was an air of drear in the mongoose's voice. She didn't want to bother Naga for too long, especially after the embarrassment with the big pigeon, so she was going to make this particular visit as brief as possible...

"I-I am here. I was wondering when you would show up again, my dear Sholeh. Please.. stay as long as you want. What it is?," Naga said nearly instantly revealing himself in front of the Mongoose. For a brief moment, he forgot about all his troubles and sounded almost calm bringing out a little bit of his more gentler side. Something about the Mongoose did make him feel more... relaxed and brought out something else in him.

Quote: redwes

"I-I am here. I was wondering when you would show up again, my dear Sholeh. Please.. stay as long as you want. What it is?," Naga said nearly instantly revealing himself in front of the Mongoose. For a brief moment, he forgot about all his troubles and sounded almost calm bringing out a little bit of his more gentler side. Something about the Mongoose did make him feel more... relaxed and brought out something else in him.

Sholeh gave a brief smile after seeing him look so content with her presence. Unlike Sybil, she ignored the bulge in his body, having seen him fed many times and glad that he found a larger source of food. The mongoose was also glad he was as polite as ever with her, and didn't even mentioned the embarrassing incident from a few days ago. Nevertheless, Sholeh still feel depressed.
"Well... I see you still like me at least. Shall we do something together?" Sholeh suggested, but talking again shortly.
"I saw you Naga. I saw you helping Sybil. I saw when you devoured that wolf. You're helping her. Did she convinced you to see the wolves as food? Is that it? It doesn't matter. I suppose I should be happy for you, so let's just share a few moments together, cause once you get to know Sybil better, you will like her more than me. Perhaps even end our friendship for the sake of hers. It always happens like that." Sholeh said gloomily, feeling a painful déjà vu. A small part of her was being manipulative, but deep inside, she was genuinely hurt and afraid that Sybil was going to take Naga's friendship away from her, as she has done with Jet and Warren.

OOC: I hope this doesn't sound too corny.

Naga nodded, but soon realized that the conversation would quickly turn on itself. "Ah yes--- that. Please... let me ensure you that no matter what happens-- you will have always been there first and that will never change. Our friendship and our time together-- it.. it will always mean more to me then you will ever know. You encouraged me and you, in fact, inspired to me to take action and do more with my so-called life here on the Haven.," the large snake then said gently surrounding the Mongoose and looking her in the eyes. For once in his life, he was admitting his true feelings and completely opening up to one that had slowly buy surely filled an empty hole in his heart.

"What you saw.. what I did, and what I may do in the future-- I have my reasons and.. and they will never come between you and I. As you know, Shadow tried to control me and influence me into doing his own bidding. And as you also know, I may have agreed to Sybil's so-called 'Terms' in part to defy him and make an decision of my own free will. So it was and so it shall be-- but there was another after Shadow. Her name.. her name was Anue and for a time, she tried to influence me much in the same way. She wanted the outsiders on the island gone and.. and she has returned.," Naga then said looking up at their surroundings as if they were possibly being watched. He watched their surroundings closely focusing his vision and making sure that there were no other visitors. Or so it seemed at least.

"Ah.. where was I? Ah yes-- Anue. Anue has returned after a long absence and she had brought back her ways and her old influences. Or so she thought.," Naga's tone changed at the mention of the wolve's name. "She thought she could influence me once again and she thought she could successfully convince Sybil to force everyone to leave the island-- and that would include you. I said no, Sybil said no, and now... now the Haven is at war. That is why I was helping her-- I wish to end this shifty and quickly. And I wish to resume to my life here.. with you. I value your company and I would never want you to leave, involuntary or otherwise.," Naga then said focusing his attention once again on the Mongoose.

OOC: It's not, though it's strange coming from Naga

Sholeh listened with awe at Naga's speech. She didn't expected him to be this expressive.
"So... I guess Anue was just another Shadow after all." Sholeh said, relieved that the wolf has been just another visitor and not a friend. Sholeh felt comfortable enough to have Naga circling her like that, unlike the more wary Sybil. She then finally looked at his belly.
"I saw everything you know. I could finally see... your true power. Does Anue knows about this? I doesn't matter. It's no wonder why Shadow, Anue, and probably even Sybil want to control you. You are a formidable force of nature." Sholeh complimented, even daring to pat his stomach gently as if to admire his sadistic action. She felt as if she was possibly the only one in the entire Haven who had no wish to control Naga. For the first time, she was seeing somebody as a friend, not as a pawn. Whatever Naga did she would respect. In the past, she would be more than delighted in deceiving him for her own means, but that wasn't the case anymore. While her manipulative nature was still intact, it wasn't a side she wanted to show to her beloved reptile friend.