darkSpyro

"Not for long!," Sayan said catching up and getting slightly ahead.

Yodel was deep in thought, but when he realized he was perhaps near the python's territory, he quickly moved away, knowing when not to make dangerous decisions. He was then tempted to fly to Hunted island and spoil Sybil's vacation...

Sayan sprinted ahead... almost in contact with the water.

OOC: redwes, remember to still include Naga more.

At the kea's tree, the warblers arranged another meeting, this time to know whether it was safe to return to their original homes or stay near the keas just in case the python was lying about it's promise. Mambo and Cole were the only ones in the reunion, since the rest of the flock was busy getting breakfast.

"So, what now? Miss Sybil risked her life to go to that snake's territory and struck a deal with it. I think we can go back to our old nests, but we must know there are still risks." Peepers said, knowing that the python could have lied.

"I think we should stay where we are. The python may benefit more from a pidgeon diet, but those dumb birds live in the wetland, a place without trees, a place where that snake can't hide." Lumos pointed out, and he was right. Pidgeons were bigger, but they could be harder to catch for an animal that big and without the element of surprise. The water could be a great place to hide, but pidgeons rarely went there due to the danger of big catfish living there. If it turned out the python lied about changing it's diet, it meant that if they returned to their old nest, they would once again be easy targets. But what if there was a small chance that the snake was going to keep it's promise? They were at a loss on what to do...

Harland had not noticed activity around him. He merely moved quickly, though his end goal was still widely unknown. He grew near a large body of water, shaking his head as he trotted through some thick foliage to reveal such a mass of water. His eyes glistened, and he moved towards the water to look upon it, to see if he could see to the other side. His worries were beginning to vanish as light sparkled off the water's surface. The water itself was so beautiful and clear, as though it was untouched by the darkness of the surrounding world. Of course, he could be dramatizing it a little.

~~~

Raul opted to return to where there were more animals, to see if he could nestle into a group or possibly find someone to chat with. Harland was still nowhere to be seen, which was a shame. The energetic young wild ass absolutely loved his tales, stories of times long past for Raul.

With the water practically almost touching his paws-- Sayan went for it and attempted to jump in. And almost attempting a cannonball.

Meanwhile, Naga was relaxing after just hunting and eating a hard-to-catch pidgeon. He thought back to the warblers and how easy they were to catch, but he also thought of the deal. He had always had another mind, another opinion, to deal with while he had been here. And now he was on his own. Part of him wanted to return to his old ways while part of him almost seeked something better. His life was so much simpler once upon a time...

After a little while, Sybil finally managed to relax under the rising and early afternoon sun. She still had a lot on her mind, but as usual, she tried not to think too much about it. Shadow was finally gone, for a while at least, and the has been no more incident ever since she struck that deal with the python. Perhaps the snake was going to be true to it's word? She certainly hoped so. Shadow broke all of the promises he ever made, and Sybil was having none of that ever again. The python was polite to her in both of their meetings, so maybe he was a much better animal than Shadow. As she was finally emptying her mind, Sybil didn't realize there was a major flaw in her deal; the python promised that he will stop hunting the warblers, but what about the other animals? While it was true that Sybil suggested the pigeons, she didn't forbid other animals...

Neither Rose or Sayan had to worry about the orcas, since the few of them that were going to take the opportunity were stopped by Cairo.
"Now now fellows, let the lovely pair had their fun. The Haven's had quite a hard time these past weeks. They deserve some time off." Cairo said, wanting that little group to understand. Among them was Dagger, who was reaching his teenage years and was going through quite a growth spurt.

"Oh come on Mr. Cairo. It's been almost a month since we last had a game!" he complained, being that the first time he was going to hunt a Haven resident without his mother's supervision. The rest of the orcas didn't complain, respecting Cairo's authority despite him not being leader anymore.

"Now now Dagger, there will be more than enough time for the game. Tomorrow, I'll speak to Miss Sybil and tell her we are tired of waiting." Cairo said, most for the young orca's sake than the rest. The pod had been very patient with everyone, but like Dagger, they believed they had waited too long. The game was part of their rutinary life, and they had been more than patient with the residents.

"I bet you can't beat me to that rock!," Sayan said nudging towards a large rock that had been jutting out of the water. He smiled as if to challenge Rose to another race.

Elsewhere, Naga was lost in his own thoughts...

While Sayan and Rose were having fun, Sybil was having her own fun at the cockatoo playground. There was quite a variety of games there. The cousins even played with her. Now that was a vacation. Whirlpool even scheduled a massage for the stressed civet so that she could definitely forget all about her worries. Later in the afternoon, she was going to splash around Hunted island's beach waters. She never tried those waters before, and what was more, she wanted to see the seals. It was quite a spectacle she has heard, though Sybil felt sorry for the poor creatures for being her orca friend's main food source.

Near the island, Cairo was swimming around, ready to talk with Sybil if she did show up. He encountered Jet by chance and told him about the pod.
"Hello Jet. Just to let you know, there is a small group of orcas near the Haven. They are impatient. It's been nearly a month since the last game, and they are growing desperate, though I'd be more worried about Dagger." Cairo warned, knowing how much the sudden change in routine has affected most of the pod. Dagger in particular was the most desperate, and since he was reaching the dangerous age of teenager, it was important to keep a closer eye on him. Cairo has also been longing for the game, but it didn't feel right to resume it without the Haven resident's permission.

OOC: Hey guys, if you don't know what to post, let me know.

"Alright." Cairo said, resuming his swim to Hunted island. His presence scared the seals fishing in those waters, but fortunately for them, Cairo wasn't hungry... at least for now. As he paced around waiting for Sybil to appear, he remembered there were rumors around the pod that Randy had a secret spot somewhere on Hunted island, but not even his sister, nephew or even his mate, knew about it.

Cairo would have to wait for a while, since Sybil still planned to spent most of her vacation in the playground. But right now, it was time for her massage appointment with Whirlpool, which was going to last about half an hour. She knew she needed it badly.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

Rose smirked. "Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe.," Sayan replied with a smirk. He was already preparing for the potential race.

At the distance, one could see the many black dorsal fins swimming around. It was hard to tell if they were ready to attack, or if they were just pacing. It must've been the latter, since the orcas had been swimming for a while and none of them were approaching Rose or Sayan. Among those dorsal fins, there were two at a considerable distance away from the group. It was Randy and his new mate Reenee, whom he met in the Antarctica during the drought. She was still learning about the Haven residents and the pod's way of life in that part of the world. What made the Haven so special was that the orcas could feed on both fish and seals, when in other parts of the world, it was either one or the other, never both, which explained why the members of the pod were much larger there. Reenee was particularly small compared to them. She has been looking forward to meeting the land dwellers of that new world, but due to the python and Shadow situation, she still hasn't find the chance.

At the Haven, the warbler's reunion still continued. They just couldn't decide what to do. They missed their original homes, but they were just too afraid that the python was going to get back to his word eventually and resume his hunt of them. Cheryl returned from her unsuccessful search of Harland, and after a while, she decided that she had enough of having the warblers nearby and always using the kea's home as their base. So after much hesitation, she did something she knew she was going to get in trouble for; she went to search for the python. She had to make sure in person that the beast was really going to leave the poor, frightened warblers alone...

Further away, Dagger was watching the pair having fun and swimming around. They looked like such easy targets. So exposed. But he was stopped by his mother, Ellen.
"Easy Dagger. I know you can't wait to play all on your own, but remember, we still need to ask for Sybil's permission. Things are tense at the Haven and they need their time off." Ellen explained, already being aware on what was going on. It's been so long since she saw somebody at the beach having fun, so she knew Rose and Sayan could do well without them hunting them down.

In the Haven, in the python's territory, Cheryl was trying to pay the big snake a visit. She knew too well that the beast was impossible to find unless he wanted to be found, so she called as loud as possible.
"Forgive me! Python! I know you don't know me, but I need you to come out for a brief moment and have a word with you if you please!" Cheryl called, knowing how crazy she must be for entering the large snake's territory all by herself and without letting anyone know where she was. If the python didn't kill her, her brother certainly will if he ever found out where she had been.

((OOC: I wouldn't mind a guiding hand here, given I'm still kinda new))

OOC: Go to the first page of this forum, and in the link of Battle for the Haven, there is a map of the place that will give you a very good idea on how the place looks. The native birds are warblers, seagulls and pelicans, plus the now residential keas. You can create a little storyline with your own characters if you don't know what to post. That's what I do with some of the secondary characters when the RP gets slow.

Sayan ran slightly behind Rose, giving his mate a false boost of confidence, before speeding up again and running right alongside her.

In the python's territory, a mysterious and eerie voice soon filled the air. "It.. it is not wise for someone... someone such as yourself... to come here...... alone.," the voice said having a certain serpent-like flair and a slight hiss in the middle. A large shadow soon hovered over the kea and a similar figure could almost be seen... watching. "I.. I am here. I am listening... for now.," the voice of Naga then said coming from the direction of the large shadow.

Oh Heavens what have I done!?, Cheryl said in her mind. It was then that she realized how stupid she had been for venturing to that forbidden place. She was under the impression that, if the python was targeting only warblers, it wasn't that big. So wrong she was, and because she usually ignored the Haven news, she underestimated the python's size in a very severe way.
"My... good sir... just a small word with you. The warblers, the poor things are absolutely terrified out of their minds." Cheryl explained in the most respectable way possible. All her sassy attitude was gone, and for good reason. Now she knew how it was for Sybil to visit this beast, and it was beyond her how something so big could avoid detection all those months. How could anyone camouflage so well?

"I know you already talked with my civet friend, and I know you two had a deal, but I had to know in person if you are willing to keep that promise. The warblers are still living in fear despite the deal..." Cheryl explained calmly, trying to lock all her fears into a corner. She now knew that if the python decided to attack, that was going to be it...

At first-- there was silence and maybe a slight hissing, but soon a response came. "You... you can tell the warblers that they are s-safe. A deal... is a deal.," the voice said becoming closer as the large python actually partly revealed himself in front of the poor kea. "But as long as you are here... I need you... I need you to deliver a message. Find me the Civet... or the tiger who so fondly cares for her. I need... I need to speak to one of them. Tomorrow... same time as before. There is something I need... a questions that needs answering. Tell them... and they will come. And I advice.. you not come here again.," Naga spoke almost surrounding the kea.

Cheryl look petrified as the python came close. That darn beast's head must've been bigger than herself! She couldn't comprehend why such a big animal would prey on such insignificantly small as the warblers, but even though she felt sorry for them, she was glad it was them and not the keas.
"Of course... of course mister. I will tell them..." Cheryl said obediently and with an involuntary bow, immediately leaving, and knowing that it was through the python's mercy that she could leave that horrible place alive. She was a rebellious kea that didn't usually take orders, not even from her brother, but at least she was smart enough to know when to leave her pride aside. As she returned to the still busy kea tree, she started to wonder what the python needed to ask Sybil and Rose, and wondered which one of the two she should bring to the snake...

But at the beach, where the happy couple was still playing and frolicking around, the now teenage Dagger was watching them from a very close distance. He looked like he was going to attack at any moment, but always declined at the last minute. He almost looked like a child that was denied a delicious piece of candy...

"Maybe... maybe not.," Sayan said speeding up again and getting ahead.

Elsewhere, Naga disappeared once again into his territory. He had to find out what had happened to Shadow and what it possibly meant for his future. And now maybe he would get some answers-- thanks to the poor luck/stupidity of some kea.

Finally giving up, Dagger retreated after his mother came to look for him. Now Sayan and Rose could play last play without worrying about the orcas.

While there was happiness at the shore, there was tension around the kea tree. The meeting still wasn't over, and now Cheryl was back home, in the same nest she shared with Mambo and her brother. She couldn't stand listening to the warbler's anymore, but she didn't want them to find out she went to visit the python, or else they would certainly tell Cole and she would receive the scold of her life. She couldn't stand being there anymore, so flying away again, she headed to Sayan's den, and when she didn't find him, she headed to the beach to do some meditation... but it didn't last long when she noticed Sayan and Rose. Needing to speak to somebody, she placed herself in a position where Sayan could see her and started to wave at him to come. She didn't want to talk to Rose or Sybil, and Crocux made her nervous, so Sayan was the one she could trust the most at the moment...

Raul yawned clearly. The residents were all so busy and Harland was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps a nap? Get some rest before something exciting happened.

~~~

Harland knew he had to be gazing upon the ocean itself. The water seemed to expand almost infinitely, as though there were no end to it all. He imagined how far he had traveled, where across these vast and expanding waters his previous home might rest. He was surprised to think he had come so far, traveled across these vast oceans to reach this little community of misfit animals. He searched the surface of the water for ripples, indications that something or someone may be dwelling under the surface of this water. His eyes remained locked on the seemingly motionless water before he stomped the ground sharply and howled "Hello out there!" It was a playful gesture, unlikely to get a response. Even if there were orcas swimming within the waters, what were the odds they were without hearing distance? Nonetheless, it was oddly entertaining to yell out at seemingly no one.

While Cheryl was still waving at Sayan from a distance and further away to where Harland was, someone has heard the donkey's calling. It was Dagger and his mother, who were moving away from the shore to let Sayan and Rose had their space, but they were still within earshot.
"Look mother, I think that's one of the new residents. Can't I say hello?" Dagger asked, still obedient to his mother despite the restless stage of teenager.
"Oh fine. Go meet him. Just don't drag him around. Remember that he's new and he doesn't know about the game." Ellen warned, before leaving her son to meet the newcomer himself.

Although Dagger was still a very young orca, he quadrupled Harland in size. He then greeted him from a distance, since he was still too inexperienced to beach himself.
"Hello new resident. I'm Dagger. Wanna play?" he said swiftly and with a sneaky smile, believing this was an opportunity to finally start the game all by himself. His mother told him not to drag Harland and start the game... without permission that is. She never said he couldn't ask first.

meanwhile Crocux was glad the shadow mess was over and spent his time relaxing at the beach.

Harland was surprised to see a young orca approaching him. By the looks of him, he couldn't have been any more than a teenager. He definitely hadn't expected a response, but was sort of excited to think another resident had heard and was approaching him. He was still quite a bit creature, but Harland did not feel intimidated or imposed. Harland saw that smile, but did not see any ill intent behind it. To him, it simply seemed like a friendly gesture and Harland was very happy to see a friendly orca asking to play with him. Harland might have been mentally older that the teenage orca, but that did not mean he was apposed to playing games. "Oh, hi!" greeted Harland with a cheerful chirp in his voice and a small leap in place. "I'm Harland. I didn't think anyone would actually hear me." He tilted his head, smiling. "I'd love to play with you. What would we be playing?" He was unaware of the 'game' was or that it even existed.

Dagger was very happy with the response. It seemed like he wouldn't have to wait for tomorrow after all. Since Harland got close to the water to speak to him, he was easy to catch, especially since Harland wasn't expecting that. He caught his left front leg and dragged him into the ocean, but being very gentle and following th rule of not usie his teeth when grabbing. His grip was still strong though.
"Now don't be alarmed. This is the way we orcas play... but before we get down to how it really goes, I'll introduce you to my mother." Dagger explained, believing it was better for her to know beforehand instead of catching him playing when she exclusively ordered not to.

Ellen was swimming around passively, inspecting the pod's activity as she usually does, when she saw her son.
"Hey Da... oh no! What did I told you!? Let go of that por creature!" Ellen scolded, but Dagger quickly defended himself.
"No wait mother. This is Harvald. He already gave me permission." Dagger explained, getting his name a little wrong. He wanted his mother to he the one to explain how the game worked.

Harland was initially shocked upon Dagger grabbing him by the leg. He had not expected such a movement. He yelped in shock at first, but quickly relaxed to the idea. The young orca was being very gentle with him, causing him no pain whatsoever. He was still uncertain of this, but he was willing to see where it went, long as the orca continued to be gentle. Part of him was almost excited to be out on the water like this, for swimming was not an action he actively partook in. It was curious to see the ocean from an orcas view - in a manner of speaking, anyways.

Harland tilted his head a little to see the larger orca, Dagger's mother apparently. He chuckled awkwardly as he was introduced, smiling slightly. "Harland," he corrected simply, his chuckle growing in volume a little. "I'm alright with this, at least thus far. It's not too bad," he admitted, directing his words now to Ellen specifically. "I am curious what exactly we're going to be playing though." This was certainly an interesting way to make another inhabitant's acquaintance, though at least he was getting to know other animals around the parts.

~~~

Raul, meanwhile, had found a quiet and shady part of the forest to nestle in. There appeared to be no one around, at least no one noisy. He yawned loudly before dozing off within the shadows of the trees, the cool air washing over him.

Cheryl continued to wave at Sayan, trying to make sure it was him who saw her and not Rose. But back at the water, Ellen, instead of grabbing Harland, swam below him and carried him off.
"Sorry if my son gave you a fright. He's barely reaching his teenage years, and you know how the hormones can be at that age." Ellen excused, figuring Harland must be a teenager reaching adulthood by the way he looked, but then again, she wouldn't have any idea about his species.

After a very brief pause, she spoke again.
"Anyway, I'll try to explain it all to you. You see, Miss Sybil gave us permission a few months ago to train ourselves and our young ones to hunt better through a very special playtime. We try to catch her and the other residents participating from the shore. We beach ourselves and if we do catch them, well... let's just say we sort of treat them as practice toys." Ellen explained, trying to say it in the kindest way possible.
"But don't worry. We don't use our teeth during the shaking, and there has been no injuries. Of course, it's exhausting for both us and the residents, but it's great excercise. And depending on the mood, it can last for hours. If you don't think you can take it, just say the word. We orcas never force out friends to do something they don't want to. If you want to enjoy the beach without being hunted, then it'll be that way." Ellen concluded, in an almost motherly voice.

Cheryl gave a small, squeaky squawk when she realized Rose noticed her; exactly what she didn't want to happen. She then tried to play it cool.
"Just saying hello. And no thank you. I don't want to risk any of those savages leaving me without feathers." Cheryl expressed, referring to the orcas. She tried to make some casual conversation so that Rose wouldn't suspect something was up.

"Likewise, I don't want to risk it." Cheryl said bluntly, standing still. She gave occasional glances at Sayan to indicate him she wanted to talk to him urgently.

Back at Hunted island, Sybil was having the time of her life. She was receiving a very welcoming massage and bonding with Sunflame the serval. Whirlpool looked so happy and so full of vitality these says. It certainly looked like having a roommate and partner in his burrow has done him good. She was going to invite the serval to the Haven, but there was no doubt it was on that island where he belonged.

"It's alright. If Cheryl doesn't want to join us here, maybe we can do something else? If... she would be up to it?," Sayan said looking sly at Cheryl as if to improvise. Something like hide-and-seek or something else would certainly provide the opportunity for whatever Cheryl obviously didn't want Rose to know.

Cheryl looked at Sayan strangely, and she thought it was because he was going to pull a prank on her... but when nothing happened, she realized Sayan understood she wanted them to be alone. Not knowing what game to think about, she thought of something else;
"Listen Rose. Why don't you show me how you can swim... all by yourself." Cheryl suggested, looking at Sayan and wanting to let Rose it was without him. As she and Sayan watched Rose's performance, that was going to be the opportunity for her to get her painful secret off her chest.

"Good good, good for you Rose." Cheryl exclaimed from the distance as she flew and landed on Sayan's shoulders so that she could whisper.
"Finally no interruptions. Listen, this is very important, but please, please don't tell anyone!" Cheryl whispered, barely moving her beak and not taking her eyes off Rose so that it would seemed like she was still paying attention.

After making sure Rose was distracted enough, Cheryl told her predicament without waiting for Sayan to make the promise, since her little misadventure was nagging her too hard.
"Mr. Sayan, I went to see the python. It was a stupid thing to do I know, but he let me go, and told me that he wishes to see either Rose or Sybil tomorrow." Cheryl quickly explained, not wanting to imagine what would happen if neither of them showed up. But what if they did? It would be exposing both their lives, since the python could mean harm. Who should go? Cheryl doubted Sayan would be willing to expose his mate, but Sybil was a far more weaker species than Rose's...

"You certainly are!" Cheryl exclaimed, trying to sound as interested as possible. She was kinda expecting an orca to take her away so that she could talk more secretly with Sayan, but it seemed that they were taking a long time off. Harland and Ellen were out of view, so she didn't know what was up.

At Hunted island, Sybil was finished with the massage, and she felt more relaxed than she has felt in years. Now she knew who to book when she needed a time off from stress.
"Thank you Whirlpool. If I had known you were that good with massages, I would've asked you long ago." Sybil exclaimed, not thinking Whirlpool knew more than just medicine. It was quite hard to imagine he was any good with those extremely long claws of his, but she barely felt them. It was late afternoon, and with the massage over, she wanted to spend the rest of the daylight at Hunted island beach...

"We'll... we'll take care of it. And I hope you know how lucky you are that he let you go.," Sayan whispered to Cheryl sounding concerned and keeping it brief. He watched as Rose swam-- impressed by how much his mate had actually improved.

"Yes, I know. It was quite generous of him in fact, but no way I'm returning to that hellish place." Cheryl exclaimed, believing that the python's threat meant that he wasn't going to let her go if she ever set a talon there again.
"But let's keep my arrival a secret. Don't tell them how you know that... but whom do we send? I don't think Miss Sybil is willing to return to that horrible place. And Rose, she's the one who will inherit this island. We can't risk her life like that." Cheryl expressed nervously, knowing Sayan wasn't willing to expose either of them to the python, especially his mate, even if their last meetings had ended with both of them unharmed. Even though Naga didn't hurt Cheryl, he left quite a nasty impression on her. She couldn't get a clear view of his size, but by what little she could see, she knew this was one gigantic snake, capable of probably facing even Crocux himself. In other words, the python could easily defeat and devour any of the Haven residents if he ever chose it...