darkSpyro

"Too bad..." Sybil answered, proceeding into an eerie silent. She was sure that Shadow couldn't find her.

But at Hunted island, things were in uproar. Nia was missing, and her parents were hysterical. Angus suggested that she was at the Haven, worrying them more. Hey knew that at nights, Shadow struck, so they were afraid she could be imprisoned. Not knowing that she was quite safe for now, Barloc, his wife and some of the cockatoos went with them to look for the young one. Angus stayed behind, calling Jet.
"Mr. Jet! Mr. Jet! I know it's late, but this is too urgent." he called, his throat hurting a little bit with all the screaming...

"Have you seen Nia around?" Angus asked, knowing that Nia liked Jet a lot. He thought maybe she came to him to complain about her earlier scold.

Sybil could hear the fainting rustling of the dry leaves as Shadow walked away. Did he gave up so fast? That couldn't be. However, she wasn't looking forward to staying there. There was still work to do. She cautiously returned to the kea tree, but remained hidden behind a brush when she saw Sholeh and Warren were still there. However, there was no sign of Yodel. She remained vigilant but nervous, believing Yodel was also on the lookout somewhere. Fortunately for her, warblers didn't have good night vision, but still...

Sybil saw Warren for the first time, but he wasn't a vulture. What was going on? She didn't spend the time to think though. Knowing that Shadow was probably nearby, she chose another target, Sholeh. She threw another rock, similar to the one she threw Shadow, and this time, it hit.
"AH! What the..." the mongoose exclaimed, and Warren found out the source.
"Someone threw a rock from over there." he said, and chased after Sybil. Now the civet realized how stupid she was. Warren was just inches of catching her, when she managed to his just below the roots of a mangrove tree.
"Warren! What is going on?" Sholeh said, appearing from behind her. She was rubbing behind ear, and she was furious. Whoever assaulted her, she wanted punishment.

Before Sholeh could enter the roots where Sybil was hidden, she was hit with dirt. Sybil didn't let her enter.
"Aargh! Who dares attack me like that? And where the heck is Shadow when you need him? Whoever did this to me must be punished!" Sholeh yelled, rubbing her eyes. Warren tried to catch whoever did that, but he was also met with dirt on his face. Besides, he didn't fit the roots...

Royal is perched on the branch of a tree, eating a large fish that he has recently caught. He has no idea about the current issues, for he has currently detached himself from it. He is on his own now.

Meanwhile back at the Haven, Ivor returns with the empty coconut halves filled with berries. He knows that Jaerl needs more nourishment than this, but he is unsure how to get what he needs. Still he does his best to keep the falcon hydrated and comfortable.

Shadow managed to grab Sybil's tail, but just the tip of the fur. She had a similar predicament to that with her chest, but she filled herself with bravery that night, so she kicked some dirt into Shadow's snout. Even though it didn't hurt him, it was enough to make him flinch, and Sybil took the opportunity to climb as high as she could to the insides of the rather hollow tree. She couldn't get attacked that way since Warren and Shadow were too big to enter through the roots, but Sholeh could.
"I don't know what the heck is that thing, but it wasn't very smart to attack ME!" she said furiously, entering the roots. Sybil couldn't attack in her position, so Sholeh was free to enter. Inside the tree, there could be heard some heavy thudding. It was quite a struggle. Sholeh and Sybil were fighting... but it was impossible to tell what was going on inside that tree, who was winning...

Quote: Spyroconvexity

Meanwhile Rose couldn't sleep she was worried about the birds.

Sayan, whom also wasn't sleeping much, took notice. "You really should get some sleep.," Sayan said rubbing his head against the tiger's.

Warren was terrified that his Sholeh was getting hurt. But there was nothing he could do. Inside, the struggle lasted for almost five minutes. After that time, Sholeh came out of the roots, limping and in very bad shape. Sybil had won, but she was also very wounded, and a little bit of her disguise was broken.
"You sir? Haven't you got any honor? Get out of there! Stop being a coward and face me into the opening!" Sholeh said furiously, but Sybil didn't budge. However, she was too wounded to climb the tree, so she remained on the ground, but Sholeh wasn't going to enter anytime soon.
"I don't know what that thing is Shadow, but whatever it is, is wearing a disguise. It is grounded now. Come on Shadow, get that thing out of there with your claws and finish it!" she urged, wanting justice for her humiliation.

Sybil's disguise was made mostly of wood, especially in the chest after that traumatizing experience. This made her be full of valor, but what she was about to do next, she wondered if it was too stupid or if it was the correct thing to do to have the chance of escaping.
"Fine fine, you caught me. Horray for you." she said sarcastically, trying not to be nervous as Shadow's paws wrapped around hers.

OOC: Hey Spyroconvexity, did you forget about Jet and Angus's conversation?

"The Haven? Heh, I figured. She didn't say anything to you on the way, did she?" Angus asked, knowing that his cousin liked Jet and thought she probably complained to him about her scold.

"Come on, do you need to be so rough?" Sybil said in her Matthew voice, trying to buy some time.
"Shame on you. I have heard that you don't only want this sacred place, you also want the island where the cockatoos live. Greedy greedy." she then said, trying to engage him in conversation so that she could think of an escape plan. Sholeh was too furious to take notice of this, or that Warren was kindly taking care of her wounds, and even though she wanted to insult this stranger, she decided to let everything to Shadow...

"HAH! First of all, YOU are not from here. Second, that is a lie. I have seen you imprisoning warblers and pelicans, NATIVE birds." Sybil answered, distracting Shadow and trying to trick him into loosening his grip on her.
"Well let me tell you something you... thing. I am a native animal here. I was expelled from my own home by a stupid civet that use to live here." Sholeh said, now even more furious to bring the late Sybil to the subject.

"Certainly. I live just on the other side of this Haven, further away from the sea rocks." Sybil lied, answering the same way she did Rose when she asked her. She even thought on what species she would choose if she was asked.
"Oh really? And may I ask why do you need a disguise?" Sholeh suddenly asked, wanting to know about that stranger as much as she could before Shadow did his job.
"Well..." Sybil answered, thinking fast.
"I have some hideous scars all over my body. It's shameful really." she quickly answered, but Sholeh then looked at Warren and his disguise, and wondered if there was more to the story...

"Well, if you are curious, I'm just a simple weasel looking for justice." Sybil answered, noticing the loosened grip. She knew that it was now or never. As if she was covered in soap, the weasel slipped through Shadows claws and ran like she never ran before. It was now that Sholeh realized what the stranger did in order to escape.
"No you! Stop!" she yelled, almost going after the escapist, but Warren already had a head start. He managed to grab Sybil with his talons, but as always, his clumsiness was his perdition. Just as he was gripping her and bringing her back to the two, he collided with a branch, letting go of her and accidentally shooting her way upfront. Due to the high volume of foliage, it was impossible to tell where the stranger landed. The weasel was gone.
"WARREN! You STUPID OAF! Look what YOU did!" Sholeh scolded furiously, and then turned to Shadow.
"And YOU! How could you let that... black freak of nature escape like that!?" she said furiously, also angry at him. But without knowing, she was also angry with herself for not seeing the strategy and letting the weasel play them like fools through all that silly conversation.

"You're right, you're right." Sholeh said, inhaling and exhaling calmly to slow her heartbeat.
"Finally! This is it! Finally, I can live where I belong. And you, you are finally free to get your revenge." she commented, trying to be glad with the news, but she couldn't hide her unease with this stranger.
"But... we will have to be vigilant anyway. That thing, that weasel, whatever the heck it is, seems like one to be causing trouble. I had enough with Sybil to have some random creature appearing from out of nowhere and try to mess with all our hard work." she expressed, very oblivious to the fact that the stranger and her supposedly dead mortal enemy were one and the same.

Warren did that quickly, since he was uncomfortable, and also sad for that heavy scold.
"Come on Warren. You are going to help me search for the perfect home. No more going to that horrible Outback." Sholeh said happily, even forgetting that she was angry with him earlier. She then wondered where the heck Yodel ran off to, but pretended that she didn't care.

Without Shadow, Warren or Sholeh knowing, Yodel left right after the stranger appeared. He already gave more than the mile extra for them by bringing them to all those trees and trapping his kind. He didn't want to get involved in their battles. The last time he did, it brought him under house arrest, and he didn't want to take any risks.

Meanwhile, Sholeh had found the perfect tree she wanted. It wasn't inhabited by any of the warblers, but there was a trapped family nearby. It was just what Sholeh wanted, a tree not as big as the kea tree, but not as small as the poor trees Yodel was staying at.
"Now Warren, guard this tree for me. I need something important to take care of." she said, as she headed to the beach. She couldn't keep her worries away. The weasel was daring enough to try to stop even a Komodo dragon, and that was something truly problematic. So she wanted all to be taken care of; if the stranger was ever near the shore, she wanted Jet to take care of him like he did Sybil, if Shadow couldn't on land...

Sybil was half unconscious on a tree. Once she woke up, she could see a warbler taking care of the ugly bump she received when flunked by Warren.
"Easy there." the warbler said, as he continued the treatment. Not all the birds knew Sybil had a disguise, but they did know at there was a masked animal helping them. This made Sybil feel comfortable, as she let he rather young, chained warbler to continue helping her.

Sholeh saw as the sun was rising, and she knew hat the tiger was one to frequent the beach very often, so she hurried.
"Jet!? Jet, where are you?" she called, from their usual meeting spot. Jet was done that night talking to Angus, who returned to Hunted island and told his uncle and aunt Nia was just having a little sleepover at the Haven.

Back at the young warbler's tree, Sybil had enough treatment. It was time for her to resum her mission. After many thanks to the poor warbler, she headed to the kea tree, so worried about them. She never expected Shadow to ever target them, or maybe that was Yodel's idea? She really hated him for Nia new betrayal. Yodel wasn't likable, but she never expected him to be that evil. Maybe the house arrest didn't do a thing. She would have to give the news to Roseonce she was done with the kea tree...

Ami left the comfort of the small yet well ventilated dark cavern she was living in. She felt quite sorry for Rose to have climbed so high, if only she knew thy had to spend the night nearby.
"Oh miss Rose, sorry you had to go so high. I'm trying to create a method where I can hear your calls without you needing to climb." Ami explained, thinking of something similar to a megaphone.
"But what brings you here? Come, enter." she said, welcoming Rose to her home and having yet to notice that the tiger wasn't the only visitor...

"Aw Jet, you are always a delight to see." Sholeh expressed, having been in a bad mood that vanished as soon as she saw him.
"Anyway, this is important; you see, last night, we received a visitor. A masked visitor. It claims that it was a weasel, but I don't know. But either way, here's the thing, that stranger was way too close into sabotaging our plans, and that is something that can't be allowed. Both Warren and Shadow had the chance to finish it off, but they so stupidly let it get away." Sholeh explained furiously, insulting Shadow for the first time.
"Now then, if you please, if for some reason that masked weasel approaches the shore... well, you know what to do, right?" Sholeh then asked, pretending innocence. She trusted Jet far more than Shadow for those kinds of job. She didn't even cared if for some reason Shadow wanted to be the one to the job, since she believed that he was still too focused on Rose for wanting to do anything else.

OOC: Woah! Check out the times of post #179 and #180

OOC: Who knows?

"Why, I don't have to tell you twice, do I?" Sholeh said pleasantly, now very sure that whatever the threat the stranger represents, Jet will take care of it without any delay.
"Of course, for now, he is only a pathetic creature trying to play hero. Not a big deal for now. But... if he proves to be too big of a threat, I'll lure it here, just in case he doesn't approach the shore." she then commented, retreating to make sure she wasn't seen now that the sun was higher.
"Well, see ya darling." she said, waving goodbye with a smile. Jet was the only creature she was ever kind to. Not even Warren received such kind treatment, and her handling of Shadow was more out of begrudging respect than politeness.

"Oh, you have company. Well come in you all. We have more space than you might think." Ami said with a sweet, kind voice. Her home was dark, but once she removed a little rock from a high part of the cavern, a small ray of light entered as if it was a window, giving illumination to the place. Indeed, the place was small, but spacious enough to withhold the guests.

"Yodel? You mean bitter Yodel?" Ami asked, surprised, remembering the intense dislike he and Rose had for each other.
"Well... OK, but that may be difficult. You see, Yodel is not living in a single tree. He moves into a different one every day, and if he is chained, then we still don't know where. But... I will try my best anyway." Ami assured, flying away, towards the foliage. It was a big, thick forest, and finding Yodel wasn't going to be an easy task. She then decided that it was best to call him while landing on a branch, and if he didn't answer, then go to another one. She wondered if he would answer. One thing was for certain, she wasn't worried. She believed that Shadow and the others struck only at night, so she didn't think they would still be around...

Back to Sybil, she was halfway to the kea tree, but she was so exhausted that she wasn't sure she would make it there. She needed to sleep, even if it was for only a couple of hours. But most of the habitable trees were covered in that sticky goo, and knew it would be risky if Shadow was still around. Komodo could climb trees after all. So instead, Sybil managed to crawl herself through the roots of a tree similar to the one she hid hat night, and even though it wasn't comfortable, it was dark down there, and it had enough dead leaves and mud around to disguise her scent.

Yodel heard Ami's calling several times, but he didn't respond back. Even thin he was well acquainted with the seagull, she was still on Rose's side. But after a while, he grew curious on why the insistence, so he finally responded by going to her.
"Yes yes? What is it?" he asked, rather rudely, but Ami was use to that from him.
"Rose wishes to speak to you. She's at my home. Trust me, you wanna hear what she wants to say." Ami quickly said, wanting to tell Yodel the news but knew that was up to Rose. Her plan worked, since Yodel headed there, wondering what was that Ami said he wanted to hear so much. Ami was confused though. She finally found Yodel, but e was he only warbler that wasn't chained. Was it because he was always on the move? If it was that, then it was a good strategy. If only he knew the truth...

Sybil slept a bit stressed, and much more closer than anyone would imagine, Sholeh passed her, humming to herself and into her new home. She didn't even bother looking for Shadow to tell her what she just arranged. She climbed her new tree, with Warren receiving her very warmly, only to be ignored.
"Ah yes. The amount of peace now is extraordinary. I'm telling you Warren, now we will live like we deserve. No more Haven nonsense. Once Shadow is finally done with that stupid tiger, there will be no more outlanders, and we will have the island all to ourselves." she said, as she hugged the tree, and trusting that Rose was going to be no more hat very same day considering how obsessed Shadow was with his revenge. The peace she was feeling right now, she thought she would ever feel it in her life. She was so happy that she has even almost forgotten about the weasel, not that it mattered though, since she was resting assure that he was going to be digested soon enough, just like Sybil...

Royal has long since finished eating his fish and has returned to the inside of his tree to sleep. However as he sees a stranger struggling to sleep, he flies down and lands beside the roots of the tree. Tapping the roots of the tree with his talon, he speaks.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to intrude but you seem to be having difficulty sleeping. I have a large tree that has more than enough room for you and myself. You are welcome to join me if you wish stranger. In fact I invite you to do so," he says with a small smile.

What in the... Sybil says in her mind, recognizing Royal immediately. That was bad news. She thought that Royal could recognize her, but decided to play along. Thankfully, she had eaten an extra dose of her bitter fruit, so her Matthew's voice was still strong.
"Thank you good sir." she answered with that deep voice, even changing the accent a bit so the less possible it was to recognize her. As she followed the Harpy eagle, she didn't want to admit it, but Royal made her a little nervous, and the fruit's effects were near the end. Fortunately, she had hidden a slice of it in her mask just in case, being grateful that she always planned ahead in dire situations, just like a month ago.

Royal however either does not recognize her or simply understands her reasoning for hiding and says nothing. Leading Sybil to his tree, after making sure she is comfortable he flies into the hole. Minutes later the great eagle falls asleep.

Sybil was about to ask him something, but it was too late. Royal was already asleep, and she proceeded to do the same. However, before doing so, she wondered how him and Jaerl were taking on their new lives without her. She already knew Sayan and Rose were moving on pretty well, but what bout the rest? She tried not to give it much thought, so she lied don, ready to sleep...

Before Sayan could reply, there came Yodel, landing at a considerable distance from Rose and wanting to leave the place as soon as possible. Just how Ami tolerated that cold?
"What do you want?" he asked very rudely, wanting to get over it.

At Sholeh's new tree, she was breathing pleasantly, and her eyes were closed. Se was taking a nap, enjoying the peacefulness she was feeling at the moment. She may have hated the Outback, but Warren didn't. That's where he was born, and it was much more easier to find his kind of food. He was getting rather hungry, and without waking up Sholeh, he left the tree and into theOutback, believing he wasn't going to be missed if she woke up during his absence anyway...

After a good sleep, Royal wakes from his restful slumber. His golden eyes gleam brilliantly as he watches his guest. He gently wraps his wings over her as he waits patiently for them to wake.

Sybil woke up slowly, and when she realized there was something around her, she was a little started. However, she recognized those feathers immediately. Why was Royal so kind? He was quite hostile most of the time, especially with strangers. Did he suspect something? Sybil didn't want to believe it was that. Maybe he changed?

At Hunted island, Barloc couldn't sleep a wink last night. If what his nephew told him about Nia going to a sleepover, then who else would she do it with than Rose? Even if both him and Angus slept very close to both Sayan and Rose that day a month ago, he was still too stubborn to admit that not all predators were bad souls. After his wife woke up, he left her in charge to go look for his daughter. Kali already knew of his worries, but didn't make an effort to stop him. He couldn't be helped. He was a lost case. In fact, Kali was more worried about Sybil. Se hadn't returned to the tree ever since she left yesterday. Kali knew she was tracking Shadow and the others, and was visibly very worried that something must have happened to her, and hoped Barloc would search for her as well once he found their daughter.

Yodel was paralyzed with shock. For a moment, he thought that Rose was going to scold him, or insult him, but it was all the contrary. Once he was released of his paralysis, he freed himself from the hug, refusing to believe that was an honest forgiveness.
"Trying to fix your damaged image miss Rose? You should be the one apologizing to me when you attacked me nearly a year ago." he said bitterly, not forgetting the incident back then when Rose lunged at him when he was still living in the big tree. He was still too stupidly stubborn to admit that the attack was due to him insulting her severely in the first place when she was still too young and emotionally vulnerable.

Yodel was quite old. He knew honesty, and Rose had it. But he didn't want to admit it. He was about to ask Rose to prove herself by returning him the big tree, but remembered that the keas were imprisoned there, so that wasn't going to be possible. He decided to take advantage of that, and put her to the test:
"OK now, if you're really sorry, then prove it. To find me a tree that you are sure that I'll love, and I'll think about it." he said, desperate to know how she would react...