darkSpyro

Crocux woke and set Sybil down on the ground gently to not wake her and went home.

Guardian kept looking for Trico not giving up.

Sybil was anxious to see how the game concluded, but she knew he had to signal Trico and Guardian that she had to leave.
"Well guys... eh... it's time for me to wake up. It's been fun." she said, saying the last sentence in a sarcastic tone since she felt like a third wheel in that little game. She thought on what to do that day, since she wasn't in the mood for anything in particular...

"Goodbye." Sybil said briefly, and just in time. She opened her eyes to be greeted by the view of her creek, now realizing she had fallen to the ground, something not very surprising considering the tiny branch she was sleeping on. There was no sign of Crocux anywhere, but Guardian told her he has been sleeping below her. Did he wake up and left? That had to be it, since Sybil doubted Guardian would lie about something like that.

After a few yawns and stretches, Sybil got a quick breakfast... and thought on what she should do. At first, she headed to Crocux's cave to see how he was doing, but since she believed she wasn't going to be welcomed, she decided it was best to see how Yodel was doing first. Since the orcas were going to be in the mood of playing instead of giving rides, she went to the pelicans instead. It has been a while since she visited the marine birds, so she stayed for a while and talked to them, keeping Yodel's predicament a secret. After getting acquainted once again, Sybil travelled to Hunted island inside the beak of one of the biggest pelicans, the best way to travel for little animals like her when the orcas weren't available...

Guardian "i don't mind i'll find yeah next time"

Now at Hunted island, the pelican left at Sybil's instructions. She went to the burrow and checked on Yodel. She saw Whirlpool and was so sorry for him. He had enormous bag under his eyes, but he at least was successful on keeping Yodel alive. The warbler showed no improvement, except that his breathing was a little bit more constant than yesterday. Sybil hoped that was a good sign. Having lived with Whirlpool for a month, Sybil knew a little about medicine and first aid, so she offered herself to take care of the warbler while Whirlpool and perhaps Sunflame, slept for a few hours. That meant that she may have to skip the orca game today and leave that hard task to her friends. She wondered what Crocux was doing at the moment...

Crocux rested at his home feeling a great burden has bee lifted off of him.

Almost an hour had passed and Sybil remained with Yodel. It was incredible how it was her the one whom he has tormented the most and yet was his first visit and the one taking care of him right now.

The orcas were at the beach, surrounding the waters and close to the shore, ready to drag whatever helpless soul got close. Yesterday, they gave the Haven residents a chance to be free earlier and went a little easy on them, but today was different. Sybil was a little lucky she was deciding to skip the activity today.

Crocux soon went to the beach for some fun. he went close to the waters edge and made himself an easy target.

Crocux was exposed, but the orcas knew he isn't easily handed, no matter how vulnerable he was appearing to be. Ricky and Rumble were the only ones who usually accepted the challenge, but they were left behind when Cairo was the one who decided to catch Crocux, wanting a far better challenge than that of yesterday. He may not be leader anymore, but he still had a lot of his pride, and despite Crocux having grown bigger and stronger, that wasn't going to stop him. Cairo tackled ahead, expecting Crocux to give him the challenge he was searching for...

Crocux smiled and dodged the tackle diving into the water. he swam away pretty quickly easily getting a head start.

"Oh, so it's a race then. You got it!" Cairo said playfully, blissfully unaware of the events of yesterday. He liked Crocux, and has grown use to seeing him with Sybil, though that didn't seemed to happen as often as before. Cairo assumed it was because Sybil had her paws tied with the python issue. As he caught up with Crocux, he decided to engage into some polite conversation before the capture.
"Say croc, haven't seen you in a while. I know Miss Sybil is quite stressed with this python problem. I didn't see her this morning. I assumed she was going to be with you." Cairo expressed, knowing that Sybil was usually the first Haven resident to arrive at the beach, which Crocux sometimes following her.

Crocux says "well she's been stressed out lately so she probably wants some space." which was true even if it wasn't the whole story. Crocux then says "you know I think your name is an oxymoron really. Cairo is the name of a city in a place called Egypt which is mostly nothing but a desert. yet your a killer whale which lives in the ocean."

Cairo was surprised with the information. He always believed his name was an ordinary one.
"Really? Well, what an event. I always believed it was just a name. I guess mother heard the word once and thought it sounded cool." Cairo assumed, though his mother was no longer with him, so he had no way of knowing if that was really the reason or if there was another meaning behind his name.

Crocux smiled seeming much more at ease then normal "maybe. ether way I'm glad were finally playing together. I always wanted a turn since we met even though we did get a rough start."

Cairo was glad this was the form of playing, since catching Crocux was going to be far more difficult. Not only was he bigger and stronger, but if he tried to escape an orca's grip through death roll, the orca could accidentally injure him with their teeth.
"Well, I guess this will be constant you see . Soon you'll have to join the game rather than be part of it. You have grown quite big, so you won't be able to play the prey anymore." Cairo indicated, seeing how, despite Crocux was still much smaller than him, he was slightly bigger than the seals he usually hunted.

Crocux chuckled "maybe but for now i'm still prey so catch me if you can" and started going faster.

Cairo simply scoffed, seeing how Crocux was asking for it.
"Hmph! Have it your way. But I won't be held responsible if something happens." Cairo said with half closed eyes, and more to himself than to Crocux. He then sped up like a black and white torpedo, taking only a few seconds to be mere inches away from the crocodile. Seals rarely escaped him, so it was no surprise he was so good at the game...

Meanwhile, Sybil continued to take care of Yodel while Whirlpool slept, wondering how the rest of the Haven residents were doing, especially Crocux. She felt like their relationship wasn't going to be the same ever again, but she was still willing to try to be at peace with him. She didn't want him to feel hated and change for the worst, if there was a possibility to that in the first place. Guardian may still be lecturing him, but he was still a ghost. It wasn't the same anymore...

Crocux smiled "guess I better pull all the stops" and starts swimming as fast as he could.

Cairo sped up as well, and it wasn't long before he managed to catch Crocus by the tail.
"Now it's time to go for a spin." Cairo said with a smile, noticing just how much heavier than the last time he caught him. Crocux was longer than the seals he hunted, but he was not heavier. There has been some particularly fat seals Cairo has hunted, so he was use to the challenge. He wasn't the best hunter in the pod, but he certainly was the strongest. Gustave only came in seconds in terms of strength.

At the kea's tree, nobody ever wondered about Yodel's disappearance, except Mambo. He was use to Yodel complaining and quarreling with himself back at his little spot on the tree. He went to see if the warbler had returned, but only saw his nest, empty and with just one of his feathers. It was a very messy nest, so it was impossible to tell if he slept that night there. Mambo doubted that was the case, since Yodel fought even in his sleep. He stayed at the tree to wait for Yodel a little longer, but given Mambo's curiosity, it was only a matter of time before he couldn't stand to know what was going on, and where Yodel ran off to. That wasn't like him, especially considering that big tree use to be his alone...

"I'm up.... I'm up.," Sayan said stretching and lifting himself from the ground. "I'm sorry-- its just that I haven't been able to get much sleep lately. But I'm up.," Sayan indeed looking a tad more tired then his usual self.

Finally waking up, the pair had a long day ahead of them. Since Crocux was already claimed, the others waited for Rose and Sayan to approach, their dorsal fins clearly visible, unlike yesterday. They weren't even trying to conceal themselves this time. They were too eager to have someone to play with. Life in the Haven was as normal as it could be, even after the so many events from yesterday. Only a few knew about Yodel's incident or the meeting with the python, so they were all blissfully ignorant of the events, which was better that way.

"I'm... I'm alright.," Sayan said with a slight smile. "I probably just need to get some energy before we begin and I should be alright.," he then said trying to sound more like himself.

Crocux smiled looking forward to it. "give me your best shot"

"Oh, you got it!" Cairo said, as he impressively lifted the crocodile and threw him several feet in the air, and slapping him with his tail mid air. This was only to stun him, since Cairo didn't use his full strength, but seeing a crocodile flying was surely an impressive feat. The other pod members were both jealous and impressed at this feat, some wishing they could be as big and strong as Cairo. It was insane how big the orca was, with many suspecting he may even had a form of gigantism syndrome or something, since it was quite unnatural seeing an orca that size.

But as some served as spectators, others were just keeping a close eye on the shore, among them Reenee, Randy's new mate. It was going to be her first time in the game, and she was sure she got the idea after witnessing it yesterday. Randy was goin to keep an eye on her nonetheless, since he wanted to make sure she didn't instinctively injured any Haven resident. They weren't real prey, and it was important to remember the heavy rules of the game before being part of it.

OOC: LOL, look at that. We posted at the very same time

To keep his mind off Yodel, Mambo decided to do what he usually did those days and went to the beach to see the Haven residents massacred to delight the orcas. He was glad he wasn't part of the game, but he wondered how it could be. The only one who could offer him a similar experience was Crocux, and he was somewhat avoiding him after the nasty prank he pulled a month ago. It was amusing to him at first, but it did made him grow a little bit more cautious of the crocodile. This was an involuntary reaction.

"Hey. Look at that. Haven't seen that thylacine for a long while." Rumble said to his brother, preparing for a sneak attack. He was suddenly halted by Randy, who believed it was better if Reenee took this hunt herself.
"Sorry Rumble. But I think it's better for my girlfriend to take this one herself." he suggested, with Rumble and Ricky leaving, the former very upset. Stripes didn't seem to be aware of their presence, so he was probably going to be an easy catch.
"Alright darling. Remember what you saw yesterday. Now go for it." Randy said with encouragement, having a lot of faith in his mate. Reenee went for the hunt, keeping in mind that she was not to use her teeth or her full strength when playing with a resident. It was such a curious activity for her. The Haven orcas were certainly lucky to have friendly land animals that allowed themselves to be used as target practices. It was no wonder they were so incredibly successful in their real hunts.

Renee went stealthy, and in less than a second managed to catch the thylacine without any effort, grasping him tightly with her mouth but avoiding to use the teeth as the rules stated. That was a very easy catch, and doubted this stripey animal even knew what was coming to him. Was he aware of the game? He didn't seem to jump out of the way. But it was too late for him now. Renee took him away without saying a word, wondering what many fun and creative games she could play with this practice target...

Crocux became stunned and excited at being so high up in the air. he thought to himself "hugh so this is what its like to fly for Shi"

OOC: My apologies if I remain inactive for a time. We have been without power for more than 24 hours now

"You're too far off. Flying must be a wonderful experience." Cairo said modestly, not thinking he was throwing Crocux that high. After capturing him a second time, he talked again.
"But rubbish about flying. What I would give to at least walk on land. You are lucky. You don't know how depressing it is to be limited to water alone." Cairo lamented, believing Crocux didn't realize how lucky he was that he could swim AND walk on land as well. He lamented all the things he could've helped Sybil with if his species could only inhabit land.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

"Wah! The game started so soon?! I can't believe I didn't know!" Stripes said. "Be gentle." He said sheepishly.

Renee didn't know what to do, but after remembering that the orcas did talked with their catch from time to time, so she replied.
"My apologies. This is my first time." she said, as she swam towards Randy.

"Well done love. Your first catch. Now you can do whatever you want... of course, as long as it's gently." Randy said with a smile, greeting Stripes with a wave of his fin. He was happy for Renee, and was going to keep a close eye on her to make sure she got the idea. She was smaller than the humongous Haven pod, but having lived in the Arctic, she was very sturdy.

Randy followed Renee to her destination, wanting to try far away from the envious pod. They remained waiting for Rose and Sayan, or whoever else decided to try the game that day. Once at her spot, Renee started to play with Stripes... and it was in the most gentle of ways. Instead of throwing Stripes or shaking him very hard like the rest of the pod, she let Stripes go, slides him from back to tail, and grabs him again and repeat the process. Sometimes she would throw him into the air with her tail, but the distance wasn't very high. Randy was quite impressed. Was that her idea of fun, or was she doing that because she really didn't want to hurt Stripes? He knew Renee wasn't a violent orca, but what he didn't kmow was that back in the Arctic, most of her family fed on seals, but she preferred fish. She had a very high respect for land animals and she couldn't stand the idea of killing them. She ocasionally fed on seal meat, but that was only if somebody else had hunted it and if the situation was desperate.

Quote: Felines

OOC: My apologies if I remain inactive for a time. We have been without power for more than 24 hours now

"You're too far off. Flying must be a wonderful experience." Cairo said modestly, not thinking he was throwing Crocux that high. After capturing him a second time, he talked again.
"But rubbish about flying. What I would give to at least walk on land. You are lucky. You don't know how depressing it is to be limited to water alone." Cairo lamented, believing Crocux didn't realize how lucky he was that he could swim AND walk on land as well. He lamented all the things he could've helped Sybil with if his species could only inhabit land.

ooc: its ok it happens.

Crocux chuckled "sorry I was just thinking that must be how its like for Shi to fly. she needs to be careful when flying given her condition."

Cairo simply shrank his shoulders, resuming the harsh play. Crocux was very sturdy, so he required harsher treatment.

At Hunted island, Whirlpool was still sleeping. It was a much needed rest. Yodel showed no sign of improvement ever since Sybil got there, but he was hanging on. After Whirlpool woke up, Sybil was thinking of catching up with the game, even if she misses a few hours. She needed the distraction...

OOC: No worries Felines! And sorry about your power.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

"I'll come with you help catch breakfast." Rose said.

"Alright.," Sayan simply said appreciating the help and not one to refuse the tiger's request. He had to get his dreams sorted out though... eventually.

Crocux laughed like a little kid on a ride the whole time Cairo played with him.

Even though Cairo was being harsher to Crocux than he was with Sybil, Sayan or Rose, his treatment could still be considered gentle, especially considering Crocux' hard skin and muscles.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

Ooc: take your time.

"You are a gentle one aren't you? I'm assuming you're from the Artic?" Stripes said actually enjoying their gentle play.

"Randy told you about us?" Renee asked, not knowing the Haven residents very well yet, so she didn't know who was constant in the game and who was a loner.

Oh..." Renee exclaimed, still using the same, gentle method on him. But as she played, there was one particular Haven resident she wanted to know about.
"Say, who is this Sybil? I've heard that she is the civet that founded the Haven, but I still haven't met her." she asked, hoping Stripes could give her some light into her. She didn't even know what a civet was, only that it was about the size of a small penguin. Then again, there weren't that many animals she knew about.