darkSpyro

The ocean lost its warmth as the sun dipped below the horizon. It was time for the minuscule Missings to depart as well. They followed the general path to the forest and the Keas' (previously that horrid warbler's) tree. Close behind the other animals, they slithered and scuttled through the moon-dappled underbrush. Skaliscin and Speckles made a few final glances at the beach behind them, remembering that first week when all the animals gazed at the wonderful spectacle of Light Beach and its microscopic glow-creatures.
"And I used to be scared of beaches," the velvet worm commented, almost mocking himself.
Skaliscin only grunted in mild acknowledgement, still staring after the ocean as the trees progressively hid it from her sight. She remembered the little incident that occurred between Sybil and Jarel. She had managed to see the falcon steal a peck on the civet's cheek. It amused her when she saw it. The thought of romance seemed obnoxious and pointless to her back then. She was a snake, after all. Her parents did what needed to be done, and the mother laid the eggs and left. No one ever stayed together. That is, no one but her and Voracivenom...

As morning drew closer, Sybil was still in her tree, sleeping a profound sleep, so rare with all the stress she usually has. However, that didn't stop the Haven to be full of action, especially since the now-better Mambo woke up and was looking for excitement. As usual, he was going to the orcas and have a little fun with them as always, but found Speckles and Skaliscin along the way, and decided they will have to do.
"Well well well, if it isn't the oddest pair the world has ever seen." he said, sounding cocky and cool. "Beautiful morning, and I feel so much better. It's a good thing that island was found, otherwise I would still be moaning for the cold." he said rather quickly.
"You know I can't still believe that Sybil took us in, I mean, with our dastard reputation, pretty much everyone want to stay as far away as they can from us." he confessed, rather upset to remember how his species was unfairly considered malicious and naughty.

The three had rested in a bush that night, sharing tales of their homeland until they dozed off. When Mambo visited in the morning, Speckles was the only one awake.
"The cold? How cold does it get from where you come from?" he inquired.

Mambo believed that Speckles didn't listen to a word he said, but otherwise, he didn't let it bother him and proceeded to answer; "Very cold indeed. It snows most of the time and you can see humans very covered in thick clothes." he explained, though he though the theme wasn't appropriate with what most animals have gone through with humans. He changed the subject swiftly.
"Well tell me the gossips little worm. I heard that crybaby falcon has this little love for the mistress. Am I right?" he said, moving one eyebrow. As a kea, he loved gossip and scandals, and hoped to receive an answer from the Velvet worm.

When some of the morning humidity reached Sybil's tree, it was enough to woke her up. That was such a good night sleep, she even drooled. Everything was very calmed, in fact, too calm. She wanted a time off, but now that she had it, she missed the usual stress. After a quick breakfast, she headed to the beach to see if the orca's had some interesting news, but at the last moment, she decided it was better to see Mambo first...

Speckles grinned mischievously at what Mamdo was getting to. "Oh yeah, Jaerl's been sweet on her since Day One. I saw him kiss her on Light Beach!" He made a quick glance at the two serpents, who were sleeping in the leaf-bedding peacefully. "But he's not the only one who has it bad." The velvet worm motioned with his stubby arm for Mambo to lean closer.

Jaerl is awake but perched in his tree watching his father from a distance unsure what to do. All of a sudden Royal takes off into the sky and vanishes from view. The peregrine falcon wants to go after him but is unsure. Little does anyone realize how guilty Royal feels about his actions. The group are lucky that neither of the predatory birds here their conversation. Beneath the tree is a message, an apology and a likely farewell from Royal. It says:

"Dear Sybil and friends,

Farewell, you all. I apologize for my violent actions in the past. There was no excuse for what I did. The screams of those I killed still haunt me even now. I cannot bear to say farewell to my son, the pain would be more than I could bare. Even now as I write this in the sand, I can feel my heart breaking. Please let him know that I love him and that we will see each other again. Please take good care of him, this will be very hard for him and he will need his friends. Sybil, I wish that none of this had happened, but it did. I believe even now you are stressed about the consequences of my actions. Do not blame yourself, what I do was my actions and mine alone. If only this had never happened, I may have been able to stay here with you and aide you as I have been. I am leaving very soon, perhaps this afternoon or night. You will be able to find me in my tree, if you wish to speak to me. You may even try to convince me to stay, but it will take a lot to convince me. I cannot take the pain of my guilt anymore.

Love,

Royal

P.S. If anyone is making fun of him, know this I will find out who and give them a piece of my mind. His pain is not a laughing matter. It is a tragedy.

Sayan was now awake. After a quick snack from his plentiful pond, he makes his way towards the more populated parts of the island. He wasn't planning on disappearing again, as his instincts often told him to. Along the way, he sees Royal take off but thinks nothing of it. As he makes his way towards the beach, hoping to spot Sybil or any of the other inhabitants whom he hadn't spoken to in a long while, he sees the message and looks at it with concern. 'I need to find Sybil...,' he thought as he read the message.

Quote: Waaksian

Speckles grinned mischievously at what Mamdo was getting to. "Oh yeah, Jaerl's been sweet on her since Day One. I saw him kiss her on Light Beach!" He made a quick glance at the two serpents, who were sleeping in the leaf-bedding peacefully. "But he's not the only one who has it bad." The velvet worm motioned with his stubby arm for Mambo to lean closer.

Mambo understood the direct, and leaned closer. It looked like the little Velvet worm was as mischievous and gossiper as himself, and he really liked it. He believed that would be the start of a very interesting and fun friendship.

Meanwhile at the big tree, Cheryl was landing near the approaching Sybil. "Oh hello Sybil. If you are here to see how is Mambo is doing, then don't. He left this morning without anyone noticing, probably to bother the orca's again. Can you believe a guy like him is the leader? My brother does respect him a lot though..." Cheryl confessed, rambling as she usually did.
Sybil was kinda surprised that she knew her that well, especially since both rarely interact.
"Alright, thank you Cheryl. I'll search for him." she said, as she left the place towards the beach. Little did she knew that the stress she was missing was going to come with much more than she bargained for...

Sayan caught Sybil's scent and proceeded to head in her direction. 'This is not good...,' he thought as he spotted the civet. "Sybil! There is something you need to see...," he shouted as he ran up to her.

Voracivenom had been awake during Mambo's arrival, but laid still, occasionally lifting his head slightly over the leaves to see the two conversing. Figuring that it was the silly, gossiping banter that Speckles was currently fond of, he quietly slithered from the underbrush and headed to the beach, close to where he assumed the resident birds of prey liked to reside. He briefly stared at Skaliscin, who didn't give any implication of awakening soon, and went his way. He wanted to continue his conversation with Royal from yesterday evening.


"A certain scale-bag is all about a certain other scale-bag," the velvet worm began in a hushed tone. He made a subtle gesture with his head at where the serpents were sleeping, unaware that one was missing. "I thought I was going crazy when I saw it, but she's been... glancing at him. Creepy glances..."

OOC: Well, it looks like this RP is returning to be active. I hope I can get to the new artwork before the month is over.

Quote: redwes

Sayan caught Sybil's scent and proceeded to head in her direction. 'This is not good...,' he thought as he spotted the civet. "Sybil! There is something you need to see...," he shouted as he ran up to her.

"Calm down Sayan. You look like a goth! What is the matter? Is Rose is in trouble again? Or is it Jaerl this time?" she asked, never seeing someone as serious as Sayan be that unsettled. Whatever it was, it must be very serious...

Quote: Waaksian

"A certain scale-bag is all about a certain other scale-bag," the velvet worm began in a hushed tone. He made a subtle gesture with his head at where the serpents were sleeping, unaware that one was missing. "I thought I was going crazy when I saw it, but she's been... glancing at him. Creepy glances..."

"Oh, you mean those two? Oh yes, but at least that one is more obvious. At least they are from the same species. It's surprising how that dame has a history with someone. She always seems so serious and withdrawn to be interested in somebody." Mambo said, with an air of amusement. Love between serpents must have been a very fun topic, yet again, almost everything scandalous was fun to him.

"It's about Royal...," Sayan said as he started to calm down. "He's leaving... tonight. He... He left a message ... addressed to you.," he continued.

Sybil took a while to realize what Sayan just said, but after she got back to her senses, it was nearly impossible to believe. "Wait, hold it on, do you mean to say that.... Royal is... leaving? Why? Where is he now? Did he say anything? Leave the Haven in general? Leave some place?" Sybil said extremely quickly, realizing that she was asking too many questions.
"Oh never mind. Just tell me where this message is. Please and go search for Royal in the meantime." Sybil just said, clearly a little upset. Did Sayan meant that Royal was going to leave the Haven for good? If that was the case, it was urgent for her to find out why...

Sayan told Sybil precisely where he found the message. "I shall go and hopefully convince him otherwise.," Sayan said as he ran off towards Royal's tree. Hopefully, he would be there...

Sybil reached the place according to Sayan's instructions, and when she read the whole message, she finally understood. "Is that it? Royal you silly bird!" she exclaimed, believing that was not a good excuse. So he felt guilty, but everybody in the haven still loved him just the way he was. Plus the Haven was mongoose-free thanks to him, so what if he did something pretty horrible? He hasn't done it again, and that's what mattered. That was not a good excuse at all his departure.

Royal is not at the tree in fact he has landed beside Sybil and is erasing the message. His golden eyes glisten and there is no sign of him being upset or unhappy at all. He cheerily waves at Sybil before draping a wing over her and smiling.

"Oh, so there you are. What is this issue about you leaving the Haven?!" she said, keeping a little distance off him and too upset to notice beforehand his cheerful mood.

Voracivenom wouldn't have normally left his group without notifying them, but he didn't want to interrupt their sleep and talk. He continued about his way until he reached the falcon and eagle's tree, unaware of the scene that was unfolding nearby.

--

"I know! I couldn't believe it when I saw it!" Speckles emphasized without raising his voice. "And on top of that, I think she's even a little bit shy. Can you believe that? Skaliscin... shy!"

Royal pulls back in response to this. His golden eyes glint in the sunlight. After he pauses for a minute he returns to Sybil's side and drapes his wing over her as he speaks. His tone is serious.

"Sybil, I promised you that I would always be by your side to help wherever I can, remember. I never break my promises. Someone must have written this in an attempt to try to start to tear us apart. We must be on the lookout for more messages like this. I fear someone is trying to tear us apart so they can force us to give them what they want. I don't know who but we must be careful, nonetheless.

Sybil was calmer, but still a little upset. "Someone else..." she said a little skeptical, trying to find a new topic to talk about. If the message wasn't from him, the how come he knew where to find it to erase it? Well, she didn't give that much importance.
"Where is Jaerl?" she asked, trying to free herself of that uncomfortable conversation.

Right after Speckles lend some gossip to Mambo's delight, he remembered that he hasn't eat well since he came down with the cold. He waved a little goodbye to the Velvet worm before departing. He wanted a feast after all he went through, but it was a shame that there wasn't any sheep around, and he was too hungry to go explore the other island. There was an abundance of basses in the wetland where the dumb pigeons resided, so they will have to do...

Royal shakes his head but keeps his wing draped over Sybil. His golden eyes gaze into hers never blinking. Then with a sigh, Royal speaks.

"The truth is Sybil the message was mine. I have been having terrible nightmare of the group being torn apart and have been afraid. I doubt I would really leave this place even how frightened I was about this, but still I had to write down how I was feeling. Sorry if I worried you all, I'll alright just shaken by the nightmares is all. Will you forgive me, Sybil," he asks bowing his head.

Jaerl is perched in a tree only a little bit from Sybil and his home. He is gazing at the sky and enjoying the warm, tropical breeze. His midnight blue eyes sparkle in the light.

"Nope, but I am." Cheryl said from a corner, trying to tease her. She didn't even bothered telling her that Mambo was already better and up to his usual mischief.

Quote: Wyrstel

Royal shakes his head but keeps his wing draped over Sybil. His golden eyes gaze into hers never blinking. Then with a sigh, Royal speaks.

"The truth is Sybil the message was mine. I have been having terrible nightmare of the group being torn apart and have been afraid. I doubt I would really leave this place even how frightened I was about this, but still I had to write down how I was feeling. Sorry if I worried you all, I'll alright just shaken by the nightmares is all. Will you forgive me, Sybil," he asks bowing his head.

Sybil waited for a while before answering. Royal didn't even need to tell that the message was his. It was so obvious. "Well it's over now. It doesn't matter, just let Sayan know you changed your mind. He seemed quite stirred about that message." she explained, imagining that since the leopard left the Haven once and had a horrifying experience, be believed Royal would go through the same if he left too.

"Isn't it obvious?" Cheryl commented, a little rudely, being her usual self, until she remembered it was thanks to Rose she got to leave the tree for once and have a little adventure, even if it was for a little while. She then looked the other way, a little embarrassed.

"Oh what do you care? It's not like you don't have an overprotective brother who won't let you do anything fun! Why did we even move here?" Cheryl complained, not even caring if Cole was nearby. Plus the Haven was too different from her previous home, and she hated it.

"Because Cole is very unpredictable. You never know when he will return. Our little trip to the mountain was pure luck. He returned just minutes later after I returned." Cheryl confessed, in a whisper. That particular fact she didn't want him to know.

"He fears I might goof it somewhere." she explained in brief words, revealing that he didn't want her to venture far not even with company.

"Oh no you wont! If you do, he'll know we had this conversation. Just... don't mind, Go find Mambo and do whatever you had to do." Cheryl said bitterly, returning to the tree and not even letting Rose reply.

Mambo on the other hand, was on the other island, looking for something exiting. He was tired of bothering the orcas, so he believed there were other fun animals to tease on that new island...

The ramp around the bridge was only halfway done, but still that was very fast, even for orcas. "Alright, get to it. Remember we need this bridge ready in no time." Cairo could be heard yelling, and by the tone of his voice, he seemed to have been working his pod a little too hard...

"Wha... oh, it's you. It's been doing fine, yes. If we keep this rate, we might finish the ramp tube by night. it's a good thing you fell or..." but Cairo realized what he just said. "Oh I don't mean it is a good thing. You know, it's great that the polar bear was there to save you while we were away collecting materials for the ramp." he continued on, trying not to mess it up. "What I mean to say is that no tragedy struck, and... well... thanks to you, we can prevent a real tragedy from happening." he then concluded, trying very hard not to sound impolite. He then realized he mumbled too much.

"Why am I standing here for? Gotta help too. See you later furry; and please, try not to get in trouble. Miss Sybil already has too much stress with that pair of melancholic falcons." Cairo then commented, almost sounding like a warning. He swiftly waved goodbye to Rose, leaving with a big splash heading right towards her...

Having failed to find Royal at the tree, Sayan had continued looking elsewhere. 'Not going to let him make the same mistake...,' he thought to himself.

Cairo didn't answer, and it wasn't certain if he was either too concentrated on his task or simply ignoring Rose. Almost out of nowhere, a seagull came by her side, and it was quite the miracle. It was Ami, probably the most unusual bird to be seen.
"Sorry to intrude young one, but Cairo won't answer. He has been very indifferent lately. He is not so young, but he isn't that old either. Pity. I recommend you wait for the bridge to be done. In the meantime, try not to bother him very much." she recommended, preparing to take off and resume her lonely, cryptic life...

"It's Ami, just a messenger seagull." she briefly introduced, before proceeding to answer. "To put the story short, Cairo has been cranky. Very cranky. And if you don't want trouble, I still suggest you don't annoy him." and without haste, she let the wind carry her off.
"And let Sybil know that if his behavior keeps up, she'll be hearing from me soon." the seagull concluded while airborne...

"Wait, Ami? Ami the seagull? Now that is a miracle. I hardly see her myself." Sybil said with some surprise. She was not a sociable bird at all, so it was very rare for her to appear before someone, especially someone who wasn't her or the other birds. It wasn't after a while that she realized that she also mentioned Cairo.
"And what is that about Cairo?" she asked with no concern at all. Cairo never caused any trouble to her in the past.