darkSpyro

"Is that so..." Yodel expressed, believing that Jet maybe didn't fake growing fond of Sybil after all... or maybe not. There was one thing that Yodel considered.
"Well Jet, I don't think that being digested alive doesn't count as not suffering." He pointed out, very, very desperate to see how Jet was going to rebuff that...

"Hah, you see Warren? He's not an exploiter. He is doing his own part of the job." Sholeh confessed happily, not minding Shadow's future rein and looking forward for that night. Yodel's return was certainly a welcoming opportunity.
"But... I thought you didn't want anyone dominating the Haven." Warren pointed out, though it was more to hide his jealousy to the warbler.
"Well, I do admit that I felt that way before, but Shadow made me change my mind. He is giving us the rest that we deserve, isn't he? And I'm very sure that after we are done trapping all those pesky birds and those invading beast that stupid civet welcomed, he will return to me my home." she commented, really believing in Shadow.

"Well... if you say so." Yodel expressed, not wanting to talk more about it.
"I didn't like Sybil... but... I didn't wished her dead. All I wanted was my old life back." Yodel confessed, showing a tiny hint that he may have cared for Sybil, just a little bit.
"...Now don't you go telling Shadow I said that..." Yodel said quickly, after he realized what he just said. He didn't want Jet to misunderstood there was a bit of a soft spit for the supposedly deceased civet somewhere in his bitter self.

Finally, the costume was done, and Sybil already finished her physical change. To her horror, she almost looked like a mongoose. That was to be expected though, since civets does resemble mongooses on so many terms. With that done, Sybil put on the costume, as the cockatoos and the few kea birds helping watched. It really looked like something out of this world. Sybil looked like a completely different animal, sort of like a mixture of a raccoon and a mongoose. The rest of her visible fur was painted black with carbon to look even more different. she certainly didn't looked like a civet anymore. It was perfect!

"Perfect. Now then, I'll take a little nap here until it get's dark." Sholeh commented, entering the brush she currently called home and lying down.
"I'm hungry." Warren expressed, not sleepy at all. Hoping that Shadow didn't need anything from him, le lifted up, ready to see if there was any carcass out there...

Yodel had return to a rather small tree after his talk with Jet. Since the keas were at his big tree again and knew that Royal was probably going to look for him there, he decided to take a youthful tree in the meantime. He was waiting for the nightfall, once again ready to betray...

Sybil was admiring her costume. She was so grateful to the keas ad cockatoos that she's promised to do anything for them. But they weren't ones to ask for favors when they did one, so she had nothing to worry about. She wanted to show it to the orcas and her bird friends, but it was getting late. The keas that participated, including Cole, headed back to the Haven. They didn't even noticed that Cairo was there, who aftermRose's swimming lessons, remained nearby in case Sybil needed something. He was absolutely jealous that she has been asking Jet for too much already...

By the time the keas arrived, there was only a little portion of the sun in the oceanic horizon. It was quite a beautiful disk, but Yodel wasn't one to admire things. Much like Sholeh, he had taken a nap, and knowing his fellow warblers went to sleep very early, before it was completely dark, he immediately headed to the outback. He already knew the perfect first target; a family of carefree warblers, and with such a deep sleep, they would never see something like that coming...

"But Yodel..." Sholeh replied, but the warbler appeared behind her.
"Here I am. Sorry it took me long." he said, proceeding into leading the trio to the target. Sholeh carried ten of the chains, and finally dark, she climbed the tree Yodel told her and tie the victims's little claws. To make sure neither of them nor their sea birds friend tried to peck it, she covered it with a fowl pulp that was bad to the taste and could even cause paralysis if too much is ingested. She really thought about all.

Just like Yodel's prediction, that family of warblers was in such a deep, carefree sleep that they didn't feel a thing. She tied the other end of the chains to the biggest branches of the tree to make sure there was no way to break it. She then waited for Warren to lift her down, since climbing down would mean getting stuck in the goo Shadow was putting.
"Hah hah, it is done, and sooner than I expected I must add." she whispered happily, trying not to burst into laughter at the thought on how those poor warblers would react when they woke up in the morning.
"And hey, the night is still young. Warren, go get more chains." Sholeh said, full of inspiration. She then turned to Yodel.
"Come on, you must know anyone else with deep sleeps like this." She told him, and she was right. Despite his hermit life, Yodel knew every bird at the Haven thanks to the tons of meetings he made when trying to put everybody against Sybil.
"Well... yes, I know some others..." he said, rather disappointed since he thought only one tree was going to be targeted, but either way, he then lead the dragon and mongoose to another tree, right to their next prisoners...

"Not to worry Mr Shadow. We will trap as many as we can tonight and we will leave before you can say chained." Sholeh specified, seeing from behind Shadow the dark silhouette of Warren with a random number of those chains.
"Excellent timing. Now then, let keep this up until dawn. You Yodel, think about which trees we can target tonight." she then whispered, as she climbed the tree and continue to do what she did to the other warblers, with extra precaution. Luckily for those four, neither of the birds were nocturnal, and trusting too much that they were safe up the trees, it was becoming too easy for them to keep their plan in motion.

It was a progressive night for the group. Nine trees filled with warblers were targeted, and despite a close call in one of them, Sholeh managed to do her job without waking any of them.
It was still dark, but Yodel knew that the sun was about to rise.
"Ok guys. That is enough. Only a few minutes left of darkness. You must leave now." he urged, returning to his little, pitiful tree. Sholeh was in the mood for a few more traps, but knew she needed to trust Yodel for now.
"Oh bummer. Anyway, we have been here a while, so we better leave. We will strike again... tonight. However, we need to take precautions, since Rose will probably send guards after this." Sholeh predicted, though still giggling to the thought of the chained bird's reactions once they wake up.

Sybil woke up as well, still getting use to her new home. She slept well that night, unaware of the nasty event that occured. She was too happy with her new costume to think if there was any trouble in her beloved Haven. She has even forgot to scold Nia for the troublesome little stunt she pulled yesterday with Jet.

At the Haven, the birds were still sleeping for now. Peepers was one of the first to wake up. He was lucky for now that he wasn't one of those targeted last night. He got some breakfast, feeling that something was wrong, but didn't knew what...

Royal after having Yodel trick him took to the skies and went to explore. Finding a very tall tree, he lands on the highest branch to rest. From his perch he watches over Hunted. It is then that he sees that something is wrong. Taking off he moves in to investigate.

Sybil wanted to take the rays of the sun, since it was cold and there was signs that the noticeable fog that Hunted island was so well known for. Before reaching the edge of the jungle, Sybil could see a silhouette of a bird approaching, and immediately assumed it was one of the native birds. However, before coming closer to the opening of the beach and watching the silhouette better, she could see it was bigger than a warbler and a seagull, but it didn't have that signature pelican beak. Oh no! It was either Royal or Jaerl. She could't let either of them see her, so she quickly retreated to the jungle, taking advantage of the now thicker fog.

"Woah, Sybil! What is it? You look tense." Brloc commented, and Sybil proceeded to tell him what she saw. He and other cockatoos helped her put on her costume, and she went to Whirlpool's burrow to hide, hoping that whoever was flying there didn't see her. She didn't want to risk Royal or Jaerl telling everybody, including Rose, that she was still alive.

Royal lands on the ground and looks around. He was sure he saw Sybil, but everyone was saying she was dead. Is she perhaps in hiding because of that lizard, Shadow and his friends? If she wanted him not to tell anyone that she was alive, he would remain silent. He just wanted to know if she was okay.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Barloc said, appearing from the foliage. After what Sybil told him, he was sure he could distract Royal.

Royal looks at Barloc, for a few minutes before speaking.

"I know I just saw Sybil. Everyone is saying she is dead, but I just saw her just now. Now I understand if she wants to remain hidden to protect herself from that lizard, Shadow and his associates. I just want to know she is okay," he say in a worried, fatherly tone.

Barloc saw truth in Royal's eyes. However, he wanted to respect Sybil's decision.
"Listen, I understand if you are still grieving. It was quite a shock, I understand... but you couldn't have seen her. Maybe you saw a Tasmanian devil? They are quite common here. And there are even rumors of mongooses here too." Barloc explained, sounding very convincing.
"I was the same too you know. I lost my brother some time ago and I kept seeing him... or at least... I thought I did." Barloc then expressed, still grieving after all those years. He believed that he used his own experience, he would convince Royal further.

Royal however is not convinced. He snaps a nearby twig in half with his beak and buries his talons in a log. Royal screeches in anger.

"Don't lie to me! I know I saw her! If she wants to remain hidden than I understand. After calming down, he continues. Please let her know I was here," Royal says before taking off into the sky again.

Barloc was furious. He wasn't going to let anyone yell at him like that, in his own home.
"You don't yell at me at my own home! Mind your manners the next time or I swear I won't respect Sybil's memory by letting that striped predator take MY island as a Haven!" Barloc screamed at the retreating eagle, already having a bad impression of him. Respect was sacred to him, and he wasn't going to let a foreign animal screech at his face like that. He didn't care if the eagle was stronger and mightier than him, he wasn't going to let anyone get away with such rudeness.

Royal lands beside Barloc and glares into his eyes briefly but sighs.

"I'm sorry I apologize for my rudeness. Its just the people of Haven have become like my family. I care about them as I would my own children," he says.

"That is no excuse to come butting in and yell at somebody's face, in their OWN home!" Barloc said, still furious with the eagle.
"I don't care what you saw, but Sybil is gone! Gone forever! Don't you understand!? Deal with it! That's just the way of life! And if you don't respect me or my family, then you are not welcome here!" he warned, angry now at Sybil too for allowing such rude animals to live at the Haven. He was going to have a severe talk with her after Royal leaves.

Meanwhile, Sybil was hidden way underground, at Whirlpool's home. After thinking very hard on who she saw, she correctly assumed it was Royal.
"This is bad. If Royal saw me, he could jeopardize everything! Why is he so rash!? Why can't he leave things be? I hope Barloc can convince him that he saw something else." Sybil said to Whirlpool, evidently upset.
"There is no other choice. Even in costume, Royal could brashly take it away from me and ruin everything. Not only I will have to be in the costume the entire time, I will have to stick it to my body. Learn to live with it... and change my identity completely." Sybil concluded, not looking forward to the idea. The costume was like a little armor, so it was going to be hard adapting to it, but she had no choice now...

Royal glares at Barloc but says nothing. His talons glint dangerously in the light, but he does nothing threatening. He will not however leave.

"I'm not going anywhere and there isn't anything you can do about it. I don't care what you say, I know Sybil is alive. I know what I saw. If she wants me to remain quiet about it than I will. I will even remain on this island if she feels safer that way. Go threaten someone else, little bird, your threats do not frighten me," Royal says as he finds a abandoned tree, not so far away and finding the trunk of a fallen tree beside it, he perches on it, to rest.

Sybil was still underground, a little upset. Eagles have excellent vision, and the fog wasn't thick enough by the time she saw Royal, and this could be bad news. She was more angry to herself though, for not having the costume in the opening as she should have.
"I hope Royal talks to Jet next and he manages to convince him..." Sybil said, trying to reassure herself.
"... Or I would swear I could make my death real!" she commented, getting upset again for such an awful mistake. Whirlpool gave her confidence, not ever wanting to see Sybil so tense like that. That was the first time he ever saw her like that, and he didn't like it.

Quote: Wyrstel

Royal glares at Barloc but says nothing. His talons glint dangerously in the light, but he does nothing threatening. He will not however leave.

"I'm not going anywhere and there isn't anything you can do about it. I don't care what you say, I know Sybil is alive. I know what I saw. If she wants me to remain quiet about it than I will. I will even remain on this island if she feels safer that way. Go threaten someone else, little bird, your threats do not frighten me," Royal says as he finds a abandoned tree, not so far away and finding the trunk of a fallen tree beside it, he perches on it, to rest.

"This is an outrage! Who does that eagle think he is!? DID SYBIL ACCEPTED BULLIES TOO!?" Barloc yelled, with all the intention for Royal to hear him if he was still nearby. He was so full of anger that he felt he could explode. He heard about Royal before, but that was the first time he met him, and already despised him. However, he knew that he couldn't complain to Sybil just yet. The eagle could follow him. But he knew who to recurr for now, even though he didn't like it.
"It is time... Rose. Time for you to show you would be a great leader." Barloc said determinedly, wanting to put Rose to the test. He then flew off to the Haven, hoping so much that Rose would severely punish Royal for such mutiny.

Royal hears Barloc but is not worried at all. Though upset he flies into into the hole in his tree. He remains inside the hole, not coming out of the hole unless Sybil herself calls him.

Barloc didn't know or cared where Royal was, he wanted him punished. He arrived at the Haven, and just as he predicted, Rose was at Sybil's memorial.
"Just the predator I wanted to see." he exclaimed, perching at the rock memorial.
"I know you are still sad for Sybil, but she had a lot of faith in you, you know. Now then, if you are indeed worthy of such a title... prove it." Barloc told, and before Rose could ask what was that about, he explained;
"You see now, there is this certain eagle with a ridiculous crest that came to my own home to insult me. You see, I really want my island to continue being a Haven, but if you let that rude eagle get away with such an outrage I won't welcome anyone to the island, even if it means betraying Sybil's last wishes." Barloc said, calm but firm, wanting justice.

"Ahh, so not only does he insults somebody in his own home, but ge also neglects his duties. I expect a severe punishment." Barloc commented, flying off before Rose could reply. If it was up to him, he would even banish Royal for self-respect.

Elsewhere right there, an outrage was taking place. All of the warblers woke up, and those imprisoned realized what was going on. Like Sholeh predicted, they couldn't set themselves free, and they would meet with that fowl, poisonous taste of the ropes when they tried to peck it.
"Mr. Peepers! Mr Peepers! Go get miss Rose! Many warblers have been chained to their own trees." an hysterical warbler informed, correctly assuming it happened at night. Peepers knew that was very bad news indeed. He then imagined that Shadow was to blame, and even though he didn't want to give Rose too much responsibility yet, that was a major emergency...

Royal leaves the tree and lands on the ground. He looks around before speaking. His golden eyes glisten in the light.

"Sybil, I know you are there, m'lady. My eyes are far sharper than most. Come on out, so I can know that you are alright. I swear if need be I will remain on this island until you are ready to show yourself," Royal says.

Sybil couldn't hear being that underground, but Whirlpool could. After he whispered to her what she said, Sybil refused to oblige.
"Oh Royal... why can't he leave things be?" she whispered, both to Whirlpool and to herself. She was very angry. She felt trapped and imprisoned because of him.
"This is not easy for me, but even he must be convinced that I'm not around anymore." she thought, but it wasn't going to be easy. She was thinking of sending Whirlpool to talk to him, but Royal was probably not the patient type, so Whirlpool's dialect problem was going to be troublesome. She opted to stay underground, in Whirlpool's very complex labyrinth home, until Royal left and could be convinced that she didn't saw her.

Meanwhile at the Haven, Peepers managed to reach Rose. He perched right besides Barloc, and even though he noticed him, there was no time for greeting.
"Oh miss Rose! This is too terrible! Some of the warblers have been chained to their trees! They're trapped! We can't peck the chains. They have been covered with some strange substance that prevents us from pecking it." Peepers informed, agitated. He thought Rose could climb her trees, and with her claws, snap the chains. However, he didn't check the tree trunks, so he didn't knew the nasty surprise they had.

Peepers was in shock. That substance was unexpected.
"Drat! That Shadow thought about it all!" he said, as he helped Rose get free.
"This must be some kind of sticky quicksand. They poured it on the tree so that nobody could climb it." Peepers analyzed, really hating the situation.

"Ugh, it is useless. The chains are covered in a poisonous resin. Try to peck it for too long, and this stuff will get to you." Barloc exclaimed, appearing from behind Peepers and Rose. He actually followed them, trying to help the captive warblers, but to his chagrin, those chains were impenetrable.
"I think I know someone who can help." Barloc said, referring to Sybil, being very careful not to mention her name. However, if Royal was still around, he knew he needed to try to think of something without her help.
"I will go home now. But just so that I let you know, that eagle I told you about threatened me. So if something happens to me, you know who is the one to blame." Barloc warned, flying off. He really hated Royal at the moment, and if it was up to him, he would banish him for good. He also could ruin Sybil's plan, after all she had been though to get it into motion. That was something even Barloc found unfair.

Royal remain pacing around on the ground. Why was Sybil hiding from him? Wasn't he one of her closest friends? Wasn't he a loyal and trustworthy friend?

It was now past noon, and all the birds of the island have tried everything, even some saw like instrument, but the lianas that made the chains were incredibly strong.
"It's no use miss Rose. Those chains are too strong, and that substance is way too sticky. We can't wash it off with water." Peepers said, panting. All efforts to free the captive warblers were proving futile.
"We have no choice. We can't free them... and... I think the plan is to trap us all." Peepers said, very nervous but kinda grateful he wasn't one of those targeted that night.
"We need night guards miss. I'm afraid they might try to do this... every night." Peepers correctly predicted, but unfortunately, so did Sholeh...

Quote: Wyrstel

Royal remain pacing around on the ground. Why was Sybil hiding from him? Wasn't he one of her closest friends? Wasn't he a loyal and trustworthy friend?

After receiving news of an eagle roaming around, Barloc's wife Kali, went immediately to investigate. She had an idea of who the Haven's animals were, so she correctly assumed it was one of Sybil's guest. Royal wasn't that hard to find, especially now that the fog was much less thicker, but he was intimidating, so Kali maintained her distance.
"Sir? Can I help you with something? My family is a little too nervous with your presence, I do apologize for that." Kali spoke, very different from her husbands demeanor. There were rumors that eagles could prey on cockatoos if they wanted too, so she was a little nervous as well.

I'm sorry Royal, but even you must believe I no longer exist. Sybil said in her mind, still hiding underground knowing that Royal wasn't going to give up so easily. She finally attached the costume, with a sticky substance that Whirlpool found for her, and it was so stuck in her body, even a bear could find a hard time taking it off. With a mixture of water and other substances, it could be taken off without injury, but she wasn't going to need that in a while.

Royal pauses as he hears Kali speaking to him.

"Oh, that alright. I'm sorry, that I'm making them nervous. I'll take my leave in a moment. With that he walks over to the brush and speaks. I know that you are alive Sybil and I will never give up, believing that you will return. However I will not anything to anyone until you yourself approach me," he says, then he takes off into the air, flying off to the very tall tree where he was before.

Barloc nearly bumps into Royal, and he was both happy and angry to watch him leave.
"You are finally leaving!? It was about time! Did you see Sybil's ghost yet? Wait, I know, it was probably a mirage caused by the fog!" Barloc said mockingly, determined to follow Sybil's plan and take his dignity back. And before giving Royal a chance to reply, he spoke again.
"You know I spoke with the tiger, and she said you are suppose to watch somebody under house arrest. Neglecting your duties to chase an illusion? Or is it that you don't want poor little stripy to be the leader?" Barloc commented, hoping that Royal felt insulted as he did earlier when the eagle yelled at him.

"Yes, and I think the best guards are the pelicans." Peepers said, believing that a guard in where the warblers reside was the best bet.
"Listen, the best thing you can do is wash that stuff up. I will gather a few pelicans to watch tonight. They are quite lazy, but they are very vigilant when they need to be." Peepers explained, accompanying Rose to sea to wash that stuff up and gather as many pelicans as he could.

However, things were unfortunate for the Haven residents, since the twistedly intelligent Sholeh had yet another plan in her mind. She had anticipated guards at the Haven, finding that strategy too obvious, so she had plans for them as well.
"Oh Shadow... see this?" she called in a singsong voice, filling the containers he used for the sticky sand with a very strange fungi.
"This fungi is found in a oasis not far from here. I tested it, and this fungus substance actually makes you sleep." Sholeh happily explained. That fungi had the same effect of chloroform.
"You see, I believe dear Rose will send guards tonight after hearing about the trapped warblers, but all we need to do is hit them with this stuff, and it's a free ticket to dreamland. As you can see, this miserable Outback is a dump, but is so full of useful stuff at least." she then commented, feeling extremely proud of her intelligence.

"Your wife asked me politely to leave and so I did, that's all. You know nothing of what you are talking about. Never, I love that little tiger. I would never betray her," Royal says firmly, from his perch.

Meanwhile Jaerl has not left his tree for days since Sybil was declared dead. Her death is very, very hard on him. Some are worried he may just give up, this time for good.

Aeriji:

Lost in the outback, I wander around searching for the way back. My yellow orange and black spotted coat keeps me warm as I do. My deep midnight blue eyes gleam in the light of the sun.

Barloc was very grateful to his wife that she managed to shoo that rude eagle away. At least they were going to have a little peace. However, Sybil remained underground for a little while longer, looking through a crystal her reflection. She had absolutely changed everything; her looks, her fur, even her scent. She looked nothing like a civet; she didn't resemble any an al in particular, which was good. Absolutely nobody could recognize her now.

By the time Rose was done cleaning herself, Peepers managed to reunite almost all the pelicans that were on the island. By the time they all went to their positions, the sun was almost gone.
"It is done miss. If Shadow appears again, we will force him and whoever he is working with out of here." Peepers informed, approaching Rose.

"It's almost night. Shadow, I need you to mash these fungus. I will put it on my paws and tail and slap whoever is guarding the trees... And as we do, we will also chain them." Sholeh suggested, finding her brilliance worthy of admiration. She was about to suggest the same thing to Shadow, but he probably wasn't going to need it considering how powerful he was.

OOC: Sorry. Had to work and this might close the topic. :/

"Gah... Shadow must be the one at work here. That stupid lizard is getting smarter.," Sayan said to Rose agitated. They had to come up with a plan to remove the sticky substance from the trees to hopefully allow him or Rose to free the captives, but he was not yet sure what to do on that matter.