darkSpyro

Quote: Spyroconvexity

"Me to." Rose said as she followed Sayan.

"We should gather what we can from the ocean before touching the creeks and rivers-- that way we don't deplete the local population too fast.," Sayan said preparing for the worst. "They come and go, but once the rivers are depleted... they won't come back quite as easily. And with the orcas taking a break from hunting, they're more likely to get closer to the shore.," he explained thinking of the future and the local ecosystem. He dreaded the days when their rivers would eventually dry up-- and possibly even their creek.

While Sayan and Rose dealt with their own situation, Sybil went though the hard work of gathering seeds and fruits. The berries were a bit harder to get without breaking the brush's branches, so this lasted longer. After filling up the big leaf, Sybil returned to Jack.
"Well here we are Jack. The first of many. Now then, maybe you can tell which containers are best to store up foods like this." she said, since being a chimpanzee, Sybil believed he was smart for those type of things.

Sundown was beginning to show, and the orcas did their last trip with clay before finally retreating into their waters, not disappointed anymore, but more worried and terrified. The Haven waters were their home. They had good food and land animals that allowed them to play rough (who else would do that?) Even before Cairo had suggested for them to migrate, they knew there was too much possibility of that.

The cobra and Shilise got off Sozens back. the spazum subsided for Shi which she was glade about. the cobra wanted to talk with Sozen alone so he says "Shi go find Crocux i'm sure that you're needed to help keep him in line." Shi nodded and flew off looking for Crocux. the cobra turned to Sozen and says "we need to talk sir."

Jack looked up and says "ok let's see." he went and grabbed pots that were appropriate to store seeds berries and such without spoiling them to quickly if left out in the sun for too long. as he stored them he says "now i just need my knife to mark them so we don't mix them up." he looks around saying "now were did i put that thing?"

Sybil would have helped Jack look, but she was so desperate to get the food into the containers that she didn't look. The sun wasn't so hot, but if the drought reached a critical point, she knew it was going to be. The containers were going to be placed below the roots of her tree and when there isn't space left, she was going to ask Sayan to use his cave. Sybil was going to limit herself to the fruits, leave the seeds to the birds and the fish for Sayan, Rose and Crocux. Since she was nocturnal, she would get lizards at night.

after a short while of looking he finds the drift wood he was carving and with it his knife. "their you are" he pick it up and, pulling the blade out, starts to mark the pots with shapes. the seed pots were marked with a picture of a seed, the berry pots were marked with a picture of a berry, and so on.

"This is great! Now we don't need to open the containers to know which one has what." Sybil praised, very glad to have a primate at the Haven. And just in time. Nobody would have been able to use a knife, and drawing with claws on that material was going to be near impossible.
"Oh no. The sun is about to set. I better find Sayan and Rose. You can take a rest if you want Jack." she said, heading to the mountain to urge the cats to come. It was cold at day, and even worse at night. Thinking of that, she wondered if the snow was going to melt with the heat of the drought, which she certainly hoped wouldn't happen or it will spoil the stored fish...

AJ:

Asleep in my tree, after going out briefly to get a drink or two from the stream, avoiding everyone, I have no idea about this "drought". Inside my tree it is cool and comfortable. The real question is will anyone realize that I am not there. Part of me wishes to remain alone, while inside I long for companionship and compassion. I have not seen my friend, Scaliscin for a while, I wonder why.

Jaerl and Royal:

The two birds of prey, father and son, are perched in a dense tree, within the cool shade. They watch as the others finish up with their current tasks. The heat of the sun has no effect on them from within the cool shade of the canopy of the tree.

"it's about Shilise, or her relasionship with you at least." said the old cobra. being that he raised her it was easy for him to figure out that Shilise had feelings for Sozen. "she clearly has feelings for you yet the real question is do you have feelings for her?" he asks wanting to get strait to the point.

the cobra sighs saying "really? well that's good to hear. all i want for her is to be happy and you seem to make her happy so i approve, but if i find out that you ever brake her heart, you will have to answer to me. do we understand each other?"

The cobra smiled at this and said "well what are you waiting for? Go after her, she always happy when she's with you and you could be with her while you help Crocux gather food so get going."

Quote: Spyroconvexity

Rose noded and followed Sayan.

As the two cats made their way off the mountain once again, they soon ran into Sybil whom was already heading up to warn them of the pending cold.
"Oh... Hey Sybil! We were just heading back to gather more food-- how are the containers going?," he asked not mentioning his ever increasing worries about the local ecosystem.

Quote: redwes

Quote: Spyroconvexity

Rose noded and followed Sayan.

As the two cats made their way off the mountain once again, they soon ran into Sybil whom was already heading up to warn them of the pending cold.
"Oh... Hey Sybil! We were just heading back to gather more food-- how are the containers going?," he asked not mentioning his ever increasing worries about the local ecosystem.

"You can rest from the gathering. The mountain get's too cold at night." Sybil said, even though she knew that both Siberian tigers and Amur leopards were from the cold.
"But asides that, the containers are doing great. Jack even carved drawings of each of the foods that will be stored in the,." she said happily, very proud of the idea. The chill of the air was then soon starting to get to her, and now she wanted to leave that place.

the cobra smiled as sozen left. "now were is that chimp?" he asks himself as he goes off to find Jack.

Shilise found Crocux and was riding on his back as he made the return trip with more fish for the drought.

When Sybil couldn't stand the cold anymore, she left the mountain and left Rose and Sayan do whatever they wanted. Night was going to be for resting, but she would leave to the resident's discretion on whether they would work or not. As she reached the beach, she looked into the ocean. Even though just that morning she received quite a beating from the orca game, she was now starting to miss it. But of course, now there wasn't time for games or distractions. She returned home, hoping to sleep at least a few hours and wake up while it was still night to continue with the gathering.

once Crocux and Shilise found Jack to drop off some food they noticed that it was getting late. "I hope Sozen's ok." said Shilise in a worried tone since the weren't that hard to find being out in the open. "someone's in love." teased Crocux. "am not" denied Shi "are too" retorted Crocux "am not" denied Shi "are too" retorted Crocux "do you want to keep all your teeth?" threatend Shi "ha! you do love him!" she wanted to denie it again but she saw Sozen flying in their direction. she dropped it wanting to be with Sozen more then to argue with Crocux. she waved her wings to get Sozen's attention.

the old cobra took his time to get to Jack knowing that he wasn't going anywhere.

over with the pots Jack was starting to make another pot but he fell on his back and fell asleep.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

"Come on Sayan lets rest. We've done a lot today.

Sayan nodded and headed towards their den, looking forward to a restful night.

AJ:

I remain within my tree, alone as the others prepare for the "drought." No one seems to notice that I am missing, not even Sybil, who told me to live nearby her, so that she could keep an eye on me. I have no idea that they are so busy preparing for this disaster. My mood slowly begins to spiral, growing worse and worse as I am alone.

"so what did you and dad talk about?" asked Shilise. "you mean did daddy say that he approves or not" said Crocux. "shut up you jurk!" said Shilise completly embaressed by the croc. "so anyways, since it's late why don't you spend the night at our place? We have plenty of room and I - I mean we would really enjoy your company.

As Sybil slumbered peacefully at her tree, back at Hunted island, all the cockatoos were also sleeping, except one. Barloc was watching over the Haven from a palm tree, wondering if he should go there to see how everything was going. Not being sleepy at all, and having nothing else to do, he decided to go there, wanting to test Rose and everyone other predator on the island to see how they would handle a situation like that.

After a long and tiresome day, it didn't take long for Sayan to fall into a restful slumber. The Amur leopard was sound asleep next to Rose-- cozy and unaware.

Barloc arrived at the Haven, flying around a bit to see if anything had changed. It's been a whole month since he went there after all, and began to study the foliage. The condition of the plants weren't as bad as it was being seen at his home, but there was no doubt they were deteriorating. Perhaps the drought wasn't going to be as severe as in Hunted island, but it was still going to be a problem.
"Poor residents. First a war and then a drought." he said, actually feeling sorry. He was especially worried about Sybil, surrounded by too many residents that were exclusively carnivores. If he had a haven, he would have never allowed such animals. But even with that, he was slightly concerned for Rose and Sayan as well, since he believed that if the orcas were dumb enough to stay, even they would turn against them. That's just how nature worked in his opinion.

"ok but how about you spend the night with us? We have pleanty of room and would enjoy your company. Besides i'm not taking no for an answer." said Shilise.

It was a very calm and windy night, and Barloc returned home when he saw nobody at the Haven. Sybil was probably at her tree, and he didn't want to disturb her. So as the hours passed, Sybil's subconscious couldn't help but to think on how the situation was going to be dealt. She even dreamed of sending all of the Haven residents away with the orcas in order to find better lands until the drought was over.

once they got to the den Crocux went to his favorit spot, rolled over on his back, and started to sleep. shilise was with sozen when she said "I'll show you around in the morning, but for now just pick a spot and get comphy."

Shilise joined him, laying down right next to him, feeling safer with him "good night Sozen." as she closed her eyes to go to sleep.

(Hmmmm ... sorry, I've been quite distracted lately.)

Avius had went on to doing the game, but mostly, he was practicing his flying ... it wasn't easy with amnesia. Since he had spent most of the day flying, he didn't find all the beetles until late at night; Avius instinctively felt awake then, but having been up all day had messed up his internal clock. He eventually returned to Cole, "Okay, so, I'm back."

"Oh, so you tried to fly huh?" Cole said, returning with his share of beetles.
"Well that's good. But it's very late. We must leave your little board game for tomorrow." the kea said, preparing a small bed for the guest to sleep in if he was tired. Both keas and owls are nocturnal, but in the kea's case, as well as many Haven residents, they were becoming diurnal for Sybil's sake.

OOC: Guys, just in case you didn't know, in circumstances like this, you can skip to morning if you want, not just me

OOC: It felt like a while since the last post

The rays of the sun woke up Sybil. She was quite angry to have overslept, since she wanted to continue the work while still night. But nothing could be done, she she got out of bed, have a smelt and a few berries as breakfast and continued the collection, recollecting berries, seeds and fruits from the brushes around the creek and catching fish whenever she saw one.

The orcas were wide awake today and complaining. They were so worried about moving away that many of them didn't get much sleep, not even little Dagger. The teenagers were tempted to get to shore and catch whatever Haven resident could be around, refusing to let go of the game. But the playthrough required much energy, and that was something they couldn't afford to lose. To make matters worse, the seals were migrating already, as well as many fish species, forcing the big pod to limit the amount of food they usually consumed. That combined with the previous excitement of the increase of success due to the game made them eat more than they needed, making the food even more scarce.

The birds of the island, specifically the seagulls and warblers, were helping with the recollection of seeds, while the pelicans helped the orcas with transporting clay. It was a very busy day...

Sayan, meanwhile, was catching and and storing what he could from the shoreline. However, he was already seeing how quickly the supply was depleting and soon feared he would have to move to the local rivers and creek. What he took from the ocean only depleted what little the orcas had left, possibly meaning a closer diparture and migration. However, depleting the local rivers would also be equally bad as the local fish may or may not return to their formal numbers. It was a no-win for everyone, but he did what he had to do for the short term-- survival.

"Forget it Mr. Sayan. We have already tried to hunt as much as we could, and there are barely any chinook left. It's like it's already starting." Cairo said to Sayan, appearing almost from out of nowhere. Then a strange rumbling sound was heard. It was his stomach. Cairo didn't eat well trying to share with the rest of the pod.
"That idiot Barloc! Did you know that he knew about this drought a month ago? Why didn't that stupid cockatoo told us earlier!?" Cairo said furiously, hunger getting him cranky. He was so used to eating large amount of food that the sudden depletion of prey was angering him a lot.

Sayan sighed, failing yet again to catch anything. "I'm sure he had his reasons, perhaps a lack of trust. But at least we know now.," Sayan said frustrated at the lack of fish. He had been at it since morning and had managed to catch what he could, but saw that Cairo was right. "Don't worry... we're all hungry, but we'll get through it.," he then said as his stomach growled. He had also eaten very little, not wanting to deplete what they had too fast and thinking of the others.

Cairo then looked down, trying to ignore his pleading belly, then talked to Sayan once more.
"You know Jet asked me yesterday to migrate with the pod. Find them a good place where they can feed and be safe. That day may be nearer than I expected." he said with sorrow, not wanting to leave, but he knew he had no choice.
"We orcas are nomads. We travel a lot usually, but us... we stayed here years ago to help Sybil, and now we can't be of service because of some vulgar drought." he said, gritting his teeth. There was no doubt he was furious.

"I feared that would happen, but I understand. You need to help the pod-- now more than ever.," Sayan said saddened by the news. He looked out onto the ocean and at the orcas trying to prepare. "This drought-- if only we had more time. If only we had time to devise some solution and allow you guys to stay-- even if only for a little longer. But it's too late and this Haven can no longer sustain everyone.," he sighed.
"Do what you have to do-- even if it means leaving us. Eventually, this drought will reside and life will return to normal. I'll miss you as will all of us.," he then said looking at Cairo.

"Just say goodbye to Sybil for me, will you? We will keep in touch through the island birds. Some of them will travel with us. I just... I won't be able to see her face to face." Cairo said with a quiet sigh, even though he knew Sybil already knew the possibility of them leaving.
"I'll make sure we can help even if we are far away. And not to worry about any sharks. They are too greedy, and if there is a drought here, they will catch on. They won't be stupid enough to go here knowing that." Cairo assured, though that was more of a hopeful thought. It was true that sharks were greedy, but there was Zonos. He hoped he wouldn't return requesting more stupid help when the Haven residents were the ones that now needed the help.

"I will.," Sayan respectfully replied with a nod. "Tell Rumble and Ricky that I'll miss their games-- and their crazy antics. And Cairo-- stay safe out there.," he then said.

"Certainly." Cairo said, with an even louder rumble coming from his stomach. He then left Sayan to continue his work, eating a small fish that was unfortunate enough to pass in front of him. He then looked how the orcas stopped transporting clay.
"What is going on here!?" he asked screaming.
"The clay Cairo. We can't use more because the structure on Hunted island will collapse if more is taken." Randy explained, being almost as hungry as him.
"But it's alright. Barloc's wife convinced him to lend some of the empty clay containers to us. And besides, Mr. Jack can still make them out of coconut and wood." he then explained, mellowing down Cairo. It looked like the time for transporting clay ended as soon as it started, but now they were going to transport the delicate clay containers. Afterwards, that afternoon, Cairo was planning to move the orcas away, knowing that they were going through the same, annoying hunger he was going through.

Jack was sleeping when the sun rose and the cobra was on top of him staring at him "jack, jack, Jack!" and the chimp awoke with a start sending the cobra into the clay mounds. He got out saying "you are in so much trouble mister."

When Shilise woke up she saw that Sozen was gone along with crocux. She sighed already missing Sozen and rests their waiting for sozen.

Crocux woke up before Shilise and went to the water to help catch fish.

With the clay already settled at the beach, the orcas began to gently bring the empty containers. Randy remained on the shore so that as soon as Jack woke up, he could explain everything. There was still quite a lot of work to do, but at least it was cut short by the inconvenience.

Cairo helped as well, talking with Ellen and telling her to reunite the pod once everything was done. They were going to move away that very afternoon. There was no choice, though as they travelled, they both wondered how would Jet handle being all alone out there. There were still seals left on the beach, and they could last quite a while for one orca alone, yet that wasn't going to be for long at that rate.

Meanwhile, Sybil was now using a wheelbarrow she improvised to make the gathering much faster. Thank goodness for Whirlpool who taught her many things while she was in hiding. She marched on with the task, not knowing that the drought was getting more alarmingly close than she originally expected.

After Cairo swam off, Sayan realised that was likely the last time he would see the orca for a long long time-- and that he had been the last to talk to Cairo. He was saddened, but also honored to have to that final goodbye. In any case, he swiftly continued his work deciding to leave what was left of the ocean to Crocux. The croc would likely have much better luck catching the remaining fish-- however little remained. He decided to move on to the rivers and later the creek. "The creek... a last resort.," he sighed. He would hold off to touching his ever precious creek for as long he could-- hoping to preserve it if only for a little while longer.