darkSpyro

Harland rushed into the more inhabited areas of the island, hoping that maybe he could find someone to answer his queries, or even point him in the correct direction. He had no inkling who he should ask about this, who would be receptive of the question or likely to have the information he wanted. There was likely no way to know the exact answer to this question. So with a flick of the tale, he simply proceeded towards the nearest animal, attempting to garner their attention.

The nearest animal was none other than the kea Cheryl, Cole's younger sister. Since her brother limited her life too much, Cheryl always woke up very early in the morning in order to have some liberty. Since the sentries already went to sleep, she had plenty of time for herself, even though she limited the place she frequented just in case the python decided to appear there once more. She knew that there were new guests around, though she wasn't interested. She didn't even noticed that one of them was nearby...

Harland now trotted in front of Cheryl, his tail still flicking behind him. "Excuse me," Harland said clearly, hoping she would notice him. "I need to ask you something." He wasn't sure if she would even notice him, but it was worth the attempt.

Cheryl got startled for a second, believing for a moment that was the python. Se calmed down significantly when she saw it was just a donkey.
"Oh? Haven't seen you before. You must be one of those new guests." Cheryl said in her usual, sassy tone, clearly not showing interest in meeting a new face. She then noticed his question.
"Alright, what do you need to ask?" she said bored, hoping it was fast. The donkey was taking time away. At least she wasn't nearly as annoying as Yodel.

Crocux says "ummm, is it Flare?"

Halvard noted that tone of voice, but he found he was not particularly offended or put off by it. In fact, this tone of voice went right over his head. "Yes, I'm new," he quickly responded, attempting to skip over the casual notion of informing others he was a newcomer. "I wanted to ask if you knew anything about this python. Who is this python? Why is he so dangerous? Anything you know would be helpful, or at least maybe point me to someone who might know if you don't. I don't like how in the dark I seem to be." He spoke quickly, tossing out a new question or comment before the previous one could even begin to be answered.

Cheryl was taken aback how much this new animal wanted to know about a situation so crucial to the Haven.
"I don't think Sybil would like to have someone like you involved. This is a very delicate situation donkey." she responded, but this animal seemed like one to pester somebody when it didn't have an answer.

"And what could you do anyway? This python, this snake, nobody knew about it's existence until a few days ago. It can hide too well. It has been eating the poor warblers from this place without nobody noticing. Sybil made a deal with the thing though, so there shouldn't be nothing to worry about." Cheryl assured, not wanting a stranger to interfere with the situation and risk making things worse. She did feel bad for the poor warblers, and knew too well that if it broke Sybil's deal, it could mean the extinction of the poor birds.

Crocux chuckled and said "your feathers give you away silly."

Harland ran his foot across the ground, a subtle frustration release method that would not pose a threat to anyone. He shifted his head, ears tilted on their side. "That's all well, but it isn't about doing anything, it's about knowing. Clearly this python is dangerous, and I know it isn't my business to go nosing into, but my friend and I were apparently in serious danger today. If there's something dangerous here, don't you think I at least have a right to know what it's capable of?"

He stomped his hoof on the ground again, louder this time. "It seems like everyone here knows what's going on except my friend and I. This isn't just a normal dangerous creature, and I can tell. The forest was black as pitch, the animal guiding us was drawn into a daze by it. I have the right to know what's going on, at least so I know how not to make it worse." His voice had raised, but he was not quite at the point of yelling yet.

~~~~

Meanwhile, Raul had finally entered the area. He shifted his head. There was Harland, in front of another creature. Hopefully he isn't bothering her.

"Of course. How would you know what is going on? You just got here." Cheryl explained tensely, noticing the frustration in the donkey. If he wanted trouble, he wasn't going to get it there.
"Besides, everyone is talking about how dangerous this python is, but we don't even know it's size. So far, it has targeted the warblers alone, so you have nothing to worry about." Cheryl assured, doubting the python would be interesting in hunting something else other than warblers. Her lack in knowledge about the creature's size was frustrating, since not even Sybil, who has visited the snake twice, had any idea about the creature's size and how dangerous it could be for the rest of them.

intreaged Crocux says "oh pls do."

Harland's muscles loosened a little as Cheryl provided an answer. Even if the answer was not detailed, she seemed sincere in his eyes with the amount of information she was delivering. "So you honestly don't know much about it? That's troubling." There was a long pause between the words 'that's' and 'troubling' when he spoke. "I'm concerned about it's possibility to be a threat to larger creatures, though. Sayan was giving my friend and I a tour and last I saw him, he was completely out of sorts, wouldn't respond to anyone's call. I'm concerned that this could be the python and if he can do something like this to an animal as large as Sayan, then I can only fear for his long-term potential to other large creatures."

Cheryl scratched her head and tapped the branch she was standing on, very uneasy with the donkey's information. Was something really happening to Sayan.
"You guys went to that python's home? And something is happening to Sayan? What is happening to this Haven!?" Cheryl exclaimed paranoid, extremely nervous with the given news.

"You and your friend really arrived here in a very bad time. First, we faced the threat of a Komodo dragon, then we went through a drought, and finally when we thought we had peace, there is a humongous snake threatening our existence. Don't get in trouble donkey. I'll fetch some help!" Cheryl instructed, flying away to get her brother. She didn't care about her free time anymore. Whatever was happening to Sayan, it must be solved. Cheryl could be unpleasant sometimes, but she had a gentle heart.

Meanwhile-- Sayan still appeared to be lost to the void only occasionally coming back to life. 'Leave him...' 'No... you leave. You do not belong here...' 'I belong here more then you ever will!' the two voices argued on and on. "Shut up! Both of you! Who are you.. and why... why won't you...," he bursted an response out-loud before once again fading away again.

Sybil waited and waited for Rose to try to get through to Sayan, but her patient was being tested. Even though morning was near, she couldn't stand being in that gloomy place another minute.
"That's it! If we don't get out of here right now, we may be in trouble." Sybil exclaimed, thinking that the python was probably hiding around somewhere, observing their desperate situation. Not wanting to invade the snake's territory and give him the wrong impression, Sybil bit Sayan's tail, hoping that would snap him out of whatever trance he was in...

Rather it was the action of Sybil biting his tail or a temporary truce between whomever was residing within his head... Sayan seemed to snap back into reality. 'Wait! Who are you ... and who are you?,' he mentally asked before his mind returned to reality. He looked around at his surroundings, not seeming to recognize them as the same ones he had entered. He hadn't realized he had almost entered the domain of the snake. "What the... Sybil? Rose? How long was I... gone?," he asked more confused then anything.

"For almost an hour. Maybe more. You gave a tour to the two new residents and ended up leading them here." Sybil explained, almost hyperventilating. She still didn't trust the python, and lingering there could mean that the snake will feel the right to invade their territory if they had invaded his.

"We should get out of here. I'm sorry I led you guys here.," Sayan quickly said not wanting to put the group at risk any longer. He looked around his at the surrounding trees-- hoping the python wouldn't catch sign of their presence.

Sybil escorted Sayan back, quietly whispering "let's go, let's go, let's go..." all the way though. No incidents so far, so that was a very good sign. She made sure Rose was following them, while at the same time, she was looking at her surrounding to make sure the python was nowhere to be found...

"I'm not sure... and I'm sorry I worried you.," Sayan said looking at the Rose. "There was at first a figure of darkness... but it wasn't Shadow. And then a figure of light appeared-- seemingly trying to fight against the darkness. One was trying to lead me into the darkness and the other away. And then-- there was a third figure. A snake... red, huge, dragon horns, and blue fur. It seemed to appease the others and... I'm here.," he then tried to explain.

As soon as Sybil saw the boundary between the forest and the swamp, she was very relieved. She hoped the python didn't even got a chance to see them in his territory, and now that Sayan was safe, it was time for her to tackle the morning.
"Well I'm glad you're fine Sayan. And Rose, you and Crystal take care of him. Whatever happened to him, it really worries me. We have enough trouble as it is with Shadow to have other supernatural things to worry about." Sybil expressed, as she prepared to leave the group towards the beach. She still had to take care of Cairo.
"Anyway, I'm off to talk to a certain orca. Please do care." she said as she walked away, giving herself a little detour to make sure the python wasn't around. She prayed that the snake was hunting and that it didn't notice them invading his territory, but then again, he was just too good at camouflage. Trying not to think too much about it, she continued her original path...

Sayan rubbed against Rose and allowed them to escort him. His thoughts went back to the figures-- whoever and whatever they represented.

Sybil went to the beach, managing to see the first glimpse of sunshine. It has been quite a while since she has seen a dawn, so that was a very welcoming sight. Cairo was very nearby, and Sybil immediately recognized his dorsal fin. The big guy looked like he has eaten something huge since his belly was humongous. He could barely swim. Sybil approached the shore to call him, but she didn't need to since he already noticed her and was already swimming her way.

"Gosh. You're up early. Something I should know?" Cairo asked in a very sassy tone, similar to that of Cheryl.

"Now now Cairo. I already said I was sorry. If you must know, we were just attending Sayan. He looked like he had a very bad dream." Sybil explained, bending the truth a little so that he wouldn't have unnecessary worries.

Cairo was convinced, but he was still upset, though nowhere near as yesterday. He had bite marks on his face, clearly from a big seal he must've been fighting. That explained the belly. As Cairo was about to speak to Sybil again, he spotted a stingray. Even with his full stomach, he wasn't going to let such a rare meal get away.
"Well, take care Sybil." he said bluntly, as he went on the hunt. Sybil found it extremely rude how he left her hanging like that, but she guessed she deserved it. She couldn't believe Cairo was still willing to eat more, but she supposed that it was to compensate what little he ate yesterday. She stood around to watch him hunt...

Crocux held on hoping he wont wake up any time soon.

At the beach, Sybil, observed the hunt, with the civet seeing how big the stinger was. It was much bigger than her, so it was probably going to take Cairo much time. The hunt was over very soon though. Apparently, the stinger was injured, so it was very easy to catch. After biting off the dangerous tail, Cairo gulped down the poor creature without any effort. Quite greedy indeed, considering he wasn't even hungry. He then went to rest on the shore in front of Sybil.

"Honestly Cairo. I know you barely ate yesterday, but that's no excuse for you to pig out today." Sybil scolded, believing he was going to have indigestion for being such a glutton. Good thing there was that special grass the keas helped to plant.

"Oh let me enjoy life Sybil. I know that was greedy of me, but do you now how hard it is to find a stinger? I couldn't let it get away." Cairo said sternly, not liking to be scolded or lectured, even if it was Sybil. She was feeling quite sorry for the stinger, and hoped none of them swam to the Haven if they valued their lives.

OOC: Now I see my mistake. I meant stingray, not manta ray! Man I really missed that one. All changed now. I better go study oceanic life again

Sybil gave a glare to Cairo, but he ignored her.
"You know, there is this grass that you can eat if your stomachache becomes too severe." Sybil suggested, believing he was going to need it sooner or later. But Cairo was having none of it.

"Oh no thank you Sybil. Jet already told me how yucky that grass is. Will you just take it easy? I feel fine. Just need to lie down for a while." Cairo assured, wanting to get her off his back. Sybil knew how Cairo was, so she was going to leave him alone for a while.

"Alright, alright, whatever you say. Just be ready later. Rose want me to go on a little vacation today and I'll need you to give me a ride." Sybil said as she turned back to head to the Haven. Cairo continued to lie down, giving her a little farewell and willing to wait for her. It was going to feel good to feel useful again. It's been so long since he has given a ride to anybody.

Crocux smiled "its nice."

Finally getting over Cairo's behavior, Sybil headed to the Sayan's den to see how the leopard was doing. While she walked, she looked everywhere, paranoidly believing that the python was somewhere, watching her. She now knew Shadow was somewhat influencing the snake, so that just made her paranoia worse.
"I know you're out there Shadow. You... your stupid spirit. You couldn't simply find peace. You just had to linger here and continue to torment us, didn't you? But you won't get us that easily now. Me and my friends have guardians, and the python won't succumb to your manipulation. You know you asked for your execution, so just leave us alone!" Sybil yelled as she walked, wanting to let Shadow know she was not afraid of him. And if there was a slight chance that the python was spying on her, she wanted the snake to see that she counted on him not to let his will succumb to Shadow's. She wanted the python to see that she was trying her best to trust him.

Sybil heard the voice, and for a moment she thought it was Trico, but less than a second later, she realized who it was.
"So you are here. I'm warning you Shadow, leave us alone. If death wasn't enough for you, I'll have to make sure your spirit is destroyed as well." Sybil threatened menacingly, demonstrating that she was indeed losing her fear of him. She was getting so tired of stopping Shadow all the time, even in the afterlife. Was there no way to stop that revenge-driven Komodo dragon?

Sybil rolled her eyes instead of showing fear, already too used to Shadow's threats.
"And how are you going to accomplish that? You're dead, and our guardians are part of us. It's not like you can make them leave. This is getting too old Shadow. The odds are against you, so you better move on and not let me resort to something horrible to get rid of you." Sybil said calmly, actually taunting him. Shadow couldn't possess her with Trico protecting her, and she trusted that those who didn't have Crystal's blessing, like the orcas, had just too much willpower to let themselves be possessed, not to mention they were water animals. Shadow won't be able to do much harm to the Haven from there.

Sybil could feel his presence drifting away, but she wanted to let him know she wasn't done.
"And I'll be waiting. So many chances you got. Jet took advantage of it. Even Sholeh, who was my mortal enemy, and now she's living the good life at the Haven. You had your chance of that, and you threw it all away." Sybil said, with a lower voice as she approached Sayan's den. She didn't want him or Rose to find out she was communicating with Shadow at that very moment, since the scare they got earlier with Sayan's disturbing behavior was more than enough fright for one day.

((OOC: I picked the worst time to be busy))

Harland had no idea just how much this island had been through, but hearing it directly from another inhabitant's mouth made him realize just what kind of dangers were lurking here. This place had seen such hell, and it was painfully obvious. This certainly had been bad timing on him and Raul's behalf, but how were they to know? Harland's ears flicked up as he sought out his friend, wishing to speak with him. So many animals were moving around, rushing away before he could get a chance to understand what was happening. He felt like he had just missed something important and confusion stole over him.

Raul tilted his head. There was a lot of action. Had he missed something on his slow walk back?

OOC: Everybody is lately, and this cold weather doesn't help either. Where I live, it doesn't snow, but we still have quite a storm here, with winds sometimes going to 30 miles an hour. It's no hurricane, but it's still strong.

Cheryl had already went through her brother, who was just recently woken up. Mambo couldn't sleep very well that night anyway, so he offered himself to go to Sayan's den to see if he has returned, while Cole and Cheryl went to find Harland. Cole in particular, fell bad for the stranger's arrival, since he knew how discouraging it must've been to arrive to a place expecting peace and happiness and all that they are finding is distress and danger. Why was it getting harder for the Haven to have the peace it meant to have? Not even Shadow's death was enough to accomplish what the Haven was meant to do. As the siblings flew, it was really depressing to see how silent the Haven was with so many of the warblers moving away. It was already quiet before, but it was far worse now...

Crocux thought about it then said "I got nothing."

While Crocux still slumbered peacefully in the company of his new friend, Sybil arrived at Sayan's den, keeping to herself her little conversation with Shadow.
"Hey Rose. How is he?" she asked, trying not to look very concerned. Shadow had nothing to do with Sayan's behavior, yet she still couldn't shake the feeling that Shadow and the python weren't the only threats to her friends.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

"He is fine. He should be resting for now." Rose said.

"Alright. That's good. Keep taking care of him, and make sure Crystal stays at the Haven for a little while in case we need her again." Sybil instructed, trusting Rose will all kinds of responsibilities.
"And keep me updated about Sayan's condition. I'll be at the beach for a while. I need to take care of Gulpzilla." Sybil said comically, referring to Cairo. She was quite upset with him for eating out of mere pleasure than survival. That was an action too despicable for her.

Shortly after Sbil left to the beach, Mambo arrived. He looked quite relieved to see Rose and Sayan home.
"Hey my young missie. So good to find you two here. Cheryl told us what happened. She heard the news from one of the new residents. Is Mr. Sayan feeling better?" the kea asked, genuinely concerned. As happy and mischievous as Mambo was, he knew when to get serious.

Meanwhile, Sybil arrived at the beach very fast after taking a shortcut through the trees. Cairo was still at the very same spot, digesting his large meals. Like Sybil predicted, he was starting to have a little stomachache. As big as Cairo was, even he had his limits.
"Well well, looks like your stomach finally met it's match." Sybil said sassily, taunting her giant friend, and hoping he would learn his lesson.
"Back so soon? I told you I'll be fine! I just need to lie down for a little while longer." Cairo explained, though knowing too well Sybil was teasing him.
"Well, I'll keep you company for a little while. And I'll be ready to feed you that grass should you need it." Sybil said with a smirk, knowing he wouldn't like that. Cairo wasn't amused.
"Just try it and the grass won't be the only thing I'll be feeding on." Cairo playfully threatened, knowing that Sybil was somewhat enjoying his self inflicted pain. The two friend continued to bicker and banter to let the time pass...