darkSpyro

OOC: Remember that we agreed that the spirits will only protect their dreams. The real world dangers are still there.

OOC: Thanks.

At Hunted island, Sybil was ready to enjoy the island's beach. It was going to feel nice having a change of scenery, but her enjoyment would have to wait, since Cairo was calling to her.
"Good afternoon Sybil. Sorry to interrupt your vacation. I'll try to be quick. You see, it's about the game. Many members of the pod are growing desperate to resume it. I know it's not your fault you had to postpone it for this long, but since everything's alright now..." Cairo stopped, imagining Sybil knew the rest. Cairo kept to himself that their hunts were gradually getting a bit more unsuccessful. Their catch rate was still very high, but they were getting out of practice. The game has become vital to the orca's way of life.

Sybil knew she had to resume the game sooner or later, so now that it was urgent, it was time to return to their original way of life, before the python's existence became known.
"Yes, I know. Apologize to the pod for me. This last month has been hard, but now that everything's been solved at the Haven, we can resume the game. I will make sure I let all the Haven residents, old and new that you and your friends will be allowed to capture us." Sybil declared, knowing she wouldn't be able to deny this playtime to the orcas ever again. They had done too much for her and her friends, They deserved that and more.

"Sybil is enjoying herself and I would rather not disturb her right now. And... and as much as I would rather send someone else-- Rose is the only other one the python respects. If we go against that... there's now guarantee that he will continue to keep his word. So as far as I see.. we have no choice. Rose is the only option.," Sayan responded looking out onto the ocean and the swimming tiger. "I... I will tell her tonight, And don't worry-- we'll keep you out of it.," he then said trying to reassure the kea. He certainly wasn't looking forward to it and couldn't imagine Rose feeling any better about it.

"Thank you Mr. Sayan. I really appreciate it. You're the only other one I can trust in this island of bozos." Cheryl said rudely, clearly not having respect for most of the Haven residents. The only exceptions were Sybil, Sayan, and to some degree, Rose.
"As long as it's my brother the one who doesn't know. He will kill me if he finds out where I have been. If Rose asks how you know about the python's request, invent something." Cheryl asked, actually telling Sayan to lie to hide her own involvement. She was so relieved to finally get those news off her chest. Even though she wanted to leave now, she couldn't. She didn't want to be rude to Rose by leaving in the middle of her little performance.

Back at Hunted island, Sybil watched how Cairo left to tell the pod the good news. She did enjoy the game back then, but she suspected that she and the rest of the Haven residents were going to be easily captured due to the lack of practice, and it was going to be quite a brutal experience. The orcas still had their hunting touch thanks to that being their way of life, so she knew it wasn't going to be easy to evade them. After her vacation is over, she would have to warn the Haven resident. From tomorrow onward, they were going to be orca prey again...

Cheryl shook herself as well, annoyed that Rose got her a little wet. She left the matter slip quickly though, and was actually impressed how much Rose had improved. She only saw Rose swim once a long time ago, and she was quite bad at it.
"That's just how the boss is. He likes to help and play. And if it's both, he can't be more happy." Cheryl said on Mambo's behalf, knowing her leader almost as well as her own brother.
"You know, it's a good thing you've been practicing. Swimming is quite important for animals who can't fly." Cheryl stated, believing that the lack of flying was compensated with the ability to swim. She was about to leave, but then remembered about the orcas.

"Say now, where are those sea blubbers? The orcas. I thought for sure one was going to take the opportunity to grab you." Cheryl asked, always having believed the orcas took any opportunity, and unaware that the game had been postponed for a while with the python incident. She kinda miss seeing the Haven residents being tossed and turned around like lifeless toys, even if that sounded sadistic.

Cheryl looked at the distance to see if there were orcas out there, but still nothing.
"Well, it is a very long break, isn't it? It's been many days since the last game. You guys are out of practice." Cheryl pointed out, believing the orcas were going to grow tired of waiting. Cheryl didn't keep count, but knew it's been a while. She has seen how much the orcas loved the game, even if they were extremely rough of their land friends.

Speaking of the game, Jet was the first orca Cairo found, and gave him the good news.
"Hey Jet. Great news. I just talked with Miss Sybil a few minutes ago. She gave us permission to resume the game tomorrow." Cairo explained happily, he too missing the game. While it was just a game to many of them, the activity was actually very important to both old and young orcas, since it let them practice their hunting skills without the risk of getting injured or bitten by the prey.

Harland adjusted himself slightly as he listening to the explanation, equally fascinated and surprised by what he was hearing. He would not have expected the game he was asked to partake in to be something quite like that, but it sounded exciting to him. He was an energetic fellow, and loved the idea of getting to put that energy to use as such. "I'm interested in playing," Harland hummed in response. "I would love to get to do something active instead of sit around."

Ellen was glad that Harland was open to the idea. The more residents participated, the more opportunities the orcas had to play with someone. There were about forty of them, not counting the ones still too young to play, but still, that was a lot of energy to burn.
"I'm glad you are keen to the idea Mister Harland. It may be just a game, but it helps us all. We orcas may be big, but it's hard for some of us to hunt without the proper practice. And it can help you and the other Haven residents to develop better reflexes and muscles." Ellen explained, very pleased with this new resident.
"I must warn you though, some orcas are rougher than others. If you decide to participate, it will be your first time, and you'll probably get exhausted and dizzy after it's all over." Ellen explained, wanting him to understand what he will be up against. Even if the orcas did tried to be gentle, they were just too big and strong, not to mention that the game allowed them to treat the Haven residents in a way not so different as their usual prey.

Sunflame enjoys his time with Sybil, though every now and then, one can tell he is troubled. The dreams, familiar faces of Them, etc... What could it mean? Did it mean They would find him again and he would return to the horrors of his old life? He didn't know. AJ: Slipping into the depths of the forest, I quietly and quickly make my way toward the outback. Odette will be so happy to see me again. I really hope she and the rest of my second family can become part of Haven.

At Hunted island's beach, Sybil was enjoying her time in the water, knowing that once she returns to the Haven and tomorrow comes, the same routine game she and the others had with the orcas was going to resume. That was the only time she had left in the water before she would be captured. She had to enjoy the water as much as she could before that time comes. Even though she missed the game, she knew how brutally rough the orcas could get. She still remembers the painful times she could barely walk after an intense session. Sunflame and the others were safe from them at least, since the orcas only targeted the Haven, though Hunted island residents that approached the Haven weren't safe either, like what happened to the cockatoo cousins once. Sybil knew that it was going to be intense having to spend her entire lifetime entertaining the orcas, but they had travelled the world and faced human dangers in order to bring animals to her sanctuary, so it was a necessary procedure. The game has made them happy, and the month they had spent without it has been quite hard on them. They were too use to it by now.

"Indeed..." Cairo said looking at himself and realizing that he too was out of shape. The seals had to be hunted fast to avoid injuries, so they didn't have enough time to exercise the way they did with the Haven residents.
"Anyway, remember we have to keep an eye on the young ones, especially Dagger. And we still have to explain the game to Renee." Cairo reminded, knowing this was going to be the first time Dagger catches a Haven resident without help. And Randy's new mate seemed gentle, but they had to make sure that she didn't use all her strength when playing. Randy probably took care of that, but still, Cairo wanted to be sure.

Cairo nodded, but then wondered who Jet's victim was going to be.
"So, whom do you plan to hunt after such a long time?" Cairo asked casually, already knowing who his first victim was going to be. He was talking in such a calm and casual way to Jet that it was hard to imagine those two use to be enemies long ago.

"Good luck with Sayan. He's the one I want." Cairo warned, Sayan being his favorite target. The leopard was the hardest one to catch, which is why most of the orcas loved the challenge.

Cairo shrank his fins, knowing it really didn't matter whom they captured as long as they had somebody.
"Well, whatever. The important thing is that everything will be back to normal tomorrow. Appearantly the python situation has been taken care of, so we can finally resume our previous lives." Cairo expressed, really missing the activity. He urgently needed the excercise, particularly because he was the biggest eater of the pod.

It was indeed getting late, and Cairo left Jet after saying his goodbyes. Sybil lamented not being able to enjoy the water a little more. She even forgot to see the seals. She couldn't believe the day was over already, but now that the day was over, so was her vacation.
"Cairo! Cairo! Come here!" Sybil called, but Cairo was far. He was under the impression that Sybil wanted to return tomorrow morning and not right now, so he was already getting ready to sleep in order to have enough energy for tomorrow.

Cheryl, relieved to get rid of her previous burden, was glad that the conversation was over.
"Well, time to take my leave as well. Good night." Cheryl said as she flew off Sayan's back, ready to return to the tree and forget she ever made the stupid decision of visiting the python all by herself. She knew how lucky she has been that the huge snake let her free with just a warning.

"You're right. Goodnight Cheryl.," Sayan said as the kea took off. He realiszd he would have to deliver the news soon...

Naga, meanwhile, was trying to hunt a last minute snack. He was almost looking forward to going face-to-face with one of the feline leaders once again.

Making some late rounds was the strong orca Gustave, who was the only one who heard Sybil's call.
"Oh, good evening Miss Sybil." he said politely, offering him a ride.
"Hey Gustave. I spent a little vacation here on Hunted island, you know, looking at the playground and stuff." Sybil explained, holding on tight since Gustave was a fast swimmer, even if he didn't meant to throw you off.
"Lucky you. I wish we could go to the playground. Such a shame nature didn't make us able to walk on land as well." Gustave lamented, with Sybil realizing now that Cairo wasn't the only orca who wished could walk on land.
"But tomorrow, we'll be the lucky ones. Mister Cairo is spreading the news like pollen. Thanks for giving us permission to resume our so needed playtime." Gustave expressed with a smile, he too missing the game. He was still in shape, so he did it more for the fun. He was one of the roughest orcas around, perhaps even more so than Cairo himself, so it was always quite a violent ride for those caught by him.

Before Sayan could reply to Rose, Sybil and Gustave arrived, about a twenty yards away from the pair.
"Well, here you go Milady. I'll see you again.. tomorrow..." Gustave said with a grin, disappearing slowly into the water to make Sybil nervous, and it worked. The orcas were her friends, but that didn't stopped them from being any less scary when they wanted to be. Gustave especially could give quite a fright, even if he was middle aged.

As Sybil was about to head to her tree and call it a day, she spotted Rose and Sayan, and knew it was important to warn them.
"Oh, hello you two. I hope I'm not interrupting anything. Just came to warn you that I gave the orcas permission to hunt us again tomorrow, so be prepared." she warned, knowing that her marine friends had been more than patient for having waited almost a month without the game. Since the python situation was somewhat under control now, Sybil believed it was safe to return to that rough lifestyle, unaware that the snake business wasn't quite over yet...

Harland grinned at Ellen, a slightly cheeky grin that almost made him appear as though he was acting younger then he really was. "I'm always up for a challenge, miss," he hummed in response. "If it will help out, then consider me entirely willing to tire myself out to do so. I accept such a challenge personally, would love to see what Dagger - or any orca around here - is capable of." He couldn't help but chuckle a little as he ended with, "Count me in." The orcas might have been much larger than he, but Harland trusted that they would never aim to cause him harm and that as tired as he may be at the end of the encounter, he would not come out of the game physically injured. He liked the idea of using his energy up, of reaching a place where he simply felt tired. It would be a nice way to help him finally nestle down and get some rest, after a nice roundabout of activity.

~~~

Raul twitched slightly in his sleep and found his vision flickering into the trees again. He was awakening, perhaps a sound had caught his eye. As light flitted into his line of sight once more, he lifted his head curiously, wondering if anyone had passed him by. Surely someone had produced the sound that had caught his attention. Mayhap he imagined it.

Ellen was glad there was yet another member was going to be available for the game. It really helped the more animals they had to play with. But then she looked at the sky and realized they took their precious time talking.
"Well Mister Harland, it's late now. Time for you to return. I'm not sure when the game will resume, but you have been warned. You are a little big for my son's first try, but I guarantee you there will be other orcas. Some are rougher than others, so I suggest you get ready. You may feel dizzy, or even unable to walk properly once the game is over. I suggest you observe the game from a distance first and make your decision before approaching the shore." Ellen warned, leaving Harland at the Haven's shore, about three quarters of a mile away from Sybil and the others. Since she had been talking to Harland far away from the pod. She didn't know the game was going to continue as soon as tomorrow. As Ellen left, she remembered the time the poor civet had to take a day off from the game due to the extremely violent tumble she had the day before. The orcas didn't hurt their friends when playing, but they could be absolutely merciless during the activity.

Harland listened, taking in each and every word as she spoke. "I understand entirely," he said to her as she neared the end of her explanation, noting the strong tone of her voice as she neared the end of the explanation. It almost felt strange to be standing along the shore once again, but after a couple of stomps of his feet along the beach and the sand, he registered the ground below him once again. "It was a pleasure to meet you and your son," Harland called before she left. He could sense the concern in her voice and it stuck with him, but he was certain he would be able to get through such a game without any incident - at least for him.

~~~

Raul looked to the sky, noting it seemed to be growing a little darker. It was late? Perfect. He preferred being awake at night anyways. He stretched his legs and yawned clearly before beginning to move once more. His eyes stuck to the sky for a few moments longer before they finally focused below again. "I wonder how many - if any - residents are nocturnal." His words were less curious than they were strong. He wasn't expecting an answer, though was also aware he could receive one anyways.

As the sun disappeared and the stars were starting to become visible, the activity in the Haven seemed to be quieting down. Even though many Haven residents were nocturnal, most of them adapted themselves to a diurnal lifestyle for the sake of both the orcas and the native birds. The keas were going around this road as well, though half of the flock sticked to their nocturnal lifestyle in order to do occasional rounds around the Haven and stand guard to watch over the sleeping warblers. Sybil may had struck a deal with the python, but the keas still didn't trust that snake. They were going to keep that up for a while longer until it was completely guaranteed that the large reptile was going to keep his promise.

Raul noticed the lack of activity as he began moving around the island, eyes scanning the darkness. He noted that all seemed to be resting. At one point he encountered Harland, nodded off and kicking some nearby pebbles about in his sleep. Were residents expected to adhere to diurnal lifestyle, or was it a choice? Raul made a mental note to ask someone about that later, though for now he would opt to stay awake. He slowly moved through the darkness, coming out more in the open now that the sun had abandoned the sky. He looked to the stars flickering above him, admiring their beauty. Seeing that made this place feel like the safe haven it was intended to be, comforted him - though he had never been as bothered as Harland had been. He hadn't noticed the rare keas flying about yet, but had certainly noted the general silence of the island. It was peaceful in many ways.

While everyone was preparing to sleep, Mambo decided to take a stroll around the canopy. Cheryl had returned, but she would had to keep her sleep in check, since she returned after Cole, and he was questioning her on why she was that late. He was such an overprotecting brother, and despite Mambo's tries to have Cole give his sister a little more freedom, it was just impossible. After a while flying, Mambo stood on the branch of a palm tree to look at the sun setting. It was so beautiful the way the sky turned orange above the sea, and above it the bluish black sky with the stars. He was so glad to have caught that division, since it lasts for only a few minutes and he almost always missed it doing other things. It was such a relaxing sight. If only Light Beach could be on after it. That was an equally beautiful spectacle, but he knew he had to wait several months before the bioluminescent spectacle returned.

Quote: Felines

Before Sayan could reply to Rose, Sybil and Gustave arrived, about a twenty yards away from the pair.
"Well, here you go Milady. I'll see you again.. tomorrow..." Gustave said with a grin, disappearing slowly into the water to make Sybil nervous, and it worked. The orcas were her friends, but that didn't stopped them from being any less scary when they wanted to be. Gustave especially could give quite a fright, even if he was middle aged.

As Sybil was about to head to her tree and call it a day, she spotted Rose and Sayan, and knew it was important to warn them.
"Oh, hello you two. I hope I'm not interrupting anything. Just came to warn you that I gave the orcas permission to hunt us again tomorrow, so be prepared." she warned, knowing that her marine friends had been more than patient for having waited almost a month without the game. Since the python situation was somewhat under control now, Sybil believed it was safe to return to that rough lifestyle, unaware that the snake business wasn't quite over yet...

"I see... thanks for the warning. And no worries-- we just about to head back.," Sayan said almost seeming distracted by something. Now that both Sybil and Rose were back-- it was likely the civet would want to know. "Walk with us if you don't mind-- there is something I need to discuss with both of you. And not here.," he then said not wanting to discuss the topic where others could possibly hear.

Sybil began to worry when noticing the tension in Sayan's words.
"Okay Sayan... lead the way." she said following him, wondering what the news were. She then thought it had something to do with what happened to Sayan earlier. Perhaps he knew about why he had that little trance? If that was it, then finally she may be able to help him...

OOC: Alright, then we'll have to take advantage of this time.

Sybil was anxious to know what was so urgent. The orca game was going to start tomorrow, and she knew she was going to hate it if it had to be postponed yet again. She knew the orcas wouldn't tolerate it, so whatever the situation was, Sybil hoped it could be solved right now...

Raul continued to keep his attention focused on his surroundings as he explored the night, continuing to wonder if this habit would bother others. The night was beautiful on this island, and as he wandered into a more open environment, chirps of crickets echoing in his ears, this became even more apparent. He stared at the stars, no trees or clouds blocking his view.

OOC: Great for you Spyroconvexity
And Shadow-Cipher, you can rely on the map of the third RP to have an idea on how the world is. Just go to the first page of this RP and click the link

At the beach, while Sybil, Sayan and Rose were walking home, Mambo was still on his palm tree, having watched the orange sky turn completely black with the night. If only Light Beach would've been active, the view would've been even more perfect. But you can't have everything. Watching the starry sky for a while, the kea leader soon found himself asleep, protected from the cold by the large, palm leaves besides where he was standing.

At the orca pod, everyone already knew about the game starting tomorrow thanks to Cairo and Jet spreading the news simultaneously. The orcas were good friends and whatever Sybil ordered, they obeyed. Most of them would be willing to postpone the game tomorrow if she asked, though of course, that wouldn't stop them from being disappointed. The game wasn't just a playful activity to them, it has become a way of life, and being so much time without it has affected them. Their hunting, while it was still good, it has decreased in catch rate, not to mention the lack of exercise also did a number on them. You couldn't play with something that could injure you, like the seals defending themselves. They knew it wasn't Sybil or her friend's fault the lack of inactivity, but hopefully tomorrow, they were going to return to that fun lifestyle. Most of the orcas were already asleep so that they could be up first thing in the morning and capture whatever Haven resident dared enter the water tomorrow...

OOC: Congrats Sc! Welcome back!

As Sayan led the others closer to their den, he started to explain. "It's the snake. One of the keas wondered into his territory and brought back a message. Afraid to tell someone themselves-- they told another kea and that kea told me today. Naga wants to meet with one of you-- specially you or Rose. And he wants to meet with you tomorrow.," he then said looking at the two. He sounded very serious and concerned at the same time.

OOC: How does Sayan knows the python's name? Was that a mistake? If not, you'll have to explain later in the story how he knew.

Sybil became very uneasy when she heard those news. She got tangled up in the kea story and wished to know what kea was the one who received the news first, but that wasn't the priority now.
"The python wants to meet with us!? What time!? And why!?" Sybil asked frenetically, worried beyond consolation. Just when she believed everything was going to be back to normal tomorrow, this had to happen. What did the snake wanted now? Was he having second thoughts about the deal they made? Sybil was just horrified to know what was going on...

Before Sayan even had the chance to reply, Sybil stepped forward.
"Well, whatever that snake wants, it is I who should go. I can't expose you to that horrible place again Rose. Not anymore. The python knows me better, so it is I who should be going." Sybil said, not wanting to risk having the python act suddenly hostile and hurt Rose or worse. The tiger was far too important to the Haven and Sybil wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

Sybil, being as stubborn as she was, still didn't want to get Rose exposed.
"No Rose! Didn't you hear Sayan? He said either one of us, not both! I don't want the python to get the wrong idea. You stay here tomorrow and give the orcas some playtime. Remember that they are expecting us, and I don't intend to postpone the game again!" Sybil said scornfully, not caring if Rose was about eight times her size. Rose was a fully grown tiger now, but that python was humongous, probably bigger than the giant Crocux himself, and she doubted Rose was going to be able to beat him even if she managed to put up a good fight. And Sybil didn't want to deny the orcas of their playtime either, after so much time of making them wait.

OOC: The name thing was a mistake. Oops.

"I don't know why or when precisely, but it sounded urgent. They didn't give me many details and were quick to get it off their chests.," Sayan said answering the previous question. "To be safe--- I would advise going at the same time as before. It can't hurt to be consistent. And as for who should go... just be safe.," he then said sounding concerned about Rose's safety and surprised at the tiger's reaction.

Sybil shrank when Rose snapped at her like that. For a moment, she thought Rose was going to swipe at her. Knowing that she wasn't the cub she use to be, Sybil had no choice but to succumb to her demands.
"...Fine. We'll go. But the two of us. I don't want you to be alone. I just hope the python doesn't take both of our visits the wrong way." Sybil commented with a sigh, not daring to look at Rose or Sayan in the eyes after that severe scold. What worried her the most was not the visit in itself, but the orca game tomorrow. Sybil's original idea was for her to go and not participate in the game while Rose entertained the orcas. She knew how rough and brutal the orcas could be in their game, but she didn't want to deny them not one, but two Haven residents. All she could hope was for the game not to leave the two of them terribly exhausted like it has done in the past...