darkSpyro

Nia and Angus looked at each other, knowing this could be quite the predicament. Whirlpool didn't flinched, so he continued with his work. He never wanted to leave anything half done. But the food had to be delivered somehow. Cockatoos weren't hunters, and there wasn't much meat they could offer. A few mice perhaps, but they knew too well that would never fill a hungry tiger. It was then that Angus had an idea.
Well, how do you feel about fish? We can't offer much meat here, so fish is the best bet." he said to Marble, knowing the orcas would help them without a second thought with that matter. They could always offer her seals, but the orcas could take a while to hunt one, not to mention they were probably going to be too fatty for her like it was for Rose and her family.

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After giving him the information, Sybil left, just slightly relieved to have informed him, but Crocux and the rest of the warblers had to know urgently about the possible new threat. Sholeh overheard anything and felt neutral about it.
"Well, wasn't that nice of her to inform you?" she commented after Naga returned, starting to believe Sybil did care about the python and that wasn't helping him out of just fear.

"But... a hippo. Those guys are quite nasty for what I've heard. I've never seen one, but even I have heard of them. Are you sure it won't be any trouble?" Sholeh asked, concerned for her friend. Naga was powerful alright, enough to rival Crocux, but hippos were a whole new level, and they could kill crocodiles and possibly even pythons as well.

"I.. I will admit that my experience with them is lacking, but my camouflage has never failed me before. You need not worry my dear.," Naga said almost admitting... uncertainty? Fear? Indeed-- the Hippo was a yet unseen and very potential threat.

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“Oh man! Look away.” Snow said looking away in embarrassment. “

Hunter quickly did so and continued playing. If there was one thing that could be said about their parents-- it was that the two remained very passionate towards each other, although at least he and Snow had yet to walk into anything more. He didn't want to imagine just how passionate their parents could be when the two were truly in the mood.

Sholeh had known Naga long enough to know when his mood changed.
"Well, do be careful. You may be powerful and your camouflage may work... here, but the wetland isn't a good enough place to hide unless you remain in the tall grass. Hippos look stupid, but they're quite the big, fat brutes. Not that I doubt you won't be able to defeat him, but he will still be able to do great harm." Sholeh warned, not wanting to be seen as if she doubted his own power, but hippos were no joke. Even though she has never seen them in action, the mongoose knew he were bad news in their place of origin.

Sybil was in the meantime heading to Crocux's cave, wondering if Jack was there. She rarely saw the chimpanzee, but she knew he was still great friends with the crocodile.
"Helooo..." she called, liking the echo that sometimes formed when she peeked inside. Even with her age and stress, she still found the time to be playful.

Whirlpool indicated to the cousins about Marble needing rest, but he settled with sign language so that he wouldn't have to take so much time talking.
"Orca... guards..." he said finally, with words this time. Marble was too injured to be moved, but she needed lots of rest as well, and she wasn't in the best position. The tie will come at dusk, and she may be caught by it. She needed the orcas to guard her, which the cockatoos understood.
"Very well. I'll get the fish." Angus said, flying towards the ocean while Whirlpool and Nia stayed with the tiger.

While they waited, Nia decided to start some conversation.
"So, you know what an orca is, right? Big, toothy black and white whales? They may be big and scary, but don't worry about them. They're our friends. They always help us, so don't feel scared." Nia explained, not wanting Marble to panic in case she never saw the orcas on her way there.

Nia remained silent, not knowing what to respond. She wasn't good at consoling others, especially cause her life has been so happy and lacking of trouble. The only trouble she was having was an annoying admirer, but that hardly compared to what this tiger faced. But as she tried to find the words, she suddenly remembered someone with a similar past.
"Well I have a leopard friend who was also mistreated and put in a cage, and he couldn't be more happy now. He even has a family." Nia explained with a smile, wanting the tiger to understand that that part of her life was over, and that she could have a chance in happiness like Sayan did.

Nia flinched, needing even more time to find the right response.
"Well, most of them live on the other island over there. You can't see it well from there, but that's where most animals live." Nia explained, knowing her father would want her to go there. They had Sunflame, but that was the only exception he tolerated, and only for Whirlpool's sake.

"Well, not exactly. We have my kind, wombats like Whirlpool, a few numbats too. We have many other birds as well, and of course mice and fish... oh right, and seals." Nia explained, knowing that the fauna there wouldn't be enough to sustain a tiger. Sunflame was a cat, but a much smaller one that could easily be fed, but a tiger was a different story. She was feeling so sorry for this animal.

Angus searched for an orca, almost having a heart attack when one lunged at him and acted as if it was going to eat him. But the orca just poked him.
"Dagger! You! You know I hate that!" eh scolded, recognizing the young orca immediately.
"I know." he replied with a grin, enjoying seeing the puny cockatoo scared half to death. Dagger was Ellen's son, Cairo's former second in command, but he was still aiding Jet and had a high position. Dagger was once the smallest orca, but now he was almost Jet's size. Despite admiring Jet, he still wish he could take his place as leader someday.

Angus explained the situation to Dagger, and while he wasn't characterized for being the most helpful orca, he agreed to be the one to bring fish to their striped visit.
"Alright. I'll get her something. Things are boring around here anyway." he commented, prompting Angus to suspect he was doing this favor for the sake of doing something rather than a genuine desire to be helpful.

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Sholeh had known Naga long enough to know when his mood changed.
"Well, do be careful. You may be powerful and your camouflage may work... here, but the wetland isn't a good enough place to hide unless you remain in the tall grass. Hippos look stupid, but they're quite the big, fat brutes. Not that I doubt you won't be able to defeat him, but he will still be able to do great harm." Sholeh warned, not wanting to be seen as if she doubted his own power, but hippos were no joke. Even though she has never seen them in action, the mongoose knew he were bad news in their place of origin.

"Of course, of course-- I.. ssshall be careful my dear. For my own sssake, for the sake of the Haven, and for the sssake of a certain mongoossse.," Naga replied keeping while also attempting to hide the same tone and mood. This new hibbo was perhaps the first unknown in a long time to come.

Elsewhere-- Hunter continued to play, while Sayan happily returned Rose's attempts at affection.

Hunter looked at Snow with a certain Sayan-like smirk and wondered where some of the more playful orcas were at that time. Little did he know that the orcas were quite busy helping tend to a new resident and a another feline resident at that. The Haven proper remained blissfully unaware...

Sholeh nodded with a smile, loving Naga's confidence, but still very worried about him. She remained with him for as long as he wanted, asking him when will his next hunt will be. While it was disgusting, it was also interesting seeing him gobble down those silly plant eaters at the wetland.

As was expected, word of the new tiger was already reaching the rest of the orcas. Angus' presence didn't go unnoticed. Dagger was telling every orca what was up, but he didn't want hell in collecting the fish. He wanted to do it himself and demonstrate how competent he was at hunting...

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“Oh there are more like you? C-can I see them?” Marble said.

Nia shook her head.
"Oh no. We can't do that... yet. I already told you about my father. He doesn't like predators, and seeing you here will upset him." Nia warned, knowing Barloc would find out sooner or later, but if it was the latter, then better for now. He had enough problems with a growing flock, especially the warblers that moved there.

But speaking about growing flock, a certain cockatoo was watching them, hidden among the foliage of Hunted island. It was Morris, the annoying cockatoo that constantly flirted with Nia. He could tell that the tiger with her wasn't Snow.
"Well well, my darling is doing things behind her dear daddy's back. He should know." Morris commented, planning to tell everything. He was in hot water with Barloc, so if he could appeal to his better side, by being his informant or maybe his confident, he would allow him to date Nia.

Whirlpool shook his head, Marble being too injured to be moved. Plus she was too heavy, and dragging her across the hard sand may make her wounds worse.
"Whirlpool says we can't move you yet. You're too injured to be moved..." she then looked at the wombat again.
"But... we can use several palm tree leaves to give you some shade. And of course, the tide will keep you cool. Don't worry about being dragged by the ocean. The orcas will keep an eye on you once they know about this." Nia assured, with her and Whirlpool starting to collect palm tree leaves nearby, while having Marble in their line of sight.

Quote: Spyroconvexity

Jet soon arrived to the main pod when he saw Angus. “Good day Angus! Things are well on Hunted Island?”

"Well..." Angus didn't want to go into explanations, but if someone should know, he might as well be the leader of the orcas. He explained everything.
"I don't know what to do. If uncle Barloc sees her, we might be in trouble." he said with plenty of concern, fearing his own uncle a little.

Angus nodded, believing Marble would feel more comfortable around another tiger. She needed all the help she could get, and Barloc would find out sooner or later. He flew towards the Haven, making sure he wa very high up in case an orca was still too playful or didn't know anything yet.

Whirlpool and Nia continued gathering the leaves, when they found to their horror Barloc standing there on the sand, and he didn't look happy.
"Nia?" he asked, and she already knew what was he getting at.
"I know dad, but hear me out. The tiger is injured. She was washed ashore and can barely move. She means no harm, really. Whirlpool already took care of her and she didn't snap once." she quickly explained, with Barloc giving one of his eerie silences. He paced near Marble, staring. She looked injured enough to be unable to hunt, so that pleased him a bit.
"Call Sybil. If they can't take her today, I'll allow just one night of staying." Barloc instructed, almost sounding like an ultimatum. He warned Nia not to get close to the new tiger, and then flew away, but remained nearby. Nia knew he was going to find out sooner or later, but not this quick. Somebody must've spotted them and blurted out the whole thing to her father... and she had a pretty good idea who the snitch was...

Jack was whittling away at some wood when he heard her saying with a smile "ah Sybil welcome, Crocux isn't back yet, probably lost track of time during his date with Marina again or something, you hardly come to visit me anymore come in come in, what's new?"

"Well, first what's old. The warblers and their paranoia. Years have passed already and they still think Naga will eat them. I just wish they'd let it go already." Sybil said with some venting, so sick and tired of the same situation.

"Anyway, that's just the old news. It's not why I'm here. I have some news... possibly bad. A hippo arrived here about an hour ago, and he's... well he's not very nice. So far all his aggression has been verbal, but... well, I've heard of hippos and how deadly they can be, but most especially their rivalry with crocodiles. I came to warn Crocux." Sybil told Jack, being quite legendary how much hippos and crocodiles hated each other in Africa.

At first it seemed Barloc was ignoring her... when he turned around to face her.
"I know you don't. But you're a predator. A meat eater. And many times, instincts overcome willpower. You say you mean no harm, but what are you instincts telling you? If one of my dear cockatoos went in front of you or even inside your mouth, you'd crunch it up like a beaver with wood without a second thought. It's just in your nature." Barloc commented indifferently, wanting Marble to understand why he hated predators. He barely let Rose and his family in his island, and he has known him for years.
"Not now daddy!" Nia urged, but he just glared.
"Should I remind you of the predator your uncle saved and then gobbled him up as if he valued NOTHING!?" he commented firmly, silencing Nia. Her father could never overcome that event, so it was a view she knew he was never going to change.

Jack raises a brow and says "bad attitude? By any chance was his face covered in so much scar tissue it looked like a skull?"

Sybil was somewhat distraught about such an accurate description. It's not like any hippo had such a scar pattern, did it?
"Well, yeah, it was. Don't tell me you know this hippo?" she asked, a bit afraid of the answer. It was stressful enough to know such a savage animal was in her Haven. The last thing she needed was bad news about it.

Barloc rolled his eyes, finding the silly tiger too overdramatic.
"Oh please! Didn't you hear a word I said? Instincts will take over eventually! Are we dealing with a deaf ignorant now?" Barloc scolded, not liking when his words weren't understood. He thought the tiger was playing dumb.
"I changed my mind. I want her out of here tonight!" he then said harshly, leaving but once again remaining nearby to make sure his daughter will be alright.

Barloc left before Nia could have a chance to rebuff him. She looked at Marble.
"I'm so sorry about my daddy. He... well, he lost my uncle to a predator he once saved, and he could never get over that. My mom and I were hoping we could change his ways, but... well you saw." Nia explained, excusing her father's rude behavior.

At the Haven's beach, Angus arrived, spotting Rose and her family. Since the tiger was Sybil's successor, he went to her immediately.
"Rose. I mean, lady Rose, it's... well, a tiger was washed ashore at our island. A white tiger, sort of like Snow. She's very injured. You think she could... come here? She could stay at Hunted island, but of course you know how uncle Barloc is." he said, still afraid on how will uncle react, unaware that he already knew.

Jack says "know him? I doubt there's a single creature in Africa who doesn't know of him, Guzma leader of his pack he calls Team Skull. I saw him once during our time with Rumble the Rhino and keep in mind Rumble was fearless yet he did his best to stay well away from Guzma. Crocux and him locked eyes once, so Crocux is the only one who is even remotely close to knowing him personally"

"Go-- I've got the kids.," Sayan quickly said. He wondered what the new tiger would think of the seemingly thriving Leoger sub-species.

---

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Sholeh nodded with a smile, loving Naga's confidence, but still very worried about him. She remained with him for as long as he wanted, asking him when will his next hunt will be. While it was disgusting, it was also interesting seeing him gobble down those silly plant eaters at the wetland.

Naga welcomed the company-- continuing to show affection in his own way. "Soooon.," he would respond willing to start the hunt whenever Sholeh was ready, knowing that the Mongoose liked to watch such things. With the hunts now less common thanks to the larger prey... what was once a near daily activity no doubt became something to look forward to. He didn't mind the change and there were still *some* smaller creatures left to entertain them.

As Sholeh remained with Naga, she started to chuckle, remembering something.
"You know Naga, if we had met far sooner than we actually did, I would've done the impossible to convince you to kill Sybil. That's how much I hated her." she said before continuing.

"But... I'm a new mongoose now. And while it was hard to admit at first, I guess... she does care about you for real. At first I thought she just wanted to win you over because she was afraid of you, but she did went to all the trouble to warn you about that hippo. Not to mention of course, all the years she has defended you from those stupid warblers, tolerating all their crud in order to make you one of us." she concluded, still finding it hard to admit that the care may be genuine. There was even a hint of jealousy from her part. No wonder so many animals liked that ugly civet, even this python.

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Jack says "know him? I doubt there's a single creature in Africa who doesn't know of him, Guzma leader of his pack he calls Team Skull. I saw him once during our time with Rumble the Rhino and keep in mind Rumble was fearless yet he did his best to stay well away from Guzma. Crocux and him locked eyes once, so Crocux is the only one who is even remotely close to knowing him personally"

Jack's response only stressed Sybil even further. If Guzma was that notorious, he certainly wasn't good news.
"Please don't tell me he's so violent. We have enough with the wolves. I was friendly, I greeted him cordially, and yet he was so rude to me! He even mistakenly believed I was calling him stupid, and he practically roared to my face! I thought he was going to bite my face off!" Sybil complained, really hating the treatment she received from him, someone who didn't even know her. You couldn't expect great things from an animal that judged and misunderstood by first appearance, especially if the animal in question was someone who couldn't possibly bring any harm to him.

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Rose noded and hoped on Jet. He then started to take Rose to Hunted Island. “Thank you Angus for telling me. I’m assuming the tiger is scared?”

"She is... and also very confused. She hasn't attacked us thank goodness, and she let Whirlpool take care of her, but she's skinny. She might be hungry. Dagger is already getting her food though." Angus explained, still leading the way. He knew it had to take a while longer than usual to arrive to avoid Rose from falling off Jet.

Jack says "sorry but it's the truth, on the plus side his gang should almost completely cease to exist soon and only the stragglers will show up looking for him, odds are his second in command is coming and she'll keep him straight, I'm sorry he treated you that way"

"Forgive my father. He's just traumatized." Nia explained to Marble, when she found to her delight and some relief Jet arriving with Rose.
"Lady Rose! Welcome. Haven't seen you in a while. Look." she said, pointing at their unexpected newcomer. She bet Marble would feel so much better having someone of her same species to interact with.

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Jack says "sorry but it's the truth, on the plus side his gang should almost completely cease to exist soon and only the stragglers will show up looking for him, odds are his second in command is coming and she'll keep him straight, I'm sorry he treated you that way"

Sybil was worried his followers might look for him, but she wanted to believe that the chances of finding the island were very slim.
"Well, it doesn't matter now. I'm not going to have someone as violent as him roaming around the Haven and threatening everybody. Heard about hippos enough to know how nasty they are. And I already got a taste of this one's behavior. I told him he could stay until typhoon season was over, but I may have to find an orca willing to take the risk of bringing him there." Sybil commented, not wanting the hippo around. She was usually very friendly and forgave easily, but the hippo's behavior and history already rubbed her the wrong way.

Jack says "well you will want to talk to Plumaria before jumping the gun on him, she knows his story better than anyone"

Sybil scratched her head, now confused.
"Ok, who is Plumaria?" she asked, knowing that if she was an animal still back in Africa, there would still be trouble.

Jack says "last I checked she's a bird of prey back in Africa, Guzmas second in command and apparently the only one that knows how to keep Guzma from causing trouble, get on her good side and she could convince Guzma to be a new line of security for the Haven"

The wombat nodded, not wanting to take Rose's time with his long speeches. He looked at Nia so that she would say what he said earlier.
"Oh right. Marble can't be moved yet lady Rose. She's too injured yet, and moving her may open up the wounds more." she warned, and then seeing a orca fin in the distance reminded her of something else.
"Oh, and please tell the orcas she's not someone to play with. If they see her so close to shore, they may be tempted to catch her." she then said in almost a whisper, not wanting to startle Marble. The orcas could confuse her for Snow and capture her, which may cause some serious harm and possibly even death in her condition.

Quote: ShadeTheDragon

Jack says "last I checked she's a bird of prey back in Africa, Guzmas second in command and apparently the only one that knows how to keep Guzma from causing trouble, get on her good side and she could convince Guzma to be a new line of security for the Haven"

Sybil shook her head and almost chuckled, furious about the situation.
"So she's back in Africa... then what's the point!? We can't go to Africa because of typhoon season, and if someone does go there is to get the hippo home, not to bring HER here. " Sybil said angrily, not interested in making someone as rude and possibly violent as Guzma as a line of defense. Naga and Crocux were more than enough for her.

Jack says "knowing her she left Africa already to try to find Guzma, odds are she's out flying with a few grunts trying to find him and could be half way here already, she'll have to find a place to touch down and if here happens to be the closest for her then this will work in our favor"

Sybil wasn't certain what to think.
"Well... maybe I can ask some warblers or keas to go after her. Not sure if she'll be able to find the island for herself." the civet said, wanting to get this bird if it meant keeping that big brute under control.

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“Huh? C-catch me?” Now Marble was worried and moved a little to get away from the water.

"Oh don't worry. They only want to play. It's not like they're going to eat you or something." Nia assured, but then she believed she was making things worse.
"I mean, yeah, don't worry. See? Jet's the leader and he's going to tell them to leave you alone." she said, wanting her to feel relieved and not to move.

Jack says "that might be a good idea, if I remember correctly she's a Crowned Egale so if they see that it's probably her, especially if she has a couple of vultures with her, just have them open with saying they know where Guzma is and she'll fallow"

While poor Terrence looks at Angle and says "is there even a reason for why you are so determined to start laying eggs like a chicken?"
Angle says to him "well Daddy I can't help but notice how lonely you seemed and I heard that this mean Mongoose Lady broke your heart from Uncle Jack, so I thought maybe if I could lay eggs for her maybe she'd actually like you"
Terrence sighs saying to her "sweetie that isn't quite how it works, she was just so bitter and hateful that she couldn't see that I actually cared about her, she broke my heart because she was a bad individual, yes it's true I do still have feelings for her and hope maybe she'll come around and want to reconcile but I honestly don't see that happening"
Angle says "really? Because she's become friends with that Python guy"
Terrence balks at this "What!? Our kind and snakes are natural mortal enemies!? We'd sooner kill a snake on sight before we'd become friends with one! And before you point out my grandfather was a Cobra let me remind you I didn't like him that much and tolerated him because he was family, nothing more!"

"Vulture?" Sybil repeated, knowing the perfect animal for the job.
"Warren would be so pleased to know that. The other cultures don't like him, not to mention he's always trying so hard to be helpful. Not sure if he'll be able to fly such long distances for so long, so I'll send keas with him. No warblers though. I think I'm already in hot water enough with them." Sybil commented, already having a plan, but one the warblers had to stay out of. She didn't want the crown eagle to confuse her beloved warblers for food, especially since the little birds were already discouraged enough with thinking that the python was already going to eat them eventually.

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Rose looked to Barloc Who was still nearby. “Good morning Barloc! I’m assuming you already meet Marble. Listen she is hurt and we can’t move her until she has healed. You don’t mind if she stays a few days? I’ll stay by her side and one of the orcas will bring fish for us until she gets her strength back.”

Nia stepped aside, afraid on how Barloc would react. While his behavior was relaxed, his face still indicated otherwise.
"Now lady Rose, you know the rules. This may be Hunted island, but we only accept leaf eaters. I tolerate that Sunflame because he's small and very helpful to Whirlpool and nothing else." Barloc commented, feeling that he didn't need to say anything else."

Jack says "excellent, when I see Crocux I'll be sure to give him the heads up"

Meanwhile Terrence is begrudgingly going to see Sheloh because of Angel.