darkSpyro

Sayan simply smiled, glad to see the others having fun. He would have to think to some sort of comeback later.

Crocux smiled "okay aunty. now lets get to work. Sayan, Rose, you two can help Jack decorate. I'm going fishing." and with that Crocux goes into the ocean and begins to get to work himself.

Sybil got to work immediately, and then remembered that she could have just check her creek instead of the lake. Even though the water was filling up, the fish hadn't returned. As she collected the berries, she ran into Mambo.
"Oh hey miss Sybil. Nice meeting you here." the kea greeted, and Sybil was rather surprised to see him.
"Hey Mambo. I haven't seen you in a long while. Where have you been?" she asked, and Mambo said the same thing he said to Crocux. But then explained the situation that the keas were having, which really concerned Sybil, especially because it had so much to do with the crocodile himself.
"Well you should tell Crocux about it. This concerns him." she suggested, and even though Mambo was hesitant, he knew she was right.
"Alright... but after I am done with this." he said, collecting the remaining berries and carrying the lizards he managed to capture.

While Sybil collected more berries, Mambo went and brought the food to Crocux with his usual smile.
"Here you go Crocux. I hope it's enough. If not, well, miss Sybil will bring more anyway." he said, trying to gather the courage to explain what was going on.

Crocux was back from his fishing trip and dropped off the fish he caught and said "wonderful work Mambo, you're a big help." with his usual good natured, kind smile.

Mambo knew Crocux wasn't suspecting a thing, but knew he would have to tell him eventually. So it might as well be now that he was in the mood.
"Listen Crocux, I might as well tell you already. The reason why any of you haven't heard of us in a while is because we are having a lot of trouble with one of our young lads." he started to explain, taking some breath before continuing.
"You see, a couple of weeks ago, this young lad went to your home nation; Africa. He was trying to find a prosper place for us to live in temporary so that we wouldn't terminate the limited sources you guys had..." Mambo expressed, and then continued to the point he sounded very serious.
"... and when he approached a crocodile to ask for directions, he lunged at him without a second thought. He dodged just in the nick of time, but after that, the poor lad left the place and returned here. He has been so traumatized. Me and my flock have been trying to give him some counseling, but it has been futile. He was under the impression that all crocodiles were good after meeting you, but now he won't come out of the tree knowing that you are around." Mambo finally explained, very relieved to have gotten that out of his chest.

After Olaf had gone to sleep for a while in his tiny den, he decided to explore the Haven, and he was hungry again. He got up ad looked around to see what the place could offer.

Crocux eyes widened in surprise "oh god. the poor thing. I'm glad he wasn't hurt. but I can see were things went wrong. the rest of my kind are very vicious. they wont take kindly to others sometimes they wont take kindly to their own kind. but crocs and plovers are natural allies and even then it's rarely seen, he should've gone to the nail river, the crocs their are very social and tend to be kinder to birds, but the poor lad wouldn't have known that unless he was told. damn! If only I was able to warn him before he went! this is my fault." flabbergasted Crocux took the news pretty hard.

Mambo understood his concern, so he tried to console him.
"Oh it's not your fault Mr. Crocux. The young lad left without any of us knowing. He wanted to surprise us, but of course, it didn't end well. We have been trying to help him, but it has been useless. We will try to arrange a meeting between you two so that he can eliminate that dreadful phobia." Mambo expressed, knowing that was going to be extremely hard.
"We will need miss Sybil's help with this one. But in the meantime, let's just focus on the party. We will solve this situation after it." Mambo assured, though realized that he should have probably told Crocux after the party. Now he was worried about the crocodile not being able to enjoy the festivity because of him.

Crocux nodded "I under stand Mambo. thanks for telling me. now lets get back to work on this party."

meanwhile....

Saris looks at his brother and says "hey the droughts over, lets go to the beach."

Mambo was glad Crocux was being reasonable, yet he was still feeling shame.
"Hey Mr. Crocux. Try to enjoy the party as if this conversation never happened. I hate to ruin anyone's fun." he said, not wanting to feel guilt.

Meanwhile, Sybil was done collecting the berries, and then she started to hunt for a few lizards. She then remembered that she still had the fish scent on her, but since she didn't want to use water from the creek since it was still relatively dry, she was going to wash herself on the on the beach. Better to smell like salt than fish.

Crocux nodded "don't worry, I know."

Mambo and Cheryl continued to help Crocux and the others with the chores, and with everybody collaborating, they had everything ready in less than an hour. Sybil was done with the hunting as well, collecting even more lizards than Mambo himself. She even tried to invite Sholeh, but predictably, she refused. She also informed Terrence of the party, though she wasn't sure if he was going to come. She headed to the beach to bring the food, and was quite proud to see the results. Her presence was given away with her strong fish scent, that even Mambo himself could detect.
"Ohh, something smells fishy. Miss Sybil, is that you?" Mambo said, laughing at her, with her explaining why she smelled like that.
"It's alright. I'll take a bath right at the shore." she said, wanting to pull a prank on Mambo for making fun of her.

Crocux smiled and thought this is gonna be good.

ooc p.s. starting tomarrow I'll be gone for 3 weeks on a family vaca to michigen and will not be able to post.

OOC: Well, I hope you have a good time. You could have said that in your first post you know Anyway, we are going to miss you. Just tell me how much you can post today to have a bit of closure.

Sybil drenched herself with the salty water, and secretly grabbed an algae with her tail and surprised Mambo by throwing it at him. The two play along for a while, teasing each other. Sybil got in such a playful mood that once she was done with Mambo, she started to bite Crocux's tail so that he would roll around like a quick merry go round.

ooc: well this may be it. after the post after this one is all I can do.

Crocux smiles and obliges while wondering where the gest of honor is.

meanwhile...

Saris waits for his brothers response hoping he'll say something so the two can go for the party.

OOC: Well, depending on what happens, I will have to advance the story myself in order to keep things up. It will all be up to the other users.

Sybil hold on tight, repeating the process many times after falling off, but then she was worn out and was now hungry. She grabbed a small fish and a platter of berries and started to eat as she watched ecstatically how all the ones assisting were having fun. Even Cheryl, who was easily bored, seemed to be having some fun as well. For her, it wasn't just a welcoming party, it was a reminder that the prosperity and peace that distinguished the Haven before Shadow and the drought was finally coming back, and that after the last bit of the drought was over, the orcas were going to return and finally, they could all live happily ever after as she always wished.

ooc: well I'm waiting on Writsel to post since the party isn't supposed to start until Syris and Saris are their.

OOC: If that's the case, it may take a long while, so we'll have to assume Syris arrived. Don't worry, it's not the first time this has been done.

After a long while when Syris finally arrived, then the party really began. Sholeh was watching from a corner, and didn't participated in the festivities. Almost half of Mambo's flock arrived to enjoy as well, bringing up their own food. And even some of the warblers participated. It got quite crazy. They were a lot of games, food and just plain goofing off. Sybil made a toast in honor of Syris and all of them present, wishing for peace and prosperity in this sacred sanctuary she created so many years ago. Night came, and the party still continued. It would have been perfect if Light Beach was still active, but the spectacle ended three weeks ago. It didn't matter, cause the keas and the warblers brought fireflies in order to compensate the Light Beach spectacle...

But what happened months ago, while the drought was reaching it's peak? After Jhen's attack, the remaining orcas left. While the Haven residents were partying, nobody realized that even though they were safe from their own marine friends, their protection was no more. They were safe from sharks, but it gave way to another creature to swim towards the island and posing a threat even more dangerous than Shadow. The warblers were disappearing one by one, and due to everybody being too focused on surviving the drought, neither the Haven residents or the warblers themselves were realizing the alarming decrease... except the dingoes...

OCC: Remember that we agreed to leave that story for later. In the meantime, let's just focus on the dingoes. We don't need to create character sheets. Just mention their names.

About three months before the party, things with the dingo pack were getting intense, and it wasn't because of the drought. There was a power struggle between them, and what was worse, one of them discovered there was something horrifying around the Haven. Nobody knew what, but it was targeting the warblers. Nobody but Sybil knew that they were allowed at the Haven, but many of the packs believed it wasn't up to them to tell them, since they had their own problems. Plus the Haven residents hated them, so they didn't feel the obligation to warn them... a young dingo by the name of Savannah had mixed feelings on what to do...

Syris turns to his brother and nods.

"The beach does sound good big brother. Also, I would love to meet the rest of the family. So, Saris, I was wondering, what happened after we were separated," he asks.

AJ:

Meanwhile while the others are partying, I have realized that something is not right. I decide to tell Sholeh and hope that she tells the others. Climbing down, I knock on her home and wait for her to come out. I have no idea that I may very soon see, my dad and mom, the dingoes that cared for me, so long ago, as their own and loved me, still love me, unconditionally. They consider me like their own child, their shy adorable son.

OOC: Hey Wyrstel, remember what I said in the PM. I will keep the past and present connected though, but let's focus more on the past. Anyway, Waaksian, I believe you were in control of the dingo leader, Jaeger. I leave it up to you if you still want to take control of him.

In a glimpse from the past, three months ago, Savannah talks with the pack leader, Jaeger, and believes that something should be done.
"Boss, sir, I think we should tell at least miss Sybil about this. I don't know what's in the forest, but me and my brother believed it's something big. Something maybe even bigger than that Komodo dragon." she said to her leader, going through a moral struggle.

Quote: Wyrstel

AJ:

Meanwhile while the others are partying, I have realized that something is not right. I decide to tell Sholeh and hope that she tells the others. Climbing down, I knock on her home and wait for her to come out. I have no idea that I may very soon see, my dad and mom, the dingoes that cared for me, so long ago, as their own and loved me, still love me, unconditionally. They consider me like their own child, their shy adorable son.

"Ugh, what do you want? Aren't you suppose to be in that so called party that crocodile organized?" Sholeh said very annoyed, thinking that everybody was going and the party and she could have the forest all to herself, without the presence of the clingy AJ.

OOC: Sure, I'd like to. I had to read up on the third act to refresh my memory on what happened, but I'm back now.


Jaeger sat uprightly and looked upon Savannah with a calm, but otherwise enigmatic demeanor. He contemplated for a few moments before formulating his response. "Your concern is warranted," he began, his tone becoming more stern as he continued, "however, by taking that part of the island for herself, she had accepted the responsibility of caring for it. If she cares for the well-being of her subordinates, she will find any underlying problem in time. What happens in that territory is no longer any of our concern, even if we have the right to cross there." After letting his words sink in, he spoke again, in a warmer tone of voice. "I hope you understand."

Odette sat wordlessly beside her companion as she spoke. Not a long while ago, they had managed to find that she and Savannah both had the same concern about the other side of the island. They had talked on the matter and agreed that something must be done to warn the Haven residents.

OOC: Spyroconvexity, remember that we will focus almost exclusively on the past.

It pained Sybil to keep Rose tied up even during the party. She would have wished that she could have enjoyed the entire festivity, but in order to make Rose feel welcomed and nurtured, she left a large portion of fish and lizards to the tiger alone so that she could feast to her heart's content.

Quote: Waaksian

OOC: Sure, I'd like to. I had to read up on the third act to refresh my memory on what happened, but I'm back now.

Jaeger sat uprightly and looked upon Savannah with a calm, but otherwise enigmatic demeanor. He contemplated for a few moments before formulating his response. "Your concern is warranted," he began, his tone becoming more stern as he continued, "however, by taking that part of the island for herself, she had accepted the responsibility of caring for it. If she cares for the well-being of her subordinates, she will find any underlying problem in time. What happens in that territory is no longer any of our concern, even if we have the right to cross there." After letting his words sink in, he spoke again, in a warmer tone of voice. "I hope you understand."

Savannah understood her boss's point of view, but that didn't stop her from being worried.
" I know boss it's their problem. And I didn't say we should help them... but at least we should warn them." she suggested, knowing that dingoes should only take care of themselves. Then came her brother, who was appearantly spying on the pair.
"Look sis, I've been thinking, and I think the boss is right. We shouldn't be messing around in their problems. The civet is the only one who allowed us there. If we enter their territory, one of her subordinate may think we mean harm and could kill us on the spot." he said, but Savannah didn't want to think they were capable of something so insensible. Whatever predator was out there was striking right now, and it could mean the extinction of the poor warblers and perhaps more, if nobody did something.

"Come on Rose. The drought is almost over. You need to eat. Besides, you will need all the energy you can get. I heard that the seals and fish in the ocean are coming back, which means the orcas will too soon, and you know we will need all the energy we can to endure that merciless play." Sybil warned, trying to motivate Rose somehow.

"But I have already eaten. Come on Rose, don't make me force you. Look at you!" Sybil said sternly, believing that Rose's generosity and altruism was exaggerated. She knew Rose didn't understand that she was doing more harm than good in negating herself food, especially considering what happened to poor Jhen.

Sybil simply sighed, obviously not in the mood to discuss with anybody, especially since she didn't want to spoil the party to anyone by being moody. She then looked at Sayan, as if begging him to be the one to reason with her, and returned to the party, wanting to still try a good time. She didn't admit it, but it angered her how most of her Haven's residents were predators that could become dangerous, and after the Jhen incident, the civet had become quite paranoid that any predator could attack and kill the others.

Three months ago...

The dingos continued with their everyday lives, trying not to mind what will happen to the Haven residents if they don't tell them that something was very wrong. After all, that mysterious predator was currently targeting the warblers only, making most of the canines go under the impression that whatever was after those birds, it was sneaky, yet small...

It was then that Odette decided to speak up. "I greatly doubt that they would do something like that," she argued. "They would question us, and at worst, maybe take us hostage. It isn't like Sybil to allow them such brutality. Think about it. It wouldn't make sense for, after so long, allowing Shadow to remain alive, yet to allow one of us to be killed without a second thought."

"You are correct. That would be very unlike her," Jaeger agreed. "Yet, we can't expect all of them to uphold her rules. If you remember correctly, in the past, a few of her subordinates have hurt our pack. And on our own grounds," he countered. The dingoes that had been killed have not been forgotten, and those who have committed the act had not been forgiven.

"But not all would do something like that," Odette stated. "There's members who we can approach that won't retaliate in a violent way. I know of a few. If we talk to them, they'll listen."

Jaeger sighed faintly. He knew that she was talking about the margay she had taken care of in the past. Her efforts had helped them obtain the right to enter the Haven, and to punish those who would dare kill one of their own. However, he did not like that she had grown so fond of the Haven resident. It could make things... complicated... in the future.

Savannah's brother still stood her case, especially after Jaeger reminded that the Haven residents have killed their own species. Even though they have threatened residents, they acted out of mere instinct that day, or so he thought.
"Well, I still think we should mind our own business. Besides, whatever creature is attacking those warblers is targeting them alone and nobody else. They are quite numerous anyway." Savannah's brother said cruelly, having a point of view eerily similar to that of Sholeh.

His sister wasn't amused at all.
"How can you say that? Numerous or not, whatever is attacking them knows too well how to be sneaky! What if it isn't as small as we believe? What if this creature runs out of warblers? He could target the Haven residents next, or even us!" Savannah expressed, now generating concern. The dingoes knew something was stalking the small birds, but whatever it was, it could camouflage dangerously well, so they didn't knew at all what were dealing with.

Odette, with reluctance, agreed with him on the matter of the warblers' overpopulation. The lack of natural predators had made it too easy for them to thrive, and they could easily cause other bird species like them to starve. In fact, in a matter of time, the warblers themselves would start to starve just from the sheer numbers of their population. However, what if the strange predator started targeting other creatures?

"If does turn out to become a greater threat, than they'll find out, and in turn, us. There's no point to watch Sybil's back for her." Jaeger didn't add what else was on his mind, but there was a reason that keeping silent may turn out to be beneficial to them, if there was indeed something bigger going on.

Savannah couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had been taught that she should let nature take it's course, but she feared something bad could happen if Sybil and the others weren't warned. In fact, the only clue they had about this predator's existence was when it snatched a warbler right under their snouths, a bird that was too close to the edge of the forest separating them. But this creature acted so fast and was so well camouflaged that nobody could see what it was.
"So maybe the warbler's population is too big, but I think that to remain silent is not a good thing either. Whatever is out there is not only sneaky, but fast and intelligent also." Savannah analyzed, believing that if neither of the Haven residents have noticed something was wrong, it meant that this mysterious predator was targeting the warblers that were either too lonely or living too far from the population first, and it could soon move to the rest.

"If it is intelligent, then it would know better than to extinct an entire species," Jaeger stated bluntly. "Perhaps it's just a new creature that didn't make its presence aware to Sybil, so it could eat whatever it pleased. And the warblers are so numerous, it decided to target them. With no natural predators left, they have no need to watch for them. They're easy prey. That would explain the many cases of them disappearing."

Odette looked down at her paws in thought before adding her next input. "What if there are more than one? Maybe it's a whole pack?"

Savannah was starting to get worried, especially now that Odette added it could be more than one. She wanted to understand Jaeger's point of view, but it wasn't convincing her.
"Well, perhaps it's just me worrying that we don't even know what this thing is... or things... but it really worries me that he's targeting warblers. I mean, it's not one of the civet's welcomed residents. One of her rules is NOT to target the warbler birds, since they are her friends." Savannah pointed out, knowing that Sybil wouldn't allow such a thing, thus whatever creature was preying on the tiny birds came uninvited. But why the sudden appearance? No dingo knew that the orcas left due to the drought and that the waters were completely unprotected, so the answer escaped them.

Her brother however, was agreeing more and more with Jaeger.
"The boss is right sis. Whatever this predator is, is doing them a favor. Those birds are becoming way too numerous, and remember that they are in the middle of a drought. Too many warblers could exploit their resources faster than necessary and endanger their survival. Sure, shame for the puny birds, but that's how nature works." he said, starting to believe that the presence of this new predator was for the best.

"That's correct," Jaeger agreed. "And if it becomes a problem, Sybil will certainly become aware of it. This is her issue to deal with alone. Unless it proves to be a threat to us, we won't interfere."

After a moment of hesitation, Odette replied, "Boss, I understand that there's some enmity between us and her, but this could be something she won't be able to control. It's best that everyone know in advance that there's something wrong before it gets worse."

Savannah nodded, agreeing with Odette. She was just having this bad feeling that whatever creature was out there, may not be as small as they believed. She then remembered something of absolute importance.
"Odette is right. We should at least warn them. I have this feeling that whatever this thing is, it's not so small. Doesn't they have a vulture friend? if we can find out who this vulture is, we can tell him so that he can deliver the message." Savannah said, but that was just a feeling. She had no proof.

Her brother was tired of her overwhelming concern.
"Now listen sis, this is getting too far. Remember that we don't know who this vulture is. They are afraid of us. Even if we approached, they will fly away on the spot. Besides, we have our own problems already. Let's leave them be! They will find out sooner or later!" he insisted, now wanting to butt in others's problems. Savannah's concern was still there, and she didn't want to believe that the Haven residents will find out about this predator way too late if they the dingoes didn't do anything to warn them.

Quote: Felines

Sybil simply sighed, obviously not in the mood to discuss with anybody, especially since she didn't want to spoil the party to anyone by being moody. She then looked at Sayan, as if begging him to be the one to reason with her, and returned to the party, wanting to still try a good time. She didn't admit it, but it angered her how most of her Haven's residents were predators that could become dangerous, and after the Jhen incident, the civet had become quite paranoid that any predator could attack and kill the others.

"Come on-- you have to eat.," Sayan pleaded. "I've already eaten and now it's your turn. And besides-- you need it more then any of us.," he then emphasized.

OOC: I'll post a past-related post in a bit and get to work on *the thing*. Apologies.

Ooc: I'm back for a bit

Saris told his brother about what happened as they walked and soon arrived at the party

During the party....

Crocus goes over and says "now Rose have some fish. Their's plenty for everyone and I cought some of them myself. If you don't have any after all the work I put into catching them then I'll sit on you while Sybil force feeds you."

OOC: We agree to drift between the past and present to have a story while you are away. And you redwes, don't worry about it. We don't want you to feel pressure about it. I trust that you will bring us something amazing sooner or later

In the present...

With Crocux's little threat, Sybil was certain that Rose would finally accept the meal.
"Sure Rose. You need to eat. Look at the forest. It's growing green again, and the seeds we planted are starting to grow. We are returning to the great abundance we had thanks to all our hard work." Sybil said as she pointed at the forest, believing the drought took too long to end, when it actually was all the contrary.

While they were their Saris thought were's shi and sozen?

Meanwhile....

Shi was upset at the moment "come on Sozen we're going to be late for the party!"

"ROSE!" Sybil yelled, finally losing patience with her.
"We have already eaten! Don't you understand!? Th drought is ending! There is no need to feel bad just because you are doing something as normal as eating! Do you think you will feel bad for something as trivial as that? You will feel far worse than that if you start attacking everybody! Or have you forgotten what happened to Jhen!?" Sybil expressed furiously, certain that Rose was exaggerating her altruism. She was even willing to allow Crocux to sit on her so that she and the rest could feed her, whether she liked it or not.

At the Haven, Sholeh was enjoying her time sitting on a branch, wanting to take advantage of the break she had away from that annoying margay. She was enjoying the quiet as well, believing that every warbler had assisted the party, even though she doubted they could enjoy it, imagining that will feel overcrowded. Either way, she was the only one to had noticed that through the months, the forest had become more quiet. She didn't think much of it though, since she believed that it meant that finally the warblers were getting the message about leaving her be.

"Please... do it for me if not yourself.," Sayan then said feeling guilty. "It pains me to see you like this and... and it pains me further to see you starve. Food is plentiful and you don't have to do this.," He added partly blaming himself for the tiger's reasoning. He had given up food so many times and gone without for Rose's sake-- and now she was doing the same for him and others.

OOC: SORRY FOR NOT COMING ON DS I WAS PREPARING FOR WHEN I GO TO SUMMER CAMP THIS WEEK

Olaf found his own berry bushes like Sybil's, he begin eating some berries and decided to walk around again since there was not much to do in the Haven.

Quote: redwes

"Please... do it for me if not yourself.," Sayan then said feeling guilty. "It pains me to see you like this and... and it pains me further to see you starve. Food is plentiful and you don't have to do this.," He added partly blaming himself for the tiger's reasoning. He had given up food so many times and gone without for Rose's sake-- and now she was doing the same for him and others.

Sybil was giving up on what else to do. She decided to let Sayan handle things.
"If only the orcas were here. They could provide us with a big meal and you wouldn't feel so bad." Sybil expressed, looking at Rose.
"I just hope that before they return, you have enough strength to tolerate their game." Sybil warned, leaving the pair behind to try to find Mambo and play with him in order to forget that discussion. Sybil wasn't sure anymore if she could control the orca's playfulness, since they were so use to it now, she couldn't possibly forbid them to ease up their roughness. However, that thought was only an excuse, since deep inside, her biggest concern was about Rose losing it due to her stubbornness.