Chapter 5

Nedra sat on her haunches, her tail twitching in frustration "ohhhhhh silly Trink, it is time to come out, yes Nedra knows it is time, you have been pouting in your little cottage for how many year's now? My sweet Trink you cannot pout forever, this is such nonsense, you are missing the little one's growing up, they are less for not having your wisdom wrapped up in your loving silliness. Little Revanche goes through the pains of becoming a man without your needed help, Christopher will be going adventuring with his papa soon, never to know the joy of having Trink with him in his travels, this is soooo sad Trink, come out for your Nedra." Nedra hissed jerking her head back just in time before having her whiskers caught in Trink's slamming window.

Revanche woke up with a groan rolling over he groaned again, trying to get comfortable and ignore how hard he was. "come my little delicacy wake up Nedra she will talk with you, noo noo little treat, Nedra she is not part of your oh soooo young man's dream." Revanche blushed scarlet as his candle flared to life then chuckled to find himself nose to nose with a black cat, another smaller cat sat by his side purring. Nedra purred "ahhh good you see Nedra is real, I have an errand for you little treat, the ohhh sooo silly Trink still pouts in his cottage, Nedra wants you to go and talk to the silly Elf, do not try and pry him out of his pout, just talk him of how you get on with life, of the other little ones, our Trink needs to feel part of your lives again, this you will do for Nedra, yes." Revanche frowned thinking about Trink, it had been so long since he had seen Trink, when he was younger he used to go tap on Trink's door but Trink had always yelled for him to go away so after awhile he stopped going to Trink's.

Revanche jumped as the other cat put its paws on his thigh and purred as it started to pad like a small kitten, Nedra chuckled "my little Isadora finds you an interesting tidbit, sooooo my little treat, you will do this for Nedra who has known your Uncle Hank for an ohhhhhhh sooooo long time." Revanche nodded trying to move his leg finding the smaller cat's padding very unsettling "I will go talk to Trink tomorrow, why is he pouting?" Nedra purred "the ohh sooo silly Trink will I'm sure tell you why, come Isadora it is time to go we shall leave the little tidbit to his young man's dreams and discomfort, which he has surely by now figured out how to relieve." Revanche his cheeks flaming with heat blinked as the cats disappeared.

Revanche helped himself to breakfast saying good morning to his parents, his Grandfather and Mar, he listened to them discussing this years gathering as he ate. When Hubert joined them Revanche told him he would be a little late for his studies since he had an errand to run. Natalie asked what errand he had to do, Revanche took a drink of his milk "I need to talk to Trink for Nedra" putting some jam on his toast he didn't notice his mothers spoon suspended between her open mouth and the table. Rav chuckled silently telling Natalie to close her mouth it was hanging open, to Revanche he casually asked when he had met Nedra. Still eating his breakfast Revanche told his father that Nedra and Isadora had come to talk to him last night, Nedra was concerned about Trink. "Isadora?" asked Natalie, "Nedra said Isadora was her little one" Mar started to roar with laughter at the look on Natalie's face. Natalie glared at Mar then looked at her son "uhhhmmm did Nedra do or say anything else?" Collin almost choked on his coffee, Rav groaned, Mar laid his muzzle on the table with a moan, Revanche cheeks bloomed scarlet while shaking his head "no she just wanted me to talk to Trink." Natalie started to say something else but never got the chance as Rav quickly stood up grabbed her around the waist tucked her under his arm and left the dining room. Revanche heard his mother yelling "I told you that cat wasn't getting near my son for fifty or sixty years" then the door to the study slammed shut. Collin and Mar looked at each other and started laughing until they had tears running down their cheeks. Mar trying to control himself asked if Nedra had called him her delicious one, really confused now Revanche shook his head "no she called me her little treat but Isadora thought I was an interesting tidbit." Collin almost fell out of his chair as he started laughing again, Mar was pounding on the table with his paw he was laughing so hard, hearing Natalie yelling "what do you mean it's educational." The two started laughing again, Mar almost falling down he was laughing so hard grinned at Revanche "if I were you boy I'd hide out in the forest for the rest of the day until your mama settles down, what do you say Hubert." Hubert who was just as lost as Revanche nodded thoughtfully "it might be for the best your mother seems a bit upset, perhaps I should go talk to her if it concerns your education, although I am a bit confused about mixing tidbits and treats with an educational matter." Revanche quickly left to the sound of Mar and his Grandfather roaring with laughter again.

Revanche lay in the grass next to Trink's small cottage by the open window, he called Trink's name several times but got no answer, he knew Trink was home though because he heard the sound of pots and pans slamming around. Rolling onto his back he picked a piece of grass play with it he started talking to Trink about learning how to fight with a sword and how hard he was finding it but he thought he was slowly building muscle, if he kept at it one day he would be just as big and muscled as Hank and his father, even as big as Brax and Brand he bet. As he talked he forgot he was talking to Trink, he talked about how hurt he had been to have everyone consider him bookish and somehow it made him feel unmanly. Revanche chuckled to himself saying gee wouldn't they all be real surprised that for months now he had been reading and learning from the Book of Cairin, after all he had Cairin blood in him too, something old Mar seemed to have forgotten.

Revanche didn't hear the tears in his voice as he talked about how much he missed Laurel saying good night to him, but it was his own fault since he had snapped at her the last few times she had said something to him, she just didn't understand and he couldn't tell her that just the sound of her voice and thoughts of how pretty she was made it hard for him to sleep at night, then he would end up flying all night roaring until he was almost horse. Revanche jumped hearing Trink ask who this Laurel girly was, he told Trink all about Laurel and their first meeting and her punching him in the nose and him hitting her back, hurriedly telling Trink he hadn't known then she was a girl, he frowned as he talked of last years gathering and Laurel going and how Falk had behaved and looked at her and how it had made him feel.

Revanche rolled over and looked at Trink leaning on his windowsill "why did you stop coming to see us? I missed you a lot Trink, nobody could make me laugh and smile like you did." A deep sadness filled Trink's face "well now me boyo, long time ago there was a villain, a terrible creature of evilness ol Trink wanted to be there for his final end but ol Trink ain't no fool and knew he had been kept from the finish. So I be lettin that pass sayin it just be's a mistake, then your Aunt Jenee she had your cousin Christopher, sure it was an excitin time for me boyo Hank and Jenee but ol Trink he weren't even invited to the celebration or blessin of Cairin's first born by The Ancient Ones, that hurt ol Trink mighty bad it did, seems me usefulness had been all wore out like weren't no more room in anybodies lives for ol Trink, so ol Trink just sorta retired to his own home to be left alone, since no one wanted him no more."

"But Trink that's not true, I used to come bang on your door all the time and you used to tell me to go away, every time we have a get together everyone asks where you are, I can't believe Uncle Hank and Aunt Jenee would leave you out on purpose, they love you Trink, maybe it was like Marti'en said that you were just reaching middle age and not dealing with it well afraid your precious parts weren't going to work as well as before, repeating what he had once heard Marti'en say."

Trink snorted loudly "my precious parts work just fine thank you very much, but yea know me boyo one day it suddenly hits yea that your getting old and it's a shock to the system no doubt bout it, never did worry about such like until I knew I hadn't been wanted at the end of that evilness, made this old Elf feel mighty worthless it did."

Trink told Revanche he had better run home his mama was probably worrying about where he was, Revanche shook his head telling Trink what had happened at breakfast, Trink started to giggle, then laughed outright. Revanche got up brushing the grass off his shirt "think I'll go over to Bitsys and work out with Brax maybe by the time we're done MawMaw will have calmed down a little." Revanche waved goodbye to Trink and headed in the direction of SheringCross, it wasn't long before Trink was walking next to him, saying he wanted to see all this sword play that he might have a tip or two for Revanche.