PART III - DRIMLINGS

"I have a tincture for that, if you need it," Ruvan added, clearing his throat as he gestured towards Yovel's paw. It was covered in a little blood from where the fishing line had burned into it.

"Yowch!" the Tigerkin said, apparently noticing he'd been hurt for the first time. He shook out his paw then inspected the wound. Ruvan was digging for something in a pouch, and Yovel waved him off, before hissing in pain. "It stings, but I should be able to take care of it."

Yovel's uninjured paw began to glow slightly, and he ran a finger slowly over the wound. Healing magic flowed through him, passing into and closing the damaged skin. He looked up, seeing the look on the others. "Healer class, but I only know two skills. A minor wound heal and a sleep spell. That one is surprisingly useful when the baby doesn't want to go down for the night."

"You aren't the village healer?"

Shaking his head, Yovel sighed as he flexed his now-repaired paw. "Nah. Honestly, I'm not very good, and just have the two spells. We've got a much better healer that takes care of most everyone's ills and injuries, and she's amazingly skilled. If I was younger, I'd even ask to apprentice, although she has one already. But if I am needed, she knows to summon me and I'll come running. I can at least knock people out or handle the little things."

Soon, the afternoon was beginning to grow late, and after a few more attempts to maybe land another fish, with no success, Yovel called an end to fishing. His house was actually not far away, located on the outskirts of the village, on the other side of the road, and it took only a few minutes to make the walk. The fisher carried the two buckets, with Ruvan carrying a handled basket of miscellaneous fishing gear and Vanis the fishing pole.

The Tigerkin's home was an unremarkable building of logs, with a roof of the same. Gaps between the wood were filled with mud, sticks or even rocks, and then sealed with pitch that cured hard and dry to make everything waterproof. Surrounding the home was a short fence of wood to create an enclosed yard. It was a simple home, and not very large, but welcoming all the same.

After entering through a gate in the fence, Vanis heard a growling, grunting noise coming from around the corner of the house. Curious, he walked to look, his eyes then going wide. "They have drimlings!"

"Don't get too close, Harrin!" Yovel called in warning as Vanis ran out of sight. "Some of them aren't friendly!" He then looked at the other two Elves. "Don't worry, they're penned."

"Assuming he doesn't put his hand in or climb inside," Ruvan chuckled as the three followed after. "He likes animals."

Around the back of Yovel's home was a decently-sized fenced pen that had a roof built over it. The ground of the pen was mostly bare of vegetation, and covered with a haphazard spread of straw. Inside the pen were about a dozen drimlings, some just walking around scratching at the ground while others were sitting comfortably. The running footsteps of Vanis caused a few to perk up, and one of them hissed in warning, the few bright feathers down the back of its neck rising.

"Dumbest animals I've ever seen," Yovel sighed.

"I've heard," Feldwin said. "Good egg layers, though, right?"

"That's right. Four to six a week from the females if we keep them collected. Good eating, too. But dumb as a post. I lost nearly my entire flock a year ago."

"Oh?"

"They go crazy for anything shiny, and I mean anything! The river was up a bit, and the sun hit the water at just the right angle. They took one look at the reflection and kicked their way out of the pen. The whole lot of them charged across the road and right into the river. They can't swim, and over half drowned. I had to put up something to block their view."

"There's a reason we use their name as a good-natured insult," Ruvan said.

"It fits. They are so dumb, if I didn't cover their pen, they'd probably look up and drown in the rain," Yovel chuckled.

"How many do you have?"

"Eight, and then one male. You need a male or the others won't lay eggs.

To look at a drimling would be to find yourself looking at a rather odd animal. A peculiar blend of flightless bird and ornery reptile, the animal stood about a meter tall, if one was to include their long neck. The bipedal creatures possessed stubby, undersized wings, oversized heads filled with sharp teeth and movement-sensitive eyes, along with thick, muscular tails. In Earth terms, they might have been described as a messily stitched together amalgam of a featherless ostrich and a tiny, raptor-like dinosaur, about the size of a turkey, and then adding the long neck.

Wild drimlings generally ranged in mated pairs, or occasionally small packs of one male and multiple females. Omnivorous, but largely scavengers, they were capable hunters if they needed to be, using their endurance, high speed, and agility, to take down smaller prey, often by simply running them to exhaustion. Their three-toed feet, equipped with semi-retractable, curved claws, were formidable weapons in both offense, using a leaping, pouncing attack, and defense, by balancing back on their tails to claw or kick away an attacker.

"That white one is friendly, Harrin," Yovel said. He made a chittering noise and the creature stood from where she was sitting, strutting over to the fence. "Just stroke her head like this. Don't touch her face, they don't like that." Yovel demonstrated, using two fingers to rub the drimling's head and then follow the sparse feathers down the back of its neck.

Vanis watched closely and then emulated the motion, the drimling happily leaning the back of her head into the petting. Giggling, he repeated the action and Yovel stepped back to where the other two were watching. "That one won't bite," he said quietly.

"Are you home?" came a voice from inside the house. The door opened to a female white-furred Tigerkin with a very-exhausted look on her face. It was immediately obvious why she was exhausted, as she not only had a small Tigerkin cub, perhaps around two, wrapped shyly around her leg, but she was also quite pregnant. "Who are these people?"

"Travelers passing through," Yovel beamed. "They stopped to chat about fishing, and I thought they might join us for dinner. The young Harrin even caught his first fish. Our only one, in fact, or the only one not-blighted."

"Just one? That won't go very far, especially with guests," Yovel's wife said sourly. "I hadn't planned on more people."

"If it's an imposition …" Feldwin began to respond.

"No, no, I was already making a stew," she sighed. "I can add some egg and turn it into a soup. Stars I wouldn't want the three of you to have to eat at the inn. They're getting better, but those two can still barely even boil water." Next, glaring at her husband for not doing it already, she stepped forward and offered her paw in introduction. "Since he won't, let me introduce myself. I'm Dafnese, and this is Natio." She gestured down to the little Tigerkin cub.

Feldwin took the lead, quickly introducing the three of them, forcing Vanis to step away from the drimling for a moment. "You have a lovely valley and village here. It seems quite peaceful."

Dafnese nodded. "It's pleasant enough. We used to live in Imor proper, but when Natio was coming, we decided we wanted to move somewhere quieter. Yovel knew a couple that came from here, back from his days with the army, and it seemed like a good fit. Just a bit dull, sometimes. No regrets, though."

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"I'm going to clean this," Yovel said, holding up the bucket with the good fish. "Have the drimlings been fed?"

Dafnese shook her head. "Not yet. And take the cover off the collection nest, we'll need more eggs tonight if I use the ones we have." Turning, she excused herself and went back inside, closing the door behind her, little Natio disappearing alongside.

"I'll go talk to her," Feldwin said quietly to Ruvan as Yovel walked off. "Keep an eye on Vanis?"

Ruvan nodded, and followed after the Tigerkin, while Feldwin gently knocked on the door so as to not startle Dafnese, before slowly opening it. He remembered when his wife had been that pregnant, and while she might not admit to it, he knew the mother-to-be could use a hand, especially with the little one hanging on to her, too. It would also give him a chance to chat with her, to learn what could be learned.

Yovel quickly and expertly cleaned the fish with a thin knife, removing long filets and other edible parts, but as he'd suspected, needing to cut around the small, blighted area. That, along with the chopped up first fish, went into a compost pile for eventual use in the garden, while the rest of the viscera was mixed with grains for the drimlings. Ruvan chatted idly with him while he worked, talking more about the village and its history.

The cleaned fish was delivered inside, and then Vanis was shown how to feed the creatures, which largely consisted of pouring little piles of food randomly around the pen so each drimling would get its share. "That's the male, Yovel said, gesturing to a larger, black drimling that was sitting on a raised platform glaring around at the goings on. "He's not very friendly, so stay clear." Warily, the Tigerkin poured out an extra-large pile, jumping back when the big one made a quick hop to the ground to move for the food. "He bit me once. Nasty, cranky thing. But he keeps everything out of the pen at night, so I shouldn't complain."

"Are all the males ornery?" Ruvan asked.

Yovel nodded. "In my experience, most are, but in the wild they need to be, so they can protect the others, standing guard so the female can lay their eggs before the owners come back."

"What do you mean?" Vanis asked.

Walking over to a raised, wooden box, Yovel took the lid off. Inside revealed what appeared to be a simple mockup of a straw nest, but with a few egg-shaped objects wrapped in cloth lying inside. "In the wild, they lay eggs in the nests of other ground creatures, forcing them to hatch their young as surrogate parents. This is why they lay so many eggs. Most of the nest owners catch on to the ruse and destroy the egg before it hatches. As I said, not the brightest of creatures. Still, lay enough and a few will survive. Using this, we can make them think it's another creature's nest. Overnight, each of the females will lay an egg, sometimes two, thinking they are being sneaky, and in the morning we'll probably have about ten or so."

"Your wife said you came here from Imor, how did you learn to raise drimlings?" Ruvan asked.

"I knew an Elf family here in the village, I served with their son in the army, and they raise drimlings, too. They were a big help in getting us settled and welcomed when we arrived, and gave me my first few drimling chicks, too. When we need to, we'll let some of the eggs hatch to replace any we might lose or eat, otherwise, we just collect the eggs for eating."

Ruvan and Yovel continued doing a few simple, odd chores to pass the time, pulling some weeds out of the garden and then reattaching a downspout that had come dislodged from a rain barrel. Vanis eventually grew tired of petting the drimling and joined, holding pieces in place while Yovel hammered things back to working order. Eventually, the door opened, and Feldwin, now wearing an apron and with what appeared to be a splash of flour on his face, called everyone in for dinner.

After washing their hands, the six sat down at a small table, Yovel rolling over two pieces of tree trunk kept in a corner to act as additional makeshift seating. As a basket of warm, herbed flatbread was circled around, Yovel said, "I'm going to have to talk to our village carpenter. We'll need a second high-chair for the babies."

"Babies? Plural?" Ruvan asked.

"Twins," Dafnese replied as she slowly and awkwardly slid into her own chair while holding her belly. "At least according to the midwife. Due in about three weeks."

"How marvelous!"

"Maybe eventually, but I'll be glad when this part is over," the lady Tigerkin growled. "I feel overstuffed."

"Do you know the gender yet?"

"She said it's a boy and a girl."

"A double blessing, for sure."

Dafnese smiled as she helped Natio with his bread, tearing it into smaller pieces more to his size. "Unlike most beastkin, we didn't want a big family. We had decided we only wanted two, but it appears we're going to get a bonus one."

"I'm planning to get an addition put on the house sometime after Midsummer," Yovel said, passing along a pitcher of water. "That will be two small bedrooms that the cubs can use."

"It will be expensive," Dafnese said with an absent sigh. The home itself was only a two-room affair. A large open main room, a kitchen prep area with a wood-fired stove in one corner and a fireplace in another, then a second room that likely was a bedroom for the couple. Natio was probably small enough to still sleep in the same room as his parents.

"We'll make it work. I'm lining up people to help. The village carpenter has already said he'll work for a day at half pay." Yovel patted his wife's hand, although the resulting glare indicated it didn't placate her much.

"That's only because he has magic to help with all his work," Dafnese said, an irritated growl in her chest. "And honestly, he should give us a discount, for as much as he charges for everything else." She refocused away from her husband, pasted on a brighter smile and looked to Ruvan, forcing a subject change. "Kellner said you spent time in Imor. Did either of you ever see the autumn Lantern Festival?"

"I have!" Ruvan replied enthusiastically. "It's quite beautiful."

"Isn't it! I don't miss a lot about Imor, but one thing I do miss is that there was always something wonderful happening somewhere. It can get a bit … quiet here … sometimes." She reached out and took her husband's paw. "But we're happy. We have no need to go back." Then she added, "Well, maybe to visit again someday."

Feldwin stood, moving to retrieve a pot from where it had been simmering, waving Dafnese off when she tried to stand and help. "Absolutely not! Sit!" Bringing the pot over, he set it in the middle of the table, and then fetched a stack of mismatched bowls. "This should be plenty hot."

"Kellner is a Culinar," Dafnese beamed at her husband, gesturing to Feldwin.

Shaking his head, Feldwin laughed. "Not a Culinar at all. I'm a Wizard by class, but I have learned two rudimentary Culinar spells. One for seasoning a dish with simple flavors, and a second for heating water. Incredibly useful when you're traveling across the countryside." Or for when your tea gets cold while reading in the castle library, for that matter.

"I can imagine!" Yovel agreed eagerly. "Harrin, what class do you hope to be, when the time comes?"

Vanis had his mouth stuffed with bread, and struggled to swallow it, now that he was the center of attention. For the most part, he'd practiced as he'd been told, listening as much as possible, being polite, and not talking a lot. "I'm not sure," he finally said after swallowing. "My grandmother says I would make a good Bard, though. Being a Wizard, like my great-grandfather, would be fun, too." He gestured to Feldwin to indicate who he meant.

"Bard? Good class to have," Yovel said, winking at the boy. "We sometimes have a wandering Bard or two come through, stopping at the inn to play for an evening. Always a fun event and a good excuse to leave the house and be social." He held up his cup in a toast, "When the day comes, young master Harrin, here's to you receiving a class that will bring you joy." The others around the table echoed the toast, each holding their own cups up, while the young Vanis sat and blushed.

Ladling into each, Feldwin handed the bowls around. The stew-turned-soup was now a simple thick broth with chunks of root vegetables. For volume and protein, drimling eggs had been scrambled and then added, along with the fish Vanis had caught, the long filets further cut into smaller pieces. With the proliferation of wild herbs in the area, the steaming soup had the most-wonderful aroma, leading to a taste that was equally good.

As they ate, Feldwin and Ruvan took turns regaling Yovel and his family with a few tales. They were all based on real events that had occurred during their previous 'pilgrimages', with minor editing as needed to assure any secrets were kept. Dafnese eventually handed Natio off to Ruvan, as the little one was being fussy about eating, and the younger Regent offered to give it a try, with surprisingly good luck. The two Tigerkins eagerly peppered the elder Elves with questions about their wanderings, or about things back in Imor, even heartily recommending some great places to eat for when the trio returned to the capital.

The meal was simple, and over before very long. Still, there were smiles all around, even a few laughs, which caused Natio's eyes to light up, too, his own giggles adding to the mix. Looking up into the faces of their hosts, Vanis actually found himself feeling a little jealous. His father, the King, hadn't been able to attend their little expedition, owing to other responsibilities. In fact, his father was often quite busy with 'responsibilities', so he didn't get to spend much time with him. This wasn't to say that Vanis didn't understand the reasons, he just wished that maybe Homeday still meant something when you were the king. Someday, when he was king, he was going to have to make sure the same didn't happen with his own children.

Ruvan made a point of firmly, albeit with a little bit of mocking, insisting that Dafnese stay seated rather than help clean up. They may be guests, but it was the least they could do, especially given the condition she was in. Of course, the Tigerkin didn't necessarily like it, but she didn't object too greatly. She retired to a comfortable chair, Natio curling up next to her, and played the part of supervisor.

There wasn't enough room for more people to help with washing of the dishes, so while Ruvan concentrated on that, Yovel gestured Feldwin to follow him, and with Vanis in tow, they went outside into the evening air.

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