Champions of a Fallen Age

Draw Four

"I hope I am not intruding."

Revali turned to find Kaneli in Medli's door. His former guardian was older and much rounder than he remembered. Most Ritos were reminiscent of hawks or eagles, but Kaneli, with his rounder and softer features, had always reminded him of an owl.

He looked over to find Medli mumbling about something in her sleep. Kaneli chuckled as he noticed it too. "Has she always been like this?"

"Hmm? Talkative? Yes and no."

"What?" Revali asked. He had no idea what Kaneli meant by that.

"She used to be even more talkative when she was younger, but she keeps to herself more often these days," Kaneli replied.

"Oh" Keeping to oneself was something he understood better than anyone. It had defined his life before the Calamity, and if he wasn't careful, it would define the rest of his life as well.

He felt sorry for the poor girl. He had never cared for isolation, but he disliked the pervasive loneliness of the Village even more. Knowing that someone else had suffered a similar kind of pain wasn't comforting at all. If anything, it made him feel worse.

"Oh, don't worry. Kass and the rest of her family keep her busy, and she is on good terms with Teba as well."

"Teba?" He wondered briefly if there was something going on between Medli and Teba.

"Kass and Teba remained friends, so she grew up around him. He's like another older brother to her."

"I see"

"There's nothing romantic between the two of them," Kaneli chuckled as he settled next to Revali.

"That wasn't a concern of mine," he lied as he turned away. " And how would you know?"

"Because Teba is married and has a son."

"He what?!"

"Shh," Kaneli chided as Medli shot up. The white feathered Rito peered around blearily for a few seconds before she settled back down and resumed her incomprehensible mumblings.

"He has a wife and kid?"

"He does." Revali wasn't sure why, but Kaneli didn't seem at all surprised that he didn't know about Teba's family. It annoyed him.

"Why didn't he tell me?"

"He doesn't consider it important to others."

"What do you mean?"

"You should know by now that he isn't one to talk about personal matters. He talks about what he thinks is necessary for you to know."

"We used to talk about things like that." It was one of the things he had enjoyed during his time with Teba. They had talked about things that only friends would discuss. Apparently, the trust that had been shared between the two was no longer there.

"It's been a long time and, as I recall, you two didn't leave on the best of terms."

It was true. During the final months before Ganon broke loose, the Rito Champion had steadily pushed his student further and further away. He hadn't considered it at the time, but it must have been difficult for Teba. Revali was more than aware of his friend's home life as he'd had the misfortune to meet Teba's mother on more than one occasion.

"Is he upset with me?"

"For a long time, he was. He held quite the grudge against you but, as is the case for many men, he got married and had a child. It worked wonders on him."

"Good."

"Yes. I was happy that Saki managed to do what I couldn't."

"What?"