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Tevildo had not meant to say anything outrageous, but the last outburst from the wren had tried his patience to the utmost. His back arched and his fur stood on end as he spat out a reply to the small bird, "You impudent bag of feathers! One more squeak out of you, and you'll be sorry you ever came here tonight...."
"As for you," Tevildo snorted and barrelled on, glaring at Stamo and Mori. "I wouldn't be so free with my insults or that stick. The last time we met, you both looked considerably better than you do now. I can only assume that you've angered your masters and have been sent here in these puny guises as a form of punishment! I may have lost my golden collar, it is true, but at least I haven't been reduced to your dire straits...."
Once the cat had regained his composure, his voice took a softer turn. He decided to try and wheedle his way back into the good graces of the assembled company. "But I am not myself today. Perhaps I have been too harsh. You two may have met with hard times. I am no stranger to hard times. And the bird is such a little thing. She probably does not know the proper way to treat a guest. I will withdraw my hard words if you would like to hear my story. It is one that may be of special interest to those who go about on two legs. It came from the Age that saw the birth of Man and says much about the nature of the second born. It concerns a little bargain that my master Melko made with Lord Manwe, and my own part in this affair."
Tevildo looked up at the two-leggeds in a pleasant way and then bowed to the snowy owl. "Ah, well, perhaps my humble proposal does not meet with your approval. If so, my friends and I will quietly withdraw from the warmth of the fire and go off into the dark woods by ourselves to face the cold air and the dangers of the night. What shall it be then, good brethren, a fine story or my departure?"
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