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Elrohir shook his head. "No, I don't remember that," he admitted. "But from what I was told, I was out of it for a long time."

He glanced at Donovan. "If Cindy's got anything like what Kara gave me that time, you might want to remind her to go easy on the dosage. No need to put kids to sleep like that, after all."

They arrived at the garden, and Elrohir called out, "Vanya! Where are you? We'd like to speak to you!"

"You have quite a large family, don't you?" Haradhel asked Cindy curiously. "I've heard a bit about it, and I've met some of you, but not as many as I'm told there are."

She eyed the plush toys curiously. "Cute," she commented.

Cindy giggled at that as she set the plush toys aside for a moment, "Yes," she replied softly, "Of the immediate family with brothers and sisters, mother and father there is 21 people. That doesn't include nieces, nephews or in laws," she paused, "That doesn't include grandparents neither now that I think about it.. but we haven't really met our grandparents."


She pulled out a set of blocks or two, and some other wooden objects for play, she had suggested horses because that's what she saw Adonai play with when she was there, and there were a few balls to toss around. Children needed excerise too.

Haradhel was impressed. "And I thought Elrohir's family was large," she couldn't help but comment. "Though, I suppose if we were to count everyone, then it would be ... but as Elrohir said, Riordan is gone now, and he and his no longer count. I don't know whether or not we would count Elnara and her children, since of course ... she's gone."

She half smiled. "It's a pity, really ... but she seems really happy where she is."

Elrohir indicated Donovan and the others.

"Vanya, this is Donovan Lau and Triton Winters ... and Lin," he introduced. He had no idea which name Lin used. "Donovan is our employer. this was his idea, his investment, and he is the one who's going through so much to get the children of our people back."

Cindy smiled fondly, "I think it was staying with us before she came back to these lands that made her transition back home easier. I think... it was so odd for her at first that the races mingled as they did, but as everyone is reminded there are so many races back home that there is no majority in the cities where people come from all over."

Cindy reached in once more and pulled out much to her surprise a branch with an unusually large fluffball growing at one end. It was large like it was a fruit growing on a stem, but it reminded her of those p***y willows. It was brown and had pink and yellow markings. There was a note from her mother attached to it. She read it briefly.


Cinderella,

Here is a Fluffball I had brought from a merchant, her name is Saki and I am assured by the merchant that she comes from a breeding of good and gentle nature. In addition, she is one of the rare Fluffy Cats to be born with a special ablitiy.

You were not born yet when Wish was a Fluffball, but here is what you need to do. Plant the branch somewhere, in a pot would be nice and care for it as you would a plant until the creature becomes a kitten. I hope having a pet around will ease the children that come.

"You've made many powerful enemies," Vanya replied softly, her blue eyes clouding with worry, "and many of them are your own people. But you have the eternal thanks and friendship of the elves, and that is a rare gift."

It had been millenia since there had been a human so universally welcomed by the elves.

"It's...." Cindy stared at it, "A Fluffball... a kind of egg for a species of winged cats, Mom said in her letter that this is for the children, but it... or she.. or err.. .Saki as she calls it needs to grow first. Which means the branch needs to be planted," she stared at it for a bit, "Wish came out of something this small?"

Vanya smiled again. "At the very least, they are your race. But you do not need to worry, they would never come here. To collect some of the children that you steal back from them, perhaps, but the men here are more than able to defend the place."

Since they had already had the chance, this was something that she knew for a fact.

Cindy nodded, "Yes," she murmured, "That would do," she agreed.

She carefully moved some of the dirt with her hands and bured the stem deep enough so it would not tip over. She wondered if it would grow into a tree later on, she wondered if the branch would put out roots, or would it die once the cat was born?

"I've never seen one of these creatures from birth," Cindy admitted, "Wish, the one that stays with Mom, had been around before I was even born."