hurry up now

"Speech"

She kept her eyes on the bowl as he ate. A long drip of drool escaped her lips as the scent wafted toward her. She licked her lips to keep from anymore drooling out. How embarrassing. Her tongue slid against her teeth as she tried to wait as patiently as she could. She didn't have the luxury of impatience, she never had.

Finally came his command to eat. Hungrily she dived into the bowl, her blind hunger nearly drowning out his next words but she paused mid-meal to listen to the rest of his demand. She clenched her eyes shut at the implications of the last part.

She swallowed and ate her meal at a slightly slower pace. Letting the meat and stew settle in her fragile stomach. She hoped the amount wouldn't make her sick for the... activities... later.

She took the bowls, washed them, and put them away. She diligently went to work clearing and tidying the room, taking out the old musty furs to be aired out and setting the fresh ones about the room. She looked at her Master's fox with a curious look, as if inviting him to follow her on her task.

Demelza was an herbalist, and she was determined to show her new master her skills in cleaning and freshening up his space. She had seen the fragrant herbs on the way in, a little fireweed, a little saint johns wort, a little white sage. She didn't have to be go very far from his den and his fox was determined to make sure she didn't go far. And he had that bird of his too.

She brought a bundle of them into the den and hung them up to dry. They started to infuse the den with a soft fresh herbal scent that wasn't there before.

She looked around, she couldn't figure out what else to do. She swallowed and gathered herself up.

She approached the bed and stood at it for a moment. Then carefully lifted up a dainty paw to test the softness. Then Demelza shakily joined him in the plush sheepskin, her tiny frame settling next to his massive direwolf stature.