hurry up now

She closed her eyes with relief as her muzzle was released. She bowed her head to him in gratitude, "Thank you, Master, you are gracious." She groveled before fishing for the soap. She set about scrubbing her body with it, bringing the bar up one arm and then around the fur over her chest. She scrubbed her neck and pricked her ear at his question, not stopping at her ministrations to clean herself. The dust of her travels and abuse clung to her fur like oily mud. She didn't think she'd ever get it clean.

"That depends." She replied, trying to quickly suds up her other arm before moving to her lower half, "If you count when my father gave me to my uncle, then over a year. If you start counting from when he sold me to my previous masters... Then..." She paused as she thought for a moment how long she had been with them, then started on her tail, "Then probably three... maybe four months?" That sounded about right.

She dove under the water for a moment, letting the stream take the grime and the scents away. She rolled over in the streambed once then came back up for air. Her coat clung to her body as the suds were rinsed off, showing her fragile ribs and gaunt hips. The meals he had so far given her were far from enough to put meat back on her bones. But her bones were shapely, and she had a naturally built grace to her step, though usually hesitant while slinky.

She handed him the bar of soap, ever grateful that now the scents she had were her own and the faint suds. She was yet unaware of how her fur was deeply infused with the scent of rich honey and roses from attempting to nurture her mother's garden as a child.

"Speech"