Phoenix Maplewood Don't forget that I'm human

Together, they made their way into the shallows of the water and Reek resumed the meticulous act of grooming.  Once again, he pulled through mottled tangles with his teeth, but with the water working in his aid, they pulled away with ease.  The rough patina of dirt and dried blood on her fur was washed away, staining the water around her in a murky brown, and then this foul concoction to be carried away by the gentle current.  From there, he pondered the implications of her condition.

"Yeah, wardening'ths out for a while," spoke Reek between mouthfuls of fur. "I don't want you aggravating your side any more than it already ith."  He paused, his preenings stopped, and a sudden realization smacked him dead in the face. "Fuck," he whispered. "We're probably not gonna be able to, uh— to do the thing for a while... Thath gonna hurt like hell."  He shook his in almost joking manner and went back to grooming. "Well who knowth, you may be into that sort of thing," he chuckled with a mouthful of fur.  It had been so long since he had joked around. It felt nice.

Her inquiry about events around the maplewood brought back the bitter taste of Ukko's insubordination.  "While you were gone, Ukko thought it would be a good idea to belittle me as a leader... I handled it— We have a new member, and Scarlett, she'th still healing. Other than that, you haven't mithed much."