Blacktail Deer Plateau deliver me from worry

 I'm not going to hurt you. The girl slowly began to relax, tail loosening from around her hindquarters as the woman continued to speak, her soft voice like a drug, like the poppy seeds Pema had given her. But her final words had the girl's heart plummet, and shame spread like rot through her. Her ears flicked backwards and for a moment she was silent. The words were true, and yet no one had spoken them aloud, not even she had admitted it. It was her punishment, the physical deterioration to match her mental state, the attempt to balance, overpower, her shame. "no," she whispered, but the words were shaky, followed by, "he did. he did things." She swayed on her paws, not having admitted him to anybody. They had known; the scent that clung to her fur like the filth of her memories had made what had happened clear.