Jonesing for a Bite 4

The Scholar bent to her demand, struggling to lift the solid wooden chair from the ground and moving it inside the ward.

Mercedes took note of him.

Owing to his distance from the bed, she had yet to start growling, but she did take the time to readjust herself. Now the front of her body was directed towards him, and her ears were alert.

No open hostility, but the threat was there.

Once again she ignored Diana, only acknowledging her existence when she offered her a handful of kibble and a piece of meat. The tail wagged a bit, but once the food was gone she returned to ignoring her.

Perhaps Mercedes might be more inclined to socialize with Diana at a different time, but her priorities clearly lay with Donovan's safety.

Diana busied herself with caring for Don's nutrition and sanitation. The little coffee like bean came first of course, after which she 'fed' Don some mush.

This 'feeding' consisted of little more than scooping it up with a spoon and dropping it in his mouth. Bit by bit, the natural action of the esophagus would transfer it to his stomach.

The spoon she was given was not ideal for this job.

Where normally she would expect a spoon, something used to hold liquids or loose particles, to have a somewhat deep depression, this utensil more closely represented a spatula.

Spills were frequent.

Wiping it off was easy enough though, so she wasn't complaining.

What she was tempted to complain about was that her seat was not comfortable.

Close to a day of sitting with no cushion under her butt? Hardwood was luxurious, but it was just that, hard.

She was tempted to crawl into the bed with Donovan and Mercedes and get some actual sleep. The only thing preventing her from doing so was the fear of being seen as uncouth, rude, or just plain indecent.

Diana took out one of the towels from her bag and placed it under her rump.

She was still content to sit and hold Don's hand.

Occasionally, she would hold a conversation with the Scholar. Sometimes she would get up and feed Mercedes, or go to the bathroom aboard the Noah.

It wasn't until the second day that Mercedes finally let her guard down towards the Scholar, her focus once again turning towards the entrance.

He expressed great pleasure at this development, but was still cautious about approaching. He had taken note of her pearly whites and decided not to chance having them dig in to his skin.

The third day saw Mercedes' departure from the Donovan's side.

She could hold her bladder no longer, and she made it known. She jumped off the bed, trotting around to where Diana was seated, and started tugging on her sleeve.

Diana escorted her back to the Noah, and let her go to the bathroom on her pad. She also took this time to feed Mercedes, shower, and change her clothes.

Mercedes took the opportunity to grab one of her chew toys and brought it back to Donovan's side.

She was no longer paying any mind to the Scholar.

"I don't think she sees you as hostile anymore. Would you like to try giving her a treat?"

"Would that be okay?" He didn't raise his voice, as per previous instruction, but it was evident from the way his ever changing eyes sparkled. He was excited, a new experience.

Diana gave him a small cube of meat, telling him to keep his hand open.

"Hold your hand out and stay there. Let her come to you. Her nose and tongue might feel a little weird, but fight the urge to make a sudden movement."

Once she determined he was in a proper position, Diana whistled shortly to get Mercedes' attention.

The very first thing that Mercedes did was make eye contact with the Scholar, which unsettled him a bit. She exhibited a level of focus he had never seen in an animal before. Admittedly, he was never one to go outside, so his interactions with them were limited, but he felt that this behavior was not the norm.

Her attention was drawn to his hand after she had taken the time to smell the air. In spite of her eagerness to eat a delicious snack, she was cautious about this stranger and his intentions.

'The other human trusts this thing, why?'

That summed up the Mercedes' thoughts.

She could not really understand what the thing was saying, but she could vaguely tell what the other human was talking about. She had heard a few command words here and there, but Mercedes primary takeaway from Diana's body language and smell was that she was sad and stressed.

Why?

Mercedes supposed that playing along with her whims might alleviate these negative emotions, and she would get a bit of meat out of the deal. As long as it didn't put Donovan at risk, she was reluctantly willing to do it.

Slowly, she got up and hopped off the bed. She walked towards him until she was about an arms length away from his hand, and started sniffing. Cautiously, she closed the final distance and ate the lump of protein in his hand.

It was delicious.

Licking his hand to get the rest of the juices and savor the aftertaste, she noticed that Diana had more of it in her own hand.

She proceeded to sit down at her feet and stare at her, begging.

Diana took turns giving her a slice herself and giving one to the Scholar, Mercedes taking her time to enjoy the new taste.

At some point, the Scholar worked up the courage to pet Mercedes. Keeping his hand in her line of sight in order to not surprise her and telegraph his intentions.

As his hand made contact with the fur on the back of Mercedes' neck, the tension left his body. He could tell she was soft, but the sensation made him more relaxed than he had any right to expect.

He then mimicked the petting motion that he had seen Diana perform.

Unfortunately, one of his long fingers drifted too close to her ear, entering the cavity.

Soon, Diana would be apologizing for the V-shaped bruise on his forearm.