It was early yet, the sun barely peeking above the horizon and the world still cool and quiet. Merry had been up for hours already, but she'd been unwilling to leave the warmth of Consume's side, her chin resting on the buck's flank as she listened to the soft sounds of his breathing. The birds were just starting to stir, she could hear them in the distance, their calls playing in a disjointed melody through the leaves. She listened to them for a moment or two, eyes open to glowing slits, and let the knowledge of what she had to tell him settle around her.
Above them Skybird chirruped inquisitively down at her, and she looked up at the colorful bird, smiling gently. "Alright." No reason to put it off, really.
She lifted her head to look down at the buck, the wide set of his mouth and the curl of his tail around one of her ankles. It had her smiling fondly down at him before she dipped her head to nose at the dark shell of his ear, murmuring softly. "My love, wake up."
prolixity wrote:
Consume slept lightly, for the most part, but he tended to be up late into the night and sleep late into the morning. He'd stirred a little when Merry had awoken, but when she hadn't moved away from him he'd resettled and dipped back into a calm and restful sleep. Now, when she called for him, his ear flicked twice, and he lifted his head after a moment, yawning extravagantly. "I'm awake," he said, blinking several times and turning his head to look at her. Another few blinks. "S'early," he added curiously after a moment.