4
[Oh, how much suffering she has caused them--and how, even now, all they can do is watch her sleep, gently stroking her hair. It'd be so easy to have their claws bite her scalp and remind her of her place--]
[--gentle, gentle, they promised themselves that they would be gentle. Patience is tricky to keep track of, but they do their best. Still, if she doesn't wake, they don't know how much longer they can simply sit idle.]