"Jaysus," Allan said. "Hold your horses half a goddam minute." He had to raise his voice over the sound of his hammer but he was laughing, clearly not at all upset by her impatience.
He turned the hook over and applied the hammer again in a series of little ringing taps, then took two long strides over to a bucket and thrust the tongs into it. There was a burst of steam and Allan lifted the hook out and lay it on the anvil to cool. It was a villainously grinning cat, crouched, hunched, teeth bared, with a twisted tail that formed the hook.