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Hemming hadn't been all that concerned with how the shelf stayed attached to the wall. With the curved rib bones running along the back of the structure and a small curved piece flipped upside down on each side as a stand, the shelf seemed to support itself, with just a little of its weight resting on the wall. Three ribs were aligned vertically at a distance, and these were connected by straight bits of the bone to hold them together. From the curved backbone, he had made shelf supports stick straight out. These did not form shelves themselves, as there were only a few of them. Rather, canvas had been folded and sewn to fit around the bones and make a cloth shelf from each bony support to the next. They weren't the most rigid shelves, but they were strong and held a lot of weight. Despite having lived in the water, the whale had invested a lot of energy into making its bones. It was a huge and remarkable beast, and merely having the shelf in his den made Hemming feel like his home was larger. Indeed, his home was Earth, and it was filled with many magnificent beasts. Plants, too, were amazing things, and even they could grow as large as whales did.
The girl's suggestion was a good one, and her offer made Hemming's face light up a bit. "That would be splendid!" he said with a grin. Of course, he would have to practice on a scrap piece of bone, first; he wasn't about to take a blade to his masterpiece without some experimentation. A few intricate designs would make it very nice, indeed, and would liven up the smooth white bone. It would be a disservice to the beautiful beast that had possessed these things to let them go less beautiful than they could possibly be. Perhaps he would do something with the cloth that made up the shelves, too. They would look nice if they were dyed in a deep purple. This was a skill he had yet to learn and develop before putting it to work. The canvas sheets would be easier to make again, though, and wouldn't be as big a loss as the bones. For now the structure seemed rather plain, but beautiful in a natural way.
He beamed at Addison's compliments. She was the first one to have seen it in its completed form, and he was glad that his pride was justified. Though he didn't feel that he required forgiveness, as he hadn't done anything wrong, the wolf felt slightly pleased at this, too. Frustration lost was happiness gained - or something like that.
The wolf felt slightly odd as the other leaned into him, wondering if this behaviour was normal. He didn't wonder long, though, distracted by the necklace that Addison was now exposing. With a pleased gasp, Hemming said, "Golly! It's fantastic!" He grinned and picked it from her hand timidly, holding the thing up to eye level to see it better. "That's a crab, isn't it?" he asked rhetorically. Of course, it was a reminder of the first time they had met. Handing it back to her, turning around, and bending his knees so he didn't stand so high above her, he asked, "Can you put it on me?"