Redhawk Caldera She's a habit and I can't let go

Gradually, Finley quieted until her sobs were reduced to soft hiccups and sniffles. She seemed to relax into him, and Elwood, too, calmed a bit, hoping that the rarely seen rational and level-headed Finley would show her face.

He wasn't that lucky, though.

In the next instant, she whirled and pressed herself into the crook of his shoulder, explaining that her whole self was infected by this illness. This caused the frown lines in Elwood's forehead to deepen, but he refrained from replying just yet, turning over her words in his mind. As he did so, his tongue emerged slowly to pull gently at the dark fur between her ears. He continued his ministrations for a few long moments, hoping simply to ease her strife even if he couldn't cure her physical symptoms.

Finally, he asked in a quiet voice, "What do you mean, running and feeling weird?" Somehow, he was convinced that these conditions weren't part of the sickness itself.