Porcupine Ridge Dreaming of Spring

Disease. This was a word Diane knew. Diseased wolves were not allowed in the Cove—she had heard this—and those who caught a disease from the sea (or otherwise) had been eradicated. She didn't know what happened to the wolves who had been too sick to heal or dangerously contagious. These were things she had never dealt with before or been overly concerned with because it had never happened to anyone she had cared for. She shook her head, stepping away from the raccoon trail and making a mental note never to follow such a scent should she cross it. In fact, it was most likely that she would travel in the opposing direction, if ever she caught the smell again.

"Does it hurt?" she asked quietly, referring to the blood-transfered sickness.