Big Salmon Lake every day is halloween

The creature that approached him, Dune knew on instinct alone, was not a wolf. If it was a wolf, it was unlike any other he had seen, and it did not look well. Its face was deformed, its ears were folded, and it seemed to be emaciated beyond help. Dune, feeling these things were all signs that pointed to illness, let out a low growl when the thing approached him and spoke. The hair along his back and neck bristled to make him look even bigger than his large body was, and his lips lifted up in a warning snarl.

Come closer, and you'll regret it, was the general message he was portraying. He did feel a tinge of pity for the thing, but Dune valued his own life far more than helping one who was so clearly beyond help.