Shadewood pressure point

things quickly got weird. though he grew less guarded, his alarm did not fade—it ratcheted up, rather, as the stranger skittered off the path and then plummeted down. aditya raced over, bristling, careful himself not to tumble into the gorge.

are you— he cut his query short as a foul odor reached his nose, accompanied by the spatter of fluid on the forest floor. muzzle wrinkling in disgust, the man tried to at least look diplomatic as he stared, wondering how best to help.

are you. . .all right? aditya tried again, words coming slow and hesitant. he eyed the scrawny shoulders, thinking he could maybe tug the young man up and away from his plight. do you want me to help you out?

clearly, something was wrong. the running had been odd, and he knew wolves didn't defecate like that unless they weren't well. an illness, perhaps? though that made him even more reticent to lend a paw—he couldn't risk getting sick, nor bringing any sort of disease back to his daughter.