Moonspear railroad shelter

A brief spate of coughing obscured the sound of Alaric’s footsteps, so Meerkat startled slightly when his smiling face appeared in her doorway. She sat up a little straighter, trying to ignore the persistent tickling at the back of her throat.

Alaric, you probably shouldn’t come in here. I don’t know if I’m contagious, she cautioned, and I wouldn’t want you passing anything to any of the pups, since I know you spend a lot of time with them.

She smiled weakly at him, then buried a cough against her foreleg. It was very dry and made both her throat and chest ache worse. Meerkat sighed through her nose afterward, then flashed the healer an apologetic smile.