Sunset Valley “no pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous”

He barely registered that Dagur stepped away. He did not even see the man on the cliff.

Raider swam in his vision. She turned to him and he smiled hopefully.

She slid her head under his chin in that age-old embrace. Relief flooded his worried bones. It was going to be okay -- when suddenly;

he felt the hot burn of blood gurgling from his throat. Riley took a step back with a quiet gasp of disbelief. R--Raider. He sobbed as she fought against him. Her skin felt like fire to the touch, her thrashing legs hard as sharp points against his tearing skin. Raider, stop. He choked out as blood salted his tongue and tears assailed his eyes. Her snarls echoed around them but Riley couldn't hear them. If he could just get her to stop--

He didn't know what had gotten into Raider. He only knew this was not her. He had no experience with this disease -- but as he fought to contain Raider from further harm, he began to connect the dots. Old whispers from his childhood of a sickness that ravaged east of Bearclaw, taking the lives of countless with it. A primal fear seized him so deeply then - not just for her, but himself. Dark blood matted his fur as he pressed against her hard angles and held her close.

Eventually, Raider stilled. Riley's breath came in stifled sobs as he saw it was not exhaustion that silenced the fight in Raider, but irreproachable death. In that moment, all the fight went out in Riley too.

N-no. He stood on shaky limbs and placed his paws upon her. Raider, please! Wake up. He bit back another cry as he shook her shoulders.

She did not respond. He shook her again.

Nothing.

Riley didn't know which was worse -- the incoherent, terrifying Raider from minutes before -- or the silent Raider beneath his feet, stilled forever in a place he could not follow. Eventually, exhaustion crept into his quivering muscles. Riley sunk to the ground besides her, his body shaking with adrenaline and sobs.

The wound at his throat pulsed darkly. He was only just barely aware of it as hi--