It hadn't started out too bad. Her nose was wetter than usual, and her throat felt a little scratchy - like if she'd just talked a whole bunch after not talking for days. Which, of course, she didn't think too much on, because Ris tended to set most irritants to the side. Even as a tiny pup, physical pain hadn't affected her quite like it had her brother. She could ram her face into a tree and only have a couple moments of fighting back tears, but with Theo... you could nip his ear and he'd squall.
Well, he wasn't that bad. Perhaps she was just bitter that he hadn't come out with her earlier.
The miniscule symptoms had escalated throughout the day, and Risaela was getting tired much more quickly than she normally did. Going on ten weeks now, the girl had pretty darn good stamina from her solitary escapades and adventures, plus when she tagged along with Ayti or Inna. So being so tired when she'd only been out for a couple hours was very, very weird for her. It was only midday, and already her paws were beginning to drag on the forest floor.
She started to sniffle after that, and sneezed four times consecutively. Her brows knitted in confusion, because the sneezes had irritated her throat, and she gave a few tentative coughs that did little to stop the scratching and burning. It was weird, and she hated it. A soft, confused whine escaped the pup, her ears pressing down to her head as she sat down, miserably, on the damp forest floor.
It was just a summer cold, but she was becoming rapidly convinced that she was dying.