Sickness, disease, and death always smelled bad. They were foul, acidic odors that hung heavily in the air wherever they were present. Most wolves would have tried to avoid places with high concentrations of such scents.
Sahara sought those smells out in her quest to save as many as she could.
It was that ominous scent that saturated this place, and the rich scent of her herbs right beneath her nose, that masked the approaching scent of the hell hound from her usually keen nose. She had gotten down on her hands and knees, carefully plucking the little leaves and petals and placing them in her basket when it finally registered that something was wrong.
By then it was far too late, of course.
A strangled yelp escaped the little she-wolf as her body collided with the ground, a heavy weight on top of her. The impact drove all the air from her lungs and her green eyes were wild with shock and fear.
A keening whine escaped her as she felt the sharp prick of teeth sinking into her shoulder. Someone had bitten her? Or something! Her nose wrinkled in revulsion as Nail's scent washed over her. It wasn't that he smelled bad exactly, only unnatural. There was canine scents mixed with something that sent chills up and down her spine.
"Get off me!" She snarled, he'd wrapped her in his arms, but she struggled beneath him, body squirming...ineffectively. Whatever he was, he was huge and heavy!
His apology fell on deaf ears and as soon as his arm passed in her field of vision Sahara lashed out, teeth sinking into his forearm with a savage, feral growl. The blood that touched her tongue tasted strange and foreign. She'd never tasted anything quite like it.