Neverwinter Forest Inside Information

He was alone -- for now at least.  Okeanos had gone off chasing Ibis, while Mal remained to guard the forest.  There had been another upheaval, but the forest was still whole -- for now at least.  The pack wasn't, but he would still try.  He would try despite looking a bit wild, feeling more uncivilized and feral than he had a right to be, but nothing explained what was going on with the world, and there was nothing there for him to fight.  It just was.

The world outside the forest had been dusted in snow, and it remained through the night but not in the forest.  Mal stood on the edge, beneath the trees, looking out to the white and unknown.  Okay, it wasn't too unknown, but right now he wondered what the world out there was like.  He knew his forest, and just as it was kept free of snow aside from the trees' top branches, he would keep it safe.

sorry this sucks, still trying to figure her out again!

the snow, even in its lightest form, is unbearable to the thin-furred girl. alone as she is, the cold already seems to bite more deeply into her bones, leaving her hollow and drifting. some days she hardly remembers herself, or even that she has a self. other days, the cold makes it hard to forget.
today is one of those other days, and she can't help thinking about athris. it reminds her that she is alive, despite her best efforts, and that freezing alone in the snow is not how she wants to die. so when the forest catches her eye, untouched by snowfall past the treeline, she doesn't hesitate to head for it. she doesn't see the boy standing near the outskirts of the forest, view blocked by trees from her position, but she smells him, though she thinks little of it. certainly she isn't the only lost soul seeking shelter here. it doesn't occur to her that the land could be claimed by a single wolf, so she ignores him for now in favor of moving deeper into the forest.

If she couldn't see him, then chances were he couldn't see her either.  But Mal had his job to do, so once he was sure nobody was out there (wrong), he turned and continued along the trail he'd lightly worn.  And so he would have innocently continued on except he was heading straight for her path.  He didn't run into her there at the very edge, but her scent trail definitely caught his attention, sending up alarm bells because unlike another that had trespassed into his claim -- this one was fresh by minutes, moments, something short.

With a growl and bristling fur, he ran off along the trail after whoever this chick was that came into his territory.  She didn't seem to be all that impressive as she came into view -- he could totally take her if she was anything like Ibis, he thought.  You! he roared -- sort of, it wasn't like he was some huge dude with a super deep voice, he was just an average Joe that just yelled loudly, ok? -- Where do you think you're going?!  He skidded to a not-quite stop and postured with all the attitude of someone whose proper home had been invaded.  That was the case in his mind, at least.  But he was maybe hyped up on a bit more adrenaline than most would be because, dude, this was the first time he could do something about it.  Not that he was entirely sure what that would be, but yelling and proving he was the boss was a good start in his mind.

the yell catches her off-guard, and she halts, turning after a moment to look at the stranger. she regards him silently for several beats, ears sweeping back as she takes in his words. um, she swallows, looking away from him in search of an exit. words tumble from her, but she hardly registers them, more focused on filling the silence as a distraction. i... don't know. away from the snow, i guess? seeing her way out, her gaze returns to the silver boy, distantly noting his mismatched eyes as she watches warily for any movement. she's reluctant to leave the shelter of the forest, but she's more reluctant to lose another eye — or worse.

She stopped, and he didn't exactly lower in volume much, You don't just get to run into my home!  This is my forest!  To say he was twitchy was an understatement -- he practically vibrated with the chaotic energy of someone who just dared others to start a fight.  He'd defend his home, and she totally was the one at fault here. 

When he'd initially spotted her, he had basically just seen that she was a lightish small wolf but now that they'd both pretty much stopped moving it allowed him to focus (or at least de-tunnelvision a little bit) and see a few details.  She was pretty screwed up, all things considered.  And considering she wasn't oozing hostility in return, her eye and scars seemed to give him more of a feeling that being a bully would probably end up in his favor here.  His conscience was questionable at best on a good day.

she blinks, considering his words for a moment. it seems stupid to her that any single wolf might attempt to lay claim to a forest, and perhaps it shows in her expression, but she says nothing. it simply isn't worth it. okay, she says coldly as she reaches her conclusion. i'll leave. she turns without hesitation, anger holding back her tears for now. she knows she won't let herself feel it until she's far away from the forest.

He follows because he isn't about to just trust she'd leave.  Whether it was reasonable or not, he prowled along after her, metaphorically nipping at her heels -- or maybe like a vulture watching a dying animal. Something like that.  But it gave him strength and confidence, a sense of ownership because she was willing to bow to his wants -- something that he didn't exactly get much of basically ever.

And though he followed, he also kept himself out of reach, not trusting the stranger.  Who knew what witches were gonna do.  Do not come back into my forest.  This is for my pack, my family. So unless you're claiming to either of those, this isn't yours.  It sounded good, though and was totally sure that whatever it implied was good.  He was just kind of winging it and babbled the first thing that came to mind that sounded like something some pack leader would say.

she's certain she can contain herself, stay collected at least long enough to exit the forest — until he chooses to follow her. tension starts to build from the moment she notices him at her heels, finally boiling over when his words reach her. what family? she snaps, whirling around with teeth gleaming from beneath peeled-back lips. are you delusional? there's no one here. i can't even smell anyone. it's an empty fucking forest, and it's going to stay empty with an asshole like you around here. she feels dizzy, sick with the sour taste of such awful words on her tongue. distantly she wonders if @Zamael would be proud. probably not, though. she turns again, not waiting for his response, and starts walking faster this time, eager to get away.

He doesn't flinch. Well, unless you mean shifting to posture aggressively again "flinching."  That whole "looking for siblings" thing that had dragged Okeanos away was kind of a hot button topic for Mal, not that she had any way to actually know this.  He snarled, lunging forward a step, his own array of teeth bared.  What? I'm just supposed to trap a guy here instead of letting him look for his sister?  Screw you! I'm not that guy. -- I'm protecting our home so there's something here when they get back -- have you even been paying attention to this world?!  It shakes and makes awful roars and who knows what else and you're pissed at me because you're not allowed to do whatever you want in someone else's territory!  You're messed up in a messed up world, good luck out there, you'll need it way more than me, he snapped.  Unlike her, he had zero problems being a jerk. In his eyes, she was definitely the jerk first, so if she couldn't take what she dealt, that was her problem.

Apparently Mal believed in Okeanos more than he did Ibis -- she was a pawn to be useful, and he didn't even count that other chick, she might as well not exist unless she showed her face around again.  But did he believe in either of them coming back for real?  Right now, he did, but that maybe was more just so he could win an argument more than anything.

his words fall on deaf ears. she does her best to avoid listening to anything he says, refusing to look back or respond as she retreats from the forest. the only sign that she'd heard him at all is a slight increase in speed. let him live in his fantasy land, then, she thinks. karma would come for him, as it had come for the tribes. she has no reason to waste any more of her time here.

Yep, she definitely couldn't take it.  That's what I thought.  Get out of here,  was his parting snark.  If she was that oblivious that she could walk into an obviously claimed territory, expect no repercussions, then get all pissed because he was acting as he should... Well, he didn't want that sort around here.  That was way more trouble than she was worth, and since she probably would have issues hunting and fighting and all that nonsense too, so not worth his time. He had no regrets.  And honestly, he probably already got all his bad karma in advance.