Neverwinter Forest take it easy

ooc; kinda long - can skip to the last paragraph if wanted

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Markus had done what he'd come to do when he'd joined up with young Mal. He had found somewhere to winter. He'd intended to get over the mountains, farther away from the incoming snow. He had failed in that.  But...he liked Mal. He wasn't sure why. The boy had given him little reason, really, but Markus was a mellow person by nature and was happy to take direction, even from a yearling – plus, it got him a home. It worked out, for now. Perhaps it was the fact that Mal was the first person he'd met who wasn't angry or crazy. Either way, he'd pledged allegiance and here he was. A member of what could barely be considered a pack but he felt a sense of possessive protection over it, nonetheless.

That was why the scent and sight of the foreign wolf while Markus walked the borders was a most unwelcomed and irritating sight. His hackles rose slightly on his shoulders, agitation settling underneath his skin. It crawled unpleasantly. He was unused to being roused to emotion so quickly, as mild as it was compared to that vicious dark female he'd met near the mountain. He set off at a trot, watching as a rather young white wolf confronted the newcomer first. She was even younger than Mal and Markus found himself but very curious and a bit exasperated.

He came to stall next to the white female, though with comfortable space, in time to hear her challenging the foxy colored female. Such a warm, rich shade compared to his dull grey and the bright white of his packmate - Mal, too. They were the "shades of grey" pack, it seemed. "What she said." He added quietly, watching the female with a detached interest. Though his ally was young, it was not his place to call her out on it. Until he had reason otherwise, he'd treat her like any other Neverwinter Forest wolf and at the moment, she controlled the situation. He was content to watch.