---

Mal tasted blood. Not his, which meant one thing was looking up today. Not much of it either, but he hadn't really been aiming to do anything but discourage the aggressor.

The sting of what felt like teeth sliced through the thin, outside edge of his ear, drawing blood. He ducked his head with a snarl, ready to bite, when—

Myna started shrieking. Again.

In some foreign tongue. Again.

Whatever she'd said had a tangible effect though, other than nearly deafening Mal in one ear. Everyone stopped, attention jarred enough to reassess. Now that Mal wasn't blindly lashing out in rage and panic, it was easy to see this wasn't some otherworldly creature, but another wolf. The same one he'd followed into the cabin.

Oh.

Maybe this was a situation closer to his initial misunderstanding with Myna. Mal couldn't write off any potential explanation, but if the stranger was willing to back down, Mal was willing to stop and listen.

Letting out a warning growl, Mal held his ground but stayed his next attack. After a tense second, he relaxed his posture into something more neutral. Confident. Guarded. But no longer openly hostile. Hazel eyes flicked uncertainly between the stranger and Myna as they exchanged words, and when the stranger seemingly addressed him personally, Mal just blinked.

Uh, I don't— A questioning glance at Myna. You understand what he's saying?