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Marcus looked to Blood Runner. He was being stubborn, refusing to carry him on this trip. Like always really. The buck loathed the few times Marcus had bribed him into it, but on jobs, it helped the man look more ‘appealing’. After all, with talk of wolves returning, who was better than a Guardian and a chosen to have hired to protect your trading caravan. For Marcus, it just meant that he could charge a higher price, and a higher pay meant a better time after. Wine and women and a warm bed. Luxuries would be his. Provided the caravan reached it’s destination.

He wasn’t the only one hired out to keep the traders safe. Aside from the usual, men who lived on the road much like himself, there were men who were more the mercenary type. Not the most odd thing to encounter, but the tradesman that was dealing with the contracts was more paranoid than most to think he needed as many men as he had.

It would certainly be protected that was for sure.

On horseback, the hired hand looked into the vast expanse of green and white, noting how Blood Runner seemed to be more alert than he was. Probably for the better really. Eyes flicking over tto one of the other men hired. It was a boring ride and Marcus debated it for a while. They were technically on work, but there were already a dozen eyes looking every which way. The caravan could deal with two men talking to each other. “Marcus Delacroix.” A simple introduction at it’s best. “You do this sort of thing often? Protecting caravans?” Blood Runner snorted. Marcus, the brilliant conversationalist.

There were a few men joking and laughing, while others of the caravan were just as on edge as the man leading them. Greenhorns to the business, they picked a rather great time to take to the field. Rumors of wolves in the heart of winter. Marcus doubted that he’d seen them lingering around the job boards after this trip. As the guard he had greeted gave his name, Marcus figured he was used to this work. Carried himself that way at least.

“Nice to meat you, though not in the best of times.” Blood Runner gave a snort, falling into step with the horse. Introducing only half of himself. Rude. “Oh Blood Runner? He’s uh-“ Marcus frowned, not sure what exactly to say. “He’s one of those guardians if you believe in the old tales. Makes me a chosen, though, not sure how picking up an interesting thing in some woods mean I was chosen for anything.” Another snort from the buck Marcos rolled his eyes. “He’s smart, I’ll give him that, but-“ A nod in the direction of the woods not far off. “Rumors make him useful. Men like the idea they have a guardian around. Just means I get hired faster.”

The guardian in question rolled his own eyes before going up to Shane, giving him a walking nod. If Marcus wasn’t going to make him sound as impressive as he was, Blood Runner would just have to do that himself.

He couldn’t blame Shane for not putting much stock into the claims of guardian. After all, they were things of legend, and with wolf talk going around, some might have taken to trying to train wild deer to put up an act…. Though they had to have been planning it for a while really if that was the case. Deer just didn’t grow overnight after all. “It is what it is. I try not to question just exactly the whole circumstances to be honest. Makes life a lot easier.” Blood Runner looked to Marcus giving a small shake. Easier for his chosen. After all, thinking was so terribly hard.

“Men get afraid when they can’t find an explanation for things. It was a bit worry some when people were just going missing. Then the Queen’s own vanished. Now you can’t walk down the city street without someone boarding up for fear of wolves. And yes.” Blood Runner was staring at Shane, unimpressed. A snort left the buck as he trotted a bit farther up ahead. “He can understand us. Sadly. Makes it a bit hard to keep secrets from him.”

There was a pause as he reached over and down into his travling pack. A few questioning pats, a rummaging, then a long sigh. “Like where I put the herbs I was keeping in case ran into any sickness on the road. At least he lives up to part of his name.” Looking back to Marcus and Shane, the guardian attempted to give them both an innocent look. “He’s a bloody pest.” That got Marcus a loud huff.

Murder, kidnappings. Still, Marcus mulled the options around as he'd done. Kidnappings could have meant slavers had come in from the north. But that was all but impossible. Wasn't it?

"Men and women. There are always nasty ones out there. Men, women, beast." Eyes flicked over to Somnium. "Guess it depends on who's defining the evil though. Who knows, maybe those wolves are getting some owed revenge over ancient history. After all we won the last time they came around, and the victors tend to write the histories." If you won a war you could crush a nation and strip it of it's past. A simple enough thing to see happen in small villages in other places. Other nations.

"Decent is pushing it where Blood Runner is concerned in any case. He's got a temper on him, is more stubborn than a mule, and chases women more often than a drunk." These statements had the buck glaring best he could to his chosen. Marcus was no better in his opinion. He went after women drunk, he had his own passive temper, and he was stubborn when it came to taking his advice. To Blood Runner, Marcus was the worse one of the pair they made.

But then again Blood Runner did so delight in the various jobs he took him on. He adored how he could do as he liked while keeping Marcus in check. "He's a good guardian I suppose. Doesn't really aim to harm any others less they're looking for a fight first." A pause.

"Or they're just stupid enough to think he's a normal deer."

Good and evil didn't rightly matter if you were going to end up dead. It always didn't matter if it was the matter of 'us' versus 'them'. People fought for what they believed in. If they believed in the guardians or not? Well Marcus figured that would be their own choice and possibly their own downfall. "Doesn't matter how many points are made. What will matter are results. Sadly-" He looked out to the snow and brush not far off. "Won't have any of that anytime soon when it comes to the wolves. Better or worse, we'll be in the dark."

Blood Runner rolled his eyes at Shane before returning to walk alongside the two. A look to Marcus then back to Shane. The guy just didn't get it, and it was annoying the buck, who would very much like to be recognized fro what greatness he was. Being a guardian and all.

"His advice indeed." Marcus chuckled a bit for saying it. "Most of the time he thinks he knows what's best. Or that I ought to just listen to him. It's not always clear, but what he can 'say' in his own way can get a few points across." Blood Runner was starting to brood, feeling like Marcus was just aiming to be insulting. "...And now I've gone and made him upset." The buck's head shot up as he turned from Marcus, trotting away. He wasn't upset, Marcus was just being rude.

"What do you think about them?" He motioned to Blood Runner who again, went to ignoring them. "The Guardians."

Marcus chuckled to himself. Blood Runner wasn't the most shining example of a Guardian, but, he sill was one of them. Or so Marcus was lead to believe, (really the buck made him wonder if he just wanted to pick fights or what. Protecting people? The buck hardly knew the concept). "Well." He pulled out the totem from his coat, holding it up.

"I was in the woods, felt like I needed this thing, then suddenly... a fawn up and appears one day. Wouldn't leave me alone. Supposedly there are cats and birds that can have their own powers but myself?" He trot a bit forward, minding his distance from the other members escorting. "I've only seen deer acting smart as person. Aside from a few cats." The man shook his head. <******** cats."

The totem was casually tossed into the air and caught, getting a slightly worried look from Blood Runner. It was what kept him 'alive' more or less. Marcus just liked the feel of the stone in his hands, and to him, stone was stone, not likely to break anytime soon. Not without something stronger than a fall of just a few feet at any rate. Blue eyes looked to the buck who was not feeling comfortable with the totem tossing and with a shrug, Marcus put it back away.

"Blood Runner doesn't mind them much but... I can hardly accept cats everyday when in the towns. The idea they have more magical powers than pissing and barfing everywhere isn't that comforting." A call out in front of them, and the caravan came to a halt. Blood Runner's ear flicked to attention as he froze mid stride, Marcus just looking to the wilderness around them, trying to pick out any figures from the snow.

From the calls of the men a head of them it wasn't bandits, and no wolves. Just a lot of yelling about why they stopped.

The silence of the guards, the welling of their 'leader', the tradesmen, the sound of wind and snow underfoot, all of it could be easily heard. Yet there was no scream of someone being injured, no arrows flying from unknown sources, no masked men demanding pay. Not even a small dog that would have been mistaken as a wolf. Blood Runner didn't need to be told, darting off in the direction of the yelling as Marcus kept his to the side of the road.

A glance to Shane followed by a small shake of his head. He didn't see anything and- Marcus's head snapped over towards where Blood Runner had gone before he sighed. "It was nothing. Damn man up front just spooked is all." A few up front began moving again, and the buck returned, looking out at the blanket of snow. "Blood Runner went and looked. Wasn't anything but the driver getting started by a fox that went by." The buck snorted and went back to the front, having checked in his chosen.

"He didn't catch anything fishy either."