Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys.

Ah, now I see.  It wasn't so much that Mark was going to be taking a scraping from the barrels as it was that he was going to investigate some scrapings he saw on the barrels.  Still, getting a scraping from a barrel might have been a way to find out what kind of paint was used on them, and then he could have traced that back to the factory and the buyer of the paint.  (It probably would have led to a dead end, but who knows.  After all, it sometimes works with cars.)  I guess that this makes more sense, though he might still need those crayons and loose leaf paper since they might work better than taking another picture.  (And do remember to focus.  A blurry picture is of no use to anyone.)  Focused on his photographic endeavors, Mark is unaware of the appearance of a lone wolf, who might be wandering the forest by itself, or might be a scout for a larger pack.  (I just hope they aren't a hungry pack.  If they are, I hope that mark remembered to bring something to distract them while he ran away or found a tree to climb.)  Then again, perhaps this wolf is aligned with the forest creatures from a previous storyline and is there to assist Mark.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see what the Jack Elrod Ball finds out.