2

You think you're the only wolf here who has been trained in the arts of leadership?" Haken sneers. "You lack proper experience, you lack skill, and most important, you lack the will to be a leader in a time of war. And make no mistake, pup, we're at war."

Haken stares at you, a fire burning in his eyes. He raises his voice yet again. "So we are to trust the pup who killed his own instructor, our beloved school teacher Lonan, in cold blood? The man meant a great deal to me, as I know he meant to all of you. We were all under the influence of some sinister power that day, but did we turn on each other? Did any of you kill a fellow wolf?"

The crowd falls silent.

"I thought not. What does it say about Decaarr that he would turn on his own kind when none of us did the same?"

The crowd mutters in agreement with you, and a glass bottle flies through the darkened building, crashing into a thousand shards at Haken's feet. The big wolf's haughty grin vanishes.

"May I ask a question?" One wolf stands up from the crowd. It's Tuari, one of the rare times you've seen the supervisor out of his workshop. You've worked under his watchful eye for over a year now at the laundry, or at least you did back before everything went to hell.

You nod your consent, as does Haken.

Tuari clears his throat and speaks loud enough for all assembled to hear him clearly. "What do each of you propose we do about Ahote's capture? Shouldn't we try to get him back?"

Tuari's jaw goes slack, and you remember, perhaps a bit too late, that Ahote's project had been shrouded in secrecy outside the core Assembly.

"What plan? How could we escape? This could change everything!" The cries go up from the crowd.

You open your mouth to answer when you realize that Ahote never told you the details of the plan. His announcement had been cut off when Justin broke into the warehouse and interrupted the secret meeting. "I, uh…" You hesitate, unsure how to continue. "Well, I don't know the exact details—"

Haken pushes his way in front of you. "Of course the pup doesn't know because he's talking out his ass. Anything to keep us from the inevitable battle—maintain the status quo until we all disappear one by one. If Ahote's plan even exists, it sure didn't help him."

Tuari sits down, his face a mask of deep thought as another wolf stands to address the stage and ask his question.

"The humans have been working us to the bone!" he says. "How will you fight for the Builders and what can be done to bring sanity back to the shops and the forge?"

You'll have to consider your response carefully. The Builders make up the majority of the pack, working the forges and manual labor for the humans. The wolves of the Alpha Assembly have been forced to work by the humans as well in the days after the pacification squads descended, but they have worked fewer hours and in easier jobs. And both factions know exactly what's going on.