24

Your voice carries through the crowd just far enough to reach the stage, although whether or not Ahote and Haken hear you is not immediately clear.

Ahote raises a hand to silence the cries of support and derision. "The old ways of claw and fire are long over. If we attack these humans, they will crush us underfoot and it will be the end of us. And not just us as individuals. We as a species will die out forever. Would you stand responsible for the extinction of our race?"

Haken growls, his upper lip curled back, nose twitching in rage. "You would have us remain alive as slaves! You would hide the humans' tortures from our pups until they're subjected to it just as we were. The bloodletting, the experiments! And for what? To preserve their innocence?"

Gasps of shock echo around the room from the younger pups in attendance and more than one set of adult eyes glowers at Haken.

"I would have us fight as werewolves! If we fight, we may well die, but it would be better than this, this…purgatory! Why prolong the inevitable?" His eyes fall on you as you make your way through the crowd. "You there, Elizar Evenwood. You try to withhold your rage and your fire, but like all of us, you know what must be done!"

Ahote interjects. "We hide the truth from the youth so they can grow up without fear, so they can be children. So they can learn and grow without being afraid. A child doesn't always understand. Should we tell them earlier? Maybe we should. But now is not the time to be distracted!"

"Enough talk!" an anonymous wolf in the crowd calls out. "Time for the vote!"

One by one, each wolf is polled publicly, asked if they support either Ahote or Haken's plan of action. By the time your turn has come, the majority seem to favor peaceful protest over all-out war. Nonetheless you consider your options carefully before speaking.

Ahote nods appreciatively, even as Haken pushes through the crowd to you, growling incoherently as he forces you back to the far wall.

"You couldn't be content just voting for us to continue in slavery. Oh no. You had to make it personal." Haken's words are laced with spittle, peppering your face with a freckling of warm wetness. "Well, you should watch yourself, little wolf. Maybe all this lot needs to get them moving is an incident that can be blamed on the humans. A fatal one. Maybe the violent death of a pup who just wanted peace."

He snorts and backs away slowly, melding into the crowd. "Watch your back, kid."

The end results of the vote don't surprise you. The majority favor starting with Ahote's approach, although many wolves voiced their support for Haken's plan if the protest doesn't improve conditions. You hope fervently that you were right in your decision to back Ahote so publicly. Haken's threat isn't something to be taken lightly.

Ahote holds up his hands for silence. "We have all witnessed here tonight a public vote of our peers. The results, while not unanimous, clearly indicate that the majority of the pack favors a peaceful resolution. To that end, we will not be attending our jobs tomorrow morning. Instead, we will march through the streets of Haven, open and unafraid. We will show the humans that we are neither savage animals nor slaves to be exploited. At no point will we attack or harass the humans. In the event that you are attacked, do your best to disengage, fighting back as a method of last resort."

Haken grunts loudly enough to be heard over Ahote's speech.

"For now we'll leave this hall two and three at a time to return to our homes. I don't think I need to explain the need for secrecy to any of you. Avoid the patrols and watch your backs—in numbers we have power, but individually the humans can pick us apart. Tomorrow we'll show them what solidarity looks like. We'll gather at seven by the southern green. Get your sleep. We'll all need it."

Over the next half hour, the assembled wolves leave in pairs to return to their homes. Lapu waves to you from the crowd, and you make your way over to him through the tides of closely packed bodies waiting by the exit, eager to get to their beds.

"So how do you really feel about this fiasco? I know it's tough to speak your mind when a whole crowd is watching, but you can be honest with me," Lapu says in a hushed whisper, scratching at his blond hair nervously. "I'm so nervous, I've started to shed."

"Fiasco?"

"Pushing back against the humans. Whichever way you slice it, it's gonna be bad. Even Ahote's march is doomed to failure," the boy says gloomily.

Lapu gapes at you. "Are you out of your mind, Elizar Evenwood? Haken wants to march us all out to our deaths! He all but said as much. I don't want to die in a hail of bullets—I'd rather go on my own terms.

"Maybe we should just buckle down and be glad it's not worse is all I'm saying."

"Maybe I am a coward," Lapu says sullenly. "You go do whatever you have to. I won't be a part of it. We should get going though. I won't participate, but we should at least watch the protest so we know what's going on. We'll need to be rested just in case things go bad." He opens the door.

You put a hand on Lapu's shoulder, stopping him before he can exit the building. "Have you heard from Tiva lately?" you ask. "I know the pacification squads have had her on the run. I've been worried about her. I heard they want to execute her for murder."

Lapu scratches the back of his neck self-consciously. "No…I, uh, I haven't seen her. But if I do, I'll let her know you asked about her, okay?"

You leave the meeting hall behind Lapu, and you eventually go your separate ways. The night has grown chill, and the wind from earlier has picked up, howling like a ghastly specter through the streets and alleyways as if in warning: "Beware these long-dead passages. Only ruin will find you here." It's going to be a long night; you hope sleep will find you quickly.

Dawn Comes All Too Soon