The elder raises a bushy eyebrow. "My but you are a stubborn one. As you wish. I'll tell you what you need to know."
Ahote walks to the back of his office and brushes the dust off an old wooden desk before dragging it up to the front. "Sit."
You do as instructed, itching for the old wolf to get on with the lesson.
"To recap the fundamentals, power in the Haven pack is roughly broken down into thirds—the elders control the education system and manage issues of discipline and punishment. Break our rules or assault another packmate, and the Council of Elders will be the one sitting in judgment.
"Those adults above the age of majority but below the status of elder are each allowed one vote on issues of political importance. The remaining two thirds of our power structure comes from within this group. The Builders manage the work we do for the humans, mostly manufacturing and other…" He coughs. "…small tasks.
"All remaining responsibility, the majority really, goes to the Alpha Assembly. They handle everything from waste management to updating the rule of law. A small subset of this group is known as the Human Relations Council, or HRC. It's their job to work directly with the human military, negotiate the price of our food and water supply, and generally keep the relations machine running smoothly.
"Which group to press depends on your goal, of course. I have it on good authority that the Builders are growing dissatisfied with their lack of influence on the Assembly. The humans keep demanding more and more of the manufacturing plants, and the HRC's negotiations have been pitiful, allowing the humans to walk all over them with their demands.
"The head of our primary manufacturing plant, Razor, is at her breaking point, and she's begun openly speaking her discontent within earshot of the plant's assembly lines. There's even concerned rumbling among the elders. Between your generation growing into adulthood and the widening gulf between the Builders and the Alpha Assembly, the power structure is shifting, and it may be in your best interest to leverage that if you get the chance."
Ahote explains the intimate details of interactions between councils and council members until you feel like your brain is about to leak out your ears if you have to memorize one more functionary. You thank the old wolf for his information, making an excuse to escape while you still can.
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