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It takes time for those gathered to fully comprehend what's happened here today. Many of the softer wolves slump to their knees, staring at their lupine claws. Tears fall from unblinking eyes as the adrenaline wears off, and they're left with the nightmarish reality of the violence they've been subjected to.

Haken stands over the body of the fallen wolf, a look of calm stoicism on his face. You can just barely hear the rumble of his whispered words borne on the wind, commending a soul into the arms of the Great Spirit. You never took the brute as a religious man, but after the last few months, nothing surprises you anymore.

You make your change back into human form and wince as bones snap and rearrange themselves within your body. You pick at the tattered ruins of your shirt in irritation. I should have worn baggier clothes today….

Out of the corner of your eye, you catch sight of Ahote walking slowly toward his office. You're not sure why you follow him, whether it's to debrief after the protest or simply because you don't want to be alone. Either way you find yourself at the elder's open door. Ahote is slumped in his padded chair.

Next.

Ahote looks up at you, his tired old eyes ringed with red. "It didn't go as planned, Decaarr. But I suppose nothing ever does. I never knew that Williams was such a monster. He's changed everything. I can't understand how the government could have appointed a monster like that to watch over us." He stands suddenly, bristling with rage. "This was supposed to be a sanctuary!"

You fall back in surprise and dismay as the elder sweeps the books and papers from his desk with a single swipe of his paw. An ink well shatters on the opposite wall, staining it with a dark, violent spatter. In the dim light of the office, it looks like blood.

Ahote slams both of his hands flat on the desk and leans forward conspiratorially. "We'll need to be smart about it, Decaarr. None of Haken's march to glorious battle and death." He shakes his head. "Oh no. But it's time to remember that we're werewolves. Williams wants a war." Ahote pulls back, the full height of his lupine form filling the room as he smiles a toothy grin.

"Let's bring it to him."

Next Chapter

Chapter 5 Trespasses

"Quarantine them in the city they destroyed and keep them busy. Docile. And always be ready to impose the Pacification Protocols." — General James Greene to Colonel Williams on the founding of Haven

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