26

You cycle throughout the crowd of wolves, stopping here and there to counsel the more aggressive of them to hold their ground but not attack.

Following your example, Ahote does the same, as does Jolon who appears by your side as if out of thin air. By the time the pacification squads reach your group, a line of wolves at the front have locked arms in solidarity, refusing to be moved but not lashing out in aggression either. Ahote joins the line in the center, calling out to the human troops.

"We will not be brought to violence, and we will not be intimidated! We are not chattel to be herded and disposed of!"

Colonel Williams grabs a wolf and rips him away from the line of linked arms without a word. The two wolves who had been holding him gasp at the strength and ferocity of the officer.

"Have your gathering," Williams snarls. "But know this." He lifts a pistol to the frightened wolf's head and pulls the trigger. A thin red mist covers the colonel's face as the wolf's body slumps to the ground, unmoving. "Further displays of disobedience will be met with lethal consequences."

Ahote screams in feral anguish and leaps forward to the fallen wolf, cradling his head in his hands as though he could somehow heal him if only he possessed the strength of will. The elder stares up at Williams, hate in his eyes.

"You will not break us. You hear me! You're the monsters, not us!"

Williams turns his back on Ahote. It's all you can do to keep yourself from rushing forward and striking the colonel down from behind.

"You just keep telling yourself that, Ahote," Williams says. "Maybe one day you'll actually believe it." He disappears into the assembled pacification squads, signaling for them to retreat.

A wave of confusion and quiet whispers filters through the crowd as the soldiers fall back toward their base. You hear one wolf behind you say hesitantly, "Did we win?" You wish you could answer her. You faced off the soldiers, but after Williams's act of savagery, it doesn't taste like victory. It tastes like ashes.

Next

You stand in the mouth of the alley, transfixed by the wriggling forms of three soldiers dangling from a horizontal bar like a pendulum swing. The force of each man's struggles brings him to bear against his brothers, the squad in a state of perpetual motion. Hesitating for a moment, you look closer at the ground below the suspended humans, spying five more looped metal cords lying in wait of further victims.

Whoever set this trap wasn't taking any chances. Heavy chunks of rebar-lined concrete provide a counterweight, more than heavy enough to keep several adult-sized humans trapped until either the cord snaps or someone releases them.

Is this part of Ahote's plan? It doesn't seem like his style. It's been over a week since the elder's resistance efforts began, and you're on a scavenging mission. You didn't expect to encounter anything like this.

One of the soldiers spots you and cries out, more of a moan than words. "Help us! Please! My leg is broken and my head feels…there's so much pressure!"

You search the alley for any sign of the wolf who laid the trap, turning up nothing. Either the trap was set up to strike patrols at random, or someone has led the soldiers into it and left them here to die. Either way, the results will be the same if you don't intervene.

"Please! I feel like I'm going to pass out. I don't want to die like this!"

Revulsion fills your heart at how anyone could treat a sentient being this way, regardless of whether they are human or werewolf. It takes you several tense minutes to figure out how to get the men down.

After failing to lift the counterweights, you eventually change into your wolf form to sever the cords one by one, making sure the humans don't fall to the asphalt below and break their necks. To their credit, the soldiers recover quickly, regaining their feet despite their ordeal, the blood rushing back down from flushed cheeks to fill their tingling extremities.

"Thank God you found us when you did," one of the men says before breaking down into a choking wheeze.

You eye the man skeptically, unsure how to react to a human's thanks after several months of violence and martial law.

The soldiers appear surprised at your response.

"I guess you're not all bad," one of the men says as he massages the circulation back into his legs. "If only the whole pack was like you, we wouldn't be fighting each other."

You look him in the eye. "You humans have a lot to answer for, but I mostly have a problem with your leaders. I can't blame soldiers who are just doing their jobs. Though I hope after this, you'll be kinder to innocent wolves just trying to go about their day."

As you turn to leave, one of the soldiers calls to you. "Hey, thanks for helping us. We'll make sure to treat your people better from here on out. I should mention—the wolf that set this trap for us fired a gun and took off down this alley. I think she may still be hiding nearby, so keep an eye out. Doesn't seem like an entirely sane thing to do these days. Watch your back, eh? Stay safe."

Next

You were on your way to the scrapyard to the north, hauling materials for Ahote's secretive resistance efforts. You feel like Tiva might be trustworthy with such sensitive information, but she's been reckless lately. Trapping those soldiers on her own could have ended in disaster.

Tiva frowns for a minute. "I see," she says finally, and you're entirely unsure what that implies. "I'm not actually sure where that is."

You describe the general location for her, along with the cross streets by the yard. Tiva was one for exploring the less-exciting regions of Haven, and you're not surprised that she isn't familiar with the scrapyard.

"Thanks, Elizar Evenwood. I might be able to find some good stuff cached there. And don't worry, I won't tell Ahote you let me know where he's getting the material for his war games. I still can't believe they shut the school down. As if the elders would really use it to indoctrinate the youth against the 'American government.' What a load of horse shit. Something's gotta give, and Ahote's hit-and-run tactics aren't gonna do it, especially since he's not killing anybody. What kind of message does that send? Weakness, that's what."

"You and Haken would get along perfectly these days," you say. "He says the same thing."

"Yeah, well…sometimes an old wolf knows what they're talking about. I still don't want to die in Haken's 'glorious' battle to the death, but sometimes I think it would be better than fearing for my life every minute of the day."

You look off in the direction of the scrapyard, suddenly anxious to get moving. Tiva notices your distraction and waves you on with the back of her hand.

"Go on. I'm sure you have things to do. I'll be fine. Do check in on me sometime though? I'm staying in the basement of the old redstone house four blocks west of here." She pauses. "By the way, you didn't mess with my catch of the day, did you?"

You consider lying, but what good would that do when she returns to the traps and finds the soldiers gone?

"It's no way to die, Tiva, not even for them."

"You didn't."

"I did."

Tiva balls up her fists, and for a moment you think she's going to hit you. But she relaxes and her hands go slack. "You had no right."

"They didn't deserve to die that way, Tiva. You put a good scare into them—I don't think they'll be back any time soon."

She growls. "They'd better not be."

"I'd better get going," you say. "Be safe, Tiva."

She waves a halfhearted farewell, and you take your leave.

You weave through the labyrinthine side streets and alleyways of Haven, avoiding two pacification squads along the way. The humans are easy to hide from, and not for the first time, you find yourself wondering if their presence in the city is designed to scare the pack into submission rather than actually capture wolves roaming around the outskirts.

Next