<Sometimes a pack tests a herd to see which animal would be the best prey. But if the prey has been chosen already, some of the pack will go after another animal, splitting the herd so that the true prey is in a smaller group. We go after one in order to successfully bring down another.> Simon looked at the Elementals but wasn’t sure if he’d provided them with an answer that made any sense to their form of terra indigene.

“Go after one in order to bring down another,” Water said thoughtfully. “Attack in one place to distract anyone from seeing the beginning of the true attack.”

<Yes.> Simon tried to stay still. He felt surrounded by a dangerous charge, like a storm that hadn’t given a single rumble of warning thunder before it struck.

“We will give your words to Ocean,” Water said.

Dismissed. Simon trotted back to the Green Complex, moving as if he didn’t have a care. He didn’t think the Courtyard would be in danger from whatever was coming as long as he was sure that anyone within its boundaries wouldn’t be considered an enemy. He would have to think about how he could split the police pack to herd those he trusted into the Courtyard, where they would have as much protection as the terra indigene who lived here.

When he reached the Green Complex, Meg stepped out of the summer room.

“Simon? We need to talk. You don’t have to shift. I just need you to listen.”

He wasn’t sure he liked this arrangement of not being able to voice an opinion she could understand, but he could listen this time. He followed her into the summer room. When she sat on a lounge chair, he sat in front of her, his front paws on either side of her feet, bringing him so close her knees brushed his chest.

She told him about the cards she’d drawn when she wondered what would happen because of the death of the Wolves. She told him about the question mark after she asked about Lakeside.

“It wasn’t really a prophecy, but I thought you should know.”

He thought it was a pretty accurate prophecy. Jean had seen a vision of Lakeside being one of the few human places that survived. Now Meg saw an undecided future. After meeting with the Elementals this evening, he would agree with that. Whatever actions and decisions were made by humans and Others in the days ahead would decide Lakeside’s future.

He didn’t want Meg to feel unhappy, so he licked her nose and made her laugh. She stretched out on the lounge chair. He stretched out beside it and thought about human males and females and how females on TV often complained that the male didn’t talk to them, didn’t know how to communicate.