ELDER THANE'S POV
(CONVENING THE COUNCIL)
The emergency session convened eighteen hours after the Scentless assault concluded, barely enough time to compile preliminary assessment reports but sufficient for every Council member to understand that the crisis had fundamentally altered the political landscape regarding marked wolf policy. I stood at the Council chamber podium reviewing documentation that would either validate integration arguments or provide ammunition for Vera's faction to claim that consciousness evolution had exceeded all possible governance capacity regardless of demonstrated defensive value.
The chamber was filled beyond normal capacity as regional Alphas and territorial representatives gathered to witness the debate that would determine whether marked wolves would be recognized as valuable defenders or eliminated as populations whose evolution posed threats exceeding any tactical benefits their capabilities might provide.
