The wielders are coming, and they're ready for violence.
With a cub in her arms, Arietta James, a dedicated vet technician in training, flees for her life and the life of the little shifter she's ready to die to protect. Her escape lands her right i...
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A concussion. A few bites and scrapes. One sprained ankle. Considering what could have happened, Gavriel considered them all very, very lucky.
His people were still on a soft lockdown. After the attack, they'd done a full sweep around the border and confirmed no more outliers or odd activity.
They were safe for now.
In his office, Gavriel crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. His lieutenants sat around across from him, all of them putting their heads together.
Ronan rubbed at the bridge of his nose, one leg bent as he lazed on a wide armchair in the corner. A lazy leopard stance. "We need to upgrade. Immediately."
"I have a cousin in the western territory who is familiar with technology," Lianna said. "It's easy enough to have him stop by and outfit the borders and inner home."
Gavriel tapped a finger against the leather arm under him. "I'll reach out to Daedre and see if we can borrow one of her shifters for a few weeks."
He would need to present the idea to the Heads. The thought alone made him want to bury his head in some brush for a while. However, between Arietta's arrival, and now this attempt on his territory, they needed to up their game. His people were often there in minutes when there was a trespasser. But with such a vast territory, and the safety of his people at risk, minutes was too long.
They were not completely helpless. They had all the same daily technology the humans and the wielders did—computers, phones, appliances—but they lacked the technology that would aid their protection. Like security cameras and other electronics that could help them see everywhere at once.
When he brought it up years ago, Eoran said, "our people are the best protection we have. Technology opens us up to potential threats we are not yet capable of addressing."
At the time, Eoran was right.
Now, he would have to make the executive decision. There were wielders at their borders. And he could not run his people ragged on excessive patrols forever.
He would ask the Heads for forgiveness if he had to. This time, no was not an answer.
They were not completely technology averse. There were certain areas in which their people were ahead of the game. Like their composting stations, which expedited the breakdown process and deposited the new material directly into their garden stores for distribution. Or their water filtration system that cleaned and redistributed their water supply while also providing a steady stream of energy, which helped light their inner home. With security and maintenance, the Heads and other territory members had hesitated in their innovation. Their people excelled at keeping the territory safe and well protected.
But it was time for safeguards. Time to discover other methods of security.
