Kalil looked at the hunched form of Roc. The wolf shade had his back the child and his robot friend. "Roc seems real sad, Beepy," the young shade said softly to his companion. P-33 didn't respond. His voice box had completely shorted out, so all he could do was stare at Kalil while he spoke. "Maybe we can do something to cheer him up," the robot's charge suggested. "Like a party or something. Or we could play a guessing game with him. You like those, don't you, Beepy?" The robot nodded his massive head. Kalil jumped up and down in excitement. "Yeah! I'll go ask him if he wants to play."
The shade turned and made his way to the wolf. "Hey, Roc-" The wolf was on his feet in an instant, whirling around and snapping his viselike jaws. Kalil leapt backwards in fright, while P-33 stood and slammed his fist down between Roc and his friend. The wolf shade growled for a moment, then related. "My apologies, Kalil," he said, bowing his head. "I was…startled." The pack leader then raised his head and looked up at the sky. The stars had just emerged, casting a twinkling light down onto the den. "Is this truly our fate?" he murmured to himself, almost unaware that Kalil and P-33 were watching him curiously. "To be slaughtered by the humans? Why can we not live together in harmony?" The young shade and his metal friend retreated several paces, leaving the wolf to his musings.
The next morning, Roc had come to a decision. "My brothers," he howled to the last, pathetic remnants of his once mighty wolf pack. "The time has come to make a choice. The humans are surely coming to wipe us out. We can leave, and find a new home to raise our pups. Or….we can stand, and fight to the bitter end. I am staying, even if I do so alone. I urge the rest of you to consider your decision carefully." As he trailed off, Roc was surprised to see that almost none of the wolves hesitated in giving their answer. "What are they saying?" Kalil whispered to P-33. The robot, of course, didn't respond. Roc raised his head, looking over his pack as all of them howled their decision. "Very well, my brothers," he said, voice full of sorrowful pride. "We will stand here, and defend our home. The humans have killed our pups, have slaughtered our pack brothers. Now let us paint this den with their blood!" His wolves howled their approval, and it seemed, just for a moment, that the stars themselves shined brighter, as if encouraging the bloodthirsty pack on.
"You cannot stay," Roc growled to the young shade and his companion. "What?" Kalil said, spluttering. "You will leave, along with the pups," the wolf shade continued. It had been decided that, while most of the pack would indeed stay and fight, a decent sized group, consisting of several mothers and their pups and newborns, would leave, so that the pack could start anew elsewhere. There had been no shortage of arguments between the pack leader and those he had chosen to leave, as every wolf was willing to give their lives in the final battle. But Roc knew the good of the pack had to come first.
The wolf brought himself out of the past to continue his argument. "You are outsiders. We have no right to make you participate in this battle. If you do, you will surely die." "I don't care!" the young shade yelled, stomping his foot. "You're not making me and Beepy stay! We WANT to. You're our friend, Roc, and we aren't leaving without you." Roc looked at his fellow shade disbelievingly. "Me…your friend?" Kalil nodded. "Yeah! And friends stick together." Roc shook his head, baring his teeth in an approximation of a smile. "Very well….friend. You will stay, if you wish." He looked sidelong at the youngster. "You know, Kalil, perhaps humans and wolves CAN live together."
"Who is our leader?" the adviser of the men of the mask demanded to the troops before him. "The king! The king!" They answered. "And who is our king's beloved?" "Queen Fyra!" "Who stained the court with the queen's blood?" "The wolves! The wolves!" "And who will eradicate the wolves?" "The men of the mask!"
The adviser turned to the young king, who seemed stunned by the turn of events. "Apologies for our lateness, king. But it took awhile to secure the permission of every citizen for the war." The king looked around at the vast, mazelike city. "You…asked everyone…?" "Of course," the adviser said, amused. "There are rules for this sort of thing you know." "Rules…?" the king said. "…do not exist to bind you," the adviser added. "They exist so you may know your freedoms." Laughing gently, he said, "A foolish king attracts a foolish people, your majesty. You should know that." The king shook his head. "You are indeed a foolish people, to follow an idiot such as myself."
Beside the king, Nier looked out, past the city gates, into the desert. Those wolves better be ready, he thought. We're coming for them.