Will said. “We can do it again.” A temporary lull in the battle had let each side retreat and regroup. A representative from each Animal Tribe had arrived for the war council. The Deer and Wolves, unusually in agreement, wanted to flee north into the wilderness. The Cougars urged caution, but their claws were sharp, and they had been spoiling for a fight since Aunt Maddie’s husband had been shot in his Cougar skin by human hunters. Whale was indifferent; his waters weren’t affected. The Crows were happy to follow the Raven’s lead. The other birds perched firmly in the Thunderbirds’ camp. They wanted to strike hard and fast and rip the very memory of dragons from the face of the world. Halian paced around the council fire in the great room in Kivati Hall. “And once this batch is gone, you think that’ll hold them off forever?” Curious onlookers crowded in the doorway, and he sought to look each one in the face. “How much will it cost us? The blood of our warriors. The blood of our children—”
