MAYA'S POV
The Council chamber was packed beyond capacity when we arrived an hour before testimony was scheduled to begin.
I'd never seen this many wolves gathered in one space—territorial representatives from across the continent, marked populations who'd traveled days to witness accountability, restored collectives whose existence proved intervention propaganda had been deliberate deception, and Council members whose expressions ranged from resigned acceptance to barely concealed hostility.
The four-fold collective stood near the eastern entrance, their coordination drawing attention from singular consciousness wolves who'd never witnessed permanent shared awareness functioning in public space. The five-fold collective we'd restored yesterday had positioned themselves nearby, already forming a tentative connection with the older restoration through proximity that collective consciousness apparently facilitated naturally.
