I let the silence linger a moment longer, the snow breaking apart in thin flakes against my shoulders. Then I stepped forward. The wood of the scaffold groaned under my boots, and a thousand eyes followed me as if every gesture could seal their fate.
I raised my hand. A simple gesture, palm open, and the mass of blackened bodies seemed to hold its breath. Even the war dogs stopped growling, as if my voice alone could feed them.
— My brothers… my sisters…
I dragged out the words, my voice rumbling like a drum inside each chest. I took a few slow steps, the chains of the mastiffs scraping the planks behind me.
— I remember a dark time. A time… not so long ago… when many of you dreamed of only one thing: to drink… and to eat. To survive until the next day. Nothing else.
I paused, scanning the frozen ranks before me. Weathered faces, trembling horns, bellies scarred by past deprivation. Some lowered their heads already, ashamed of the memory.
I resumed, louder.
