The adjustments began before the sun cleared the trees.
I stood with Torren and two border captains on the low rise that overlooked the approach to the dry creek cut while Asher issued the new orders. The secondary range was pulled inward and hardened. Interception pairs were doubled. Quiet markers were placed farther out than before, designed to give earlier warning without announcing themselves to anyone using the old light routes. The mood among the wolves was focused and cold. Pell’s death still sat in the air. No one needed extra motivation.
Asher moved through the briefing with the kind of precise control that left little room for debate. When he finished, the captains dispersed to implement the changes. Torren lingered long enough to give me a short look that said the real test wo
