ALEXANDER
The large map on my desk was spread out so far it barely fit between the edges of the table. I had it weighted at the corners with stones.
A set of red pins and blue markers dotted the paper, each one marking the key areas of our borders and patrol paths. The squad leaders stood in a loose semicircle around me.
“North team will take this route here,” I said, tapping the map just shy of the upper ridge. “Cut across the old stream bed and loop back through the pine stretch. South team, you’ll cover the far fields past the mill road. West team…” I pointed toward the heavy shading on the far left of the map, “keep your formation tight when you move past the marsh. We’ve had too many animals vanish out there in the last few months to risk anyone wandering too far alone.”
Each lea
