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Finally, the cub stopped twitching The fine fur on his cheeks ith tears as he lay there, panting

His es Levana could al spoken Telling hiet up To join the line To obey her

The boy did Moving slowly, painfully, he lifted his and shuffled into the line Head bowed Shoulders hunched

Like a scolded dog

"These soldiers are nearly ready," Levana said "Their genetic es are prepared The next ti the attack, and there will be no disguising them"

"Yes, Your Majesty" Sybil bowed--this ti off her as ratulations on your engagement, My Queen"

Levana’s left hand curled, her thuer She always hid it in her glamour She wasn’t sure that anyone alive knew she still wore it She herself so often forgot that it was there, but her finger was tingling tonight, since Ee alliance

"Thank you, Sybil That will be all"

Another bow, then the retreating footsteps

Below, the factions were beginning to disband, their training over for the day The thauh separate caves, into the natural labyrinth beneath Luna’s surface

It was peculiar to watch these men and boys, these creatures that had been only an experiment in her parents’ time, but had becoer than any other arence of men, the instincts of wolves, the pliability of children Theyshe hadn’t experienced for many years So many Lunars, with such peculiar brainwaves, that even she could not control them all Not all at once

These beasts--these scientific creations--would never love her

Not like the people of Luna loved her

Not like the people of Earth would soon come to

Forty-Six

Scarlet cried for hours, curled up on the bottoh her aching muscles, but the pain only made her cry harder with the er and denial had fallen ahile she’d been digging through the dresser and had found a h the Aray and white, instead of the mix of blues found on European pilots, it still looked rerandma had worn in her military days

She’d clutched the plain white T-shirt to her and cried into it for so long it was al out of

Her entire body was throbbing as the tears finally began to dry up Gasping for breath, she rolled onto her back and wiped the last streaks aith the cotton Every ti had started to subside before, the words would echo in her head, Grand-one, and send her into another torrent But the words were becorowled

Groaning, Scarlet settled a hand on top of it, wondering if she just shut her eyes and went to sleep, would her body forget that it hadn’t eaten inthe nuain Louder

Scarlet sniffed, annoyed Grabbing hold of the bunk overhead, she pulled herself to sitting Her head sith dizziness and dehydration, but she alley as soon as she pulled it open Peering down the hallway, she saw Wolf hunkered over a counter, holding a tin can

Stepping into the galley’s light, Scarlet saw that the can was labeled with a picture of cartoon-red to fro to open it with a lad that she wasn’t the only one red faced "Why would they put food in here if they were going to ainst a weak smile, not sure if it was from pity or amusement "Did you try a can opener?"

At Wolf’s blank expression, she stepped around the table and riffled through the top drawer "We Earthens have all sorts of special tools like this," she said, e with the can opener She clamped it around the can’s lid and sloisted it open

Wolf’s ears glowed pink as he curled back the lid and frowned down at the bright red goop "That’s not what I was expecting"

"They’re not far to have to ether a can of olives and a jar of marinated artichoke hearts "Here, we’ll have an antipasto"

She felt the lightest touch against her hair and ducked away Wolf’s hand dropped down, gripping the edge of the counter "I’ down the jars, Scarlet felt for the back of her hair, finding it knotted and tangled as a haystack She shoved the olives at Wolf "Why don’t you give the can opener a try?"