After Scar left, Lacey spent the rest of the afternoon working with the Pack Warriors on strategy, coordinating them, teaching them to work together. Just before the sun started fading from the sky, Julien came out and stood to the side, watching the warriors practice. After a while, he said, "Lacey, may I have a word?"

Lacey looked up and nodded. "Yes, of course." Then she turned to the pack. "Okay. That's enough for today. Let's call it a day, but we'll start again first thing in the ...