The cabin felt unusually full that morning. Full of purpose. Full of a kind of energy they hadn’t felt since before the Fall — the anticipation of a day that wasn’t about danger, but about living.
Thane looked around at the wolves gathered in the great room: Holt at the table crunching something loudly, Rime leaning against the wall with a mug of tea, Mark cross-checking a paper notebook with a tablet he’d resurrected, Kade sitting perched on the arm of the couch, Gabriel tuning his guitar even though they had places to be, and Varro standing with his hands folded behind his back like he was waiting for orders.
Thane cleared his throat. That alone was enough for the whole room to fall quiet.
“Alright,” he said, “this is it. The first real work we’ve done that isn’t about staying alive. Today we’re not fighting raiders or repairing radio towers or rescuing towns. Today we’re just… working. Building. Making life normal again.”
Holt raised a paw. “Alpha. What is normal?”
Gabriel whispered, “Something we’re about to break on day one.”
Thane tried not to smile. “Normal means schedules. Tasks. Getting things done because they need doing, not because the world is on fire. And we’ve been asked to help run the bank. Which means we’re going to treat this like a real job.”
Rime nodded seriously. “Job. Work. Yes.”
“Exactly,” Thane said. He pointed at Varro. “Varro — you’re on security evaluation. Full layout review. Identify every entrance, exit, blind spot, and approach angle. Work with Sheriff Daltry to design the day and night security plan. You know terrain and vulnerabilities better than anyone.”
Varro dipped his head. “On it. Already drafted map overlays last night.”
Of course he had.
Thane turned to Holt. “Holt — you’re head of physical security. The job description is simple: look fierce and intimidating. Scare anyone who thinks about doing something stupid.”
Holt straightened with pride, chest puffing up. “I can do that. I do that already.”
Gabriel whispered, “He practices in the mirror.”
“I HEARD THAT,” Holt growled.
Thane continued before they spiraled into chaos. “You’ll be stationed at the main entrance from nine to five. If anyone needs help, direct them politely. If anyone is suspicious, stare at them until they reconsider their life.”
Holt nodded solemnly. “Yes. Stare.”
“Good.”
Thane looked to Gabriel next. “Gabriel — you’re overseeing the teller staff. Marta’s sending six people. Your job is to keep them organized, calm, and accurate. You’re the numbers wolf.”
Gabriel dramatically cracked his knuckles. “I was born for accounting glory.”
Mark leaned forward. “You literally weren’t.”
“I was reborn for it.”
Thane ignored them both. “You’ll also keep an eye out for counterfeit money. Just in case.”
Gabriel grinned. “I’ll sniff it.”
“That’s… not necessary.”
“It might be!”
Mark cleared his throat. “I’d like to go next before this gets worse.”
Thane nodded. “Mark — you’re restoring and running the bank’s computer systems. Firewalls, backups, teller software, internal comms, account management systems, everything that keeps the place functional. You’re the entire IT department.”
Mark smirked. “Finally. Recognition.”
“And,” Thane added gently, “you’ll also be responsible for teaching the bank staff basic security practices.”
Gabriel whispered, “Like not clicking on fake emails about prize goats.”
Mark glared. “We’re banning prize goats.”
Thane pointed at Rime and Kade. “You two will extend your patrol routes to include loops past the bank every hour or so. Keep eyes on the perimeter. Make sure Holt hasn’t fallen asleep—or chased a butterfly.”
Rime nodded. “We watch. We protect.”
Kade added, “We’ll do it quietly. Routine. Just enough presence to keep trouble from trying its luck.”
Finally, Thane crossed his arms and looked at all of them. “And one last thing. Today is the kind of day we always fought for. The quiet workdays. The schedules. The mundane tasks. We bled for this. We lost for this. We earned this. So do it proudly. Do it well. And enjoy it.”
Holt thumped his chest. “Alpha speech very good.”
Gabriel wiped a fake tear. “I’m emotional.”
Mark muttered, “Just drive the damn Humvee.”
They piled in, fur brushing shoulders, elbows poking ribs. The ride into town was filled with quiet excitement and the occasional anxious tail wag.
When they pulled up to Glacier Bank, the building looked like it had been waiting decades for this moment. Fresh paint. Clean glass. A new sign in the window reading Cash Accepted Here. People were already milling around, curious, hopeful.
Varro immediately set to work, scanning the perimeter, pacing with purpose, taking notes, circling the building twice before disappearing inside to inspect the vault layout.
Mark carried a box of cables and devices inside like it was a sacred offering.
Gabriel immediately greeted the teller staff with a cheerful, “Good morning, financial warriors!”
Holt stepped into position at the front door, folded his arms, and began glaring at shrubbery just to warm up.
Thane watched the whole scene unfold with something like pride swelling in his chest.
The inside of the bank filled quickly with sound — the click of keyboards as Mark’s resurrected systems flickered to life, the soft shuffle of bills as Gabriel trained the tellers on counting techniques, the low rumble of Varro explaining security angles to Marta, and the audible, confident huff every few minutes as Holt reminded the world he was on guard.
For the first time since the Fall, Glacier Bank was open.
The day went smoothly. Peacefully. Beautifully, even.
Varro discovered a blind corner and requested a small desk mirror to fix it, which Marta immediately fetched with a smile.
Holt scared a confused but harmless old man so badly that Gabriel had to tell him to “dial it back two degrees.”
Gabriel caught a worn $20 bill with a rip and simply said, “We can tape that. The world’s taped up too.”
Mark replaced an ancient printer with one he rebuilt from scavenged parts and declared it “a masterpiece of paper-based engineering.”
Kade and Rime passed by the bank every hour, giving Holt a silent nod and receiving a proud grunt in return.
Thane spent the day staying out of their way — not because he wasn’t needed, but because they didn’t need him hovering. They had this. They had work.
Just after 5 p.m., they all reconvened at the cabin. Everyone still smelled faintly of printer toner, money counters, and office dust.
Holt burst into the room first. “I scare fourteen people! No trouble today!”
Gabriel followed. “I taught Betty how to use the bill counting machine again. She kept clearing the count instead of adding it.”
Mark tossed his notebook on the table. “I got the entire system online. Even the vault sensors. And someone brought me a muffin.”
Varro stood in the doorway, posture relaxed. “Security plan complete. Three-tier rotation. Sheriff Daltry approves.”
Rime and Kade both said, “Bank safe.”
Thane looked at the wolves — tired, proud, bright-eyed — and felt something warm settle under his ribs.
“Well,” he said softly, “that sounds like a good day.”
“Good day,” Rime agreed.
“Very good,” Mark added.
Gabriel leaned back in a chair. “Normal day.”
Thane nodded. “Exactly. And that’s everything.”
They spent the evening sharing small stories — someone complimented Holt’s fur; a customer gave Gabriel a drawing of a wolf behind a desk; Mark found a sticky note inside the safe deposit room door that said WELCOME BACK!; Kade overheard two townsfolk arguing about whether they needed checking or savings; Varro saw a child point at Thane’s Humvee and call it “the protector truck.”
Small things. Beautiful things.
Things from a world rediscovering itself.
They stayed up until the fire burned low, laughter drifting across the cabin like something soft and steady, something earned.
Their first day of work was done.
And it felt perfect.