Director Salvador retired after forty years of service.
Her successor, a sharp young bureaucrat named Director Valdez, had different ideas about creature-human relations.
"We've been too soft," he announced at his first press conference. "Too accommodating. It's time to remind creatures who's in charge."
The creature community erupted in alarm.
"What does that mean?" Glad demanded at an emergency meeting. "'Remind creatures who's in charge'?"
"It means trouble," Luningning said grimly. "I've heard rumors. He wants to increase surveillance. Restrict movement. Maybe even—" She paused. "Maybe even register creatures more invasively."
"Registration already exists."
"He wants DNA samples. Permanent records. Tracking chips."
The room went silent.
Tracking chips.
For creatures.
"We can't let that happen," Maya said.
"We won't." Glad stood. "But we also can't fight the Department directly. They're government. They have resources we can't match."
"So what do we do?"
"We do what we've always done. We organize. We advocate. We remind them that we're citizens, not threats."
The battle with Director Valdez had begun.