Dresden Files Reread - Fool Moon Chapter 25

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 Apparently "on top of him" was right where Harry wanted Harris to be. He gets and uncomfortably close look at the hexenwulf's face, including his very unwolflike blue eyes (I looked it up, and this is accurate - healthy adult wolves do not have blue or brown eyes). While he's getting menaced by all those sharpely teeth, Harry reaches under Harris's fur and unclips the wolf belt, causing him to revert to human form. He then kicks Harris in the balls and bangs his head on the ground until he loses consciousness. Brutal, but not excessively so - I'm reminded of the discussion in Cold Days about the different kinds of beatings that there are. This one is meant to make Harris stop being a fucking problem, and it serves the purpose admirably. 

Tera and the Alphas want to kill Harris, even though he's no longer a threat, which is interesting for reasons we'll get to in a minute, Harry is opposed to this on general principles (that would make us the same as them, et cetera) and carries the point through a combination of sheer presence and reminding Tera that they're got wounded, and making sure they don't die is a better use of everyone's time. When Tera backs down, Harry asks if anyone else has a problem with it, which is basically just a dominance display, establishing that the authority he just asserted over Tera extends to the rest of the pack. So, full marks for subtle reinforcement of theme, or at least as subtle as it gets in this series. 

Tera has the uninjured Alphas return to human form, and sends Georgia to talk to their driver while Billy and one of the others (likely Kirby, although he isn't named or described), drag one of the hurt ones out of the alley on Harris's jacket, and Tera just picks up and carries the other, which Harry finds impressive since she (probably she, since the named Alphas otherwise unaccounted for are Andy and Marcy) appears to weigh about 150 lbs, although he may be overestimating because wolves are floof. I also want to stop real quick and appreciate that Harry does exactly zero ogling when Georgia transforms from a big wolf into a naked co-ed. Like, I think we spend more time on what Billy's naked body looks like in Summer Knight. This is especially impressive given that Georgia is pretty close to the center of Dresden's normal attraction spectrum. 

Harry wakes Harris up to question him. Harris (unnecessarily) confirms that he, Denton, and the others are hexenwulfen, but he doesn't know with whom the bargain was made - Denton handled all of that before approaching the rest of the team, presenting it as a way to take down the criminals the law doesn't seem to be able to touch, including and especially Marcone. The plan was to set up the Streetwolves to take the fall for Marcone's murder. It doesn't take a lot to make a wolf themed street gang look like more plausible suspects than a bunch of FBI agents, and it would get a bunch of dangerous criminals of the streets at the same time, never mind that they would have been innocent of this particular murder. 

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Harris describes in detail the addictive nature of the belts, comparing them favorably to cocaine, talking about how great they feel and how uncomfortable it was to not use them, how Benn and Wilson were losing their humanity. After a month off to deflect suspicion, they destroyed MacFinn's circle, because for some reason Denton thought they needed a second fall guy. I think the idea here was probably for MacFinn to go down for it in front of the supernatural community, since the White Council might very well notice that something magical was afoot. 

Harry criticizes this whole scheme as deeply messed up. Harris argues that since they have the power, they have a responsibility to use it, an uncomfortable distorted echo of Harry's thoughts at the end of the previous chapter. Harris confirms that Denton wanted the Streetwolves to kill Harry, and Harry tells Harris to deliver a message to Denton: that he'll be at Marcone's house at moonrise. He also takes a stab at explaining the difference between his own sense of having a responsibility to use his power, and the things Harris justifies with the same sentiment, saying that the hexenwulfen are letting the power use them, rather than the other way around, and that they've become animals. 

When Harris leaves, Tera tells Harry that the hexenwulfen aren't animals, becasue animals kill for food or to defend themselves, not for fun. Leaving aside the fact that apparently Tera has never met a cat, this is interesting given her earlier claim that it was the pack's right and obligation to kill Harris in retribution for his hurting two of the Alphas. I'm genuinely curious where killing as a matter of principle fits into her schema here. I'm pretty sure most animals don't do that either. 

See, I told you I'd do a Dresden Files post. Next post is gonna be a likes and reservations (and things I was fine with) for the whole first season of Wheel of Time. Also if you're caught up on the show, you should check out my fanfic, which diverges in the middle of Episode 5, if you know what I mean. Until next time, be gay, do crimes, and read All The Things.