The first hound struck the outer stockade before Hans's reserve reached the final irrigation cut.
Three village hunters drove spears through gaps above the gate, forcing it away from the latch before another climbed the wall.
The headman pulled one hunter down as claws crossed the top rail, saving his face while leaving the hound inside the stockade.
Families ran toward the storehouse without waiting for another bell, following the shelter route they had practiced after Hans arrived.
The innkeeper's mother stood beside the door with Lana's copied list, marking each child before anyone crossed the threshold.
"Keep them inside until I call the farm names," she said, pointing two parents away from the entrance, "crowding this door leaves everyone outside."
The hound reached the shelter path before a gate hunter struck its shoulder with an axe.
His blade caught beneath a purple growth, dragging him forward when the monster turned toward the sound.
