Shatter

***

“W-who is there?” Willa felt herself tense up as the door began to jiggle – closed curtains making it impossible to see who stood on the other side now as a few knocks echoed through the room.

“It’s your father, now open the door.” Willa immediately stood and rushed to the door as she heard the familiar voice, disbelief on her face as she swung the door open to see her father there to greet her.

“Are you okay? Where have you been?” A flurry of questions assailed the old griffon as he stumbled through the door, signs of age even more visible with his pained expression – a faint smile trying to fight through winces of pain as worried faces stared back.

“It’s all okay now…” The older griffon limped his way forward as he wrapped his arms around Willa, another wince of pain barely held at bay as her arms tightened around him. “Its all okay…”

“It’s been days…I thought you were…” Willa stopped her words short as she tightened her hold on the old griffon, tears once more streaming down her face as the old griff’s claw gently ruffled through her feathers.

“I-I’m fine…it was all just a…misunderstanding is all…”

“Papa!” Willa took a reluctant step back as the young griffon ran forward – leaping towards the older griff as her arms clung onto his uniform, even her light weight enough to pull down his aging body before he managed to steady himself. “I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too little one…”

“A misunderstanding?! We thought…you were gone for nearly a week.” Wyman stepped down the stairs, each creaking under his claws and paws as he entered into the small living room – roused from a rest by the commotion.

“Y-yes…just a misunderstanding.” The griffon winced again as he limped forward, finally closing the door behind him as the bitter breeze was slowly pushed away by a small crackling fire. “There were…doubts about my loyalties after the co—After our Lord-Protector took power.”

“Doubts? But you have always been a faithful servant of the Empire…how could they doubt that?” Willa wiped the tears from her face as her husband’s claw gently came to a rest on her shoulder.

“What is going on, Arnulf?” Wyman’s voice raised slightly as he motioned for the young griffon to return to her mother’s side, claw leaving his wife’s shoulder as he moved closer to the older griff. “Soldiers in the streets, curfews, people being taken from their homes?”

“Not here, Wyman…please…lets step away first...” Arnulf motioned towards the kitchen, another half-hearted attempt at a smile trying to console his daughter.

“What is it Arnulf?” Wyman tried to lower his voice as the two walked into the kitchen, only a half-closed curtain separating them from the living area where his still shaken wife continued to comfort the young griff in her arms. “Tell me what is going on…soldiers in the streets…veterans being taken from their homes…talk of chaos in the military.”

“It would seem that after the late Emperor’s death there were…fears that the Empire might fall to ruin…that perhaps a firmer claw was needed to help guide us back to a path of righteousness and prosperity…”

“So…”

“A general named Dawnclaw orchestrated a coup with some of the other soldiers…took out the loyalists of the Emperor, any who opposed his vision, and has taken to calling himself ‘Lord-Protector’.”

“What? Not Emperor then?”

“No.”

“So another republican uprising?”

“No, no…he and his…loyalists, they were rather vehement that there was still an Empire and that Dawnclaw merely wishes to restore the throne to what it once was before.”

“So then, who is the Emperor?” Arnulf turned away at the question, knot forming in his throat as his gaze turned back to his daughter and granddaughter just visible through the thin veil now cozying themselves once more by the fire, tears still fresh on Willa’s face as she tried her best to ignore the conversation. “Grover VI? The child? So this Dawnclaw is acting as regent?”

“No…the…old ‘corrupt’ dynasty has been put to an end by our new Lord-Protector…”

“They killed the child Emperor?” Wyman felt a cold shiver run through his body as his gaze followed the old Griffon’s own, a small pause following as Arnulf slowly turned back towards the tan-feathered griffon.

“I-I’m afraid so…”

“So there is no Emperor…but an Empire?” Wyman’s voice lowered even more, barely leaving as a rasp when he finally responded.

“For now…yes…”

“And what of the nobility? The Regent council? The other parts of the Empire?”

“The nobility…the clergy, and the council are all viewed as corrupt…most have already been…dealt with.” Arnulf’s gaze fell from Wyman’s own again. “As far as the other parts of the Empire, the support for this ‘Lord-Protector’ seems to be rather short-reaching. I-I wasn’t told too much, but I know that most of the Empire is outraged.”

“And what about you? Why did they come after you? You’re barely involved in any of the politics of the nobility.”

“My previous service to the Empire and vocal support for it marked me as a potential threat…” Arnulf paused. “I was…made to swear my loyalty to the ‘Lord-Protector’…”

“And what of the rest of us? My wife…your daughter? Our Children?” Wyman tried to keep his voice low as his gaze met the emerald eyes staring back through a gap in the thin sheet at him from the next room, the worry in his expression fueling her unease as claws gripped even more tightly around their daughter. “This is madness; how are we to survive like this?”

“I—I have a plan…but it’ll take some time…perhaps a week, maybe more. Until then, I want you all to stay safe…”

“We will try…but…I saw what they were doing out there…”

“Trust me…so have I Wyman, but we must do what we can to keep our family safe.”

***