A few days ago. The mother rushed home in a blind panic, throwing open the door and startling the rest of her family. She was hysterical, raving about soldiers, people being shot, and a new government replacing the current monarchy. "I saw them! They were wearing insignias I'd never seen before! They were carrying guns, marching through the town, and shooting people!" Her parents rushed over and urged her to stay calm. "Elixia, calm down and tell us what happened." Her mother, Pauline, grasped her hands. She managed to catch her breath and started explaining what she witnessed just an hour ago. Her mother, father, and son listened intently.
"When I was at the market, I saw a group of soldiers marching and carrying guns. They walked up to all the stands and threatened to kill anyone who wouldn't give them anything. They told everyone to line up in front of them. No one knew what was happening, so we all just stood there. One of the soldiers raised his gun in the air and fired off a warning shot; it scared us, so we listened to the orders and lined up. They demanded half of everything we had. After I gave up my stuff, I ran. I heard gunshots behind me the entire way back here. I don't know what's happening, but we have to be ready if they come to our home."
The family stood in horror, listening to Elixia. What started as a normal day quickly devolved into a nightmare. Thoughts of their home being taken or someone being killed flooded their minds. Everyone remained still, trying to control their panic and thinking of ways to protect themselves. The only weapons they possessed were kitchen knives and sharp gardening tools. Regardless, they armed themselves as best as possible and packed emergency supplies in case anything should happen.
Each one took a duffle bag and filled it with as many rations and emergency supplies as possible. Elixia instructed her son to pack a flashlight, spare clothing, batteries, food, water, and something he could use as a weapon. They didn't have much, but this would be their best shot at survival in case they needed to leave their home.
Later that night, they grouped to discuss a plan in case an evacuation was necessary. They agreed to use the basement tunnel, with it, they could get to the backyard unseen and run as far away as possible. Elixia turned to her son as if to ask something important. "Did you pack your shields? You should keep them on you." He nodded and removed his shields from the bag to show her before placing them back in.
Elixia's father, Roman, began to address his family. "Okay, so it's agreed. If we need to evacuate, we'll run to the basement, through the tunnel, and out of the backyard garden. If we can get down to the basement before anyone sees us, we should be able to make it to the backyard and escape from there. Everyone needs to keep their bags on them at all times."
Despite their hesitation, everyone agreed.
Pauline raised her hand to add something. "One last thing: if anything happens, you two should be the first out." She looked over at Elixia and her grandson. Roman halfheartedly smiled and nodded in agreement.
Roman looked at his grandson, who had just placed a hand on his shoulder, the look on his face begging Roman to take back his agreement. Placing both hands on his grandson's shoulders, Roman tried to comfort him, "hey don't worry, we just want to make sure you and your mom are safe first." "Yeah, but…" He tried to form a response to his grandfather's words, but nothing came out.
Elixia immediately noticed the tears welling up in her son's eyes. She turned to him and placed her hands on his shoulders, "I know you don't want to, but we gotta make sure you're safe before anything." He hugged his mother, hiding his face in her chest, "Okay." This was the only word he could manage to say.
Roman and Pauline held each other's hands and prayed for their family's safety. Elixia, taking note of this, did the same with her son. She wiped away his tears, only for them to reform within her eyes while she held his hands and prayed for his safety.
Over the next few days, every sound from outside induced panic. They heard gunshots and explosions in the distance, the sounds came closer each day. No one dared to set foot outside. Instead, they began putting up wooden boards and barricades to stop anyone from entering. They could hear soldiers chanting, people screaming, and their screams silenced by gunfire. Everyone was ready to evacuate at a moment's notice, but it all felt unreal, like the beginning of a nightmare with no clear ending. At the moment, two options were available to them: abandoning their home or being murdered within it.
During a rare moment of respite, Elixia and Roman spoke about everything their family was facing. Elixia sat in the kitchen, deep in thought. Having noticed this, Roman pulled up a chair next to his daughter and asked if she was okay.
"Elixia, are you doing alright?" "Daddy, this is terrifying. I don't want to leave; this is the only home we've ever lived in." Her words hardly came out. Elixia knew she had failed at containing her pained expression from her father. "I know, I don't want to leave either. But if we have to, we'll still be together. That's what I'm choosing to think about right now." Elixia's eyes widened at her father's response.
"But where will we go? There's only forest behind our house." She questioned. "Then that's where we'll go. A dense forest is perfect for hiding. As long as we stay quiet and away from nearby towns, we should be alright." He returned with a warm smile to reassure her.
Thinking of what he just said, tears started welling in the man's eyes as he said this. Refusing to hide them from Elixia, he kept his smile. Elixia looked at him, stunned for a moment, wondering when she had last seen him cry. "I always forget you're never afraid to cry in front of us, most men aren't like that, you know." Elixia wiped her tears and returned her father's smile.
"There's no need for a man to hide his emotions from his family." This wasn't the first time Elixia had heard him say this, but she was always surprised by how confident he sounded when he said it. She thought to herself for a moment.
Moments like this remind me why I always looked up to you, Daddy, and you've always been a great influence on him, too. She looked over at her son in the next room. I think he knows that, no wonder he doesn't want us to leave you and Mama behind.
"Pauline would hate living in the forest, though," he laughed. "Yeah, Mama was never a nature person like you." She laughed as well, and for now, they both felt some semblance of peace. Roman embraced his daughter, "Let's tell them the plan in case we need to leave." She hugged him back and nodded in agreement.
While Roman and Elixia were talking, in the next room over, Pauline began to ask her grandson a question as he stared at the ground. "You can hear what they're talking about, can't you?" He shook his head, still looking down at the floor.
"Can't say I'm surprised, even though we're wolf types, you've always had the best ears. And nose. And eyes." She tried engaging him in conversation to snap him out of whatever he was thinking about. "I wish I could do more than just hear, see, and smell good." Unfortunately, his gaze had not changed.
"Now we both know you're more than capable of just those things. Have you forgotten you're the first in the family to get a degree? Have you forgotten that you can fight? Have you forgotten that you're a strong charmancer? If anyone crosses you, they're screwed." In every word, Pauline displayed the complete confidence in her grandson that she had throughout his entire life. He chuckled to himself, the exact response she was hoping for.
"Thanks, Grandma, I think I needed to hear that. I was hoping I wouldn't have to fight or anything, but I guess that's wishful thinking now. Still, I've got my shields." He remembered the shields his mother had gifted him a year ago. Two shields that could be easily strapped to his arms and used to protect himself from any close-range attack. Supposedly, they were strong enough to stop bullets, though this claim was untested.
Over the last year, he and Roman practiced fighting with them, and he had become skilled at using them for defense. But he hoped he'd never have to use them. He hugged his grandmother, "Who knows, maybe we'll all be alright." She said this, not fully believing it, but knowing he needed to hear it. "I hope you're right."
In the coming days, everyone hugged each other whenever they could and stayed close together both night and day. Roman took every opportunity to express his feelings to his family. Instead of dwelling on what might happen, he chose to spend his final days reminding his family how much he loved each of them. The rest followed his example, and for one last day, they shared their genuine happiness at having lived together as a family for 19 years.