Thyra sniffled through her nares. “You can’t stay here.”
Anfang cocked his head in confusion. “I….I stay with Thyra. I protect you,” he said gently as the sirens began to grow louder.
Thyra shook her head and wiped her nares with a spare wing. How could she explain? In a gentle gravelly voice, she said, “If they find you here, they will arrest you, maybe kill you. You can’t be here. You can’t be around me, or they’ll arrest me too.”
She looked up to the beastly gryphon with bloodshot eyes and saw his muzzle beak curve into a frown. They sat in silence, save for the crackling inferno before them and the sirens growing closer to them.
“Thyra… I..” Anfang started.
“You have to leave,” she insisted. “I’ll try to find you again, Anfang. I’ll try to bring you help, but… But promise me…” She gasped and tried to find her words again. “Promise me that you will never kill another human again.” Thyra gulped as tears continued to stream down her face. “If you do I’ll never be able to forgive you. No more… this is it.”
Anfang was lost in indecision. For the first time in his life he was free and yet, at that very moment he was more lost than he had ever been. “Wh-where I go?”
“Just get away from here, far away from humans,” she said. “Hide. Stay in the mountains or the forest, just don’t let yourself be seen or they will hunt you down.”
Anfang nodded his head gently. “Anfang promise, but Thyra find me again.”
Anfang stared intently into Thyra’s green eyes with his own and she could see he felt remorse for all his actions. The flames had began to spread across the deck towards them, and she could feel the heat of them on her face, yet all she could think about was the hard road ahead of him.
“I promise,” Thyra said in return.
Reluctantly, Anfang spread his great leathery wings and took one last mental picture of her before leaping into the sky. His form quickly disappeared against the black abyss as her eyes were adjusted to the bright flame before her.
Thyra took a deep breath and screeched out into the air, letting all her anger, emotion, and sadness go in one breath. Her body trembled hard against Aadhya, and the bigger gryphoness wrapped her tight in a constricting hug. They watched her home burn together as the flames spit into the air, the light catching on the surrounding trees and turning them into a flurry of orange.
“I don’t know what to do, Addy,” Thyra sobbed into her friend’s comforting neck feathers.
Aadhya stroked across Thyra’s cheek. “There is nothing left for us to do. Although, I can offer you my home, of course. You and Johnathen can stay with me. It is the least I can do.”
This comforted Thyra slightly, knowing that there was a familiar place to go home to. She had a true friend, and right now, that exactly what she needed.
Their solitude was interrupted as the sounds of sirens pierced the air of the quiet neighborhood. Thyra’s human neighbors visited, providing comforting words while the fire fighters arrived, attempting to put out the inferno. She thanked her neighbors gently, appreciating the words of support from the concerned humans, yet, Thyra couldn’t help but feel that all was lost.
She wondered if they would be as passionate and forgiving as they were right now after they found out the truth. Would they reprimand her for taking a killer into her house? How would the general public react to that? Not only the fact that she knew and took care of Anfang, but when they found Matthew’s body inside her house. She would surely be proven innocent of murder, but there were those that would think otherwise. She could be labeled as a killer for the rest of her life as well. It could be the end of her career as a gryphball player, and it could kill Johnathen’s career as well.
As Thyra’s thoughts darkened and she watched the firefighters continue to battle the raging inferno, she heard her name being called. Thyra lifted her head off of Aadhya’s shoulder and looked around.
“Thyra!” came a familiar voice. She turned to see Johnathen ducking under police tape and rushing into the backyard.
“Johnathen!” She felt the fear and loathing leave her as he embraced her strongly. Johnathen fell to his knees, clutching his wife firmly in his hands, clutching her feathers tightly. Together they cried for a moment, holding one another as tightly as they could. She wrapped talons and wings around him to embrace him.
“I’m so sorry…I… I” Thyra struggled with words, chocking on her tears.
“Honey, honey it’s ok. It’s just possessions. It’s just stuff. It can be replaced. But I could never replace you. I don’t know what I would do if you were hurt.” Johnathen replied and pulled back to kiss her beak.
“It was Matthew. He…” Thyra began to explain but Johnathen shook his head and rubbed along her eartufts.
“We can talk about it all later.”
Johnathen was right. All of it was over. There was nothing left to do, nothing left to say. All that was left, everything she had in the world now was him, and she could not be more thankful.
Epilogue
Thyra sat at a table alongside her teammates as multiple flashes from cameras filled the small pressroom. The backdrop behind her had the Redtails logo imprinted all across the borders, amongst the symbols of multiple team sponsors they had for the season.
Media members stood with recorders and cameras, yelling and raising their hands as they desperately tried to ask their next questions. Coach victor pointed to one of the ladies in the crowd, and everyone grew silent.
“Victor! We all know the game was interrupted with only one minute to spare! How will the game be judged, and will your team advance to the first league?” the reporter asked, holding out her microphone.
“Currently, we are the victors, but it is under review. That is all I have in this matter,” Victor responded in a rough and deep voice. Multiple people jumped up from their seats, shouting to get the next question in. He pointed to another gentlemen towards the back. “Yes? You with Channel Ten?”
“I understand Thyra was friends with the Sabertooth Slasher and is still a suspect in the murder of Bishop Matthew Darnwall. Will that have any affect on her position in the next league?” the man asked loudly.
Everyone began to mumble, and Thyra pinned her eartufts back. It was the same questions the public had been asking her all week. Not just the press, but multiple officers of the law too. She was not in chains, yet, but she could not shake the feeling that everyone blamed her for the multiple incidents.
As far as Thyra could tell from the news reports, there were some that believed Matthew was still a good man and his death was an unfortunate loss to the community, while some were believing the hard evidence coming up against Matthew and the Gathering itself. With so many in disagreements of what truly transpired, and no leader to run it, the Gathering was in shambles. It was unlikely the church could continue.
Despite that one bit of good news, the constant inquiries made her question her future in not just gryphball, but as in a citizen as well. Would she ever be looked at in the same way, or was she going to be forced to live her life as she did years ago? Would she spend her life as a cast out, a menace to society, and nothing more than a dangerous animal? Thyra sank down in her seat and glanced away from the reporters, unable to look them in the eyes any longer.
Victor cleared his throat again and gripped one of the multiple microphones before him. “Yes, I understand that Thyra knew the criminal, and Matthew was found in the rubble of Thyra’s house, but she has yet to be accused of any wrongdoings. Next question, please.”
Victor spoke casually as if it was a simple question, yet it weighed on not only her mind, but also the mind of everyone else in the room. It had been a week since anyone had seen Anfang, and since her home had been burnt to the ground. She was here for one reason only, to settle the matters between the gryphball matches.
Another man raised his pencil high in the air and was able to speak louder than everyone else. Victor acknowledged him with a beak tilt and the crowd grew silen
t once more. “Yes? Gryphball news network?”
The man had a slight smirk on his face as he held out his recorder. “I hear what you’re saying, but regardless of how the allegations turn out, if your team advance into the first league, will Thyra be joining you? Are the owners willing to have that kind of publicity around the team?”
Everyone began to mumble under their breath again. Victor’s large gray crest feathers rose with agitation. He slammed his fist on the table and leaned forward to point a great curved talon at the man who just asked the question.
“That’s enough. I will not have any more scrutiny against my player in this meeting! Thyra is a damn good gryphball player, and a damn good gryphon with a heart of gold. She doesn’t possess a single ounce of malice in her hallow bones, which is more than I can say for the lot of you! Hell itself would freeze over before she would commit any of those acts she’s being blamed for and that’s all I have to say about that matter.”
The man shouted out asking for a follow up question, but Victor cut him off. “This press meeting is for gryphball. This isn’t a courtroom. If anyone else touches on this subject again, I’ll remove you from this meeting myself! Is that understood?” Victor shouted to the top of his lungs. The great gryphon’s voice would have easily carried in the small room without the help of microphones and speakers, but it had an added affect of silencing the press before him. He puffed up his gray chest feathers and forced them down once more. “Good. Let us continue.”
Another human stood and held his microphone high in the air. Victor pointed a foretalon to the press member, giving permission to speak.
“If your team is advanced into the first league, what will you do first?” the man asked him. Finally, a normal question. The whole team let out a sigh of relief as Victor began to explain his plan.
Thyra could not help but let her eyes wonder among the crowd. She had seen the same interviewers and media workers many times over, but one man in particular stuck out like a sore thumb. He did not bear any notepads, recorders, or clothing that resembled some sort of work attire. He seemed to be a simple businessman that somehow made his way into the team interview.
He was in his late fifties and wore a very simple gray suit. His hair was cut short and gray, but the gleaming green eyes he possessed drew Thyra’s curiosity more than anything.
Victor went back and forth with several more interviewers, but his words became mumbles as Thyra continued to stare at the odd man. His eyes locked onto hers and a small easy smile curved on his lips. The smile felt familiar, and something about him comforted her. She somehow knew him, but she just could not put her talon on how.
“That’s all the time we have for today,” Victor said, ending the interview. Thyra snapped back to reality and looked around the room. Everyone rose from their chairs once more, but this time, silently. Satisfied, the press began to separate and head out of the exits nearest to them in the meeting room.
“Are you ok?” Aadhya asked gently.
Thyra looked over to her friend and saw the rest of the band watching with interest. Her friends must have noticed how dazed she was, but probably feared it was from the sore topics Victor had to answer. She put on a smile and nodded her head.
“Yeah, I’m ok. I’m used to getting grilled at this point. It’s just been a really long week and I haven’t slept much.” Thyra responded. Her friends seemed reluctant to accept that simple response, but stood up with the rest of the gryphball crew.
“I have heard you talk with Johnathen well into the night. Perhaps I should pick up some herbal medicine and serotonin on the way home,” Aadhya suggested. Thyra felt a slight stab of guilt. They had been staying at Aadhya’s house while deciding what to do, and it could not be easy on her having all that added stress.
Rachel hopped up on the table and folded in her wings “Or we could all go out for dinner tonight! What do you say, Thyra? You could use a night out and I sure could use some tacos! What about that Mexican place we’ve been to a couple times? Las Mas! I’ll buy the margaritas!” the small gryphoness exclaimed, trying her best to lighten the mood.
Thyra smiled and shook her head. “I’d like that, but not tonight, maybe tomorrow. John is probably already back at Addy’s apartment with food for the night. He’s been learning how to cook Indian cuisine and said he wanted to try something new tonight.”
Rachel huffed and shrugged her wing shoulders. “Fine, fine. Rain check then. What about you Antonio? Tacos?” Rachel asked, cocking her tiny head at him..
Antonio could not help but chuckle at that offer and nodded his head. “Of course, ask the Spanish one if he wants tacos. Yes, as long as you are still buying the margaritas.”
Excitedly, Rachel hopped of the table and proceeded down the hallway out the back. The band all followed each other, except for Thyra. She looked out into the dispersing crowd to see the same man with the green eyes still sitting quietly and staring straight at her.
Thyra froze as a sense of recognition flowed across her memory. She was still certain that had seen him multiple times before, but could not place the memory.
“Thyra? You coming?” Rachel stopped and asked. She looked over to the small gryphoness and waved her off with a wingtip.
“Yeah, yeah just a second. I’ll be right there.” Thyra responded. Satisfied, Rachel ducked behind the curtain with the rest and disappeared into the backstage.
Thyra locked eyes with the businessman once again, not knowing why she felt drawn to him. He stood and began to walk upstage, as she descended down towards him.
“Thyra,” the man said gently. Immediately, she felt comforted by his voice, as such a person would feel when listening to a loved one. She flicked her wings and stood before him.
“Why do you seem familiar?” Thyra questioned carefully, looking around for anyone in the area. Everyone in the room had vanished, the interviews over. All that was left was him and her.
“I’ve known you all your life, Thyra,” the man gently said.
Again, the familiar voice of a ghostly past washed over her. She felt her legs tremble as she looked to the man, and his face grew stronger in her mind. The connection happened and she took a quick step back, finally realizing who he was. It was the man from her dreams.
“You… You were there!” she cried out loud, feathers fluffing in anxiety and uncertainty. He held up a hand and slowly reached forward, eyes beginning to water as he observed her.
“I was, yes. Thyra…It’s been so long,” the man said and stroked along her beak. She usually did not allow strangers to show her such a sign of affection but this, this felt so right. It felt so comforting. Even his distant scent relaxed her as she locked eyes with him. “I’m glad to see that you recognize me. I’m Anthony, your creator. And I’m here to talk to you about Anfang.”
The Gryphon Generation Book 2: A New Era Page 30