The Tiger Within

Clovis and The Emperor sat in stunned silence as they stared at the door where Rashan had just disappeared after Moon. Neither were quite sure how to break the silence left by the last echoes of that cry. Time pa.s.sed, how much neither of them knew.

Finally, hurried footsteps broke the silence. The guards had returned with a woman at their side. She was tall and willowy with skin like jade and eyes like ivy. Her long yellow dress edged with greens and blues as she swept into the room. In one hand she held a whip and in the other she held a book.

"Emperor, I believe you called for me?" she asked her voice cool and clear. She looked over Clovis and smiled. Her careful bow was low, and aimed to please both royals. Her words freed each man from their respective thoughts.

"Yes, but it seems the beast ran off before you arrived, Pena." The Emperor replied lightly. He lowered back into his chair and Pena glanced around the room.

"I see, was it a familiar beast or …" she asked looking for any clues in the decor but nothing seemed to be damaged.

"She is a tiger. Not a beast." Clovis replied shaking his head. There was more to Moon, and he could feel it. The off handed insult of calling her a beast was… unsettling.

"So it was Moon I heard Screaming. No wonder Grace got antsy." The Empress Dowager greeted from the doorway. Once she stepped down into the room safely, Akira in tigress form began sniffing the air and moving around the room quickly. She seemed to be searching, Pena frowned as she watched the urgency.

"I thought Grace didn"t like Moon." The Emperor voiced his confusion. It seemed as though he had missed something terribly exciting. The Familiars had always been just an extension of the man to him, why did it seem like there was suddenly something More?

"I think Grace and Moon may be related. So obviously there was confusion when they met again." The Empress Dowager replied as she sat beside her son. "Tell me what happened." hearing this, Akira walked over and sat beside her madame.

The Emperor sighed and began to explain. "Well we were talking and Moon was with Rashan. The traders brought in a wolf that was trying to break free. Apparently they were intending to have Pena mark it. However, Moon went crazy and attacked the handler and broke the wolf free." The Emperor continued summing up the situation while Akira looked at her mistress.

She knew most of this from the scents in the room. The piney scent mixed with nightshade made it clear it was a shifter from the Wolf clan. There was a familiar undertone to it as well. She was fairly sure she knew who the wolf was.

"the wolf and Moon were communicating… at least i think? Maybe? At any rate Moon started screaming roaring and running for the hills." He explained and the Empress Dowager looked at Akira raising an eyebrow. Then tigress looked longingly at the door the scents led to. The Empress Dowager nodded, giving Akira the only permission she needed. The Tigress dashed through the open door, and The Emperor just sat still for a moment.

"Mom, have I just been oblivious to all the drama with the Familiars or is it new?" The Emperor asked finally looking at the Empress Dowager. She chuckled lightly at him and he waved a servant forward. "drink. Strong." was all he said.

"Grandmother, do you have any idea as to what it could be?" Clovis asked her, hoping she would know something. The Empress dowager sighed.

"Well, all the familiars and wilds alike have been nervous most the night. It seems something has them spooked. I think it might be something in the forest." The Empress Dowager explained sitting back as she spoke. Carefully treading through her words, revealing only what she knew she could. Clovis thought for a long moment.

"How could the forest affect the Gardens? Aren"t they separate?" he asked, it wasn"t that much of a leap but it was still a question he didn"t quite understood.

"You both know that I have been doing research and information gathering on the possibility of the Feather and Fur Kin still surviving in the forest. It"s no secret." The Empress Dowager pointed out to both of them and The Emperor nodded heavily. "from that research i have found wolves historically carry news. Either by howling chains or in person. Perhaps he carried bad news?" she offered.

"Are you saying Moon is a shifter?" The Emperor asked raising an eyebrow in alarm. He didn"t have anything against them, at least he didn"t think he did. However the thought of the tiger at his son"s side might be one of them made him worry about her intentions.