2 The intruder over our border

Unlike Rue, Ezra chose to be affiliated with the Frontera order, and had his mind set on choosing this at the choosing ceremony. He knew what he wanted to spend the rest of his life doing and was sure of it.

Rue, though affiliated with the Zunbera-xefi, the same order as her father. This was not her choice and was only affiliated with it as she had no other alternative. Mostly, it was also because she knew her father and the entire Kingdom expected it of her. At her age, it was customary for a Mera to be sure on which order they wanted to join.

"I still don't want to be an assassin like my father. But since I'm good at it, I'll do it for now," she told him. "My heart isn't there. I know there's another order destined for me. I just haven't found it yet."

The Mera Domain had over one hundred different orders which gave each individual a part to play in the Kingdom. Some were more respected than others. But Rue had no practical experience with any other order because any interest in any other than the Zunbera-xefi would surely spread the word to her father. She did not want that at all.

A deep hollow horn sounded faint from a great distance away. It came from the center of the Kingdom. Rue looked at Ezra. They both knew it was the signal they sent out whenever there's a public hearing being held.

Ezra's eyes got wide in a panic. "Did I forget to mention we found an intruder over our border?" he asked rhetorically.

Rue being the Chief's only child and future Chief was customary to attend.

The Mera is not a fertile race, and it is customary for two parents to grow only one offspring. A healthy Mera however is difficult to kill and so possessed a long lifespan.

Rue dropped all she had and started to head towards the direction.

Ezra formed a cone with both his hands over his mouth and yelled right before she jumped off the planked level. "You're going to want to hear this one. It's the craziest ever I swear."

Using her hands and coated tail she swiftly leaped from branch to branch, swinging on a few vines to zip by. Her black back-length single braid flew behind her head.

Upon reaching the end of the stretch of forest that lined the outskirts of the Kingdom close to the west-wing gate, she swung from her last branch to land light on her feet onto ground level. Without stopping to even catch her breath, she continued swiftly through cleared pathways of a wide field of rich low green lands.

Inside the town, she passed Meras going by their regular daily lives. Meras at the age of twenty and above, could all be seen wearing their order's recognition. Some wore necklaces, body paint that contrasted with their pink skin, headbands that laid above the eyebrows, hair beads, and badges, but piercings were only for the bold and daring as Meras had very thick skin. It's one of their properties that made them unsusceptible to most poisons.

Only a speck of the Meras wore cloaks, as only Fronteras and the Zunbera-xefi had it as their official order's recognition.

With her speed and being only a blur to others from how fast she moved, she avoided the regular hi and bye that usually came her way.

Her swift thinking caused her to avoid a collision with an elderly when she leaped into the air moments before it happened, flipped over her head and landed effortlessly onto the other side. "Sorry!" she yelled the second her feet hit back against the ground. The elder however only felt a cool zip of wind blow past her.

Seeing the new surge of Meras coming outside due to the alarm, she leaped onto the lower top of a vendor's tent and landed on a rooftop. From there, she travelled above ground until she reached the walls that surrounded the inner Kingdom. It separated the royal and rich from everyone else. It was her home.

***

She made her way hurriedly down a hallway with little sweat since she was accustomed to faster runs doing her training.

Meras, though, have their unique way of cooling down their bodies.

She began to whip her tail continuously in a circular motion to fan herself from the back.

At the entrance of a pathway blocked off by a curtain of stringed gems, a hand pulled her aside before she could step through. A wave of relief flooded through her entire body as it was an older friend of her father.

"Going in there without this?" he asked her before revealing something that he had hidden behind his back.

Rue felt ashamed, as it was her coronet which she was to wear to important gatherings such as this one. It wasn't as glamorous as her father's, which had parts specifically detached from the bodies of those who had fallen by his hands. This included mostly species from other races. They were collected and used to adorn the crown as a custom.

It stood tall on his head at the length of an upper arm and had bones, feathers, claws, teeth, and even hairs of his victims. Around his shoulders, he wore a cape made from multiple pieces of fur from werewolves he had slain. It served as a reminder that he of the Zunbera-xefi was the infamous werewolf slayer.

Rue had no victims yet added under her name, and so had more gems and precious rocks as a placeholder.

She thanked the male Mera and placed the coronet on top of her head. Through the curtain led to a balcony with an empty seat designated for her, among a small group of respected and highly positioned Meras.

Several other balconies circled the upper walls of the room. Lighting came from purple glowing gems all around the ceilings to the floors.

Below the balcony on lower grounds, was the chief of the Mera Domain, her father. He along with other members officially in the Otsus order sat on a high stage that surrounded the center in a semicircle.

The Otsus order was responsible for decisions geared around ruling the land.

In the center of it all, on ground level, kneeled the intruder on all four limbs. The being that had crossed their borders and entered into their land. An act that was usually punishable by immediate death.

Its bony and rigged spine polked through the pale flesh on its back, forming a line of large hard bumps. Wings too fragile hung lifelessly at both its sides. Its face lifted to reveal green-filled eyes wide open from the fright of death.