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“Zassira!” The Black Mamba turned her head to see who had called her. A female Black Mamba, like her, was walking towards her, holding a few sheets of paper in her paw. After she had walked through the doorway of Zassira’s hut, Zassira stood and hugged her guest. “Zila! How have you been? We haven’t seen each other for a few days.” Zila returned her friend’s tight hug before they both let go. “I know,” Zila sighed, “the chief wanted me to deliver a message to the Aspis tribe.” “What is Koren thinking?” Zassira said. “Everybody knows they have despised us ever since our ancestors defeated them for this area.” Zila shrugged in response. “He apparently wants to establish peace between our clans.” Zassira shook her head slightly. “I hope he realizes that they will more than likely reject his proposition.” Having said this, she lowered herself onto a padded floor mat that was placed by a wooden table. Zila sat as well, settling herself on a floor mat opposite Zassira.

Zassira, Zila, and Koren were hatch-mates, having broken out of their eggs within the same hour. Zila had been made a messenger whose job was to deliver letters, notes, and the like to the neighboring clans of the Kuriss Continent. Zassira, due to her organizational skills, had been given the job of keeping inventory of the items they obtained and used to barter with during trades with caravans and merchants that came through the village of the Nigrum Mortifer tribe. Koren had been appointed chieftain of the tribe. The Black Mamba that had been the chief before him had decided on Koren when he was on his deathbed. Koren turned out to be a good chieftain. He had a natural ability to lead and make intelligent decisions when it came to the tribe’s well-being.

“I have another day off before I have to deliver these letters to the chief of the Herba Interstring tribe. Would you mind if I stay here until then?” Zila asked, now lying on the floor mat. “Of course not Zila, you know you are always welcome here. We hardly see each other as it is.” Zassira said, collecting several sheets of paper from the table and putting them into a stack in one of its corners. “Thanks, it’s not like when we were younger is it? Back then we just played all day without a care in the world.” Zassira grinned. “Oh come on, you make it sound as if we’re as old as Elder Joskau.” “Nobody is as old as him,” Zila giggled, “even his grandchildren have mates now.”

There was a pause before Zila spoke up again. “How have you been the past few days Zass?” “I’ve been fine. Lately I’ve been busy checking the records of a trade we had with a caravan from the Song continent. We were able to obtain a good deal of silk and a few of the swords their warriors use.” “What are they called again?” Zila asked. “Katanas.” “Well, they’ll certainly be useful in battle, the blades are pretty sturdy from what I’ve heard.” Zassira only nodded. Zila waited a few moments before asking the question she had wanted to ask for the past several minutes. “So… you haven’t decided on a mate yet? Zassira let out a heavy sigh. “No, and it’s not like I haven’t been approached by anyone. Just the other day Drek offered to be my mate.” “Drek? He’s quite a catch, did you turn him down?” Zassira nodded slightly. “I did.” “Why? Most of the women in our village would love to be his mate.” “I honestly don’t know why I didn’t accept his offer. I just didn’t feel like he was the right one for me.” A gloomy silence fell over the two friends. Zila cracked a mischievous smile in an attempt to lighten the mood. “You know, the scouts have reported that a ship from the Makos continent has arrived. They’re here to trade with the tribes. Maybe you’ll find the right guy when they pay us a visit,” she said jokingly. Zassira couldn’t help but smile as well. “Yeah right, I bet they don’t have a single decent reptile with them. I can’t imagine sharing my bed, much less the rest of my life, with someone covered in fur for some reason.” “Never say never Zass, remember that’s what Mariss said. Then one day he ends up falling for and leaving with that Dalmatian that was visiting us.” Zassira glanced out the doorway and saw that dusk had fallen and it was quickly getting darker. “I guess I’ll just have to keep an open mind when they arrive.”

~~~~~~

A few hours earlier that day, the afternoon sun saw the passengers of the M.C.S. Wavepaw making the final preparations for their journey through Kuriss. A tough looking Tiger made his way over to one of the guardsmen. “Hey Nick, how was the ride?” The young ferret looked up from the rifle he was polishing and scratched the light brown fur on his neck. “Uneventful as usual. What can I do for you Barry?” “I was told to inform you that you’ve been reassigned to Caravan 6.” Nicholas’ brow furrowed at the news. “Why? Did someone desert?” Barry shook his head. “No, it’s nothing like that. Caravan 6 is going to go through some hostile territory. The Aspis clan has refused to trade with us. They said something about not trusting soldiers from Makos. The problem is that we have to pass through their land in order to reach the Herba Interstring and Nigrum Mortifer clans.” “Are they going to let us do that at least?” “Yeah, they were pretty reluctant when they gave us their permission though. The CO wants to beef up the caravan’s defense in case the Aspis tribe tries to rob it while it’s passing through.” Before either of them could say anything else, an Ocelot began to speak into a megaphone. “All right everyone, finish any preparations you have left to make. You must be with your assigned caravan and ready to leave at dawn.” “Well I gotta go,” Barry said to Nick. “I’ve got a few more things to take care of before I turn in for the night.” “Alright Barry,” Nick said, standing up and shaking paws with the Tiger. “Take care of yourself.” “I should be saying the same to you,” Barry said, grinning. “Good luck out there, and watch your back around those Adders.” “Thanks, I’ll see you later.” Barry nodded and walked off. Nick picked up his rifle and checked to make sure the safety was on. After that, he headed to his tent to get some rest for the trek across Kuriss.