The Nagual

Felia knew to stay where she was. Anything her size would make a noise large enough for anyone in the crowd to hear and she knew she had to keep her whereabouts unknown. Yet, in the cover of the tree in front of her and the dark forest around her, she was able to see and hear a lot.

"Not watch, Fraus. I've come to bail him out." Boeden said.

Fraus laughed and said, "Bail him out! Bail him out. Why on earth would you do that?"

"Because you don't have any right to hold him here like this." Boeden explained calmly while folding his arms.

"Oh contraire, my friend. I do. In fact, I have the right to kill him right now." Fraus said while the crowd of Naguals surrounding him voiced their approval.

"Why don't you explain?"

"I will. You remember Felia, don't you? The girl that had just arrived?"

"Yes." Boeden said, a little bitterly. "I escorted her to the advisor's home, didn't I?"

"Yes. And with our perpetrator, no less." Fraus said while the crowd began to stir. "Well. Have you seen her as of late?"

"No." Boeden lied. "I can't say I have."

"There's a reason for that, Boeden. She's dead." Fraus said.

"Dead?" Boeden questioned, sounding genuine.

"Aye." Fraus replied. "And Sohrab was the one who killed her."

"You can't be serious, Fraus. What kind of motivation did he have?" Boeden countered.

"He knew something about her that would place him at the top, Boeden; something that would make him the leader." Fraus explained.

"It's true." a different voice chimed in. Kahili entered Felia's line of sight from the other side of the crowd. Just seeing her made Felia want to give up her hiding place completely and make her pay but logic settled in before she gave in to her emotions. "And that something was this: Felia was the only child of Argos." Kahili waited for the shock of the news to settle in the crowd before she continued. "When Felia, Boeden, and Sohrab walked down to the advisor's home, Boeden left but Sohrab stayed behind, unbeknownst to her. When Felia spoke to Wren, she asked her for information about her family and the advisor granted her wish.

"Felia was already told about Argos from Sohrab. This, I might add, is something we have all sworn not to do anymore." Kahili continued. "Disregarding orders, he planted the idea in her mind that she could be related to Argos in some way and told her to find out from the advisor. Once she found out the answer, Sohrab grabbed at his chance of leadership and pushed Felia into the dark pool that was in Wren's courtyard. The poor girl drowned."

"So Felia was our leader the whole time?" a random voice in the crowd asked.

"Not technically." Fraus answered. "She had no prior knowledge to our civilization."

"So what are you then, Fraus?" Boeden accused. "Are you just some random person who took the throne?"

"Argos passed the throne to me!" Fraus shouted. "I was given the throne because no one else was fit to lead!" Fraus started to laugh darkly. "Why do you think I sent out Kahili to find Felia? I was going to bring her back to-"

"To kill her yourself!" Boeden yelled.

"To give her what was rightfully hers, young Boeden." Fraus said lowly, unaffected by his interruption. "Do you actually think I would kill the girl?"

"You have even more of a motivation than Sohrab does." Boeden said.

Fraus grinned at him. "Come now, Boeden. I'm getting old for this position. I may not look it, but I am. I don't need to be the leader. But I won’t call some half-witted murderer my leader!" The crowd threw their fists in the air and cheered. They called for Sohrab's death.

"Kill Sohrab!" they shouted.

A quick flash caught Felia's eye and she dared to lean forward. It was a long blade and Fraus was holding it high above his head.

"Sohrab of Norden." Fraus addressed him. The crowd grew silent. "You have been accused of murder. What say you in your defense?"

All Felia heard was a weak cough in response. She couldn't take the waiting much longer.

She watched Fraus bring down the blade for less than a second before she left the safety of the trees. Shouts and screams erupted around her and the other Naguals ran away from her. Not caring who was in her way, she made a bee line to Fraus and knocked him over. With both of her front paws crushing down on his chest, she roared greatly.

Though no one could understand her words as they were muffled into growls, Felia spoke anyway. "Fraus of Norden." she started. "Your time is ending."