1. Prologue

Summer is beginning to end soon. Lyco slowly drifted out of the fogginess of sleep, his heavy eyes opening to the outside world. Clear blue sky unfurled before him, warm like lake water could only be beneath the summer sun.

A breeze caressed his face, perfectly cool so that it made the heat feel just right. He heard the leaves of the tree he rested under rustle, the apples above him gently bobbing in the wind as they hung from its branches. Content with the peaceful afternoon that greeted him, Lyco stretched out in satisfaction on the grass beneath the old tree. It was no different from any other afternoon that he had ever experienced, but the blessing of it was not lost on him. Life was just as it was meant to be.

Winter should come without any problems for the village this year. Unlike the last, this time we all worked our pelts off in the fields and farms. There's enough food stocked now to feed twice the people we have. He sighed with contentment. Not that I had to do much of that physically-demanding work myself. I might just be one of the luckiest folk in town with the humble trade I have here. Lyco looked proudly at the couple of sheep that were grazing quietly across the vast field around him. They munched on the verdant grass with eyes half-closed just as his were, enjoying their uneventful life one blade at a time.

He had found himself working as a shepherd for more than a decade. It was a trade taught to him by his father before his passing, or at least what little there was to teach, when Lyco was but fourteen years old. Now a stout young man of twenty-six, his years had been defined by the simplicity of the same daily task, each one almost blending into the next. As there were no natural predators lurking around the village, such as wolves or bears, Lyco's only duty was to keep the sheep from straying too far from the pasture and to lead them to and from the barn in the morning and at dusk.

His stomach rumbled. I haven't eaten anything since I left home this morning. If I wait any longer I might just start eating myself. Or better yet, some of these ripe apples above my shade. He lurched to his feet and picked one of the apples hanging from the tree with his crook. There was never a more succulent fruit, he thought as he sat back down and put his straw hat back on the crown of his head, slightly tilted to shield him from the sunlight that the leaves might have let in. Not before long Lyco went back to his nap.

The apple tree stood alone on the meadow, apart from its brethren in the apple garden, located a few dozen meters from where Lyco rested. It was there that his two brothers worked. Virgil, only ten years of age, helped with the simpler tasks around the orchard, alongside his older brother Saul, who was two years younger than Lyco. Though age said otherwise, he was the one considered by most around the village as the eldest sibling, partly because of his seriousness and reliability.

Their sister, Avis helped with the household chores and aided their mother, who had been bedridden by an unknown sickness since last fall. She was nineteen and wished to move away soon.

Their lives were by no means extravagant, but they were as honest and sincere as lives could come. Melov'era village offered a consistent and simple pace for all of its people, each given an equal piece of the pie. No work was considered more valuable than another, instead they were seen as complementary to one another. There was no currency to divide or ridicule those without, as the villagers never had the need for money. They bought and they sold between themselves, but only by trading resources. Thus, everyone depended upon everyone, and no one's lot was greater than another's. Here , the shepherd was just as respected as the mason.

...

He was woken up by the barking of a dog. Her name was Wool, a shephard's dog in every sense of the word, with shaggy fur the color of bone and a frame as large as a young calf. As Lyco liked to say, She was more likely than not the closest thing this town had to a guardian. And as Avis liked to add, at least the only one that isn't sleeping on the job.

Wool's fluffy ears pointing at the sky, she barked joyfully at him, waiting for a response.

"What were the sheep up to while I was resting? Did they give you any trouble?" he scratched her behind the ear as he got up. Wool only barked happily in response. "You took good care of them?" Another bark. "I knew I could trust you girl."

Together, they went and herded all the sheep, slowly walking them back to the barn. The sun was beginning to set.

As he was walking around town with his dog after finishing work, Lyco met his brother Saul on the road.

"How was your day at the orchard?" he asked.

"The usual work, nothing I can't manage. Seems to me like Virgil is starting to improve. He was slightly less of a burden today than yesterday." he said jokingly.

"Glad to hear that, soon he will be scolding me too for slacking off on the job, like you and Avis. But now that you mention, where did Virgil go?"

"He told me he'll go out with his buddies this evening, mess around on the edge of town. You know how we all were at his age, adventurous like that."

"I sure was, but I don't remember you being the adventurous one." Lyco laughed. "You always stayed home with that scowl on your face, telling us how dangerous it was. And we were usually only going as far as the base of Ado Hill."

"Or at least that's what you told me you were going to do."

"Almost forgot to tell you, Avis said the merchants are coming to town tomorrow, said we could buy some more wood from them."

"So you'll be seeing your friend Kester again, I haven't seen him in ages. They barely come around here anymore." Saul paused for a second. "There's also Nell coming along with them, I'm sure. Maybe you two could talk again, fix things, you know?"

Lyco thought about it for a second. "I don't think so, last time we talked, it ended with a fight. I think I prefer this more..." he struggled for the right word. Lonely, maybe? "Solitary lifestyle."

"You might regret that decision later in your life, brother, but I won't be the one to force you to change. You always loved nature more than anything."

"Exactly. That's what our roles always were. You thrive in the heart of the village, helping people wherever help is needed, always someone others can rely on. I, on the other hand, would go out with friends and socialize, but at the end of the day, they would always return to their homes, satisfied with their day, while you would find me all alone the next morning, on a hill in the middle of nowhere, watching the sunrise. Being around others always took a part of me."

Saul looked sadly at his brother. "Yeah... I guess you were always like that."

...

Now, after sundown, almost every day of the week, Lyco could be found in Melov'era's only tavern, The Dainty Bell, always open and always full. He had no need to worry about finding a seat, as there was one reserved only for him by the innkeeper.

He would often come with two or three buddies of his, some were tailors, others farmers. This time he was alone, at his usual round table, eating porridge with a small beer and thinking about next day's work while waiting for Gleeful Mike. He was the merchant that arrived in town earlier than the rest, travelling on a large panther-like mount from distant lands. His items were always more exotic than those of the merchant group that usually arrived a day or two later. The townsfolk were fond of the idea that Mike hurried every week to come first so that he could trade more resources than them. Imagining him scurrying through endless deserts and jungles just to get here one day before the others was extremely amusing to the villagers.

Lyco finished his meal and ordered another while waiting for the busy merchant, who was more than likely trading with dozens at once, while Saul was trying his best to keep peace and order where he could.

Finally, just when he was about to lose hope and head home, the inn's doors were opened by none other than Mike, carrying a gigantic bag of goods on his back. His signature companion, the large cat, was sitting down at the inn's entrance, curiously looking inside through one of the windows with two large amethyst eyes.

All of a sudden the tables emptied as the people went outside to get a closer look at the alien creature. Meanwhile, little to no attention was given to Mike who waved at Lyco as if they last met yesterday.

"Good to see you, old friend. How's your one-man travelling bazaar holding up these days?" greeted Lyco with a mug of ale in hand for Gleeful Mike.