It is early, as usual. The burns the seer gave me for every morning I was late still seemed to sting even though they had healed moments after I received them. I stretch across the bed and listen to Master’s soft breathing in the bed across the room. Birds chirp outside, the light still weak. A rooster calls.

I make my bed and go to the kitchen. What ingredients were available? When would everyone else wake? What tasks would I do?

“Good morning, Kai.” My stomach seizes.

Mother and Father are at the table already, with the loaf of bread still on the table and more than halfway-eaten. Sliced tomatoes and hard-cooked eggs sit on plates and bowls. Each of them sips coffee from mugs.

I blush at how late I am. On the day after we bonded! But I must go on. “Good morning, Mother. Good morning, Father. Please forgive my lateness. I did not realize what the schedule was for our family.”

“We forgive you, Kai,” says Mother. Her voice is so quiet, but it still carries through the kitchen. “It’s difficult to know what you’ll be doing when no one has actually told you what to do.” She smiles.

“So!” booms Father. Could Master awaken just from hearing his voice? “I’ll be showing you what you’ll do outside, and Mother will show you the things inside. Sound good?”

“It is good, Father.” I bow. “I am ready when you are.”

“Have some breakfast,” says Mother, holding her hand out to the food. “Unless you don’t usually eat until later?”

Was this truly a choice, or was she really telling me to eat now? When was their next meal? “Yes, Mother. I shall eat now.”

She smiles. “Then come sit with us.”

I eat like the seer taught me: sitting straight, taking smaller bites, chewing with my mouth closed. When I was younger, I had to resist the urge to eat like a wolf. But that urge had slowly faded as I trained with her. I touch the napkin to my mouth lightly and see Mother and Father’s empty dishes. “Shall I take these?” I ask, standing.

“I am finished, thank you,” says Mother. “What about you, Charles?”

“Yep. All done. There’s the soap and towels on the sink.” Father smiles at me. “Thank you, Kai.”

“My pleasure.” I smile back out of habit. I never understood it, but the seer said to do it. Especially with younger humans. Was Master the kind of person I could smile at?

I gather, wash, and dry the dishes, then await instructions.

Father stands. “Ready?”

“I am, Father.”

He steps out into the yard. The sun is stronger now, and the animals are all active. “I’ll show you the general area, and then you’ll be walking Alli to school.”

“Yes, Father.” Was the school the large building that we passed on our way home?

We walk around the entire yard, with Father pointing out the chickens’ area and troughs and hutches and compost and crops and tools to maintain and harvest the vegetables. He shows me the tomatoes, the eggs in the henhouse, the squash they eat and sell, and an area to slaughter animals.

After this tour, we go into the house, where Master sits in a chair near the front door, a bag on his lap. “Alli,” says Father. “Show Kai the route to school.”

He is surprised. “He’s coming with me?”

“Just on the walk. We aren’t allowed to enroll him.”

“Oh, ‘cause he’s an omega.”

“That’s right,” says Father. “It’s just a school for humans. Now, go on.” He opens the door. “Start walking, you two. Alli, try not to lose him.”

“Okay.”

We are fully outside of the house and yard when Master tugs the leash. I stumble forwards. “How could I ever lose you, Dog? I have this.” He tugs again, grinning.

“I recall it even working when we are far apart from each other.” Bits of the contract float into my mind, along with the seer’s voice reading it as we sat in her cabin.

His eyes grow big. “Really? Even if we’re in different provinces?”

“Yes. You may test it whenever you desire.”

“So even if I wanted to be on the other side of the world and I pulled it, you would feel it?”

“Yes, Master. I would.”

“Shit,” he whispers, full of wonder. “Is that the seer’s magic?”

“Partly. The contract requires magic that allows the bond and the leash to work.”

“So, basically, I’m stuck with you forever?”

“Unless we break the bond, then yes.”

“Hm.”

Did Master plan on releasing me so soon? We continue the walk in silence with him in front, leading the way. We pass the stretch of forest, more small houses, and the smells and sounds of animals as they drift on the wind. The sun grows brighter and warmer as we continue.

We come to the thick grove of pine trees surrounding the large wooden building. There is the laughter and playful yells of other children behind the grove.

Master stops at the thickest area of the grove, watches for something through the gaps, and turns around. “So, Kai, you’re not a student. So you can’t go to school.” He turns back and watches through the trees again. “Mother and Father probably have work for you, right?”

“You are correct, Master.”

“Okay. So, when you’re done, you don’t have to come back here. I can walk back on my own.”

“What should I do if Mother and Father ask me to see you here?”

He rolls his eyes. “They’ll probably say that. So if they do, then you have to come.”

“Yes, Master.”

There is a deep, slow ringing from the top of the schoolhouse. Master sighs and turns around. “Okay, bye.”

“Have a good day, Master.” I bow and watch him slip through the trees, holding his bag tightly. He walks quickly with his head down as the other children gather in small groups to enter the building. I watch them turn to each other and laugh quietly when they see him, but they keep their distance. I walk home, replaying the troubling image in my mind.

- - - - -

“Hello, Kai.” Mother looks up from what looks like knitting. “How was the walk to school?”

“It was a pleasure, Mother. We arrived at school safely.”

She smiles. “Good.”

Should I mention the children who were giggling and pointing at him? Perhaps I should tell him before telling Mother and Father.

“Maybe he’ll invite us to Open House,” Mother says thoughtfully. “Based on his report cards, he’s actually a very good student.”

“I am happy to hear that, Mother. Education is quite important.” I look out at the yard. “I believe Father is waiting for me to begin work.”

Mother nods and returns to her knitting before suddenly looking at me again. She is frowning this time. “Wait a minute. Did you walk to school like that?” She stares at my bare feet, then at my shirt.

I dip my head in shame at the sound of her surprise. “Yes, Mother.”

She brings a hand to her forehead. “Oh my God,” she mumbles.

I watch her quietly.

She shakes her head. “No, no, it’s my fault. Although you are a servant, Kai, you need to look presentable. You’ll need shoes and thicker clothes and pants and…” She walks over to where I am and looks down at the row of shoes. “It’s going to be very cold soon.” She stands up again and looks at me. “Alli probably still has his old clothes. I’ll help you find them.” I follow as she enters our room and begins looking through his drawers and a large pile of clothes in the corner.

“Would it be all right for me to wear his clothes, Mother?”

“Of course. He’ll have to let you wear them if I tell him. His older things will fit you, I’m sure.”

“Mother, I am not sure how much you know about wolves, but we do not get cold or injured easily.”

She continues pulling clothing from the pile and the drawers. “I know, Kai,” she says. “But at the same time, I’d like for you to stay warm during the winter and to protect your feet.”

“Yes, Mother. Thank you.”

After putting on thicker clothing and boots, we walk outside to meet Father. He leads me through my tasks with more detail: handling and grooming the animals and maintaining their living spaces, tending the areas in and around the garden, checking the quality of the crops and eggs, pulling weeds, choosing the right tools for each task, and maintaining the structure of the house, ensuring that the walls and windows are protected properly.

When the sun is past the zenith, we go inside for lunch, which Mother has prepared. They have decided that I will make breakfast and dinner. Mother will visit neighbors to collect foods that we do not grow ourselves. After lunch, she shows me how to maintain the inside of the house: cleaning the floors, dusting the furniture, and keeping the things on the shelves tidy. She allows Master to create rules for maintaining our room. She also decides that I will also learn how to knit and sew to create more scarves, hats, and blankets for the market and for winter.

The sun is almost halfway between the zenith and horizon when I feel the pull of the leash. I feel a sudden jolt of worry. Was I late already?

Mother glances at the clock on the wall. “School is almost finished for today,” she says. “You can start walking to the schoolhouse now. When you arrive, it should be out.”

The cool breeze ruffles my ears and makes my braid feel lighter. Although I had changed out of the thicker clothing from this morning, the open sweater still feels heavy against my thin shirt, the boots awkward and clunky. I hope to get used to them soon.

Master waits for me in the same area where he left this morning. He sits against a tree, reading, when he looks up. He looks surprised. “Are you… wearing my clothes?”

I bow. “Yes, Master. Mother insisted that I wear them. Are you okay with this?”

“Oh. Yeah. They… don’t look bad on you.” His voice is neutral as he places the book in his bag. “I kind of want to see you in other clothes. And I’m gonna ask Mother for your haircut.”

“I accept, Master.”

“Did you feel the leash?”

“Yes, Master. It was not too long ago.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“How was school, Master?”

“Good.” His voice is flat.

My ears twitch, but he is looking straight ahead at the path. The seer taught me that humans will say something and mean another, like jokes and lies. I want to ask him more, but it seems like he wants to be alone.

“What’d you do today?” he asks.

“Father showed me how to look after the crops and animals. Mother showed me how to clean the inside of the house. She asks that I learn how to knit with her.”

Master’s face twists. “Knitting?”

“Yes, Master. Is something wrong?”

“It’s such a girl thing to do.”

“I suppose it is to create more clothing for winter. And for the market. It is fine with me.”

“I can’t believe you have to do that.”

“Although they are my guardians, it is you, Master, who chooses what I should do. If you do not want me to knit, then it is up to you to decide that.”

“Oh, yeah.”

We walk in silence, Master pulling the leash every few steps.

He turns around. “Think fast.”

And pushes me.

I fall to the ground, my body turning to avoid landing on my backside. I cough in the dirt and choke as he pulls me up with the leash.

“You are really light.” He watches me as I brush the dirt off my legs and the sweater. “I could pick you up and throw you into the river. Hey, your tail is showing.”

I swallow to wet my throat. “That is true, Master.”

He starts walking again, and I follow.

“So, why do you look like a girl?”

“How do you mean, Master?” I was quite sure that I was a male wolf.

“You’re always wearing a dress and your hair is super long. And then your face is all girly.”

“This is what all omegas wear when they are servants, Master. If you desire, I can always wear something else. But again, I will be working in those clothes unless you say.”

“What about your hair?”

“The seer instructed me to keep it like this and only cut it when it reached past my waist. Since you are my master, you may cut it however you wish.”

“What about your face?”

“How do you mean?”

“It’s… like… you just look like a girl.”

“That is not really something I can change, Master.”

“Hm.”

We continue walking.

“So you’re like a doll, and a maid.”

“Yes.”

“And a dog.”

“I suppose.”

He yanks my braid. “Did that hurt?”

“No, Master.” It is the truth.

“Hm.”

We continue the walk without speaking until we reach home.

- - - -

“He really looks different, now.”

“Yes, it’s amazing how much the hair can change a face.”

“His eyes look even bigger than before.”

I brush my fringe away from my eyes. Could I work normally when it was like this? I look at the pile of hair on the ground. My head did feel much lighter than before. “Thank you for the haircut, Mother.”

“But if your fringe grows too fast, then we have to cut it again,” says Master. “Should we just let it grow out then?”

“It is up to you, Master.” I stand from the chair and bow to Mother. “I will clean this up, Mother.”

“I’ll take care of it,” she says. “For now, Kai, begin preparing dinner. Then I’ll teach you how to knit.” She turns to Master. “Alli, you know what you should do.”

“Homework,” he mumbles.

As I cut vegetables, I am relieved that my fringe does not interfere. My neck feels warmer as my hair rests against it. I place the ingredients in the pot for stew, then sit with Mother to learn how to knit.