The muscles of his shoulders and back tensed and rolled as he scooped with the shovel once more, heaving its contents in the wheelbarrow. Sweat rolled down his temple, lifting his shoulder and tilting his head to wipe the sweat away on the sleeve of his shirt. He thanked the gods for his grown tolerance to the smell of the stalls. The repeated motions and sounds of mucking out the stalls eventually lulled his brain into a state of numbness. Not a single thought passed through his head as he continued the chore, barely waking from the conscious slumber to roll the wheelbarrow to the ever-growing manure pile, dumping the wheelbarrow empty, returning back to the stalls, and proceeding with the lulling actions from before. This continued on until the six stalls were mucked and bedding was placed back within the stalls, along with all of the feeding wracks filled. He would lead the horses back to their stalls before he headed to his home for the day. He then continued the rest of his chores: feeding the chickens, collecting the eggs, herding the sheep to a new grazing area, milking the cows, and harvesting the ready turnips, radishes, beets.
In all reality, the farm was his father's, but the man didn't do anything to take care of it, so it all fell on Lykos's shoulders. He didn't mind, it gave him something to do on a daily, and it gave him the means to provide for himself, his mother, and younger sister. His two older sisters were happily married to good men, despite their father's groaning about them being "proper men." He was very much one of those men that did not deserve a woman like his wife.
Lykos was done with his duties for the day by the time dusk hit, having been out of bed and working before the sun rose. He sighed, proud of what he had gotten done, making his way back to his home. It was his routine to eat dinner with his family and bathe, before sitting in front of his sister's favorite chair, letting her play with his long hair before the two got ready for bed. It was his favorite part of his day, being able to bond with Yasmine, she was a kind and sweet soul, always quick to help their mother before even asked. More often than not she would tell Lykos about her day as she would style his hair once more.
Lykos sighed happily, entering his home, surprised to hear silence. Not his father's yelling, his sister's giggles, nor their mother joking with Yasmine. Complete and total silence. When he entered the dining room, a simple note sat at the center of the table. The writing was visibly his mother's, but much more rushed and panicked than usual.
"Lykos, please hurry to the town square. Your father was arrested in town. They know..."
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