[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/lJPfmr4.png[/img]

[sub][sup][h3][b][color=black]   GÖRLITZ || BEHIND WALL MARIA || SPRING 844  [/color]
[color=#bb9c6f]  GÖRLITZ || BEHIND WALL MARIA || SPRING 844   [/color][/b][/h3][/sup][/sub][/center][hr][indent][indent][color=gray]Abigail was the hen’s name, and she flared up her feathers and let out a low, beaky growl as she took one step forward and then another. Stian held the wicker basket of eggs tightly in his hand. There were only a few of them, considering Lars and Anneli had headed off to Quinta District with the rest to sell. None of them were fertilized as they lacked a rooster. That being said, Abigail was more than happy to square up with the six-foot teenager for them. The back of Stian’s boot hit the barn where the livestock was kept. Of all the sides that he’d run into. The other three led into the open field.

So, he tried to take a sidestep to angle himself towards the eastern corner and escape, but as soon as his boot squelched against the ground another low, beaky growl joined Abigail. [color=#BB9C6F]“Really, Jan? I thought you were on my side. Did Abigail put you up to this?”[/color] The mottled hen looked at him, and he could swear he saw regret in her eyes. Abigail, whose feathers were as black as her heart, used that distraction to run toward Stian. He did the only thing that made sense at that moment, he leaped upwards. His fingers grazed the awning before he landed back on the ground—hard. Abigail barely missed him, but she’d coerced Jan and a new hen, Charlene, to make sure that he didn’t get away. [color=#BB9C6F]“Fine.”[/color] He dropped the basket and leaped up with all his might, his hand clearing the awning. He bit his fingers into the side and pulled himself up. A beak latched onto his laces and was dragged three feet into the air before it released, cawing in anger at him. Stian scrambled over the side and used that time to catch his breath. Abigail, Charlene, and Jan paid the eggs no mind. Instead, they circled the side of the barn that he was on. He was safe, but he was very stuck.

This was the shortest side out of the four, and only due to an architectural blunder on the part of the people who put this barn up. From there, it steeply rose before leveling out. He was bound to break something if he tried to drop off any side that wasn’t attached to the chicken pen. So, there he was…

He sat down and pulled his knees into his chest, glancing down at the pen. The three hens were joined by a fourth and had fully planted themselves there. He was not getting down without being accosted. Sure, he was the larger of five beings in this situation, but he lacked feathers and a beak. Stian still had a scar from when the old rooster, Kislev, had torn into him. It’d also taken a while for that spot on his scalp to get hair again. Sure, one could call him a coward, but he figured it was more about being practical. His dad would come around eventually and help him; if he didn’t, the evenings were not so bad.

The town of Görlitz was idyllic. Flat lands with abundant crops were broken up by outcroppings of stones that small villages were built around. Dirt roads cut through them like brown streams before leading into straight lines that ran across the fields. Trees dotted the landscape here and there, but they weren’t an impedance to the horizon. Instead, they swayed with the wind like green clouds that refused to leave eye line. Stian watched them shift in the meandering wind. Birds chirped. Creatures skittered. And hens kept watch. He couldn’t really complain about the weather or the view. The sun warmed him, and the tilt of the awning wasn’t so severe that he slid off. So, instead, he leaned back and brought his thick, muscle-laden arms behind his head. The crystal blue of the sky was rather nice. 

Stian was awoken by a rock hitting him square in the nose. He jolted upwards and looked around [color=white]“Finally,”[/color] a voice erupted from below. [color=white]“I was beginning to think you ran away, but then I heard this horrible noise coming from the chicken pen. And lo and behold is my lost son.”[/color]

He clamored over and looked past the edge. His dad stood there in the middle of the pen. The hens were nowhere to be seen. They respected one person on the farm, and it was not Stian. Aksel’s shaggy blond hair was pulled behind his head, and his dull green eyes pressed into Stian’s. He was probably the tallest person that Stian had seen. Lars predicted that Stian would probably not beat him in height, but he wouldn’t lag too far behind. There was a controlled way that Aksel moved that awed Stian. His dad knew exactly how to command presence. 

[color=#BB9C6F]“Were the chickens screaming or something?”[/color] Stian asked.

[color=white]“No. You were snoring. You’re too young to snore like that. Now get off there before the hens stop tolerating me.”[/color] 

Stian tried not to seem embarrassed as he slid off the roof and landed with a dense thud on the ground. The wicker basket with the eggs was missing. He stared at the spot that he left it, before looking back up at his dad. He’d figure that mystery out later. Aksel just chuckled at his son, a deep thing that caused his chest to rumble. He then brought his hand down on Stian’s head, mussing up his blond hair. 

[color=#BB9C6F]“Dad,”[/color] Stian said. This was even more embarrassing.

[color=white]“Just let me do it. Someday I won’t be able to, and you’ll really regret denying your old man this honor.”[/color] 

[color=#BB9C6F]“What do you mean?”[/color] Stian stared up at him with incredulity as they moved to the fence, and he hopped over it. As soon as he did, he saw the beady eyes of Abigail before they sunk back into the darkness of the coop. 

[color=white]“Oh, don’t be so dark, Kid. I mean that I’ll be old and hunched over, and you’ll be taller than me.”[/color] Aksel laughed. [color=white]“I didn’t mean to give you an existential crisis, there.”[/color]

[color=#BB9C6F]“A what?”[/color] Stian asked.

[color=white]“Oh boy.”[/color] Aksel paused. [color=white]“The reason I was looking for you is that you need some more experience breaking in the horses. Wilhelmina is not really giving me much leeway, and I know she prefers you a bit better. So, I figured now would be a good time. Patience is showing some progress, so I’ll be handling her today.”[/color] He sighed. [color=white]“I really regret letting Anneli name all the animals.”[/color] 

[color=#BB9C6F]“She’ll run out of semi-normal ones here soon, and we’ll be calling everything [i]‘flarber-gest-en-flough'[/i].”[/color] 

[color=white]“Bless you.”[/color]

They both laughed at that as Aksel pushed his son towards the horse pens.[hr][right][sub][sup][h3][b][color=#bb9c6f]  INTERACTIONS ||   [/color][/b]None[/h3][/sup][/sub][/right][/color][/indent][/indent]