In the idyllic town of BerryKnox, the people were preparing for their annual celebrations.
Spring was here and it brought with it new life and warmth. The winter had been particularly hard on them so they were grateful to the Goddess of Spring for saving them once more.
In this little town surrounded by a flowing creek at the edge of the kingdom of Marshfall, there were but a handful of families but it was prosperous.
Now back to the preparations for the annual Spring celebrations. They prepared all year for this so that winter didn't affect their preparations.
They stocked up on enough food and left grape juice to sit in the earth to make for very fresh and delicious wine.
It was dawn a week before the day of the celebrations at the west end of the town, which heralded the very end of the kingdom itself.
There was a wide pasturing area, ringed off by thick woods which no one ever went to for wild animals lived there.
There was a wooden fence separating the town from the forest, of course. It was decades ago when the people of BerryKnox put it up and now all they had to do was do a bit of upkeep.
Replacing old and rotting wood, nailing up loose boards, the works.
It would be in this very house that we are to meet our main character.
For a small town, it wasn't hard for a single family with hundreds of sheep to supply the entire town with the daily amount of meat and wool that they needed.
Just like the family up the street handled the milk supply. It was a perfect system.
The sun barely peeked out from the mountains in the east when Sorin was woken up.
He grumbled and curled up tighter, unused to getting up so early.
Although he was born into a family of shepherds, he hardly herded the sheep.
It wasn't because he was lazy or that he didn't want to work but because he was much more skilled in weaving.
It was all very well and good to go down the path that one's family was known for but exceptions were allowed, like now.
The Barches were a big family which was perfect because they had a lot of sheep to take care of.
Sorin had one sister who was older than he was, well, all his siblings were older than he. He also had five older brothers, it was indeed a big house.
His days were simple and idle, he helped his mother and sister whenever they needed his help which wasn't often as they were long accustomed to caring for such a big family as theirs.
He wasn't allowed to help out on the field because his mother pampered him and his father worried that he was too fragile.
Which irked Sorin a bit but he got to weave as much as he wanted and he got to read and write as much as he wanted so it all turned out for the best in the end.
He might look delicate and the odd child out of five brawny boys but he was quite sturdy and could do far more than his family thought he could, but Sorin had long accepted his lot in life.
So he curled up in the biting cold of this early spring morning because he was unused to waking up early.
He eventually got up, albeit reluctantly. He jutted out his bottom lip in disgruntlement, swinging his legs over the side of his bed.
His golden flaxen hair was a bird's nest from being woken up so abruptly and he lifted a hand to rub his eyes.
In the dim light of the morning, he could clearly make out the third oldest sibling of the Barches. Rowan.
Another reason he stood out from his family was that they all had bright red hair and even brighter green eyes, freckles scattered all over their skin from being in the sun all day.
While Sorin had flawless pale skin and paler hair, his eyes a golden caramel shade.
"Don't look at me like I'll snap, I agreed to this." Sorin muttered, hiding a yawn behind his hand.
Yes. That was why he was being woken up so early. He had agreed to herd the sheep for the day, and the rest of the week too if possible.
What happened was that the rains poured mercilessly for three days straight, halting the preparations for the Spring celebrations and ruining what they had already prepared.
They had only a week left now and they needed the help of everyone in the town to be able to make it in time for the day chosen for the Spring celebrations.
With everyone in his family going to help out with the rest of the town someone had to stay behind to help with the sheep.
Most of the work of the day was getting the sheep to the pasture ground of the day and then herding them back to their pens, between that his brothers just lazed around in the sun all day.
The sheep had also been cooped up in their pens for three days so they had to be taken out no matter what, for them to stretch their little legs and bask in the warm spring sun.
Rowan looked sheepish, he didn't know how to treat his youngest brother. He was clearly not a child anymore but he couldn't interact with him the way he did with the rest of their brothers.
This was fine with Sorin, he couldn't hold an intellectual conversation with any of them either. The issue was on both sides.
He poured cold water over his head after lathering up, shivering in the morning cold.
He almost couldn't blame his brothers who chose not to bathe in the morning time but there was no way he could go about his day without cleaning up.
He quickly hurried inside his clothes, a plain flax-colored dress shirt, and work pants. He threw on his bearskin cloak as well, sighing deeply at the warmth it provided.
There was no reason to be worried about him because his brothers were still the ones to take out the sheep and after helping out at the town, they would come back to herd the sheep back to their pens.
He just had to watch them during the day to make sure that no sheep wandered off and be a lookout for dangerous animals.
He wasn't even supposed to protect the sheep, the moment he spotted a wolf or bear, he was to make for the town square to get one of his brothers.
This was all fine by Sorin, he would get to sit in the pasture amidst soft grass and sunlight all alone, doing the bare minimum. It was a dream.
He also didn't want to go to the town square. He could stand his family because he lived with them his entire life but he couldn't stand to be in a milling crowd of people.
He was nineteen so he wasn't ignorant of the world of adults but he didn't like the way girls crowded around his brothers, he would just get dragged into the middle of it.
He was all grown up but they tended to baby him, petting his hair and pinching his cheek. He would pick wolves any day over them.
After getting dressed, he made his way to the living room for a steaming breakfast of oats and milk.
His sister Maven served him a really large bowl, watching him with owl eyes to make sure he finished the entire helping of food.
She was the sixth child and just a year older than him but she babied him worse than their mother did.
Her long, curly red hair was bound tightly behind her with a scarf so it wouldn't obstruct her cooking. She was dressed in a simple work dress and an apron that she made herself, no doubt overheated from all the cooking she did that morning so she didn't require a cloak.
Breakfast did warm him up and he struggled to hold up the package his sister gave him. It was food for lunch but he couldn't help but wonder if she expected him to share it with the sheep because there was no way that he could finish it all.
There was no arguing with Maven though so he hurried out with it before she could remember to add something else.
His brothers were already taking the sheep out so he just walked behind them, quietly dying under the weight of his lunch.
Sorin couldn't blame his entire family for thinking he was fragile but strength didn't have to be physical alone.
It got brighter as they made their way to the pasture, the quiet bleat of sheep and his brothers' loud conversations fading into the background as he got absorbed in the brightening sky.
They headed for a pasture close by, fortunately, the sheep hadn't been doing much grazing so they could be made to graze close to the house.
Sorin would have to herd them farther as the day went by but he would always remain a safe distance from the fenced-off woods.
It was perfect for him because the last thing he wanted to do was go running to the town square to get his brothers.
Sorin stopped when they did, looking for the perfect spot where he would get a perfect view of all the sheep without moving much.
Tristan, the eldest, walked over first. He had a scar running diagonally down one side of his face, it was gotten from fighting off a pack of wolves with their father when he was younger.
"Will you be alright?" He asked with genuine concern, his gravelly voice sounding unused to the sentiment.
"Yes." Sorin forced out, biting back the cheeky reply that he nearly let slip out.
Tristan and the rest really meant well, he just wished that they wouldn't fuss over him so much.
Devon, the second, stood behind Tristan with Rowan by his side, both of them watching Sorin with equal amounts of concern.
Sorin had to stop himself from rolling his eyes, he wished they would just leave for home.
A little distance away were the twins who were snickering, no doubt making jokes about him.
He had thick skin though, growing up with so many siblings was enough to give him that.
"Don't try to take the wolves head on, if you see any, come get us right away." Tristan repeated for the umpteenth time.
"Got it." He muttered dryly, unable to help his eye roll this time.
Tristan sneakily ruffled his hair before he could bat his hands away, his eldest brother leading the rest of the Barche brothers away.
Sorin's pale skin brightened to a furious pink as he glared at their retreating backs, smoothening down his tousled-up hair angrily.
After a while, it went silent. Nothing but the soft sounds of bleating sheep and nature all around him.
It was still cold, the morning sun doing little to dispel the cold air.
Sorin reclined against the trunk of the tree he had chosen; the grass was soft so it made for a comfortable seat, although the dew on it made it uncomfortably wet.
The sheep liked the morning dew though, it must make their food taste refreshing.
He propped the cloth bag that Maven had given him against the trunk of the tree beside him, his leather flask full of water getting placed beside his lunch.
Sorin fished out a book from the depths of his bearskin cloak, he came prepared for the idle day he was about to have.
He made sure to frequently look up from his book to check on the sheep, but they were far too occupied with huddling together and grazing to wander off.
Sorin shucked his bearskin coat closer, dropping his book on his legs as he raised his head for another look.
The sheep were still in the same position they had been five minutes ago but he knew that he would keep frequently checking.
After all, checking too often was a far better option than forgetting entirely to check on them.
A little distance from where he sat, Sorin could see a little cluster of flowers. If he looked closely enough, he could still see the dewdrops dripping down the soft petals of the flowers.
The dew would be gone soon though, and he would have to take off his coat because it would get a little too warm to leave it on.
So he returned back to his book, reading and watching, watching and reading.
It was an easy enough pattern and after an hour of doing it, he settled into the pattern comfortably.
It was almost noon. Sorin had taken off his coat a while ago and placed it beside him, it made for perfect bedding when he wanted to take it easy by lying down.
It was also time to move the sheep a little distance away to find them more pasture. He moved quietly and calmly, the sheep moving the same.
Sorin found another tree to lean up against in the new pasture spot, he settled down heavily, exhausted.
It wasn't easy handling what it took all five of his brothers to do all alone but he was fine, he just needed to eat and drink some water.
He brought his bag of lunch, his leather flask of water, and his bearskin coat with him.
He laid out the coat on the soft grass, the dew had long evaporated so he wasn't worried about it getting his coat wet.
He got comfortable on the thick coat, warily checking the heavy cloth bag that his older sister had handed him that morning.
Just as he had feared, she had put far too much food. He couldn't possibly be expected to finish it all.
There was freshly baked bread, cheese, strips of meat, cut-up fruits, the list went on and on... And there was an enormous helping of each too.
Sorin hated to waste food, maybe he should have started on his lunch earlier. He also couldn't afford to fall asleep from stuffing himself, he was the only one on the lookout.
Sorin picked up a loaf of bread, lifting it up his lips when something caught his attention.
His hackles rose as he sharply glanced up, just as he feared there was something at the edge of the woods. He couldn't see it clearly because of how far it was but he didn't need to get a proper look at it to know that whatever it was, it was dangerous.
His next thoughts were to shoot to his feet and run for his brothers like he was directed to. Sorin had no interest in playing hero, he would have gotten to his feet if he could.
But he couldn't move, he was transfixed staring at the creature who was eerily staring straight back at him.
What made the entire situation even more unnatural was that the sheep were unbothered, they didn't even act like they noticed the menacing creature.
Sorin was frozen in place, was he hallucinating? Sheep were instinctive animals and would usually be the ones to alert shepherds if danger was nearby but now they were lazily munching on grass and settling down to sleep.
He lifted a hand to rub his eyes, he was seeing things, it had to be that.
That was a huge mistake because whatever it was only moved closer, moving unnaturally fast.
The loaf of bread dropped from Sorin's hold, the creature was standing at the edge of the flock of sheep.
Now that it was closer, he could sort of make out what kind of monster it was.
It was a wolf! No, not quite. It was more of a huge wolf standing on its hind legs.
A Werewolf?
No, that couldn't be right either. Werewolves shouldn't exist.
But yet here was a monster that looked very much like a werewolf standing and staring at him ominously.
What unsettled Sorin further was how unbothered the sheep were, even when the scary creature started to walk forward.
The creature walked right through the grazing sheep like it was one of his older brothers, even if it were them, the sheep would have shown a bit of reaction but now, nothing.
They just quietly parted for the creature like they were under a spell.
Sorin wanted to run to get his brothers but he couldn't break free from whatever had frozen his limbs in place.
The best he could do was back up against the tree trunk that had been supporting his weight and providing shade, his soft brown eyes wide in palpable horror.
The creature got closer and he realized why he couldn't properly see the creature's face, it was because its features were rapidly changing right in front of Sorin's eyes.
Ice-cold goosebumps popped out on his skin, and he suddenly felt degrees colder although it was quite warm.
The creature was rapidly losing its fur, its face gradually changed into one resembling a human's as it got closer to him. Its limbs changed from a monster's legs and claws to that of a man's as well.
Sorin could only press himself against the tree trunk and tremble, watching the creature come ever closer.
The creature eventually got to him, it stayed a reasonable distance away and then crouched on the ground like it was trying to get a proper look at him.
Sorin felt like his heart would expire in his chest from how quickly it thumped. Was the werewolf sizing him up for lunch? Did werewolves eat humans?
After a while of half-hyperventilating and engaging in a staring contest with the creature, he slowly realized that the creature had no intention of doing anything.
It seemed content to just sit there and watch him.
Sorin was still terrified but he was slightly calmer now and could move even. He blinked rapidly when it was becoming glaringly clear that the creature had no intention of harming him, if anything it looked at him curiously.
This made Sorin push his fear to the side for a short while to properly study the creature.
It was a towering man, even though he was crouching low to the ground, he still towered over Sorin.
He looked fully like a human now, well, except for the big wolf ears peeking out of his wild mane of sun-bleached dark brown hair and the giant tail sweeping slowly behind him.
Forest green eyes gazed intently at Sorin, making him choke in terror again.
"W-Who are you?!" Sorin blustered out, backing up against the tree again.
The strange man remained crouched like he was trying not to startle Sorin although he had already done a terrible job with that. "Caspian, nice to meet you."
Sorin was more startled to learn that the creature had a name than he was hearing him speak. The strange man… Caspian spoke with a strange accent and his voice was gruff like he didn't speak a lot.
Even more, he never expected a response because it cemented the fact that the strange man was truly in front of him and he wasn't just a figment of Sorin's imagination.
After a couple more moments of silence, Sorin finally peeled himself off the tree and straightened up. "Wha-What do you want?" He asked in a quieter voice, eyeing the newcomer suspiciously.
Caspian nervously scratched his hair, his ears flicking. "I saw you seemed lonely and just wanted to keep you company." He made up a shaky excuse.
Sorin was still unconvinced but at least he was able to resume his previous position on his cloak. After he sat down, he looked past the huge man to check up on his sheep, most were lying down and the few that were still grazing weren't inclined to wander off. It was good enough for Sorin.
He looked back at the strange phenomenon that had happened to him to find Caspian holding out the loaf of bread that he had dropped in his fright. The loaf of bread looked like a mere slice in the strange man's hand.
Sorin snatched his bread back, huffy about the way that he had been frightened.
"I'm terribly sorry for frightening you." Caspian deflated when he saw that Sorin wouldn't look at him anymore. He had been following the human ever since he came looking for the red-headed men and found him instead. He couldn't find the right time to show himself but he didn't want the day to end without approaching him because what if he didn't come the next day?
Sorin had to bite back a smile when the Caspian pouted, fiddling with his fingers as he looked down. It was such a funny contrast with how intimidating he looked.
"It's fine." Sorin grudgingly agreed. "And you don't have to keep me company, I'm fine all by myself." He dismissed his visitor.
Caspian's forest-green eyes widened at this but he was tongue-tied, he couldn't say anything in his defense. He had already frightened the poor human, he was being nice as a matter of fact.
"Very well." Caspian accepted his fate, rising to his feet. "But may I ask for a name?" He asked politely, bending over to take Sorin's hand.
Sorin was so stunned that he forgot his name for a few precious seconds and he could only stare into Caspian's earnest eyes with wide caramel eyes.
He finally broke free of the spell that Caspian was weaving over him, pulling back his hand that had been swallowed by Caspian's hold. "Sorin, it's Sorin." He mumbled, looking down to hide his pink-tinged cheeks.
Caspian beamed at this, his slightly long canines peeking out. He looked roguishly handsome when he smiled and it was a good thing that Sorin didn't see it or he would have found it particularly difficult to hide his reaction.
Caspian was pleased about this outcome, now if the beautiful human didn't come the next day, he could ask the red-headed men about him. It was a little strange that he was the one herding their sheep for them though, did they know him perhaps?
Caspian straightened up to his feet. "I'll be on my way now, Sorin." He announced, Sorin's name rolling past his tongue like a mouthful of refreshing morning dew.
Sorin looked up at this, slightly startled. He glanced down at the loaf of bread in his hand and the cloth bag filled with food that he certainly couldn't finish and he spoke before he could stop himself.
"Caspian! Wait!" Sorin half-shot to his feet.
Caspian stopped abruptly and partially turned around, expectant.
Sorin deflated, he hadn't thought this far ahead. "Could you… Maybe you… Do you perhaps want to share my lunch with me?" He asked shyly, looking down. "There's far too much for me to finish up all by myself." He explained, wondering if Caspian would just keep walking away.
Sorin was the one to turn him away after all, and what if the werewolf didn't even eat human food?
He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice Caspian walk back, not till the werewolf took his hand again. "I'd like that very much, thank you for your offer."
The random physical contact was really throwing Sorin off, it didn't help that his hands looked so delicate and dainty in the werewolf's hold. Were his hands always that small?
He pulled away his hands first and then patted the space beside him on his cloak, reaching for the cloth bag to unpack his lunch.
Caspian didn't follow Sorin's gesture to sit on the cloak beside him, because he was too big and would take up all of the space on the cloak. He also wanted to look at the beautiful human for as long as he could, it was a far better option than looking from afar.
He sat politely on the grass waiting for Sorin to finish unpacking the meal, his hands were so small as he brought everything out bit by bit. His flaxen hair fell into his eyes and he occasionally tucked it behind his ears but it fell loose again when he moved too much.
It was mesmerizing, every movement of the little human. Caspian could sit and watch him for decades and be content. If only they could be like statues in a garden facing each other and remain that way for centuries…
"Here." Sorin broke Caspian out of his foolish musings, offering him some food.
Lunch was a quiet affair and although Sorin would never admit it, company wasn't so awful.
Caspian got up to leave after lunch was over, he waved goodbye to Sorin as he did.
Sorin didn't return the gesture, he silently watched the werewolf shift to his creature form after he got past the sheep. His heart thumped in his chest when Caspian got down on all fours and dashed to the forest line, leaping over the fence like it was a ditch and disappearing into the forest.
Sorin placed two fingers on his wrist to check his racing pulse. He couldn't believe what he had just done.
He was supposed to go find his brothers whenever something dangerous appeared, instead he not only had a conversation with said dangerous something, he also invited them to lunch. He was being a very terrible shepard indeed.
Sorin cleaned up and then returned to sheep watching, in a few more hours he would move the herd to find better pastures.
As he alternated between reading and checking up on the sheep, Sorin couldn't help but look past them to the fenced up forest.
And as he did, he couldn't help but wonder… 'Where did Caspian go? Were there more werewolves like him? If werewolves existed then did other magical creatures exist as well? Should he report this to his brothers? Or the town as a whole? Wouldn't that put Caspian in danger?
Gradually, Sorin's book was long forgotten but at least he had the presence of mind to still keep an eye on the sheep.
The strength of the sun had begun to wane when he heard the familiar racket that no doubt was caused by his older brothers.
He had come to a conclusion after hours of rolling the matter over in his head. He would tell no one about Caspian, at least not until he had more information on the werewolf. It would be cruel of him to put the nice werewolf in danger when he was innocent.
As soon as he caught sight of them, Sorin immediately started packing up his things. They were here now which meant that his job for today was done.
"Sorin? How did the day go?" Tristian asked cordially.
"Just fine." He responded in clipped tones, striding past them.
It was just the three oldest that had shown up, the twins were nowhere in sight. This was to Sorin's favor as they were more likely to tease him or be annoyingly nosy.
As he marched back to the large wooden cottage that was home, Sorin couldn't help but sneak glances at the thick forest a long distance away, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone.