Every morning begins with the rooster crowing. He lets out his song of anticipation for the sunrise and the rituals of another day. The chill of dawn tickles his rustling feathers atop of the highest branch in the mulberry tree that he can reach. He crows again, this time with the returning clucks of the hens hiding in their makeshift wooden boxes nailed into every branch strong enough to hold them. As far as roosters go, this specific one would have to be considered a late riser, his first crow of the morning already accompanied by the soft morning light of the sun that has yet to reach the horizon.

“Good morning, Fella.” Sang the caretaker of the both the chickens and the tree. He calls himself Chanyeol, mostly because there was nobody else around that would. He pushes his thick hair away from his eyes and stares up into the tree, searching for Fella in the limited light that he had. Fella crows again, fluttering his wings against the deep green leaves, as if to welcome his friend as a part of the new day. Chanyeol waves back with a grin.

“Yes, it’s a new day, Fella. I’ll see you when you come down from there.” He calls. Chanyeol stretches his arms with a yawn, feeling proud of himself to wake earlier than even the birds today. His days lately are consistently filled with property management, but today will be more than just caretaking and upkeep. Chanyeol is planning on leaving his precious land today – just for a short while – in hopes of going on a successful supply run in town.

He scans the property as a quick check to make sure that nothing is out of the ordinary. His small, cottage-esque house sat close to a handful of mulberry trees not unlike that one that Fella and his hens sleep in. The soft breeze pushes against the branches, a few of the wandering ones scratching against the rough stone wall. Adjacent to the trees sit various pens with their own wooden shelters crafted by Chanyeol himself. Beyond those lie a thick wall of trees and wild growing shrubs, marking the beginning of the forest to the West. All is calm.

‘The pigs and goats are still fast asleep,’ Chanyeol thought to himself. And with the tiny ranch still waking, he decides to go back inside and make himself some coffee and something to eat before going back out and tending to the animals. He would need his energy if he was going to go exploring today, and a full night’s rest isn’t enough to hold him over today.

As he saunters back around the house, he’s greeted by one of the yard cats. Her bright orange eyes blink at him and she lets out a soft mew whilst wandering up to his legs. Chanyeol named her Mary when he first found her, and she has taken quite a liking to it, so much so that she decided months earlier to stick around. Chanyeol automatically scoops her up, scratching her neck lovingly as they both make their way to the front door.

After he climbs up the patio steps, he sets Mary down with a promise that he would bring her a bowl of breakfast soon. She doesn’t like going into the house too often, so Chanyeol would never force her. Instead, he shuts the door behind him with Mary staring through the stained glass that decorated the entire center of the oak stained wood. She meows a few times, staring intently through the greens and reds until Chanyeol was far into the kitchen and no longer in her sight.

Three fresh eggs, a heap of kale, and an entire can of baked beans scrounged from the back of the pantry filled Chanyeol’s plate. He stares down at it for a long moment. The juices seemed to seep into one another automatically, but it was the best excuse he had for a dignified meal. So, he picks up his fork and shovels it down.

After washing his plate off, Chanyeol makes his way back to the pantry with a glass bowl in his hand. The bottom shelves store various bags of animal feed, from rodent to cow, most of them unopened. He pushes one of the bags sitting under the lowest shelf to the side with his boot to make it easier to scoop the bowl into a half empty bag of cat food. Mary’s soft mews from outside began once again at the very sound of it, making Chayeol chuckle. He grabs for a measuring cup sitting neatly in the center of the top shelf and fills that with chicken feed from another opened bag sitting at the bottom.

The sun is now halfway over the horizon when Chanyeol steps outside again, and the heat of its light makes the cool air more forgiving against his skin. Mary twists around his leg until he sets the bowl down for her accompanied by a pat on the head. He then makes his way down the patio steps and walks around the side of the cottage back to the mulberry trees. The chickens were already out and about, pecking at the ground for bugs and weeds alike. He takes the measuring cup and scatters the pellets around the area they scavenged.

“You guys are in charge today, so don’t get into any trouble!” He warns the flock of birds who were now scurrying around him to fill their tummies up with the newfound supply of food. Fella stares at him reassuringly from behind the flock of hens.

It takes Chanyeol about an hour to go about his usual business with the animals on the property. His schedule remains the same every morning: feed the chickens, open up the pig pen so they could graze on the land, milk the goats then feed them as well, then head back to the house to feed the seven free roaming rabbits residing in the spare room next to his.

However, after these morning chores are done, Chanyeol then heads a half mile down the dirt road to the neighboring house. There he keeps the various dogs, cats, and caged animals that he finds safe. If it were up to him, he would happily have all of his animals live together, but many of the dogs chase the chickens and nip at the pigs. The cats are generally friendlier, but he knows that they are indoor cats and are more than happy with the house’s built in sun room. So, with the help of some child gates and a clumsily installed doggy door, the second home is a beloved safe haven of all of the animals. He greets each of them with big bowls of food and water, being careful to keep the species in their respected wings. This alone takes him another hour.

Normally Chanyeol will spend more time cleaning any messes from the night before then play with the animals for a few more hours. Today they would have to wait because Chanyeol needs the morning light to go on his run.  On his way back to the front door, a German Shepherd by the name of Lady follows him, excitement in her deep brown eyes. She presses her wet nose against his hand before he gets the chance to grab at the door handle.

Chanyeol sighs and says, “Not today, Lady. I have to go out.” Lady’s large ears tilt towards the ground, but her tail wags. “You need to eat.” Chanyeol tries again. She is relentless though, sticking to his heal like the well-trained pup her previous owner would want her to be. Chanyeol thinks about it for a moment, deciding that maybe he could use another set of eyes and ears on his travels. Lady seems to notice because she bolts out the door as soon as he opens it. The other dogs don’t even seem to care; they are too busy chowing down.

By the front gate of this property, there sits a beat up red truck. It had problems of its own, but Chanyeol is not a car man – he has to rely on it the way it is. Lady runs around the dirt and sniffs at a few bushes before finding one acceptable enough to pee on. Once she is done, she kicks up at the dirt and chases after Chanyeol. He opens the passenger door for her like the gentleman he is, then makes his way to the driver’s seat.

“Please don’t give me any trouble today.” Chanyeol mutters as he rubs the cracked dashboard of his truck. “It only takes twenty minutes to get to town. I know you can do it, sweetheart.” He pats the steering wheel lovingly before letting his hand fall slowly until it reaches the ignition. He closes his eyes, heart pounding now, and turns the screwdriver jammed into it. With a jolt of excitement, the truck bursts to life without any issue. Chanyeol cries out, both hands flying into the air, “I knew you wanted to make me happy! I love you!”

Lady barks merrily and Chanyeol’s face as he gives her a hug. And with the sun now fully gracing the sky, the two make their way towards town.