The homestead, over the course of 7 years, had changed. Tyris with the help of Doco had slowly repaired both buildings. They replaced the roof, windows, and all the floors. Repainted everything. Ava, along with the green-thumbed Lucy had made a sprawling garden in the backyard. They had also made a stable across from the barn, and now the barn itself was full of pigs. Little to the side of the barn was a chicken coop.

Now, Doco, Tyris, and Ava were standing outside the circled fence. Next to a plot of land Tyris had rid of grass. To the sides of the plot were a few huge piles of what looked to be seeds. ”You guys ready.” Tyris said, in between the other two.

“As I’ll ever be.” Ava responded.

“When you are.” Doco said.

“Right.” Tyris then stomped roughly on to the ground. The earth started to rumble and shake. Multiple lines of dirt into the plot formed as if it was parted. Tyris then put his hands out. Hundreds of different blobs of soil lifted out of the ground. Leaving small pockets in their wake.

Doco started to rapidly move his hands. The seeds started to quickly dart into the pockets. Once inside, the dirt floating above it would bury it. After a few minutes all the seeds were underground. “Ava.” Doco said.

“Yup.” Ava gave affirmation. She held out her hands to the sky. The wind picked up. The moisture was suddenly sucked out of the surrounding area. Above the plot dark clouds of grey formed. Then it started to heavily rain. She held it for a few seconds before releasing the storm. The clouds dissipated. She dusted off her hands. ”All done?”

***

Some distance away, in the pin next to the barn that held the pigs. Lucy and Kenan were there. Lucy, who was now considered an adult, really came into her genetic beauty from her mother. She still held the same dirty blonde hair that came down to a singular long ponytail. Her eyes shone with a brighter blue light, and a smile that gave off a brilliant glare. Also, she was no longer a delicate little girl. Over the years of helping her father with the chores, mother with the garden, and her new found sole responsibility of taking care of the animals. She had grown tough and strong. There was one more change to her image. A new squirrel tucked behind her neck. The previous one had died of old age, but not before leaving one of their descendants in the care of Lucy.

Currently she was putting feed in one of the troughs. “Lucy?” She heard from behind. She found Kenan. Boy of 7. Currently casually riding one of the pigs heading for food. Someone who didn't know Kenan's odd personality and or his affinity with nature, may have been a little freaked out. However, to Lucy, it fit right in,

“Yes Kenan.” She said absentmindedly, thinking mainly of her task, and the tasks ahead. She was given the responsibility of watching over her brother. She didn’t mind. The days were a little bit more fun when he was around. Playing with the pigs or her squirrel. The only thing that got somewhat annoying was when he decided to roll around in the mud along with the pigs.

“Why were the foxes hunting the chicken?” He asked. Even though he spent most of his days out in the sun, he seemed to soak none-of it up. Is pale skin reflected in the sunlight. Black hair went messily past his ears. Grey, full of curiosity, eyes held a questioning glare.

“Well, they were wanting to eat them.” She said, She finished putting the food in the trough. She then went over, took Kenan off of the pig and started to walk towards the stables. Kenan obediently followed.

“Why were they eating them?”

“Because they were hungry.” Now they were in the stables, where 7 different horses stayed. She went to her own first. Led the beast out a bit. Lifted Kenan onto its bareback, and began to brush the horse.

“If they were hungry, weren’t they just surviving?” He too, began pat the back of the horse. He heard, no, felt that the beast was pleased.

“Yes, what are you trying to ask?”

“Why did we have to kill them? Couldn’t we just move them?”

Still brushing the beast. “No. They would’ve just come back. They know the land better than we do.”

“But… They were just trying to live.”

“I know, but sometimes, that’s just the way of things.” She looked up from her work to see Kenan looking down at his shirt. She was going to put it away as a weird Kenan thing before she saw weird movement happen behind the cloth. “Kenan? What are you looking at?”

The boy nearly jumped. He quickly shifted his head away from both Lucy and his shirt. “Nothin!”

Lucy stood up, and put her hands on her hips. “I’m going to find one way or another.” The squirrel behind her neck shifted to her shoulder, ready to meet any commands.

The boy sighed. Put his head down and avoided eye contact. "When I heard papa was looking for the foxes. I got afraid. When you guys weren’t watching me, I was sneaking out of the fence, and was talking to them. So when I told them what was going to happen, and that they should run. They..” Kenan seemed to stifle tears. “They were my friends Lucy! They said they didn’t want to go. They gave me this one to look after if anything happened to them.”

Kenan then scooped out from his shirt a little pup fox. It wasn't the standard coloration of one. Instead, the snout and the first half of the body was black, as it slowly transported in the back to a bright white. It looked around curiously with full grey eyes.

“What a weird looking fox.”