"Welcome to the shit show," Ibbi said to the zeta as Syri came to squat next to him.

"Why haven't they confessed? They clearly like each other," Syri inquired as Ibbi broke the stick in half and handed the zeta one of the pieces. Syri accepted the half of the stick and joined Ibbi in drawing in the soft dirt as the omega explained, "So, all five of us have been friends for over two years. Bevy was Lili's friend before she joined the stable squad where she met Calix, Kip, and me. Lili started hanging out with us, and she and Kip immediately sparked. It was love at first sight. She was fifteen at the time; Kip was seventeen. Now, Lili is seventeen, and Kip is nineteen. Kip has wanted to confess for the longest time, but Lili has yet to reach the age where she can find her fated mate. And Kip does not want to tie her down when she hasn't even had the chance to meet her fated one."

The omega paused to take a breath before continuing, "Everyone knows that they like each other, but Lili is a noble, so everyone knows it would be impossible for them to be together if they are not each other's fated mate. As you know, neither mate will know who they are fated with until both wolves have reached the age of mating. Kip has been secretly hoping that Lili will be his fated mate when she turns eighteen, but he is not one to kid himself. He knows it is highly unlikely, so he has refrained from confessing."

Syri remained silent as Ibbi added, "We all joke about it 'cause we know they like each other, but we don't push things too far 'cause we also know why they haven't confessed even though it is painfully obvious."

The zeta turned his head to look at the corridor down which Calix and Bevy disappeared as the omega said, "Bevy and I know Calix's feelings, but Kip and Lili are blind to them as they are soaked up in their own romance. He's liked Kip ever since the beginning. They were the original two. He and Kip started as apprentices around the same time and became inseparable. Then came Bevy, and then me, and then Lili, and then you. Now, it's the six of us."

"Welcome to the gang. Hopefully, those two lovebirds don't screw everything up," Ibbi said to the zeta as he stood to his feet and disappeared down one of the corridors. Syri watched the omega leave before turning his attention back to the drawings in the dirt. That is way too much drama to process in one day. Syri shook his head slightly as he became grateful he did not have such complications in his simple life. The zeta continued to sketch designs on the soft ground as he awaited his mentor's return.

Soft footsteps approached the zeta as Syri drew a rose in the ground. The zeta glanced up to see Calix sitting down in front of him. "What do you think of your first day, so far?" The beta inquired as he pressed his finger to the dirt and joined the zeta in detailing the ground.

"It has been quite enjoyable," Syri answered truthfully. "The workload is not overwhelming since there are ten of us."

"I am glad you are transitioning well," Calix replied as he drew a dragonfly. Neither being the fondest of small talk, the beta and zeta sat in silence as they continued to draw in the dirt until they heard the return of the epsilon and the grey-eyed. Calix was the first to look toward the flirtatious pair before quickly lowering his head and focusing on his piece of art.

"Thank you for the help, Kip Inso," Lili said to the beta with a bashful smile. Kip smiled down at the epsilon as he responded, "It was my pleasure."

The apprentice's eyes lit up as she turned her gaze to the zeta. "Syri, do you happen to know the royal physician?"

Lili's question threw the zeta off-guard who immediately entered a fit of hiccups. "Uh...erm...we are distant cousins," Syri explained quietly. "W-Why do you ask?"

"We ran into the physician on our way back," Kip answered as he pulled a folded piece of paper from one of the pockets in his overalls. "He wanted us to give you this," the beta added as he walked over to the zeta and handed Syri the folded note.

"Thank you," Syri said to the beta as he accepted the piece of paper. The zeta furrowed his brows as he looked at the note in his hands. Is everything alright? Did something happen? Why is Inso contacting me?

Hearing the grey-eyed beta's voice, Ibbi came skipping back to the main corridor of the stables and said, "Kip Inso! What are the plans for the rest of the day?"

Kip turned to face the omega as he returned to the epsilon's side. "We will water the horses and vorsts, replenish the stalls with new hay, and prep Wyx and his team's stalls when they take their steeds to the fields in the evening. Then we all will brush down the horses, and Calix will brush Tran while Syri and I brush Ajax to finish out the day," the beta replied with one breath before adding, "You know the flow, Ibbi. Why do you ask?"

"I wanted to make sure before I told Syri what we will be doing today since someone is clearly busy," Ibbi responded with a raise of his brow.

An astonished scoff left the beta as Kip cocked his jaw at the omega. He was dumbfounded. "Busy? Heyyy, I was only gone for a half hour!" The beta called out in his defense as the omega turned and sauntered down the hall from which he had come. Kip took off his cap and ran his fingers through his soft brown hair as he released an exasperated sigh. The beta's eyes trailed to Syri and Calix silently sitting and observing the entire interaction, and he let out another breath.

A small giggle left the epsilon's hand-covered mouth as she watched Kip become flustered by the omega's jab. "I should let you work," Lili said as she recovered from her giggle. "I've taken up too much of your time," the apprentice added as she bid the beta goodbye. As Kip waved at the apprentice, Syri and Calix returned the nods from the epsilon.

"What's wrong with you two?" Kip mumbled under his breath as he turned to see the zeta and beta trying their best to stifle their laughs.

"Sorry, couldn't help it," Calix apologized as he choked on yet another fit of laughter. Kip shook his head as he placed his hands on his hips and entered the corridor down which Ajax's stall was located. Syri was quick to his feet and followed the beta to the vorst's stall, slipping the note into the chest pocket as he entered the stall and began helping Kip change the hay in Ajax's stall.

>>>>>>

"Did we get all of them?" Bevy inquired as she met the four in the main corridor. Kip and Calix nodded at the alpha in confirmation. The horses and vorsts had all been watered and fed. Bevy returned the nod before saying, "Alright, then, everyone out."

Syri followed the four out of the stables as Wyx and his team began gathering their steeds. The morning crew stood to the side and watched the evening team herd their half of the steeds out of the stables and toward the fields. "Alright, let's get to work," Kip said as he re-entered the stables and grabbed a pitchfork from the supply of tools hanging on the side of the stable's interior. Calix promptly followed the beta and selected a rake while Bevy picked a shovel, Ibbi a wheelbarrow, and Syri a rake.

Armed and ready to clean, the morning crew set to prepping the evening team's stalls. After raking the trodden hay out of the stall, Bevy shoveled it into the wheelbarrow, and Ibbi brought the load to the compost section outside the palace walls. Once the hay and waste had been removed from the stalls, Kip and Syri went in with soapy water and scrubbed the walls with push brooms. Fresh hay was then placed in the cleaned stalls to complete the process.

"Good work, everyone," Kip complimented as the five sat down to rest once the prepping had been finished. "Let's rest for a bit and then brush them down."

"Agreed," Bevy responded as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. The alpha's chest rose and fell as she inhaled deeply before exhaling and letting her body relax.

"How are you holding up, Syri?" Kip inquired of the zeta as he realized Syri had been quiet for most of the day.

"I am doing well," the zeta responded politely as he drank from his water cup.

"Good," Kip returned. "Let me know if you ever need a breather. It can take a while to adjust to the amount of work we have to do each day," the beta told the zeta as he leaned against the wall.

"I will. Thank you," Syri responded with a short bow of his head. Syri was appreciative of the beta's kindness and understanding, but he did not want to slack in any way, so the zeta hid his fatigue and decided it was best to force his body to adjust as quickly as possible.

The remainder of the day progressed rather quickly for the zeta. Before he knew it, he was done with his tasks and was about to head out to go rest when he remembered he had yet to read the gamma's letter. Syri instantly slowed in his tracks and came to a standstill underneath the awning to the stables as he reached for the folded piece of paper in his chest pocket. The zeta's heart began to pound as he feared the contents of the note.

The zeta, however, released a sigh as he read the gamma's writing. Meet me where you made the decision. Let's catch up, Little One.