A swift kick to my bedframe roughly jolted me awake, causing me to slam my head into the bunk above me.

Flopping back into my bed, I took a second to work through my new headache before groggily looking towards the large man in front of me.

"Come on Gray, couldn't you have been a little gentler?"

"Get your arse up and moving. You've got work to do brat," he replied while moving to the doorway. "And you better not lose a sheep this time if you don't want another week on the night shift."

That threat quickly provided me with all the motivation I needed to get ready this morning, as a week of the night shift wasn't worth risking for a few more measly minutes of sleep.

 The beasts that constantly bothered our small herd were significantly more active at night, and definitely more of a pain in the ass to deal with. Couple this with my current status as an Unblessed and you had a recipe for injury and disaster.

I jumped out of my bunk and pulled on a pair of trousers stuffed haphazardly in the old chest that stored my few personal belongings. Next came a linen tunic that had seen better than days and a pair of leather boots that probably wouldn’t last more than another two weeks. 

The room that I shared with the three other boys housed by Gray, James, Rowan, and Ezra, wasn’t in the greatest condition but was better than being homeless. 

There were several floorboards you had to be careful not to step or you might find yourself going straight through with how rotten they were, and it also wasn’t uncommon for us to wake with bug bites from the spiders whose webs dotted the ceilings. 

Two double bunks took up most of the space in the room and were complimented by a dresser that housed the uniforms for whatever job we were assigned on any given day. Trunks underneath the beds housed each of our personal belongings, and a lantern attached to the ceiling provided us with a source of light. 

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Now fully dressed, I exited my room and walked down the hall to the bathroom, if you could even call it that as it was just two buckets and a mirror. 

I splashed some water on my face from one of the buckets, the non-toilet one (I had accidentally made the mistake of not checking once and was subjected to smelling of shit for days), and then turned towards the mirror. 

In all honesty, I wasn’t the most attractive of guys, with some messy brown hair that could use a trim, a pair of bright blue eyes, and a nose with a slight crook, but I was far from the ugliest in the village. Although my odds were currently not being helped by the splotchy purple bruise I now had in the middle of my forehead.

“Oi Tristan if you’re done gawking at your damn self then get down here for breakfast!” I heard Gray yell from downstairs.

I made my way downstairs to the kitchen and breakfast….which was oatmeal……AGAIN!

“Old Man, can’t you make something different for breakfast once in a while?” I asked. 

“I doubt you could do any better.” Gray shot back “And be grateful Tristan, it's hard enough feeding all four of you in the first place and now the mayor is going and raising the damn taxes again.” 

He was right, and for all that I nagged him, and complained about I was deeply grateful. 

You see, James, Rowan, Ezra, and I were all orphans. I lost my father when I was seven as he was gored by a boar while out hunting and subsequently lost my mother that same winter as she succumbed to disease. Following their path seemed like my only possible outcome until Gray took me in and offered to house me in return for labor. Although he seemed cold and intimidating on the outside, he was probably the kindest man in the village.

“Brat, you’ve got two days left before the Day of Blessing so make them count because depending on how it goes I may not be able to help you anymore.” Gray reminded me as I sat down at the table.

“I know Gray, I’m prepared for anything the elder bastards are going to try and throw at me, especially the threats if I get something good,” I replied, kind of annoyed that Gray was bringing this up for what felt like the 1000th time this week.

“Well don’t say I didn’t tell you.” Gray said “Now go and get a move on, you’ve got to take the herd to the far pasture and I want you back by sunset.” he urged before tossing a bag at me which presumably had my lunch inside.

I grabbed my crook from its spot on the wall as I went out the door and waved at James and Rowan, who were currently weeding the garden we had out front. I guessed that Ezra had probably gotten the night shift as his punishment for swiping a few coppers from one of the vendors at the local market. But anyways I had other things to focus and one whistle later and my faithful dog Charlie joined me. 

“Well boy let's get the day started, we’ve got some herding to do!”

He wagged his tail and we set off.