After dusk had set in, Erik walked up the hill to his home. His steps were loud from the crunch of frozen grass beneath his foot. The cold of the night was such that it pierced through his coat and made his breath visible in the dim light. The path was only lit by the lights he could see from inside his house.

‘Now I can finally relax,’ Erik thought, wanting to enjoy time with his family and not relieve sights of the town.

As Erik held the bag of produce in his left hand, he pressed the doorknob with his right. The instant he opened it, his cheeks flushed from the warmth of the fireplace in the middle of the living room/kitchen. Elder Faren, the oldest man in the village, was standing in the small living room.

Although not an official leader, he had some sort of authority in the village as everyone respected his wisdom, so Erik tried to not be rude.

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt, I’ll just go to my room," he said, glancing between the elder and his mother.

The elder looked at Erik and waved his hand dismissively. "It's alright, I was just about to leave." He turned back to Alice, handing her a small bundle of cloth. "I’ll be expecting the socks and scarfs next time we speak. Take your time, Alice. Quality is more important than speed," he said in a gentle voice. His mother would in fact take a lot of time to do it. It was actually surprising to see her out of her bedroom at this time of the day.

After the elder said his goodbyes, he left and made his way down the hill to his home.

Erik placed the bags with the goods on the large wooden table they used for eating. He glanced over at his mother, who was still holding the bundle of cloth Elder Faren had given her.

Her face, once warm and kind, was now a display of her sorrow. Her eyes were dull and lifeless, surrounded by dark circles from sleepless nights. Her cheeks were pale and hollow, and her perpetually down-turned lips bore no smile anymore.

Erik tried to say something but no words left his mouth, his hand trembled slightly. It was saddening to see her like that.

"How are you feeling, Mom?" Erik asked softly, his concern evident in his eyes.

Alice looked up at him, her smile weak. "I’m alright, Erik. Thank you for asking. And thank you for getting these supplies. It must have been difficult since its getting colder."

"It wasn’t easy, but I’ll manage," Erik replied, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "Did you all eat dinner already?" he asked.

“I gave some leftovers to Anna and Ben a bit ago but it was the last of our food…” she said, breathing deeply in the end.

"Let's prepare dinner together, then," Erik said.

Alice was reluctant at first but agreed to let him help once he mentioned how they used to do it often.

Erik called on his siblings to let them know he was in the home already—and that they should expect some food in a bit. Needless to say, they were ecstatic about it and happy to see their brother back.

Later, as mother and son worked to prepare a simple but hearty barley and lentil soup. The silence between them grew heavier with time. Finally, Alice broke the silence, her voice trembling slightly. "Erik, you shouldn’t have to do all of this. It’s not right for you to shoulder so much responsibility."

Erik sighed, setting down the knife he was using to chop vegetables. "Well, what can I do? Someone has to take care of things, and you haven’t been well enough."

Alice's arms dropped as she heard his words. She gripped the edge of the table, her knuckles turning white, and stared at the worn wooden surface, avoiding Erik’s gaze. Her lips trembled, and she bit down on them, trying to hold back the flood of emotions.

"I know, but it shouldn’t be you," she whispered, her voice barely audible. She glanced up, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You’re just a boy," her gaze avoided his own once again, focusing on his eyes. “You shouldn’t have to do these things.”

“Well, I don’t think I have a choice, Mom," Erik said, his voice firm. He resumed cutting the vegetables, each slice precise as he kept his eyes on the blade. "We need food, and we need to keep the house warm. If I don’t do it, who will?"

Erik remembered how Alice had been for the past three months. She’d go through cycles of being helpful and then not even looking after herself. As much as it pained him to think that way, she wasn’t reliable as of right now.

“I’m sorry, Erik… Tomorrow…” Her voice trembled. She reached out and touched his arm lightly, her breath catching in her throat. “I will work hard for our family. If I can complete the orders, we can trade more easily, and you won’t have to work as much. I don’t know what’s gotten into me but I’ll look out for my family,” she said with a clear strain in her voice.

Erik looked at her eyes, she seemed to be genuine in what she was saying.

‘Alright… I’ll believe this time, Mom,’ Erik thought to himself.

He gave a small nod.

Later, they finished preparing the meal. Despite its simplicity, the meal was incredibly tasty. The family gathered around the table, eating in a quiet but hopeful atmosphere. The warmth of the soup and the fireplace in the middle of the kitchen provided a brief comfort despite their struggles.

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Erik woke up to a cold breeze brushing his cheek. Groggily, he opened his eyes to find Anna standing by his bed, her cheeks puffed out as she blew air directly at him.

“Let me sleep…” Erik mumbled, that was a strange situation but his tiredness dictated that he couldn’t be asked to care.

However, the breeze persisted. A few minutes later, Erik felt her fingers gently trace his forehead.

“Alright, what are you up to?” he asked, reaching up to take her hand and blinking his eyes open.

Anna hovered above him, her long chestnut hair cascading around him like a curtain. In their family, only Erik and Kaf had reddish features, Anna and Ben had inherited their mother’s brown hair and eyes.

“I’m waking you up,” Anna replied with a nonchalant shrug, a grin barely concealed.

Erik sighed and sat up, causing Anna to step back to avoid being bumped.

“Go bother Ben instead, he is snoring like a bull,” he said, pointing upwards, noting how his younger brother made an unnerving noise when asleep.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Ben is too lame! I need you,” she said, her eyes beaming with excitement.

Alright…” Erik said before yawning, he stretched his limbs that were stiff from sleeping in the staw-filled mattress. “I’m awake. What do want?”

Anna tilted her head slightly, her finger resting on her cheek as she surveyed the room. “Where’s your bow, Erik?”

Erik blinked in surprise. “My bow?” He momentarily lost himself in thought, recalling the bow his father had taught him to use after a harrowing experience with bandits in the woods. It had been a tough lesson, but one that had served him well. His memories were hazy, but he remembered the necessity of it all too well.

“Let me show you,” he said with a smile, reaching beneath the bed to pull out a box. He opened it, there were the gauntlets his father once used. From the way they were now they were unusable but he wanted to keep them for the future. Besides them was the short bow he had and a quiver of arrows.

The strength of the bow when drawn was enough to catch most small game but large animals would pose a threat—even humans with simple armor should be able to reduce the lethality of the weapon so it wasn’t something he used very often unless he wanted to catch a small animal.

The equipment was dusty and a bit worn, but it was still in working condition.

Anna eagerly extended her hands, but Erik held the bow tightly to his chest. “Tell me why you need it first. These things are dangerous, you know?”

Anna hesitated for a moment before explaining. “I feel like I should be doing something to help too, not just you and Mom. If I can practice with the bow, it might not be much now, but it could be useful when spring comes and the animals come out.”

Erik considered her words thoughtfully. He glanced at the bow, then back at her. She was young, but he remembered his own training at a younger age. It didn’t seem fair to deny her the chance to help.

With a sigh, Erik relented. “Alright, you can have it. But for now, you can only use it when I’m around to teach you. Deal?”

Anna’s eyes lit up, and before Erik could react, she leaped into his arms, knocking the bow and arrows from his grasp into the ground. “Thank you, thank you so much!” she exclaimed, hugging him tightly.

Erik relaxed and smiled warmly, touched by her enthusiasm. It was clear she wanted to contribute, just like he did.

Looking out the small wooden window, Erik saw that there was still plenty of daylight left. “It’s still early. Let’s see what we can do with it today,” he said, ready to start teaching her.

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“Nooo, I was so close,” Anna said exasperated with a pout after barely missing a shot to a wild snow bunny.

“C’mon, it wasn’t bad,” Erik said as he bent down to pick the arrow stuck in the snow. “You clearly have some talent in there!”

Erik was at this point trying to fill the supportive brother role as best as he could but he wasn’t lying either. It took Erik nearly a week to hit anything that wasn't wood, rock, or dirt when he was taught how to shoot an arrow. Anna with only a few tips and demonstrations of how to draw the string, had almost managed to do so in the span of a couple hours.

She seemed incredibly talented, although it was too early to say for sure it wasn’t luck.

The siblings kept their hunt, each minute passed by discussing hunting strategies and following possible trails an animal might’ve left. There were only rabbits around, it seemed.

If possible, Erik would have preferred them to hunt something bigger—a deer maybe—as they were easier targets and much easier to track but they couldn’t be found in these parts of the forest, venturing too deep was dangerous as well.

Erik had a smile on his face the whole time.

This felt nice. Here he didn’t care about money or work or the other thousand responsibilities he had now. He was just bonding with his sibling and enjoying his free time. This was the kind of freedom he wanted. Despite the burden on the body, each muffled step felt lighter than any simple walk he had had in months now. This kind of life without burdens was the thing he wished for at the end of the day.

“Do you smell this?” Anna asked.

Erik flared his nostrils, trying to catch the scent, but detected nothing beyond the natural aroma of the forest.

Anna stepped forward up to a tree a few meters to the side. She crouched near it. Erik followed her, doing the same and that’s when he noticed an albino rabbit.

“Hey, quiet…” he whispered with a finger on his mouth before placing his arm on her shoulder so she wouldn’t move. “There’s a rabbit there-” before he could even finish, she shot an arrow.

It hit the animal right in the belly, it moved erratically, trying to flee but the arrow had gone in one side and poked out in the other. The mammal didn’t go far before collapsing, its white fur stained with blood. The blow probably had ruptured his lungs or heart, a near-instantaneous kill.

The only thing after that could be heard was a long sigh from Anna as she had been controlling her breath to have the most steady shot possible.

You did well, Anna,” he said before patting her head and messing with her hair.

She pouted for a moment but refrained from commenting. The excitement was too big. “Hey, hey, if we can do this each day then you won’t have to go to work right?!”

‘Already thinking like that? Well, I wouldn’t mind, but…’ Erik thought, recollecting himself.

“Well, it is very hard to get enough to fill you each day. Besides, Dad once told me that if you were to make eating rabbits most of your diet you would suffer from ‘rabbit starvation’ or something,” he said while scratching his chin. These words were from a long time ago so it was hard to remember them correctly.

“Huh, why? If your belly is full, then there’s no way you can starve, dummy,” she furrowed her brow.

Erik laughed and gave her a mildly strong pat on the back, making her stumble forward. “It has to do with rabbits not being fat or something, I don’t know. Now go pick the rabbit and take off the arrow. I want you to clean the arrow before storing it again. We’ll skin the rabbit when we get home though because it’s getting late.”

‘She has keen senses, she’ll make for a great hunter one day,’ Erik thought with a smile.

Later, Erik guided Anna on how to remove the arrow, clean it, and carefully pick up the animal. Once home, they would skin it together.

The sheer amount of instructions left her confused for a moment so she just stared before trying to do what he had said.

A while later, they got home. After Erik taught her the ropes, he left her to do the job.

Entering the house, Erik saw Ben sweeping the floor. The younger boy looked up and gave a quick smile before returning to his task.

"Where’s Mom?" Erik asked, setting down the rabbit and the cleaned arrow.

Ben glanced towards their mother’s room, his expression dimming. "She’s in her room. Hasn’t come out much today."

Erik frowned, feeling a familiar knot of worry tighten in his chest. "Alright. Thanks, Ben. Keep up the good work."

He walked to his mother's door and knocked gently. "Mom, it’s Erik. Can I come in?"

A faint, weary voice responded, "Come in."

Erik opened the door slowly and stepped inside. The room was dimly lit, the curtains drawn against the fading light of day. Alice was sitting on the edge of her bed, her shoulders slumped and her eyes dull. The bundle of cloth lay mostly untouched on the small table she used to work in her room.

"Mom," Erik began softly, "how are you feeling?"

Alice looked up at him, her face a mask of fatigue and sadness. "I’m sorry, Erik," she whispered. "I couldn’t… I just couldn’t find the strength today."

Erik felt a twinge of irritation but tried to swallow it down. His brows furrowed slightly, and he took a deep breath, attempting to keep his tone calm. “You promised, Mom. You said you’d work on the orders today. We need those clothes to trade for food and supplies," his voice although soft sounding carried an undertone of disappointment.

She dropped her gaze, her fingers twisting together in her lap. "I know. I’m sorry. I wanted to… but it’s so hard… but I did work on it somewhat," she pointed to a single half-done sock.

It was already afternoon, the speed she had before was such that she would have at least completed a couple of them by now but she had yet to make half a sock. At least she had started it but it didn’t look like she was going to complete it any time soon.

“But you promised…” he said before sighing and taking a deep breath. “You know what? Whatever,” he walked away, shutting the door because she couldn't say anything else.

Erik rested, leaning on the door for a few seconds. He could hear muffled cries from the inside. He felt his heart aching. He wanted to go inside and say it's okay, at least she did something.

But he couldn’t.

It wasn’t fair for him or his siblings.

“Erik…”

Erik looked forward and saw Ben. There was a clear look of worry on his face. “Can we talk?”