At the third crow of Aurelius's Starcrest, Arthur looked out the window, his gaze piercing through the crimson sky. The third moon had vanished from the sky leaving the final one hanging like a lone wolf. This rather strange phenomenon could only mean one thing, that the morning was approaching and it's only a matter of time before the white star, otherwise known as the sun, would rise from the west.
"I'm late," Arthur muttered.
The third crow of the Starcrest is every farmer's worst nightmare, because all it takes is an hour before the sun shines over the fields, leaving the farmer with little time to achieve anything.
Arthur got out of the mattress, grabbed the watering can in the corner of the room, a blue machete sharp as a sword, and a sickle carved from real diamonds. No, these were not treasures, just natural resources abundant in nature like rock and metal on the planet earth.
He left the house in a hurry, leaving the door unlocked. After all, he has nothing valuable to attract thieves. Even his harvest was never stored at home.
Along the way, he greeted numerous people, he didn't know all of them, not even their names. But a simple wave and a smile were more than enough exchange of pleasantries. For now, he just needed to get to the farm and accomplish as much as he could before the white start hits.
"Early-Morn, Arthur!"
"Early-morn to you, too, Asher."
Upon getting to the farm, which was only a few kilometres from his home, Arthur didn't waste much time exchanging pleasantries with his colleagues in the field, after all, they had gotten here before him.
Setting down his watering can and sickle, he set to work with his machete. Nearly every bean he had planted had germinated, but due to his absence from the farm for two weeks, the Aurelien leather vine had taken over, covering his plant with thick layers of twisted vines and broad leaves.
"That vine is surely going to be a lot to handle, huh Arthur?" Asher remarked, whilst skillfully making ridges over his fully grown crops.
Arthur replied,
"It is. But it had to be done."
With that, he set to work, using his machete to cut through thick vines and his hands to uproot them, making sure that they'd never come back for a while.
"But why haven't you been to the farm in two weeks, Arthur?" Asher's voice cut through the air once more.
"Oh, that." Arthur sighed,
"I feared that the Haints might return. With more frequent attacks, what are the chances that our crops would make it? Even right now, we plant by faith and hope to harvest by faith... those blood thirsty creatures can attack at any moment without warning."
The frustration was evident in his voice, hints of pain and a hunger for hope embedded in his words. But he is only one of those who have suffered from those monsters' ill treatment. Every single man, woman and child was weary of their return, but not a single person could fight back.
"You are right dear friend," Asher mumbled, his words dripped with sadness and grief,
"It's just faith now, while the rest of us hope that we do not die in the next attack."
After a brief discourse, both farmers continued to work silently, humming musical notes as they did. The white star slowly made its way to the sky, its shimmering rays piercing through the red clouds.
Arthur stood upright and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Certainly, the vines were a lot more to handle.
"I might just stay longer." He thought to himself, his eyes scanning the rest of the field, overwhelmed by the magnitude of work yet to be done.
"Might take you all week Arthur," Asher mused,
"Or you can hire some of the town folk to help, just offer them something...
His words trailed off as the sound of a distant crimson crow that filled the air. Its thunderous screech isn't just a trait, but a warning sign, one that every being on this cursed planet recognised.
Arthur exchanges knowing glances with his fellow farmers, the fear evident in their expressions. One moment, they discussed faith, and the next moment, faith has betrayed them.
Quickly, Asher fell to his knees and looked into the sky, his hand raised above his head as if reaching for the sky.
"No, please no!" He cried out, but not a single tear dropped from his eyes.
"How long do we have to beg you to protect us, Sky oh sky how long !"
Arthur dropped his machete, his eyes also glued to the sky just like everyone else. There was no telling where this creature would emerge from next, but they were coming, the crimson crow had announced it.
"We need to take cover," He yelled, mostly speaking to Asher, whose knee remained on the ground, wailing.
"Dear friend, the sky is not going to protect us; if it were, then it would have done so a long time ago."
"Take cover where?" Asher asked back, his eyes now clouded with tears. He looked around him, his field stretching out a few hundred meters on the left and right.
The ridges he had done, his mature crop ready to produce fruits, and two weeks of hard labour now stand a chance to be wiped out before his very eyes. Not just him but the same goes for every single farmer present.
"The crops are not safe," he cried,
"They will devour them, the house is not safe, they will destroy them, even the fields are not safe, they will burn them... oh, sky, why wouldn't you just shield us this once, why?"
Arthur stood there staring into the sky, his heart throbbing and his hands shaking. Running now isn't the best option either; rather, to wait and see what direction they come from before deciding on where to run.
And Asher was right, no place is safe, you can only hope to survive one more attack, or at least, survive this coming one.