Thwack! The axe made forceful contact with the trunk of the coagulant tree, vibrations shivering out of the handle into Leo’s hand.

  Thwack! The hacks continued in a rhythmic pattern, sharp energy pouring from the axe into the tree. Each chop grew steadily more powerful and precise than the last.

  Thwack! Splinters broke free from the tree and flew out in all directions.

  Thwack! Thwack! Blow after blow, the sound resounded. The earthen smell of sap and mildew overpowered the air. A rot had already taken the trunk, it was weak. The formidable white tower began to bend and the blows kept coming. Finally, it was too much for it to bear.

  THWACK! One last great chop and the trunk didn’t have enough support to draw on. Leo watched with an exerted smile, breathing heavily, as the tree’s last band bent apart and snapped. The small giant collapsed to the ground.

  Winded, Leo used one last burst of energy to slam his axe into the freshly made stump, forcing it to hold the battered tool for later use. A cloud of upturned dust hung in the still air.The cream colored axe of tempered bone glowed translucent in the sun. Its blade was chipped and dulling, bruised by weeks of arboreal slaughter. The task was exhausting, especially in this heat, but he enjoyed it. The days were long, and the chopping granted him a respite from wandering thoughts.

  Leo stumbled over to sit on a freshly made stump a few paces beside him and took in his surroundings. A cloudless, pale blue sky hung over endless yellow rolling hills. Granite boulders alive with reddish-brown veins lay strewn haphazardly about the undulating terrain. An oppressive sun mercilessly beat down upon the golden land. Blond wild-wheat drank it all in, glowing with a radiant warmth. Standing tall above the wheat, bleachy barked trees sprouted scarlet leaves in a spire above their heads, offering scant shade.

  These golden hills were all he had ever known. They were all he would ever know. Granger was the harsh mother of all creation.

  From a few paces abreast of Leo, a large, stocky beast trudged up to where he sat, a small cart trailing behind it. It trod at the ground with a weathered hoof and bellowed, looking at him intently with large, drooping eyes. It wanted a juicy korel, but it exhausted Leo’s store long before they reached the hill. Leo flicked his head at his labor-beast dismissively. The rotund creature snorted, as if to scoff, before lowering its massive bony head to graze upon the wild-wheat below. It didn’t seem to understand that Leo didn’t have the power to materialize whatever it wanted.

  Leo rubbed his aching shoulder and hung his head, resting his eyes for a brief few moments. The atmosphere hung heavily upon him, heat covering him like a blanket. Leo imagined his body soaking up the sun like the wheat. But, he wasn’t so resilient. The scorching sun’s rays were unbearable when dwelt upon.

  Opening his eyes to see tan, calloused fingers, Leo’s vision drifted down to his bare wrists. He stared at his network of cerulean veins buried under the surface. His thoughts wandered and a dreadful needle in his brain stung once again. Such soft, thin skin. So exposed, naked… Beads of sweat formed around Leo’s temple. A flood of cold water surged through his skull, crashing against his delicately constructed peace. He trembled slightly as he inhaled deeply. “Come on. Enough,” he muttered as he shook his head. He fortified the barrier that held back the flood.

  The sun was reaching its zenith. It would grow even hotter soon. He had a whole tree to chop up and load into the cart. Better keep moving. Ruminating on it won’t save him from his fate. Leo let out a sigh and forced himself to rise.

  As Leo started towards the fallen tree, a white glimmer caught the corner of his eye. Obscured by the sun, a shining, radiant form crested a neighboring hill. Leo glanced over and focused his vision. It was a diner-beast, an elegant, gracefully powerful creature. The ivory necked beasts seemed as if they’d been born from the trees; as if a tree had sprung out of the ground and grown a body with four legs. Its bright red back met abruptly with a long, bone-white neck and underbelly. Two straight, sharp horns stood powerfully above its head.

  The beast stood upon the brilliantly illuminated hill for a few moments, as if to display itself, before raising its head to graze on the scarlet leaves of a coagulant tree. Leo idled, captivated by the image. The beast seemed to have a blessed form, with refined, contoured proportions and magnificently contrasting colors. He had always admired the gentle beauty of the diner-beasts. The divine distraction soothed him. He stood there staring for some time as the burning heat faded into the background.

  But then, a dry crackle was heard, and the wheat just behind the diner-beast parted.

  A large Lion, a Sol, pounced from behind the far side of the hill. The Sol leapt onto the diner-beasts back and dug into its warm hide with two large paws. Its cruel, hooked claws locked in place.The diner-beast’s once tranquil and confident demeanor switched to one of terror and helplessness in an instant. Its death was a brutally protracted affair.

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  The bleating beast frantically attempted to flee, weighed down by the weight of its imminent death on its back. Visions of a small girl, mauled, arrested Leo’s thoughts. His heart dropped. A gash opened up on the backside of the diner-beast as the Lion raked a rear paw along its prey’s haunch. The Sol’s claws dug further into the diner-beast’s back. Dripping bloody scarlet tarnished the once pure white of the beast’s belly. It was so helpless. The needle stung sharply and a weight pressed upon Leo’s chest. The diner-beast displayed all the energy that it had left to stay living, flailing about in a circle for a hundred heartbeats until it had nothing left to bargain with, collapsing with shame. Leo had seen this before, time and again. He’d had enough of this same old display. The Sol laid upon its dinner and struck the final blow-a deep, sharp bite upon the diner-beast’s slender neck.

  Leo stood paralyzed. All he could feel was the weight and the cursed needle. The Lion got up and began to drag the fresh carcass down, down into the valley that separated the two. Then, slowly and with great effort, the Sol dragged the body up the slope of the hill below. Suddenly, Leo was directly before the savage creature. Its blood red eyes glanced quickly up at the frozen youth before refocusing back upon their prize. Leo’s labor-beast stood still beside its master, its grey eyes averting those of the bloody predator. Ears perked up at full alert, it let out a quick anxious snort, but it held fast. The Lion dragged the body past them. Neither Leo nor his beast looked back as it passed. Leo stared at the line of depressed wild-wheat left in the grim march’s wake, soaked in fresh blood-a marking of the event. The wild-wheat would drink this primal energy and grow with a renewed vigor in the coming suns.

  Leo’s chest pulsed and a dejected huff escaped from his throat. He felt as if he had just been slapped in the face. It was hard enough to press forward without having to endure these cruelties. He stared up at the sun bitterly, its flaming form burning itself into his scarlet eyes.

  Something had begun to make itself clear to him. He’d been thinking about it for some time. The sun blinded his vision with white as his eyes bored into it. You relish my unease, don’t you?

  Leo walked over to the fallen tree. A blurry grey impression of the sun remained, staining his vision, but he readied his axe. He brought the axe down in messy and vigorous strokes. The chops were cathartic, wood breaking under Leo’s intent. Shards of hardened bone chipped off the axe and mixed with the splinters coming off the logs. In record time, the freshly chopped firewood was tied into bundles and thrown into Leo’s cart. His staunch labor-beast grunted softly with each bundle added. Once finished, Leo and his beast left, tracing a path behind the rising sun.

  Leo’s labor-beast, bearing the weight of the master atop a shallowly sloping back, trod upon a path of flattened wild-wheat. The cart full of cargo trailed after it, digging deeper shallow ruts in the dirt. Coarse grey hair shimmering in the sun, the gentle beast occasionally snorted bursts of hot breath into the dusty air. Its short, rounded ears made sweeping motions at the sound of rustles in the wild-wheat. A Lion would not attack the creature so long as a Grangari was riding it, but the beast’s defensive instincts remained.

  The landscape unfurled upon Leo as he sat silently atop his mount. The pair was met with a soft, cooling breeze as they passed through a shallow hill valley. When Granger’s scant winds were encountered, it was always a welcome reprieve from the stifling atmosphere. As they ambled along, the soothing, nutty smell of mature wild-wheat filled their heads.

  Granger was a harsh land. But, it was a beautiful one. As the brutal sun shined remorselessly upon the landscape it brilliantly illuminated the warm yellows, reds, and browns of the rolling hills. Cheerful bird songs could always be heard during the day, and small jumping insects added a hypnotic humming to the avian choir. The heat made labor difficult, but when given the mercy of rest and a gentle breeze it warmed Leo’s soul, fortifying him. Times were difficult. The threat of the dreadful needle, its sharp puncture into the brain, never ceased to unnerve him. But, the ride took some of the pain away. Leo allowed himself to fall into a warm trance. The breeze, the sun, the natural harmony-it numbed him. The period after harvesting the lumber of the coagulant trees always felt so serene.

  The pair ambled along, passing through the meandering valleys of the straw-colored hills for a blissful few thousand heartbeats. Flocks of pop-beasts scurried away from the labor-beast as it disturbed their processions, ejecting sudden spurts of noise out of their puffy, orange throats as they waddled away, offended by the hulking brute’s presence. Occasionally, the route would force the labor-beast to hike up a hill. Once the beast reached the top, Leo would allow his companion to graze for a moment. At least, he liked to think he allowed the beast to do anything. In reality, the Chief would stop and start at his leisure.

  During these stops, Leo would look out upon the undulating land from their new perch. Shining pits of white, yellow, and obsidian stardust, melded together into a dizzying tri-colored sand, could often be beheld from the viewpoints. The ash grey demarcation lines of burned wild-wheat that segmented Leo’s village from the other prides stretched off far into the horizon. Granger was made for the Grangari. And the Lions. In these moments he could feel the warm presence of Rathanni, their protector, the tenacious and savage Beast-God, in his heart. He was reminded of his place within this land and he felt at peace. Whatever happens to him, it was meant to be. The heavy anxiety that pervaded him eased.

  The yellow scenes, melding with occasional copper and scarlet blots, swum soothingly through Leo’s vision as the sun rose ever higher in the sky. Finally, once the sun reached its commanding peak and was granted dominion over the entirety of Granger, Leo and his loyal beast arrived at their village.