Endless

Chapter One: An Ordinary Day

The only downside to not living close to a town or village was the lack of aid after inconveniences or disaster struck.

This was Steve's dilemma, as he exited his cottage that foggy morning to find that (yet again) a section of the fence that surrounded his little farm had been an unfortunate victim of a creeper explosion. The earth near the sizable hole had been scorched, and a lone cow had found its way inside to munch on Steve's wheat. The only thing Steve could do was sigh, as he stepped outside and trudged through the damp grass to go assess the damage to his crops.

Much of the wheat that wasn't actively being consumed by the cow had been burnt, and wouldn't be fit for making bread. Seems like he'd be breadless for the foreseeable future. At the very least, his carrots and potatoes had survived the blast, so Steve wouldn't have to replace them. He supposed he'd go and collect more seeds for the wheat later. Right now, Steve needed to get the cow out of there before he did anything else.

He plucked some wheat near the cow's muzzle, and waved it around in the bovine creature's face. He then began to slowly back up, trying to lure it out. "Here, look. This way," Steve goaded in what he hoped was an inviting manner, his baritone voice hoarse from its lack of regular use.

The cow was entirely disinterested in the wheat Steve had picked. It ignored him, continuing to eat the wheat in the ground. Steve groaned, and dropped the wheat. The lean man then decided to walk behind the cow, and push it towards the opening.

Steve knew this would certainly be easier if he had neighbors he could rely on. However, he had constructed his cottage on the outskirts of a large forest, and the nearest village took almost half a day to walk to. Getting help was out of the question. The unfortunate price of living in isolation from society, he supposed.

By this point, Steve had managed to push the cow away from his crops. A particularly harsh shove finally stirred the brown and white animal into action, and it made a beeline away from Steve while mooing in a panic. Steve sighed again, though it was out of relief this time around. Now that the cow was gone, he could focus on repairing on his damaged fence.

He realized after further inspection of the damage that he'd have to replace the entire row of the fence. That would surely take the entire morning, as he would need to gather the wood. His other chores would simply have to wait. Grumbling in annoyance at the setback, Steve made his way back to the cottage to go inside and retrieve his iron axe.

Steve's cottage wasn't too large or elaborate. Constructed out of oak and birch wood, it was a quaint little place. Flowers decorated the perimeter, and Steve had rose bushes planted against the walls of the home. His front porch was small, and a single wooden rocking chair was the only piece of furniture that could be seen. Wasting no time, Steve ascended the small staircase and crossed the porch to go inside.

The inside of the cottage was very minimalist. There were a few rooms, those being the kitchen, living room, bathroom, and his small bedroom. The kitchen and living room were connected, so there wasn't as much space inside. There was a smoker and a round wooden table in the kitchen, along with other various cooking supplies. In the living room, there was a bookshelf and a couch. Once he entered the house and found himself in the living room, he took a right to go to his bedroom.

Steve's bedroom was the most barren room in his home. In the upper right corner was his bed, which had a faded pink comforter and two pillows. In the left corner adjacent to the door was a small dresser which held his clothes. There were no windows in his room, a lantern on the dresser being the sole light source. Opposite from the bedroom door, an oak trapdoor could be seen in the floor. Crossing the wooden floor, Steve opened it up and descended the ladder that led to his basement.

He went about halfway down the ladder before he hopped off, landing gracefully on the stone floor of his basement. He spotted his iron axe, hanging on the wall above some chests that contained more tools. He grabbed it, then climbed back up the ladder as safely as he could with the tool in hand.

When he went back outside, the fog had not yet lifted. In fact, it was now heavier, and he could barely see the trees twenty blocks ahead of him. Every breath Steve took felt as though he was filling his lungs with mist. He ignored it, however, and began his task.

Gripping the handle of his axe tighter, Steve went to the tree that was closest. Not wasting any time, he began chopping away at the base of the tree.

While he worked on bringing the tree to the ground, he focused on the sounds that surrounded him. The morning birds were chirping, and the breeze rustled the leaves of the trees gently. Steve found it to be very calming, and he felt the stress of earlier begin to leave his body as he swung his axe against the tree.

That was when the sound of a few leaves being rustled could be heard overhead. Steve felt sudden adrenaline course through his system, his heart pounding in his chest. He instinctually darted to the side, nearly slipping on the grass in the process. There was an audible twang, and he looked up. An arrow was buried in the trunk at the same height his head had been. That would have been unpleasant had his head been there.

Somebody above laughed playfully. The warm sound was feminine, belonging to someone with a mid-range voice. More importantly, it was familiar. Steve crossed his arms and furrowed his brows as he waited for his unsuccessful assailant to climb down the tree she had been perched in.

The woman who had just attempted to shoot him was his aunt, Alex. She was tall and built, years of surviving in the wilderness toughening her exterior. Her hair was ginger and curly, and she kept it in a ponytail that was draped over her shoulder. She was wearing her usual green tunic, which had blended in well with the leaves of trees.

Alex climbed down the tree in no time at all. She jumped from a lower branch of the tree, landing just a few blocks away from Steve.

"Gotta say, Steve. I'm disappointed in you today. You normally react sooner," Alex commented as she made her way over to Steve, bow in hand. Her freckled face adorned a wide grin, and her emerald green eyes sparkled with humor. Steve, however, was not so humored after being rudely shot at. He frowned at her.

"Oh, don't look at me like that. I'm only teasing," she said, her grin widening. "Well, I don't find it very amusing," Steve mumbled in response, arms still crossed. His heart was still racing, not having quite come down from the adrenaline rush. Alex ruffled his hair playfully, prompting him to swat at her hand. "Come on. You know it's a little funny," she chuckled, withdrawing her hand.

Steve rolled his eyes, but there was a small smile forming on his face despite himself. He was glad to see her, even if she had visited completely unannounced...and had almost killed him. "Maybe a little," he finally agreed. He then cleared his throat, and asked her the question that had been building up. "What are you doing here? Not that I am unhappy to see you, but I wasn't expecting you at all."

Alex reached up and pulled the arrow out of the tree before she replied, "I'm on my way back home. Been staying at the village nearby the past couple days to help one of my buddies out. He lost an arm after a mob attack, and it's been hard for him to adjust...anyway! Since your house is just a little off my route home, I figured I might as well come say hi." She put the arrow back in the quiver on her back. "Looks like I picked the right time, too. You look like you need some help with your fence back there. Saw that whole thing with the cow, by the way," she added, a teasing smirk on her face.

Steve's face reddened. She had seen that? How embarrassing. Regardless, he was grateful she was offering her assistance. "That would be helpful. Thank you," he said appreciatively. He turned back to the tree, and buried his axe in the base one final time. The tree creaked, beginning to tip over. Steve nudged it with his foot so that it would fall away from them, and it hit the earth with a loud thud.

Now that they had a source they could easily harvest more wood from, they were ready to start repairing the fence. He motioned to the tree, wordlessly letting Alex know what he planned to do next. Within no time at all, they were sectioning parts of the tree with the axe, bantering cheerily as they worked together under the morning sun.