It is a warm summer day in the fields of the family farm at the outskirts of Harken. Harken is a decent sized town full of mostly humans and a small population of non-humans. Normally people wouldn't want to settle here being near the border, but my family and I call this our home. Some came here for the fertile soil, while for others, business opportunities compared to the suffocating competition of the trading town of Liemburg on the border.
I ripped the stem from the tall row of dirt, pulling bodies of potatoes that clung to the mangled roots. On the stems are leaves covered in soft bristles that blanketed the plant. They would've itched my skin if not for the long sleeves and gloves I wore. It had grown six, nicely sized potatoes bigger than the size of my own fists. I was happy to see such consistency and quality from our crops. It made it much easier to pick them and fill our pockets with coins. Our fields weren't the only successful ones as farmers all around town found the same success. It was almost as if this was a gift from the gods themselves for our hard work.
My body felt slightly stiff from this back breaking labor, so I stretched my body backwards to loosen up. A lot of stretching made my body quite flexible, allowing me to bend my back further than normal. My shirt tightened against my chest as I bent further backwards, flexing and pulling apart my muscles. I relaxed and wiped the sweat off my brow, ready to continue.
"Alright Lyra, it's about time for lunch. I hope your mother's pie is nice and cool." My uncle Wilburt called.
"Pie's great, but it's the stew I'm looking forward to from last night." I concurred.
"Heh, can't argue against that!" he shouted back enthusiastically.
I wiped my dusty hands against my shirt. With my barrel full of potatoes, I carefully lifted the heavy handles to properly and pushed the heavy load back to the barn. After many years of labor alongside my uncle, I've developed more muscles that even my friends jokingly found me useful to carry their "luggage" after shopping. It made it easier to discourage some younger men from wasting my time, especially when I didn't feel like playing around with them. I had a tomboy reputation of fighting bothersome men, but it didn't stop a few guys from time to time wooing me.
I hurried over to my house with my stomach growling impatiently. I stepped into the kitchen to find my mother and uncle at the table with a steaming bowl of stew patiently waiting for me.
"Hurry Lyra, come sit before the bowl cools down," said Wilburt, waving his hand towards himself.
"Thanks for waiting guys," I said.
I took a seat at the table with my family and dug a spoon into the bowl. "Ohhh, thanks for the extra pork mother."
"Lots of meat for a tall woman. You must be famished this morning to skip breakfast." my mother replied with a smile.
Wilburt eyed me concerningly, "You should have at least taken a slice of bread. Moving fast in the morning on an empty stomach is not good for you." He paused for a moment with a spoonful of stew and stared at me quizidly, " Were you in a rush perhaps?"
My face grew warm, as if a torch stood by me, "No, I was just feeling a little energetic this morning, that's all. Last night, I ate so much of mother's stew that I felt like I could run to Harken and back." My mother still had a concerned look on her face, as if something was a little off with me.
How did Wilburt already figure out something is amiss? Perhaps I was moving throughout the morning a little too fast. Well at least we almost harvested all we needed for today.
Wilburt chuckled, "Alright, slow down a little young lady. We're in no rush, especially now we're almost done."
"Sooo... anything else we need to do?" I asked.
He thought for a moment while staring into his bowl of stew, "I suppose we can head out into town a little early to deliver and grab a couple things with extra time to spare."
"Can you stop by Lia's place too? I have fabric waiting for me for the dress I'm still weaving for Lyra." my mother asked him.
"Sure thing Cass. If you like, I'll give you a few coins to snack on while we're there Lyra."
"Wow, thanks Wilburt!"
"But you better finish that bowl if you want some apples from town."
"You better take a bath young lady, I don't want you to look like a pig in public. You must keep a proper appearance alright?"
"YES mother. You didn't have to go that far."
With a sense of relief, I started digging into my bowl of stew. It tasted just as great as I remembered last night, steaming rich and flavorful with bits of pork from the neighbors and chunks of potatoes from our fields. It only took two bites for my body to be enveloped in its warmth. Remembering the promise my uncle said to me, the thought crossed my mind if I'd have enough room in my stomach for snacks.
Finishing my meal, I immediately went to the bathroom outside as promised. It was a small room next to the house that had a wooden bathtub to bathe in. It even had a mirror in case we needed a quick wash and be spotless. I watched the woman in the mirror undress herself, revealing rosy skin and b cup breasts that perked up. Down below is a small red bush hung over a virgin pussy with short flaps and its hymen intact. The nude body on the wall screamed an athletic build, a toned body she was proud of. She had hair with a slight curl that ran down to her neck and bangs that left her freckled face untouched. I submerged myself into the nice, cool water, a pleasant sensation after being under the heat of the sun. It was pleasant enough that I simply laid my body to take in refreshing water. I would've stayed longer if not for the trip we must embark on, so I picked up the scrub and started scrubbing.
We arrived two or so hours later at the marketplace in Harken. It was full of merchants, customers, and children moving through the busy streets. The merchants were ever greedy, overselling their goods to first arrivals and shooing away children in fear of thievery. The children loved to play like this to gain attention. So long as they didn't steal anything or get caught, nobody really cared. But the customers themselves served a good distraction by haggling the merchant's prices, allowing them to stealthily swip a sweet or two.
"Get away you scrawny lil' rats or I'll put you in the pillory myself!" shouted a catfolk merchant at a mischievous group of boys. The children laughed and made silly faces to the catfolk as they ran away.
We arrived at our destination further down the market, a store with the text "Boar's Buttocks'' inscribed at the top. The owner's name of that store is Toren and is close friends with Wilbert. Like the name suggested, the store sold pig and boar meat alongside a couple of produce, tools, and herbs. We are one of his main suppliers of produce and my mother's herbs.
Wilburt directed the cart to the side door for deliveries, "Watch the cart while I get Toren."
I nodded and waited as he commanded. I leaned back on my seat to make myself comfortable behind the view of the bustling marketplace. Locals and foreigners alike populated the streets in their distinct clothing and brought life into the town. Sometimes I'd be surprised by the appearance of some of the nonhumans. The interesting patterns on the fur of the catfolk and the towering builds of centaur guards reminded me how massive the size of the world really is. The abundance of unknown species and nonhumans I've yet to learn or hear of filled me with ravenous curiosity. A curiosity stemmed from the stories Wilburt told me of him and my father in their adventures during the fourth demon war two decades ago.
From time to time I'd look back to make sure no thieving children were around while searching for the person I'm hoping to find. I heard footsteps move behind me, trying to conceal themself but the sound of dirt scraping against their shoes left themself exposed.
"Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" A young woman popped from the side of my cart screaming into my ears. My body recoiled from the surprise attack and let out a quick yelp, only to find my friend, Rea, laughing at my reaction.
