The farm had grown quieter since Corvo stopped teasing and started lingering about. Each day passed in a slow, comfortable rhythm it was the kind where you could tell the time just by the angle of the sunlight.
Ronald was down by the river that morning, sleeves rolled up, stacking flat river stones into a tub shaped hole. His goal was simple: a small bath he could heat with sunstones later. The sound of water trickling around his feet made the work peaceful.
His bracelet shimmered, forming a hand shovel. He dug out the softer sand for the floor, humming absently to himself. Behind him, Sol the golden-coated dog who always seemed to smell like sunlight was laying half-asleep in the grass, tail lazily thumping every so often.
It was a perfect morning,peaceful ,tranquil even.
That was until the Gilaforths arrived.
They came from the underbrush like tiny furry bandits. long-bodied creatures with twitching noses, the ears of rabbits and the quick paws of rats. Their eyes gleamed with the kind of determination only thieves and bandits had.
One sniffed the air. The smell of freshly turned soil and growing vegetables was irresistible to them.
Ronald didn't notice at first. He was knee-deep in water, fitting the final ring of stones.
Sol's head, however, shot up immediately. His ears twitched. He gave a low, warning growl that rolled across the clearing like distant thunder.
"Something up, Sol?" Ronald called, glancing over his shoulder.
Before he could get an answer, one of the Gilaforths darted out of the bushes — a daring little creature with grey fur and a white-tipped rat tail. It made a beeline straight for the carrot patch.
"Hey—!" Ronald startled, half-turning towards Sol.
Sol barked once, sharp and commanding and full of aggressive intent.
The air shimmered faintly, almost like the light itself had weight. The Gilaforth froze mid-step. A second bark followed, deeper this time, and the small thief bolted in the opposite direction so fast it left a puff of dust behind.
Two more tried to sneak around the fence — smaller ones, clearly siblings. Sol trotted forward calmly, eyes half-lidded, and let out a single, low woof. That was all it took. Both Gilaforths turned tail and vanished into the tall grass, squeaking indignantly.
Ronald blinked. "…You didn't even attack just barked."
Sol looked back at him and gave a short, proud "woof." His tail wagged once.
"Guess that settles it," Ronald said with a grin. "Youre the new Head of security."
He turned back to his river project. The bath ring was complete now ,smooth stones interlocked with simple joinery, sealed with a natural resin from nearby trees that harden like cement put were clear like polish. The kind of handiwork that took patience more than strength.
Corvo watched from the cabin porch, quietly amused. "You attract quite the variety of wildlife," he remarked. "You could start a zoo." He gave a toothy grin in his human form.
Ronald chuckled, wiping sweat from his brow. "They can come by all they want. Just not to steal the carrots. I can even feed them left overs once everyone's had their fill for the day."
"That's a fine policy," Corvo said, stretching his arms with a yawn. "I'll add it to the Farmer's Commandments." He smiled teasingly and Roland just rolled his eyes and went back to work.
By the time the sun began to set, the small bath was finished. A trickle of water from the river flowed gently into the stone ring, kept fresh by the soft current. Ronald dipped a hand in — cool, clean, and perfect for the end of a long day.
Sol came to sit beside him, tail swishing lazily, eyes half-lidded as if to say, I did good.
Ronald smiled. "Yeah, you did good Sol." Roland praised Sol.
In the distance, a few Gilaforths peeked out from the brush, watching the golden dog warily before disappearing again upset that their meal plans were thwarted.
The farm settled into quiet once more. The sky blushed orange and violet. The smell of clean water and cut wood filled the air.
And in that soft light, as Corvo leaned against the doorframe watching his mortal friend at work, the farm felt like a small, self-contained world — peaceful, steady, and alive.
Corvo thoroughly enjoyed this life and found it therapeutic. He thought about the wars he fought back in his home universe and felt like maybe he should go back and start his own little place of paradise for himself and friends.