Fields

Part 1

Its early morning and the herder and his three dogs are up and about to leave for the fields. Finishing his coffee, spiced with a touch of brandy for it's winter after all, he calls upon the dogs to follow him out the door. Saying goodbye to no one. He walks to his herd of cows and opens the gates, urging them out with the help of his working dogs. After they are all out the herder hops onto his quadbike and leads the cows into the open fields. Whistling and yelling so his dogs make sure no cow is left behind. The fields are safe, there are no predators nor traps and the clouds that threatened the previous day seem to have disappeared. 

A few miles away he can spot the big fields of poppies of his neighbours. These are rich lands and the more they produce the more money they earn, the two brothers that own all that land and machines over there want to buy his portion of land, because it stands between them and profit. And young men always choose money.

However, the herder won't sell despite of his old age, this land and the herd are the only thing he has left, and he promised he wouldn't lose anything more. The herder sits below the shade of an olive tree. The sun his getting high and he's watching his herd pasturing, seldomly reaching to pet one of his dogs.

"We might be lucky this year Nero, we just might be lucky." The herder says to his dog.

He looks to his bull, he is healthy, a good strong specimen. It's the middle of winter the sun is getting high and the grass is plenty. He hopes this year will be better than the previous one.

When the sun starts to come down the herder once again, with the help of his dogs, herds the cows into more closed grounds. There they can be protected from the cold and from intruders.