She wasn't afraid of dying. Her house was filled with townsfolk who were. She'd seen enough cows and cuccos pass away in her care to know what it was like – chaotic, and then driftingly peaceful.

But livestock had a purpose in life – even if they didn't know it. And as she took one last look at the moon bearing down upon them, Cremia wondered what her purpose had been.

Anju was Cremia's best friend. On a surface level, they were polar opposites – Anju was shy, reserved and easily embarrassed. She loved the rain, and listening to her grandmother's stories. Cremia's father would tell people his daughter was "bold", "outspoken" and "unafraid". How the two girls got along so well and continued to into their adult lives, no one could say, but they seemed to complement each other in such a way that made them lifelong friends and confidants.
But whenever this topic would come up, Cremia wished would've gladly traded away her confidant status.

"Mother seems to think it's her wedding, so she and Kafei keep butting heads. It's taken all the fun out of planning the wedding for me."
Cremia nodded, a sympathetic friend on the outside. "You've got a lifetime ahead of you of those two butting heads! I'd get used to it."
They giggled and sipped their tea, silence temporarily filling the air. Kafei was Anju's fiancé, and a friend to both of them since Cremia was just old enough to mount a horse. For a long while it was the three of them - inseparable, until she realized it had become… different. Suddenly, there would be Anju and Kafei only meetings, Anju and Kafei inside jokes, smiles from Anju only Kafei got. Finally, when she caught her well-behaved friend sneaking out of her house during a sleepover, it all came together for her. Still, the news of their engagement drew the breath right out of her body. She quickly changed the subject.

"Romani is back on it about 'invaders' coming to the barn."
Anju giggled again. "Your little sister sure is… eccentric, isn't she?"
"If that's a nice way of sayin she's cookier than a cucco, I'd say you're right!" Cremia shook her head as she refreshed their empty cups. "I'd chalk it up to a kid's imagination, but last night I caught her practicing with a bow and a balloon! Can you imagine that? A little girl up all hours practicing shooting for-" She drew up sarcastic air quotes. "-'aliens!'"
"Goodness!" Anju covered her mouth. "You don't think she'd shoot anyone, do you?"
"If they were dressed up funny, I don't doubt it." Cremia rubbed her temple. "With all the tourists coming 'round for the carnival, I can't have her acting a fool…"
She felt Anju's warm, consoling hand on hers. Her friend smiled reassuringly.
"You're doing great with her, Cremia." She insisted. "No one could expect any better of a twenty one year old taking all this on. She'll be okay."
Cremia met her concerned eyes. I must look so tired and overwhelmed, she thought, poor Anju's worrying over me while planning her big day. The rancher smiled at her friend with renewed love for her.
"Thanks, Anj. I'm really trying."

Cremia escorted the bride-to-be to the entrance of the ranch and watched her walk off back to town. She felt a little empty, as she always did, when Anju left. It wasn't just that her best friend was leaving; she didn't know exactly what it was. But Anju walked with purpose, and self-assurance. Here Cremia was just trying to keep Romani Ranch afloat and keep her sister happy, while Anju had her whole life out before her, just beginning. She'd be a wife soon, and probably the Mayor's wife someday. She'd have the inn to fall back on, and raise a little family with Kafei. While Anju knew what she wanted and what she was meant to do with her life, Cremia was stuck in what was left to her by her father: a boring ranch, strange employees and a little sister who needed guidance as much as a reality check. As she headed back to the barn to rake muck, she tried not to dwell on the life that had been thrust upon her.