Riya's Foundling

In a future where cows have gained near‑human intelligence, a young worker named Phildee spends his days perched in a feed‑house loft, watching the world through grain sacks and radar towers. Between firing at relentless soldiers and dodging swarms of autonomous drones, he experiments with reshaping reality itself, hoping to find a mind that mirrors his own. The story opens with his restless yearning for connection, setting a tone of quiet rebellion against a rigid, militarized farm.

Across a stark, snow‑melted landscape, Riya, a lone heifer of the old range, claws her way up a mountain path in the first warm days of spring. Shunned by her herd for her age and appearance, she risks the wild dams and harsh terrain in search of a partner among the outcasts beyond the gray mountains. Her journey blends personal shame with fierce determination, hinting at a larger struggle for belonging that will shape the lives of both farm and frontier.