Biscuit's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Biscuit pressed his nose against the chain-link fence and sniffed the air. The scent of home wasn't here. Nothing smelled like Lila's lavender shampoo or the worn blanket by her bed. He'd been walking for two days now, paws sore and belly empty. Every path looked the same—brown fields stretching forever under gray skies. But he wouldn't stop. Lila was out there somewhere, probably calling his name, probably worried. He had to find her. He had to get home. The sun climbed higher as Biscuit pushed forward. His throat felt dry and his legs shook with each step. Then something changed. Buildings appeared in the distance, their shapes breaking up the flat ground. He picked up his pace, tail lifting slightly. Buildings meant people. People meant food and water. Maybe someone would know the way to Lila's apartment. The first street sign came into view—weathered metal showing Main Street and 68th. Biscuit stopped beneath it, panting hard. The numbers meant nothing to him, but something felt right about this place. His nose twitched. He turned down Main Street and spotted a crumbling apartment building ahead. Its walls were sun-bleached and peeling. Windows sat dark and empty. Biscuit's heart sank. This wasn't Lila's building. The colors were wrong, and the familiar smells weren't there. But taped to a light post outside was a piece of paper with a dog's picture on it. He limped closer and stared up at the paper. The picture showed a golden puppy with brown eyes—not him, but another lost dog. Words covered the paper around it, but he couldn't read them. Still, his heart beat faster. This was a sign that people looked for lost dogs here. If someone made a poster for that puppy, maybe Lila had made one for him too. Maybe she'd walked this same street, taping his picture to posts and asking strangers if they'd seen him. Biscuit sat down beneath the poster and lifted his head. He would keep moving forward. He would search every street until he found the crumbling building that was his—the one with Lila waiting inside.