Pebble's Arc

Chapter 1 of 4

Pebble sat cross-legged on the worn floor of her grandmother's cottage, holding a cracked ceramic bowl in her paws. Inside the bowl lay three smooth stones, each one painted with faded musical notes. Her grandmother had told her the stories since she was a kit—tales of the ancient Melody Stones that once filled Ember with music and joy. Now those stones were scattered and lost, and with them went the songs of her people. Pebble traced her claw over the painted notes, her tail swishing with determination. She would find the real Melody Stones, no matter how far she had to travel or how long it took. The next morning, Pebble packed dried berries and a water flask into her satchel. She needed to start somewhere, and her grandmother had mentioned an old hollow tree where travelers left messages. Pebble found it at the edge of the village, its bark gray and twisted with age. She reached inside the dark opening and felt smooth parchment. Her paws pulled out several rolled scrolls. The first two held nothing useful—a note about missing chickens and another about a market day. The third scroll made her breath catch. Someone had drawn a map with a glowing stone marked near the northern hills. Below it, musical notes were sketched in faded ink. Pebble's ears stood straight up. This was it—her first real clue. She rolled the parchment carefully and tucked it into her satchel. The journey to restore Ember's music had finally begun.