Greeq Hornwhisk's Arc

Chapter 2 of 2

Greeq returned to his archive with mud still clinging to his fur. The artifacts from the dig site had changed everything. He needed a system to organize what he'd found. His books sat in stacks around the hollow tree, but now he had physical objects too. Stone fragments. Clay shards. Things that proved cryptids had lived here long before the hunting began. He cleared space on his lowest shelf and lined up three small pieces of carved stone. Each one showed a different symbol he'd sketched in his journal. His paws trembled as he placed them just right. This was the start of something bigger than books alone. Rain began drumming against the hollow tree's roof. Water dripped through a crack above his new shelf. Greeq's ears flattened. The artifacts would be ruined if they got wet. He grabbed an old chest and moved the stone pieces inside, then dragged it outside to a drier spot. But rain still pelted down. He needed something to cover it. His eyes landed on a dark blue umbrella with stars printed across it. He jammed the handle deep into the mud until it held firm above the chest. The umbrella's canopy spread wide, shielding his precious finds from the storm. Greeq stepped back and watched water slide off the star-covered fabric. His collection was safe. Now he could build something that would last.