Whimsical Wendi's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Wendi knelt in the dirt and stared at the soft, useless pages in her hands. Her shed guides had nothing about cottages, and the building season was already shrinking. She needed a real plan, or the badger with the bad leg would face another wet season without walls. Near the mossy outcrop, the old badger settled into his usual dip in the stone. He watched her without a sound. A small calico kitten with shimmering butterfly wings landed on the rock beside him. It tilted its head, then lifted off and fluttered toward the trees, pausing as if waiting. Wendi followed. The kitten led her through ferns to a small stone building with a peaked wooden roof and shelves stuffed with books. She stepped inside and ran her fingers along the spines until she found it: a thick guide titled simply, Cottages. She carried the book out and held it to her chest. The badger blinked at her from his stone. Wendi smiled, shaky and certain. She had her plan now. The wrong part was over.