The Morning Patrol

Ms. Crayon Rhino stretched her gray arms as the morning sun painted golden streaks across Savannah Metropolis. From her bedroom window in Crayon Rhino Castle, she could see the bustling streets where humans and animal citizens walked side by side.

"Another beautiful day to protect the city," she said, adjusting her black and blue supersuit.

She flew down to the castle courtyard, her yellow gloves catching the light. The stone rhino statue stood proudly at the entrance, welcoming visitors with its carved smile.

A young raccoon messenger scurried up to her, clutching a bright red envelope.

"Ms. Crayon Rhino! Emergency message from City Hall!" he squeaked.

She opened the letter carefully. Mayor Thompson's neat handwriting filled the page: "Strange reports coming in from all over the city. Citizens claim their art supplies are losing color. Please investigate immediately."

Ms. Crayon Rhino frowned. Art supplies losing color? That seemed impossible. She folded the letter and looked toward the city center, where colorful banners usually decorated every building.

Today, something felt different.

The Gray Morning

Ms. Crayon Rhino soared over the city streets, her cape fluttering behind her. Below, something was terribly wrong. The bright yellow taxi cabs had turned dull gray. Shop signs that once blazed with rainbow colors now looked like old black and white photographs.

She landed outside Melody's Art Supply Shop, where a crowd had gathered. Through the window, she could see a woman with short brown hair frantically shaking tubes of paint.

"Nothing but gray comes out!" the woman called through the glass. Her name tag read "Melody." She had worried brown eyes and wore a paint-splattered apron over her green shirt.

Ms. Crayon Rhino pushed through the crowd and entered the shop. Paint tubes lay scattered across the counter, each one producing only gray streaks on the paper.

"When did this start?" Ms. Crayon Rhino asked.

"This morning," Melody replied, her voice shaking. "Every art supply in the city is affected. Crayons, markers, paint - everything!"

Ms. Crayon Rhino picked up a bright red crayon. When she tried to draw with it, only gray appeared on the paper. Her heart sank as she realized the magnitude of the problem.