Morning Patrol

Super Marker Lioness stood atop the tallest tower of SML Fortress, her red cape fluttering in the morning breeze. The four marker towers gleamed silver in the sunlight, casting long shadows across Savanah Wood City below. Humans, humanoid lions, and deer moved through the bustling streets like tiny figures in a living puzzle.

She pulled out her giant glowing magic marker and checked its energy levels. Everything seemed normal. The city looked peaceful from up here.

"Another quiet morning," she murmured, scanning the horizon with her amber eyes.

But something felt different today. A restless energy buzzed through her golden fur. She couldn't shake the feeling that something important was about to happen.

Down in the city square, a strange shimmer caught her attention. It looked like heat waves rising from the pavement, but the air was cool. The shimmer pulsed once, twice, then vanished.

Super Marker Lioness leaned forward, gripping the tower's edge. Her purple mask couldn't hide her curiosity.

"What was that?"

The Box That Fell From Nowhere

Super Marker Lioness leaped down from the tower, her cape billowing behind her. She landed softly in the city square where the shimmer had appeared.

"Did anyone else see that?" she called out to a humanoid deer jogging past.

The deer, a female with brown fur and wearing a bright yellow tracksuit, stopped and shook her head. "See what?"

Before Super Marker Lioness could answer, the air began to ripple again. This time, the shimmer grew larger, stretching across half the square. Through the transparent waves, she glimpsed something impossible—stars and swirling galaxies where the fountain should be.

"Whoa!" The deer jogger stumbled backward. "What is that thing?"

The shimmer pulsed brighter. Suddenly, a small metal box tumbled out of the rippling air and clattered onto the cobblestones. The mysterious portal snapped shut with a soft pop.

Super Marker Lioness picked up the box. It was warm and covered in strange symbols that seemed to shift when she looked directly at them.

"That definitely wasn't there this morning," she muttered.

The deer jogger edged closer. "Should we open it?"