Blue Before the Storm

Artwork Forest was never exactly quiet, but on a Tuesday morning it was wonderfully, almost suspiciously, ordinary.

Crayon She Wolf sat cross-legged on the flat boulder outside her cave — her favorite thinking spot — sketching pine trees with her giant blue crayon. The crayon hummed softly as it moved, leaving bold, glowing lines across the paper. She wore her blue-and-black supersuit, cape-like panels fluttering in the cool breeze, blue mask tucked neatly over her bright eyes.

"Another peaceful day," she said to herself, satisfied.

Her cave glimmered behind her — curved walls embedded with her own crayon murals, a sleek monitor bank tracking forest activity, and a small coffee maker she adored more than almost anything.

Somewhere across the treetops, a sheep named Baa-bara jogged past the cave entrance, out of breath and wide-eyed.

"Morning, Baa-bara!" Crayon She Wolf called cheerfully.

Baa-bara skidded to a stop, clutching her scarf tight.

"It's gone," Baa-bara gasped. "All of it."

All Fluff, No Answers

Crayon She Wolf set down her blue crayon and looked at Baa-bara — the cream-wooled sheep was still gasping, both hands pressed to her knitting scarf like she might squeeze answers out of it.

"Gone?" Crayon She Wolf stood up slowly. "What's gone?"

"The wool!" Baa-bara waved her arms at the trees. "Every single bit of it. From every shed, every barn, every clothesline in the whole forest — stripped clean overnight!"

That was a lot of wool.

Before Crayon She Wolf could ask anything else, a tinny buzzing sound filled the air. A small delivery drone — no bigger than a lunchbox, silver with a blinking orange light — dropped out of the sky and hovered right in front of her nose.

It beeped once, then projected a flickering hologram: a single typed message.

**I KNOW WHO TOOK IT. MEET ME AT WOOL MARKET. — A FRIEND**

Baa-bara squinted at it. "Who sends anonymous tips by drone?"

Crayon She Wolf reached out and caught the drone. It was still warm.