A Sheltered Crescent

I nudged open the back door latch with my forelimb and slipped quietly back into the house. In my front claw, held steady against my chest, was the terracotta shard from the alley wall. I carried it across the floorboards toward the bottom shelf where my other small keepsakes rested. Kneeling gently upon the wood, I pushed the curved terracotta piece right beside the speckled pebble, aligning its rounded edge to continue the gentle arc. The row now formed a complete, balanced crescent against the dark timber, perfectly safe in the quiet room.