Pebble discovered the invisible barrier by accident.
She had been watching the outside world very closely. Things moved out there without consulting her. Leaves fell. Birds appeared briefly and vanished. A dog across the street existed with confidence.
Pebble stepped forward to investigate.
Her nose stopped.
This was unexpected.
Pebble pulled back and stared at the space in front of her. Nothing was there. The outside was clearly visible. And yet, entry had been denied.
Pebble tested the barrier again.
Same result.
She tilted her head.
Then she noticed something worse.
Her nose had left a mark.
A small, foggy smudge hovered on the invisible surface, exactly where her nose had been. Pebble froze and stared at it.
This was deeply concerning.
Pebble stepped closer and touched the spot with her paw.
Her paw stopped.
Another mark appeared.
Now there were two.
Pebble lifted her paw and inspected it. It looked normal. She inspected the smudge. It did not move.
Pebble pressed her nose to a different place.
Another smudge appeared.
Pebble stepped back.
The barrier was not only invisible — it was keeping records.
Pebble stared at the growing collection of nose and paw marks, scattered across nothing. She tried to line one up with the outside world behind it. The leaves moved. The smudge stayed.
This felt unfair.
Pebble tested the barrier one more time, carefully, with both paws.
More marks appeared.
Mohg arrived quietly and sat beside her.
He looked outside.
He did not acknowledge the smudges.
Pebble looked at Mohg. Then at the barrier. Then at the evidence of her own face.
She pressed her nose against the invisible surface again, just in case the barrier needed confirmation.
It did not respond.
The outside continued behaving normally.
A car passed. The confident dog across the street left. The world remained unbothered by the situation inside.
Eventually, Pebble sat down.
The barrier existed, and it collected proof.
Pebble looked at the smudges.
Then at Mohg.
Mohg continued watching the outside.
Pebble sat down, unsettled.
