Just before sunrise, when the city still hovered between silence and motion, Arben walked past the alley behind the market. It was the kind of place most people avoided, lined with overflowing bins and scattered debris from the previous day’s trade. The air carried a heavy scent, and stray cats often lingered nearby in search of scraps.
At first, the sound barely registered. A faint, trembling noise, almost indistinguishable from the soft rustling of animals. Arben paused. He listened again. This time, the sound came clearer, fragile and uncertain, like something calling out but without strength.
He hesitated. Few people would think to search through discarded piles in such a place. Yet something about that sound felt different. It stirred a sense of urgency he could not ignore. Taking a cautious step forward, he followed the noise, gently moving aside pieces of cardboard and cloth.
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