One moonlit night, a boy about 13 years of age sat in a tree. He wore a green cloak over a tattered white shirt. He also wore a long khaki pants. The boy's name was Christopher Kratt, but everyone called him Chris. Chris climbed down the tree and walked along the river. The nearly full moon made the river seem like a ribbon of silver on this late spring night. Young Chris walked along the river for some time, until he stopped short.

He spotted a small emerald green stone the size of a potato nestled among the roots of a tree. Chris picked up the stone and held it gently in his callous hands. The youngest Kratt examined it and found it was smooth and flawlessly round. "Chris!" A voice called. The voice belonged to Martin Kratt, Chris's older brother. The two had come to the Spine to hunt, a trade that helped to feed the family. Chris placed the stone in his pouch and then headed back to camp. He entered and saw Martin reading his bow.

The eldest Kratt was wearing clothing similar to Chris, except the cloak he wore was blue. "Chris!" Martin exclaimed when he saw Chris. "You had me worried. You know the Spine is not the place to be running off on your own." He said, unable to hide the relief in his voice. "I'm not afraid of the Spine. It's just a large forest that no one really explored." Chris said. Martin rolled his eyes. "Besides, nothing scares me more the King Zachery." Chris continued. "Shh. You don't know who may be working for the king." Martin warned.

Suddenly, the bushes nearby rattled and the Kratt brothers jumped. The creature in the bushes scampered out and they saw it was a squirrel. The brothers laughed nervously. "It's been two weeks. It's time to go home." Martin explained. The two teens, Martin was 17 after all, mounted thier steeds after packing up camp. Chris's horse was named Stone, while Martin's horse was named Shade. They silently rode thier horses East towards Carvahall.