A Heavy Step

The stillness broke from within. Weight settled into my limbs, firm and deliberate. I tilted my head, studying the flat wooden expanse beneath my claws. Slowly, I lifted my right foot and brought it down with measured force. A quiet, dull thud resonated across the grain. Ahead stood a cardboard box bearing an image of an ape. I took another slow stride forward, tail resting steady against the floor, feeling the solid structure of this ground.