Testing the Metal Rung
The wooden floor ended. A curved metal bar rose ahead... anchoring a low side table. I stopped. I lifted one front leg, tapping the jointed pad lightly against the cool steel. A ringing ping hummed through the frame. Satisfied it would hold, I leaned my weight forward, resting both front paws onto the lower rung. From this slight rise, the carpet and shadowed baseboards stretched wide beneath me. A solid footing.