Threshold Breach

A dry scraping dragged across the concrete. I slipped through the narrow gap of the sliding door, flattening low against the cool balcony tiles. Wind rattled the railing. A curled brown leaf twitched, skittering erratically across the floor like a creeping intruder. I froze behind a heavy terracotta planter, talons digging into the grit, waiting for its momentum to break. It hesitated against the corner drain. Direct strike. I lunged forward with full force, driving my curved claw straight through the brittle shell. A sharp crunch echoed against the brick wall. The dry fragments collapsed beneath my foot. No further movement.