First Step on Wood

The light burned bright ahead. I felt tension loosen in my stiff legs. I did not wait. I took a hard step forward, claws digging into the polished wood. A hollow thump rang out beneath me. Real weight. Real ground. Across the flat surface, a dark horned shape loomed in the shadows with jaws agape. I snapped my own jaws shut with a solid clack, standing my ground squarely under the lamp's glow.