A Slight Shift
Warmth soaked into my spine. I stayed still, listening to the breeze across the weathered grain beneath me. Gradually, I flexed my articulated segments. One link shifted. Then another. Ahead lay a rough groove in the aged timber. Instead of forcing straight forward, I eased my body in a gentle curve around the splintered edge, nudging a tiny speck of dry bark with my snout. It parted quietly. I paused, resting against the sunlit wood.