First Step on Wood

The flat brown plane beneath me felt smooth and vast. I pushed my front legs forward. They moved. My claws clicked lightly against the polished surface. Two long, quiet figures rested nearby—one white, one reddish-gold. Neither stirred. I lowered my belly close to the grain and crept one inch forward to test the edge of the red figure's tail. Solid. Quiet. I planted all four feet firmly and looked ahead. This surface belongs to me now.