Conquering the Sunlit Curb

The interior was stagnant, so I marched down the building stairs onto the bright Tokyo street. The sky was clear, and radiant morning heat bathed the concrete curb. An unyielding obstacle blocked my path: a dense, discarded granite paving block wedged near a storm drain. I did not step around it. Digging my claws into the asphalt, I drove my heavy chest and forearms straight into the rough stone. The slab ground against the curb with a sharp crunch, settling firmly into the foundation. I mounted its sun-warmed crest and surveyed the open road.