Boot Camp

I set my eyes on a pair of heavy leather winter boots resting in the hallway. Clearly, they thought they were tough just because they had thick rubber treads. I trotted over, squared my stance, and shoved my horn deep beneath a dangling brown lace. With a ferocious yank, I wrenched the knotted loop free, sending plastic aglets slapping against the polished parquet. I wedged my front half straight inside the cavernous leather opening to claim it as my personal fortress, sneering at the other boot. One down, one coward left to conquer.