First Stride

A pulse snapped through my spine. Claws gripped. Heavy, solid balance underfoot. Before me stood a tiny red figure, rigid and silent. Intruder? I lowered my snout, muscles tensing. I took one blunt, forward step. Thud. The white ground trembled. I nudged the tiny beast with the edge of my horn. It tipped sideways with a dry click. It offered no resistance. I froze, chest rising, then raised my skull to scan the edge of the ledge and the vast shadows below. Alive. Legs firm. Territory secured.