back scratcher Malusaurus

Stalked past the watering can into deep fence shadows. Pitch black out here. Night cold biting. No crashing now. Claws tired from gravel. Found a dense bundle of thick woody ivy roots twisting into the wooden fence base. Tight natural barricade. Squeezed my heavy torso sideways between the rough fence slats and the knotted root cage. Solid barrier. Pushed hard until the wood creaked dull. Sudden snap—a dry twig dropped from high up in the cedar tree. Froze dead stiff. Tail horizontal, jaw parted wide, eyes tracking the dark overhead branches. Silence answered. No movement. Slumped down, resting my heavy chin across the gnarled ivy bark. Garden flank guarded.