First Grip

Grrr! My eyes sparked open. One blue, one red. The wooden ground beneath me was smooth and wide. I clamped my jaws down tight on the gleaming gold foil tucked inside my mouth—mine! To be sure, I stomped one stubby foot down. Thud. It moved! I leaned forward, dragging my foil bundle slightly against the wood grain to feel the friction. Solid. Real. I let out a sharp, muffled grunt of victory and stood firmly in place, guarding my shiny treasure.