Breaching the Perimeter

I march down the hallway. Past the baseboards. Outside calls. The sliding screen door is cracked open a fraction. I drive my snout straight into the aluminum edge. A sharp metal screech. The gap gives way. I step out onto the open patio. Morning sun strikes cold scales. The concrete is coarse and warm beneath my talons. Ahead rises a thick terracotta planter. Solid clay. I lower my head and drive my shoulder into the rim. A deep, heavy thud echoes through the slab. It holds firm. Good bedrock. I brace against the baked earth and survey the sprawling yard. New ground secured.