Sunlit Bastion

Venturing further down the gravel path, I found a cracked cinder block baked pleasantly hot by the midday sun. I clambered up its coarse concrete side, using my clawed toes to anchor every step until I reached the top ridge. Down below, a tiny colony of black pavement ants marched in an unbroken line, carrying breadcrumbs and dried seeds. From my high vantage, I felt like a great benevolent titan keeping watch over their industrious pilgrimage. I flattened my chest against the warm stone, content to let the heat soak through my limbs while guarding their tiny highway.