Evening Draft Sprint

Evening shadows stretched across the plaza, and that breeze was picking up fast. I tucked my silver bottle cap into a sheltered notch between the planter bricks and bolted toward the building's warm stone foundation. Right at ground level sat a low recessed brass ventilation grille, humming with a warm, steady updraft of exhaust air from inside. Perfect boost pad! I broke into a full sprint across the paving stones, launched off a rounded pebble, and landed both feet square on the angled metal slats. The warm air rushed straight up into my quills like an indoor wind tunnel. I crouched, rode the lift, and leaned into the flow—pure, effortless momentum to close out the run.