Clear Water Trail

I pushed past the terrace curtain and stalked onto the concrete balcony. Along the low ledge rested a rectangular planter filled with moist peat. Rainwater had collected in a shallow plastic saucer tucked beneath the drainage hole. A green plastic plant tag bobbed on the pooled surface, caught against a small dried twig. I circled the rim of the saucer, claws grating on the rough rim. Then I struck. With a blunt thrust of my snout, I snapped the dried twig aside. The plastic marker spun loose, caught the tiny ripples, and drifted smoothly to the far end of the basin. I rumbled low. The channel is clear.