A Firm Nudge

A sudden pulse rippled through my coiled base. Flex. Push. The white fabric beneath me yielded like shifting dunes. Both shoulder cannons hummed as my core tightened, testing the spring in my frame. Solid ground. Right beside my outstretched arm sat a miniature dark figure, silent and unmoving. I reached out and tapped its shoulder with one firm claw. Click. It held fast, anchored deep within the cotton hollow. A quiet little sentinel. I pulled back slightly, coiled securely against the white crest, and watched the landscape settle.