The Limb in the Way
repair and salvage
YY found the lower path blocked by a limb that had definitely not asked permission.
Leaves still bright. Bark still wet. Beetles already acting like they had signed a lease.
"You are in the hallway," YY told the limb.
The limb did not move, which was common among limbs but still inconvenient. YY tried going under it, got a twig in the ear, and backed out with dignity badly dented. Over was better. Over had bark seams. Bark seams had beetles.
That changed the limb from obstacle to buffet.
He worked along the underside, pried food from the wet cracks, and kicked loose a small notch where his paws could grip on future crossings. It was not a full route yet. It was a start, and starts counted when they were made of bark and effort.
By late afternoon, the lower path still had a limb across it. But now it also had a way over, a food source under, and one squirrel who could say he had improved the hallway.
YY turned the fallen limb into a partial route and food source, making the blocked path usable rather than treating it as a dead end.
state
YY worked around the fallen limb, found food in its bark, and made a notch-route over it.