A Sudden Click

*Tck.* Sight clears. Dark slope above, pale gritty textured ground below. My neck unlocks with a sharp jerk. A thin shadow cuts across the speckled base beneath my claws. *Hssss.* I tilt my snout, tense the back leg, and snap down a foreclaw against the stony rim. *Click!* Vibration shoots up through bone and feather. I am moving. The shadow flinches, but stays still. I crouch low, feathers tight, holding position on the rough earth.