A Deliberate Stance

The weight in my spine stirred. My joints yielded. Across the pale carpet, another shape stood frozen. Large. Pale. Too close. I pressed my weight downward, testing the ground beneath my claws. Steady. Between our stances lay a tiny dark fragment. Slowly, I lowered my snout and nudged it. The piece skittered across the fibers. The grey beast did not flinch. Good. This ground is mine.