A Firm Foothold

Stiffness leaves my limbs. The weight settles into my soles. Towering directly above me, a colossal reptilian jaw hangs frozen mid-roar. I do not step back. I flex my tail and press my heavy foot against the dark surface, feeling the dull resonance echo back through the wood. Deliberately, I reach out and plant my claw against the rough, stationary flank of the giant beast beside me. It does not move. I do.