A Deliberate Step

Sensors active. The gray fibrous ground yielded beneath my feet. I remained still, observing the pale timber pillar rising beside my right shoulder. Then, an impulse stirred within my frame. I slowly shifted my balance forward, lifting my left boot from the fibers. One deliberate pace. My gauntlet brushed against the smooth grain of the wooden leg, feeling its cool, firm surface. Perimeter steady. Position secured.