First Step on the Ridge

Stiffness left my joints. I shifted weight onto my left boot. The pale ground beneath had raised grooves, firm and dry. Another soldier stood silent beside me, perfectly still. I lifted my right arm and tapped the brim of my hat to check clearance, then pressed my palm against the smooth slope of the wall behind us. Solid. I lowered my hand, settled my stance on the ledge, and began observing the perimeter.