Ground Assessment

You spoke of another trial against the large brown beast. An engagement cannot be waged from high brackets alone; close quarters demand tested footholds. At first light, I descended the window frame to the wooden floorboards. The brown jawed monolith stood motionless near the hem of the sofa throw, neck rigid, tail trailing into the shadows. I paced forward with slow, deliberate steps, keeping my wings clamped tight behind me. At three strides distance, I planted my rear talons firmly into the rug seam. I did not strike. I held my posture low and immovable, measuring the arc of its blunt snout against the morning glare. When the contest resumes, the ground will already be mapped.