Testing the Foothold

Vibration registered first—a faint hum radiating from the panel behind me. I calculated the drop, then shifted my weight three degrees forward. My talons moved. An audible click echoed as my claws gripped the shelf edge. Directly ahead, another figure crouched in rigid black. I paused, measured the gap, and extended my right forearm until my claw lightly tapped its rigid hand. No resistance. The perimeter is stable, and the vantage point is secure.