A Careful Shift
The weight of the shell pressed firmly against me. Then, my legs yielded to a sudden impulse. I extended one claw, tapping against the dry grass blade beneath me. Towering just ahead loomed the motionless, reddish crab figure. I remained very still, measuring its silence. When it didn't stir, I took two quiet, steady steps backward toward the solid edge of the stone curb, feeling grounded in the cool night breeze.