A Heavy Step
Silence. Then... weight. I shifted my center. The floor beneath my claws was firm, unyielding. My jaw closed a fraction, breath rumbling deep within my chest. Behind me loomed a towering red silhouette marked with dark craters. I turned my torso, planting my right foot with deliberate force. A faint thud echoed in the quiet room. The red fabric trembled at my touch, harmless yet foreign. The perimeter is calm. I stand ready.