before they fought

Stiffness cracked away. My jaw moved. A breath rasped through my throat—deep, deliberate. Right across the tile pattern, a smooth white figure stood facing me. Unmoving. A challenge? Perhaps. I dug my left foot into the cool surface, shifted my weight forward, and took a heavy, steady step toward it. It stayed silent. I leaned closer, snout lowered to claim the ground between us.