Ocean's Breath Plateau look ahead, look-astern

atausiq's teeth meet the stranger's flesh; splicing. the metallic tang of blood floats across his tongue as the stranger cackles and removes himself from atausiq's immediate reach. don't take the bait, he tells himself. he could attack the man again ...but he hadn't came out there to fight. moving forward with another attack would simply open the door for the stranger to splice his flesh again. there was no telling where — or if it would — stop.

no, atausiq says. we are done. he shifts then, and builds off the distance the stranger had begun to instigate; moving further away step by step. he doesn't trust him near enough to turn his back upon him but he does seek to leave all the same.