He stopped after betraying his presence, his adversary went quiet, and he curled back into the depths of a shadow again, awaiting the next move. He was not entirely expecting what happened next. From somewhere, it was hard to see where it came from, an object was thrown.

He hadn't heard the telltale sound of a grenade pin, and it took most of his nerves to keep from leaving his place to escape the potential blast. He curled lower to the ground, his heart pounded out the seconds for a detonation. It was then he noted not a sound from up ahead of his enemy taking cover and he felt the anticipation unwind from his shoulders. This was the worst of stalemates.

He very carefully placed a tree between where he could estimate the general source of what he could only believe was a rock, and himself. He could use the trees to help throw his voice about, better than he could at the moment unaided. It was a skill he was still mastering, but one he had enough command over to feel it was worth using in this situation. He started off with a soft, sibilant, bitter laugh that echoed weirdly around the trees with ease, but only carried as far as he commanded it.