One July afternoon, this praying mantis and this cone-headed grasshopper (Acrida ungarica) shared a scene of tense calm among the vegetation. For more than an hour, predator and prey remained completely motionless, facing each other in a balanced tension and absolute stillness. Thanks to that quietude I was able to mount the camera on a tripod, set up two backlighting flashes, and take the necessary time to refine the framing until achieving the most balanced composition. Ultimately, both insects chose not to act and went their separate ways, leaving us a testimony of those fascinating moments of truce and harmony that occur in the insect world.