Word Count → 335 :: Out of Character text.
Sophie didn't lose interest in the strange carvings until the boughs above her shook, and her eyes traveled farther upward, her front feet returning to the ground almost hesitantly as her ears flattened themselves against her head. Daire had often spoken of the large birds of prey--the Vultures--that he would give them to when he got sick of them, and she'd learned a long time ago to watch the sky. This far up, though, and beneath the trees...she'd foolishly assumed she was safe. Now she scanned the tree's branches, hoping fervently for a songbird or one of those bushy-tailed things that ate nuts.
Instead, a large bird with brown and red feathers and wicked sharp talons hopped out of the tree and landed briefly beside her. Sophie stared in fascinated horror as the bird began making strange noises, taking several stumbling steps back, before it finally spoke, a novation that startled and astonished her. She hesitated briefly, and then began working through possible scenarios.
Now, Sophie wasn't stupid. She'd grown up with Daire, who was about the greatest predator out there and at times could act concerned and innocent, only to turn around screaming and hitting them moments later. This bird was clearly also a predator, which lead her to believe that he ran along the same lines her father did. Sophie took a moment to consider her options; if he was trying to eat her, telling him she had a pack close by would probably deter him. If he was only concerned, and she said that her pack was close by, then he'd be at ease. Of course, she didn't actually have a pack, but her small family could probably consist of enough muscle to work either way.
All of this deduction took about half a minute, and in the end she said, "Sophie pack close! Real close." And nodded as firmly as she could, which resulted for a few moments in her looking like a man-made bobble-head.
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