Word Count: 415. Dear God, I'm so sorry.
Grace was too intent on her work to notice the female who darted behind the fire anxiously. Her pencil poised over the paper, she only noticed the disruption when Taj cawed softly and looked around the fire, curiosity shining in his black eyes. The blonde regarded her friend for a moment, wondering whether he had merely seen a critter pass. However, her corvine companion was more intelligent than most gave birds credit for; in their defense, perhaps they had only met pigeons, who were simple creatures, something of savants for their navigational skills, but it still seemed to irritate Taj intensely to be compared to the likes of such. He was bright, learning slowly to speak to her in her own tongue, and able to communicate rather adeptly even so. Time together had cemented their bond, and with it, their ability to understand each other, and foster a type of camaraderie that she had scarcely seen even between canines, let alone cross-species. His body language, head tilted far to one side, told her that there was something worth investigating. So, investigate she would.
She stood slowly, not wanting to startle their surprise guest. This was, of course, pack territory, so it was likely to be a pack member. However, she'd not known many AniWayans to be shy and skittish; rather, most were rather forward and easy to get along with. Her book in her hands, she closed it over the pencil, binding it shut, and slipped it into her coat pocket. She would think of a name later; for now, it had slipped her mind. She slipped around the fire easily, spotting the girl who had escaped behind it, and smiled genially. "Why, hello there, sweetheart. Did we startle you? I suppose a wolf and a bird talking isn't the most usual of sights, now is it?" It didn't even occur to her that the female might be frightened of nearly anything; rather, she was quite suspicious that her unusual partnership was the culprit. She sat down on the log, Taj taking his place atop her head, and offered another smile. "My name is Grace, and my friend here is--" Before she could complete her introducing, the crow offered his own name: "Taj!" She chuckled and nodded emphatically, Taj holding on tightly to avoid being jerked from his spot.. "As he says, he is Taj. We've not been here for too long yet, so we don't know too many folks - and who are you?"