.

Terra was already getting goosebumps, but then the sparrow hopped up into a sitting position, flapped its wings at her, and then chirped merrily. 

She couldn't understand it - something that had never happened to her before. Other people couldn't understand animals at all, but for some reason, Terra had always been able to. It was odd - but what was even odder was that this particular animal she was not able to decipher. It made her feel a bit uneasy.

"I don't know what you're saying," Terra said to the Sparrow, trying not to show her unease. The sparrow, who seemed to have anticipated this, flapped its wings again and now hopped onto the window sill with a delicate flutter of wings, and then flew off. Terra watched it go, not sure what to do. Usually all Sparrows ever did was beg her for seeds and make petty attempts at conversation - their brains were shallow and Terra had grown used to it over time. Sparrows lived in their world of naivety, refusing to see what was clearly in front of them. 

But this sparrow was different. Somehow, it was aware. 

Terra had to know what was happening, so when another shrill squawk rang out, she donned her boots and dashed down the trail, following the sparrow.

She needed to know. 

Terra followed the sparrow as far as she could - until someone tripped her. She had been looking at the sky, tracking the flight of the bird without looking anywhere else in unbroken concentration, she didn't notice a boot hanging out in front of her leg before she tripped over it. 

Terra let out a yelp as she was thrown towards the ground, but before she could fall, someone grabbed her by the wrist and held her two inches from the ground. Twine snaked around her wrists, tying them together and making her useless before she could react. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw bright, sunny yellow twin buns and smoke-gray hair paired with streaks of red. Two people, standing together. Somehow, somewhere in the back of Terra's mind, they felt familiar, perhaps more than familiar, but she couldn't place it. 

The yellow-haired woman, who was holding her wrist, smiled, while the gray-and-red-haired man looked an odd mixture of angry and uneasy. 

"Well, well, would you look who it is? We were just talking about you."