The black bird Gravious made to settle on her shoulder; she shooed it off and it landed flapping uproariously on the edge of the opened trap door. 'My tree!' it screamed, hopping from leg to leg. 'My tree! They've - I - my - it's gone!' 'Too bad,' she said. The sound of another great tumble of falling rock split the skies. 'Stay wherever it puts me,' she told the bird. 'If it'll let you. Now get out of my way.' 'But my food for the winter! It's gone!' 'Winter has gone, you stupid bird,' she told it.
In this passage from "Excession," the black bird named Gravious is distressed because its tree has been destroyed, and it expresses its anger and frustration. It hops around, lamenting the loss of its home and the food it had stored for the winter. The bird's emotional outburst highlights its desperation, pleading for the return of what it has lost.
The protagonist responds dismissively to the bird's plight, indicating a lack of concern for its situation. She tells the bird that winter is over and urges it to move aside. This exchange emphasizes a contrast between the bird's emotional turmoil and the character's cold practicality, illustrating themes of loss and indifference.
