“But that don't make a lick of- cough," the boy cuts himself off to clear his throat, and continues in a more robotic, “That makes no sense. If she was able to fight them off, then she would have. But instead she had to rely on the help of This Here Violent Savior! ...and Master Monkey!"
“Yeah, that sure was a fright!” Cookie admits, wringing her chef hat. “Nothing worse than losing out on a day’s work of gathering ingredients, ahaha... Thanks for rushing in when you did!” She bows in gratitude.
“You’re welcome!" Peppa chirps before going back to eating.
"...you're welcome?" The confused boy can't compute, so he whispers to Peppa, "I don't get it?"
Still eating, Peppa responds telepathically, <span class="mu-i">"She would have lost her stuff in the fighting. Just look at that mess you made back there."</span> Behind her, she can sense a bunch of felled trees, the smoking remnants of bushes, and some sizable divets in the earth where life is absent.
"Whoa!" the boy gasps, pointing a metal finger in shock. "A ventriloquist!"
"Heh!" Peppa snorts. <span class="mu-i">"Then that makes you the dummy!"</span>
"Oi!"
Picking up a remaining bowl, Peppa asks, “So how did you meet my mom?”
Cookie smiles as she polishes a dish, recalling, “Well, that's a good story-"
https://youtu.be/4wS3du72Ti0 The dishes on the cart clatter.
Peppa sniffs at the air. The scent of her meal is still there, so maybe a predator was drawn to it, but there's also a stench. A stench she hasn't smelt since...
Cookie spots something, and gulps. "For another time, ahaha!" She sets to packing up her stuff at a rapid pace.
Peppa doesn't sense any living thing nearby.
A shame that there could be plenty of exceptions.The boy tugs at Peppa's tail, thankfully with his human hand. "Uh, Master Monkey?"
"Ow! Mind my tail, you!" She tenderly pries his hand off, then turns to see the new arrival.