The three of you sigh in relief as you see what it is that startled you. A cat. A simple, domesticated cat. Appropriately enough, it's an Egyptian Mau, the curious, slender type of cat that is depicted in the pictograms.
Vanessa looks at it fondly.
"It must be a stray," she says, "I wonder if it's friendly?"
Curiously, she reaches out to pet it, only to be greeted by a quick swipe of the paw.
"Ow!" she says, "Guess he's not friendly! That hurt!"
"Oh, let me take a look there," Brian says, moving closer, "Don't be a baby. Four pinpricks isn't a wound. He probably just wanted to warn you that he's not in the mood."
"But there's blood!"
"Yeah, like I said, four pinpricks. You'll be fine in a minute."
The two of you chuckling at her, you move on.