9. In the passage below, what effect does the exclamation "Feathers!" have on the meaning and tone of the overall passage?
The little fish leaped from the water to show the shine of their scales, but the birds
twittered nervously in the tops of the trees. Feathers! They rose in the air, then
screamed away into the blue of the sky.
A. It emphasizes that birds have feathers.
B. It emphasizes the birds' sudden realization that they have feathers.
C. It emphasizes the fish's excitement that they don't have feathers.
D. It emphasizes the disgust the fish have for feathers.