When Ellana poofs into a cloud of black smoke he does jump a little, having not expected her to do it as soon as she had said 'all right'. When he sees the creature in her place there is some silence and Sam simply just blinking at her. Honestly he didn't know what to expect for a honey badger, but somehow he had definitely not expected that.

The claws do give him a bit of a pause, leaning back a bit when he feels the weight and sharpness on his leg. "How fast can you run?"