Whatever Hymn had expected Annubis to answer with, it had not been that, and her honey-brown gaze shifted back to him contemplatively as he addressed her daughter. He was not wrong about the bird, but she also suspected he was making a layered commentary about her own actions, too, and felt a flush steal over her body. He was not wrong that she was just trying to protect her daughter, but he hadn't spoken in any way that made her feel as though he was passing judgement on her. Promise was the only thing in the world that mattered to her, truly. She would gladly sacrifice her own happiness so long as it meant that Promise would have everything she needed in this world.

The girl listened with rapt attention as the silver-coated stallion gave her a warning and a lesson wrapped in one, and when he was finished, her little face scrunched up thoughtfully before she cast another glance up at the tense, worried bird. "Don't worry, momma bird. We don't wanna hurt your babies."

With her soothing explanation given, the girl lowered herself to the ground, but could not yet tear her gaze away from the brilliantly colored bird. She was struggling to wrap her nubile mind around the idea that the bird could be afraid of them when her momma had helped it in the past, which obviously proved that they were "good." The filly stared for a long moment before turning to look at both of them. "But why doesn't she like us? We didn't do anything."

She cast another sorrowful look at the bird before stepping forward to join her mother, brushing the length of her painted side against her dam and drawing comfort from her nearness and warmth. Hymn reflexively reached down to tickle her daughter's hip, her own thoughts swirling. It took her a moment to find the words but she eventually did, her gaze on Annubis, however, rather than her daughter. "Sometimes it's not always easy to trust strangers, especially when they hold the power to hurt you."

Promise frowned, but such ideas were still a little above her maturity level and she turned to nurse instead of answer, her dark tail whisking across her haunches. "But sometimes we have to take chances and trust anyway," the mother continued speaking, her voice dropping in volume but her gaze unwavering from Annubis' face.