Birdhemian Rhapsody

Zee's smile remained as her daughter twisted her words, taking the parts she wanted to accept and throwing away the others. Her head shook slowly, almost in a disapproving way if not for her amused expression. "Little dove, it is not your job to protect our chickens nor to chase away the killers. Let your father and I do that, and you can focus on protecting yourself and Indy and Mort and Az, okay?" Perhaps she'd find it easier to listen when it was more direct, but Zee wasn't willing to let the conversation go until she was sure the girl had understood and promised to stop chasing small predators before she was ready for the task. Her whispered confession drew a laugh from the new mother, and she placed a kiss upon her daughter's head. "I'm glad the chicken did not die in vain, and filled a purpose in the end."

As for the egg, it was obvious the child did not appreciate the taste. It was endearing to see her stare up at Zee with pleading eyes, wanting to please her mother by consuming the offered food but desperately waiting for permission to spit it out. "If you don't like it, you don't need to eat it." She told her gently, lifting a paw to brush lightly against the girl's soft cheek. "Just know that I like to eat them, and I will be sad if I wake up and you've eaten all my chickens and I can't have them anymore." Truthfully the egg did taste better when it had been cooked over heat, but without a way to do it conveniently in the den she'd needed to offer it raw. Regardless, Zee enjoyed the snack. It was further confirmation that Asla was her daddy's daughter, a killer carnivore through and through.