The pirate's eyes widen at Byron's words, before his face creases into a wide smile. I don't know, Uncle Barty. You've said a lot of bad words. I might tell dad. It depends what you wanna give us for our silence. A booming laugh escapes from him and his eyes twinkle with approval as he looks down upon the youngster. "Driving a hard bargain even at your age, I like it! Now I know why you were named after me." He gives the colt a hearty wink. Bartholomeo had lives his life on the addage there's no such thing as getting something for nothing, a saying that can initially seem selfish and avaricious but which insures a man always has a long list of favours he can call in. "I'm yours to command Captain Byron, Lady Maude - anything in return for your silence." Another wink and an exaggerated, sweeping bow downwards until his antlers scrape the dirt, offering his metaphorical sword to the bolshy young lad and dame.

There's potential there, the stallion is even more sure of that now. That's the kind of cheeky thing that Jack would have tried to pull, reflecting the pirate blood in his system.

What’s an arse? asks little Maude, just to further the stag's embarrassment. He unfurls himself from his bow and tries to adopt a stern expression, but it fails in the face of such adorable foal-age. "Never you mind, young lady!" he says with a great guffaw, silently praying to all the Gods in the sky that the girl miraculously forgets what she's learned before she blabs it to Tilney.

Despite the amusement of the situation, Bartholomeo's mind is strictly on business as he leads the foals through the forest. His ears pivot from side to side, hunting for the sounds of predators that may threaten his little trail of ducklings - woe betide them if they try! In the corner of his consciousness he can hear the conversation that the children are conducting, discussing their friends and their lives. It's heart-warming to witness, and the stag's heart swells with sheer adoration for these miniature miracles of life. He only prays Tilney does not take for granted the fact he has not one but three gorgeous offspring, as healthy and playful as a man could possibly desire, because his brother does not know how lucky he is.

Refusing to allow the melancholy to creep into him, the bay brute turns to the children once they're deep inside the forest. Judging by the prints and other signs of damaged foliage, he's willing to guess that there's a lot of animals here, and that means bones. "Keep an eye out, you two....aha!" The exclamation comes as he sees a glint of white in the distance, and quickly hurries his stride towards it. It's a femur, half-buried at the base of a tree, and the stallion uncovers it with a few deft movements of his hoof. "Here we go. There's bound to be more around here, as well....shall we search? Don't stray too far away from me, though." Despite the overall jolly tone of his voice, there's an edge to his final sentence - no cruel fate will befall these two on his watch, and their safety is paramount.