Atticus was the sort of person who would watch a beast devour someone and do absolutely nothing about it, especially if it would compromise his safety.
He wouldn't feel sad or guilty—he wouldn't feel anything at all. However, he was currently experiencing a lot of emotions as he stared at the mother and daughter pair.
Deep down, Atticus knew exactly why he was feeling this way.
It wasn't because it was a young girl; Atticus had never cared about gender. Instead, it was something different. If not for today, even he wouldn't have expected that he had a soft spot for something like this.
Why was Atticus feeling this way? Simply put, seeing a mother protect and put her child first despite the situation reminded him of his own mother, Anastasia. He couldn't help but feel pity for the woman.