DARBY

Bambi

Chapter Two

It was nearly dusk when he heard shouts over the forest. He stood slowly, feeling stiff from being next to the young woman for so long. He looked down at her, nudging her one last time before he left. The great deer lowered his head, but a snap made him alert. His sharp eyes caught a light flickering in the darkness and knew he needed to leave. He nudged her once more. When she didn't move, he turned away and slipped into the darkness, leaving no trace that he had been there.

Only minutes later would his sharp hearing pick up a mournful scream that carried over the forest. Spooked birds flew from their trees. He knew how whomever or whatever had screamed felt; his heart had done the same when he thought Bambi was dead after he found him on the ledge. When another screamed more loudly than the last, he jumped. He closed his eyes, trying to let it slip to the back of his mind. As a prince, his composure needed to be dignified. Weakness was not something he could show before the herd. However, something made him believe that this was not something he would forget, no matter how much he wanted to.

The Great Prince slowly walked through the meadow. Each hoof hit the dirt heavily. The stiffness worsened as he walked. His entire body felt so heavy. Despite his break in composure, he never regretted being with the girl during her final breath; she had been grateful that he stayed, stroking his fur. It would have pained her if he had pulled away, leaving her to die alone in the cold forest covered by the white flakes from the sky.

"Sir!"

He was mildly surprised by the entrance of the owl that landed on the branch above him with a look of worry unhidden.

"Is she all right?" The owl hesitantly asked. The Great Prince could only lower his head. Darby's death affected him greatly.

"Oh, the poor dear." The owl looked pained. Despite her short stay in the forest, the animals enjoyed her silence. She wasn't like other men, nor was her father, the Great Hunter. They enjoyed the beauty of the forest as well as the animals living in it.

The Great Prince sighed, "She is with her family now."

The owl looked unsurprising sad. He couldn't imagine how the family was feeling, not having lost his mate or children, but he could only brush the surface if he were to think how he would feel. It would crush him. He flew off his perch when he noticed the great deer turn to walk to the meadow, keeping up to him but from above casting a worried glance at the Prince. It pained him that the Prince would have to tell Faline that the one who saved her died. He didn't want to imagine the sorrow that would etch over her face. She asked Owl if the man was all right, which had been his reason for finding the Prince.

The moon was in the sky when the Prince and Friend Owl reached the meadow. At the entrance stood two small, tired deer named Bambi and Faline, who was still frightened by her encounter. It was easily seen because of the small shake of her body. The owl would have been surprised if she wasn't frightened. Bambi's face lit up when he saw his father but hesitated when his father bowed his head. Somehow, Bambi knew there was bad news. He turned to Faline who was looking at the leader of the herd with huge, hopeful eyes that made Bambi worried. He almost wished his father would lie to her to save her from heartbreak, but he knew it was unlike his father to do so.

"Faline," the Prince began. "I'm sorry to give you this news."

Faline's eyes widened as the Prince began the tale of Darby's end.

"….She was brave. In the end, it was too much." The Prince finished.

"What about the cat, sir?" The owl spoke up from his perch. Faline and Bambi looked toward the ground unable to do otherwise.

The Great Prince lifted his head to look at the moon, "She fought bravely."

Realization shined upon the owl. He wondered if that meant as he had interpreted it. Looking at the Prince, seeing his eyes shining in the moon and of the pride he felt as he looked at the stars, confirmed his thoughts. The young woman killed the cat. But how was it possible?

With sadness overwhelming her eyes, Faline could only walk toward her mother wanting her comfort. Bambi watched after her, almost tempted to run to her to give her the comfort that she wanted. However, the voice of his father stopped him.

"Bambi, follow me."

Bambi looked back at his father and heeded his words. He followed his father to the doe who cared for him. Before his father left, he nuzzled him offering some comfort of his own seeing how troubled his father was. The Great Prince let out a smile toward his son before nudging him toward the waiting doe with his nose. Bambi laughed lightly before running to the doe's side. As the two of them disappeared into the brush, Bambi looked over his shoulder to look at the sad expression etched on his father's face as he looked up at the stars. Bambi wondered if the girl was up there with his mother.

Once Bambi disappeared from sight, the Prince turned away from the sky as it began to rain almost as if the heavens felt the same sorrow as her family. He closed his eyes unable to forget or push back the mournful scream that startled him as he had walked away from Darby's body. He knew how the man felt. The unfathomable sorrow. It would have made him scream if he were one of them. Bambi was the only thing he had left of his mate and he missed her. He pitied the one who screamed, who howled in her sorrow. They had found their daughter dead and she had been the only one they had left.

"Are you feeling well, sir?"

He looked up to see Owl perched on the branch moving his wings nervously.

"Yes, Friend Owl." The Prince replied holding his composure.

"Oh," the Owl replied moving his wings again nervously. "If I may, sir, you do not seem so."

The Prince drew back slightly before sighed, "I had hoped to get there sooner, that is all."

"To save the girl, sir?"

"Yes. For the Old Hunter. I do not think he would have wanted to see his daughter so soon."

The owl looked down sadly before an idea lit up his eyes. "Have you told Bambi about the Old Hunter?"

The Prince looked at Friend Owl, "Very little."

"Why don't you tell him the whole thing," the Owl suggested.

"Me?" The Prince asked taken back.

"Well, yes. You know the Great Hunter more than any of us." Friend Owl brought up looking happy with his idea. "It'll cheer the boy up, I would think."

"I will think on it." The Prince replied before making his way toward his own resting place for the night, thinking of Friend Owl's idea.

Unbeknownst to the Prince, Bambi dreamt of his mother and the young woman. The same gold leaves of the meadow where his mother always stood atop the hill, but with a new addition, the young woman who saved Faline. She wasn't as he had imagined. Hair dark as night, but eyes the color of the water in the stream.

"So, this is your son."

A voice he would compare to spring. His mother's voice was different. It was warm like the sun and light.

"Mother, is that her?" Bambi whispered to his mother.

To his surprise, she laughed lightly nuzzling her son. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

Bambi looked at his mother in confusion. "She can understand me?"

The young woman kneeled down beside his mother, "Here I can."

Bambi looked horrified, but soon an excited glint appeared in his eye. "Thank you for saving Faline."

Darby's eyes widened before she put a hand on Bambi's head petting. "It was my pleasure. I couldn't let her die."

"Why did you do it?"

The young woman and his mother looked taken back.

"Do what?" The woman asked with a slight tilt of her head.

"Go against the cat. You must have known you would die." Bambi asked.

Darby was startled by how mature his answer was. A minute later, a smile curl over the corners of her lips. "I did. From the start, I knew I was going to die."

"Then why?"

"My father always taught me that all life is precious, but if one such life killed those that couldn't protect themselves, they were nothing more than the dirt we walk on," Darby explained. "To protect those innocent lives is why I joined the military."

Bambi was awed by her words. He knew why his father was affected by Darby so much now. Her sense of bravery and her appearance breathed a great power. She was a great deer in man's form. Bambi sensed dignity in her posture, something that his father spoke much about. He remembered when his father told him 'a prince must display dignity and walk with pride'.

"Bambi, you haven't introduced yourself yet." His mother kindly reminded making Bambi look away from Darby and to his mother.

"Oh," Bambi gasped making Darby smile lightly and his mother laugh. "I'm Bambi."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Bambi." Darby bowed slightly before giving him a happy smile. "My name is Darby."

The sun spread its' light over the forest awakening the Great Prince from his slumber. As he did his rounds, he remembered Friend Owl's suggestion of telling Bambi the story of the Great Hunter. It was a moment that was difficult to think about, but it was also one of the only times he had ever been that close to death. He knew Bambi would love to hear the story, but a cast of doubt whether he would understand filled his mind. Once everything was in order, he headed back to his herd wondering if telling Bambi would do more good or bad.

"Sir!"

He heard a voice say over the calm of the forest. He looked up curious of whom would disturb him on his morning walk.

"My Prince, have you thought over what I said?" Friend Owl asked perching himself on a branch.

"I have," The Prince replied. He looked down at the grassy floor before sighing.

Friend Owl waited patiently for the Prince to decide. It was a huge step that he would take if he told Bambi now. However, it might give him a lesson that he would never forget. It would either horrify him or intrigue him. The Prince did not want his son filled with fear over this, but he understood that he would not be able to change it right away if he were to fear. He sighed before looking up at the Great Owl.

"I will tell him." The Prince spoke as he stepped through the clearing looking for his son.

The Prince did not see the smile that grew on Owl's face upon hearing that the Prince was going to tell Bambi. He knew it was a huge step for the Prince to take since it was already hard for him to speak of the first experience he had with the Great Hunter.

"Bambi."

Bambi and Faline turned around from their playing to see the Great Prince looking down at his son with a twinkle of sadness in his intelligent brown eyes.

"Father, is everything all right?" Bambi immediately asked.

For a few days now, he had been contemplating whether to tell his father about the dreams he has had about mother and Darby. Darby was very frequent in his dreams now. It was strange really. As he gazed at his father's eyes, he knew his father was fighting a battle within himself.

"I would like to speak with you." The Prince spoke looking down at his son.

"Of course, Father," Bambi spoke before looking at Faline to make sure it was all right if he went with his father.

"I will see you later, Bambi," Faline said walking toward her mother further into the field.

The Prince turned around knowing his son would follow him and brought him to the meadow where Darby had her final battle with the cat. He could hear Bambi's steps getting slower behind him and knew he was getting curious. He never took Bambi in this direction until now. The Prince smiled amused by his son's curiosity, but it vanished when he laid his eyes on Hunter's stand.

"This is where she died." The Prince said sadly.

Bambi was quick to look at his father, who looked unsurprising sad as he looked at the ground where the human died. He didn't want Bambi to get any closer to the place, fearing that Bambi would have nightmares due to being so young.

The Great Prince sighed before looking down at his son. "However, this is not why we are here."

Bambi looked at up his father.

"I was a young buck when I met the Great Hunter." The Prince said, beginning the story of how he met the Great Hunter.

The Prince was with his friends when he heard the gunshots. They were loud and pulsed through his body. That was the first he realized what gunshots. He had been a curious buck. It was only when his friends yelled his name and the word 'Hunter' that he realized that there was a camouflaged human sitting up in a tree with a weird, black branch, that was obviously not a branch, pointing right at him. His entire body froze in fear. He could remember how to move. All he could do was stare. His fearful eyes moved away from the weird branch to the man's half covered face. He could see one determined sky-colored eye wide before it narrowed with curiosity. It took several minutes for the prince to wonder why the man had not done anything. When he saw the man move to bring the branch down, he jumped back afraid, fearing what was going to happen. But the hunter only put his gun out of sight and looked into the deer's fearful eyes. The prince ran away with his friends, never seeing the hunter smile with watering eyes. And it wasn't until later that he would realize that the Great Hunter was remembering his daughter who was fighting a war and probably just as afraid as the deer had been. And it was after that day, that the Hunter placed his rifle down forever and watched the deer grow to become the Great Prince of the Forest.