name?

             "Hello." That one word made me gasp. I cleared my throat. "Good day."

              "Why do I feel as if I've seen you before?" She answered her own question. "You saved me. You were that young buck."

            I bashfully stomped the ground. She said, "I am Sheha. And you?"

          "Am....".She looked at me quizzicaly. "No matter."

           "What if I said it matters to me?" She pulled her ears back and gazed into my face.

            We talked until the sun went down.

                I told her my name.

                            Geist.

             When the sun did fade, she was called away by a couple of does, Ena and Mena. As she trotted away she turned her head slightly and waggled her fluffly tail at me. I held my head high.

             The following months gave way to summer, and summer to fall, fall to winter, and back again.

             This repeated again.

             My antlers grew tall and I soon had a fair sized rack of my own. That summer I ran into Gruss. He informed me that he had a doe of his own, about ready to fawn. That put me in the right mind set- I had been restlessly thinking of Sheha. I ran to her.

            When I found her, two stags were locked in battle. She looked frightened. I understood. They were fiersome Elit and Sahoe. I bombed into the fight. Both of them were trapped together- their antlers would not come apart, as one of Elit's tines was naturally twisted. Both collapsed. It wasn't a fair struggle. I won.

            Sheha and I were meant to be. I knew that from that night on.

            I can't explain the way she felt, build her up the way she builds me. Her soft cheeks.... her warm snout. Round eyes. Light hooves. I loved her.

          I thought it was all private.... then I met a very... special friend.

Chapter Five

Twitterwhated?

                      Turns out a strange old owl had been there the whole time. He had returned from his midnight snack and stumbled upon us. He was full of words and puns, not to my amusement. He said that Sheha and I were "Twitterpatingly in love". Yes. Love. Twitter.... twittering.... isn't that what silly birds did?

                     He became my scout. Knowing that my doe was possibly carrying my fawn, I sent Friend Owl to check up on my herd when I traveled to another. We did this that year, to no avail. Gruss' doe had a head-strong young buck, who he named Ronno. I longed for a son of my own, or a daughter, Really, any little fawn would be perfect.

            One day Owl brought back news that would forever change my life. My doe was to have a fawn. I told Owl to find my Sheha, to send her to where we first met. I also instructed Owl not to be there to provide later commentary. She came as I did, brighter and cheerier than ever before. Her eyes were brimming with happiness. "Great Prince." She bowed her head and smiled. I chuckled.

      "Prince, you say?"

      "Yes, for that is what everyone is naming you. Though I always term you as My Prince."

       I took a good look at her. There was life stirring inside her, and it was strong. It was mine. "When is the fawn due to come?"

       "Not soon enough." She nuzzled me as I worriedly looked at her.

        "It's late in the season to be dropping a fawn."

       "No matter, my Prince."

                            One morning I awoke to the excited chirps of birds, all screeching. "The Young Prince is born!" A little rabbit hopped up to me and said, "Great Prince, your son has arrived."

      My son.

                          I ran up to my look out post, a lovely spot where I was invisible to all, but all were visible to me. I gazed down into a thicket filled with excited squeeks. There he was, Bambi.

Chapter Six

A Father's Gaze

         As my fawn grew I would occasionally check up on him- whenever he went to the meadow, I would be there on the outskirts, keeping alert. One day I finally got to see my son up close.

       You may wonder why I hadn't before: It's just our way. The does' raise the children.

       On this one day I saw my fawn playing with a little doe, Faline; Ena's doe. The other princes were bounding around the forest, acheing to run full speed through the meadow. Some started hitting antlers despite the time of year, and they almost trampled my son. So I simply walked onto the field. They all stopped. I walked past the stricken deer. I rarely looked at any one of them, for I am truly a secluded creature. But I could not help myself from looking at my fawn. He grinned at me expectantly. I tilted my ears forward. Sheha smiled at our fawn. I walked away.

      Soon after I heard the cry of the crows. Man.

      I got my Bambi off the meadow in time, just as I had with his mother when we were young. One buck was killed that day, but I had kept my son alive. I knew I should have made sure they all were safe, but my son was priority.

        A day came when I finally met my son. It was the saddest day of my life.

     I'm sure you've heard the story, the raw flesh of it. Spring was slow-coming, and after the sparse winter I feared the deer would be flighty. I was right. I was so sure Sheha would never go onto the meadow, but I doubted a mother's instinct. Her fawn needed food, and there was grass out there. I didn't have a chance to do anything... She took her chances, and she knew.

   I ran toward the gunshot in time to see Sheha. She was laying on the snow-laden ground, panting, crying, wincing in pain and breathing raggedly. "Sheha." My voice caught in my throat.

"Our son... Bambi..." she gasped.

 "Yes. Did he get away?"

She closed her eyes and shook. "Yes...", she hissed. I heard the distant sounds on Man. "Run. Don't let them see you", she said. "They are always after the largest, greatest prince's. That is you, my Prince."

     Her breathing was suddenly coming quick, and she looked into my eyes. "Take care of our little Prince." She raised her head to lick my face. As she looked into my eyes, she suddenly gasped and stared. Her eyes grew heavy but light, and rolled back in her head. I gently lowered her head to the ground. I had to be strong now... I couldn't let my son see me this way.

   The way Bambi called for her to find him, so pitifully. It was the saddest sound my ears have ever heard.

Exeunt

                     I ended up raising my son; Can you believe it? A Prince raising a child? I found it absurd. Yet I loved it. I found more respect for all of the does in the forest. Fawns truly are wild! My son froze like my brother: He lived. He tumbled off a cliff: He lived. There was a forest fire: We lived. He found Faline. Now I roam the forest with my son, and he learns more everyday. He is so much like me.

                  He had two fawns by Faline, both visually polar opposites, the way I thought I was with Bambi. I bet they're more alike than anyone can see....

                   I've grown old now, fawns. Many did doubt that I still roamed the forest in flesh. I do. I always