Faline

Sighing, the doe lowered her head and drank slow, graceful sips of water from the stream which marked the border of their kingdom. It was cold, clear and well-tasting. Much better than at home. Well, what had been her home until a few weeks ago, she thought.

Faline raised her head and stared at the landscape stretching out before her. She was a good distance away from home, not very far, but she still wouldn’t find the way back. Ronno had led her strange paths going here. Probably to make sure she wouldn’t escape.

Once again, she sighed as memories flooded through her mind. So many things had happened in the past weeks. Bambi’s defeat, her journey to this place alongside Ronno, his fight against the leader of this herd and, of course, his victory over him.
Yes, he had his own herd now, and he had chosen Faline as his beautiful queen. She didn’t have anything to do with making decisions, of course, but no duties, either. Well, aside from bearing Ronno an heir.

And that was what she was frightened of.

He was a strong buck; she wasn’t one to deny that. He had overpowered Bambi, who had the Great Prince’s blood running through his veins. And he had defeated the buck who lead this herd, who wasn’t less impressing than Bambi’s father my any means. True, the buck had been old, but he was still a though one to beat in battle.

Faline had watched with fear in her eyes how the two bucks collided over and over again. And not just that, they had also gored each other and tried to stomp on their opponent to break their rip-cages or legs so they wouldn’t be able to fight on. Their wounds had been deep and the ground had been covered with small puddles of blood.

But eventually, Ronno had won. The old leader was lying on the ground, his body covered all in deep wounds, especially on his throat, chest and sides. He couldn’t move anymore, he didn’t even try. Faline had cried silent tears and had turned her head so she didn’t have to see it happening. Although she had never met that buck before, seeing him being murdered was more than she could stand. And that was when she heard the unbelievable.

“I let you go. Never return, and you may live.”

Faline had thought it had been a joke, but it was real. When she had looked up, Ronno had taken a step back, looking the injured buck straight in the eye, a silent treat burning into his gaze. The old buck had nodded, and with the help of some others, he had stood and limped away.

That moment, Faline’s gaze had met Ronno’s, and the red buck had smiled.

Then he had cleared his throat. “I am your Prince now. My name is Ronno, but you will call me The Great Prince or Sir. And Faline is your Great Princess. Treat her with respect. Come here, Faline.”
She had hesitantly stepped up to her mate, giving the crowd a shy smile. It had all been so overwhelming.
And it still was. Of course, being a queen had its advantages and pleasures. She had the coziest den, could pick the best spots to eat, everyone had to make way for her when she wanted to go through a crowded space. She could even have her own guard if she wanted to.

And it wasn’t as if Ronno did treat her bad. He wasn’t mean to her, he didn’t use any kind of violence, and he actually treated her well.

But she missed her old life, she missed her mother Ena and Gobo, her little brother, and most of all, she missed Bambi. They had been friends all her life, and now, she probably wouldn’t see him ever again. She still held a hope that he would come and rescue her, but how could he find her? He had no clue where she was, not even she herself had.

And there was another thing…

“What are you thinking about, Faline?”

The blue-eyed doe snapped out of her thoughts. She hurriedly turned her head, but relaxed when she recognized the doe approaching her. The gaze of the evergreen eyes, framed by rich lashes and placed in a very pretty face, was comforting Faline immediately. The newly arrived female was skinnier than most does, but by no means less beautiful. Her fur was maroon, and almost black fur ran from her nose over her head, down her neck and back down to the tip of her tail. She made dainty steps in Faline’s direction and smiled at the other doe.

“Oh, hello Shila. Um…nothing of importance…” Faline replied casually and looked away. Shila giggled; a childish sound for a grown-up lady like her.

“Don’t try to trick me. What are you thinking about?”

Faline looked into her honest, trustworthy face. She had a look in her eyes that made everyone want to tell their sorrows to her. She was a picture of innocence. Faline sighed.

“I was just…thinking about my old life. And…I’m afraid.”

“Of what?” Shila tilted her head.

“Well…Ronno said today that he can’t wait to have a heir, a strong buck like him. But what if…if I’m not able to give him one...Will he kill her?” Faline stuttered and lowered her head. She hadn’t even come into season yet, although it was rutting season. The doe was sure it was only a matter of time. And then, she would have to mate with him.

But Shila laughed. “Kill her? Come on, Faline! My brother is a show-off, but he wouldn’t be able to kill a newborn!” The thought really seemed to amuse her, and she couldn’t stop giggling. Faline’s face turned from fear to disbelief and finally to anger.

“Well, he had no problem with almost killing my love, Prince Bambi”, she shouted, stomping with one of her front hooves. Shila stopped in her action, her eyes narrowing. Suddenly, she seemed rather angry with Faline. There was no softness in her eyes anymore.

“You know how these things work, Faline. Ronno is a good buck, and a strong buck at that. If your Prince lost, he didn’t deserve you. And tell me, did Ronno mistreat you in any way?”

Faline made a step backwards, suddenly becoming frightened by the doe. “No, but…”

“There is no but. Ronno admires you, maybe he even loves you, I don’t know. He will care for your fawns, and they will be good ones. Forget your weak prince. This is your love now, and this territory your home.” With that, she stormed off, leaving behind a confused Faline. The blue eyed doe stared after her.

What was up with that doe?

Bambi

“Excuse me?”

Bambi swung his head around, finally without feeling a stinging pain in his wounds. They were almost completely healed; soon, he would only have very few scars left to remind him of losing Faline.

He had given up wanting to find her. Day after day, he had roamed the forest for any sign of her or Ronno, had asked everyone he met, had found a trail and had lost it again. It was as if Faline and Ronno had vanished into thin air.

But now, he focused his attention on the owner of the voice. It was a doe. She was a small, stocky, and had inconspicuous grayish brown fur, except of white markings on her small head which started at her nose, running up to her forehead and framing her chocolate eyes in a soft, slightly heart-shaped curve. She was kinda pretty, but there was nothing particularly special about this doe. But Bambi was polite nonetheless.

“Yes, can I help you in any way?”

The doe smiled shyly. “Yes, I would be glad if you did. Can you tell me where I find the Great Prince?” she asked with a calm, soft voice.

Bambi chuckled. “Of course I can. I suppose I know where my father ought to be now.”

The doe’s eyes grew wide. She blushed. “…Father? Then you have to Prince Bambi! Please, I beg for your forgiveness!” It wasn’t obvious if she was serious or not, but she really hurried to dip her head and look submissive. Bambi laughed; he wasn’t used to being treated this way.

“No need for that. You can call me Bambi. What’s your name?” He started walking towards the meadow, where the Great Prince usually was around this time of the day, motioning for the doe to follow him.

“Primel,” the doe answered and ran up to the buck’s side. Bambi smiled.

“That’s a nice name. What do you want from my father, Primel?” The prince gave her an interested look, meeting Primel’s glance.

“Thanks. Well, I didn’t arrive here all alone. She paused. “Our forest was destroyed bit by bit by those terrible humans. It was not safe anymore. So a few of us decided to go away and search a new homeland. We are about one and a half dozen and we want to ask permission to stay here.” She seemed to be sad. Bambi supposed she had suffered losses.

The young prince looked thoughtful for a long moment. He didn’t see why his father would object this plea. But then he considered that there were possibly strong bucks in the herd, and that was exactly the type of buck the Great Prince didn’t like at all.

But he smiled. “I don’t think that father will deny you that permission. If he disagrees, I will do anything I can to change his mind.”

Primel beamed, making Bambi notice how beautiful her eyes participated in that smile. He could tell that she was one of those deer whose smiles really reached their eyes and made them gleam. “Really? Thank you!” she cheered and Bambi felt how her joy swept over to him, making him smile without noticing it.

While they were searching for the Great Prince, the two young deer talked, telling each other about their homes and so on. Bambi learned that Primel’s brother was the leader of the band she was traveling in.