Chapter Two

Faline was glad that the time had come for her to show the children the meadow for the very first time.

“Mother, where are we going today?” Geno asked, bounding up to her. His muscles were knotted tightly together, and he was the strongest out of all his siblings. He was a beauty, but his brother and sister were, too. Gobo had the longest legs, and he could run like the wind. He and his sister were slender and fair, and his mother knew from instinct that he would have antlers just like his father…not to mention that she always made her think fondly of the times she had spent with her own brother, also named Gobo. And Gurri was dainty and prim, but also hyper and talkative. She was so much fun to be around, and it was impossible to be bored when in her company.

Their mother smiled at these thoughts, proud to have had such three fine children. “Today we’re going to a place called the meadow. You’ll meet other deer there.”

“Will other animals be there?” Gurri asked eagerly. She and her brothers had made many good friends already. They loved playing with Mr. Rabbit’s children, especially his daughter, the giddy Flouncy. And they all loved to see Bambi, the only child to be born to Mr. Skunk. He was so shy, but very kind.

“Perhaps they will,” Faline answered honestly. “Now, keep quiet, and we’ll be there soon.”

“Why do we have to be quiet?” Geno wondered, slowing down to walk beside his mother.

“The meadow is not just a place for fun and games,” she murmured. “You must always be weary of danger when you are out in the meadow, especially Man.”

“What’s Man?” Gobo questioned.

“A threat to us all,” she said to him. “He will not hesitate to harm us. So if there is anything wrong to you, turn and head straight back to the forest. Do not wait for me to give you permission to do so. Do you understand?” They nodded. It was rare for their mother to be so serious, and whenever she was, they listened to her every word.

“Look, look over there!” Faline looked up from her meal. Her eyes brightened with recognition.

“Why, that’s little Luria!” She walked over to say hello, her children trudging behind her. She glanced over her shoulder at them and laughed. “Oh, come on. She’ll be good company for you.” They met up with the other fawn soon, and she seemed unfazed at being in the presence of three newcomers.

“Hello!” She laughed, fluttering her eyelashes. Her eyes were big and green, and she seemed just as vivacious as Gurri was. The triplets backed away from her, feeling suddenly shy.

“Oh, go on,” Faline encouraged. “Say hello to her. She won’t bite.” She remembered that her mate, Bambi, behaved like their children were acting when they first met…and she had seen him for the first time on the meadow…

Her children stood there silently, and then Gurri laughed for joy and engaged Luria in a game of tag. Her brothers soon joined in, and they ran to the other side of the meadow, already the best of friends. They paused about a quarter of a mile away from a small pond, and then Gobo cried out in shock.

“What’s wrong with you?” Geno demanded, giving his brother a concerned look. As the oldest, he tended to be protective of his younger brother and sister. At times this behavior was sweet, and at others, it was irritating.

But he soon saw what had startled his brother: there was another deer by the pond, drinking from it. “Who is that?” Geno asked, staring at the new fawn. This was a boy about their age, with dark-colored fur and long ears. Luria saw him and brightened.

“That’s Vino,” she said. “He’s nice! Let’s go say hi!” She ran up to the new fawn eagerly, with the other three following behind, still a little timid about meeting new people. “Hello, Vino!” Luria cried out, and the stranger raised his head up from the water. He grinned when he saw Luria, and he sprinted over to meet her.

“Hello, Luria! Who are they?” He asked, his dark eyes widening with surprise as he took in the triplets.

“That’s Gobo, Geno, and Gurri,” she said happily, introducing him. “This is their first time on the meadow!”

“It’s yours, too,” Vino reminded her impatiently, smiling at the princes and princess.

“But I’ve been here all day,” she pouted, and the triplets laughed along with Vino.

“The fathers will be passing by soon,” Gobo soon said. This was something that he and his siblings had been looking forward to. Flouncy had told them that every so often, the stags went out onto the meadow to be with the fawns and does. She had described them with such exaggerated details that the fawns reached a point where they weren’t sure if the little hare was telling the truth or not. They had to see for themselves.

“I’m going to watch for my father,” Vino announced. “Let’s all go!”

“Yes, but first, show them the Place!” Luria insisted.

“What’s the Place?” Geno asked curiously.

“I’ll show you,” Vino said mysteriously. “Follow me. I only found it this morning.” He glanced around quickly, trying to locate their mothers. Most of the does had gathered by a small field of blossoms and were eating and socializing. None of them would notice if the children disappeared for a moment or two. Vino ducked back into the woods and led his four friends down an unfamiliar path. They didn’t meet a lot of animals during their long walk, except for an occasional squirrel or chipmunk. The air felt thick with suspense, and the triplets felt the temptation to run back to the meadow and the comfort of their mother. But at last, they stepped out of the forest and in front of the Place.

It was a cliff, but you could hardly see it through the crowds of trees that surrounded it. It was small, but at the same time, it was impressive. All five fawns were in awe of it. Gurri and Luria hung back, unable to bring themselves closer to it, but the boys walked ahead and paced around the base of it slowly. After a few moments of this, Gobo grew bored and began to climb the cliff.

“Come back, Gobo!” Geno called, retreating to join his sister and Luria. Vino followed, but Gobo did not join them. He continued to climb.

“This is my side of the mountain!” Gobo declared loudly, his voice echoing throughout the forest. He stood on the edge proudly, imagining himself as an adult. He saw that the other fawns were looking up at him, but they looked shocked at his performance. “What is it?” He called down to them, and then realized that their eyes weren’t on him, but on something behind him. He turned slowly and found that one of the stags was standing behind him. His antlers were long and beautiful to behold, and his coat was a rich, dark brown graced with silver. Gobo backed away from him, feeling just as shocked as his siblings and friends were. Even he had not heard the stag approaching.

“Where are your mothers?” He demanded in a deep, magnificent voice, looking down at the other four.

“The meadow, sir,” Geno answered, his voice quivering. He spoke barely above a whisper, but the stag heard him perfectly and nodded once in acknowledgement.

“I will take you back to them. Do not leave their side until you are able to.” He turned and walked off of the cliff. Gobo followed him, his head bent in shame. It wasn’t long before all five fawns were reunited, and they followed the stag back down the path that they had come from. Some felt disappointed that the Place was not a secret one, but a special area that seemed to belong solely to this particular father.

“Who are you?” Gurri whispered. But she received no answer, for she already knew what the response would be. He was the Great Prince of the Forest, the stag that all of the deer and creatures of the forest gossiped about in reverent tones of voice. The children wondered how everyone would react when the Great Prince led them out onto the meadow. The mothers would certainly be surprised and confused!

They had reached the meadow, but they did not go on. The Great Prince froze, sniffing the air anxiously. His ears fluttered about a few times, and he gazed out onto the meadow cautiously. The children were suddenly aware that everything seemed too quiet on the opposite side of the meadow. Only the birds were calling, and they were screaming for attention. And the air smelled stale and strong, nothing like the forest should have smelled.

“What’s wrong?” Gobo asked, his eyes growing wide with fright. The Great Prince relaxed his muscles, but something was still wrong. He used his antlers to herd the fawns behind a small clump of trees. They laid down there and looked up at him, puzzled by his strange behavior.

“Do not move from this spot,” the Great Prince ordered, avoiding the question. “No matter what you see or hear, do not move from this spot. When you see me running back towards you, take off running, but do not wait for me to catch up.” They nodded their understanding, and the Prince vanished.

Then chaos broke out on the meadow. There were sounds like thunder, and the children thought that they would never hear anything again. But they could see fine, and they saw their neighbors and friends being wounded by some unknown object from far off in the distance, way on the other side of the meadow. Those who weren’t harmed were running