him.
He then blushed and laughed in a shy manner. I could see that he was quite a bashful character but also very sweet. He then took a likening to me and decided to take Flower as his own name. Why he did so remains a mystery considering he is a skunk and these animals are supposed to smell bad with the spray that they release, but when I think about it now, he is a very kind-hearted individual and his shyness just makes him so loveable; so spiritually speaking, inside he is as beautiful as the flower and it symbolises his large and open heart. I believe that there is always a deeper meaning with names and symbols and it is important to look at that before anyone jumps to conclusions.
I continued to hang around with Thumper for the rest of the day as he further educated me about the living species in the forest as well as the forest itself, until the evening when the weather changed for what I thought at the time was a fearful event, and we knew that it was not safe to stay out in the open, so we headed home to the undercover where we would be safe from the danger of the electrical white strikes. I always felt less afraid when I was around Mother, so the anxiety never lasted long. Even when my first experience witnessing extreme weather with thunder and heavy rain came, as much as I was a little terrified, Mother was there to comfort me and she assured me that we would be completely safe as long as we remained covered. Sure enough, the weather did not last long that night and it cleared very soon, so I was relieved.
Mother mentioned to me after that event that this is all a part of nature and the health of the forest as well as its inhabitants would be non-existent without it, so we should be glad of it. I knew that made sense, so I took her word for it and never worried about rain or thunder since.
After those first few days of my life, I learned a lot about the forest and got to know most the animals better than before, so I made so many friends. It might have been the fact that I was the Young Prince, but several of the animals, including Thumper and Mother, assured me that it was more than that: I was very genuine. Well, I only aim to please, so I guess that I did alright on first impression. I never liked to pride myself on the popularity, but it is still nice to be the most popular kid in school.
*
The Meadow/Great Prince
During that late summer (the same season I was born) Mother was about to take me on yet another new experience. This would not come too soon, though, as it would have to wait until I was a little older and therefore learned enough to be careful and self-aware, because there would be risks involved in this destination. Mother knew that I was very disciplined and so she decided that it would be safe for me to visit this place, as long as she was with me. I also gave an inkling to her that there would be others like us in the meadow if we were venturing there, and I think she agreed.
Eventually, we came to an open plain field within the heart of the forest that seemed to stretch over quite a distance. I knew immediately that this was the meadow and, because I wanted to just get out there and enjoy the experience, my excitement and adrenaline got the better of me before I had the wisdom to wait for my Mother's instruction. Subsequently, she ran in and blocked my path before I could cross into the open territory. She then warned me of the potential danger within the meadow:
"You must never rush out into the meadow. There might be danger. Out there we are unprotected. The meadow is wide and open, and there are no trees or bushes to hide us with. So we have to be very careful. I'll go out first, and if it's safe, I'll call you."
So I obliged and hid near a bush at the edge of the forest line as Mother walked out slowly to inspect the open grassland. While she was doing so, I thought about what she had just warned me about and wondered whether it would be wiser not to venture there at all because of the danger. But she did mention to me before that it was a very wonderful place and that it was important for me to visit because it would give me the opportunity to meet and make some new friends and play around with them. She also mentioned that play is supposed to be a healthy part of a young deer's development, and so the meadow experience would be perfect for that. Therefore I trusted her.
After a couple of moments of careful and thorough observation, Mother turned around and called me to come along and join her as she declared that it was safe. We then ran and bound along the meadow for a little bit before I went to run off on my own in search of friends and intriguing sights. She knew that I was disciplined and responsible enough, and so was more than happy to let me go alone before she would eventually need me to come back.
Being able to run long distances for the first time in my life felt so good physically and mentally in the sense that, along with the fitness training, it also gave me a sense of freedom. The sight of the meadow I found especially beautiful as it really gave me a feel of nature and how lucky it felt to be living in this wonderful place.
On my travels through the meadow, I found Thumper and his family feasting on clover plants and they encouraged me to join in with them, which I did. But Thumper noticed me just eating the green leaves instead of his preference of blossoms and so he wanted me to do that, again against his mother's wishes as she reminded him to cite his father's wisdom on the healthy value of greens. He did so, but told me quietly in his words that it never tasted nice. I just thought to myself, Here he goes again! Thumper being fussy. It is always the way. Well, he never really got this way when he was not around his family because he could just be a little more free to do what he wanted. As I said earlier, he just wanted to get out of that family zone and be his own individual.
So after seeing them, I went over to a nearby pond and got a first view of my reflection. Shortly afterwards, a second reflection would appear, and when I looked up to see where it came from, I caught sight of a female fawn. She seemed pretty cheerful and very keen to play, but I was honestly not sure what to say or do as this was the first time that I had met another fawn and I was a little bit shy. I showed this as she chased after me until I got back to Mother, where the other fawn's mother was also situated. I was told that her name was Faline, and Mother encouraged me to show a little nerve and play with her, which I tried to do, but she ended up getting the better of me with constant niggling. That would not last long, though, as that really took the bashfulness away and got me chasing after her in a return playful manner. During this time, we enjoyed each other's company and became friends.
As we were playing, we noticed the sound of pounding hooves. When we looked up, we spotted a heard of stags entering the meadow. They were either running together in packs or sparring in pairs of two in friendly competition, and there were so many of them that I swear it could have been the whole population of the forest in the one place at this time. This was the first time that I had actually seen full grown male deer, and the sight of their actions in the meadow looked quite remarkable and awe-inspiring that I was very tempted to go along with it as I thought that this is what us thin-legged animals do. But through the running and frolicking, I unwisely got right in their running path and had to find shelter amongst the rocks to avoid being trampled. Duty of care was something that I was still not quite gifted with at the time, so I knew that I had to learn more. Still, to see the sight of running stags was a thing of beauty.
Eventually, they all stopped running and gathered together in one place in the meadow, standing still and focusing their eyes on something up ahead. Intrigued as I was, I entered the crowd of stags and looked in the same direction where they were staring to find out what it was about. That was when I saw probably the most iconic animal figure in the forest for the first time, and little did I know how much closer in another sense I actually was to him until later on.
He was standing at the edge of the forest and watching the whole heard. I noticed his antlers were much larger and longer than any of the other stags and was easily larger in body size. I could tell in some way that he was different from the rest, but I really could not tell if it was more than just his physical appearance in that sense.
He began walking in a sort of regal style towards the herd, and they kept their eyes focused on him as he did so whilst remaining still. I did the same, and then in an unexpected moment, he came close to where I was and then stopped to look at me. Surprised and awed at his presence, I let out a smile of impression, and he just remained staring at me and let out small smile in return before turning his head away and moving on. Right after he left, Mother joined my side, and I was eager to know about who I had just come face to face with.
"Why was everyone still when he came out on the meadow?" I asked.
"Everyone respects him." Mother replied. "For of all the deer in the forest, not one has lived half as long. He is very brave and very wise. That is why he is known as the Great Prince of the Forest."
"So does that mean he is the leader of the forest?"
"Yes. He is the leader of all the animals. He patrols all areas of the forest to watch for signs of danger and ensure that all is
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