place where Mother had been taken, I imagined. That I tried very hard to block out of my mind, because, again, it hurt to think about it.

The moment I came around the rock, a flock of crows once again flew across from the forest on the the far side and cawed their danger warning that Man was nearby, and then three fierce animals emerged from the trees, barking loudly and running straight towards me, undoubtably reading to strike and kill. This unexpected surprise sent shockwaves through my body, and because I got very scared knowing that I was alone and there was nowhere for me to run or hide, I froze in terror. It was a dumb thing to do and I should have run, but the fear took a hold of me too well and I could not control myself. I knew that I would be done for now.

The dogs got closer and closer, not letting up on speed or barking, and just before they got to me, my father suddenly jumped in front of me and attacked the dogs with everything he had, kicking with his hooves and throwing with his antlers. His size, strength and agility overpowered them and they eventually retreated in defeat. I barely noticed this, though, because I was still frozen in fear - it seemed more like a trance - but I snapped out of it when the Great Prince nudged me and yelled at me to run. My mind refocused and I did just as I was told. We got back into the tree line just before I heard a gunshot ring out, but, again, I was just focusing on getting to safety as soon as possible.

When we got back to a safe area in the forest, the Great Prince berated me for freezing and not running from the danger, adding that the voice that I heard was a trick from Man by means of luring animals in and killing them. Feeling bad about what I had done, I sincerely apologised, but I was also feeling sad because I could have possibly seen Mother once again, but it was not to be. He knew that it was honest because of his wisdom and how he was a very understanding stag, and he was quick to forgive me. He then urged me to come home, to which I obliged. 

When we got back to the den, he waited for me to go in, but I stopped short, still thinking about Mother and how I knew now that she really was never going to come back, as much as I did not want to face that fact. I queried this to my father, and he reluctantly agreed that she was gone. I know that somewhere inside, he was still feeling the pain, but he really was doing his best to stay strong, as you would have to expect from someone so wise. He did tell me that it was best to leave the past behind, but it was as hard for him as it was me. There was a lesson we both had to learn from that, as we were to find out later.

He left to continue his final patrol for the night, and I went back to sleep in the den. I was still feeling bad about cowering in front of my father and being so close to death just moments ago. Being lucky enough to have a second chance at life, I only hoped that I would be able to learn from this. 

That very night, it began to rain for the first time since Fall, and I knew that Winter was about to come to an end with Spring well on it’s way, just as the groundhog predicted.

Little did I or my father know that the flowers were not the only things to begin blossoming that coming Spring.

*

Bonding

The snow had almost completely melted and the first day of Spring had arrived. The flora and green grass had appeared and the waterfalls and rivers were flowing nice and fast after the feeding from freshly evaporated snow. The flowers had not quite bloomed yet but they were not far off. All the animals of the forest, hibernators especially, were looking forward to this time of the year. This was when the forest was at its most beautiful as well as it’s most peaceful.

But it didn't do enough for me on that first day. My father refused to let me come with him and explore the forest amid concerns of my health and safety after that near-death experience. It made me feel bad about myself because I was a prince and perhaps I wasn't yet worthy if I didn't live up to expectation.

The truth is, when Mother was alive, I could be a little more free-spirited and not worry too much about my status as a prince - I just needed to embrace it and go ahead with life as normal. That, however, was when I was younger, and I was fast approaching adolescence when the Great Prince took me in. When he did, his stricter and authoritative methods slowly but surely toned me down from youthful innocence and introduced me to sense of responsibility. If anything, this was the coming-of-age experience.

The point is, I had big hooves to follow if I was going to succeed as a worthy prince.

I was desperate to prove that, and luckily, Thumper - being the great friend that he was - offered to show me how I could be brave by making a ‘brave face’ and intimidate opponents. Flower even displayed his own defence mechanism by releasing his skunk spray upon showing his brave face, much to his own surprise as well as our own! It was an awful smell that I had never sensed before and one that I would not want to again, but Thumper seemed impressed about Flower finding his ‘inner strength’, to which the skunk felt flattered.

As gross as that moment was, it made me realise that greater skill and talent lies within and will only come out when we have the determination to show it. If we are afraid to use it, it will stay put.

So if Flower found his inner strength, why couldn't I?

Well, it actually came out in a different way than expected when Thumper told me to show my brave face with a growl. Instead, I bleated for the first time. I know that this is a common call for deer, but in that particular moment, it wasn't what I had hoped for. Knowing that I needed to work on it, Thumper then suggested that the three of us go out into the forest and practice being brave against certain animals, to which we agreed. 

It was also a chance for us to get some valuable friendly time together, which we had not done since Fall. The rabbit and skunk were always my closest friends, and this is where we began some true bonding.

However, I was not supposed to be out and about as the Great Prince had told me to stay near the den where I was away from danger. If he found out, I am not sure what he would have done, but he probably would have restricted my movements further, thereby limiting my independence.

But at the same time, I was willing to take that risk to prove myself.

We travelled around the forest throughout most of the day, practising our brave faces either on our own or to other animals, some of which confused as to what in God’s name we were up to. Others probably just thought, ‘kids will be kids’, and shrugged it off. We didn't care too much, because we were just enjoying ourselves. The experience was fun as it was educationally practical.

Just on the side, Flower didn't make too brave a face so as to release his spray again, which Thumper and I were relieved about! Well, he couldn't anyway because skunks usually have to wait several days until their spray is plentiful once again to use in defence.

We kept going until we came to a log crossing a small creek, where a grumpy porcupine appeared and told us to keep off his property. He did intimidate us at first, but then I saw my dad close by and decided that this could be the perfect opportunity for me to show him how brave I was, as much as he would get upset at me for being away from the den. So Thumper went to convince him to come while I confronted the porcupine. Though I was a little nervous, I was still very determined.

It turned out to be a bit of a show, really, as after I jumped over him to get across the log, he got enraged and chased me all over until he managed to somehow get airborne and land his long sharp quills right into my backside, causing a sharp pain and sending me off the log and crashing into the water. He had me beat, but then the real worry was hiding from sight of my dad when he eventually appeared. To avoid being seen, I dove underwater, and was only hopeful that I would be able to hold my breath long enough until he disappeared. He eventually did, and when I came up again, I showed my friends what the porcupine had done. Thumper said that it did not look pretty, and he then went to pull the quills out of my behind. It hurt a little more as the rabbit pulled them out one by one. We knew that porcupine quills are hard to get out and hurt every time they get pulled.

In that moment, I was still a little embarrassed at looking a fool and not pulling off what I had hoped for, but Thumper gave me further encouragement by convincing me that no one had gotten that far across the log before. He was saying that I showed courage by not backing down from a challenge, and that this was good progress.

Little did I know that it was about to progress even further in the next moment.

Faline, alerted by my painful calls, soon appeared. She was concerned but I assured her that I was fine. To my displeasure, Ronno showed up shortly afterwards and mocked me for freezing in front of my father out in the meadow. I have no idea how he found out about that, but I imagine things rarely go unnoticed with me in the forest since I am a prince. The crows that sounded the warning that night might have even spread the word. Mind you, the birds in the forest are always sending messages out.

The older fawn was really getting on my nerves at this point. He just had this egotistical and cocky arrogance filled with overconfidence. I don’t know how or why he