prologue

        "It must be so awful, huh?" Ronno sneered with false sympathy. "You're own father is so ashsamed he gave you away."

        Bambi stopped in his tracks, clenching his jaw. He wanted to kill Ronno right then and there. He knew that wouldn't help. Slowly, he stepped forward and turned, glaring. He was just about to attack Ronno. "Bambi," Mina turned and called. "Come on, I don't want you lost. The sooner we go, the sooner we can be home."

     Reluctantly, Bambi turned back and followed Mina. "Coming," he yelled, catching up to her.

The fawn shifted in his sleep. Bambi wasn't used to this type of a bed; it was soft, but slid around under him. He had lived with Mina for several days now, and it was a little easier. He still missed his dad and his friends. However, his den in a small copse of pine trees under a rockfall was warm and safe; Mina had promised there would be no hunters. Bambi had been thankful for that. At least he ws safe. Standing up, Bambi wandered out and circled round back to the stream which had cut a rocky path down just behind the den.

He leaned down to drink the icy water and spotted some very green, oddly healthy plants in the water. After sniffing them, Bambi realized they could be eaten and nipped a leaf off experimentally. Peppery. Not bad though. He ate some more before returning to drinking. He sighed.The water here, in this hilly area, was much better and colder than at home. At what used to be my home, he corrected mentally.

All the same, Bambi didn't care for the cooler weather and higher place. He was engulfed in his thoughts when all the sudden a loud splash made him jump. Looking up somewhat frantically, he saw a sopping wet fawn in front of him. She had her eyes squeezed shut to keep the water from them, but her water-darkened coat was what caught his attention. Bambi hadn't seen anything quite like this. Her fur was dark but normal-looking, but darker on her hindquarters where she had spots, but that was all. No other spots. It was odd.

Suddenly another fawn burst into laughter and Bambi looked up. Another fawn, a male, was standing nearby on a rise that fell straight down about three or four feet into the stream. He was laughing at the soaking female, who seemed to not care. He then spoke. "My goodness, that was great! You didn't see me coming at all!" He either hadn't seen Bambi or was simply ignoring him.

Slowly, the doe opened her eyes. Bambi jumped again. They were yellow. Not just yellow, but yellow. Bright, unmistakeable yellow. He tried not to stare as she shook herself and looked up at the other buck fawn. "Aye, you got me, alright," she agreed, sounding amused. She didn't care? "Y' got me good. But please, you could've splashed this nice kid here," she added, turning her shocking eyes to Bambi. "I'm sorry if he startled y'. That one, he en't to courteous."

"I... er, I mean, it, um, it's fine, I'm... um." Bambi was completely unprepared under her sudden, straightforward manner of addressing him. "I'm Bambi," he said.

"Name's-" the doe began, only to be cut off. The buck leaped down and looked Bambi up and down.

"Bambi? Isn't that a girl's name?" he questioned. Bambi opened his mouth to talk. "I'm just kidding you. 'Course it isn't."

"Now, if you'll let me talk," The doe interrupted, smirking. "Name's Salvia. Like the flower. Y' know." She, still drenched, slid one leg forward into a deep, extravagant bow. "That brainless muscle there's named Campion. He en't half as bad as he looks. Anyway, I haven't seen you before. Where're y' from?"

Bambi looked away and shrugged. "Oh, east of here. Not too important." Salvia looked slightly distasteful at the remark.

"I see," she said flatly. She turned and began to trot up the edge of the stream rise, but stopped and turned. "Are y' comin', then?" she inquired. Bambi blinked.

"Um, yah," he said slowly, then followed her. Campion glanced at him and smirked.

Eventually the three came to a large, green clearing, not quite as big as a meadow, but large enough that several deer and fawns were hanging around there. Bambi's eyes widened at how well fed they looked.

And how old some looked! "How...?" he began.

"No hunters, Bambi," Campion told him. "Don't forget. Most of the deer here die of sickness at an old age or something."

"Wow," he blinked. "That's amazing."

"oh, you should hear the old ones talk though!" Salvia snorted. "Goodness, how they talk - 'when I was your ge we did this!' 'when we were that young we did what we were told!' 'blah blah blah!' Ugh!" Campion laughed as she changed her voice to a harsh, crackly immitation of an elderly deer. A large buck that had nobby joints shot them a scornful look.  Bambi flinched and lowered his head, glancing at the two other fawns. They ignored the large old buck, and eventually stopped and bounded into the field to introduce Bambi to some friends.

————– • –————

Ronno and Faline

Faline sighed and wandered through the woods, thinking about all that had happened. Recently, a buck had been shot and was dying of the infection. She eventually reached the meadow, and stared out on it. "Are ya going out?" a voiced at her shoulder broke the silence suddenly. Ronno was there, ooking curiously at her.

"Maybe," she replied with all the civility she could muster. She didn't like Ronno. At all. But she dimly hoped that perhaps now that Bambi was gone he wouldn't feel he needed to be a bully. Sefelt rather unsure of the notion, but she held onto it. "Are you?"

"Maybe," Ronno smirked. "That all depends on whether or not I have a good reason to waste energy now that I plan on using when the herd arrives." Faline was surprised at how Ronno was acting, boasting in a less straight-forward manner. They both looked out as the pounding of many hooves vibrated beneath them. The herd had come and  memory of her first time seeing them flashes through Faline's mind. Playing with Bambi. It felt so long ago but only a few seasons. 

Ronno had already gone out to join them, prancing about and glancing over to be sure he had Faline's full attention. She bounded out after him in curiosity, wondering if his bullying had stopped or if he would go off to torment some poor fawn. He didn't seem interested in the idea though. Eventually Faline stopped thinking about it and the two bounded around pleasantly without worry.

Suddenly Ronno stopped short Ina game of chase and one othe the other fawns they had been playing with collided with him. "Woah." Ronno's green eyes grew huge and suddenly, the other buck had the same reaction. 

"What?" Faline follOwed their gaze, and she froze in shocked horror.

nearby, there stood the most frightening buck, his attention on the fight going on nearby.

————– • –————

Bambi

Bambi blinked at the fawns. "I still didn't catch all those names."

"Oh, forget it," Campion sounded frustrated. "Salvia's way too into those healing plants. No way youll memorize 'em."

"Let's try again," Salvia suggested patiently, ignoring the irritated buck. "We'll start one today. We will do another tomorrow. Remember 'Watercress'. You ate some today and it's very healthy. Even green in the winter." 

 Bambi nodded. "alright,@ he replied, making an effort to memorize the name.

"Can we go do something fun now?" Campion asked flatly.

"Sure," Salvia smirked. "Bambi, you ever been in a corn field?"

"No way Salvia," Bambi shook his head, shocked. "Huh-uh. I don't think so. How about we do something man-free?" he looked around for a way out Of the idea. "How about some exploring or something? We could go somewhere new or something, in the deep woods. Away from men." Salvia laughed.

"Have you ever taken a big risk Bambi? Just for fun?" Campion asked. "You will today."