Faline

The doe awoke. nearly a month had passed since she had come into season and now she sensed something was terribly amiss. She stepped out from her den, and saw there a buck laying down with his head held in an erect, alert posture. "Good morning, Herla," Faline bleated.

"Good morning, Miss Faline," The buck stood and turned to her. "A good night, I presume?"

"Not really," the doe admited. "I quite had some very odd dreams."

"Really?" Herla had begun to walk, as all the deer were required to stay in the meadow most of the day. Faline nodded. "They say that means..." He hesitated. "Nevermind."

Faline frowned. "Huh?"

"It's not important," the eight-pointer shook his head.

"Yes it is. Tell me!"

"Okay, fine," He sighed. Faline looked a bit pleased. "The old does of the herd say that having dreams that keep you from sleeping well could easily mean you are expecting a fawn. But there's no truth to it."

Faline tensed. "Oh," she tried to sound casual.

In a few minutes, the two came to the meadow, and Clovar and Bankfoot approached quickly. "Have you heard?" Bankfoot immediately barked to them.

"No," Faline frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Nacht wants to have Lihua in his harem," Clovar told her breathlessly. "Trar's saying he'll think about it. Which means no, really, but he won't tell Nacht that."

"I don't blame him," Herla said, shaking his head. "Would you wanna deny Nacht something he wants?"

Faline was shaking. "Lihua? She doesn't get a say?"

"No," Bankfoot said. "Afte-" he choked off as he spun around to see Nacht walking up. He lowered his head, as did Clovar and Herla.

"My dear," he said coldly to greet Faline, who stood there shaking. "How do you feel?"

"...Tired," Faline answered after a few minutes. "But okay..."

"Good." Nacht growled. "I check with all my does after mating, to be sure they are suffering no complications."
"Thoughtful of you," Faline said, sounding anything but sincere. "I'm fine." She turned to walk away.

"One more thing, Faline," Nacht called her back suddenly. She turned toward him. "I want a buck, not a doe. If I get a doe..." He paused, as if to think. "I'll just kill it."

Bambi's Forest

Bambi looked over all the bucks. Clover and Salvia had clearly been busy. All the finest bucks in his herd stood before him, each one looking eager. He paced up and down the line, Birch and Campion at his side. After a deal of persuasion, Campion had agreed to be one of Bambi's captains. He was here now, ready to choose his third.

"Well, Salvia, you've done well," he said as he got to the end of the line. "How many bucks d'you suppose are here? Fifty?"

"Seventy-two, Bambi," the doe told him proudly. "I counted personally."

"Very good," Campion laughed and nodded approvingly. "You take this seriously. Now, who do you think should be this third captain?" Bambi was surprised to hear Campion hit the point immediately.

"Don't you want to wait awhile?" Salvia asked in bewilderment.

"Well, not really," Campion shook his head.

Salvia stood up and walked beside the other three deer. "There's Fleetfoot," she passed a small, very light-boned buck with six points. "He's very quick, and systematic. So he could set up a system to get immergency situations reported immediately." Bambi nodded.

"And here's Oak," Clover bound over. "He comes out of velvet earliest." The buck was dark-coloured and very muscular, but Bambi looked doubtful.

"Let's decide this later," he suggested. "I want to wait and choose on who I feel best fit."

Clover nodded. "So when do we start patrols?" asked Birch.

"Immediately, I guess," Bambi said. "As soon as you all want."

Birch nodded and immediately turned, shouting orders and whatnot to get everyone organized. Bambi didn't listen. He walked off, followed closely by Salvia.

"So you feel like something's seriously wrong," Bambi stated, wanting absolute confirmation.

"Yes." Salvia nodded. "I feel like this is what has to be done."

"Okay." Bambi shook his head. "If you insist."

There was a long pause. Then, Salvia spoke. "You know Bambi, at this point, I'm sure I have a fawn coming."

Bambi turned sharply, a strange feeling arising. He was upset. Upset. And how could he feel that way, when this was the fawn of his best friend, Salvia? She didn't at all seem unhappy with the fact, and Bambi felt extremely guilty. "You do?"
"Yes." She nodded, gazing at the Prince. "And I also know that Birch is the father. However I'm not sure how involved he will be in the fawn's life."
"D'you feel like the fawn will need a father?" Bambi knew well that it wasn't too common for bucks to help raise their fawns, but they would not avoid them, either.

"I'm not sure. If I'm right..." she hesitated. "If something awful really is coming, Bambi, it shall need far more than a father." Bambi nodded.

"I understand." he told the doe. The two walked awhile in silence, and Bambi could only think of the fawn. Birch's fawn. He thought on his feelings for awhile before realizing something: he was jealous.

Faline

"Faline..."

The doe shifted in her sleep. Four days had past since Nacht's threat.

"Faline." The voice came a bit louder this time. She opened her blue eyes.

"Huh...?" She looked up. There stood a buck, eight points.

Herla.

"Faline, come on." He swung his head beckoningly. "We have got to go."

"Where...?" She shook her head and stood, shaking off the sleepy daze. "What do you mean?"

Herla didn't answer, and stepped out of her den. Faline followed to see her other two guards outside, as they should be. There was a grave look to them. "Clovar, Bankfoot? What's going on?"

"You're leaving," Bankfoot said quietly. "We're getting you out."

"How?" Faline gasped, realizing now why Herla had been quiet and urgent.

"I regret to say I'm going to have to attack Bankfoot and Clovar." Herla said slowly. "We've it all planned out. In order to make it look real, I shall have to gore them both. I volunteered to get you out."

"Why!?" Faline shook her head again. "Herla, you're one of the most trusted guards in this herd. Otherwise, why would Nach-"

"I know," he cut her off, sounding melancholy. "And I admit I feel awful about this. My loyalty to Trar is exceeding... You know I've had to kill a buck to stop a rebellion for him." Faline nodded. "But I will not let this happen to you, Faline. You heard Nacht... if you have a doe fawn, she shall be killed. And I won't let that happen. So I'm getting you out."

Faline nodded. "What will we do?" It was a dark night, overcast and cold. It looked as if it would soon rain. She realized now why the bucks had waited several days. They wanted the conditions to be just right. They're brilliant, she marvelled.

"I will attack these two bucks. After that, we shall run immediately. If we want this to work, Bankfoot and Clovar must, must, must get to Nacht or Huckleberry - I regret to say whoever is closer - as soon as they can and tell them we're escaping. If they wait, Nacht will know. They certainly cannot wait for morning. We must run as fast as we can, Faline, and you cannot stop for anything. D'you understand?" Herla spoke quickly.

"Y-yes," Faline bleated.

"Okay." Herla turned to Bankfoot and Clovar. "I'm sorry, my friends," he told them sadly. He immediately attacked them, locking with Clovar and Bankfoot goring him as lightly in the side as he could but still causing a decent enough injury. Throwing off of Clovar's antlers, Herla went after Bankfoot, and this went on for nearly five minutes before Herla turned to Faline, and Clovar and Bankfoot stopped. "Run," he said, and immediately took off. Faline chased him.

----

Bankfoot and Clovar ran. They ran as quick as they could, but both knew their heart was not in it. Eventually, they crossed the meadow and went to the closest Captain.

It was Huckleberry. He laid under a hollowed rockfall, and slept soundly. "Huckleberry!" Clovar yelled urgently. The buck jolted up.

Thank the stars, oh goodness it's Huckleberry, Bankfoot thought. "Faline and Herla have made a break for it," he gasped breathlessly. "We must go after them!"

"Trar needs to know," Huckleberry said, shaking his head. He was clear-minded, and Bankfoot couldn't be happier for his reaction. It was just like Huckleberry: Trar had picked him for his respectful, authority-heeding personality to insure that his other two captains stayed under control. Of course he wanted to seek Trar's direction. The three took off toward the herd overlord's den.

---

Herla and Faline ran. Faline was in a daze and stayed at Herla's shoulder as closely as she could, now driven by fear of the monster buck who had forced her into his harem and a raging instinct to protect her unborn fawn, whether it be male or female: She wanted its father to stay out of it's life so he could not poison her fawn's mind. "Where will we go?" she gasped.

"I..." Herla trailed off.

He doesn't know! Faline suddenly felt like a hunted rabbit. She was terrified. She had nowhere to go: If she stopped, Nacht would catch her. She faced Winter's coming wrath if she wandered to nowhere.

Suddenly, an idea sparked in her mind. A light of kinds from her past.

Bambi.

"Herla," she suddenly spoke more strongly. "Follow me. I know where we shall go."

----

It had started to rain heavily. "Trar! Trar!" The voice was clear and strong, that of Huckleberry. Trar shot up immediately, alerted by his voice. This buck was one who did not bother him on petty matters.

"What's happened?" Trar stood and ran out to meet his captain. He immediately recognized the two gored bucks next to him: Clovar, Bankfoot.

But no Herla.

Where was Herla?
"Herla and Faline have a made a break," Bankfoot told him, trying to sound confident. Trar saw his legs shaking.

"We have to go after them," Clovar urged. But Trar could not quite think straight. Of all the bucks in the forest to defy him! This one, this one - Herla! A buck picked by Nacht - no, Nacht's first choice to guard one of his more treasured does. Herla, of all deer, betrayed him! This buck, who had not only fought for him, asked to fight for him, but had killed for him, put down several attempted rebellions -

Herla had thrown it all away.

"Trar?" Huckleberry awoke him from his angered, almost grieving thoughts. Trar nodded.

"Get Firestorm and Shaed," he snapped. "Those are your two best trackers. If anyone will track in the rain, they will. Huckleberry, you shall go with them. Bankfoot, go get Nacht. Clovar, you shall alert the guards of Lihua what has happened to be sure it will not occur there too." The bucks took off. Trar could not believe this was happening.

Soon, Clovar and Huckleberry returned with their appointed bucks. Nacht spoke first. He did not seem to mind his drenched-through coat. "My doe escaped? How did this happen!?" He sounded enraged.

"Nacht, calm yourself," Trar snarled. The two had become more disagreeable since their quarrels over Lihua. "We shall get her soon enough. I have a plan: Firestorm, Shaed, Huckleberry. You shall find them and bring them back."

 ------

Faline led Herla, who seemed content now to follow her blindly. He had lost a good amount of blood now and it would take him time to recover. Finally, after running an open moor, unprotected from pouring rain for over an hour, trees came into view. "Hold on," Faline gasped to Herla, "We're almost there."

Finally.
Faline and her injured friend were among the trees. She collapsed where she stood, Herla putting his bulk of weight between her in the wind. He was gasping in pain.

Suddenly a buck was standing over them. Faline looked up pleadingly in fear. "Please," she sobbed, "Don't hurt us or turn us out."

"I won't." The voice was unfamiliar. "But come. I must send word to the Prince, then a decision will be made." He led them to a sheltered overhang, hollowed from under the roots of a massive tree. Herla looked content with the warmth and shelter in the cold Autumn rain. The buck ran off.

Faline stayed awake, examining Herla's wounds carefully. She realized that Clovar and Bankfoot had done their job too well: He had a few deep incisions, where somehow, the other two bucks had accidentally gored him deeply and he bled heavily. She sighed and laid her head on her protector's back.

Eventually, the buck returned. "You can stay here," he told her.

"We need someone to stay here with us," Faline begged. "We've escaped from oppression. We're in danger." The buck nodded.

"Very well. I know of a few Sentries who patrol here, so no one shall come through." the buck told her.