What happened to Mr. Hare, or more commonly known as Thumper's father? We hear about him a few times in the movies, but we never once saw him. This is the story of him being there for his family, until the fateful day that man took him from them.

I own nothing. Bambi and all of its characters belong to Disney. Mr. Hare is mentioned in a book made by Disney.

Enjoy the story! Or, as much as you can because this is a sad story.

Mr. Hare had been your average bunny. Grey fur. Tall, pointed ears. Classic pink, twitchy nose. And like most rabbits, he had a family. A loving wife and kids. Five girls and a boy.

Pretty average sounding, right?

But the thing that separated him from the other rabbits was his uncommonly vast wealth of wisdom. He was full of words of wisdom and lessons to teach his family. Every time a problem arose around his family, whether it was his children squabbling or misbehaving or if it was with another forest creature, he always seemed to shed some profound speech or quote to settle the conflict through resolution.

His family adored him. His wife loved having such an intelligent husband and his kids adored him for his fun-loving, yet gentle attitude. And no other child loved him more than his eldest and only son, Thumper.

The two would often spend mornings and occasionally afternoons walking together in the forest. He would often discuss matters with his son and Thumper would take everything his dad had to say to heart. They looked forward to spending time together and cherished the times they had with one another.

Everything had seemed perfect for him and his family.

Till one fateful day changed all of that.

They had all been resting together in their burrow, which at that time was in the meadow. They were blissfully asleep, dreaming without a care in the world while nestled all comfortably in their dreamlands. Thumper and his younger sisters had just barely came out of being toddlers when it happened. It seemed like nothing would happen that day. Even in sleep, Mr. Hare's nose twitched and picked up a scent that broke him out of his sleep and towards the exit of the burrow.

He gently shook his wife awake and told her to wait inside and watch the kids while he investigated outside. Slowly, he moved quietly towards the exit and poked his head out. His hazel eyes searched above the tall grass, till he noticed a tall figure shadowed by the sun standing in front of him.

His body immediately ducked back in and he whispered to his wife to be quiet. His voice was almost inaudible as he explained that the scent coming from the outside was that of gunpowder from the man holding the gun right outside their burrow. It was only a matter of time till man discovered their home and chose to destroy those who lived in it.

He looked into his wife's fear filled eyes before turning to his still slumbering children. They looked so innocent as they rested unaware that their lives would soon end as man took them apart from their barely-lived lives. He saw how young they were and he imagined them growing up and living full lives. In that moment, his mind was made up.

If it meant sacrificing himself for his family, then so be it.

Giving his wife one last look and kiss on the nose, he dashed towards the exit and out, making a swift turn to the side of the man and rushing through the tall grass, away from his home and family. His wife reached out towards him, but stayed inside as she heard the heavy footsteps of man move away from the den. She kept her eyes still had the light coming from the den. Her eyes were still frozen, even after she heard the loud bang of man's destruction. Her children fidgeted in their sleep, but didn't awake.

The hours went by and her focused was still glued as her hope that he would still come hope began slipping more and more.

The sun began to set over the horizon. It's fading light shone in between the tall trees, casting lengthening shadows across the forest floor. The six bunny children finally stirred and woke up. They rubbed their eyes open and saw their mother staring towards the exit of their home. Oblivious to what has happened earlier while they slept, they hopped out of their bed of clover and hay and towards their mother. They began bouncing around her and asking her where daddy was.

Mrs. Hare then broke down into tears and down to the floor sobbing. The kids stopped their antics and crowded around her, asking if she was alright and still asking where their father was. Eventually, dusk turned to night, and though they were too young to understand death, they did understand this.

Their father wasn't coming back.

Time went by and the toddlers turned into playful, young children. The grief had faded and Mrs. Hare still watched over and took care of the family. The five sisters' memories of their father soon faded till they could barely remember him. 'It was for the best' Mrs. Hare thought. Thumper, however, was a different story.

Because of his closeness with his father, Thumper still kept some of his sire's traits, even after his memories of time spent with him began to fade as well. When he got into trouble or forgot his manners, she would ask him to quote what his father said to him about it. He would repeat it without fail or forgetting any of his father's words of wisdom.

As he grew, she could often see his father in him. Same grey fur, same eyes, same ears, same nose. Even the same feet that tapped rapidly in place occasionally. Sometimes she saw so much of his father in him that it made her want to burst into tears. But she held them in. She held them in to be strong for her family.

And yet there were still times when she still wished he was here, to be with his family and to watch them grow up and live the lives he had saved for them because of his devotion to them.

The End.

Sad, I know. I thought I'd give a shot trying to explain why he never made an appearance in any of the movies. Please forgive me for any tears shed or saddened hearts this caused you to have. Please review and thank you for reading. Sincerely, v.t.7