Bambi: Conscience in the wild.
Prologue.
"Faster Bambi! Don't look back!"
Her daunting words forced Bambi to pressure his leg muscles as he bounded through the trees of the forest. His heart burned and ached as he cantered with determination. It was hard to run in the wet snow, mostly because it was cold and slippery. The birds began flying now, and the camper came closer. Bambi felt as if he was going to die. He felt his mother was going to die, but he couldn't be sure.
"Hurry, Bambi!"
So much for that. It was a good thing she wasn't dead. The young calf relied on the doe too much, and by far he could possibly die without her.
Gunshot...
Bambi's heart thumped. The screaming and panicking stopped. He could no longer hear the distance hooves of his mother, but only the daunting footsteps of the very hunter he was running from. But surely his mother was alive. She couldn't die and abandon him. She loved him too much.
The young calf sprinted back to the wooded den, congested with leaves, water drops and such. It was still snowing out, snowing harder than ever.
"We made it mother!" Bambi panted excitedly, expecting to see the relieved face of his dear mother as she walked into the den and lay with him. Bambi could wait to be warmed up by her soft, warm and silky brown fur he had come to admire. Perhaps he would one day trade his spots for a beautiful coat like hers? "Mother!" Bambi cooed as he galloped outside.
He constantly yelped for the adult female doe, desperate. After several minutes, the young deer encountered a tall and majestic figure before him. Many strong horns stuck out of its head, it had a hairy and fluffy chest and a wet nose. It looked like a male deer. It was his... his father?
A majestic deer walked past the young calf and his mother. He twitched his ear but remained concentrated on Bambi for a few seconds. Bambi offered a sheepish smile, but the deer did not do anything else. As soon as he went, Bambi turned to his mother.
"Mother? Who is that deer?"
"He is your father," she said softly, licking her son's head.
Memories of his mother made Bambi cry. His neck was twisted with emotion, his eye sockets were bubbling with more salty tears low. He gasped - seeing his father made him think of the happy family they could be. But where was his mother? Was she hiding? Did she abandon her little baby?
"Your mother cannot be with you anymore," said the deer, calm as if he didn't care for his mate. "Come, my son." he invited, leading his son to another rocky den.
Bambi followed, his furry cheeks stained with tears. He had never known his father, and had yet to learn about him. But what choice did he have?
The den seemed better than his old one, but Bambi preferred to stay in familiar territory. The snow continued to fall, unlikely to stop any time soon. The male deer lay in the far end of the den, so the coldness could not reach him. Bambi hesitated to take his place next to the one claimed he was his 'father'. Bambi sat near the entrance, weeping and shivering the frozen snowflakes that fell. He had never seen snow fall this hard. In fact, it was his first time seeing snow.
He remembered his two best friends: Thumper and Flower. He wondered what they were doing? What if they were shot like his mother? What if-
"Bambi," his father called. "Come here." he said, assertively. Bambi quickly stood up and waddled his way over to the deer, afraid of what would happen if he didn't listen to his father. "You know, it's just me and you, now," he stated as he watched Bambi cross his legs. "And, I won't always be here. You will come with me to visit the other males, but when you're alone, you must remain conscientious."
Bambi nodded as if he understood. "I will begin your training tomorrow," his father continued. "You will grow into a fine handsome prince."
At last, Bambi said something. "So... you're gonna teach me to fight?"
"-And stick up for yourself," the deer added, "When I'm gone, you will be in charge of the forest, and I must teach you to patrol."
"What's that? Mother never told me I had to-"
"Bambi, quiet now. Listen to me. You will learn how to patrol by tomorrow," his father interrupted. "Your mother is not here, but I am. I know what's best for my own son."
Bambi nodded, gulping. "C-Can I sleep now? I'm really tired..." Finally, he had the bravery to actually plead to his father.
"Yes, son. You must sleep - as we will wake up early tomorrow."
Happy to get some rest, Bambi lay his head on the soft hay below them, and drifted away into his deep slumber.
Author's Note.
This is my first time attempting to write a Bambi story. I always imagined Bambi's father would be assertive (as seen when Bambi was shot and encouraged to get up by his father). I don't know what to name his father, and because I'm constantly using "Deer", "Male" and "Father", I need to vary a little and you know...
I also imagined he would train Bambi to become a great leader, seeing as though he is assertive, why wouldn't he? It's unlikely that I'll add OCs to this story, but just incase, keep on the lookout.
Chapter 2 coming soon, so stay tuned!
Thanks for reading! Please review x3