Sun had risen in The Great Forest. Birds were singing. Animals were minding their own business. But it all was shattered by a loud cry of a young fawn.

''DAD, stop!''

''NOT UNTIL YOU LEARN TO OBEY ME!'' Ryan shouted, hitting his son with his strong antlers.

''B-But I c-can't kill an l-living creature!'' Ronno sobbed silently, trying to crawl away from the strong hits of his father.

''FOR YOUR LIVING SAKE, YOU WILL!'' Ryan yelled angrily. He had gotten so angry over the fact that his son hasn't killed the squirrel that had wandered into their den. Any animal that trespassed was an intruder and sent to straight death.

''J-Just stop it!'' Ronno half-yelled through his painful tears. ''Y-You're hurting m-me!''

''DON'T SHOW ANY WEAKNESS TO ME, YOU CUNT!'' Ryan yelled, aiming at his son to take another hit.

''N-No! Stop! I'll obey you!'' Ronno got up to his shaking hooves.

''Good.'' Ryan smirked, then pushed him roughly towards the frightened squirrel. ''Do it.'' Ronno stared in terror at the squirrel. Did his father really expect him to KILL him? ''Well, what are you waiting for? KILL HIM!''

Ronno still stood, not doing anything.

''KILL HIM!'' Ryan yelled, becoming angry. ''Or do you want to have another piece of my mind?''

Ronno froze. ''N-No. I'll do it.''

He turned to the squirrel, and raised his hoof, what made the poor squirrel tremble. Ronno looked at him with an opened eye. ''I'm sorry.'' He spoke half-whispering. And then he closed his eyes and smacked his hooves down hardly on the victim.

He opened his eyes when he heard his father chuckling. He saw that he had, indeed, killed the squirrel. It was lying there, not unconscious, but dead.

''You have done it. I'm proud of you.'' Ryan said, for once pleased that he had gotten what he wanted.

''B-But I k-killed him.'' Ronno began to cry a little bit. He had murdered someone. KILLED someone. Killed a living creature.

''So? You made a right choice. Killing anyone who comes near here will be your strength.''

''BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE A MURDERER!'' Ronno yelled on top of his lungs, pretty angrily.

''DON'T YELL AT ME, CHILD!'' Ryan got angry to see his son acting all-weak again.

He raised his hooves to give him a good hit, but he never got to do it.

''Stop it right now, Ryan!'' Ronno knew that voice. It belonged to Matthew, The Great Prince Of The Forest. He raised his head. Yes, the king was there along with his young son, Bambi, who stared at the happening with pretty fearful eyes.

Without wasting any moment, Ronno got up and ran shakily up to Bambi, hugging him tightly, hoping it would wash his pain away.

Bambi just smiled. He had known Ronno for a few months now. He was nothing like his father. ''It's okay, Ronno.'' He said softly.

''N-No, it's n-not.'' Ronno sobbed. ''I-I killed him!''

''Killed 'who'?'' Bambi asked.

''Him! The s-squirrel!'' Ronno pointed at the dead squirrel lying few feet away from them in the snow. ''U-Under my f-father's order!''

''You didn't kill him personally,'' Bambi said, soothingly. ''So, don't worry. It wasn't basically your fault you had to kill him. Everything in a forest has its season,'' He repeated what his mother had told him that a week ago. ''When one thing falls, another grows. Maybe not what was there before, but something new and wonderful, all the same.''

Ronno shivered, and tried to forget that he had killed someone.

''How dare you treat your son that way!'' Matthew shouted at his younger brother angrily.

''IT'S MY SON! I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT WITH HIM!'' Ryan roared back.

''Making him kill a living creature is how you train your son?! Training him to kill?''

''SHUT UP! I KNOW MY WAYS! HE NEEDS TO LEARN THE IMPORTANCE OF STRENGTH!'' Ryan growled, fire burning in his eyes.

Matthew didn't reply. He just glared deeply at his younger brother, and then at Ronno with his son. ''Come, Ronno.'' He gently said. Ronno got up, and by Bambi's side, went along with the king.

''WHERE ARE YOU GOING WITH MY SON!?'' Ryan growled after them.

''He'll be back before sunset!'' Matthew shouted back, and then lead the two fawns away from the thicket.

Ronno shivered, holding back a tear. He NEVER wanted to go back there.