The herd was awakened before the sun began to rise. All the horses stared in confusion at their sleepy neighbors, wondering what could possibly be wrong. It was the first time since anyone could remember that they weren't awoken peacefully.

It had been Rayo who brought the dreadful news from the forest: Fire had returned to eat up their home. It was the first time the horses had ever heard of the fire so close that Rayo could see it from his highest perch. Before, they had only heard of rumours and stories about fires from tiny squirrels, who were rarely believed.

Rain and Spirit, of course, had had plenty of experience with terrible fires and the destruction it caused. To Man it was only material damage, but to animals it was Death itself.

The three leaders gathered the panicking herd together, and headed straight for where Rayo indicated was safest-the stream, where the herd always went for a drink of water, a bath, and to communicate with the buffalo. This third thing was introduced by Spirit, who was inspired early in his life as a foal, when he had come face to face with the leader. They weren't nearly as close as with Rayo, but nonetheless they met and talked about the surrounding land every once in a while.

His name was Thunder, and for good reason-he was tough in spirit and body, strong, and smart-not to mention bigger than the average buffalo. Spirit thought he was one of the bravest animals of the land. This morning, however, he thought he saw a flash of fear in the old buffalo's eyes. When Thunder saw Spirit, he quickly made his way over.

"You would be wise to prepare for the worst." He said in his lowest voice, so low Spirit could scarcely understand him.

"It hasn't reached the grass though, right?" Spirit glanced nervously at the surrounding grasslands.

Thunder didn't answer as he turned away to settle down his own herd. Spirit walked with a heavy heart back to his herd, who watched him with scared eyes, as if he could charge the flames and force them far away from the surrounding forest.

Gurri and Geno were playing in the Meadow when they heard of the fire. Well, more like heard the fire itself-it had started in a little clearing Man liked to use for camping. Then it just grew bigger and bigger, until it was completely out of control.

Just as Geno was taking a bite of grass, a giant swarm of all the animals he could think of crashed into the Meadow. A few seconds later, the flames themselves could be seen flickering in the shadow of the trees.

All the deer, birds, and other animals playing or eating near Geno cried out and ran. Geno was completely frozen by fear. The flames crackled closer, and he still could not move, too afraid to look away. Gurri immediately noticed her brother wasn't with her, and ran back just in time to save him.

She turned his head away from the flames and yelled a jumble of words at him to get his attention. With his eyes no longer on the lights growing bigger and brighter, he could finally bring himself to move.

They ran alongside all the other terrified deer, rabbits, squirrels, and any other forest animal you could think of. The only thing missing from this horrific scene was Man. Gurri seemed to be the only one worried about him suddenly showing up, as all the other animals ran towards the pond, blinded by fear.

Suddenly, a great brown shape obstructed the path. It appeared to have two tall branches stuck on top of its head. Everyone froze to stare at it. It was the Great Prince.

"We will have to make our way to the stream, away from the pond." He said in his deep yet gentle voice.

"You're crazy; it's on the other side of the forest! By the time we get there, half of us will be part of the fire!" A squeaky voice retorted.

Bambi's eyes flashed. Half the crowd gasped; no one could remember ever seeing the Prince tense.

"Then we'll have to take that chance." This time, his voice sounded more demanding. Gurri and Geno didn't hesitate. As the Prince followed them to the stream, which was located at the very edge of the forest, the others started to fall into a line. If nothing else, it was a relief to walk or jog at a normal pace.

As they shuffled along, Gurri couldn't help but wonder why Bambi was taking them away from the pond. It has always been safe before. Man couldn't have taken it over, right? But she couldn't possibly ask the Prince, especially at a time like this.

Unlike what the squirrel had predicted, they came nowhere near a fire. Everyone let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the stream. Animals of all forest types plus a few Grasslanders jumped into the water and collected in a big group around it. Hardly anyone spoke. There were a few whimpers and a whisper or two, but mostly everyone stayed silent, gazing around the surrounding area with wide eyes.

Gurri and Geno, of course, were especially scared, but felt better standing near Bambi. They were also happy to glimpse Geist and her herd farther down the stream, next to a large group of giant, fat deer with tiny horns. Were these the buffalo Geist was talking about?

Geist saw them and snuck her way over to them. She gave them a timid smile in hopes of making them braver and more cheerful in the face of Fire. Bambi watched her closely but didn't say anything to her.

Just as Geist was going to greet Gurri and Geno, a bunch of ducks burst from the trees with shrieks of horror. Everyone except Bambi jumped out of their skin at the sound of two gunshots.