The trio were currently entering the meadow, it had been a short walk and the three had been silent up until this point. "So, how long have you two been together?" Ronno finally worked up the courage to ask, holding his breath silently as he prayed he had assumed wrong.
"Since we kissed a few years ago, right before you left." Faline replied, she'd relaxed a bit more but her tone was still firm.
Ronno gulped, then nodded. He had known that, secretly, but he'd hoped he could keep denying it until he officially heard it out loud. "Ah right, so you two just, decided to date that day?"
"The day after, actually." Bambi piped up, he stopped and Faline did the same. "We talked it over and we both decided that we liked each other enough." Bambi's chocolate eyes drifted to where the does were grazing. His ear twitched as he felt a shift in the wind, the herd would be prancing soon.
"That's uh, neat." Ronno smiled, he too had felt the change. "Say uh, Bambi..."
"Hm?"
"Would you wanna race? Like ya know the herds gonna be running soon and well, last time we raced it wasn't exactly about having fun..." Ronno bit his cheek, shifting his eyes.
"Sure." Bambi said, a grin tugging at his lips. "Sounds like fun! Let's go."
Ronno let out a breath, and then nodded. Bambi nuzzled Faline goodbye, and the two stags ran off together toward the outer field. Faline smiled and waved after them, finally placing her hoof down she trotted briskly over to where the does were playing. Her ears flicked when she heard a familiar voice calling out to her, and she turned to see a snow white doe standing in a sunlit patch.
"Faline!" The doe called out, and Faline jogged up to her.
"Marie!" Faline greeted, the two nuzzled and smiled brightly at each other, Marie's cyan eyes meeting Faline's sky blue orbs. "How have you been? Is your mother feeling any better?"
Marie licked her lips. "I've been fine, and yes mother is feeling much better! Those herbs you offered worked wonders, just as you said they would!" A few years back Faline had begun studying herbs and remedies, the practice was incredibly rare, but some critters believed eating certain combinations could cure you of all illness- It was mostly the old does who talked about this, but regardless, Faline had proven a couple of times that the 'rumors' were indeed true.
The two sat down in the shade, watching the other does and some younger fawns play and graze in the field beyond.
"How've you and Bambi been? And was that Ronno I saw with you?" Marie questioned, her brow was knit but she remained smiling.
"Well, to be completely honest." Faline sighed. "I like Bambi a whole lot, but I'm afraid our feelings toward each other haven't bloomed yet. It feels the same as it did when we first started dating, just like to kid friends who occasionally hang out."
"Aw, that sucks." Marie looked sympathetic, placing her hoof over Faline's.
"As for your other question, yeah, Ronno's back. Though he seems... Well, nicer, then he was before."
"Well that's good, gosh I remember when that boy first arrived in the forest."
"He'd fight a tree if he thought it looked at him wrong." Faline remarked.
The two looked into each others eyes for a moment, then they both burst out into girlish giggling.