Now I'm back to updating regularly again :D Once a day. I'm not sure if this chapter turned out good or not, and it's rather short again but it was written a year ago, meaning that my writing has improved a little since then. But here it is. Chapter 5.
Chapter 5 – That feeling
The Great Prince still didn't feel Bambi was ready to come with him but he allowed Bambi to walk around the forest as he pleased though he told Bambi not to go too far away from the den and to stay away from the meadow. Bambi still wanted to go with him but the new conditions made him a little happier and the Prince watched his son eagerly run off to meet with his friends.
The day after Bambi's little jump he found him with the rabbit Thumper, his best friend. Bambi was standing on a big rock while the rabbit was standing next to a pinker some feet away.
"Oh I don't know," the fawn told his friend. "Oh come on Bambi, you can do it," the rabbit encouraged him; "you jumped much further yesterday".
Bambi was still hesitant and the little rabbit began to sing a mocking song and that did it for Bambi; his son took a few steps backwards before running off the edge of the rock and launching himself into the air, landing on his legs perfectly far away from the pinker.
"Wow? Did you see that?" Bambi asked Thumper.
"Yeah," the rabbit exclaimed with excitement.
"Again," Bambi ordered, "and put it further away this time".
"Wait till your dad sees this!" Thumper said and Bambi agreed.
The Great Prince chuckled at his son's excitement. Suddenly he heard different chuckles mixed with his own and he turned his head to see Friend Owl.
The owl chuckled. "Good morning sir".
"Good morning owl," he said.
"I just wanted to tell you that our search has set off to a flying start," the owl said.
He nodded, still watching his son practicing his jumps with his friend while the owl babbled something about no fun intended.
"Well," the owl continued, "I have already met with several does who'd make excellent mothers".
He continued watching Bambi as he jumped further and further away from the rock, making excellent progress. There was this feeling again, the frightfully unknown but yet so thrilling feeling.
"Unless you've changed your mind?" Friend Owl said.
"No I haven't," he said coldly. When the owl left he went over to the two kids.
"What exactly are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm practicing my jumps," his son told him proudly.
"Yeah," Thumper agreed, "see?"
"I see," he said before walking past them. He walked up to a hill nearby. He closed his eyes and concentrating on feeling the forest through the hooves on his legs like he used to. He had decided to stay near his son for a while; it was not far away from the meadow so if he sensed any danger he would still be able to run to the deer.
From the sound of it Bambi was no longer practicing his jumps and he was speaking with a low voice so that even he couldn't make out his son's words. He felt a sudden urge to turn back to the fawn and ask him if there was anything wrong, just to make sure his son was all right but he dismissed that thought and continued on with his observation.
Moments later he heard steps approach and he slightly turned his head to see his son standing behind him, looking rather nervous. "Eh, wh-what are you doing?" Bambi stuttered.
Well if that was all his son had to say then he could be almost sure that nothing was wrong with him but that still didn't mean that he was happy to be interrupted.
"Observing," he simply answered.
"Oh," Bambi said, "what's observing?"
"Well it's…" for the first time in a long time the Great Prince of the forest was at loss for words. He did not remember how his own father had explained that to him, perhaps he hadn't; perhaps he just with time learned what that actually meant. But now his son was asking him a question and because he was still new to parenthood he did not yet know how to deal with such situations. He wondered how she would have handled a situation like this.
He sighed. "It's difficult to explain".
Bambi lowered his head. "Oh," he said with disappointment.
The Great Prince looked at his son and then at the horizon, which right now was trees, a little bit of sky and the golden sunlight that decorated it.
His eyes lit up when he got an idea. "You have to look, listen and smell, all at the same time".
His son's face it up and he smiled in excitement. "I can do that," he said. He made his eyes wide, spread his ears and sniffed, taking in the scent in the air.
The Great Prince chuckled. "Try to feel the forest around you," he said, closing his eyes, again focusing on his observations.
There was quiet for a moment before Bambi said, "I don't feel anything".
He didn't answer to that but just focused. "Does, playing on the meadow," he said.
"How do you know?" Bambi asked him curiously.
"I feel it in my hooves," he said. "If there was danger they would thump in the ground and I would run to them".
"Wouldn't you be afraid?" his son asked him in wonder.
"Perhaps," he answered truthfully, "but I'd still run to them. A Prince may be afraid but he cannot let fear prevent him from acting".
"Wow," his son uttered in amazement. "You know everything". The Great Prince chuckled, hearing the admiration in his son's voice. "No, not everything," he answered.
Realizing that he had been standing still long enough he said, "Well, the forest is waiting". He walked past his son but stopped after a few feet. He glanced back at Bambi. Maybe it was time for him to learn about the forest in a new way, he would someday take over his role as the Great Prince and protector of the forest and hence he would eventually have to learn it so why not start now when there was time for it?
"Are you coming?" he asked his son.
The fawn's eyes lit up and he eagerly ran over to him.
The Great Prince chuckled once more. The strange feeling returned, now stronger than before.
How did you like this chapter? Was it good? Bad? Please tell me what you think, I know I have more readers than reviewers so please submit a review and give me your oppinion.