After taking the dive into Wildwood Heart, Gabriel and Ephemer found themselves in the middle of a shady forest, sunlight peeking through the leaves as the sounds of nature could be heard all around them. "This reminds me of the Dwarf Woodlands," Ephemer remarked.
"I can see that, but this place is one that not even Sora has been to," Gabriel said. "Actually, now that I think about it, this might not have been the best world to travel with you to."
"Why's that?" Ephemer asked.
"Well, this world is populated by animals that fear humans, so I don't think they'll be helpful to us if you go up to them as you are now," Gabriel explained. "But, with just a bit of magic, I think we can fix that." The raven stretched his fingers and cast a spell, turning Ephemer from a human into a silver-coated deer. "There we go. Now you'll fit in perfectly."
Ephemer studied his new form, summoning his Keyblade in his mouth before sending it away. "Woah! I know that Sora has changed forms before, but this is a first for me. Why am I a deer, though?"
"Because in this forest, deer are considered the highest of authority, and we'll be needing one particular deer's help to track down the Boss Nightmare," Gabriel said.
"Are you going to change forms as well?" Ephemer asked.
Gabriel shook his head. "No, I can just pass myself off as a nature spirit. Now then, let's go find this Nightmare!"
The two heroes made their way into Wildwood Heart, keeping on the lookout for any signs of Nightmares. While they didn't see any animals, Gabriel would occasionally catch a glimpse of a fleeing tail or the rushing of a bush. It seemed to be fall time in the forest, as the autumn leaves were slowly falling as they crunched underneath the raven's feet. As the trees become more spread out ahead, the two were stopped with a mighty stag suddenly jumped in front of them.
"There they are, Great Prince!" said an owl, landing a nearby branch. "The intruders to the forest Thumper told me about."
"Thank you, Friend Owl. Go back to where Bambi is. I will deal with these intruders," the Great Prince said. Friend Owl flew off, leaving the two heroes to stand off with the deer. "I have never seen a creature like you before. You look like a raven but stand like Man. Explain yourself!"
"I am Gabriel the Dream Keeper, oh Great Prince of the Forest," Gabriel said, giving a bow. Ephemer mimicked the motion. "My friend and I come to your land in order to drive out the Darkness that inhabits it."
"…So you know of the Darkness, then," the Great Prince said, lowering his guard.
Ephemer looked surprised. "You know about the Darkness?"
The Great Prince nodded. "Of course. As the prince of the forest, I protect the animals from it, as my father did before and as my son will do when I am gone. The World Order must be preserved, though, so tell me why outsiders such as yourselves choose to interfere with it?"
"I am here searching for a great darkness, a Boss Nightmare, that is keeping this world in its sleeping state," Gabriel explained. "I'm sure that you've noticed strange occurrences, maybe even animals that are out of place in the forest?"
The Great Prince gave a hum of acknowledgement. "Yes… Though the seasons change, no one seems to be getting older. I thought my senses were playing tricks on me, but perhaps the Darkness has done something to the forest." The stag had a worried look on his face. "Tell me, is Bambi alright?"
"His heart was strong enough to survive and escape when the world fell to Darkness," Gabriel replied. "You're currently in a Sleeping World, Great Prince, and Ephemer and I are here to defeat the Boss Nightmare and wake Wildwood Heart from its slumber."
"Good. Thank you for telling me that my son is safe," the Great Prince said with relief. "But if we are to defeat the Darkness within the forest, would you not need a Keyblade to do so?" Ephemer summoned his Keyblade to show it off. "Ah, then we are all set. If you will, I would like to accompany you in order to defeat this "Boss Nightmare" as you call it."
"Your help will be appreciated, Great Prince," Ephemer nodded. As soon as their alliance was formed, Nightmares suddenly appeared all around them, taking the forms of Yoggy Rams and Electricorns. "Looks like the Nightmares want to make themselves known now!"
Ephemer charged with his Keyblade, while Gabriel summoned Fantasia to fire magic bolts at the Nightmares. The Great Prince used his back legs and horns to kick and throw the Nightmares around. "Take this!" the stag shouted, his horns gaining a green glow that drained the energy out of a Yoggy Ram that was speared by them.
"You have magic!? That's so cool!" Gabriel said.
"Yes. As the prince of the forest, the power of Mother Nature is at my call," Great Prince said, stomping a hoof to the ground and making a burst of flowers cut through an Electricorn.
"You know, your son has some magic of his own. He even helped out Sora, another Keyblade Wielder," Gabriel said.
"Good to know that Bambi will be just as a great a prince as I know he will be," Great Prince smiled.
"Let's finish this battle off, guys!" Ephemer called. He held his Keyblade high, with Gabriel putting a hand on it while the Great Prince took a proud pose next to them. "Trinity Cross!" Ephemer called, the spell summoning an X-shaped blast of light that defeated the shadows. "Good job, everyone. Now that the Nightmares have shown themselves, it means that the Boss Nightmare won't be far behind."
"Nightmares are tricky, though," Gabriel warned. "I've played Dream Drop Distance, and Nightmares like to play more tricks than the Heartless do. Be on guard for what's hiding in the shadows."
"Yes, let us be careful," Great Prince nodded. "Now then, allow me to show you two around the forest. Surely, we will draw the Boss Nightmare out soon enough."
[***]
The Great Prince of the Forest led Gabriel and Ephemer around Wildwood Heart, occasionally fighting back Nightmares as they explored. They climbed a cliffside, crossed rivers, and even stopped by a lake to rest up in the afternoon sun. The stars began to dance above them as night fell, with Gabriel using a Light Glyph he'd learned from Aline to light their path.
"Thank you for the illumination, Dream Keeper. Us deer do not have the best vision at night," Great Prince said.
"You're welcome. I bet that the Boss Nightmare will be out and about at this hour. Most Darkness likes to use the night as a cover for their evil," Gabriel said.
"A shame as well. I love looking at the stars at night, all the worlds out there to explore," Ephemer said.
The trio soon left the forest and entered the vast fields where the deer would graze. Off in the distance Gabriel could see a small light, as well as a trail of smoke rising from it. "The humans really aren't far from here, are they," the raven said. "They must only come out here to hunt."
"Is that really so bad?" Ephemer asked. "I mean, we all have to eat to survive, right?"
"Man doesn't just hunt for food, though. Some hunt purely for the thrill of it," Great Prince said. "They lure us into traps and sent their hounds to do their work for them. While all of us need to eat to live, I've never seen an animal take as much pleasure in it as Man does."
"You're not wrong, but humans have as much capacity for good as they do evil," Gabriel said. The raven paused, holding his light ball up higher as fog rolled in over the field. "That's odd. Where did this fog come from…?"
"Ephemer…" called a voice, making the silver deer's ears perk up. "Ephemer… Where are you…?"
"Skuld?" Ephemer called, following the voice. "Skuld! I can here you! Where are you?"
"Ephemer, wait!" Gabriel called, but his friend quickly disappeared into the fog.
The Great Prince growled. "Man's tricks! They're using their ways to mimic the sounds of the ones we know."
"Just like in the movie…" Gabriel recalled. "I bet the Boss Nightmare is doing this."
"Father!" called a voice.
"Bambi?" Great Prince called back.
"Wait! It might be another trick!" Gabriel warned.
"Father! Help!" the voice called.
"Even if it is a trick, I must make sure Bambi is alright," Great Prince said, dashing into the fog.
Gabriel quickly started looking around, waving his light ball to try and cut through the thick fog. The raven failed to see that behind him appeared a large figure with moose antlers, a large club raised over its head. "Gabriel… There you are…" the Nightmare said in Jasiri's voice, before bringing down their club.
Author's Note
A cliffhanger, in my Dream Keeper story? This is probably the most evil one I've written for this series lol.
Wildwood Heart is in fact the world of "Bambi", with this story taking place during the events of "Bambi 2", which I might say is one of the best direct-to-DVD movies out of the bunch. I like it better that the original Bambi, that's for sure.
Ephemer gets a form change similar to Sora when he visits the Pride Lands, and the Great Prince of the Forest joins as a party member with access to nature-based magic. His nature skills are partially based on the Bambi summon in the original Kingdom Hearts game. The "Trinity Cross" limit is an original attack I came up with for Ephemer.
Next Time: Gabriel and his allies cut through the fog to fight off against the Boss Nightmare!