Well hello! Here is a new chapter of The Forest's Princess-fanfiction. I got a little inspiration for this from Detective Conan-series, and the Jack et la mécanique du cœur-movie, which I don't own the rights to.
Clarice was practicing her kicks on a fallen tree trunk near her father's den, then saw the newly arrived Friend owl:
"Morning, Friend owl".
"Morning, Clarice", Friend owl said.
"Friend owl, remember when we talked about how you can't say that word that you want to say so badly, but you don't have enough courage to say that word?" Clarice asked.
"Of course I remember. I believe everyone has been in a situation like that at some point. Like you, I have been in a situation like that", Friend owl said. "When I tried really hard, I was finally able to say that word".
"Thank you. Friend owl, could you tell me what the day I was born was like?" Clarice asked.
The sun had already risen, and the snow had recently begun to melt.
"I remember sleeping for a few minutes after returning to my home after the night flight, and then I saw all the birds, and other animals of the forest rushing in one direction, and I asked what was going on", Friend owl said after thinking about it for a while:
(Flashback)
"What is happening here?!" Friend owl asked after walking out of his home, curiously looking at the animals rushing in one direction after being woken up by Thumber's scream.
Thumper said that a new princess had been born, and his sisters said that they were going to see the new princess, saying:
"Come on, hurry up."
I was surprised at what I heard, and I flew to sit on the branch of a bush which was near your mother, and when I saw you I said to your mother this:
"You should be congratulated".
The other animals congratulated your mother, and she had said a lot of praise. And said come wake up we have company. He said it with love, and with care.
(End of the flashback)
"I see. How did my father find out I was born?" Clarice asked.
"I don't know exactly, but when I left your mother's cave, I saw your father standing on a rock near your mother's cave, looking at your mother, and at you with pride. Ask your father about that at some point", Friend owl said.
"Good. What was the day my father was born like. I guess you were a owl's baby back then, right?" Clarice asked.
Friend owl thought for a moment:
"Your guess was right. I had just woken up that night, and I was going to fly with my father, but then we saw the animals running in one direction. I asked what happened, and the squirrel said that a new prince was born, and it happened in Amara's cave. We went to see the incident, and we saw your father sleeping next to your grandmother. Amara woke up your father and then looked at us shyly. He was soon asleep again leaving Amara's cave, I asked what name Amara was going to give your father, and your grandmother said Gallant. I said it's a good name, and when I left Amara's cave, I saw your grandfather Julius standing on a rock, and looking at your grandmother, and your father proudly".
"I see. Besides, it's a little hard for me to imagine my father's fawn-time", Clarice said.
"I see", Friend owl said.
"Friend owl, what do you think of a fawn named Ronno?" Clarice asked.
"Why did you ask?" Friend owl asked.
"Ronno seemed arrogant to me when I met Ronno recently. I hate arrogance, because arrogant people smile annoyingly", Clarice said. "And Ronno claimed to have heard the sound of a gun shot from the direction of the forest, where my father was that morning. Ronno even called my father cold-hearted. I got angry, because your father does his best to protect our forest, and us".
"Well, Ronno is really arrogant. He's disrespectful to everyone, even his mother. He's a coward though, because whenever he's startled by something, he runs away and calls his mother", Friend owl said. "He's even named his horns 'Stab', and 'Jab'. I think Ronno is trying to look superior. I think he's jealous of your father, because your father has bigger horns, than Ronno. I told you, before that Ronno's father Champ is like his son. However, Ronno always yells at her mother if her mother tries to prevent Ronno from making "new friends".
"I understand, because I saw it yesterday. Friend owl, why do some people bully others?" Clarice asked, continuing to kick the trunk of the tree.
"I don't know. Maybe they take out their bad feelings on others by bullying others, or they try to look better than others", Friend owl said.
Crack! Clarice kicked the trunk of the tree until she managed to make a small hole in it.
"My legs are getting stronger!" Clarice thought with satisfaction.
Clarice removed the bark from the trunk, and ate it.
After eating, Clarice saw her father coming in:
"Morning, sir".
"Morning. Are you awake already?" Gallant looked at his daughter.
"Yes", Clarice said. "What would we do today?"
"I'm going to walk in the woods today", Gallant said. "Go play with your friends".
Clarice glanced at the Friend owl, who nodded, and waved her wing at Clarice as a show of courage.
"No thanks. I'd rather come with you for a walk in the forest", Clarice said after gathering some courage, and started to follow her father. "I need to be able to know the different places of our forest better, if I'm going to be The Great Princess of the Forest one day".
"I did it!" Clarice thought contentedly walking in front of her father, for her father had stopped at Clarice's recent words.
"Clarice's demeanor has somehow become more confident", Gallant thought, watching her daughter curiously.
Gallant eventually left to follow Clarice in the end.
"Heh heh!" Friend owl started laughing amused to tell what he had just seen to Tinker Bell on the Tree of life.
Clarice walked with her father in the forest, until they came to the river, on top of which was a log on which sat the familiar porcupine.
"What are you looking at, big moose?!" Porcupine yelled at Clarice's father.
"We should go across the river", Gallant said. Gallant glared at the porcupine, remembering his previous encounter with that particular porcupine, and how the porcupine had embarrassed Tinker Bell, and Gallant in front of Clarice.
"Well, my tree is no bridge", Porcupine said. The thorn lifted one piece of wood, and went through the hollow part below it into the log below, and then lifted another part of the tree up, and came out from under it. "It seems, you still don't respect me. A prince should be polite to his own people. Once, when you were a fawn, you tried to forcefully walk over my log to get to the other side of the river, and when you reached the other side of the river, so I filled your butt with my spikes".
"Did my father do that as a hammer?" Clarice studied the river:
"The river is not deep, but the princess must maintain her dignity".
Clarice backed away from the river several meters, then ran towards the river, and always jumped to the opposite bank of the river, landing easily on the opposite bank of the river.
"The girl seems to have come to her father, but she is clearly more polite than father", Porcupine said, and then went back inside his tree, putting the piece of wood back in its place. "The Great Prince has become even colder since, what happened to his wife last winter!"
Gallant looked sad after hearing the porcupine's recent words about Tinker Bell, but then Gallant walked along the bottom of the river and then stopped in front of Clarice.
"Well the princess has to keep her dignity", Clarice said looking at her father as Gallant stopped in front of Clarice.
"Yes. It is", Gallant said. "Let's keep wandering".
Clarice walked forward with her father, trying to imitate her father's walking style.
"Is he imitating my walk?" Gallant thought as he saw Clarice mimic Gallant's walk.
Finally, Clarice and Gallant arrived at the meadow, and everyone was looking at them.
Clarice was oblivious to the way others were looking at them. However, she saw 3 male-deer looking at Gallant angrily which surprised Clarice, and soon she saw that said males started talking about something.
Clarice was a little nervous about the way others were looking at her, but she did her best not to show it.
"Daddy's little girl".
The deer, that Clarice had just seen were now speaking in louder tones as Gallant and Clarice walked past them.
"If Tinker Bell had been my wife, she wouldn't have fallen prey to the hunter. From what i heard, Gallant froze, unable to move, when he saw Tinker Bell get shot".
"Well, Gallant is cold-hearted. If Gallant had been born in the winter, his heart would probably have been frozen solid. Tinker Bell was the only deer, who Gallant is said to have ever smiled at".
After walking away from the meadow, Clarice saw her father standing on a flat stone, looking sad because of the words she had just heard, so Clarice pressed her head against her father's upper body, thinking of the impudent deer that Olivar had just spoken:
"Sir, the deer that just spoke, were probably just cheeky deer. How dare they say that about you?"
"Now I think I understand one reason, why does dad sometimes wander alone in the forest. He tries to avoid listening to the recent model's speech, if it concerns him. It's just dad's way of protecting himself", Clarice thought, and gently rubbed his head against his father's upper body, trying to comfort his father:
"Sir, if you have any concerns, you can talk to me about them whenever you want. The brats you just talked about were nothing more than arrogant rants. Until recently, I assumed that every inhabitant of our forest respected you. I respect you. you no matter what, so I'm asking you to let me be your friend, and your assistant".
When Clarice looked into her father's eyes, she saw in them a partial sense of relief that Clarice had comforted Gallant.
"Clarice is the first deer to talk to me like this in a long time. Only Tinker Bell has ever said that to me before", Gallant thought, part surprised, part relieved.
"You're doing a good job, Clarice", The big-horned alien deer looked at Clarice, and Gallant who were standing behind a tree.
"Sir, what's the matter with the deer we just saw, and the deer that spoke so rudely of you?" Clarice asked.
"It is such a thing, that the deer, who you just saw has never liked me. The feeling is mutual", Gallant said. "One of the deer you just saw is Champ, who is the father of Ronno you saw earlier, and the deer that just talked to Champ are friends of Champ".
"Why don't they like you? I've heard that every animal that lives in our forest respects you", Clarice said, thinking of the porcupine she had seen earlier, which had pricked Gallant in the hind leg with its spikes earlier in the fall.
"You can't get along with everybody", Gallant said.
"Is that the only thing that made Champ talk so rudely about you just now?" Clarice asked as her ears drooped sadly as she thought of Amara.
"Forgive this question, but my grandmother Amara is never coming back, is she?"
"Yes. Your right Amara isn't coming back", Gallant said thought her own mother.
"I see. But does Champ, and his friends have other reasons to talk so rudely about you?" Clarice asked looking at her father.
"They cannot stand me, for I am The Great Prince of the Forest", Gallant said.
"So, there are downsides to being a prince?" Clarice asked, then looked at the snow on the ground. "Yes, winter is long, isn't it?"
"Yes. There are downsides to being a prince, but don't dwell on them so they don't weigh you down. Winter may seem long, but it won't last forever", Gallant said.
"I see", Clarice said as she saw one of the butterflies emerge from its cocoon in a tree branch.
"It's almost time to start implementing my plan", Clarice thought as she walked forward with Gallant:
"Sir, the fact that others bully others is stupid in my opinion".
"You're not the only one, who thinks so", Friend owl said as he landed on a branch of a tree. "Champ rubbed his horns again on the trunk of a tree near my house, waking me up. He did it this morning".
"It's a wonder Champ's horns don't get caught in the trunk of that tree", Clarice, and Gallant said in unison, then looked at each other in surprise.
"Heh heh! Looks like fathers are fathers, and daughters are daughters", Friend owl said amused at what he just heard. "Sir, Clarice is just like you were, when you were little".
"I don't remember, what I did, when I was a fawn", Gallant said, a little surprised at the recent situation where he had said the same words to his model that his daughter had just said.
"Those two are clearly starting to grow fond of each other", The guest deer thought with a satisfied smile as he stood behind a tree looking at Gallant, and Clarice.
Clarice looked at the newly hatched yellow butterfly that flew away:
"That's how butterflies hatch from their cocoons".
"Fascinating", Friend owl said.
"The forest awaits," Clarice said walking forward.
"Hasn't Clarice's behavior changed in some way from before?" Friend owl asked Gallant as they looked at Clarice walking forward, who was now acting the same as Gallant.
"Some, I wonder what is bothering her", Gallant said.
"Maybe she's trying to imitate you to be a perfect princess. I told her before how a perfect princess behaves", Friend owl said.
"What all have you told him?" Gallant asked.
"The way the princess behaves flawlessly, and the way your father saved you from that deer-whistle situation in the meadow", Friend owl said.
"You've already said that, I remember", Gallant said.
"Clarice might want you to tell her about the forest, and about yourselves", Friend owl said. "And the search for a new mother still isn't going well. By the way, Champ said he's going to bite you if you challenge him to a horn fight again".
"When exactly will Champ stop behaving like that?" Gallant asked.
Clarice, who had stopped standing on a nearby hill, listened to the sounds of the forest, and at the same time heard the conversation between her father and Friend owl:
"It really is time to start honing my skills".
Clarice walked in front of her father, then looked at Friend owl:
"Friend owl, do you remember when we talked about how you want to say something really badly, but that word gets stuck in your throat and you can't say it?"
"Of course I remember", Friend owl said. "Why did you bring that up?"
"Well, have you ever had a situation like that?" Clarice asked.
"You wouldn't guess, how often I've felt like that lately", Friend owl said, thinking of Tinker Bell now recovering on the Tree of life. He wanted to tell Clarice, and Gallant that Tinker Bell was alive, but remembered his promise to Tinker Bell:
"Still thinking about what you just talked about?"
"Yes", Clarice said, looking at her father.
"Am I right in assuming that you just felt like saying something, when you heard how Champ, and his friends were just talking about you while we were in the meadow? Why didn't you just tell Champ, and his friends to shut up?"
"Because they wouldn't obey that order", Gallant said quite frankly.
"I see. Sir, what do the princes, and princesses of our forest do?" Clarice asked.
"A prince and,/or princess should beware of their surroundings, feel the forest and occasionally ask friend owl for advice and help", Gallant said.
"I assumed that the Great Princess of the Forest would get to do whatever she wanted besides exploring, and protecting the forest", Clarice said.
"Assuming that you become a spoiled, and careless or laid-back princess", Gallant said.
"I'm not going to be like that. But I'd like to know all the places in the forest well", Clarice said as she walked up the hill, and stopped to stand flat on a rock, listening to the sounds of the forest.
Suddenly, Clarice saw walking up the hill a big, brown boar with a scar over his right eye:
"Wild-boar!"
Clarice ran with her father to the meadow, and the wild-boar followed them there, and glared at Gallant while the other deer watched the situation curiously, but still staying several meters behind Clarice, and Gallant.
"Sir, I don't think that wild-boar likes you?" Clarice asked after seeing the boar look at Gallant angrily, and how the boar prepared to attack, and wide draped landed with one of his front legs.
"I gave it that scar, so no wonder it doesn't like me", Gallant said.
Suddenly, Champ walked towards the wild-boar:
"The Great Prince seems to be afraid of that wild-boar. I will take care of that wild-boar".
Suddenly, the wild-boar ran towards Champ, knocked Champ to the ground, and bire Champi's in ass.
"Aaaah! Take it off! Take it off! Acacia, take it off!" Champ yelled, trying to run towards the forest with the boar still biting Champ's in ass, slowing Champ's run a bit.
"Definitely Ronno's father, because Champi is obviously just as arrogant as Ronno", Clarice said looking at Champi.
"Okay", Gallant said.
"Hunter, Hunter!" The crows screamed as they flew above the forest, surprising the others.
Suddenly, the old male moose that Clarice had seen earlier ran into the meadow, and struck the ground with his forelegs, and everyone looked at him worriedly, and then everyone started running away from the meadow.
When Clarice, and Gallant had fled from the meadow, they went home, and remained hidden.
Bam! The gun shot echoed in the forest.
"The hunter again? Sir, did you assign any of the deer to guard the forest in case the hunter came?" Clarice asked.
"I believe I did. I don't know what happened though", Gallant said.
"Hopefully the deer that warned us just now is alright though", Clarice said.
"I hope so, too", Gallant said.
"The way Champ talked about you just now was rude", Clarice said. "At some point I will try to find out the name of the deer that just warned us".
"Champ is probably going to continue the behavior you just saw", Gallant said.
"Well, how did it feel to be warned now?" Clarice asked, and thought of a deer, who had just warned them.
"Well, it felt different, like before", Gallant said.
"I see. By the way, if the deer that just warned us was your brother, would he be my uncle?" Clarice asked.
"Mostly your grandfather", Gallant said:
"Namely because of his age".
"Lord, why is it so important to the ruler of our forest, that the ruler of our forest looks haughty in front of the other animals in our forest?" Clarice asked.
"The reason is that other deer need a deer to convince them that, that the prince, or the princess can protect them from hunters, and from predators", Gallant said.
"I understand, but Champ's model deer hardly listens to the ruler of our forest?" Clarice asked.
"He would listen to your grandfather from time to time", Gallant said.
"Really? This is the first time, when you talk about my grandfather. Is that boar we just saw still biting Champ's backside?" Clarice asked.
"I can't see him now, so I don't know that", Gallant said.
"How long do we have to hide from the hunter now?" Clarice asked.
"Until we know, that the hunter has left the forest", Gallant said.
"How do you know, that our forest now has only one hunter?" Clarice asked.
"I'll tell you then at some point", Gallant said.
"I see. By the way, why have you never talked about my grandfather before? Is it because the princes, and princesses never look back, but always forward?" Clarice asked.
"Yes", Gallant said.
"Who invented that rule anyway?" Clarice asked. "Do not all, the rulers of our forest, can you bring something new to our forest?"
"They're afraid of something new", Gallant said.
"I see. Sir, Ronno seems to envy you", Clarice said.
"Why?" Gallant asked.
"Well, you have bigger horns, like Ronno", Clarice said looking at her father's horns. "How did you get your horns to grow so big?
"I didn't do anything special to grow my antlers to that size", Gallant said looking at his horns.
"Alright, but what new do the rulers of our forest fear?" Clarice asked.
"They are afraid of harming other deer in the fire, and that predators are killing all the animals in our forest", Gallant said.
"I see. They're hardly afraid of wild-boars, unlike Champ now quite likely?" Clarice asked.
Clarice looked at the sunset, and lay on the floor of her father's cave:
"The sun is going down, so the hunter will probably leave the forest soon. Good night".