Well hello! Here is a new chapter of The Forest's Princess's fanfiction. A little inspiration has been sought for this chapter Naruto-series, When Mernie Was There-movie, Miraculous-series, ERASED-manga, first Bambi-movie, and first Bambi-movie's song, The Lion King-movie, and The Lion Guard-series, whose rights I do not own. See you in the next chapter.
"What could grandpa be thinking about when he visited here?" Clarice thought while looking at Julius's secret lair as Gallant arrived at sunrise.
"What are you doing, Clarice?" Gallant asked.
"I was just thinking about, what could grandpa think of, when he was here", Clarice said.
"Dad probably needed his own time, and came here to think about some things", Gallant said.
"Could one of them be the, how could grandpa stop some from bullying others?" Clarice asked.
"Maybe", Gallant said.
"Father, when you were friends with mom, so how did you guys have fun?" Clarice asked.
Gallant had recently told her daughter about Gallant's past, but even so, Clarice was eager to hear more.
"Oh how? Well one of them was a race", Gallant said.
(Flashback)
"Gallant, which of us might be faster?" Tinker Bell asked, as she walked with Gallant in the forest after the sun had recently risen.
"Why don't I get it?" Gallant asked.
"Well, let's figure it out by running a race!" Tinker Bell said, and started running in the forest.
Gallant took off running next to Tinker Bell.
After running for a while, the fawns tripped over tree roots, and fell on the road, and directly in front of Julius.
"I think you had a running competition?" Julius asked good-naturedly.
"Yes, father", Gallant said, standing up with Tinker Bell.
(End of the flashback)
"Really, dad?" Clarice asked after hearing, what Gallant had just said.
Gallant nodded.
"Well, when you, and mother you had become friends, so what kind of goals did you have then, when you grow up?" Clarice asked.
"Well, I was going to follow in my father's footsteps to one day be a guardian of the forest. I even tried to imitate my father", Gallant said.
"I'm sorry, but it's a little hard for me to imagine you doing that", Clarice said.
"In general, kids have good imaginations", Gallant said.
"Well, maybe what I just said is a result of, that I'm used to seeing you as a big, strong prince, which is respected. Well, what was mom's goal?" Clarice asked.
"Your mother said she wanted to explore the forest with me one day", Gallant said.
"I see. Dad, how do you do that?" Clarice asked.
"Do what?" Gallant asked.
"The way you warn the animals of our forest of danger. You did so that day, when I first met you officially in the meadow. You hit your front foot on the grass after running to the meadow, and you stood tall, causing everyone to run away from the hunter. How did you do that, dad?" Clarice asked walking forward, with her dad, until they stopped at the ledge of a great rock, and looked at the forest.
"I've never been to this part of the forest before, so at what point did father find this place?" Clarice thought looking at the forest, until he saw the tree, which was bigger, like the other trees in the forest. "That tree is clearly bigger than the other trees".
There was something in the big tree, who seemed to forcefully draw Clarice's gaze towards him, but Clarice turned her eyes to the forest, and watching the sunlight touch the forest, Clarice remembered the first The Lion King-movie, which he had watched, when he was still human. Clarice had liked that movie, but Bambi was by far Clarice's favorite Disney-movie.
Looking at the sunlit forest, Clarice remembered something from The Lion King, and in that movie Mufasa's words to Simba came out of Clarice's mouth as if by themselves:
"Everything that the light of the sun touches".
"What?" Gallant asked.
"I was just wondering, if everything the sunlight touches our forest can hear", Clarice said, then remembered the Disney Brave-movie:
"A princess must know her own forest, right?"
Gallant smiled.
"Well dad, what about my previous question on this topic:
"The way you warn the animals of our forest of danger. You did that the day I first officially met you in the meadow. You hit the grass with your front foot after running into the meadow, and took a high stance, causing everyone to run away from the hunter. How did you do it, father?" Clarice asked.
"Watch, how I do it", Gallant got up, and hit the ground with his hoof.
"So, is it about the volume of the sound, with which you hit the ground, with your front foot?" Clarice asked, imitating her father.
"It's how you hit the ground, and how fast", Gallant said.
"I see. I still need to practice it. What is that big tree?" Clarice asked.
"It's the Three of Life. If someone gets seriously injured, they can go near that tree to heal", Gallant said.
"Is there a healing source there?" Clarice asked.
"It is. Since I'm the protector of the forest, I haven't had time to visit Three of Life in a very long time. Maybe I'll show it to you one day", Gallant said.
"I see. Father, since I'm queen, I even try to give the forest protectors days off so they can have their own time. Could I appoint a group to take care of the forest on the days the forest protectors have days off? That group could be called the Forest Guard", Clarice said. "Everyone would have the right to their own time. I have assumed, that the protector of the forest can rest in his free time, and do whatever he wants".
"Everyone has the right to their own time. You have to be careful with your own time, though", Gallant smiled a little. "However, you still have a long way to go in your quest to be queen".
"I see, dad. Dad, forgive me for asking this, but besides the meadow thing, did anything ever happen to you that resulted in grandpa scolding you?" Clarice asked.
"It happened very well. I got into danger a couple of times with your mother. At that time, I still didn't fully understand, what happens to animals that a hunter takes out of the forest", Gallant said:
(Flashback)
Gallant walked with Tinker Bell as the sun rise.
"Father is really busy", Gallant said.
"Your father protects our forest", Tinker Bell said.
"I would like to be as strong, as him", Gallant said.
"Hey, princess. I hear your father doesn't have time for you", Champ said, as he came over, and looked at Gallant arrogantly.
"Go somewhere else, Champ", Gallant said irritably.
"Very rude!" Champ ran towards Gallant to attack Gallant, but Gallant dodged quickly, and as a result, Champ ran into a bush, and then flew out of it, falling to the ground, after which a big, brown, and angry wild-boar walked out of the bush.
"It's a wild-boar!" Tinker Bell screamed in shock.
"Mommy!" Champ screamed running away in fear, as two more wild boars walked out of the thicket.
Gallant, and Tinker Bell started to run away from the wild boars, but finally stopped in front of the steep rock wall in front of them. They pressed nervously against the rock wall, as wild boars walked towards them.
Suddenly, Julius ran to the spot, kicked the boars, and knocked them to the ground with his horns, causing the boars to back away in fear, and one of them even got a scar on his cheek after Julius's horn hit, that wild-boar's cheek. Julius gave the wild-boars a very scary look, and then used a menacing tone to make the situation clear to the wild-boars:
"If you still threaten to attack my son!"
"Oh it's your son! We didn't know! Champ was about to start a fight with your son, and bumped into us!" The wild-boars fled the scene.
"Champ? That cheeky fawn. Fortunately, I was nearby, and I saw you running here to escape the wild-boars". Julius said, looking at Gallant, and Tinker Bell scoldingly:
"Gallant, wild-boars must be carefully, because their fangs are sharp. So don't forget to be careful".
"No, father. Sorry", Gallant said.
"Let's go home", Julius said, as he left the place.
(End of the flashback)
"Unbelievable. Have you ever ventured carelessly into a human settlement?" Clarice asked.
"Heh! I didn't dare, because father would have had a fit of rage, if I had done that and forbade me to leave his cave for 3 days", Gallant said.
"I see. At what point did you start your forest guardian training, with grandpa training you?" Clarice asked.
"After the situation, I just told you, I asked my father, how he could make me the new protector of the forest", Gallant said.
"What did grandpa say about that? Did he start training you right after that?" Clarice asked.
"They said 'Alright we're training tomorrow'", Gallant said.
"I see. What did you imagine the forest to be like, at that point?" Clarice asked.
"The forest was the same, as now", Gallant said.
"Okay. What was the training, that grandpa gave you? I think you sometimes wondered what grandpa did when he was in the forest. Could you sometime tell me the story of my grandpa's mother, Princess Anne?" Clarice asked.
"Well, my father actually trained me in the same way, I have trained you. I did wonder what my father did, when he was alone in the forest. Like you, Anne was a princess born in the forest for a long time", Gallant said.
"I see. What was the outline of Anne's story?" Clarice asked.
"I've only heard Anne's story from others, but some didn't think, she could do well as a forest protector, because she was a princess", Gallant said.
"So some animals underestimate him?" Clarice asked.
"Mostly some of the braves were the ones, who underestimated him", Gallant said:
(Flashback)
The sun was rising, and the animals of the forest came out of their homes after waking up a short time ago, preparing for the events that the new day would bring.
Tweet tweet! The bird happily flew along the forest, stopping at the homes of the forest animals, informing them of something happy.
"Excuse me, what's going on?" A rabbit asked after seeing the forest animals running happily, and curiously in one direction.
"It happened! The fawn of the forest protector was born! We're going to see the little ones!" The squirrel screamed.
The bunny ran with the others to the den of the forest guardian's mate, where everyone saw a blue-eyed female-deer lying on the ground, next to which lay a small fawn, with light brown fur.
"Well, anyway. It's not every day that we get a forest protector baby. We have a great honor to congratulate you, Bianca", Someone said to the fawn's mother.
"Congratulations!"
"Congratulations".
"Thank you, and I'm sure Felix would be proud. Well, wake up now. We have guests", Bianca said to the fawn, who woke up, and opened her brown eyes, looking around curiously. "Hey!"
"Hey, little one!"
Fawn nervously pressed against his mother, but then smiled, and tried to stand up, but then fell to the ground, and laid down next to his mother. Then fawn yawned:
"Whoa!"
"The little one looks tired, so we let him sleep".
"What name are you going to give him?"
"Well, would Anne be okay?" Bianca asked.
"Anne? Sounds good".
The animals left Bianca's cave to let Anne sleep.
"My little Anne", Bianca looked, at her daughter lovingly.
On the rock near Bianca's cave stood a large male-deer with big horns, looking at Anne and Bianca proudly.
(End of the flashback)
While walking with her mother along the forest, Anne practiced the same things that everyone her age practices when they can walk".
"Was Anne also curious about everything she saw?" Clarice asked.
"That was fine. He was interested in everything new, and his first word, like you, was a bird", Gallant said:
(Flashback)
"Mom, the meadow is really big", Anne said while eating grass with her mother in the meadow.
"Yes, Anne. Remember, what I told you, when we came to the meadow", Bianca said, watching the sun rise:
"You have to be careful in the meadow, because we are unprotected in the meadow. There are no trees or bushes to hide in. That's why I advised you to stay hidden, when we came to the meadow, and when I first went to the meadow, and I told you that the meadow was safe".
"Yes, mother", Anne said.
"The little princess is clearly curious about everything, about the new things she sees", One female deer said, coming to the scene with a brown-eyed fawn.
"Yes. There's little Luka. His mother is my friend", Bianca said looking, at the sledgehammer accompanying her friend while Anne looked, at that sledgehammer curiously.
"The princess looks curious, doesn't she mom?" Luka asked his mother.
"Everything new is interesting", Luka's mother told her son.
There were other deer in the meadow, but suddenly everyone stopped, and looked across the meadow, where a big deer with big horns was standing. The deer's eyes were brown, and he walked majestically into the meadow.
The deer was so proud that no one could move, or even say anything, and they could only stare at the deer as he walked in the meadow.
Finally, the deer stopped next to Anne, and Bianca, and looked at Anne.
Anne was so mesmerized by the deer's pride, that she could only smile at the deer.
The deer turned its ears towards Anne, and as a result, Anne's expression became shy again, and the deer walked into the forest on the opposite side of the meadow.
"He looked at me", Anne told her mother.
"Yes. I saw that thing", Bianca said.
"Why didn't anyone say anything, when he came to the meadow?" Anne asked.
"He is respected, because he has saved many animals that live in our forest. His name is Felix. Felix is very brave, and very wise. That is why he is called the Prince of the Forest, and he is your father, Anne", Bianca said. "Your father is a bit anti-social as much is expected of him, as he has to protect our forest. One day it will be your job, as you are Felix's daughter, and as such heir to the crown of the forest's protector".
Anne looked curiously in the direction her father had just walked.
(End of the flashback)
"I guess there wasn't a hunter in the forest that day?" Clarice asked her father.
"Not really. Anne didn't hear the shot of the hunter's gun for the first time, until later that fall", Gallant said.
"Did Felix ever save Anne that fall?" Clarice asked.
"Well, that fall, wolves came to the forest and tried to attack Anne, and Bianca while they were in the forest looking for food, but Felix drove the wolves away", Gallant said. "It happened before Anne heard the gun shot for the first time. In that situation, Anne understood what fear is".
"Did Anne see wolves again after that situation?" Clarice asked.
"Not, until she was of age. In the winter, Anne had to wander with her mother, and the other deer looking for food. Then, as spring approached, Anne, and her mother found themselves in the same situation that you found yourself in last winter", Gallant said:
(Flashback)
"Anne, come see, what I found!" Bianca shouted, as she was with her daughter in the meadow, as the sun set.
Anne ran to her mother's side, and then Bianca looked to the right, where there was grass growing out from under the melted snow:
"That's spring's new grass".
Anne was happy, because she had been eating only the bark of trees and grass for many months, along with drinking water falling from icicles. Anne started eating grass like her mother.
Suddenly, Bianca heard something, and then lifted her head up, and looked around. Bianca had a worried look on her face, as she realized what was going on:
"Anne...quickly! Hurry up!"
Anne started running like her mother towards the forest, wondering why they had to run, but soon she got an answer to that doubt.
Bam! The shot of the gun echoed throughout the meadow, causing Anne to run faster like her mother, quickly looked at her mother, and then turned her gaze forward again.
"Faster! Don't look back, Anne! Just run, Anne! Run!" Bianca screamed.
Bam! The gunshot echoed again in the meadow, and the meadow smelled of blood, but Anne continued to run until she reached Bianca's cave, and there she breathed a sigh of relief, looking at the mouth of the cave.
"We made it! We made it, mom. We...Mom?! Mom! Mom. Where are you, mom!" Anne then called out into the forest to look for Bianca, who, unlike Anne, had not arrived at the cave.
"Mommy!" Anne shouted.
After walking forward for a while, Anne saw her father, and was so surprised, that she stopped.
"Your mother can no longer be with you. The hunter has taken your mother. Now you must be brave, because you must be able to walk alone", Felix told his daughter.
Anne cried, when she understood the meaning of her father's words, and then looked at her father.
"Come, my daughter", Felix said, and went to lead Anne to Felix's cave, where Anne fell asleep.
"I came as fast as I could, sir", One badger said, when he came to Felix's cave, as it began to snow.
"I didn't expect that", Felix said.
"I'm sorry for, what happened to your wife Bianca today. It must be difficult for you, and your daughter", Badger said.
Felix looked at Anne sadly.
"Well, if I could help you in any way?" The badger asked, as he was leaving for his home.
"Wait. Anne now needs a female to take care of her, so would you be looking for a suitable female to raise Anne?" Felix asked walking in front of the badger, as the badger had turned to Felix.
"Well, there is little food in the winter, and the animals can hardly take care of themselves, let alone their young, so how about you raise your daughter yourself, because Anne is the heir to the crown of the protector of the forest?" Badger suggested.
"Me? But aren't females better suited to raising fawns?" Felix asked.
"Well, who would raise the heir to the crown of our forest better, than the Prince of the Forest, who is the father of the said heir to the crown? If only I had time until spring to figure things out", Badger said, considering the situation carefully.
"Until spring", Felix said.
"Thank you, sir", The badger said, walking away.
Felix went to his cave, looked at his daughter before falling asleep with completely conflicted emotions, but the overriding emotion was sadness for what had happened to Bianca. The second main feeling was guilt about, how Felix had not been able to save his wife today.
(End of the flashback)
"What happened then?" Clarice asked.
"Felix took his daughter to the top of the mountain to look at the meadow, and Anne started talking about how Bianca would have liked to look, at the same landscape with Felix, and Anne. In that situation, Felix said, that the past is probably best left in the past. I think now I understand, why he said that. He was really too shocked by Bianca's death to even talk about it at first", Gallant said. "I was in the same situation last winter. I guess I took Anne's story too seriously after hearing, how Felix acted around that time, when I was trying to sort out my feelings about your mother's case, Clarice".
"I see. What was Felix's, and Anne's father-daughter relationship like?" Clarice asked.
"From what, I heard, it was difficult in the beginning", Gallant said:
"When Anne found out, how Anne's father had asked the badger to find an adoptive mother for Clarice, Anne felt, that her father had abandoned Anne. Anne found out about it, when the badger brought Bianca's friend to the place, and after that friend said Anne told her father directly, that Anne wished her mother was there instead, and not her father. When Anne was leaving with her adoptive mother to her adoptive mother's cave, the boy who-fawn, who bullied Anne at that time came to tease Anne, saying that maybe Anne's father was ashamed Anne so much, that she sent Anne away. And a fight ensued, in which Anne knocked the bully to the ground. Anne's adoptive mother came to the scene, and asked Anne, if she was okay. The bully pushed Anne to the ground, and as a result, Anne the adoptive mother got her hind leg stuck in the trap set by the hunter. The hunter's dogs were coming to the scene after hearing, that the trap had been set, and Anne's adoptive mother heard the sounds of the dogs, and told the fawns to run away. The bully immediately fled the scene, but Anne was frozen in place in terror. Only when Anne's adoptive mother shouted at Anne like this:
"Don't look behind you! Run, Anne! Run!" Anne remembered her mother's last words, which Anne's mother had said to her daughter after Anne had escaped, with her mother from the hunter, who was chasing them. Determined not to let anyone else go through what her mother did, Anne lured the hunter's dogs after her to save her adoptive mother. Anne's father came there, and freed her daughter from the trap set by the hunter of the adoptive mother, asking Anne's whereabouts, and Anne's adoptive mother looked in the direction in which Anne had run, chased by the dogs following her. Anne's father immediately went to look for his daughter, running as fast as he could. With the help of her friends, and with the skills she learned from her father, Anne managed to lose the dogs, that were chasing her, finally ending up on a mountain near our forest, from which Anne kicked the last dog down. Seeing her father coming, Anne jumped to the edge of the mountain where Anne's father was standing, but the place where Anne was standing crumbled, and Anne fell off the cliff onto a large ledge, passed out, but was believed to be dead. Anne's father cried then, but when Anne woke up, he said father, and Anne's father was happy to see his daughter alive, and said he was there, succeeding in reconciling with his daughter. He later asked Anne to make sure that the situation would not happen again. My father told me that story a long time ago. When I was looking for you in your mother's cave, I met my father, and he reminded me of the story, I had just told, and then said this:
"Well you must have forgotten that, but now I'm telling you to try to listen to others. Even try to fulfill your duties as a father, because Clarice tried her best to please you to even be friends with you, and even imitated your walking style. Even try to listen to others".
"Was Grandpa mad at you, for reminding you about that?" Clarice asked in disbelief.
"Heh heh! It was fine. Then I was so scared for the first time in a long time, that I couldn't move for a moment", Gallant said.
"I see. Your voice is so impressive, that sometimes I can't bring myself, to say anything", Clarice said. "Dad, why didn't some fawns want to play with you, at one point, when you were a fawns?"
"Well, it was shortly after I had carelessly entered the meadow, that my father saved me. I believe Champ was spreading nasty gossip about me through the forest, and some were afraid they would be in danger by being around me", Gallant said. "Only a few of my friends, one of whom was your mother, spent time with me".
"I see, dad", Clarice said sadly.
"Clarice, you seem to have a lot to ask", Gallant said:
(Flashback)
A spring, sunny, and warm day had taken over the forest. There were flowers on some of the trees, and everywhere there was a happy, and maybe a little too happy, atmosphere.
"Spring has come back to us
Made new nature again
Forests, the lands again filled with its shoe
And voices in its nature plays (Plays, plays, plays)
Together so they can sing
Spring has come back to us
Wings can be agilely experienced
You can't have worries to carry, mourn or sulk
When warmth for everyone it brought (Brought, brought, brought)", The birds sang flying along the forest, and sat on the branches of the trees next to each other.
"What?!" Friend owl asked after waking up in his tree hole, then looked at the singing birds angrily.
"Spring has come back to us
The air is fresh and the climate so warm
When the winter winds have ended
So your worries through away and whistle now".
Spring has come back to us
Nature again is in joy
No care at all, only simple spring
No voices of nature plays (Plays, plays, plays)
Together we can sing".
"Hush! Hush! Hush!" Friedn owl walked to the branch of the tree in front of his hole, and flapped his wings at the singing birds to drive them away, but they did not hear him.
"Spring has come back to us
Voices of nature plays", The birds sang.
"I'll show them", Friend owl muttered, as he walked towards his hole, and then turned his head, and looked at the linju fearfully, leaning forward a little:
"Huh huh!"
The birds startled the Friend owl, and flew a little higher before landing back to sit on the tree branches.
"Good. I hope they learned their lesson", Friend owl muttered, as he walked towards his home after enjoying the silence, that lasted for a while.
Twieet tweeeet! The birds began to sing again, causing the Friend owl to stop and glare at the birds before shaking his head in resignation:
"It didn't help".
Then the Friend owl flew to the branch of a thin tree farther away, and sat on it, enjoying the silence he had finally found:
"Same thing every spring. Twiit twiit! Ah, love is a beautiful song. Yäh! I'd rather say it's a pain in the shin feathers".
"Whoa!" Friend owl yawned, and was about to fall asleep, but suddenly the tree started to shake, because a deer sharpened its horns against the trunk of that tree, as a result of which Friend owl fell to a lower branch, and grabbed the trunk of the tree with its wings so as not to fall to the ground:
"Stop it!"
The deer finished sharpening its horns, then looked at Friend owl, who for a while saw the deer as many deer due to the shaking of the tree, still holding tightly to the trunk of the tree.
"Put your way out of here, everyone! And you too!" Friend owl said looking, at the deer at the same time, when the tree finally stopped shaking, and when Friend owl saw only one deer.
"Morning, Friend owl. Don't you remember me?" The deer asked.
"What?!" Friend owl asked, before recognizing the deer. "That's young Prince Gallant! You've already grown decent horns, I'm sure. Your father must be proud of you. You know what, a few days ago I was thinking about you, and what you've become?"
Gallant looked at Friend owl, and then saw some birds flying around each other:
"Why is everyone acting so weird?"
(End of the flashback)
At that time, I still didn't quite understand, what Twitter painted really meant".
"Were your horns already that big then?" Clarice asked.
"Not quite yet. They're probably a couple of centimeters shorter", Gallant said. "Guess what Friend owl replied to my question at the time:
(Flashback)
"Heh! Oh what? They're on their wheels. More specifically, they're hooting", Friend owl said.
"Shocked?" Gallant asked, without understanding the meaning of the word in question.
"Yes. Almost everyone gets out on a bike this spring. Let's take this as an example", Friend owl said after looking around, and saw a tree stump in front of him which he landed on, and began to walk in a circle while slowly turning his head while holding his wings behind his back after coming up with, that how to explain the situation to Gallant:
"You walk in the forest in complete peace. You only think about your own business".
Gallant looked at Friend owl, and at the same time tried to understand the situation.
"You don't look left, you don't look right, you look straight ahead. And then suddenly, you bump right into a beautiful face. Huh!" Then the Friend owl stopped, and looked to the left, and then to the right, and then forward, and jumped to the middle of the stump, and seemed to startle something, and then put his wings above his head.
Gallant looked at Friend owl curiously:
"Are you sure?"
"I've seen it countless times. And let me continue the explanation, if you ever want to know more about it", Friend owl said, and then his knees began to tremble, and he began to fly a little, and then pretended to walk on air:
"Your knees are starting to go weak after, what I just showed you. Your head is spinning, and you feel as light as a feather, and before you know it, you're walking on air".
Gallant looked at Friend owl suspiciously, while Friend owl sat down on a tree branch.
"And you know what? Then you'll be completely out of your mind. You'll lose your head completely, and you won't be able to think straight", Friend owl held on to the branch with his feet, spinning around the branch before he stopped spinning, and then sat back on the branch, and pulled his head into the feathers on his neck, and then raised his head again, looking at Gallant, and put his wings in front of his eyes, walking on a branch closer to Gallant, and then stopped.
"From what you said, it's scary", Gallant said.
"Isn't it? It can happen to anyone, so be careful. It can even happen to you, Gallant", Friend owl pointed, at Gallant with his left wing.
"Well, at least it won't happen to me", Gallant said indignantly, turned around, and started walking forward
Gallant walked forward in the forest, and then, he saw a chipmunk standing on a branch of a tree, who was curiously looking at the leaves of that tree, and then a female-chipmunk walked out from among those leaves, and touched the mouth of the male-chipmunk with its mouth, as a result of which the male-chipmunk fell directly onto the female-chipmunk into my arms to smile strangely.
Gallant looked at the squirrel in disbelief while the male started following the female, and then looked at Gallant, and understood the situation Gallant had just seen, and shrugged his shoulders, continuing to follow the female.
"Shocked", Gallant snorted, and then walked forward, until he saw a male-rabbit lying on the grass, and a female-rabbit stroking the ears of the male lying on the grass. The male in question smiled strangely, and made no move to leave the place while the female smiled at the male.
Gallant shook his head in frustration. Everywhere he went, there seemed to be wild animals, always in the company of another animal of the same species, of the opposite sex.
Gallant continued walking forward, and then arrived at a hidden clearing where butterflies were flying, and began to drink from the open, small river, enjoying the silence.
"Hello, Gallant", A soft voice suddenly said from in front of Gallant, causing Gallant to stop drinking, and looked at the surface of the water to see the reflection of a red-eyed female-deer appearing in it. Gallant lifted his head higher, and then looked ahead to see that standing in front of him was indeed a red-eyed doe.
"Don't you remember me? I'm Tinker Bell, whom you met here a long time ago, just when you got your horns when you were a fawns", Tinker Bell said, walking towards Gallant.
Gallant swallowed heavily, and nervously walked back, unable to think clearly, then tripped over the root of a tree behind him, falling flat on his backside on the grass, his knees trembling, and he was noticed in a strange way.
"Is this what Friend owl was talking about earlier?!" Gallant thought nervously.
"Heh heh!" Tinker Bell giggled, stopped, and batted her eyelashes rapidly before continuing to walk towards Gallant.
Gallant stood up quickly, and backed away some more, but his horns got caught in the branch of the tree behind him, and he couldn't move, and trying to detach his horns from the branch, he plucked some tree leaves from the branch, and dropped them to the ground:
"Apparently the disadvantage of big horns is, that they get caught in tree branches, if you don't look where you're going!"
When Gallant couldn't move, Tinker Bell walked in front of Gallant, and licked Gallant's left cheek, and then backed away, causing Gallant to stop, smile, and then lower his head, causing his horns to detach from the tree branch:
"Aaaah!"
Gallant looked up, and looked at Tinker Belle, who walked to the other side of the opening while the opening seemed to disappear, turning into a pink mist.
Tinker Bell stopped, and smiled at Gallant, starting to run forward.
Gallant, now feeling light as a feather, was still smiling, and then started walking towards Tinker Bell, and Gallant felt as, if he really walked on air.
After a while, while walking with Tinker Bell in the forest, Gallant, and Tinker Bell started running forward next to each other.
"I could run with Tinker Bell for how long", Gallant thought.
Surprisingly, an angry-looking, green-eyed, and dark-furred male deer walked between Gallant, and Tinker Bell, while two other male-deer were standing on the side, and looked at Gallant with hostility, while Gallant, and Tinker Bell had to stop, as the colors of the forest changed back to normal.
"Champ!" Gallant thought, as he recognized the green-eyed male.
"Gallant", Tinker Bell looked at Champ contemptuously, walked past Champ to Gallant's right, and then walked towards Gallant, but Champ walked between Gallant, and Tinker Bell again, still looking at Gallant with hostility, and then turned his horns towards Tinker Bell, and forced Tinker Bell to walk further with his horns.
"Stop, Champ! Stop!" Tinker Bell yelled, as she recognized Champ.
"Didn't you hear Tinker Bell's words, Champ?! Leave Tinker Bell alone!" Gallant angrily ran towards Champ, as a result of which Champ stopped while Tinker Bell ran quickly, and stood in front of a nearby rock wall.
Champ ran towards Gallant, and threw Gallant to the ground with his horns.
Gallant quickly stood up, and slammed his horn against Champ's.
Champ threw Gallant away from him, knocking Gallant to the ground.
"Gallant!" Tinker Bell screamed in worry, as Champ ran towards Gallant, as a result of which Gallant quickly stood up, and slammed his horn towards Champ's horns, and pushed Champ away from him, and then got up on his hind legs like Champ, and kicked Camp away from him with his front legs, causing Champ to fall to the ground.
Gallant landed on all his feet, as Champ stood up, and ran towards Gallant. Gallant ran towards Champ, and slammed his horn into Champ's horns, causing Champ to fall to the ground, and roll down a nearby rock slope down into the river below the rock. Crack! Champ's horn broke off in one place, then floated in the mud, as Champ sat down on the mud bottom.
"Champ!" Champ's other friend screamed in shock, then ran towards Gallant to attack.
Gallant was faster, however, and rammed his horn into Champ's friend's horns, and then rammed Champ's friend towards Champ, causing Champ's friend to roll down the cliff into the same mud next to Champ, and then sat down on the riverbed.
Champ's other friend tried to attack Gallant, but Gallant was faster again, and hit Champ's other friend with his horns towards the slope of the rock, from which that friend rolled to the bottom of the mud, and fell down to sit on the bottom of that mud.
Gallant walked near the cliff, and looked at the males he had just defeated, who were completely covered in wounds, and who looked at Gallant with mixed feelings of humiliation, and anger.
Standing on the cliff, Gallant looked really proud, as the sun set far behind him.
Gallant felt a certain joy, that he had managed to protect Tinker Bell during the recent battle with the horns.
Tinker Bell, who was enchanted, and relieved, that Gallant was okay, walked next to Gallant, and licked Gallant's right cheek, as a result of which Gallant looked at Tinker Bell, and they left the cliff, and arrived at the meadow after the sun had set.
There was a light breeze in the meadow, and there were some birds.
Young Gallant's neck rattled after they stopped in the meadow, and they looked at each other, and then at the meadow.
"Now this melody can explain everything
I would want to tell this to you with my own eyes
Only this melody stays in our minds
When I look at you like this, I know you are a friend
That we will hear again
Once again spring enters our minds
I am with you like the tree to the ground
Our song just echoes
That we will hear again
When the blooming land goes to sleep
When the night during spring has started
Then hearts from joy, from".
Gallant ran ahead of Tinker Bell, and Tinker Bell followed Gallant, as the birds flew in the meadow.
"Now this melody can explain everything
You are next to me, rises the silver moon
It covers our valley, away everything else goes
So easily and quickly each other falls in love".
Tinker Bell rattle, and Gallant's running dislodged the flowers from the meadow, and made them fly along the meadow with the wind.
"Now this melody can explain everything
You are only mine".
Gallant, and Tinker Bell stopped to eat in the meadow, and then looked at each other, and Tinker Bell pressed her neck against Gallant's neck.
"Why does Friend owl find hoots so horrible?" Gallant thought.
(End of the flashback)
"Unbelievable! Dad, how did you feel, when you won the horn-fights you just told me about?" Clarice asked.
It was hard for Clarice to imagine how humiliating Champ and his two friends must have felt after they lost the horn fight to Ulja. But above all, Clarice was happy that Uljas had saved Helinä, and won those horn battles.
"I felt victory, and success", Gallant said.
"I see. Was there another reason, why some of the other leftists didn't hang out with you, at some point?" Clarice asked. "Heard it from Friend owl last winter".
"They didn't want to talk about, what happened to my mother in front of me or close to me", Gallant said.
"I see. Dad, I know you're sad about, what happened to my mom. You always look sad, when my mom is talked about. I didn't want to see that look on your face, so I avoided talking about my mom", Clarice said.
"I know. Thank you for that", Gallant said.
"How do you know that?" Clarice asked. "You're welcome".
"Because I have noticed your behavior", Gallant said.
"I see. By the way, when you were a fawns, could you ever imagine that your horns would one day be this big?" Clarice asked while looking at her father's horns.
Gallant smiled:
"No actually. I didn't know".
"I see", Clarice said.