Feel the Forest

As soon as the word "bored" left Gurri's mouth, the stag couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. He figured she would say that. After all, he had taken this same walk with his father when he was her age -- and he had felt the same way. He couldn't blame her, of course; it was early, and the forest was still waking up. She was still waking up. And the walk was a pretty lengthy one.

Bambi, too, had started to feel a mild drowsiness set in when his daughter decided to approach him. How wonderful! They were already making progress. He smiled down as she trotted up to his side, though he could tell she was chilly. At least she was open to being near him while they walked. He listened to her complaints sympathetically, and couldn't help but feel just the tiniest bit bad. Maybe they could have waited another hour or two. But there really was no turning back now.

"Daaaaaad, how much further? I'm gonna fall asleep on my hooves!"

"I know," he said, trying to mask the amusement in his voice. "I know, we've been walking for a long time. But we're getting close, I promise." This was no white lie -- he knew the end was in sight... for the moment, at least.

Bambi motioned for her to follow him, and he crested the biggest hill they had encountered so far. He watched, having traversed the path several times over, to make sure that Gurri would be able to get over it. But he knew she was strong, and he didn't doubt her ability to traverse the slope. He strode a few paces ahead of her, stopping at their destination: a short cliff overlooking the meadow. He cast his gaze upon the rows of tents before him as he waited for his daughter to join him at his side.

“Gotcha!”

"Oof!"

The expression on the buck's face quickly shifted from a neutral gaze to that of surprise, large eyes widening as he stumbled sideways a bit. He figured she had just been playing, but for a doe her age, she could already hit surprisingly hard. She's her mother's child, alright, he thought as he collected himself. He turned to look down at her while she trotted up, mouth opening almost unconsciously and tone a bit stern.

"Gurri..."

Bambi quickly stopped himself and cleared his throat. He couldn't scold her for that. She was just trying to liven up their excursion. He knew he would have done the same, were he in her hooves. And he was a good enough sport to let her get away with it. Next time, though, he was planning to get her back.

"...I had no idea you were so strong," he praised, voice considerably warmer and smile soft.

The grin on his muzzle only increased watching her get a look at the lay of the land. She was shocked, and he expected nothing different -- it was one thing to be down in the meadow among the troops, but to see it from afar was another story entirely. Flags and banners waved in the early breeze. The freshly risen sun cast a warm, soft light on the scene before them, radiating red hues against the white tents.

It was picturesque.

“Please don’t tell me we got up early to watch other people sleep in."

He turned his attention away from the scene in front of him to look at Gurri once more. She stared up at him with a fairly annoyed expression; he could see her bottom lip protruding in protest. His ears dropped slightly, though his own calmness was not rattled.

"It does seem that way, doesn't it?" he responded, answering her question with another. Pricking his ears up, he cast his gaze back out on the meadow. "But that's not it -- well, not quite."

He took a deep breath, thinking of how to proceed. His father was such a natural leader, and there were still aspects of that role that Bambi was still trying to find his footing in. But he had already successfully been able to bring Gurri out to this sentimental lookout -- and if things could stay as tranquil as they were now, he had faith in the day going well.

"You see Gurri, I've brought you out at this awful hour to make sure that our trip would have as little interruption as possible. But I wanted to start with this spot in particular because it was the first place my father brought me when I was your age." He attempted to nuzzle her head, silently hoping she would refrain from headbutting him in the chin.

"He would come out on this cliff at the start of his rounds every day and watch as the deer grazed in the meadow. He told me that the distance from here made it easier to spot danger. I just wanted to play with the other deer." Bambi confessed the last sentence with a soft laugh, recalling his first excursion with the Great Prince. The talk that the two of them had shared about his past crept into the back of his mind as well, though he did not see the need to dwell on it. Not yet, anyhow.

"As the future princess of this forest, it's important for you to come to this lookout. Even with the new... guests we've been acquiring, those who live here are still under our protection. And we must provide it for them. Do... you understand?"

Bambi blinked a few times, smile confidently resting on his muzzle. Now they were getting somewhere. A small burst of pride glowed in the buck's chest, hearing his daughter's reactions to the information he had shared. Her curiosity and amusement were wholly endearing.

"You'd be surprised; your grandfather was the most agile deer in the forest. He could scale a hill like no other. Bet you he could still climb up here in a flash, too." He nudged his daughter's shoulder playfully. Even after all of this time, the Great Prince had not lost his touch. He may have been slowing down, but he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

Her giggle over his earnest to play in the meadow elicited one of his own. They had made a connection he hadn't anticipated, thinking about him as a child. He remembered the first time he realized that the Great Prince, too, had been young once. "I was very eager. I remember I nearly slid over the side of the cliff! But my father helped me to realize that there's a time to work, and a time to play. Doesn't mean we can't have a little fun out here, though." He winked at her.

Gurri's confirmation of understanding made the deer swell once more. This was already going much more smoothly than he had ever anticipated. And he seemed to be getting through to her! Though it was surely the tip of the iceberg for them, a new sense of calm flooded over the deer. For just a brief moment, it felt as if he were on top of the world. There was nothing he couldn't handle.

Except, of course, the questions he was least expecting.

"Wait, ALL of them? Even Man? Cuz if you ask me they look like they can take care of themselves."

As soon as Gurri's inquiry left her mouth, Bambi sucked in a nervous breath. When it came to Man, Gurri still knew very little beyond very vague warnings. But, in a begrudging admittance, he had to give her credit: she did have a point. Man carried many attributes that allowed them to be self-sufficient. And it wouldn't do any harm to explain to her why he didn't just drive them out on sight.

The very lesson he had been taught by his father in this exact spot echoed in the back of his head. A prince does not look back. Only forward.

He exhaled, taking another deep breath as he chose his words carefully.

"Yes, Gurri. Man can do many things for themselves. They can cook. They can fight. They can create shelter. But they are still strangers to our forest, the same way Simba and his family are. And because they are living in our forest, we must still watch over them. Whether they need it or not." His last statement was followed by a soft laugh. 

He sighed, gaze trained on the banners and tents below. A new sense of nervousness was starting to cloud his optimism. And before he could change the topic entirely to more pleasant thoughts, his daughter threw the curveball that sent his heart into his throat.

"Dad? I met a dog named Angel? She says that Man keep cats and dogs as pets and they get to live all nice inside. Is that why you and grandpa didn't want us to talk to them? Cuz you didn't want us to become housepets?". 

There it was.

Though the full reasons for being distrustful of Man were well known between his mate and father, they had never fully been divulged to his children beyond warnings. He never wanted to divulge them to his children, and as far as he was concerned, never had the need until the war started. The fact that she was receiving her information from a dog was an entirely different set of issues he couldn't even start to address. He feared the information she was getting was going to give way to a revelation more quickly than he would like.

Bambi's ears drooped and rested against the back of his head, and he filed through his thoughts carefully. He needed to address this in the most gentle way possible. He turned his sight away from camp, looking down at his daughter once more."Man... is a very powerful group, Gurri. They're a very mysterious group. Cats and dogs may be fine living inside, but deer are meant for the meadow." He nuzzled her head once more. "Some day you'll understand."

Silently, Bambi hoped that this answer was vague enough to keep her questions at bay for now. A reluctant sense of relief washed over him. He hated lying, but what else was he meant to tell her? If he had told her the truth there and then, it would have changed the entire mood of their outing. Besides, at this hour, he was in no mood to reflect.

Someday she would know. It was an inevitable truth. But as far as Bambi was concerned, today was not that day.

And if she truly wanted more, well... he would deal with that as it came.

Getting one last look at the meadow beneath, he turned in a half circle, now facing the trail back down the hill. It was time for the both of them to get a move on. He glanced over his shoulder, smiling at his daughter. "Come, Gurri. Best we get moving while the sun is still in the sky."

After all, their journey was just beginning. There were still so many corners of the forest that he wanted her to see. And he couldn't wait to show her all of it.