Then he recognized the old stag.
Bambi was so astonished that he lost his self-possession. He was ashamed to run away as he would have liked to do. But he was also ashamed to stay there. He didn’t move.
“Well?” asked the old stag, quietly and gently. His voice was so frank and yet so commanding it pierced Bambi to the heart. He was silent.
“Well?” the old stag repeated.
“I thought …” Bambi stammered, “I thought … it was Ronno … or …” He stopped and risked a shy glance at the old stag. And this glance confused him still more. The old stag stood motionless and powerful. His head had turned completely white by now, and his proud dark eyes glowed in their depths.
“Why don’t you charge me … ?” the old stag asked.
Bambi looked at him, filled with a wonderful ecstasy, and shaken by a mysterious tremor. He wanted to cry out, “It’s because I love you,” but he merely answered, “I don’t know. …”
The old stag looked at him. “It’s a long time since I’ve seen you,” he said. “You’ve grown big and strong.”
Bambi did not answer. He trembled with joy. The old stag went on examining him critically. Then he came unexpectedly up to Bambi who was terribly frightened.
“Act bravely,” said the old stag.
He turned around and in the next moment had disappeared. Bambi remained in that place for a long while.
XII
It was summer and sizzling hot. The same longing he had felt before began to stir again in Bambi. But much more strongly now than then. It seethed in his blood and made him restless. He strayed far afield.
One day he met Faline. He met her quite unexpectedly, for his thoughts were so confused, his senses so clouded by the restless desire that raged within him, that he did not even recognize Faline. She was standing in front of him. Bambi stared at her speechless for a while. Then he said as though fascinated, “How beautiful you have grown, Faline!”
“So you recognized me again?” Faline replied.
“How could I help recognizing you?” cried Bambi. “Didn’t we grow up together?”
Faline sighed. “It’s a long time since we’ve seen each other,” she said. Then she added, “People grow to be strangers,” but she was already using her gay bantering tone again. They remained together.
“I used to walk on this path with my mother when I was a child,” Bambi said after a while.
“It leads to the meadow,” said Faline.
“I saw you for the first time on the meadow,” said Bambi a little solemnly. “Do you remember?”
“Yes,” Faline replied. “Gobo and me.” She sighed softly and said, “Poor Gobo. …”
Bambi repeated, “Poor Gobo.”
Then they began to talk about old times and asked each other every minute, “Do you remember?” Each saw that the other still remembered everything. And they were both pleased at that.
“Do you remember how we used to play tag on the meadow?” Bambi reminisced.
“Yes, it was like this,” said Faline and she was off like an arrow. At first Bambi hung back, somewhat surprised, and then he rushed after her. “Wait! wait!” he cried joyously.
“I can’t wait,” teased Faline, “I’m in too much of a hurry.” And bounding lightly away, she ran in a circle through the grass and bushes. At last Bambi caught up with her and barred the way. Then they stood quietly side by side. They laughed contentedly. Suddenly Faline leaped into the air as though someone had hit her, and bounded off anew. Bambi rushed after her. Faline raced around and around, always managing to elude him.
“Stop!” Bambi panted. “I want to ask you something.”
Faline stopped.
“What do you want to ask me?” she inquired curiously.
Bambi was silent.
“O, so you’re only fooling me,” said Faline, and started to turn away.
“No,” said Bambi quickly. “Stop! stop! I wanted … I wanted to ask you … do you love me, Faline? …”
She looked at him more curiously than before, and a little guardedly. “I don’t know,” she said.
“But you must know,” Bambi insisted. “I know very well that I love you. I love you terribly, Faline. Tell me, don’t you love me?”
“Maybe I do,” she answered coyly.
“And will you stay with me?” Bambi demanded passionately.
“If you ask me nicely,” Faline said happily.
“Please do, Faline, dear, beautiful, beloved Faline,” cried Bambi beside himself with love. “Do you hear me? I want you with all my heart.”
“Then I’ll certainly stay with you,” said Faline gently, and ran away.
In ecstasy, Bambi darted after her again. Faline fled straight across the meadow, swerved about and vanished into the thicket. But as Bambi swerved to follow her there was a fierce rustling in the bushes and Karus sprang out.
“Halt!” he cried.
Bambi did not hear him. He was too busy with Faline. “Let me pass,” he said hurriedly, “I haven’t time for you.”
“Get out,” Karus commanded angrily. “Get away from here this minute or I’ll shake you until there’s no breath left in your body. I forbid you to follow Faline.”
The memory of last summer when he had been so often and so miserably hunted awakened in Bambi. Suddenly he became enraged. He did not say a word, but without waiting any longer rushed at Karus with his antlers lowered.
His charge was irresistible and, before he knew what had happened, Karus was lying in the grass. He was up again quicker than a flash, but was no sooner on his feet than a new attack made him stagger.
“Bambi,” he cried. “Bam …” he
