Bambi Story: A Life in the Woods
One day, a deer was born. His name is Bambi. His mother used her tongue to rub all over his body.
“Bambi,” she said. “My little Bambi.”
Little Bambi is curious about everything. He knew he was a deer, and so was his mother. He learned there were other deer in the forest, and one day, he would meet them. He knew that herds of deer created the trails his mother followed. Bugs and critters, sounds and smells. So many wonders to discover!
Sometimes, while walking on the trail, his mother suddenly stopped. She will open her ears and listen from all directions. First- over there! Then- here! Bambi will wait. When she finally said, “It’s okay.
There is no danger. We can go,” then the two of them would start their journey again. But he didn’t know why they had to do this.
One day, his mother took him out to the pasture for the first time. He started to run out into the open field, but she jumped right in front of him. “Stop!” she speaks. “Here. I have to go out first. Wait until I call you. But if I start running, you have to turn around and run into the woods quickly. Don’t stop. Do you understand me?”
Bambi’s mother slowly walked out onto the open grass. She sniffed everywhere. She looked this way and that, alert and careful. After a moment, she said, “It’s okay, Bambi. There’s nothing to worry about. Come on!” He rushed out to meet her.
Oh, the sun is so bright! Back in the forest, Bambi still occasionally saw stray rays of sunlight, but here, the bright sunlight warmed his whole body. He felt terrific and jumped into the air. Each time he landed on the grass, it was softer than any grass he had ever felt. Then he jumped again, again and again.
There are places where the flowers are dense, forming a sweet carpet. But what is that little thing dancing in the air? “Mom, look!” Bambi said. “Flowers are flying.” Why, that flower must have danced so much, thought Bambi, that it broke right off the stem to rise and dance in the air.
“That’s not a flower, Bambi,” said the mother, “that’s a butterfly.”
Then – Thump, thump, thump! On the rock, there was a baby rabbit, a rabbit stomping its feet.
“Hello!” The rabbit smiled, raising one ear high. “Want to play?”
“Sure!” Bambi said.
“Catch me!” The rabbit jumped from the rock to the grass, hopping away. Bambi ran and jumped a little faster, but Hare was better at hiding, so the two of them had a good time.
On top of the flowers, a tall, soft black and white tail was sliding towards them. “Oh, I would know that tail anywhere!” Rabbit said. “That’s my friend Skunk. He is under the flowers. Foumart?” And sure enough, a black and white head appeared.
“This is Bambi,” Hare said. Before long, the three of them were exploring the meadow, smelling its rich scent.
Faline jumped and landed right in front of Bambi, then jumped back to Gobo. With care, Bambi walked towards her. Faline jumped aside, and Gobo followed. Soon, the three of them were chasing each other across the lawn.
“Now run and play,” said Bambi’s mother.
After that, every day, the three baby deer played and talked loudly. They raced and chased, nibbled on many strawberries and blueberries on the bushes, and sometimes just talked.
One day, Bambi said: “Do you know what danger means?”
“Something is very wrong,” Gobo whispered.
“But what is it?” Bambi said.
“I know what the danger is,” Faline said. “That’s what you run from.” But soon, they were chasing and playing again.
Bambi and Ena’s mother stepped forward. “Now,” they said. “Now it’s time to go home.”
Far away on the top of the hill, two giant deer proudly appeared with huge antlers.
Turning back to them, Faline said, “Who are they?”
“That’s your father,” Ena said.
Bambi’s mother told her son: “If you are smart and stay out of danger, one day you will grow up and be handsome like your father. And you will also have antlers.” Bambi’s heart was filled with pride.
When Bambi grew up, he learned to smell the air. He can tell if his friend Rabbit is coming or if a fox has just run by. He can tell if it will rain soon.
One afternoon, a fierce storm arose. Lightning flashed, and thunder rang out. Bambi thinks the end of the world has come. But when he lies next to his mother, he feels safe.
One day, when Bambi was wandering in the forest, he smelled a very unpleasant smell. Curious, he followed it. It leads to a clearing where a strange creature is standing. He had never seen such a creature. It stood up on its hind legs, and in its hands, it held something long and black – could that be a third leg?
The smell of that creature somehow terrified him. The beast raised its long black arm. In the blink of an eye, Bambi’s mother rushed towards him.
“Run, Bambi, run! As fast as you can!”
Bambi’s mother jumped through the thick bushes. He kept walking beside her until they returned to their tree-shaded house.
Then Bambi’s mother said, “Have you seen the Son of Man?” Bambi nodded yes. “That’s the one who brings danger,” she said. And they both shivered.
Bambi is still evolving. The first time he woke up and saw his mother had left him, he was terrified. It was early morning and still dark. “Mom! Mom!” he called out. A large shadow approached, more significant than his mother. Standing before a pool of moonlight, a Great Old Buck looked proud and stern.
“Who are you calling?” Buck frowned and said. “Can’t you take care of yourself?” Bambi did not dare to answer. He lowered his head in shame. “Look up,” said Old Buck, “Listen to me. Clock. Odor. Find out for yourself. You’ll be fine on your own.”
The leaves fell, and Bambi grew even taller.
His mother began leaving him alone more and more, letting him meet deer and other creatures in the forest. Faline, Gobo, Hare, and Skunk are still Bambi’s closest friends, but he also finds other animals fascinating to watch and sometimes fun to play with.
One wet winter day, the terrible smell of humans filled the forest. The scent is so strong that there must be many People in a group! Most animals quickly flee from danger. But some are not so lucky. With the loud noise and great strength of the hunter, many animals were killed, and one of them was Bambi’s mother.
After that terrible day, Bambi felt lost. He wandered everywhere. How could this terrible thing happen? Suddenly, Great Old Buck stepped out in front of him.
“Were you out in the pasture when it happened?” Old Buck said.
“Yes,” Bambi said.
“And you didn’t call your mother?” Buck said.
Suddenly, Bambi felt full of courage. “I can take care of myself!” He said and looked up.
Great Old Buck smiled. “Listen to me,” he said. “Smell. Clock. Learn to live and be careful. Find out for yourself. Now, goodbye.” And he disappeared into the deep forest.
Winter is coming. Cold and strong winds swept through the forest. Thick snow covers the forest floor. There needs to be more food to eat. Bambi always feels hungry and cold. Almost all of the bark had been peeled off by hungry deer. Even so, the cold wind still blows every day.
Gobo is always smaller than Bambi and Feline. He shivered all the time. He could barely stand up anymore.
One day, a flock of crows flew overhead, cawing loudly. “Tickle! Bet!” The geese also cried out in the sky: “Oh my god! Gawk!” They warn of the coming of Man – again!
The rabbit jumped up and down in panic. “We are surrounded! They’re everywhere!” There was an explosion like thunder, and a goose fell from the sky. All the animals ran like crazy, even the tiny mouse.
Another brief crash was like thunder, and a fox fell to the forest floor. Bang! Bang!
Hare called out to Bambi, “We have to get out of here!” Bambi and Hare started walking away. But is that Gobo lying in the snow?
“Oh my God!” Bambi said. “Where are your mother and Faline?”
“I fell,” Gobo said. “I’m too weak. Go on, Bambi.”
Another young deer surrounded by. “Bambi, run! If you can run, don’t just stand there!” He took off like the wind, and as Bambi followed, he called out behind him, “I’ll come back for you, Gobo!” Bambi runs and runs. Soon, the booming sound like thunder grew farther and farther away.
When Bambi returned to where Gobo had been, there was no trace of him left, not even a hint of him. Just big songs. Faline and her mother were walking back and forth around the place. “What happened to him?” Ena groaned. But they all know. They can smell it. A human came and took Gobo away.
Weeks he was passed. Finally, small branches of fresh green grass sprouted from the snow. Then, there are more and more green beams. What was left of the snow had melted away. On Bambi’s head, he could feel the weight of his rapidly growing horns.
As the trees and bushes turn green and the weather warms, all the animals start to act oddly. The birds flew in pairs. Many large and small creatures travel in pairs. His friend Skunk spends all his time with a skunk girl and barely pays attention to Bambi. Even his friend Hare seemed dazed, endlessly staring at a hare girl and stomping his feet.
“What happened to my friends?” Bambi said. “I’m lonely.” There was a rustling of leaves behind him. Faline stood there, but now she was grown, just like him. Each of them thought: “How different you look!” They looked at each other and smiled.
“It’s been a while since we last saw each other,” Faline said.
“Yes, I know,” Bambi said. They tell stories of the past. “Do you remember playing Tag in the meadow?” one person said. “Do you remember all those berries on the bush we ate?” said the other. The two seemed to understand each other perfectly.
A fat deer approached them, sniffing the air.
“Sister, don’t you know me?”
Faline and Bambi turned around in surprise. “Oh my God!” They happily ran to him.
“So you’re not dead!” Bambi said.
“Where have you been?” Faline said.
Gobo tells his story. “I was with a human. I have seen more than all of you.” The dogs found him as he lay in the snow, and they barked. Humans came and carried Gobo to where he lived. “It’s as warm as summer inside,” Gobo said. “Rain can pour outside, but not inside where people live. It’s always dry and warm! And there’s always something to eat – radishes, hay, potatoes, carrots – so delicious!”
“But aren’t you afraid?” Faline said.
“No, Humans won’t hurt me. If he loves you or if you serve him, he will be good to you,” Gobo said. “They all love me there. The children caressed me.”
Great Old Buck strode out of the bushes. “What kind of necklace do you wear around your neck?”
“That’s the lanyard I wear,” Gobo said. “It is an honor to wear the laces of Man.”
“Silent!” said Great Buck. “Lazy thinking.” He turned around and disappeared.
One day, when Gobo and Bambi were together, they smelled Human. “We must escape immediately!” Bambi said. “There’s no need,” Gobo said. “Humans know me.” Then, at the same time, there was a loud explosion! And Gobo fell.
Luckily, Humans never chased Gobo. Instead, as Man’s scent drifted away, Bambi pulled his friend to a shady place where he could rest and escape danger.
Bambi knows what grass his mother often eats to help her wounds heal faster. When he brought weed to Gobo, he asked himself, “Why does this always happen to us?” Bambi thinks of Great Old Buck, who said, “Find out for yourself.” Learn what?
Faline and Ena bring Gobo food and visit him every hour. Bambi also stops by often until Gobo is healed. The words of the Great Old Buck were still imprinted in his mind – “Learn to live and be careful.” Bambi begins to understand.
Seasons come and go. Bambi is still growing taller. Now, his antlers are almost mature. One day, Bambi smelled a new warning smell in the air. It was a hot and smoky smell. A flock of crows flew overhead, cawing shrilly. Fire!
Immediately, the animals ran, ran, as fast as they could. It’s not easy to run away from fire.
Sometimes, it comes from many different directions. After several hours of fire and smoke passed, the fire finally began to die. The smell of fire also fades.
Great Old Buck stepped in front of Bambi. His head is now gray, but he is still proud of his antlers. “Come with me,” he said thoughtfully. “I want to show you something before I go.”
He leads Bambi through the forest to a burned-down village. Mixed with the smell of fire was the same terrible smell of Man that terrified their hearts again and again.
“Don’t be afraid,” said Old Buck. Every day, they got closer and closer to the village. “Look, Bambi,” he said. In front of them were dozens of huts. Each one burned; some almost fell to the ground, and others burned almost to the roof. The village is empty.
“You see, Bambi,” said Old Buck. “Human homes were destroyed by fire just like ours in the forest. Humans are not above us. We’re just the same. Do you understand what I mean, Bambi?”
“Fire burned the forest where we lived, and it also burned human villages,” Bambi said. “We are not so different from humans.”
“We both live under the same great power in this world,” said Great Old Buck.
“Yes,” Bambi said.
“I can go now,” said the Great Buck. “Do not follow me. I’m running out of time. Goodbye, my son, I love you very much.”
Now Bambi has become a complete Buck. His antlers were sharp and glistening in the sunlight.
Occasionally, he visits the corner of the forest where he spent his childhood. Some trails are still there. Once, while wandering there, he saw Gobo and his sister, Faline. When he saw Faline, his heart beat faster. He wanted to rush to her. He looked after her. She finally disappeared. Then he heard the calls of two baby deer.
“Mom! Mom!” they called.
“Can’t you be alone?” Bambi said. The two younger brothers admired the great Buck so much that they could not answer. Bambi thought this little guy pleases me. He reminded me of the deer’s face I once saw looking into the stream many years ago. Maybe I’ll see him again. The girl is also pretty. Faline used to look like that.
“Listen to me,” Bambi said to the two fawns. “You have to watch and listen. Find out for yourself. You’ll be fine on your own.”
