one day they were deep in the woods looking for the little clearing where bambi had last come across the elder. bambi told faline about him with great enthusiasm.
“maybe we’ll find him again, i really want to find him again.”
“that would be nice,” said faline perkily. “i’d really like to talk with him some time.” but she was not telling the truth. she may well have been curious, but in fact she was afraid of the elder.
the sky was already light grey, the sun was about to rise.
they ambled along next to each other into the place where the bushes and wild cabbages stood isolated from other vegetation, so that there was a clear view in all directions. they heard a rustling not far away. they immediately stopped and looked in that direction. the stag strode slowly and powerfully through the bushes and into the clearing. in the twilight it was not possible to see any colours, and he appeared as an enormous grey shadow.
faline immediately screamed. bambi took hold of himself. he was, of course, just as startled as faline and her scream only made it worse, but her voice had sounded so helpless that he felt pity for her and forced himself to reassure her.
“what’s the matter then?” he whispered anxiously, but there was a tremble in his voice. “what’s the matter. he won’t do us any harm!”
faline simply continued screaming.
“don’t get so upset, my love. it’s not nice,” bambi urged her. “it’s ridiculous to always be afraid of these gentlemen. they are relatives of ours, after all.”
but faline did not want to hear anything about their being relatives. she stood there, very stiff, stared at the stag as he went unbothered on his way, and she screamed and screamed.
“pull yourself together,” scolded bambi, “what’s he going to think of us?”
there was nothing that could have calmed faline down. “he can think what he wants,” she shouted, and went on screaming. “ah-oh! ba-oh! ... nobody should ever be as big as that!”
she continued to scream, “ba-oh!” and went on to say, “leave me alone ... i can’t help it! i have to! ba-oh! ba-oh! ba-oh!”
the stag was now standing in the little clearing and looking languidly in the grass for something tasty to eat.
as he looked alternately at faline as she panicked and at the calm and relaxed stag, something rose up in bambi. the words of comfort he had offered to faline had also helped him to overcome his own alarm at the sight of the stag. now he scolded himself for falling into a pitiful state every time he saw the stag; a state where horror, excitement, admiration and inferiority were all mixed together and made him suffer.
“that’s all nonsense,” he decided with much effort, “now i’m going to go right up to him and introduce myself.”
“don’t do that!” shouted faline, “don’t do that! ba-oh! something terrible will happen, ba-oh!”
“i’m going to do it whatever happens,” bambi retorted. the stag, so relaxed as he picked out all the best things to eat, paid no attention at all to faline as she screamed. it seemed to bambi that he was far too haughty. he felt injured and humiliated. “i’m going out there,” he said. “just calm down! nothing’s going to happen, you’ll see. you wait here.”
he actually did go out there. but faline did not wait. she did not want to wait, not in the slightest, and nor did she have the courage to do so. she swung round and ran away and could still be heard as she got further and further away: “ba-oh! ba-oh!”
bambi would have liked to go after her, but that was no longer really possible. he pulled himself together and went forward.
through the twigs and branches he could see the stag standing in the clearing, his head lowered to the ground.
bambi felt his heart thumping as he went out there.
the stag immediately raised his head high and looked over at him. then, as if confused, he looked straight ahead.
bambi saw both these movements as very haughty, the way the stag had looked at him and the way he was now occupied with looking straight ahead as if there were nobody there.
bambi did not know what he should do. he had come out here with the firm intention of speaking to the stag. good morning, he would have said, my name is bambi ... may i ask what your name is, sir?
certainly! he had imagined this as flowing very smoothly, and now it turned out not to be as simple as he had thought. what was the use, here, of having the best intentions? bambi did not want to seem to be badly brought up, but that is how he would seem if he came out here without saying a word. nor did he want to impose himself on the stag, but that was what he would be doing if he started speaking.
the stag stood there in indignant majesty. bambi was alarmed and felt humiliated. he tried in vain to shake himself into doing something and just one thought kept running through his head: why should i let him frighten me ...? i’m just as good as he is ... just as good as he is!
it did not help. bambi continued to feel frightened and felt deep in the heart of him that he was not just as good as he is. not by a long way. he felt pitiful, and he needed all his strength to keep any kind of dignity.
the stag looked at him and thought: he is charming ... truly delightful ... so good looking ... so elegant ... so fine in all his movements. but i’d better not stare at him like this. that would really not be proper. and i might even embarrass him.
and he looked away from bambi and went back to gazing into the distance.
that haughty look, bambi decided! it’s unbearable, the way he puffs himself up!
the stag thought: i’d like to talk with him ... he seems so likeable ... it’s so stupid, the way that people never talk to each other! and he continued to occupy himself with gazing thoughtfully into the distance.
i’m just like the air for him, said bambi, people like that always act as if they were the only people in the world!
but what should i say to him ...? the stag wondered. i’ve never had any practice in this ... i’d say something ridiculous and make a fool of myself ... as i’m sure he’s very clever.
bambi pulled himself together and looked hard at the stag. he’s so majestic! he thought, still unsure of himself.
well ... perhaps another time ... the stag finally concluded, and he walked away, unsatisfied but majestic.
bambi, embittered, stayed where he was.
