a couple of days later, with nothing to worry about, they made their way together through the thicket of oaks that lay on the other side of the meadow. they were about to go across the meadow and there, where the lofty oak tree stood, they would be back on their usual paths. the bushes ahead of them became lighter, and there they stopped and peered out. there, by the oak, there was something red moving.

“who could that be ...?” whispered bambi.

“i expect it’s ronno or karus,” thought faline.

bambi doubted this. “they don’t dare to come near me any more.” bambi looked more carefully. “no,” he decided, “that isn’t karus or ronno ... that’s a stranger ...”

faline agreed, astonished and very curious. “you’re right, a stranger, i can see that too now ... odd!”

they watched.

“he seems very careless!” called faline.

“stupid,” said bambi, “he is really stupid. he’s behaving like a little child ... as if there weren’t any danger at all!”

“let’s go over there,” suggest faline. she was too curious.

“alright then,” bambi answered, “let’s go ... i want to get a closer look at this lad ...”

they made a few steps but then faline hesitated. “but ... what if he wants to fight you ... he’s strong ...”

“bah!” bambi lowered his head to one side and had a disdainful look. “look how small his crown is ... why should i be frightened of that? he’s big and fat ... but strong? i don’t think so. just come with me ...”

they went. across the meadow the other deer was busy biting at grass, and did not notice them until they had come quite a long way out onto the meadow. he immediately ran out to meet them. he made joyful, playful jumps and again seemed to be very childlike. bambi and faline were puzzled and waited for him. now he was just a few steps away. like them, he stood still.

after a little while he asked, “don’t you recognize me?”

bambi had lowered his head, ready for combat. “do you ... know us?” he replied.

the stranger interrupted him. “but bambi!” he called, full of admonishment but trusting.

bambi became hesitant when he heard his name being used. the sound of this voice tugged at some kind of memory in his heart, but faline made no delay and jumped forward to meet the stranger.

“gobo!” she exclaimed and the she was silent. she stood there without a word, without moving. she had lost her breath completely.

“faline ...” said gobo gently, “faline ... sister ... you recognize me ...” he went to her and kissed her on the mouth. suddenly the tears began to flow down his cheeks.

faline cried too, and she was unable to speak.

“but ... gobo ...” bambi began. his voice quivered and he was very excited, he was deeply touched and astonished beyond measure. “gobo ... aren’t you dead?”

gobo laughed. “you can see, can’t you. i think it’s easy enough to see i’m not dead.”

“but ... that time ... in the snow?” bambi persisted.

“that time?” gobo lowered his head bashfully. “that time it was him who saved me ...”

“and where have you been all this time ...?” asked faline now, in astonishment.

gobo answered, “with him ... i’ve been with him all this time ...”

he became silent, looked at faline and bambi and greatly enjoyed the sight of their helpless astonishment. then he added, “yes, my dear friends ... i have had many new experiences ... more than all of you put together here in this forest of yours ...” it sounded a little boastful, but they still did not notice that, they were too taken up with the enormity of their surprise.

“tell us about them!” exclaimed faline, unable to control herself.

“well,” said gobo complacently, “i could tell you about them all day long and wouldn’t have told you everything.

bambi insisted. “go on then, tell us!”

gobo went over to faline and became serious. “is mother still alive?” he asked timidly and quietly.

“yes!” faline cheerfully declared. “she’s alive ... i haven’t seen her for a long time though.”

“i want to go and see her, straight away!” said gobo. “are you coming with me?”

and off they went.

all along the way they were silent. bambi and faline could feel gobo’s impatient yearning to see his mother, and that’s why neither of them said anything. gobo strode hurriedly forward and said nothing. they did nothing to stop him.

except that now and then, when he blindly ran through a place where the paths crossed, always running straight ahead, or when in sudden haste he rushed into another direction they would quietly call to him. “this way!” bambi would whisper. or faline would say, “no ... it goes round here now ...”

a couple times they had to go across broad clearings. they noticed that gobo never stopped at the edge of the trees, never even glanced around to see that it was safe before he went out into the open. he would simply run out there with no caution at all. bambi and faline looked at each other in amazement whenever that happened, but they said nothing and hesitantly followed gobo.

they had to wander about in this way, searching and going up and down, for a long time.

gobo suddenly recognized the paths he had used in his childhood. he looked at them in wonder, and it did not occur to him that bambi and faline had led him to them. he looked round at them and declared, “what do you think of that? look how good i was at finding my way here!”

they said nothing. they merely, once more, looked at each other.

shortly afterwards they came to a small chamber in the foliage. “here!” called faline as she slipped into it. gobo followed her and then stopped. it was the chamber where they both had been born, where they had lived as little children with their mother. gobo and faline looked close into each other’s eyes. they said not a word. faline kissed her brother gently on his lips. then they hurried on.

they probably spent another hour going up and down. the sun shone more and more brightly through the twigs, the forest became more and more quiet. it was time to lie down and rest. gobo, though, did not feel tired. he hurried forward, breathed heavily because of his impatient excitement and looked around without any plan. he flinched when a weasel rushed out from the long grass and passed under him. he nearly stepped on the pheasants who were pressed close down to the ground, and when they flew up in front of him with loud flapping of wing and told him off he was very alarmed. bambi was amazed at how unfamiliar he seemed with everything and how he proceeded as if blind.

gobo stopped and turned to the two of them. “we can’t find her!” he exclaimed in bewilderment. faline soothed him. “we will do soon,” she said with emotion. “not long now, gobo.” she looked at him. he was once again wearing that disheartened expression that she knew so well.

“should we call for her?” she said with a grin. “should we start calling again ... like we used to, when we were still children?”

bambi continued walking. just a few steps. and then he caught a glimpse of auntie ena. she had already lain down to rest and lay without moving in the shadow of a hazel bush, very near.

“at last!” he said to himself. at that moment gobo and faline arrived. all three of them stood beside each other and looked over at ena. she had quietly raised her head and looked sleepily at them.

gobo made a few hesitant steps forward and gently called, “mother!”

as if snatched up by a thunderbolt, ena was no longer lying down but up on her feet and standing as if cemented into position. gobo quickly jumped to her. “mother ...” he began again. he wanted to speak but could not utter a word.

his mother looked closely into his eyes. she began to stand with less stiffness; she was shaking so much that wave after wave ran over her back and shoulders.

she asked no questions, she did not ask for an explanation, not for any account of what had happened. slowly, she kissed gobo on his lips, kissed his cheeks, his neck; without cease, she washed him with her kisses, just as she had done when she had given birth to him.

bambi and faline had left.