Bambi stepped out from his underground chamber. Life was good. The elder was standing there as if he had been waiting.
The wandered slowly off together.
But Bambi never went back across that gulley, never went back to see the others.
[CHAPTER] 23
One night, when the autumn leaves were falling and whispering through the whole of the forest, the tawny owl gave his shrill cry through the tree tops. Then he waited.
But Bambi had already seen him in the distance through the now sparse foliage and now he kept still.
The owl flew closer and gave his shrill cry even louder. Then he waited. But this time too, Bambi said nothing.
The owl could not hold back any longer. “Aren’t you startled, then?” he asked discontentedly.
“Oh, yes,” Bambi answered gently. “A little bit.”
“Well ...,” the owl grumbled, “only a little bit? You always used to be terribly shocked. It was always such a pleasure to see how shocked you were. What’s happened then, what’s happened that means your only a little bit shocked ...?”