Bambi did not dare to contradict him and remained silent.
The elder walked slowly forward and Bambi followed. Oh, how skilled the elder was in knowing how to walk! No sound came from under his hooves. Not a leave moved. No twig cracked. In this way the elder crept through the dense undergrowth, slid his way through the tangle of ancient bushes. Bambi could only be amazed, he had to admire the elder despite his feverish impatience. He had never realized it was possible to go forward in this way.
The call came again and again.
The elder stopped, listened and nodded his head.
Bambi stood near him, shaken with yearning, tortured by what he had to do, and understood nothing.
The elder stopped several times without the call having been heard, he would throw his head up high, listen, and nod. Bambi heard nothing. The elder turned away from the direction the call was coming from, he was going to approach it in a curve. This made Bambi very angry.
The call came over and again.
At last they were getting nearer, nearer still, and then very near.
The elder whispered, “Whatever you see now ... don’t move ... do you hear? Pay attention to everything I do and you do exactly the same ... Be careful! And don’t panic ...!”
A few steps further on ... there came suddenly that sharp, stimulating smell that Bambi knew so well, strong in his nose. It was so strong that he nearly cried out. He stood there as if nailed to the ground. His heart suddenly began to beat so hard he could feel it in his throat.