Bambi Chapter 7 And 8

Enjoy this sleep story to help you drift off into a peaceful slumber. Tonight we read Chapters 7 and 8 of the timeless classic, Bambi, by Felix Salten. These chapters describe when Bambi experiences time on his own and has more interactions with the elder bucks in the meadow. This audio is perfect for children or adults who want to discover magic or find adventure before a great night's sleep.

Transcript

Bambi by Felix Salton Chapter 7 Bambi was often left alone now,

But he did not have the same fear of it as he had had the first time.

His mother would disappear,

And then however much he called for her,

She did not come back.

But then she would reappear unexpectedly.

One evening,

Feeling very lonely,

He wandered once more along the paths.

He had not found Gobo and Faelene even once.

The sky had already turned to a light gray,

And it was beginning to get dark,

So that the tops of the trees could be seen over the bushes in undergrowth.

Something rustled in the bushes,

Something hurtled its way between the leaves,

And then his mother appeared.

Close behind her,

Another deer made its way in.

Bambi did not know who it was.

Auntie Ina or his father or someone else,

But Bambi's mother saw immediately who it was,

Despite the speed at which she had rushed past him.

He heard the shrillness of her voice.

She screamed,

And it seemed to Bambi that she did so only in fun,

But then it occurred to him that there was a slight ring of fear in that scream.

Another time,

It happened in full daylight.

Bambi had been walking for hours through the dense woods and finally began to call.

Not so much because he was afraid,

But because he did not want to remain so alone anymore,

And he felt he would soon be in a terrible state,

So he began to call for his mother.

Suddenly there was one of their fathers standing in front of him,

Looking at him severely.

Bambi had not heard him coming,

And he was startled.

This elder stag looked more powerful than the others.

He was taller and more proud.

His coat was aflame with a deep,

Dark red,

But his face shone silver-gray,

And a powerful black-pearled crown extended high above his playful ears.

What are you calling for?

The old stag asked severely.

Bambi trembled in awe of the elder stag and did not dare to make any answer.

Your mother hasn't got the time to spend on you now,

The elder continued.

Bambi was completely cowed by this imperious voice,

But at the same time he felt admiration for it.

Can't you be by yourself for a while?

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Bambi would have liked to say that he could be by himself perfectly well,

That he had been by himself often,

But he said nothing.

He did as he was told,

And became terribly ashamed.

The elder turned around and left him.

Bambi did not know that the stag left.

Where he had gone,

Did not even know whether he had left quickly or slowly.

He was simply gone,

Just as suddenly as he had arrived.

Bambi strained his ears,

But he heard no steps moving away from him,

No leaf being disturbed.

That made him suppose the elder must still be quite near to him,

And he smelt the air on every side.

He learned nothing from that.

Bambi sighed in relief,

As he was once more alone,

But at the same time he yearned to see the old stag again,

And to make sure he was not displeased with him.

Then his mother arrived,

But Bambi said nothing about his meeting with the elder,

Nor did he ever call for her now when she was out of sight.

He thought about the old stag when he wandered about on his own.

He felt a powerful wish to come across him.

Then he would say,

See,

I'm not calling for anyone,

And the elder would praise him.

He did speak to Gobo and Feline,

Though,

The next time they were together in the meadow.

They listened with excitement,

And they had no experience of their own that could compare with this.

Weren't you scared,

Asked Gobo excitedly,

Yes,

Bambi admitted,

He had been scared.

Just a little bit.

I'd have been terribly scared,

Gobo told him.

Bambi answered that no,

He had not been very scared,

Because the elder had been so majestic.

Gobo told him,

That wouldn't have been much help for me.

I'd have been too scared even to look at him.

When I get scared,

Everything flickers in front of my eyes so that I can't see anything,

And my heart beats so hard that I can't breathe.

What Bambi had told them made Feline very thoughtful,

And she said nothing.

The next time they met,

Though,

Gobo and Feline rushed to him in great leaps and bounds.

They were alone once more,

As was Bambi.

We've been looking for you for ages.

Yes,

Said Feline with an air of importance,

As now we know exactly who it was that you saw.

Bambi was so keen to know he jumped in the air.

Who?

Feline took pleasure in saying it was the old prince.

How do you know that,

Bambi wanted to know?

Our mother told us,

Retorted Feline.

Bambi was astonished,

And he showed it.

Did you tell her about it,

Then?

The two of them nodded their heads.

But that was a secret,

Objected Bambi.

Gobo quickly tried to excuse himself.

It wasn't me,

It was Feline who did it.

But Feline cheerfully called.

Oh,

So what?

Secret?

I wanted to know who it was,

And now we do know,

And that's much more interesting.

Bambi was burning to hear all about this,

And his wish was satisfied.

Feline told him everything.

He's the most noble stag in the whole world.

He's the prince.

There is no second most noble.

No one comes near to him.

No one knows how old he is.

No one knows where he lives.

No one knows who his relatives are.

Very few have ever even seen him.

Now and then there's a rumor that he's dead because he hasn't been seen for some time.

Then somebody catches a glimpse of him,

And then everyone knows he's still alive.

No one has ever dared to ask him where he's been.

He doesn't speak to anyone,

And no one dares to speak to him.

He goes along the paths where no one ever goes.

He knows every part of the wood,

Even the most distant corner.

And nothing is a danger to him.

Other princes might tussle with each other,

Sometimes as a test or in fun,

But sometimes they fight in earnest.

It's been many years since he fought with anyone,

And there's no one still alive who did fight with him a long time ago.

He's the great prince.

Bambi forgave Gobo and Feline for having carelessly chatted about his secret with their mother.

He was even quite satisfied about it,

Because now,

After all,

It was him who had experienced all of these important things.

Nonetheless,

He was glad that Gobo and Feline did not know everything quite precisely that the great prince had said.

Can't you be by yourself for a while?

And they did not know that he had said,

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Bambi was glad now that he had kept silent about these admonitions.

Feline would have told everything about that,

Just like everything else,

And then the whole forest would have been gossiping about it.

That night,

As the moon was rising,

Bambi's mother came back again.

She was suddenly there standing under the great oak at the edge of the meadow and looking round for Bambi.

He saw her straight away and ran over to her.

That night Bambi had another new experience.

His mother was tired and hungry.

She did not walk about as much as she usually did,

But satisfied herself there on the meadow,

Where Bambi also usually took his meals.

Together there,

They munched on the bushes,

And as they did so,

In that remarkably pleasant way,

They wandered deeper and deeper into the woods.

There was a loud noise that came through the greenery.

Before Bambi had any idea of what was happening,

His mother began to scream loudly,

Just as she did when she was greatly startled or confused.

Ayo!

She screamed,

Jumped away,

Then stopped and screamed.

Ayo!

Baio!

Then Bambi saw some immense figures appear,

Coming towards them through the noise.

They came quite close.

They looked like Bambi and his mother,

Like Auntie Ina and anyone else of their species,

But they were enormous.

They had grown so big and powerful that you felt compelled to look up at them.

Like his mother,

Bambi began to scream.

He was hardly aware that he was screaming.

He could not stop himself.

The line of figures went slowly past,

Three or four enormous figures,

One after another.

Last of all came one that was even bigger than the others.

It had a wild mane around its neck,

And its head was crowned with a whole tree.

Just to see it took your breath away.

Bambi stood there and howled as loudly as he could,

As he felt more frightened and bewildered than he had ever had been before.

His fear was of a particular kind.

He felt as if he were pitifully small,

And even his mother seemed to be the same.

He felt ashamed,

Although he had no idea why.

At the same time the horror of it shook him,

And he once more began to howl.

It made him feel better when he shouted like that.

The line of figures had passed.

There was nothing more to see,

And nothing more to hear from them.

Even Bambi's mother became silent.

There was only Bambi,

Who would whine briefly from time to time.

He was still afraid.

You can be quiet now,

His mother said.

Look they've gone away.

Oh mother whispered Bambi,

Who was that?

Oh,

They're not really that dangerous,

His mother said.

They were our big relatives.

Yes,

They are big,

And they're quality.

Much higher quality than you or me.

And aren't they dangerous,

Bambi asked?

Not normally,

His mother explained.

But they say there are many things that have happened.

People say this and that about them,

But I don't know if there's any truth in these stories.

They've never done anything to me or to anyone that I know.

Why would they do anything to us when they're relatives of ours,

Thought Bambi.

He wanted to be quiet,

But he was still shaking.

No,

I don't suppose they'll do anything to us,

His mother answered.

But I'm not sure.

And I get alarmed every time I see them.

I can't stop myself.

It's the same every time.

Bambi was slowly soothed down by this conversation,

But he remained thoughtful.

Right above him,

In among the branches of an alder tree,

An impressive tawny owl shrieked.

But Bambi was confused and forgot for once to show that he was startled.

The owl,

However,

Came down and asked,

Give you a shock,

Did I?

Of course,

Answered Bambi,

You always give me a shock.

The owl gave a quiet laugh.

He was satisfied.

I hope you don't blame me for it,

He said.

It's just the way I do things.

He fluffed up his plumage until he looked like a ball,

Sank his beak into a soft,

Downy feathers,

And put on a terribly nice,

Serious expression.

That was enough for him.

Bambi opened his heart to him.

Do you know,

He began in a way that seemed older than his age,

I've just had a shook that was far bigger than one you gave me.

What?

Asked the owl,

No longer so satisfied with themselves.

Bambi had told him about meeting with his enormous relatives.

Don't tell me more about your relatives,

Declared the owl.

I've got relatives too,

You know.

But all I have to do is look around me anywhere in the daytime,

And they're all over me.

Nah,

There's not much point in having relatives.

If they're bigger than you,

They're good for nothing.

And if they're smaller than you,

They're even more good for nothing.

If they're bigger than you,

You can't stand them,

Because they're so haughty.

And if they're smaller than you,

You can't stand them,

Because they think you're haughty.

Nah,

I don't want to know anything about anything of that.

But I don't even know my relatives,

Said Bambi shyly,

And wishing he did.

I'd never heard anything about them,

And today was the first time I saw them.

Don't you bother about those people,

The owl advised him.

Just take my word for it,

He said,

Rolling his eyes in a meaningful way.

Take my word.

That's the best thing to do.

Relatives are never as good as friends.

Look at the two of us.

We're not related,

But we're good friends,

Aren't we?

And very nice it is,

Too.

Bambi was about to say something more,

But the owl continued speaking.

I've got some experience in things like that.

You're a bit young still.

Take my word.

I know better about these things.

And anyway,

I don't see why I should get involved in your family matters.

He rolled his eyes,

And rolled them in a way that seemed so thoughtful,

And sat with an expression that seemed so earnest and meaningful,

That Bambi was modest and said nothing.

Chapter 8 Another night went by,

And the following day something else happened.

The sky was cloudless,

And the morning was full of dew and freshness.

All the leaves on the trees and bushes suddenly had a more vivid scent.

The meadow breathed the air in broad waves,

And lifted it up to the treetops.

Peep,

Said the tits as they woke up.

They said it quite quietly,

But it was still twilight,

And the sky was gray,

And they said nothing more for a little while.

For a time there was silence.

Then the raucous,

Rasping sound of a crow came from high up in the air.

The crows had woken up and were visiting each other in the treetops.

The magpie answered straight back,

Can you believe this?

I'm still asleep.

Then hundreds of calls,

Here and there,

Far and near,

Tentatively began.

Peep,

Peep,

Choo.

These sounds still had something of sleep,

Something of the twilight,

About them.

And yet they were actually all quite distinct from each other.

Suddenly a blackbird flew up to the top of a fir tree.

He flew right up to the very highest,

Thinnest point,

Reaching into the air.

He sat high up there and looked out all over the other trees,

Near and far,

While the pale gray sky,

Still tired from the night,

Began to glow in the east and come to life.

Then the bird began to sing.

She was only a tiny dark spot if you glimpsed her from the ground.

In the distance her little black body looked like a wilted leaf,

But her song spread out all over the forest in great celebration.

And then everything came to life.

The finches struck up the robins and the gold finches made their voices heard.

Pigeons rushed from one place to another with wide flapping and swishing of their wings.

The pheasants shouted out loud as if their throats would burst.

The sound of their wings was gentle but powerful as they swooped down to earth from the trees where they had been sleeping.

On the ground they repeated their metallic,

Bursting cry many more times,

And then they would coo gently high in the sky.

Falcons called out their sharp and joyful,

Ya ya ya.

The sun had risen.

The oriole rejoiced as he flew back and forth between the twigs and branches,

His round yellow body shone in the beams of the morning sun like an exhilarated ball of gold.

Bambi stepped under the big oak tree in the meadow.

It sparkled in the morning dew,

Had a scent of grass,

Flowers and wet earth.

It whispered of the thousand lives it had led.

There sat Bambi's friend the hare,

And he seemed to be thinking about something very important.

There was a haughty pheasant there,

Walking slowly.

He pecked at the stalks of grass and looked carefully all around himself.

His dark blue neck sparkled in the sunlight like a jewel necklace.

But close in front of Bambi there stood one of the princes very near to him.

Bambi had never seen him before,

Had never even seen any of the fathers this close up.

He stood there before him,

Very close to a hazel bush,

And still slightly concealed behind its twigs.

Bambi did not move.

He hoped the prince would come out fully from behind the bush,

And he wondered whether he could dare to speak to him.

He wanted to ask his mother and glanced around for her,

But his mother had already gone ahead and stood a long way away with Auntie Ina.

Just then,

Gobo and Phelene came out of the woods and ran into the meadow.

Bambi did not move,

But wondered about what he should do.

If he wanted to go over to his mother and the others,

He would have to pass the prince.

He thought that would be unseemly.

So what,

He thought,

I don't need to get my mother's permission first.

It was the old prince who spoke to me first,

And I didn't tell him my mother anything.

I will speak to the prince if I can.

I'll say to him,

Good morning,

Your highness.

There's nothing about that that would make him cross.

And if he is,

I can just run away.

Bambi wondered whether he had made the right decision,

And it kept on making him feel unsteady on his feet.

Now the prince stepped away from the hazel bush and onto the meadow.

Now,

Thought Bambi.

Just then there was a loud clap of thunder.

Bambi recoiled and did not know what had happened.

He saw how the prince jumped high into the air in front of him,

And saw him rush past him into the woods.

Bambi looked hard all around himself.

He felt as if he could still hear the thunder clap.

He saw his mother,

Auntie Ina,

Gobo and Faelin,

Some way away,

Had fled into the woods.

He saw his friend the hare rush away in a panic,

Saw the pheasant run away with his neck stretched out ahead of him,

And he could not understand what it all could be.

The prince lay there.

A broad wound had torn his shoulder open,

And he was bloody and dead.

Don't just stand there,

Came a shrill cry from beside him.

It was his mother who was running at a full gallop.

Run,

She called.

Run as fast as you can.

She did not stop,

But rushed on,

And her command pulled Bambi along with her.

He ran with all his strength.

What is that mother,

He said?

What was that mother?

His mother,

Gasping for breath,

Answered.

That was him.

Bambi shuddered,

And they ran on.

Finally,

Out of breath,

They stopped.

What do you say?

Please,

What do you say?

Called a thin voice from above them.

Bambi looked up and saw the squirrel hurrying down from the branches of the tree.

I jumped all the way here beside you,

He called.

It's terrible.

Were you there when it happened,

Asked Bambi's mother.

Well,

Of course I was there,

The squirrel replied.

I'm still shaking from it.

All my limbs are shaking.

He sat upright,

His magnificent flag against his back,

Showing his slender,

White breast,

And pressing both his front paws against his body to reassure himself.

I'm quite beside myself with fear.

I'm afraid too,

And it's made me quite numb,

Said Bambi's mother.

I can't understand it.

None of us saw anything.

Really?

The squirrel became excited.

You're wrong there,

Though,

You know.

I've been watching him for a long time.

So had I,

Called another voice.

It was the magpie.

She flew up to them and sat down on the branch.

And me,

Called another screeching voice from even higher in the ash tree.

There was the jay sitting there.

And from the very tops of the trees,

There was a pair of crows who called angrily.

We saw him too,

They interjected.

They all sat round in earnest discussion.

They were exceptionally agitated.

And it seemed full of fire,

Anger,

And fear.

Who,

Thought Bambi,

Who have they seen?

I did everything I possibly could do,

The squirrel shored them as he pressed both his fore paws to his heart.

Really everything to bring him to the attention of the poor prince.

So did I,

The jay screeched.

I don't know how many times I shouted to him,

But he just didn't want to hear me.

He didn't hear me either,

The magpie said with a laugh.

Ten times it was I that called him,

Just as I was flying over him.

I thought to myself,

Well,

If he can't hear me,

I'll fly over into the hazel bush,

Just where he's standing.

He's got to hear me from there.

But that was just when it happened.

But my voice is louder than yours,

And I did all I could to warn him,

Said the crow in a bitter tone.

But you posh lot never give enough attention to birds like us.

Yes,

Never enough at all,

Agreed the squirrel.

We do what we can,

Thought the magpie,

But it's not our fault if somebody's unlucky.

He was such a handsome prince,

The squirrel lamented,

And in the prime of life.

Ack,

The jay screeched,

If he hadn't been so standoffish and paid a bit of attention to us.

He was certainly not standoffish,

The squirrel contradicted him.

The magpie added,

Nah,

No more than the other princes like him.

Stupid then,

The jay said.

You're pretty stupid yourself,

A crow called down from above.

You can't talk about being stupid.

The whole forest knows how stupid you are.

Me?

Retorted the jay in astonishment.

No one can accuse me of being stupid.

A bit forgetful sometimes,

But I'm certainly not stupid.

Suit yourself,

Said the crow,

Now serious.

Don't forget what I've just said,

But bear in mind that it isn't being haughty or stupid that costs the prince's life.

It's cause you can't get away from him.

Ack,

Screeched the jay.

I don't like talking like this.

He flew away.

The crow continued speaking.

There's even a lot in my family who he's tricked.

He kills anyone.

He feels like killing.

There's nothing we can do about it.

We've just gotta keep a watch out for him,

The magpie added.

Yeah,

You certainly do,

Said the crow sadly.

Cheerio.

She flew away,

And her family went with her.

Bambi looked around.

His mother was no longer there.

What are they talking about,

He thought.

I can't understand everything they're saying.

Who is this he they're talking about?

It must be that he that I saw in the woods that time,

But he didn't kill me.

Bambi thought of the prince whom he had just seen lying in front of him with a wounded shoulder.

He was now dead.

Bambi walked on.

The forest was again in the song with a thousand voices.

The sun drove its broad beams of light through the treetops.

Everywhere was light.

The leaves began to steam.

High in the air called the falcons and here,

Close by,

A woodpecker was laughing out loud as if nothing had happened.

Bambi did not become cheerful.

He felt under threat from something dark.

He could not understand how the others could be so gay and carefree when life was so hard and so dangerous.

At that moment he was gripped by the desire to get a long way away from here,

To go deeper and deeper into the woods.

He felt the urge to go to a place where the trees were at their densest,

Where he could find a corner to slide in,

A place surrounded broad and far by the most impenetrable undergrowth,

Where he could not possibly be seen.

He did not want to go back out into that meadow.

Something gently moved in the bushes beside him.

Bambi was greatly startled.

There in front of him stood the elder.

There was something twitching in Bambi.

He wanted to run away,

But he took control of himself and remained.

The elder looked at him with his deep,

Big eyes.

Were you there when it happened?

Yes,

Said Bambi quietly.

His heart was beating so fast he could feel it in his mouth.

Where is your mother?

The elder asked.

Bambi answered,

Still speaking quietly.

I don't know.

The elder continued to look at him,

And you're not calling out for her?

Bambi looked into that venerable,

Ice-gray face,

Looked up at the elder's majestic crown,

And suddenly found himself full of courage.

I can be by myself,

Too,

He said.

The elder looked at him for a while,

And then softly he said,

Are you not the little one who,

Not very long ago,

Was crying for his mother?

Bambi felt slightly ashamed,

But continued to be courageous.

Yes,

That was me,

He admitted.

The elder looked at him in silence,

And it seemed to Bambi that those deep eyes were watching him with more tenderness.

You told me off for it,

Elder prince.

He exclaimed,

For not being able to be by myself.

I can do it now,

Though.

The elder looked at Bambi,

Examining him and smiled,

Very slightly,

Barely noticeably,

But Bambi did notice it.

Elder prince,

He asked trustingly,

What happened back there?

I can't understand it.

Who is this he they're talking about?

He stopped,

Shocked at the dark look that bade him to be silent.

They said nothing for a while.

The elder stopped looking at Bambi and stared into the distance.

Then he said slowly,

Listen for yourself.

Smell for yourself.

Watch for yourself.

Learn for yourself.

He raised the crown on his head even higher.

Farewell,

He said.

Then nothing more.

And then he had disappeared.

Bambi dismayed,

Stayed where he was and wanted to give up hope.

But the prince's farewell was still in his ears and gave him some comfort.

Farewell,

The elder had said,

So he wasn't cross with him.

Bambi was filled with pride,

Felt that he'd been lifted out of something that was formal and serious.

Yes,

Life was hard and full of danger.

Let it bring whatever it wants.

He would learn somehow to bear all of it.

Slowly he walked deeper into the woods.

And that is the end of our story.

Until next time,

Sweet dreams.

Reviews

Lovely story and your reading voice is so calming. Thank you