Family means everything!

(I know I suck at Thread titles. Anyways, this thread is only open to Thumper, Geno, Gurri, Bambi, Faline, and Mooch. Date is July 31st)

Thumper hopped along the pridelands. It had been so long since he had seen Bambi and Faline and even Gurri. It was days like this where he really missed Tessie and Geno. (Yes, in this thread he hadn't been told that Geno is still alive now) He wished he could see them today. But, Thumper understood, after all Bambi was a general. So obviously he'd have a lot of General things to do.

Maybe he should just see them after all he was sure Mooch or Gurri weren't busy. Maybe he could help Mooch a little bit to get on Bambi's good side. He had always liked Mooch/Gurri's relationship for some reason. Maybe just because he wanted Gurri to be happy.

Strangely, Gurri found herself on her own at that moment. She had left Geno and Mooch to their own devices, at least for a brief time, and was doing a bit of grazing right then. Sure the grass was nothing like that of the grass at home, but it satisfied her needs well enough. Gurri had lost herself in thought as she plucked grass up from the ground and munched on it. In truth, it was still difficult to believe that Geno had come back. Of course she was over the initial shock of that fact, and she was elated to have her twin brother back, but it still felt just a little strange. ...All right, so that probably was an understatement. Understatement or not, though, Gurri wasn't complaining. She was happy her family was back together for the most part.

Now if only father would just accept Mooch...

Who was Gurri trying to kid? The chances of Bambi accepting Mooch were very slim. She'd have better chances of being turned into a dog than having her father accept that she liked the sheepdog in question. At that thought, Gurri lifted her head from her grazing spot and seemed to contemplate it. Turning into a dog... could that even happen? Maybe...

Gurri didn't have much time to think about it. Her attention was diverted from that thought when she caught a flash of grey from the corner of her eye. She looked in the direction she thought it had come from, only to spot Thumper hopping along. "Mr. Thumper!" Gurri called. She had missed seeing the little rabbit around, and had wondered if he would ever be available to talk to again after so much had happened. Now there was a thought; her father had been best friends with a rabbit and a skunk when he was younger. Why couldn't she be friends with a sheepdog?

"GURRI" Thumper called out happily and hopped over to her as fast as he could hop and hugged her hoof just happy to see her again. " How have you been? Is your dad starting to warm up to that doggy friend of yours or is he still Unhappy with you and his friendship? " Thumper asked. Frankly he didn't really blame Bambi to much for this. Sure, he was friends with Thumper and Flower. But, to Thumper this was different.

She had begun a friendship with a DOG. One of Man's best friends and A forests animal's worst enemy. Thumper didn't think Bambi would have any problem with any animal that Gurri was friends with if it wasn't a dog. Dog's were the one that killed Bambi's mom. Well it was Hunter's . But, to Thumper dogs and Hunters kinda went together like Butter on Toast.

In fact it took Thumper a very long time to get used to Mooch and all these dalmatians running around. So, to Thumper her dad's way of thinking was a bit true. "I could try to talk to him for you if you want. Maybe, try to smooth things over with the dog and your dad" Thumper offered.

Gurri lowered her head and gently rubbed her nose against Thumper's cheek. She really had missed the little rabbit. After all, he and Flower were kind of like her and Geno's uncles. Even if they weren't at all related to them. "I've been doing all right. What about you? I mean, I really haven't seen that much of you around recently." Gurri said. What had the little rabbit been up to? Was he doing all right? Gurri knew a lot of time had passed since his sister's death, but did it still sting somehow? She had to wonder.

Gurri's ears drooped just a little at his question and a soft sigh escaped her. "I just don't understand it. Father's never been so... protective. Yet, every time I try to spend time with Mooch he shows up and... I don't really know how to explain it." she said at length. Why did her father have to be so protective? Mooch had proven himself worthy, hadn't he? He'd risked his life coming to help her grandfather and Geno when they were in the midst of a battle. That had been what established their friendship and respect for the sheepdog. Gurri herself had never encountered the dogs that always trailed behind hunters in the forest, but she didn't think dogs were quite so bad. Mooch and his friends didn't seem so bad, at the very least.

"Mooch came to grandfather and Geno's aid so long ago when they were in trouble. Why doesn't father trust Mooch, Thumper?" Gurri asked. She knew dogs and deer weren't really meant to be friends, but couldn't that have just been a common misconception sort of thing? Tod had befriended many dogs, or so she had been told. If a fox could do it, why couldn't a deer?

Thumper smiles as Gurri rubbed her nose against his cheek . "I guess I have been doing all right. You know ever since Geno and Tessie died I guess I have been.............." Thumper said not even being able to finish his sentence. It was clear that he was trying his best to remain strong but it was hard. And not knowing that Geno had been brought back. That's how unfilled in he was about everything.

Thumper puts a paw to his chin. "Mooch is his name? Hmmmmm....... I really don't know. I mean it's hard to be a parent and your dad has been brought up to hate dogs. But, I like Mooch. I like all the dogs in the pridelands. Which brings me to my next point, have you ever noticed that with all the dogs in the Pride lands, Mooch seems to be the only dog he hates? I mean We have millions of dogs running around here with Dalmatians and everything else. Perhaps it has to do with him just not wanting to lose his little girl. " Thumper said. It did bring up a good point, it did seem that Bambi might have been on OK terms with just about every dog in the pridelands except the one who was best friends with his little girl.

"That's what I've been wondering about. He doesn't complain about the dalmatians, but he has a problem with Mooch." Gurri sighed. She didn't understand it. Mooch may have been lazy, but what kid wasn't at some point? He might not have been the most noble prince around, but her grandfather had taught him what he knew about the matter. As far as Gurri was concerned, Mooch was fine as he was. The trouble was that Gurri didn't get what Bambi saw wrong. There were countless dogs and even lions in their midst! Why did Mooch stand out so much in Bambi's mind?

"I probably shouldn't be troubling you like this, Thumper. This is my problem and I should be trying to work it out on my own, right?" Gurri asked. She didn't quite know if that was true or not. Did a Princess share her burdens with others, or did she care them on her own? Gurri didn't know, and somehow she doubted if she would gain an answer. It was difficult even grappling with the problem. "...Maybe you could talk to him? Find out why he doesn't like Mooch so much?" she asked.

"T....Trouble me? Troubling me? Please! I have been there from the day you were born. You're like a niece to me Gurri. You could never trouble me. Everybody needs someone to help them with problems from time to time even Princes and Princesses. No one can be able to solve everything. That's just not really how the world works. Sometimes the problem gets so big that you just can't solve it on your own. And that's where I come in, Gurri I need you to know that you can always come to e when you have a problem which you don't think you can handle. I may not always be able to help you solve it, and sometimes I may not even be able to give you any advice on the subject, but you need to know whatever the problem may be. Whenever! Whatever! You can always count on me to listen. And you can always count on you never troubling me." Thumper said rubbing his cheek against Gurri's hoof.

Thumper puts a paw to his chin in thought. "I will do my absolute best. I don't know if there is anything I could say to him that could help him change his mind. But, if there is anything I could do to help Mooch feel more excepted by your dad I will go to any means necessary to help" Thumper said feeling not exactly positive that he could reason with Bambi but, would try with all his might to reason with hiim. If there was something he could do for Bambi, Gurri, or Geno, Thumper would bend over backwards and try to do the thing that they wanted. No promises, but Thumper would do his very best.

What was it now? A month? Four weeks?

Bambi shuffled through the pridelands, head hanging. After Geno's return, and Mooch's outbreak, the young prince had completley avoided his children and the sheepdog. He just couldn't face them after being so ashamed. Yes, the light brown buck had gone weeks without talking to his children before, but that was because his duties had always kept him so busy. Now, the situation was completley altered. Bambi had never felt so... Betrayed, before. It seemed like Mooch was even out to ruin his connections to his family. But, it seemed like Mooch didn't have anything else left to take except his position and wife, which he highly doubted the sheepdog would want, anyways. The lazy mutt was too busy sleeping and hitting on his daughter to worry about either.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Bambi tried to carry his thoughts to simpler times, but thoughts of work and lessons weren't exactly helping him out. Lifting his head, the young prince was able to make out a figure in the distance; his best friend, Thumper. Honestly, Bambi could go for some time with his best friend. The grey-furred rabbit always had seemed to make him feel better. So, the light brown buck headded towards the rabbit figure, plastering a smile on his face. "Hey, Thumper!" Bambi called from a distance, still unable to make out his daughter. But, upon drawing closer, he was able to realize who was alongside his rabbit-friend. Heart stopping, the brown-eyed deer's face fell, features going hard. "Oh, Gurri, hi," Bambi mumbled, frowning slightly.

"Thank you, Thumper. I appreciate your help." Gurri said. She really was glad to have the little grey rabbit helping her try to figure out what was going on with her father. The question had puzzled the poor girl for ages, and she really did want an answer. Before she could really begin to dabble in that thought with Thumper, though, a familiar voice caught her attention. Gurri looked Bambi's way, only to glance uncertainly at the ground mere moments later. Just when she thought she had things figured out, the situation had taken a rather odd turn.

"Oh... hello, father." Gurri finally murmured. She didn't raise her gaze from the ground. It almost seemed as though the young deer thought the ground and grass were absolutely fascinating. Really, though, it was because she didn't even know where to begin with speaking to him. Things had turned so awkward after Mooch finally spoke his mind to Bambi and after she had defended him. Gurri had to wonder if things would ever be the same again between them.

Thumper smiles over at Gurri and was just about to thank her as well. But, that was until he saw his best friend. He gives a wink over to Gurri telling her he had everything covered. "Hey, there buddy, you mind if me and you have a little talk"? Thumper asked his friend wanting desperately to maybe get an answer as to why he hated Mooch and maybe change Bambi's mind.

Looking away from his daughter, Bambi shuffled his hooves, frowning slightly. Yes, he was acting somewhat immature, but his daughter had betrayed him! She had completley turned on him and stuck with the enemy! The young prince was in no hurry to exactly to forgive Gurri. Huffing slightly, Bambi opened his mouth to respond to his daughter, only to stop when he heardd Thumper speak up. Honestly, there was no question about it, the light brown buck would do anything in his willpower to get away from the tense air between Gurri and himself.

"Of course," The brown-eyed forest dweller stated, grinning inwardly as he began to trot away from his daughter, expecting Thumper to follow. Stopping a short ways off, still in distance of watching Gurri, the young prince leaned down, so that he was closer to Thumper's head level. "What is it, buddy?" The light brown buck asked, unknowingly dragging himself into a mental suicide.

Thumper hopped on to his best friend's back in order to talk to him and get a clearer version to what has been going on. "I just wanted to talk about you mostly Buddy. How have you been Buddy? It has been so long since Tessie and Geno's death that I didn't really have a time to catch up with you" Thumper said still not realizing Geno was alive. " I have missed you a lot, and I have just been talking to Gurri. I just wanted to ask you how things have been"Thumper said gently easing Bambi into the conversation of Mooch and Gurri.

Head swinging, slightly, Bambi got a better view of Thumper on his back, chocolate brown orbs somewhat hazy, he frowned slightly. "What do you mean, didn't you know that Geno isn't dead?" He asked suddenly, tipping his head slightly. But then it dawned on the light-brown buck. He had been avoiding everyone and everything for so long that his best friend didn't even know that his own semi-nephew had come back from the dead. Feeling slightly guilty, the young prince re-opened his muzzle, ready to explain everything. "He was revived by the enemy due to some form of black magic. The enemy is plotting to revive the dead... This worries me, Thumper, I can't bear to see anyone else hurt, let alone dead," Bambi stated, voice getting hollow and soft and the end of his statement. After his son's return, the forest-dweller couldn't help but wish that everyone else's family got to return to life, as well. It was that mere thought that drove the young prince to take his work and position much more seriously.

That and the fact that the more he consumed himself in work, the less he would have to talk to Gurri, Geno, or Faline. Because, quite truthfully, the light-brown buck didn't even want to speak to his mate about their children's actions. She would just call him silly for thinking that Mooch was a bad dog. As much as Bambi loved her, he knew she wouldn't be able to comprehend his pain. His own flesh and blood, the ones he trusted more than any they had, it was just!

Calm down, Bambi, you need to be there for Thumper, right now, Bambi mentally reminded himself, shaking the previous thoughts out of his head. He couldn't bear to think like that when his best friend had requested to speak with him. It would have just been plain rude! But, upon hearing the mention of his daughter and how 'things have been' the young prince's face fell. He brain was sucked back into the depressing thoughts of his daughter with Mooch. It was just... Disgusting.

"Honestly?" Bambi asked, brown orbs heavy and filled with sadness and betrayal. Glancing over to Gurri, then back to his rabbit-friend, the young prince shook his head sorrowfully. "Just miserable. Absolutley, terribly, miserable," The light-brown buck whispered, voice wavering a bit. While the deer had resolved to becoming strong and respected, he knew quite well that his child-hood friend qouldn't judge him for getting a bit upset. And, in the forest-dweller's eyes, he had every right and reason to be upset with his children.

Thumper nearly fell off Bambi's back when he heard the story about Geno being alive. This was such great news. He would need to see Geno later and give him a hug. But, right now his major concern was Bambi. He was a total wreck. And Thumper felt so sad for him. "There, There, now buddy, your old pal Thumper is gonna fix this mess. " Thumper said he didn't know the reason Bambi really hated Mooch.

Perhaps even Bambi didn't know the reason none of Bambi's other family had any problem with Mooch so the real question was why did he?