Chương 54: Bambi's Determination

Bambi A black bear charged the monster from the side. The impact sent both of them tumbling. I didn't even know anything about him except that he'd joined us on his own without being reincarnated. More animals piled on. They swarmed the creature. They knew they couldn't kill it, but they could certainly try. The monster thrashed and screamed, but there were too many of them.

"Get Buck!" Agnes screamed from above.

"Bambi! Get to him!" I was already running. I reached Buck as he collapsed completely, his breathing shallow and rapid.

"Hold on," I whispered, completely unsure what to do. I tried putting pressure on the wound using mana, but that just slowed the bleeding and didn't stop it. I wasn't a spirit of healing. I was the one who gave second chances. And Buck had already been given his second chance. Knowing it was a lost cause, I tried sending divine energy into him. I could feel it working at first, but it wasn't enough. The wound was too deep. The monster's claws had been tainted with some dark magic or death energy.

I didn't know what. It fought against my healing, corrupting it.

"Bambi," Buck gasped. His eyes found mine.

"Is... is he safe?"

"Who?" I asked. I was so concerned about Buck I'd forgotten about everything else.

"The Great Trash Panda. Is he..." Buck asked. I looked at the cabin. The fire was dying now that the Wild People weren't there to keep the flames going. The shutters were still down. No one had breached the defenses.

"He's safe," I said.

"You saved him. You all saved him." Buck smiled. It was weak, but it was real.

"Good. That's... that's good."

"Don't talk," I said, pushing more energy into him.

"Save your strength. I can heal you. I just need…"

"Thank you," he said.

"For my second chance. For noticing me. For... everything."

"Buck, no. Don't." However, his eyes were already closing as his breathing stopped. I felt the moment his soul left. No. No, no, no. I poured mana into him but reincarnation only worked on the newly dead. Even then, I couldn't do it again for those I'd already resurrected. Around me, the battle was ending. The Wild People who could run had fled. The monster had finally broken free of the animal swarm and retreated into the forest, wounded and furious. We'd won, but the cost had been horrible.

I moved through the clearing in a daze. Bodies were everywhere. There were so many groans, and crying out for help. I went to each one of the still ones and tried. I touched a young deer with a slashed throat and divine light flowed. He gasped and stood up on shaking legs. I healed the opossum who'd been crushed and brought him back. I then brought back a sparrow. I didn't even know all of their names yet. So many had joined us that I hadn't had a chance to meet them all.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I moved from body to body, reincarnation after reincarnation. Each one drained me. Each one took more than the last. Finally, I reached another rabbit I didn't know. I touched her and only a dim light flowed. However, nothing happened. I tried again. Pushed harder. Nothing. No. Not yet. I'm not empty yet. I moved to the next body. A squirrel from Agnes's family. He was young. I touched him. Light flickered and sputtered.

Then it died.

"No," I whispered.

"Please. Just one more. Just…" But there was nothing left. My divine energy was completely depleted. Finally, I told those around me, "Collect the bodies of those who have not gone through rebirth." While I might not have the strength at that moment, I would regain some with time. Then I could try again. Agnes approached quietly.

"Bambi. You've done all you can."

"It's not enough," I said. My voice broke.

"There are still…"

"I know." She sat beside me.

"I know. But you saved a lot of us. That's not nothing." I walked back to where Buck's body lay. Someone had closed his eyes, arranged him in a dignified position. He looked peaceful. A sob tore from my throat. He'd prayed for me to notice him. And I had noticed. I'd seen him organizing the church and leading the believers. But I'd never told him. I'd never acknowledged what he meant to me and to the community. And now I couldn't. I knelt beside him and pressed my nose to his fur.

"I see you," I whispered.

"I see you, Buck. I always did. I'm sorry I never said it. I'm so, so sorry." The forest was quiet except for the moans of the wounded and the crying of the survivors. We'd saved Abe. His cabin still stood, battered but intact. His followers had proven they could protect him. We could fight for him. But the price... I stood slowly, looking around at the assembled animals. The wounded were being tended to. The dead were being mourned. The survivors were standing together, exhausted but alive.

"Never again," I said. My voice was soft but it carried. Animals turned to look at me.

"This will never happen again." Agnes tilted her head.

"What do you mean?"

"We were unprepared and disorganized. We didn't have defenses. We didn't have warning systems and didn't have plans." I looked at each of them in turn.

"The Great Trash Panda is kind. He's gentle and prepares for disaster. He doesn't want to lead an army. He doesn't want to fight. But…"

"But?" Splinter prompted.

"But I do." The words surprised even me.

"I'm the spirit of second chances. Of reincarnation and rebirth. And I will NOT let my people die because we weren't ready to protect ourselves. We need to train." The image of the teenage mutant ninja turtles passed through my mind. The Great Trash Panda had shown me those sacred teachings for a reason/ They were heroes training together, becoming strong so they could protect what they loved. I'd failed to understand. I'd focused on the kindness and wisdom, but ignored the warrior's discipline.

This, I would change. I walked to the center of the clearing, where everyone could see me.

"From now on, we prepare. We train. We organize patrols and warning systems. We learn to fight as a unit." I looked at the survivors.

"Not to attack. Not to conquer. But to protect what's ours. To defend our god and our community."

"The Great Trash Panda might not like that," Thumper said quietly.

"He doesn't want us to become violent."

"He doesn't have to know the details," I said.

"Let him believe we're peaceful. Let him think we're harmless. But when danger comes, and it will come again, we'll be ready." Splinter approached me, his eyes serious.

"You're talking about creating a defense force. An army."

"I'm talking about making sure no one else dies because we were too naive to see the threats around us." I looked at Buck's body, then at the other bodies.

"They died saving him. I won't let that sacrifice be meaningless." I looked at the cabin. Somewhere inside, Abe was safe and protected by the followers he'd never wanted. He'd given us all second chances. Now we'd make sure he got to keep having first ones.

"Bury our dead with honor," I said to the assembled animals.

"Tend the wounded." I took a shaky breath. Unfortunately, I knew this was just the first skirmish. The Wild People would regroup. The monster would heal. Other threats would emerge. But we would be ready. I walked to each of the fallen, speaking their names, acknowledging their sacrifice. The young squirrel who'd never see his first winter. The rabbit who'd left behind kits. The sparrow who'd dive-bombed a creature ten times her size. And Buck, who'd led the charge. He'd given everything for his god.

"I won't forget," I promised him.

"None of us will." The sun was setting now. Soon Abe would emerge from his cellar. He'd see what had happened. But for now, in this quiet moment, it was just us. The Church of Reincarnation had earned its name today. Some had been resurrected. Some had been lost forever. And I'd learned that being the goddess of second chances meant sometimes watching people run out of them. I wouldn't let it happen again.