Free Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies

want to go for a swim?’ sneered the oldest. His name was Braggle and he had a reputation for picking on the younger, weaker deer. His friend, whose name was Raggling, grinned stupidly at him.
    ‘N-n-n-no,’ said Bankfoot, ‘I don’t. Go away.’
    ‘N-n-n-no?’ mocked Braggle, imitating his stutter. ‘But we want to see you float.’
    Braggle gave Bankfoot another shove.
    ‘Ow. Stop it, you bully.’
    ‘Bully, eh?’
    Braggle pushed Bankfoot again. His hind hoofs were almost in the water now.
    ‘I’ll teach you to wander away from your mother,’ Braggle continued. ‘You’re lucky a Draila hasn’t caught you. But now I want to see a little ball of fur go bobbing down the stream.’
    Braggle was about to bash Bankfoot again when he got the shock of his life. He felt the breath leave his lungs and he found himself sailing through the air. He landed with a great splash right in the middle of the stream and a draught of water went straight up his nose. The stream wasn’t deep so he could stand easily, but when Braggle picked himself up, coughing and spluttering, he was drenched and very startled. Raggling watched nervously from the bank. Without his friend he wasn’t very brave.
    ‘Pick on someone your own size,’ cried Rannoch furiously. Bankfoot was also startled but Rannoch’s eyes were blazing with anger. When Braggle saw the fawn who had just knocked him into the water, he was as furious as he was amazed. Rannoch was nearly half Braggle’s size, antlerless and considerably weaker. Braggle walked slowly towards him through the water, trying to look as menacing as possible. But although Rannoch hated fighting, he held his ground.
    ‘Very brave,’ said Braggle, ‘sneaking up behind me like that. Well, if you don’t like me picking on fatty here, perhaps you’d like to go for a swim instead?’
    ‘No, thank you,’ answered Rannoch coldly.
    ‘It’s Rannoch, isn’t it?’
    ‘What’s it to you?’
    ‘Nothing. Just that I’d expect a selach to run with a weakling like Bankfoot.’
    ‘And I’d expect a bully like you to pick on a smaller fawn,’ said Rannoch, furious and deeply stung by the insult. Selach is the name deer give both to fawns who have no known father and to hinds with no living mate. Even though stags and hinds usually live apart and the hinds have the sole responsibility for rearing the calves, for a fawn not to have a father is a great misfortune and the other fawns were always joking about it. Tain and Thistle were in the same boat in this regard for their fathers had also died that night on the hills. Though Rannoch knew nothing of what had really befallen Brechin, he felt the lack of a father deeply.
    ‘Don’t worry,’ sneered Braggle, ‘I wouldn’t dream of bullying Bankfoot now you’re here.’
    Rannoch gulped. Braggle really was much bigger than him. But suddenly Braggle hesitated. Then he snorted and turned away.
    ‘Oh come on, Raggling,’ he said, ‘let’s get back. I’m bored with all these selach. Let’s leave them to talk about their mothers.’
    Rannoch looked round and was relieved to see that Tain and Thistle had come up behind him. Braggle and Raggling could probably have beaten all four of them in a fight but the new arrivals had tipped the odds uncomfortably. Besides, apart from being cold and wet, Braggle really was a coward at heart.
    ‘See you again,’ called Braggle in the distance. ‘Count on it.’
    ‘C-c-c-coward,’ piped Bankfoot after him, but the older deer were gone.
    The four fawns stood on the bank for a while, deeply shaken. At last Bankfoot trotted up to Rannoch.
    ‘Th-th-thank you, Rannoch,’ he said.
    ‘It’s nothing,’ answered Rannoch a little coldly. ‘But you shouldn’t wander off on your own like that. Come on, you two.’
    ‘Rannoch, I don’t think we should,’ said Tain sheepishly.
    ‘Not today. It’s getting late and your mother will be angry. So will mine, for that matter.’
    ‘Yes,’ agreed Thistle, ‘I