back here by the end of day tomorrow.

He did not see the bear until the rising on the lesser light the next day. He came back looking pleased. He could smell the scent of deer on him. The bear had found something to eat.

"I found a sick yearling that died in the snow fall. I ate most of it and left the rest to the others. I am full. I suppose you are happy I didn't have to kill it?"

"As I said before, I rather see you than Man," he told him

"Why do you care who it is in the end?" the bear asked. "Whether it is me, or one of my kind that kills you, whether Man kills you, or the badger, or the coyote. In the end you are just as dead."

"No," he said shaking his head "There is a difference."

The bear motioned him to continue. "For that I would have to tell you a long story that might bore you," he told him.

"Please continue I have time before going back to sleep," the bear told him and lay down in front of his den.

He got down on his legs to rest and told the bear the story he told Claris. He even told the bear about his fight with Kragus and why the others wanted him gone. It took to the time the lesser light passed overhead before he was finished. The bear heard him out only asking one or two questions.

"You tell an interesting story," the bear said yawing. "I think your herd is foolish. We bear don't live in herds, nor do we keep our mates close by. My kind does not get along well with each other like yours does, or at least what you try and do."

"I tried to be of help to them, to warn them about Man, but I guess I failed."

"You did as well as you could," the bear went on. "I can also understand why you dislike man, but I still do not understand what the difference is between me and Man. We both kill your kind for food, yet you hate man and do not hate me."

"This is true, "he told him, "But do you remember when I told you how man gets into his animals and moves?"

The bear nodded silently.

"Well sometime when Man comes back to his cave he brings food with him, enough food to last many days. Man then puts that food in hiding places and then feeds off of it. Some of that food is meat, but it is meat that is already dead. All man has to do is eat it."

"That is interesting," the bear noted. "So Man has someone else kill his food."

"Not only that, but when Man gets together after they kill us, they make merry like a new fawns in a meadow. They enjoy the killing and the eating of our flesh. If man has all the food he wants without killing, and he only kills for enjoyment, then Man is not like us. I eat grass for my food. You eat meat. You kill to eat, but do you do find pleasure in killing?"

"No like you said, I kill for food," the bear replied. "I take no joy in killing your kind. It is necessary."

"Then you know the difference," he added.

"Is that what you mean when you say you rather die by me than Man. You rather die by me because it is the Way of All Things as you say, not because some Man is having fun doing it?"

"Yes," he said almost with relief. Someone finally understood him.

"Then do you know why I did not kill you?" the bear asked him.

He had thought about that and thought he understood. "Because despite our differences, you and I are much alike in the way we look at the forest."

The bear nodded. "This is part of the answer, but not the whole part."

"The other part is that we have a place here. We have a reason to be here. Man does not."

The bear's face seemed to brighten. "That is mostly true, the rest I will tell you later. I can see you are as wise as I heard your herd leader Bambi is. I must go back into my cave. I will see you again at the end of winter."

He went back to being alone. After living with the herd and Claris for a while, he was not use to being alone again. Every day he thought about the herd and wondered about Claris, Bambi, and Faline. Were they right now morning his death, of had they already forgotten the Strange deer that came to live with him. Claris might have found another male by now. Could Bambi keep the others from chasing her out of the forest? Even if he did go back, would they still want him after Kragus? These were the thoughts that chewed at his inner self as much as the bear would have chewed on his outer self. There was nothing to be done to answer this agony of his inner self. He still was not healthy enough to run from danger. He had to heal more.

There was one more light snow and then the sky cleared and the greater light started to shine warmer. On that night he watched the lesser light rise full, has it had done many times since he had been here. He started to see fresh grass try and break through the leaves on the ground. By now he had started to run, but only a little bit. He still could not move quickly, He could turn quickly, but he was still slower than before. The bear could run him down if he wanted to. In the morning the bear came out.

"Well, Stranger, you have survived the winter, I did not think you do it, but I am glad you did. Can you run yet?"

He did a short dash across the opening in front of the bear that went to chase him like a fawn would. It wasn't long before he caught him.

"Slow, but I think fast enough for the others. You are as healed as you are going to get being here. The rest will come later."

"What now?" he asked.

"You stay here for another few days, and then we walk down the hill together. After that it will be up to your herd to take care of you. I can do nothing more for you."

He had waited all winter to hear that.

Chapter 10: Reunion

He looked through the trees as he walked down the hill noting the first place he had met Bambi. He was also at the same place he had seen this forest for first time. Below him the denser oak trees hid from his view the vast expanse of grass. It was likely turning bright spring green from winter brown. His new summer coat was almost fully grown in. His strength had mostly retuned, but there was still stiffness in his left hind leg and that would likely remain for the rest of his life. "I will leave you here," said the bear."Any closer and it will frighten your herd."

He turned and looked into red eyes of the black bear. "Will you tell me now the full reason why you didn't eat me during the winter?"

The bear hesitated and looked him in the eyes. "Besides the fact that you and I are the same, and that we both belong here, I did not eat you because something told me I should not. There is something about you, Stranger. You seem not only to belong here; you seem to have a purpose for being here. A purpose greater than mine or any of the other creatures I know. I do not know what the purpose is, but I am sure there is one. Then he stiffened, "But do not take this as weakness. If I can kill and eat any of your herd, I will do so."

"I understand my friend," he said bowing his head. "That is the Way of All Things. You will forgive me if I tell you I am going to make sure we keep a close watch for you so you will not succeed. "

"I understand," the bear said and he started back up the hill. "You will not have to worry; I am going back over the hill to the other meadow. The food there is better. I will not be back until next winter's sleep."

The bears' words struck him. That was two creatures that told him he had a purpose here. Just what that purpose was and who gave him this purpose he could not understand, yet he felt it was true.

"Stay well, and thank you, my friend for everything you have done," he said watching the large black figure climb up the hill until he was out of sight. He then slowly walked down the hill until he caught a clear site of the meadow. Already the first glow of day lit it.

He sniffed the air. The wind was blowing from across the meadow toward him. The air carried the familiar scent of the oak, the raccoon, the possums and the other creatures of the forest. Then he smelled it; the scent of deer. His own deer herd. He watched from concealment the deer walk carefully out onto the meadow. A lot of yearlings this time were together, including Veron, but he saw familiar faces. Ronno entered the meadow and started to eat. The doe Marol was still next to him with a new fawn. The remainder of the males came onto the meadow all alone. The more mature doe entered the meadow next; all of them had white spotted fawns that could not be very old.

The deer all stood at attention again as Bambi came out with Faline. She was again sporting a new fawn, then the bushes moved behind her and out walked another doe, this one was not stepping lively, but seemed to just walk along. He knew that figure at once, it was Claris. He almost flew into a run to greet her, but he was stopped dead in his tracks. Behind her a new fawn walked timidly out and walked alongside of Claris. His heart almost rose out of his mouth. He hurried the last few lengths to just outside the meadow and stopped. He sniffed the air again; there was so scent of man. He looked over toward the place the Man-machines had been before. The flatten ground was still there, the Man-path was still there and the thin trees without branches were there, but there was no Man-cave.

He took a deep breath and said out loud. "I hope they still do not hate me." With that he stepped out onto the meadow. He walked a few steps. Instantly every deer stopped feeding and stood up to stare at him. He heard a collective gasp from in front of him. He walked into the meadow and held his head up so all could

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