Chapter 1: Hard Learning

The noise had been constant for days. The Man animals that had made the Man path two summers ago were back, only this time they stayed for much longer. The noise and the smells were so strong that only in the dead of night did Bambi lead the herd onto the far side of the meadow to eat. After many days of noise, the Stanger had brought Bambi the herd header, Bambi's mate Faline, his mate Claris, his son Stabo and Bambi's daughter Gina with him. They looked over the activity on the far side of the meadow. Already the Man animals had torn up the ground and other Men had raised what looked like thin branchless trees in the air for some reason. The Man path had been widened; pieces of wood lay everywhere. The killing sticks had not been used so far, but they all knew that would not last. The putrid scent of Man lingered on the meadow. Well after the noise had stopped for the evening, they went out into the small area of trees that protruded into the meadow that provided them with cover as they watched the work of Man continue. The difference about this activity was in the past the Man caves had come and gone, these look like they were going to stay.

"Does this mean Man has come to stay, Father," Stabo looked up at him his deep black eyes showing fear.

"Yes, my son," he answered quietly. "It looks like Man has come back here to stay."

"Then the meadow is lost to us," Bambi said in realization.

"Unless we go only during late night," he answered. "Remember, they only come after us during the Season.

"The others will not want to come onto the meadow even at night with the scent of Man around," Claris said. "I do not like even being here. I remember the last time this happen during last Season; poor Ducas and Flaco now gone like the others."

"And how many others next time," Faline added in.

"Indeed," the Stranger answered and looked at his scarred left side.

"Father, will we have to leave and go to another forest?" Gina asked the question that was on all their minds.

Bambi looked down at his daughter now just over a year old and living on her own. She looked like a stocky version of Faline. Not sleek looking, but charming in her own way. "I do not know, Bambi told her calmly. "The others will need to have a say. I will call a gathering and we will decide."

"First I must talk to someone else," the Stranger said. "He should be there now."

Bambi nodded. "Yes, he is your friend, but not mine. Just be careful."

"May I go with you," Stabo asked.

He looked at his son. Normally he would have said no, but he could see the first signs of the antlers he would grow by the Season and the fact he was getting as big as he was. It was time he learned about this and other things.

"Yes, son, but you will stay close to me at all times. If I say run, you run back to our thicket as fast as you can, and you do not look back."

"Yes, Father," he said meekly.

We need to go back to Ata at the thicket. Greta and Stena will be hungry by now," Claris said looking not too please at where he was going.

Faline nodded and started back. Bambi, who wanted nothing to do with his friend, followed closely.

He led his son down around the far side of the meadow and then up the hill. He could feel the eyes of the others on him and his son. The badger and bobcat were out hunting. He could smell the coyote too.

"Do you smell them, my son?" he asked.

"The bobcat, badger and coyote are nearby. I do not think they will attack both of us." His son answered while stepping lightly over the ground. He was still not as quiet as he was, but he was learning. Soon he would be able to vanish like a light breeze. Something only Bambi, Faline, Claris and he could do.

They walked up the hill until they caught another scent. This one smelled of wet fur, fat and dead meat."

"That is the scent of a bear," he told his son. "If you ever smell that, you run as fast as you can. A badger may be able to kill you with effort, so can a pack of coyotes, but a bear can break your back with one blow. You must never allow one to catch you."

"Yes, Father," his son said.

They climbed the hill until they came to a familiar stand of trees. He remembered the hours of pain he had spent there two winters ago as he recovered from being hit by Man. He had almost died there and would have if the bear had not helped him. He owed the bear his life and that is why he had come to help repay that debt.

"Friend Bear," he called out. "It is Stranger."

"I was wondering what foolish deer would come to visit me," the voice called out from the side. In the darkness he saw a black mound start to move and pick its way through the trees and bushes until the huge body stood not more than five lengths from him. Stabo pulled back mostly by reflex, but he did not run.

"This is my son, Stabo," he said formally.

The bear looked at both of them with his glowing red eyes studying them as if sizing them up for a meal. "Yes, you smell like your Father," the bear growled. "Tell me, Boy, are you afraid of me?"

"Stabo looked at the huge mound for a second before stammering…" I…I am afraid of what you can do to me, yes."

The bear nodded approval. "He is smart," the bear said. "Now why are you here?"

"Man has come back to the meadow," he told him. "You heard the noise. Well it looks like he is going to stay. The meadow and the forest may not be safe for any of us."

"And you came to warn me, Thank You," the bear said.

"I still owe you much," he added.

"Will your herd leave?" the bear asked.

"I do not know. Bambi will call a gathering and a decision will be made. I know Man will come after us, at the time of the Season, but he will also come after you and your kind sooner."

"True," the bear said sounding reluctant. "I will go over the hill to the other forest. Man is only there at times during the fall." Then the bear look at him and his injured side. "How are you doing?"

He actually got closer to the bear and presented his side to him almost inviting attack. "I am still not as fast as I was, but I am faster than when I was here. You might have some problems running me down."

"I can see it is healing better than I thought it would. You are lucky Stranger, you should be dead. Well I see day will come soon, you better get back. Please to meet you young Stabo. Listen to your father. He has a lot of wisdom you could learn."

"Yes, Friend Bear," Stabo called out and then added unexpectedly "Can I learn from you too?"

That comment surprised him and the bear. "Why would you want to do that?" the bear asked.

"My Father says you are wise like he, my mother, Bambi and Faline. I have learned much from all of them. I was thinking I could learn much from you."

The bear actually grinned and looked directly at him. "Perhaps one day near winter," the bear said again looking Stabo over carefully. "Do not come back here without your father," the bear warned him. "Sometimes there are other bears here and they would kill you without question."

"I understand," Stabo said with a slight bow of his head, "Thank you."

Stabo left, but the bear held up a paw for a second so he stayed in place. "Did you know he would ask that?"

He shook his head no. "No, lately he has a habit of surprising me and his mother. He is smart, especially for someone his age, but he is not reckless. He has his own ways, he is stubborn, and he does not act like the other deer. He is living by himself up the hill on the other side of the meadow. Sometimes he does worry me."

"So he is just like his father and mother," the bear told him.

It was his turn to smile. "Yes, he is" he said. "I must go now, stay healthy."

"You too," the bear answered and went back to his den.

He caught up with his son who was walking slowly waiting for him. They walked silently until they were back on the other side of the meadow near the stream. There Stabo stopped and smelled the air.

"I smell nothing." Stabo said.

He could only smell a lingering scent of Man. It was not fresh and it was not near them. "Nothing fresh," he repeated. Then he stopped and looked at his son. "Did you mean that about learning from the bear? It is very dangerous. I still do not trust him completely."

"Only if I am convinced he will not have me for a meal," Stabo added. "He could have had you for a meal as you told me, but he did not. I was thinking he might show the same behavior toward me."

"Listen to me," he said sternly to his son. "He could have had me for a meal, but he did not, mostly because of the way we felt about each other and our places in the forest. One day he may feel about you the same way he feels about me, but for now do as he says and do not try and meet him without me being there. Right now there is enough to learn from me and the others."

"Including how to fight in that strange way you have?" Stabo asked him politely.

"Wait a while until your antlers are bigger, then I will teach you what I have learned. For now you are learning fast, I hope not too fast to make you reckless. Other deer thought they were wise. Most of them have their heads in a Man cave. I do not want you to follow them."

Stabo looked him directly into his eyes. He was

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Next page