Chapter 9: Winter Darkness

He crept slowly along the stream, testing the air often. He smelled nothing except the lingering scent of the Skunk. He crept up toward his old thicket and caught the smell of blood. As he moved forward he caught two other familiar scents. Bambi and Faline were there. He looked into Bambi's cave. There Bambi and Faline were lying next to one another almost motionless. They did not even say anything to him.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"We are unhurt," Bambi said. Bambi had a strange look to him. He looked lost, yet tense. Faline was the same way. They both looked out of their cave like they expected Krono or Geno to appear out of thin air. It was almost like they were half dead.

"My Friends, what has happened?" he asked.

"We are waiting for Man to return so we can kill him," Bambi said plainly. Faline just nodded.

"Kill Man," he repeated. That sounded like they lost their heads completely. "Bambi if you try and kill Man, you will both die."

"That no longer matters," he said as if it was nothing to him.

He stood up and took a step back. This was so unlike them. "Why?" was all he could say?

"Go over by that large Burch tree and smell there," Bambi told him.

He did as he was told, the smell of blood got stronger. There on the ground was a huge pool of blood still soaking into the ground. He bent over to smell it. It took him only a second to realize the pool had the scent of both Jolo and Gurri. Then he realized with that much blood spilled, they had to be dead. His throat started to tighten.

"They are both gone," he muttered.

"Now come back to where the Spruce tree grows in front of my cave and do the same thing," Bambi ordered.

Again he approach, again there was a smaller, but still a large pool of blood. He smelled that. It smelled of Gerta. In a moment he realized she was gone too. He dropped his head almost to the ground and fought back the urge to start crying again. Jolo was a large deer with a good rack, Gurri was a large doe, but Gerta was hardly more than a fawn. Why her, he asked himself. He walked to the end of the clearing with his back to the two of them and just let his emotions run out. After a short while he gained control of himself and went back to the cave.

"I am so very sorry," he said with a sob.

"They came for us this time, Stranger. Not just any deer, they came for us. They used the skunk odor so we could not smell them until it was too late. They tried to kill us all. If Jolo and Gurri had not raised their tails, they would have killed us all. Now they have to die and I will kill them myself. Faline will help. Then we will go join our daughters."

"No," he said. "They are both dead. We can do nothing about that. We have to live for the ones that are still here. Balo is alright, he is with me. You have to live for him."

"I figured he was alright. He ran off with Stena," Bambi said.

"Stena was almost killed," he said and then told them what had happened to her.

They just both shook their heads and went on. "Go, Stranger," Bambi ordered. "Do not come back here. It is a place filled with death and the smell of death. Soon there will be even more death here. Take care of Balo. He and Stena will make a nice pair."

He backed away from the cave not knowing what else to do. He felt the need to get away. He almost ran from the cave. Bambi was right. They would not come back here. He ran almost until he got back to the clearing and stopped. As he collected his thoughts it occurred to him the pain had not yet ended. He still had to talk to Balo. He stopped, took several deep breaths and fought to get his control back. He walked into the clearing. Stena was resting on her knees. Claris and Balo were around her. He bent over and rubbed the side of her face. Then he looked up at Balo.

"Balo come here," he said.

The tone of his voice must have warned him. He timidly walked over to him. There was no good way to do this so he just said it. "Balo your mother can no longer be with you, she is gone. She is gone with Jolo and Gerta."

"No," Stena muttered. "Gerta is dead," she said and broke into tears. He heard Claris also sobbing. It was all he could do not to join them. All Balo said was "Mama," and turned to walk away. Balo went to the edge of the clearing. He lay down with his tail toward them. He looked at him for a second, and felt the urge to try and comfort him.

He then heard Stena grunt and saw her forcing herself up on her wobbly legs. She got up to her feet, but her face was racked in obvious pain.

"Stena," lie down," he mother told her.

She shook her head no and looked up at them both. "Father I care for you and Mother very much, but Balo needs me more," she said calmly.

With that she stumbled over, lay her good side against him and lay down and nuzzled him along the side of the face.

He turned to face Claris, tears running down both their cheeks. They lay down in the clearing close together just happy to be alive. "That is settled," he said looking at the two of them. Then they both sobbed until they fell asleep.

Thankfully that was the last hunt of the year in his forest. He heard in the distance forests sounds of the killing sticks, but nothing nearby. Men still used their Man caves, but as he watched he noticed they left the caves early in the morning and returned late at night. There was still yelling and shouting, and the sickening smell of burning deer meat, but there was no hunting in their forest. After several days, both Bambi and Faline came back to the clearing, still shaken, but thankfully alive. With Jolo now gone, Bambi was the only other leader he had. Both Bambi and Faline lay together in the open part of the clearing and said nothing to anyone at first.

Eventually Stena and Balo came over to them. Bambi looked at her side and was about to say something when Stena said sobbing. "I am so sorry for Gerta and Gurri." Bambi kissed her like he would his own daughter and Faline kissed Balo. There was a lot of sobbing that day and for days to come.

The days grew shorter, the wind picked up and the air was cooler. Soon his antlers loosen and then fell out. Once that happened he knew the Season for killing was over. Soon even Man left the caves and the forest was theirs again. Most of the herd used the last days before the cold of winter to feast in the meadow once more before the snow covered the grass. What little weight was lost during the Season and the hunts was quickly regained.

Stena did get a fever from her injury. He was pleased that Balo asked him about the bushes he had used to cure himself and Bambi. He showed the now young male where the plant grew and how much to take. Balo brought the leaves to Stena every day. He also helped her stand to eat. She grew stronger fortunately before the first winter snow came. Stena never came back to him and Claris, but instead found a place near the clearing where she and Balo bedded down each night. Even Bambi had to admit they were a pair and there was no changing it.

It was just after the first snow fall that Claris told him she could feel the new fawn growing inside her and that she would have a fawn in the spring. Feline was the same. He thought again about the Way of All Things. Some life was gone, and other life would replace it. Life in the forest would continue, but with different animals. He wondered how long it would be before it continued without him, but there was no telling that, so he decided to followed Claris' suggestion and just enjoy what he had now.

The first snow was mild and vanished almost as soon as it fell. He took to taking walks in the forest to check on the other deer. They all seemed to be alright. Soon Bambi and Balo joined them and later Claris, Faline and Stena. It was well after the first snow that they walked near the tall oaks again. They had not seen Friend Owl in a while. Bambi suggested they visit him as they walked near his tree. They came up to the large old oak tree the owl had lived in for many seasons. Bambi kicked at the tree.

"Friend Owl," Bambi called since he had known him the longest.

"A young, well developed Owl stepped out on the branch. "Can I help you," he said to Bambi.

"We were looking for the Old Owl," Bambi said. "Have you seen him?"

"No," he said. "I am from the other forest over the hills. There were many of my kind there so I decided to come here. I came to this place and found it empty although Owls had lived here before."

"You have not seen an Old Owl?" Bambi asked.

"No unless that is him over there under those two smaller Oaks. While catching field mice I came across the remains. They had been scattered by the ferrets."

"Where?" Bambi spoke up.

The young Owl flew to a branch many lengths away and called. They went over. At the base of the two young oaks were scattered bones. They were remains of a large bird scattered about along with some old dark gray and white feathers. Bambi leaned over and took a deep breath through his nose. At once his eyes closed tightly. Bambi stood up quickly and turned away from them.

"I have known the Old Owl from the time I was born," he said in a low voice. "He came here with me when we left the old forest behind. Now he is gone too" he said. "They are all gone. There is almost nothing left."

He wanted to go over, but sensed Bambi wanted to be alone. Bambi walked off by himself toward the clearing.

"I am sorry," the young Owl said. "My name is Oswell, and I live here because it is close

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