because it is close to the mice and shrews I eats.

"I too am sorry," he said. We are not being good guests; the old Owl was a friend of ours for many seasons. He used to help us at times. We are just sad at the passing of a friend."

"I understand," he said showing some sympathy. "I am afraid I do not know many of the deer in the forest. From your size I think you are the deer they call Stranger, the herd leader. The other deer that left I think is your friend Bambi,"

"You are smart," he said. "That is correct. The others here are my mate Claris, Bambi's mate Faline, my daughter Stena, and her friend Balo."

"Pleased to meet all of you," the young owl said. Now I must get back to catching mice."

With that he flew away. They all walked back to the clearing except Bambi. He went back alone.

After the first snow the sky cleared and there was a period of unusually warm weather. They were actually able to use the meadow for a while longer. The grass was soggy, but it was good to eat. By now Stena had recovered from her wound. The wound was not as deep as his had been and the damage to her muscle was not as great. She did make fun out of joking that now she even looked more like her Father. It did leave a scar, but Balo did not mind in the slightest. It looked like it was going to be a mild winter and that meant few deer getting sick and dying of disease. Since they had no old deer in the herd, he did not think he lose any of the herd over the winter.

It was right after the second and heavier snow fall that Sinno came again to see them again. He lived alone near the edge of the forest where the stream from his forest flowed out toward Bambi's old forest and into the large lake there. He looked concerned, but not frightened this time.

"I have seen another strange deer near where I live. He is big like you two," he said.

"Was it the same deer that came before," Bambi asked.

"No" Sinno said with relief. "This one did not attack me. He is also bigger than that other deer. He just looked at me and went on his way. Another thing, it looked like he was limping."

"Interesting," he muttered. "I will go back with you and look for him."

"I will go too," Bambi said, "Just in case it is someone else from my old forest who wants to cause trouble."

"The rest of you stay here until we find out who this new deer is and what he wants," he told the others. "Bambi and I will take care of this."

They followed Sinno back to his bedding area. It was day, but there was no activity from Man around. This was the season they were left in peace. He took them past the old cave, down the hill, across the meadow and followed the stream outward. The ground rose on both side of the stream as it left the forest for the great open field that lay between them and Bambi's old forest. This area was filled mostly with pine tree and a few young oaks. Man had cut many of the larger oak tress down some time ago. Finally near the edge of the forest Sinno looked up and said.

"I saw him at the top of that hill," he said.

"Thank you, Sinno, now you stay here," he told him and Bambi and he started to climb the hill.

They got to the top and started to smell around with their noses. At first there was nothing, and then they came across a patch of waste. He smelled it and he thought is smelled a little like Bambi. Bambi smelled it and froze as still as a tree. Then he raised his head quickly to look around. He could see the concern on his face.

"Stranger, it is my son Geno," Bambi said almost in a whisper.

"Geno here," he repeated. "Why would he come here?"

"I think I know," Bambi said and walked quietly across the top of the hill. They walked for a while. The air was still and cool. Bambi constantly had his nose and ears in what little wind there was searching."

They walked away. From time to time he thought he could hear some leaves moving behind him. Finally Bambi stopped and without changing directions called out loud. "You still cannot sneak up behind me, my Son."

He turned quickly and out from behind the tress behind them walked a large deer, as big as or maybe bigger than Bambi. He was limping from his left front leg. As he got closer he also noted other cuts and marks on his head and flanks. He had been in a fight and had not come out well. Geno stopped about five lengths away keeping his head straight upward.

"Greetings, Father," he said almost politely. "You must be the Stranger others have told me about."

"What do you want?" Bambi asked with contempt in his voice.

"A place to stay until spring," he said simply. "Then I will leave."

"NO!" he said flatly. "After what you did to your Father, and after sending Krono, you are not welcomed here."

"I could insist," he said.

"Go ahead and try," he said dropping his head. "Unlike your Father I will hit you back so if you do not leave on your own, I will chase you out."

"And go where?" Geno asked.

He didn't care, but he had one idea. "You see the hill behind me to the right of the meadow?"

"Yes," he said.

"Climb to the top of that hill, where the trees end you will see a large forest in the distance. Maybe a night's walk and if you are lucky maybe no one will kill you while you are in the open. They do not know you there. You can do as you please."

"Go, Geno," Bambi said angrily, "because this is my home now and here I will fight you myself."

"You did not even ask why I am here," Geno said.

"I do not have to," Bambi told him. "The other males threw you out like I knew they would. I assume Ronno is now herd leader."

"How did you know that," he said looking surprised.

"He knows because he is a good herd leader and knows about his herd and the deer in it," he told Geno bluntly. "He also knows how to treat deer and earn their respect, something you never did. If you had studied your herd you would have known Ronno always wanted to be a herd leader but could not with Bambi or me around."

His words seem to sink in. Geno nodded his head. "One more question," Geno said, "Mother and Gurri?"

He could see the pain cross Bambi's face, he answered instead. "Your mother is fine. Your sister Gurri and your younger sister Gerta were killed by Man just after the Season along with Gurri's mate Jolo. For that I am sorry."

There looked to be a sense of pain on Geno's face. It vanished in an instant. "I will eat in the meadow and then go up the hill. I will cross over tonight to the other forest."

"Fine," he told him. "Now be on your way."

Both Bambi and him followed him down and watched him eat his fill by digging up grass under the snow of the meadow. He drank in the stream and without a word started climbing the hill toward the other forest.

"It is a pity," Bambi said in a moan. "He started out as a good boy, one who I wanted to follow me as herd leader. What did I do wrong? Maybe I am not a good Father."

"Not a good father," he repeated. "Look at your other children. There was nothing wrong with Gurri and Gerta, they were both fine deer. You son Veron and your daughter Gena are fine deer. "Sometimes things just go badly with no one to blame," he said and rubbed his friends back.

"Let us go home," Bambi said and he turned his back on his son.

Chapter 10: Full Circle

"It does look peaceful now," the bear said looking at the greening meadow.

"It is always peaceful this time of year before Man gets here," he replied. "The pity is it won't stay peaceful."

"How are you doing?" he bear continued.

"I am as fine as can be expected. I was not hurt during the hunts. Poor Bambi almost lost his family. With Geno gone, he has only Veron and Gena, and I have not heard anything from them or my son Stabo since long before winter started. I plan to go over as soon as Claris gets over Sterus's and Stera's birth. She never had twins and it took a lot of strength out of her."

"How is your daughter and Faline?" the bear asked.

"Stena is fully healed and the same as always only a bit more careful. Faline is better now that she has Gorri to care for. He seems a fine fawn and at least I see Bambi smiling again. As you noted life goes on, it is just not the same life. How about you, did your mate produce cubs?"

"I think so," the bear said confidently. "Unlike your kind we don't gather as a family. If I approached my mate now with her cubs, she would attack me. I might never see them. The only reason I know about my other children is mostly by chance."

He looked at the large mound of muscle sitting next to him. "In a way I am sorry for you. I have found being close to your family is one of my greatest joys. It can also be one of your greatest sorrows if they are ripped away."

"Even if I never know them, I am content that they exist," the bear said with what sounded like happiness. "No matter what happens to me, at least I will know the best in me will go on."

"That may be so," he said, "however I still do not understand is why Man feels the need to kill us when he already has so much. If he needed to eat us, then I understand, but all he finds is pleasure in it. How anyone can find pleasure in killing a fawn not even a year old. It makes no sense to

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