sense to me."

"Perhaps we are not meant to understand," he bear said getting up. "All we can do is live our lives the best we can and accept the rest since we have no choice. For now I need to be getting back over the hill. There is plenty of food there and I need to put on weight for the next winter."

"Stay healthy," he said and walked down the hill.

"You too," the bear added and left.

He had to admit the idea of he and the bear forming a friendship was almost crazy. Any deer would be scared out of their wits being that close to something that could kill them with one swipe of his huge paw. Yet he could sit next to him with almost no fear. The bear had had plenty of chances to kill him and yet he had not. Like Bambi, and Faline, he felt the bear as a close friend that he just did not see very often. He made his way back up his hill and walked quickly past the old cave and his thicket into the clearing beyond. Past that was the pond. On the right side of the pond, Bambi and Faline had taken a new bedding place. To the left was Claris. Stena and Balo lay closer to the clearing. As he walked up Stena and Balo came over to him. Stena got close and then came next to him and took a long sniff of air.

"You have been to see that bear again," she said with disapproval. "Father I am scared one day he will make a meal of you."

He smiled and looked at her brown eyes. "He could have done that many times, several of them before you were born. If he wants to make a meal of me now, he can, but I do not think he will. One other thing young doe, you may have a good nose, but sometimes you can put it in places others do not like."

"I am sorry Father," she said and lowered her head slightly. "I just smell more deeply now and more often. As much as I like Bambi and Faline, I am not going to end up like Gerta."

He stopped in this tracks, "Daughter, I do understand you, but you will never say that in front of Bambi or Faline. They hurt enough over this."

"I know Father," she said, "and I will not."

"There is something else," Balo said sounding seriously as if a yearling male could say anything that sounded serious. "I was wondering if you of Bambi would start teaching us what we need to know to be herd leaders someday."

He was going to say they were both still too young, yet Balo already came up to his shoulder. In another year he'd be able to look him in the eye. He was going to be a big deer. Balo was right. "Very well, as soon as your mother gets better, we will start."

"Thank you, Stranger," Balo said.

His daughter just rubbed his cheek and walked away with Balo.

"So it begins again," he said to himself.

He walked into the clearing and noted Faline walking away from Claris resting place with Gorro lagging behind and pulling on his mother's tail in play. He walked up to her and kept his voice low. "How is she doing?"

"Weak but getting stronger. She can get around now. Her problem is she does not produce enough milk for both of them. I have plenty of milk for Gorro so I do not mind helping."

That was something else that nagged at Claris, she was not a great milk producer. With a single fawn, there was plenty, but with two there were times when it was not enough. He rubbed Faline along the cheek. "Thank You," for everything.

"It is unusual," she added. "Most of the time doe have single fawn at first and then two or even three later. I had two the first time and then single fawns since then." At least Bambi has a new son he can teach."

"Bambi is also looking forward to this," he heard the voice from behind. The large deer walked out seeming looking normal again. He seemed interested in life again instead of death.

"That is good," he said, "because you can start teaching right now. Both Stena and Balo have been pestering me to start teaching them how to be herd seniors or even leaders. I think it is time we started."

Bambi came up to them, kissed Faline and motioned for him to follow. There was something on Bambi's mind. They walked toward the back of the clearing near the pond where he stopped.

Do you think Balo can be a herd senior male or leader?" he asked.

"He will be big enough," he said. "I cannot say anything about his rack yet, it is too soon."

"It is not his size that bothers me," Bambi went on. "He does not push himself forward enough. Stena does most of his talking and he just accepts it."

He took a deep breath. "I know," he said. "I do not know if it is because his father died soon after he was born, or his mother was killed, but you are right. If Stena had a rack, she would be a better herd leader, but she is a doe, and a doe cannot be herd leader although she can advise the herd."

"And she is smart," Bambi added. "She has your head and courage with her mother's looks."

"In short, she would be the perfect mate for a herd leader," he added.

"The perfect mate, only we do not have one that is not a close family member, except Balo," Bambi went on.

"There is one solution, but they will not like it," he said.

Bambi nodded seeing the same solution he did. "I take Balo and go away for a while and teach him like my Father taught me. If he does not come out and be more assertive, then he will never be a herd leader. Meanwhile you teach Stena."

"Yes, I can do that" he said. Then he looked at Bambi. "Faline has been a large help to Claris. I thank you for it. Many deer would not care to help and let one or both of the fawns die."

"You two are now my closest family," Bambi said. "Faline feels the same way."

"Thank you," I feel the same way," he and then stopped and swallowed hard. "As someone who never had a family before I came here, you do not how much Claris, you and Faline have meant to me. I think if I had not met you, I would be already dead. I certainly would not be this happy."

There was an understanding between him and Bambi a realization that despite the fact they grew up so differently, they were almost like brothers.

Bambi smiled and kept on walking. "Ok let us plan how we are going to separate the two of them as least temporarily."

They waited until nightfall when they went on the meadow. They all discussed it among the four of them and then called over Stena and Balo and told them. He was right; Balo and Stena did not like the idea of separating for a while. Finally after lengthy argument he literally put his foot down, hard.

"Listed to me," he said raising his voice. "You want to be taught, well here is how it is done. Bambi will teach Balo as his father taught him. That requires Balo and Bambi to be alone. I will teach Stena what I know and for that we also need to be alone. What you two have to learn is similar, but not the same. It will not be for long, but will take up most of the summer. As herd leaders you must know it is not what you want that counts. It is what is best for the herd. Now that is how it is going to be."

"I agree," said Bambi, Faline and Claris all at the same time. It is nice to work these things out before you confront unruly children.

They were hurt, but in the end they both agreed. That night after the argument both he and Bambi started. Claris and Faline took care of the fawns. At least now Claris could get enough grass, but she still needed occasional help from Faline. After eating, Bambi took Balo out to teach him how to walk, fight, and think. He took Claris out and told her to face the Man caves

"What do you feel," he asked her.

"The wind at my tail," she said with a smile, "So I do not walk toward Man."

He smiled openly. Like he said earlier, once again it begins.

Over the spring he showed Claris how to look at Man, how to avoid Man. Then he showed her how to get Man off your trail, how to get away from dogs. The list went on and on. He constantly questioned her. She absorbed what she learned well. She was smarted than Stabo, maybe smarter than Veron. It was the same things he taught to Jolo and Stabo the previous year. She was so tired by daylight she mostly slept near them but not next to them. She also helped her mother with the fawns in every way except feeding. Both Bambi and he kept the two so busy over the spring, they did not have time to miss each other.

It was in early summer when Sinno came over to them once again with news of a new deer. This time he said. "This one is not a stranger. I remember him from before, it is Ronno."

Bambi and him looked at each other. "Ronno," Bambi repeated.

"Yes, Ronno," Sinno told them. "He came up to me and asked me politely if he could see you, Bambi. He said it was important."

"Go back and tell him where I am," Bambi told him.

Bambi told Faline and he told Claris. The four of them and the three fawns came out and met the old stag in the clearing. Ronno looked old. He was getting gray around the face and along the back. His face was carved deeply with wrinkles. He was not the hard looking, active male he remembered from the first time he came to the forest.

"Greeting Bambi" he said politely, but did not bow his head. "You too Stranger."

"Greetings, Ronno," he said. "What brings you to our forest?"

"I have come to talk to Bambi, in private," he said.

Bambi shook his head no. "What you can say to me, you can say to the others. Before you start, let me tell you we saw Geno and

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