left. He got the feeling he was being surrounded for a reason. He did notice the younger doe in front seemed to be studying him intently.

"Very well," he said warily. "Now what is this all about?

Ate spoke up for the group. "First the older doe in front of you is Cara my eldest daughter. Next to her is her second born, Carie."

"I am pleased to meet you both," he said politely.

"Stranger," Ate went on. "I am too old to speak any way except plainly, so I am going to talk to you like I hope your mother or your closest friends would do. I do not mean to insult you here."

She stopped and looked at him. He was now really starting to feel that something was up here and he was not sure he liked it. They were obviously expecting an answer by him. All he did was bow his head and answer in a formal voice. "By all means let us speak plainly. I will take no insult from anything any of you have to say to me."

"Very well," Ate said. "All of here know about the problem with Claris. All of them know she can no longer have your fawns. All of us also know that a herd leader must have a doe that can give him fawns. I now know for sure how you feel for Claris. If you did not feel strongly, you would not be here. I can also see that Claris does belong with you, but at the same time you must still have a doe that can give you fawns. What we like you to do is not only to take Claris, but to also take Carie. In this way while Claris cannot have your fawns, someone from her family can."

If Bambi had run him over and stomped on him, he could not be more surprised. For a second he was not sure what to say. Finally he stumbled out, "You want me to take Claris and Carie?"

"Yes," Ata said calmly as if it was nothing.

He turned toward Claris and looked deep in her green eyes that were sparkling again. "You want me to do this?" he asked not believing it himself.

"Yes," she said. "I want you to do this. In this way I will still be with you and Carie can do what I cannot."

She meant it he realized. She wanted him to take the young doe. She still wanted to be with him. That alone made him happy, but what of the other doe. There was still one not so small detail. He looked straight in front at Carie. "What do you think, young Carie? You do not have some young male you are interested in? You are certainly pretty enough to have one as is your mother."

Both of the doe looked slightly embarrassed. "Thank you." Carie said "No I do not have a male that I care for. All of the males that interest me last year were already paired. Most of the males around here only think as far as the next Season. Claris, Ate, and Faline all tell me you think differently. You act differently, that you rule your herd not with just strength, but with your head as well as Bambi. All the deer who know you say you are also very brave. You are a male I would want and I would like to have for a mate. The only deer around here like that is Bambi, and he already has a mate," she said and looked at Faline before going on. "Gorro may be that way, but I am too old for him. If I am to bear fawns, I will bear them only from a male that I want."

"In short, she is just like my other daughter," Ate spoke and looked directly at Claris.

"I do have a male," Cara said. "We are only together around the Season. At other times he is not that interested and seldom comes to talk to me. Claris told me how happy she and you were being together all the time. I would like that for my daughter. This is why I think you, my daughter, and my younger sister would be happy together."

He still could not believe this. They all wanted him to take Carie. He hardly knew her. She hardly knew him. She did appeal to him, but then all pretty doe appeal to him. He needed time to know her and for her to know him. It was also the only way he knew Claris would stay next to him. He finally wanted to make sure they all knew exactly how he felt about this arrangement.

"Very well," he said standing up."He is what I will do. I will remain in this forest for a while until I heal. I will bed down with Claris in the thicket near Bambi and Faline. Young Carie can join us there. In this way you can get to know me better before we go back. If you find that for whatever reason you rather not come to my forest with me, you are free to stay here. If you wish to come with me, then yes during the Season, I will breed with you. Now since we are speaking plainly, allow me to say one more thing. If during the Season, Claris finds she can have more fawns, I will also breed with her. I will teach any fawns I make with either of you as the same and I will teach them like I have taught my son and daughter. I believe this is fair to all of you. "

With that Ate also go up and looked at him with a smile. "Yes, Stranger that is very fair. You are as wise as Claris and Bambi say you are."

Young Carie also got up and looked at him. "Thank you, Stranger, I will be pleased to do as you say. You are indeed very wise."

"Claris got up, came over and licked the side of his face. "Thank you," she said her eyes showing a tear.

Finally Faline and young Eta got up and came over to him. "You have chosen well. I will explain this to Bambi and Gorro when they come back.

"Good," he said. "With Man in the forest, I think we should rest during the remaining light and eat at night on the meadow."

"I am sure Bambi will say the same," Faline said. "I will bed down here with Eta. Our normal place is too close to Man."

"Fine," he said. "Excuse me for a moment. He leaped away into the forest for a short while and then emptied himself. He ate some grass and then went back to the others. He found a place at was covered by some grass. He lay down on his legs. Claris lay on one side of him, as she normally did. Carie lay on the other side of him. Cara and Ate lay near them. Having two warm bodies next to him felt strange, yet he found he did not mind it. The smoothness of their fur on his side sent waves of delight up and down his back. He reached over and nuzzled Claris and then did the same to Carie. She did not seem to know what to do, but he did know she liked it when it did that. He chewed his cud for a while and then quietly went to sleep.

This arrangement might not be so bad after all.

Chapter 6: Lessons in Death

They all woke as the greater light disappeared and darkness fell. He got up and both doe got up with him. As usual they all left each other for a short while to empty their insides. Then they all went back to the lake and the large meadow nearby and ate their fill. The other deer were on the meadow eating. He could smell only a trace of smoke in the air, but no scent of Man. It was after the lesser light was high overhead that Bambi came over to him and motion him to walk away with him. He followed Bambi until they were well away from the others.

"Faline told me," Bambi said. "What do you think?"

"I think if I can have Claris back and have Carie as a doe to make fawns, I will be happy. Carie is a nice looking doe."

"Yes she is and she did not take a mate in her first breeding season," Bambi went on. "In that way she is like Claris. She wanted nothing to do with the young males around here."

"So I was told, now tell me if this was your idea?" he wanted to know.

"No," Bambi said shaking his head. "I think it was the idea of Faline and Ate. You coming here, showed how you really feel about Claris. I think Claris was afraid you walk away from her if you knew about her unborn fawn."

He still felt exasperated at that and what had happened. A lot of deer had been put through a lot of trouble because of this and he was not that happy about it. "She still should have told me," he said flatly, "However I guess that is no longer important,"

He then looked directly at Bambi, "You are going to remain here?"

"Yes they need me here, and there is no one else to lead," Bambi told him. "Gorro is not ready and none of the other males I would trust."

"I understand," he said. "You are always welcomed back in my forest, both you and Faline."

"Thank you," Bambi smiled. "Perhaps one day when I am no longer herd leader."

It was then he heard a large calling of birds from up on the tall hill. He turned and took in a large breath of air through his nose. He could smell nothing, but the light breeze was blowing from the lake to the hill blowing any scent there away from them.

"You smell something?" Bambi asked.

He kept his head into the wind trying to smell something. Something did not feel right to him. "No, but I feel uneasy. Let us go back near where your thicket it. It is too open where we are even through it is still night."

Bambi walked back with him where they met the others. They all walked near Bambi's thicket where they were partly hidden by trees. Off in the distance over the lake he saw the first glint of the greater light. He still smelled nothing or heard nothing unusual. He put his uneasiness down to being in a different place. He looked out on the meadow near the lake and saw several deer still feeding including Ronno, Marol, and their fawn. The first light from the greater light came over the lake and lit everything with a new day.

"PHAMMMMMMMMMMMMM, PHAMMMMMMMMMMMMM, PHAMMMMMMMMMMMMM," echoed from the hill. It stunned him and the others for a second before he heard PHAMMMMMMMMMMMMM, PHAMMMMMMMMMMMMM echo again.

In a moment all the deer scattered in

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