side of her face. He then turned and faced Carie and spoke in a low tone. "My early life was completely different from any other deer I know. It has given me the knowledge on how best to live with Man. It has also forced me to see things I wish I had not, but now that is not important. Things are what they are. Before you decide if you want to stay with me, you must know this. Carie, come with me, and I will tell you my story."

Ate walked up and looked at him. "I too want to hear your story as does as Clara," she said eyeing him carefully.

"As does Gorro," Bambi said taking a deep breath. Faline looked at him harshly. "If he is to be leader he should know," he told her. "I learned much when you told it to me."

The last thing he wanted was to repeat his life story to a group of deer. It was too personally painful yet he could see the choice was being made for him. He looked around and accepted the inevitable. "All of you eat and drink and do anything else you must. This will be a long story. I will be here when the greater light is overhead and I will tell you the story. None of you will like it; of that I am sure."

He turned and walked away from the others. He never liked doing this, but at least those who heard it understood him better. However every time he told it, it always left him empty inside. He went into the forest, found a small stream and drank and ate his filled and then emptied his body, much like he was about to empty himself. He came back and lay down in the small meadow. All the others were there. He took a deep breath and talked until the greater light set and the lesser light had risen.

When he was done and he finished answering what few question that were asked, he lay as if spent by some great physical effort. Both Clara and Gorro looked more horrified at his tale, got up and moved away from him. Both Bambi and Faline came over and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Thank you again, my Friend," Bambi told him.

Ate walked over next looked at him her eyes full of pity that he hated. "I thought I had a bad time of it as a fawn," she said in a low voice and walked away.

Carie walked over to him and looked down at him. Her eyes were full of sorrow rather than pity. "Thank you, Stranger for telling me this," she said. "I think I now understand you better." With that she lay down at his side and moved in close so her body fully lay against his. Claris did the same on his other side. It felt wonderful, and he should have been happy, but all he felt was emptiness as he felt every time he told his story. He hoped it was worth it to all of them.

Chapter 7: Unexpected Aftermath

All of them stayed close to the small meadow for the next few days. From time to time he could hear the sound of the killing sticks from the lake, no doubt killing some hapless creature. The noise then stopped. While the rest all waited in the safety of the deep forest, Bambi and him went near the meadow. There they saw signs of Man's presence in the remains that still lay in the thick green grass and were being picked upon by birds and other predators of the forest. It was not a pretty sight to look at and he was glad the others were not with him. One thing both Bambi and he were sure of was the Men had come back and had come for the meat because there were no racks on deer this early in the spring.

Bambi had called many of the deer to him in the little clearing and told everyone to avoid the lake and the meadow. The deer listened and afterwards there were no more sounds of the killing sticks. They did not know if Man had gone or not. There was only one way to find out. Bambi then showed him and Gorro a way to climb the hill without being seen by those below. He mentioned his own father had showed him this path. He could tell it was not used often. By then Gorro had seem to get over his shock and asked to come. Bambi reluctantly agreed. He also went with him to look for himself. There was no way he would try and go back to his forest with Man prowling about. Early in the morning before the greater light rose, they climbed the hill. It was steep and rocky at places, but his back did not protest. The first rays of the sun had come over the lake when they got to the top.

Bambi took them to a place on the side of the hill where they could see down below on the other side. It was open with another forest in the far distance. In the open area grew tall grasses, and through it flowed another stream that emptied into the lake. There was nothing there except the lingering smell of burnt meat.

"This is where Man puts his Man cave when he comes to the forest," Bambi told them. They could all see they were gone.

"If so then they are gone for now," he said.

"It should be safe to use the meadow again," Bambi uttered, "But only if we use it at night."

It was then he looked back and saw Gorro looking around. He was holding his nose in the wind and smelling.

"Gorro, something wrong?" he asked.

Bambi also turn around and looked at his son. Neither of them detected anything.

"A strange smell," Gorro answered tensely. "Something I have not smelled before. I caught a scent once and then it was gone." He then looked in front of him. "Excuse me," he said and walked to the other side of the hill.

Both Bambi and him tested the air and could smell nothing except the smoke from where the Man caves had been. He wondered if Gorro was getting too nervous at what happened and was imagining things.

"Father, Stranger, over here," they heard the young male call.

They both hurried over and saw Gorro standing in front of some bushes and sniffing at the ground. As he got next to Gorro he smelled the putrid odor again in his nose. Gorro was also looking at a pile of what looked like ashes from a fire lying on the ground.

"Is that the scent of Man," Gorro asked.

"Yes, son that is," Bambi said. "That was good of you to find it. Man has been here."

He wondered why Man had climbed up here when he looked over the bushes.

"Look," he said and pointed his nose over the hedges. Below he could easily see the lake and the meadow and he could clearly see the place where Ronno and Marol had died. It was a perfect place to watch deer on the meadow.

"That is why they came," Bambi said. "They can see clearly from here. When the greater light came up, Ronno and Marol stood there and Man saw them."

"I cannot see our thicket, Father," Gorro added.

"That that is why we are alive and Ronno and Marol are dead," he told them. "If you are close to the hill, Man cannot see you."

Bambi nodded and then after Gorro looked closely he turned. "Yes, now I understand," he said. "Man can only kill what he can see. If we are not seen they cannot kill us."

"Then you have learned a great lesson," he told Gorro.

Gorro beamed like he had found something of great value, and he had.

"Now young male, my back feels fine. I will go back to the meadow and I will show you some of my tricks. That is if your Father doesn't mind.

"Not at all," Bambi said and they all walked off the hill back the way they came.

They walked toward the smaller clearing into the deep forest. As they passed from where the trees had burned to the location the trees had not burned a sudden breeze brought an unusual scent to his nose. In fact there were several scents. It was not Man, it was another deer, if fact it smelled like several deer. Both he and Bambi stopped. Both took in the air as did Gorro.

""Male deer, Father, three or four of them, but I do not recognize the scent," Gorro told them.

"There are four of them," he replied. "I certainly do not know them."

"I do." Bambi spat out. "Remember I told you there were a few other males who were looking to be leader here. It is Tarro, the leader of that pack. They were all friends of Geno."

They continued on quickly, they both entered the clearing. There were multiple scents, but no one was there. The outside males and the other doe from his family had been there recently.

"FALINE," Bambi called out.

A short while later Faline walked out of the forest. She was limping slightly. Little Eta was also limping. Bambi and Gorro ran up to her."

"What happened?" was all the big deer could say.

"Four males came here and said they wanted to chase you out. They said after what happened to Ronno, you were not fit to be leader anymore. When I told them you were not here, they kicked me and little Eta. Claris, Ate, Cara and Carie came up and they all left saying they be back for them later."

He looked over at the small fawn. She had been kicked. He rubbed his nose along the fawn's side and tried to smell anything unusual. She had been hurt, but not seriously. He was suddenly filled with a great anger.

He stood up and faced Bambi and Faline. "I think she will be fine, but she will hurt for a while."

By now, Claris led the others into the clearing. He walked over to them trying not to let his anger show. "Did those four really say they be back after all of you,"

"Yes, Claris," told him calmly. "They were loud, rude, and kicked poor Eta," He could clearly see and smell she was obviously upset. The others looked worried.

That got him really angry. He turned and looked at Bambi. "We need to deal with this," he said flatly.

"Right now," Bambi told him he could feel the anger in his voice.

"You know where they are," he asked anyone.

"If it those four you told me about before, Father,

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