before we beat them."

Bambi walked over to him and looked him as he did to Bambi. "The wound on your back opened slightly and there is a trickle of blood, but it is not serious."

"I see nothing wrong with you except the cut in your chest which is not bad," he told him.

They both looked at each other and smiled. "You know for a Stranger, you fight well," Bambi said.

"So do you," he told him. "Let us go back to the clearing our doe will be worried."

"One thing first," Bambi said.

He followed Bambi out into the meadow, there were almost no deer in sight since it was day. Bambi stood in the middle and let out a loud thundering call. "COME HERE," he called at the top of his lungs."

Normally he would never do this, but there were no Men nearby, so the meadow was safe. Bambi called again and waited. Slowly other deer appeared. Most were males, a few were doe and fawns. Soon he could not count the number of deer in the meadow when he looked over and saw Claris, Carie, and Cara all standing to together.

"Where is Faline, Gorro, and Eta," Bambi called out.

Claris trotted over to them. "Faline and Eta were hurting so Ate told them to lie down and rest. Gorro stayed with them along with Ate." They she looked past the two of them and saw the three deer lying still on the ground just inside the trees. She looked at them both in shock but said nothing and went back with Cara and Carie. Bambi waited until he saw no more deer come. There were enough to hear. The word would get around quickly.

"There are three deer lying over there. They attacked my family and threatened the mate of The Stranger." Bambi's voice was bellowing almost triumphal. "They are now dead. I want to make it clear that any deer that tries to hurt our families will get the same thing. You think you can be a better herd leader than me, then challenge me. If you try and hurt those close to me, then I will show you no mercy. Remember that," he said.

Bambi looked at all of them like he was ready to take on anyone who stepped forward. No one made a move. He then stepped up alongside Bambi.

"Do not think you can wait until I go back to my forest to then try and hurt my friend's family. I can be back here sooner than you think and like Bambi, I will show you no mercy. Are there any questions?" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Most deer looked at them and then the three still figures in the woods. Already birds were starting to circle the bodies. No one said a word. He didn't expect any discussion.

"Man is gone, but we will continue to use the meadow at night," Bambi said. "This was all I wanted to say. I will call you all together again when it is necessary."

With that the two of them walked back to the small clearing. Claris and the others followed silently behind.

Chapter 8: Departure

They returned to the clearing mostly in silence. As soon as they could be smelled by the others Faline, Eta, Gorro, and Ate came out quickly. Faline still limped as did Eta. Bambi and he said nothing until Gorro broke the silent.

"Will they come back?" Gorro asked.

"Three will not come back, the other will come back only if he wants to die," Bambi said tersely and walked over to Faline to examine her and the fawn. Gorro then looked at him.

Before Gorro could asked he told him. "Three of them are dead; the other was running so fast to get away we let him go."

Dead," Gorro squeaked.

"Yes dead," Bambi said looking directly at his son. "It was the only way to make sure they will never be back."

"Oh," was all Gorro could say and walked away.

"I am tired," he said out loud. "I am going to lie down and sleep until the lesser light rises. Then I think we should eat on the meadow."

"I agree," Bambi said and that settled it.

Both Claris and Carie stayed away from him and he slept alone. They both knew he would not be good company for a while.

That night on the meadow their group ate together. The other deer on the meadow did not come close to them. In the darkness, over by the tress, he heard Bobcats, ferrets, maybe a coyote, and other creatures all feasting on the bodies of Tarro and the other two. It was a not so pleasant reminder of what had transpired. They ate and drank quietly and little Eta drank from her mother who still limped. Every time the little fawn took an obviously painful step, he knew Bambi and he did the right thing. It was after the lesser light was overhead that Gorro walked up to his father. He moved over close enough to hear.

"Father, I do not understand, why did you have to kill them and not just run them off like you did the others?" Gorro was not criticizing his father, but he looked and sounded confused.

"Because the others did not try and hurt your mother and younger sister. They came only to challenge me. These four did hurt them. If I had just chased them off they would have come back and maybe killed you, your sister, and your mother. That was something I would not let them do."

"So what you teach me can really kill," Gorro said as if not believing it.

"Yes," Bambi said simply. "It can and will kill a deer or Bobcat or even a single Coyote. I hope you do not have to kill, but sometimes you must. If you must; kill as quickly and as effectively as you can and without hesitation. Otherwise the other animal may kill you. That is the greatest lesson a herd leader must understand. Sometime he must decide who lives and who dies."

With that Bambi went back to eating. Gorro walked away toward him. As the young deer approached all he did was nod in agreement. These were more words that were best left unsaid. With the way the other deer looked at Bambi and him, he doubted if anyone would seriously challenge Bambi while Gorro grew up. That was another unsaid reason behind their fight.

Spring continued and soon the warm greater light filled the forest. They went back to live in the thicket near the hill. Ate took her daughter Cara away leaving the three of them alone. His back finally healed and he could run and spar like normal. Bambi and he did spar with each other, but mostly they spared with Gorro who got over his uneasiness. He taught Gorro some of his tricks on turning and kicking and finally sweeping your opponent's feet from out underneath him. They spent days just getting to know each other again. During this time he got to know Carie better, she was like Claris in that she was independently minded and knew exactly what she wanted. She was a bit more sensitive than Claris. Carie, also tended to talk more than Claris which was the only trait of hers that bothered him. Still he was not displeased with Carie. With Claris and Carie and Bambi and his family, those days were some of the happiest of his life.

Falene and Eta got over their injury. Man kept away from the forest, and everything else seemed close to normal again. Together spring came and went and soon he realized they were into full summer. That meant he had to return soon. He waited until he felt it was high summer before he told the others."

"We must get back to our forest before high summer is over and the time of the Season approaches. That will bring Man and his killing sticks and we both need to be with our herds at that time."

"I expected you go soon," Bambi said. "When will you leave?"

"Tomorrow night at the setting of the greater light," he said. "It will take two days to get back to my forest."

"I am sorry to see you go," Gorro said his voice sounded disappointed. "I was hoping to learn more off of you."

"You have learned enough from me. The rest you can get from your father," he told the eager young male. Gorro was growing seemingly in front of him. Already his first rack was plainly showing.

Carie got up. "I want to say goodbye to my mother and Ate. I know I may not see them again."

He understood that and Carie was right. "Do so tonight and meet me at the lake tomorrow after the setting of the greater light. We leave then."

"I will go with her," Claris said. "I too want to say goodbye to my mother."

He nodded his approval. "I think you should both go now and meet me tomorrow."

With that they both got up and moved off into the darkness of the forest. He watched them go. He was not displeased. In a way he envied them. He never had a chance to say goodbye to his mother, in fact he never even knew his mother. That was probably the main reason he was and always would be The Stranger to those around him.

He spent the rest of the day talking to Bambi and Faline and giving Gorro one final sparing lesson. He wondered if there was some doe that catch his eyes during the Season, but Gorro did not seem interested in that. He knew that change with the season. Gorro was too fine a young male to be overlooked. If they were not so closely related, he be tempted to send young Claris over. They make a fine pair. He slept after the greater light was over head and woke just before dark. He walked over to Bambi who like him was just getting up and motioned for him to follow.

They walked toward the lake but stopped well inside the woods. He turned.

"I will leave you now, My Friend," he said to the big deer. "I think you will have no problems with challenges for this season. All the males have to do is look at the piles of bones in the wood near the hill to remind them of that. When the time comes I think Gorro will make a fine heard leader."

"Thank you," Bambi said and rubbed the side of his neck. "I will miss you, but

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