"Did you see how he disappeared without a sound which means he is experienced. The wind is also blowing the wrong way for us to follow him. For now we have to let him go. Besides I am not interested in him. I am more interested in who sent him and why. I can take a guess at who and why, but I like to be sure."

"Razor," Balo said.

"Correct," he said. Now he was sure there was going to be some kind of a fight. Only he did not know how many and how big they were. He did not like where this was going and he did not like their chances. They needed a plan.

"Veron," go back to your forest and stay with Stabo. I will come in a few days and we will discuss what we can do. One thing for sure, if we try and fight them in a stand up fight, we will lose."

"Thank you Stranger," Veron said. "I will ask Stabo to think of something."

He hoped Stabo could come up with something because right now he had no idea what to do. He watched Veron trot off toward his forest. He looked over and saw the first sign of the rising of the greater light.

"Go back to Stena," he told him. "I need to think."

Balo left silently. He went back to his clearing and again lay between Claris and Carie. He found he could not sleep and got up when the greater light was overhead.

He left the others and walked into the woods by the old Oak tree and tried to think of a way to beat these deer. It was not long before he heard a voice from above.

"Stranger," he heard Oswell call. He looked up at the young owl and someone new. There was a female owl with him in the big tree.

"This is Sofora, my mate for this season," he told him. "We are raising a brood in the old tree."

"That is good," he said with gladness.

Oswell and Sofora seemed happy. "What brings you here? You deer normally sleep in the day like us."

"Oh I have a problem I need to think about," he said.

"Maybe I can help," Oswell said.

It could not hurt to tell him so he explained the whole story about the new deer, why they came, and the possible threat from the other forest. It took a while to explain.

"So I am trying to figure out a way I can fight the other deer if I am forced too. We will be out numbered."

Oswell seemed to pause for a second and whispered to Sofora. They chirped together and finally he said. "My Mother once told me that some small animals run together to form a pack when I hunt them. They believe that by being all together they will scare me off or confuse me so much I do not attack them. My Mother told me in that case just pick one out and attack it. The others will still be there when you get back."

He thought about it for a moment. He had many deer coming for him, and only Balo, Veron and Stabo to fight them. Could they just pick one or two out and fight only them? If Razor and his males stayed in a group, he could not, but what if they split up looking for them. He could fight one or two together and not be out numbered."

"Thank you Oswell," he said showing appreciation in his voice. "You have given me an idea."

With that he hurried back to his bedding area, happy for the first time in days.