Duro tried changing direction quickly trying to throw him off. It did not matter, he stayed on him. Duro then tried a sharp fast turn and slipped. His back legs went out. By the time he could recover he was on him. He charged straight into unprotected rear with his head down. He felt his antlers hit something soft and seemed to go into it. It was then he heard a scream from Duro.

"My leg," Duro yelled out.

He looked, there were several small holes in his rear left leg. They were all bleeding out. Duro stumbled and fell. He was on him and kicked him hard.

"I told you to go and you did not listen," he yelled. "You should have listened to me because now you are dead."

"You are going to kill me," Duro screamed.

He was going to killed him, but he stopped. He looked at his wounds. Duro would not be able to run fast with a leg like that. It would take time to heal. Too much time before something out here smelled the blood and went after Duro. He calmed down and got control of himself before answering.

"No Duro, I am not going to kill you. I am not going to do anything more to you. You are bleeding and there are scavengers out here that will smell that blood and find you. You cannot run any more to get away. They will find you and tear you to pieces just like the bear did to Sinno. It would be a mercy for me to kill you. A mercy I will not give you. Good bye Duro."

He turned and went back to Claris. All he heard was Duro yell, "NO! do not leave me."

He got to Claris and looked her over. They were a few scraps marks from Duro's antlers but otherwise she was unhurt. She looked at him. "You did not kill him," she said sounding pleased.

"I have had enough death for one season," he said looking back. "Besides, there are many others who will gladly kill him for a good meal. What did he want?"

Claris looked straight ahead almost with contempt. "He was begging me to talk to you about asking Bambi to let him live in his forest. He was afraid that alone and not wanted in any forest he would die this winter."

"That is most likely true," he said.

"I told him after what he did, he would be lucky if Bambi did not kill him. He got upset and that is when you came back."

"And he wanted to be herd leader," he grunted. "You cannot tell others what is the right thing to do if you cannot tell yourself what the right thing to do is. I am glad he is gone. Let us be off."

They traveled that night. The running had tired him and he did not move as fast as he did before. That amount of effort would have not bothered him in the past. Perhaps he was getting too old. It was almost full light and they were still just outside Bambi's forest. They could cover the distance in the light or bed down here. Both he and Claris thought they should both bed down here and wait. They were close enough to run into the forest if they smelled danger. They ate their fill grass. There was plenty of it, but it tasted old and dry. They ate enough to fill their hunger and then stopped. They emptied themselves in the stream and then rested. He fell right to sleep with Claris lying close to him. He felt very warm inside.

That day the clouds got thick and there was rumbling in the skies. A little while later he started to feel wet on his back. It was a cold rain that fell on them, but then it stopped and soon white flakes were falling from the sky. The first snow of the season was on them.

"I had hoped we get back before the snow," he said. "We have to hope it clears up soon. I do not want to go back leaving our tracks in the snow all the way back to our forest."

"Nothing we can do about it," Claris said. "We cannot go back now. We are here."

"Yes and it is getting colder and the snow is falling," he said. "We need to get under cover. I hear or smell no sign of man. I think we should run into the nearest trees."

Claris nodded and they got up quickly and bounded the short distance into the trees. There was nothing between them and Bambi's forest. It took them only a short while to cover the distance. They both saw the lake, but that was too much in the open. They ran instead into the cover of the pine trees at the edge of the forest and only then stopped to rest. After they caught their breath they moved cautiously toward the far hill where he knew Bambi and Faline lived.

Now for the hardest task of all.

Chapter 10: Surprising Help

"Do you think Man is here?" Claris asked.

He looked around the forest and took in a deep breath. He smelled the pine trees and other animals. There was a linger scent of deer, but no Man. He reminded himself he never smelled Man when Ronno and Marol were killed. "He might be here; and did you see any deer in the open? Bambi is too wise to let the herd stay in the open during the day if he even thinks Man is around."

They continued walking among the trees noiselessly until they got close to the end of the lake. He did not catch any familiar scent. They found the small glade that Bambi and Faline had bedded down in before, but there was only a light lingering scent. They had not been here for a long while.

"They could be in the deep forest clearing," Claris said.

Claris was right. "Let us go there," he agreed. They walked and as he walked he felt his head itching. A sure sign his antlers were getting ready to fall out. They walked quietly, wind in their faces. As he got closer he smelled four familiar scents. They still approached cautiously. He saw the small clearing in front of them. He saw no one, but then they might be bedded down by now. He waited until he was close and then made a small bleating noise.

A few second later he heard movement near the clearing. Out into the open walked Bambi followed closely by Faline.

"I will do this," he told Claris. There was no argument.

There was a lump in his chest as he walked closely. Then Gorro and Delene came out. Gorro's rack now might be as large as his father's. Both Claris and he walked into the clearing. All four deer looked surprised for a moment. Bambi ran up to him looking to greet them as always. He got within three lengths of him and then stopped dead in his tracks along with Faline. His eyes sank. As they came closer, Bambi dropped his head and closed his eyes. Bambi could see it in his face.

"Which one," he stammered out.

"Veron," he told him softly and then told them all the same tale Stabo had told him. By the time he was done, that lump was in his throat and even he had trouble speaking without choking up. No one said a word. All he could do when he was done was add, "I am truly sorry."

"He was afraid that was going to happen," Gorro said looking at him with tears in his huge black eyes. "Maybe if I was a little faster when we fought those three large males he would not have gotten hurt and he would be alive now."

He did not like where that was going and stood up straight. "NO!" he shouted. "This is no one's fault. As herd leader he defended his forest. He protected his mate, his family, and their unborn fawn. Gorro this is no one's fault, especially yours. Do not think this."

"He is right, my son," Bambi said head still hung low. "You are not to blame here. I was the one that taught him what to do and how to behave. If anyone is responsible it is me."

"That is stupid too, my friend," he said tersely. "None of us were smarter than Veron, only luckier."

Nothing else was said for a while.

"If you all wish to be alone, we will leave," he offered.

"No," Bambi said barely getting the words out. "You are as much our family as my son was. Thank you for coming to tell me yourself. I know it was difficult and dangerous at this time of year."

"It had to be done," he said in a low voice.

Bambi uttered, "My son," and then turned his back on them and walked away. He did not follow him. Faline looked heartbroken. "I remember when he was just a fawn," she stammered out. "It was when you came into the forest Stranger."

"I remember," Claris said and walked up to her. They both nuzzled each other and Claris followed Faline into the forest.

Gorro also walked back into the forest without a word. Delene followed close at his side. He was left alone in the clearing feeling disgusted at himself for being the one to bring such sadness to those who did not deserve it. His only consolation was at least they heard it from him. He lay on the ground and even though, like Bambi, he disliked showing deep emotion to others, let his own emotions out and sob uncontrollably.

He must have fallen asleep because sometime later he felt Claris lie next to him and get in close for warmth. They lay there the rest of the day trying to sleep. The greater light had already set when they were awakened by the approach of the others. They got up and silently walked out into the open area by the lake to feed on the dwindling grass still partly covered by the melting snow. The grass was wet and mostly tasteless, but it did fill the gnawing hunger in his stomach. He first smelled and then saw the other deer of the herd out feeding. They ate without talking to each other and then drank out of the lake. The lesser light was overhead when Bambi, Faline, Gorro, and Delene approached them.

"I have not been kind to your two and I am sorry," Bambi said. His voice was back to normal. "This just struck us all very hard. I ask you to forgive me. I guess you will have to leave soon before the snow?"

"There is nothing to forgive, my friend," he

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