Chapter 5: The Price

He traveled up to the top of the hill overlooking the large open area and in the distance saw the large forest Geno had gone to, and now his son and daughter had come from. He was alone and wanted to be alone. He shook his head in frustration. How long had he taught Balo and Stena? How long had he taught Stuben and Delon? What had it been for if not to provide the herd with good leaders? Now they were arguing over who would follow him. It almost sounded like it end up in a fight with one or more of them leaving, hurt, or dead. They spent all of this time with Bambi and him and yet his first and simplest lesson, we are here to help the herd, had gone unlearned. What type of teacher was he if he could not get that across? They had not learned, not really, and it made him almost sick to his stomach that he had failed in this most basic of duties. Maybe he was too old to do this. Maybe he should be going. The forest could certainly do without him more than the others. As he told them, they were the future, he was the past.

He could see light rising from behind him. He had spent all night out here looking at the horizon. Soon another day would start. Part of him said he should just leave and go to the forest in the distance. If he lived through the crossing, he just be another old male there ignore by the others until he was gone. If he did not live through the crossing, well that would not be the worst thing. He did not think he could do any more good here. He lay down just inside the trees and tried to relax.

He woke to a noise behind him. Someone was coming up behind him. He got up and turned quickly. There were three deer coming up the hill. Not what he wanted them, but it was clear they already knew where he was.

"Here," he called out.

He watched Bambi, Faline and Claris approached and lie down next to him.

"The rest of the herd most likely listened to the arguments," he said.

"It was impossible not to. Both Galin and Galene stopped their training and I sent them away for the night. We followed your scent to here."

"After all this time and they still have not learned," he said in a low voice. "I have failed miserably as a teacher and as a herd leader. Now every deer in the forest knows my family is ready to fight each other to see who comes after me, as if any of that matters to them. Why should they listen to any of us?"

"As you said with Geno, the fault was his and not mine," Bambi said. "I really did expect more out of Balo and Stena, and even Carie. You have done all you could."

"I have done nothing," he said loudly. "And I have done all I am going to. The herd does not need me any longer. I am going to call for that gathering and then tell everyone that I am no longer herd leader. They will have to choose another one."

The others looked shocked. Finally Claris looked at him. "All that will do is cause Balo, Delon and Stuben to get into a fight. You heard them. They may kill each other."

"Oh yes," he said loudly. "I certainly succeeded there. They can pound each other's tails into the ground. They can kill each other almost as quickly as the bear. I taught them well there. They learned to avoid man well. They learned to give orders quickly. The most important thing however that I was supposed to teach them, that they were all working for the benefit of the others: that I failed in. In failing that, I failed in everything else. I wonder if they all be better off without me."

"You cannot mean that," Bambi said out loud. "This herd is much better off with you here. Maybe better off than when I was herd leader here."

He looked into his close friend's dark black eyes. "That may be true, but what happens after me? Who continues to lead? They cannot all be leaders. Balo has the experience, but he wants Delon to follow him. Carie wants Stuben to follow me because he is my son. It is not them that need to make the choice. It is the herd that decides and that is the one thing they do not understand. If they force themselves on the herd, then they are no better than Tarro or Razor, and that I also failed to teach them." He put his head on the ground and closed his eyes. "I feel useless."

There was no more said. Claris snuggled in close to him and Bambi and Faline lay together in front of him. He felt very tired and very old and very weary of his life here. He was thinking about that when darkness passed over him.

"Bang," he head from below him. That brought him awake. "Bang," he heard again.

"Killing sticks," he said, "But not the big ones. Man must be hunting birds again."

The other three looked at him as if asking what he intended to do about it. After a few moments he took a deep breath. "Very well I will go take a look after dark."

During the day it had become cloudy and the wind shifted to blow from the Man path forest. The sky had darkened over. Soon the rain came. A soaking warm rain fell on them. The rain continued for a short while and then stopped and the hot sun came out and dried everything again. The ground was dry by the time the light started to fade.

He rested with them there until the greater light had set. Then they got up and moved the long way to their viewing spot. The last thing he wanted was to talk to the others right now. The lesser light had risen as he approached their viewing spot he picked up other nearby scents. The two belonged to Balo and Stena. He also smelled both Carie and Stuben nearby. He walked into the little area and looked. At the other end of the meadow he saw the Man cave, but it was dark except for one small flickering night light. He saw a Man animal there that was also dark and not moving. There was no movement on the Man path or around the Man cave. The increasing wind was blowing from the Man cave. In the air he could see distant flashes of light in the sky. It looked like a storm, but it was far off. The wind also brought a lingering scent of Man, but he could not smell any dogs. The wind brought a scent of what smelled like a skunk which put him on alert. It made him wonder if there were any Men there.

"It is strange," Bambi said. "I would think I smell more of a scent of Man. There are no dogs that man uses to hunt birds. I also do not like the smell of the skunk, yet I see no sign of Man.

By now he heard the approach of another deer. This one was quieter. It was Delon.

"Listen to me," he said loudly. "I am not that old were I cannot smell you anymore. This presence of Man concerns all of us here along with the rest of the herd. You should all look at this."

Claris looked at him warily as if wondering what he was doing. Like it or not, his son, his daughters and Balo were still were senior members of the herd as were Carie, and Delon. Other deer did listen to what they said. They all had to speak with the same voice or confusion would spread throughout the herd. That had to be avoided.

Slowly Balo, Delon, and Stena came in on side of their viewing area and Stuben and Carie came in the other side. The two families glared at each other for a moment, but thankfully said nothing.

"All of you come here and look at this," he told them.

Slowly and silently they all came up near him with his family on one side of him and Balo and Stena on the other side. They both studied each other like they expected the other ones to attack them. He waited until they could all see out of the meadow like he and Bambi could. It was then he picked it up, a light trace of the odor of wet fur.

"Very well my future herd leaders," he said with a sarcastic tone. "Look out on the Meadow and tell me what you see?"

He watched them all look at the Man cave. They are breathed in large quantities of air through the noses. They all looked and Balo spoke.

"I smell the light scent of a skunk. That means Man wants to trick us again so we will get close to them so they can kill us."

That may be true," he answered, "But the wind is blowing and blowing hard from the Man cave. If they were hiding there, we could smell them. Also remember the skunk odor Man has used before was strong, this is weak."

"Last season when Man came to kill birds, they had a fire going outside and the burned the bird on that fire before eating them," Stuben said. "I smell no fire and I smell no odor of burning meat."

"That is true my Son, but we also heard Man and his thunder sticks today, so he was here."

"Then could he come here just to hunt and gone someplace else to sleep?" Delon asked. "He has done that in the past."

"That is also possible," Delon," he said calmly.

"When Man hunts for birds, he uses dogs," Stena spoke up. "I do not hear, see, or smell any dogs. If the dogs are not here then is Man is not here,"

He smiled and nodded his head. "That is the point I was noticing, daughter. I see a Man animal, but it is cold and dark. If Man has left, why would it be there? I have not seen him leave one of his animals behind."

It was then he heard it: a light breaking of branches and another whiff of fur and fat He looked at Bambi who smiled at him. He looked at the others who we studying in front of them so much they did not notice anything else.

"He called out loudly. "What do you think, my old friend" You know you are getting better in moving without being heard or smelled."

"Thank you Stranger, but I see I am not good enough for both of you," the bear's voice called from behind them.

All the deer except Bambi and him jumped up and away. Balo and Stena looked to be ready to

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