interesting story to tell you."

After telling them about his encounter with his Son he could see a mixture of frowns and smiles from the others. Some were pleased Stuben had left for good. Others like Bambi were not happy where he was going.

"I know some of you are not happy he went to the old forest, but without his mother to mess things up, he should be fine. If he does do anything stupid, Gorro is capable of putting him in his place."

"I wish he would have gone someplace else," Bambi said angrily.

"Just where could he go?" he asked. "He certainly cannot come here: not in the deep wood, not over the hill in Felon's forest, or in the distant forest over our hill. He had no place else to go and he knew it. I think he will behave, and if he does he can be of great help to Gorro."

"I am happy he finally learned from his mistakes," Claris said.

"We hope," Bambi sneered.

'Yes, we hope," he added, "Because that is all we can do."

Summer ended and brought the fall which brought on the itching antlers. He scraped off the velvet. He knew his antlers were not as large as before. He did not care; he was hardly going to chase a doe in his condition.

As soon as all their antlers were fully out the scent from the other doe began. Gena, Charlene, Karene and Galene were all putting out heavy scents. Only Faline and Claris put out none. As soon as that happened, he suggested to all the males they take their mates and get away from each other. He knew that many males around so many breeding does would only cause trouble even in the closest families. After The Season, things would be alright again he told them. Unlike back in his forest, all the new fawns and some of the yearlings gathered in a group while their parent gave into the urges of The season. Soon even Bambi and Faline left leaving them alone. This was the first time he had been alone with Claris during The Season since he came back from Bambi's forest with Carie. They stood at the edge of the Man path forest and watched the lesser light rise overhead. They said nothing, but just took pleasure in being with each other after the events of this year. They ate some grass and then went to sleep by a small stream.

He was jolted awake the next morning by a familiar scent. It was the musty odor of a breeding doe, but it was not a strong scent. He was looking around thinking one of the does had returned early, yet he saw no other deer. It was then he realized the scent was coming from Claris. He looked at her and she looked back embarrassed.

"Claris," he said taking in a large whiff of air.

""Yes it is me," she said hesitantly. "This is the first time I have felt this since my fawn was born dead."

She got up and started to walk away. "I am sorry," she said.

"Do not be," he said. "I rather like it; if I could only do anything about it."

"Claris looked at him and took in a large whiff of air. "I think you can," she said in that smooth voice of hers. "Come with me."

She led him away from the open clearing into the woods where she stopped and then looked back at him with a smile. She spread her four legs and hunched her back as an invitation. More by instinct that anything else he mounted her and much to their surprise he found he was not that old yet.

But it sure hurt later.

The Season passed with it urges and soon afterwards the males returned with their now mated doe. All were smile and happiness as after his first season with Claris. They had all come back to their group for a day before they heard it in the distance.

"Pham…..Pham echoed repeatedly off toward where the new Man cave was built. At least man had not rebuilt the one that had been destroyed in the fire. He wondered if Man thought all the deer had run away to other forests after the fire. There were also Man sounds of killings still from the forest over the hill where the bear lived and the forest from where Galin and Galene lived. He could see all the noise from that forest troubling both Galin and Galene.

"Next year, you will be able to help them," he told Galin.

"If anything is left alive after Man is done," he said.

"Not even Man can kill all the deer," he said. "There will always be some to look after. That is one of the bad parts of being herd leader. You can never save all the deer, just most of them."

"Right now I am saving no one except myself," Galin said with gloom. He then walked away toward Charlene.

"He and Bambi walked to the edge of the Man path forest and looked out over their meadow. There was not a sign of Man. There were no small man caves Man used when he chased deer. He could nor smell or hear anything of Man's presence.

"Do you think Man will leave us alone?" he asked Bambi.

"Perhaps," he said as not believing it. "After the fire in my forest, Man did not come back the next season."

He heard Stabo's familiar walk behind him. The now large and well built deer had as big a rack as he ever did. He looked out over the meadow. "I do not think Man will hunt here this season. He does seem to be hunting everyplace else."

"We must still watch carefully," he said. "The Man animals can get here quickly with many Men."

"Bambi nodded. "We watch and wait," he said sternly.

"As you said, Father, we can also hope," Stabo added.

No Men came. No killing sticks sounded near to them. He heard many killing sticks deeper in the forest which worried him for that is where Balo and Stena went. Balo should be smart enough to avoid Man. Every night the younger Bambi and Karene went into the forest to look, but they did not go far. Koren and Galene looked along the edge of the Man path forest. Each time they came back and told them they saw, heard, or smelled nothing of Man. Soon the noise of the killing sticks stopped and he knew they were safe until next Season.

His antlers were itching again meaning they were ready to fall out. The air chilled, the clouds appeared over head and the cold rain of fall started to come down on them. It was near morning after they ate that he heard the younger Bambi calling out. It sounded like trouble so they all moved quickly. The call came from an area in the forest near the clearing where they had met before their battle with Razor. They all moved to the clearing, as they did he picked up another scent. It was a doe. She was lying on the ground on her side, looking beaten. She had been injured; he could see bleeding from her side. As he got closer he could see a deep wound in her flank. She had been hit by a killing stick.

"Stranger, please look at her?" Young Bambi asked sounding frightened. "Karene and I found her laying here a short while ago. Her name is Gracene and she was one of the doe that went with Balo and Stena."

He walked up and looked at the wound in her side. He could smell the wound. It already smelled of sickness. He felt her forehead and it was burning. The breathing was strained and rattling. This doe would not live much longer.

"What happened," he asked the doe.

"Man came," she gasped. "Many Men came with dogs, large dogs," then she stopped to catch her breath. "Balo saw them and told us to run toward the forest and not run into the open space. We were all running together. We tried to run with the wind in our faces, but the air was filled with Man scent so Balo told us to run the other way. I remember the wind was at our tails and then suddenly there were the noises of killing sticks all around us. I was near a tree and I saw the tree near me go to pieces. I also felt something hit my side. I fell down and got up quickly. I turned to look for the others." She then stop and gasped for air before falling asleep.

He looked her over again. She might wake up, but she would not get up from here. He looked at Young Bambi and he was standing looking at him with a mixture of fright and worry.

"Did she tell you what she saw?" he asked.

Young Bambi nodded and then hesitated. Finally he spoke in a broken voice. "She said she saw several deer on the ground. Many of the deer were bleeding from wounds. She could not tell who they were, but she saw no one else from the deer that went with Balo on her way back here."

"Stena," was all Claris could say.

"My mother and sister," young Bambi echoed.

His heart sank. He looked at Stabo who was shaking. He muttered, "Sister," and turned his head. He felt something burning in his throat. He looked back at the doe that was now starting to shake as death overcame her.

"We can do nothing more here," he told them. "She will be gone soon."

Young Bambi looked desperate. "Look, I can go into the deep forest and look for them. Man is gone so there will be little danger."

"No!" Bambi said loudly. "All that will do is to get other deer killed. If they could come back here, they would. If they are not here by now, then they will not be coming."

"But my sister and mother," Young Bambi pleaded.

"My Son, Veron, your father," Bambi said his voice beginning to crack. "My daughters Gurri and Gerta; they are all gone. If you go after them one of two things will happen. Your will either die, or find something you will wish you had not found. They are gone and nothing we will do will change that."

"Bambi is right," he said in a low voice. "My daughter, Stena, is gone. Nothing will change that. The best thing we can do is live."

Bambi, Faline, Claris and he turned away from the other and

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