The Stranger: Into the Rising Light

By Wilber Arron

Chapter 1: The First

The old deer was hurrying as fast as he could. His side ached like fire, but he kept going. He had to keep running for time was short. Through the trees and bushes of the Man path forest, he traveled. Other deer looked at him, not understanding and he had no time to explain. He finally found the large clearing and bleated as loud as he could. A few moments later a deer in his late prime and a nice looking doe came into the forest. The doe had young a male and a female fawn by her side. He half stumbled into the clearing out of breath and feeling weak in the legs.

"Father, what is it," Stabo called out.

It took several deep breaths to get the words out. "Stabo, I need for you to go see your mother immediately."

"Is it her illness?" Stabo asked.

He nodded. "It is much worse. Her fever is high and she is getting cold and numb. She cannot even eat the leave from the bushes anymore."

"Is it that bad?" Stabo asked.

"I do not think she has long. She wants to see you. Please go now and do not wait for me. I will be along as soon as this body will allow me."

He saw Stabo's eyes close in pain. "I will go at once," he said and ran off into the forest. That left him alone with Gena and her two new fawns."

"Stranger," she said and leaned her head into his shoulder. "I should go too with the fawns. She never saw them."

"No they are too young to travel quickly. Claris knows they were born healthy. Your place is with them."

He leaned over and let the two spotted brown figures come up to him and sniff him. Then they both started to lick his face. He did the same to both. They were both healthy and alert and both seemed to know that he was part of their family. He looked into their young eyes and wondered what they would see before they got to his age, if they lived that long. He nuzzled them both and then stood up.

"I must get back," he told her and then started back to his clearing.

He was slower going back than coming. His old body was too worn out to hurry. It was a while before he got there. When he did he saw Bambi, Faline, and Young Bambi there. Bambi had gone to get them. He saw Stabo lying beside his mother who was lying on her side. He could see how difficult it was for her to breath. It tore at his heart to see her so sick. He knew soon she pass and again he would be alone. There was nothing to be done. The four of them were all old and all would soon pass from the scene. He just thought he would have been first with his injuries and illnesses. Finally Stabo got up from his mother's side and walked away with his back toward them. He walked over to his son and saw the tears running down from his big black eyes.

"I cannot think of a forest without my mother," he sobbed. "She and you were always here. Now she is going and there is nothing I can do to stop it."

"My Son," he said and rubbed the back of his neck. "That is the Way of All Things as I have taught you. All things pass in time and new things come to take their place. We all will have our time, even you. That is why we have children to carry on after we are gone. "You mother cared deeply for you as do I."

"I know," he sobbed and walked away.

He looked back to the other who were all standing around Claris," all distraught at what was happening. Young Bambi walked toward him

"I am sorry, Stranger," the Young Bambi told him also showing misty eyes. "I too will have a hard time thinking of her not being here. It will not be the same. Karene would have come if not for Young Veron."

"I know, so would Gena," but we have to take care of what is important and right now those young fawns are important."

With that he too walked away back to his family life that would soon end. He leaned over Claris and nuzzled her.

"Is there anything you want?" he asked.

"No," she said in a barely audible voice. "The only thing I want is for you three to leave now. I do not want you to watch me die."

"No," he said. "I will stay with you until the end. You have always been with me since that first day I came here. I will be with you."

She feebly shook her head no. "I do not want that. I want you to walk away, now, please."

Suddenly he remembered what Bambi told him was his father's last words to him. 'In the time I am approaching, we are all alone.'

He leaned over and kissed her on the mouth as passionately as he could. "Thank you for making my life worth living," he told her.

"Thank you for being my mate," she said and then her head fell to the ground as he body started to shake. He could see death was upon her.

He got up and turned away and walked back to Bambi and Faline. "She will be alone, let us go now."

With that he walked away with the two of them and turned his back on the clearing and all that it held for him.

He never went back.

He went back to the clearing near where he fought Razor and lay down alone. Bambi and Faline understood without being told he wanted to be by himself at this time. He simply could not get it through his head that he would never talk to Claris again, never feel her beside him. Never hear her voice again, and it hurt him. It was not a sharp pain like he gets from his side, this was a deeper ached that felt like his insides were being pulled out. A hurt that was even worse than the pain from his side. He tried to sleep, but that was impossible. Instead he got up and started walking into the deeper forest.

He continued to walk until he hurt or got tired and then after resting he walk some more. He ate what he could find and drank where he could find water. In a way he felt numb inside. Part of him just wished he could lie down away from everyone and just pass on himself, but inside he knew he was not ready. The Old Stag in his dream or vision had told him there was still good he could do in the forest; although what it was eluded him. He continued to walk for two full risings of the greater light until on that third he was walking by the end of the forest. Off in the distance he saw it: The Man cave. It looked like the one that used to be in his forest. It was dark and cold. He walked out into the open to look closely at it.

Even through empty, the cave still reeked of Man. To the side he could see the remains of a large fire. There was a residual trace of the smell of burnt deer meat. Man had been here and burnt the deer meat he killed. It chilled him knowing whose meat they might have burnt, but fortunately, he could smell nothing of his daughter or Balo. It was just more old memories that seemed to be filling his mind up more and more the longer he went on. The dead of the past were outnumbering the living of the present and he again wondered why he had lived this long when he knew he should not have. There were just too many times he should have been dead, and yet he lived. Now if he could just understand why. Yes he had been herd leader, yes he had saved as many deer as he could, and yes he had children to follow him, but most of them were dead or gone away. Was that enough to say why he was still here. He did not think so. All his knew was that his friends and family were fewer, and he was weaker. Was that the reward of long life; loss and weakness? It seemed a poor reward. He stayed by the side of the Man cave looking until he saw the first glow of the greater light in the sky. He should go. Man could come back and if they saw him like this, they might use the killing stick on him. Not that he thought it would matter much.

His instinct took over and he walked back into the protection of the forest and lay down in a patch of grass. He was tired enough that he fell asleep quickly despite his troubling thoughts. During the day he got up only once to empty himself. For some reason he felt tired and sluggish. He went back to sleep and slept soundly.

He was awakened by someone kissing him on the mouth. The sensation was odd so he opened his eyes and looked into the face of a young male fawn licking him. He rubbed the fawns face with his own and licked him. It was then he got the scent of the fawn. It was familiar. It smelled a little of Stelar and Claris. Even though it hurt he pushed himself up and looked down at the little pile of brown spotted fur. He looked up at him looking to play. Not with his side still aching.

"I am sorry, little one, I am afraid I cannot play with you, my body is too old."

"He will not mind," a familiar voice called out. It was Stelar.

He turned and saw her and Helos standing near him. Had his sense of hearing and smell gone so he could no longer hear someone getting close to him?

"This fawn is yours?" he asked.

"Yes, his name is Tilar, and he is our son," Stelar told him before approaching him and kissing him on the side of his face.

"He kissed his daughter and then rubbed the forehead of Helos. And then turn his attention back to the fawn. He seemed alert and happy that he was there with him.

"I like you too," he said and then kissed the young deer again.

"What are you doing here alone," Helos asked. "Where are the others?"

"I do not know," he told them. "I left and just started to walk after Claris died. I was not planning on coming here, but I just had to get away."

The both looked at him in shock and then he realized they would not have known. He could have done that better. "I am sorry, I should have explained first. Last winter Claris took sick and the sickness remained. I had hoped she get better as spring came, but she

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