spring came, but she got only worse. She died several risings ago. Afterward I felt lost and just started to walk."

"Are Bambi and Faline alright along with the others?" Stelar asked.

"Yes everyone else is alright," he answered.

He again felt the fawn pushing against him, wanting to play. He leaned over and put his head next to the fawn and then pushed him away. The fawn was pushed back several of his small lengths and then stopped, looked at him confused for a moment and then charged into him. He put his head down and let the fawn push against him. The fawn was strong and liked playing this game. Good, there was no weakness or sickness in this fawn.

"He is a strong little fawn," he told them. "Start teaching him as soon as he is able to understand.

"We will," they both said.

"Tilar is a different name," he said. "Is he named after anyone?"

"No," Stelar said. "I do not know why, but right after he was born and feeding for the first time, the name Tilar just came into my head. I told Helos about it and he agreed so his name is Tilar."

The name sounded somewhat familiar, but he just could not place it. It did not matter. He continued.

"Well I am glad everyone is so happy," he heard an annoyed voice from behind all of them. He knew that voice too.

"Well I am happy for you too Delon, how are you and Young Faline?" he said and waited for a response.

He watch the two of them come out of the forest. A young doe and male fawn were next to Young Faline. He put his head down and the two ran up and started to kiss the side of his face. He was pleased they seemed to be healthy also.

Delon coughed loudly and the two fawns immediately stopped trying to play with him and ran back to their mother.

"How should I feel, you threw us out of your forest, my mother and father were killed, your daughter goes snooping around, and now you show up. You did not care about me, my Mother, or Father. Why should I care what you think?"

He was suddenly incensed. What this youngster know anything about what he felt. He walked right up to the large deer and glared at him. "How dare you tell me I did not care for your Mother? Your mother was my daughter, in case you have forgotten. You think I wanted her dead?" he told him tersely. "You mother and father were rejected by the herd because all of you, Carie and Stuben included, forgot you serve the herd, not the other way around. When the time came, the herd would have decided which one of you would have followed your father. You did not have to force it on them. The herd made the decision as it should have done."

"I do not see it that way, Stranger," he said with contempt. "I see someone that should have supported my father and did not. You are not welcomed here nor will you ever be. If you were not an old worn out deer, I throw you out myself."

"Delon," Stelar called out. "That is unkind."

"Not as unkind as him," Delon spat out. Even Young Faline looked shocked.

He did not move a muscle. "I am not so dead yet, but fine I will go. You really did not learn a thing I taught you. Pity, but so be it."

With that he turned and walked back the way he came.

"And you can tell Bambi, Faline and Claris that not being welcomed goes for them too," Delon bellowed out as he left.

"You do not have to worry about me or Claris," he said as he left. "Claris is already gone, and as far as you are concerned, I am gone also."

He walked away not even bothering to turn around. Claris dying hurt him deeply, but not as much as this. To be cast out by a member of his own family was just too much. He tried not to look back with hate on Stena's son, but it was hard to do. He spent the next two full nights walking slowly back to his home, or what was left of it. He reached it just before the rising of the greater light. He picked a small place with no deer around and past into a fitful sleep.

The next night he found the others eating in a small clearing near the old Man cave. He got onto the open area and started to eat the grass. The other saw him and wondered what had happened. He told him where he had gone and what had happened. He did not leave out any details.

"I can understand Delon not liking what the herd decided about his father," Stabo said." I can understand him being angry his parents are dead. What I do not understand is his hatred of you. You and Bambi trained him, showed him everything he knows."

"He truly feels it was us who caused the herd to reject his Father and Mother," he said his voice choking up. "What he seems to forget is his mother was my daughter. I watched her grow up. I watched her feed at Claris's side. I saw how she acted when she was hit by Man how she allowed me to take out the Man stone without complaint. I saw her take Balo for her companion long before she took him as her mate. I trained her and watched her own fawns grow up He seems to think that means nothing to me. I am sorry, but I just do not get it anymore. My only consolation was Claris did not hear it."

"The ungrateful slug," the younger Bambi said. "He does not want us. Fine, we do not want him either."

"No," he said plainly. "Even after all he had done, he is still our family as is Stuben. Stuben at least learned from his mistake. I doubt Delon will. Still, if he asks for it, we still must help him, if nothing else for your sister's sake."

"Why she went with him I also do not understand," the younger Bambi went on.

"She stays with him because for a long time those two have cared deeply for each other much like Stena and Balo did. We can only hope he comes to his senses."

Spring was lonelier than ever. Galin, Galene, Koren and Charlene has all gone back to the forest over his hill across the open space. He had heard nothing since they left now two winters ago. Stabo and Young Bambi had young fawns to take care of. That left him, Bambi and Faline to wander by themselves. There was nothing left for them to do except wait out the time until it was they lying on the ground alone. He found himself spending more and more time alone.

It was not the best time of his life.

Chapter 2: Returns

It was days afterward from his return that he heard noise coming from the meadow. Just after the rising of the greater light he heard man animals traveling down the Man path. There were many of them. The noise woke him, Bambi and Faline. A short while later he started to hear clanging sounds coming from the meadow. There were also shouts and other noises coming from Man. Then the banging noise started. It sounded like they were hitting things into each other. There were also several deep growling noises. It all sounded far too close for comfort.

"It sounds like it is coming from where the old Man cave was," Bambi said.

"Do you think they are building a new Man cave here?" Faline asked.

He nodded, "It sounds like it, but we should stay still until after the greater light sets and the Man animals go home. Until then we should try and get some sleep. I think it may be a long night."

"Who can sleep with that noise," Bambi grumbled.

They slept in fits and starts all day as the noises continued. They did not smell the scent of Man, nor did they hear any sounds of Man in the forest. It was just the banging noise. As expected, as the greater light set, the Man animals all left. Then there was quiet again. As soon as it was fully dark he went looking for Stabo and the younger Bambi. He found them nearby.

"I am going to go take a look at where the noise came from," he told them. "I think both Bambis and Stabo should come with me. The fawns are not big enough to be left on their own so I will ask the doe to stay here and watch them."

He could see Gena and Karene were angry, but they could also see he was right. The new fawns would be nosier than all of them.

"Can I go?" Kena, Gena two year old daughter asked.

He looked at Stabo who shrugged his shoulders. "Yes, but please be quiet," he told her.

They all walked off together. After a while he stopped and turned around and looked at Kena.

"Come here," he told her.

She came up looking a little shy. "Very well young doe, I have a question from you. We are going to approach Man. How would you do it?"

Kena looked at all of them and then walked away from then by a few lengths and looked around and sniffed the air. She then nodded and came back to them.

"The wind is coming from the hill with the bear's den. We should walk to the other side of the Man path forest near your old forest. Then we should approach the Man cave with the wind in our faces, far enough inside the trees to hide us."

"That is correct," he told her, "What else?"

"We need to be quiet and listen for Man or dogs, but they are most likely not there at this time of year," she answered.

He looked back at Stabo who was smiling. "Very good, Kena, you have remembered. Now also remember that while it is not usual that Man comes at this time. Anytime there is a chance Man may be around, you must be careful. Now go back and walk next to your Father."

They all walked out toward the edge of the forest near the hill where is old clearing had been. They then did as Kena said and approached the place they heard the noise with the wind in their faces. As they approached the edge of the forest he stopped and motioned from here on out no talking. As they got near the edge of the forest he first saw a Man animal like he had seen all those years ago when

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