Chapter 7: The Last Hunt

There was a sudden and unmistakable hush in the forest. The other deer were still in shock. He couldn't stand the stillness so he went back to wandering alone. Now he was truly alone and saw that would continue until it was his turn. At first there was shock over Stranger's death, there was also curses for Carie and Duno. It was several days later he went back to Kena and Juon's clearing. He found them there lying close to each other. Another newly mated pair. They saw him coming and got up.

"Did you want to continue your training," he asked Juon.

"Yes, Bambi" Juon replied with enthusiasm.

"Even after you have seen the price Stranger paid?" he asked.

"We all pay that price some day," Juon went on. "Stranger died defending his herd even though he was not herd leader. I have heard some deer say that Stranger and you will always be herd leaders here, alive or not."

That was just being sentimental, he thought. Stranger was gone, but life went on just like after Gurri's and Getra's deaths.

"Very well, while you still have your antlers, let us work on combat training." He suggested.

"Bambi, can you tell me how Stranger killed Carie. I know he kicked Duno in the head and you stomped on him, but how did he kill Carie if he was on the ground?"

"Hold your head up," he told him.

As he did he put the two center points of his antlers against Juon's chest' If you charge and run your antlers into a deer's body there, you will cause a deer to bleed out as if they were hit by a killing stick. If a deer does that to you, you will be dead shortly after. As Carie tried to stomp him again, he pushed up with his rear legs and forced his antlers deep into Carie's chest. She did not live long afterwards."

"Such anger at Stranger," Kena said. "That she would kill her own family to get back at him is unbelievable."

Bambi nodded, "Stranger had that ability to bring out the best or worse in deer. I think deer in this forest will talk of him for a long while to come. Now if you don't want deer to talk about you after you are dead, let us start the lesson."

They practiced for the rest of the night. He had to admit he was very tired when they were through. The greater light was barely up when the noise started from the meadow. The sounds of banging and shouting continued all day. Many men were in the meadow. Later in the day he also started to hear the yelping of dogs, big dogs. Man had come to hunt. They slept in fits and starts all day before finally just resting.

"The hunts will soon begin?" Juon asked.

"Yes and we must know what kind of hunt," he told them. "We must look at the Man cave tonight and we must do it carefully. Man may not be able to smell us, but those dogs can."

They waited until after dark and then Bambi stood up. "I need to go now. We need to see what Man will do tomorrow. I will leave it up to you if you want to come, but there will be great danger. If we are seen, man could use his killing stick on us."

"As Stranger would say, that is part of being herd leader," Kena said boldly. Juon just nodded.

He smiled inward, just like Veron they were. "Very well, now tell me the best way to do this?" he said. He wanted to see how well they learned.

Kena and Juon looked up at the trees and saw the way the wind was blowing. "The wind is coming from your old forest," Kena said. "That means if we go straight from this forest to toward the Man cave with the wind in our faces, the dogs will not smell us."

He had to smile, they were learning. "Correct now let us go, and be quiet."

They moved inside their forest until they got to the edge. Then they walked as close to the old edge of their forest as they could get without being in the open. As they moved quietly, they started to see the Man Cave. It was brightly lit with many Men and dogs outside. Some of the dogs were normal hunting dogs, but a few were the big dogs man hunts larger animals with. As they got closer, they saw the smaller caves being set up on the side of the meadow their old clearing was on. They set up the small caves all along the long side of the old meadow. He had seen this before and he suddenly understood what Man was going to do.

"We must find Stabo and Bambi," he whispered. "The herd is in great danger. You two are younger and quicker than I am. Find Stabo and the others and meet me in Stabo clearing as soon as possible. You will also need to call the rest of the herd together. Do not call until you are deep into the forest. Man and the dogs will hear you."

Kena and Juon took off running. He moved as fast as he could, but his muscles were not as good as they used to be. Why did Stranger have to be right about so many things? Getting old is getting to be more of a curse than a benefit. He moved as fast as possible. Any deer he saw he told them to pass the word to go to Stabo's clearing. Finally he got there and he saw his daughter and Karene. Young Faline, arrived shortly afterwards. Other deer started to come in. Then he heard Stabo call the herd together. He made it sound urgent. The lesser light was high overhead before everyone got there.

"Bambi, did you see what Man has done on the meadow," Stabo called to him.

"Yes," he told all around him. "Man is setting up his small caves with his killing sticks so that any deer that runs out of this forest and on to the old meadow will be killed. This means when the greater light rises. Man will try and get behind us and try to chase us all onto the Meadow. If he does, we will die. We must not allow Man to get behind us. We must flee into the deep woods now!"

"I agree," Stabo said. "Father told me of such a plan by Man. We must not allow Man to get behind us. All of us must leave now. If Man does get behind you, do not run into the meadow, run across the Man path into the smaller part of the forest. Try and stay together. Does anyone have any questions?"

"No one said a word. Very well all of us leave now," Stabo yelled out. The herd broke up and fled in an instant. He started to move quickly into the deep forest. Soon due to his lack of speed he was soon alone.

He hurried alone trying to get as deep into the forest as he could before sunrise. He felt very tired, but he knew he had to get as far away as possible. He ran as fast as he could for as long as he could before his breath seemed to leave inside him. He had just gone over one of many small streams, when it hit him suddenly.

"AHHHHHHH," he grunted. His front legs gave out and he fell onto the ground. There was a sharp pain in his chest that seemed to shoot down his left side and left front legs. It was like a large deer had stopped on his chest. In an instant he was lying on his side with his antlers holding up his neck. He was out of breath; he had a hard time moving. It was like his whole body went to sleep except for his head. He then suddenly realized that this was exactly how Faline had felt just before she did not wake up that morning.

So it had finally come, yet he did not feel his body slipping away. He did not feel if he was dying inside. It was just he could not get up and move around. He then remembered that Faline had felt a lesser pain and discomfort such as this several times before she passed. He managed to roll over onto his legs so he got his head off the ground. He was lying in the open in a small clearing space surrounded by trees. He tried to move, but his legs were wobbling and had a hard time to support him. He managed to get into the cover of the nearby trees before he lay down again. This is where he would have to stay. He only hoped that Man did not find him, because he knew he could not run from here. He thought about calling for help, but that would mean that another deer would be stuck here with him and may get caught by Man. Better if he stayed here alone.

The pain in his chest seemed to diminish over time to the point he felt he could move again, but overhead he could clearly see the light of the new day. That meant Man be in the forest. He was hidden well. If the dogs did not find him, he should be alright. He found a small hollow in the ground and lay in that. Now he was almost totally hidden from anything. It was not long before he heard it. There was noise coming from the deeper woods. It was the sound of dogs. He heard them barking and calling to their masters. Right now they were just looking. As time went by he could hear them getting closer. Now he could hear the shouts of Men.

HHHIIIYYYAAAA. . . HHHEEEYYY," he heard from many Men.

That sound got closer to him. He knew he dare not move unless he was found. A deer on the run would be forced into the clearing. As time went on he noticed there was no change in the barking of the dogs. They were not chasing anything. That meant Stabo had gotten the herd further back than Man. If so they were safe. It was not long before the dog barking was near to him. He stayed very still and did not even breathe hard. Then in the distance he saw a dog. It was running around looking for something to chase. It did not seem to detect him. It sniffed at the ground and in the air, but was picking up no scent. He watched it circle around for a while and then left. Then behind the dog walked two Men. Each was carrying a large killing stick. They walked right past him. He felt he was safe.

He continued to stay still until the rising light was overheard, and then he heard the noise of a dog barking. This was from behind him. It was one dog, but it was calling to its master.

"Here. . . Here," the dog called out again and again.

Suddenly he

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