the two fawns were doing well. Both fawns were big and growing bigger. Both were healthy. He looked around for his son and did not see him.

“He left right after we came back,” Faline said. “He is hurting, Bambi, not from the fight, but from what happened and what happened with Gurri. He feels bad and the herd does not help.”

“I know,” he said. “I cannot believe I frightened my own herd."

“What are we going to do?” she asked.

“I was thinking,” he said tenderly. “The fawns are older now, they can travel. All of us should go away for a while. Maybe to the hills and live in my Father’s old cave. If the others do not see us for a while, maybe the herd will relax. It is certainly better than staying here.”

“When do you want to go?” Faline asked in her smooth voice.

“Tomorrow after dark,” he answered. “It will take us less than a night to get there.”

“I suppose that may work,” Faline said. “That sounds like a good idea. Will Geno go?”

“We will all go,” he said.

It was late the following night when all of them stood by the edge of the lake. Their journey was slower than normal. The fawns were still too young to keep up with them, and needed to rest more, but they were here now. They stopped to both eat and drink. Geno took in the air and then went forward. They were mostly in the open, but it was still late. There was no smell of smoke. He saw Geno looking around when suddenly he stopped and started sniffing at the ground. Bambi saw the white tail come up. His son then ran quickly back.

“Father,” he said with excitement. “I am sure I smelled Gurri’s scent in the grass. She is also not alone. I smelled another male; a male I do not know.”

“Gurri,” Faline repeated and started forward with the twins following closely to their mother.

He followed his son into the open area next to the late and smelled around. At first, there was nothing and then he smelled it. It was faint, but it was her scent. Geno was also right about the other male.

“Gurri,” Geno called out.

He would have preferred he stayed quieter. Others could have heard that call. It was then he saw a male step out from the trees up ahead. They all slowly walked up to the male. He was three season male with a nice rack growing. He looked strong but was not as big as he was. He was a little bigger than Geno, which was expected.

“I am Bambi, the herd leader,” he said firmly. “I can smell my daughter. I want to know where she is.”

“I am Kelo,” the male said. “Gurri is resting near here. She was hurt in a fight with two males from your herd. She is getting better but she had a problem moving around freely.”

“Take me to my daughter,” he ordered.

Kelo led them back into the trees. There was Gurri lying on some leaves hidden well behind some bushes and trees. As he got closer, she started to get up. He could see she was obviously in pain.

“Lie down, daughter,” Faline called out.

“I can stand, it just hurts,” she said.

Geno walked up to her and looked at her side. He sniffed at her left side.

“Who did this to you,” Geno said looking angry.

“It is a long story,” Gurri said. “Maybe we should all lie down.

Faline lay down with a fawn on either side of her. He lay down next to the fawns and Geno lay down across from Gurri. He noted Kelo lay down next to Gurri, something that also Faline and Geno noticed. Once they were all comfortable, Gurri told them her story of how she traveled into the deeper forest, and then met the other herd. Then, how the coyotes chased them, and ended up here again. Then she told them about the fight. He felt bad he had let those two deer get away. She then told them about how Kelo had chased one off and how she had cut the other open. It was all too familiar a story. When she finished, Geno asked one question.

“Are those two still around here?” Geno asked looking ready to go after them.

“We have not seen them since the fight,” Kelo said.

“Good,” he said. “Daughter I want to look at your injury closely, you do not have to get up.”

He got up, walked over and smelled along his daughter’s flank. He did not pick up any smell of injury or illness. The wounds were starting to heal. He also felt her head. There was a slight fever.

He stood up and explained. “When I was a little older than Geno, Man struck me with a killing stick, but not badly. My Father showed me leaves that grow near here that helped cure me. I will get some for you. They are bitter to eat, but the will ease the pain and make the healing faster.”

“Yes, Father,” she said.

“I also thank you, Kelo, for defending my daughter. I am sorry I was partly the cause of this. I never thought those two males would try to hurt you. I do not think they will come back.”

“They better not,” Geno said.

“Father, what happened and why are you all here?” Gurri asked.

“That is a long story of my own,” he said and told Gurri and Kelo the story of Filon, Kragus, Ronno, and the others. He also told her what had happened with the herd. It was not a pleasant story to tell. When he finished, his daughter seemed to relax.

“So that explains it,” Gurri said. “Now I know why they wanted to kill me.”

He looked up above him. “The great light will come soon. The leaves are near here. Geno and I will get you some. If you do not mind, we will rest here with you today.”

With that, he got up and motioned Geno to follow him. He went to near the other side of the lake where his Father had shown him what leaves to eat after Man hit him. He took some in his teeth and so did Geno and went back quickly. He had Gurri eat them. They made her tired and as the great light rose, they all fell asleep.

That night Gurri felt better so after they all ate, he showed her and Kelo where to find the leaves. He was glad his daughter was doing better, but inside he felt cold. This was another consequence of his fight with Ronno; one he did not expect. It was bad enough his own herd was afraid of him, but to have his daughter suffer because of it was getting to be too much to bear. Too many were paying the price of him being herd leader. Maybe it was time for him to think about doing something else.

That night he and Geno left the others there and went into the hills. He climbed the hill on top of which was the old cave of his Father. They found it. They also found a light scent of a bear that had lived there, but now gone. From the top of the hill, he could look down at the large open meadow below him that Man sometimes lives in when they come to the forest. Right now, it was empty of Man and quiet, but it would not stay that way for long. The light from the lesser light shined down and in the field, he could see a herd of deer. There were not as many as in his herd, but there were many.

“Do you know that herd, Father?” his son asked.

“I knew it was there from my Father,” he said. “I do not know anything about them.”

“I think maybe we should meet them,” Geno added.

That was not a bad idea, but there were other matters first. “After your sister gets better,” he said.

From this place, he could see the whole forest. It was like the hill near where he was born, only higher. Also, this place had not been touched by the fire.

They went back and stayed near his daughter. The others had already eaten. He and Geno ate in the open finishing just as the first glow of the greater light appeared.

With the leaves and rest, Gurri was better in three days, but the cuts along her side would leave a scar marring her beauty. However, Kelo did not seem to mind and he accepted the fact that his daughter had most likely found a mate. At least this male was not weak or small.  After he was sure Gurri and the fawns could make the journey, he led them by the hill to the cave and through a path at the bottom of the hill. The path showed many signs of use by Man, but he was not present now. They came down a small rise and into the open field. It was night and several deer were still feeding. The herd noticed the presence of so many new deer.

They had started eating when he large a large deer approach. He was slightly bigger and older than he was. The way he walked reminded him of his Father. The large deer approached.

“I am Relnor, herd leader here,” he announced.

“I am Bambi, herd leader of those that live on the other side of the hill. I saw the other herd and decided to come over and meet you.”

“I have heard of you,” the deer said. “Your Father, The Great Prince of the Forest, told me about you. He came here many times, but I have not seen him since last winter.”

“My Father is gone,” he said.

“I thought so,” the big deer said. “This is my herd or what is left of it.”

He looked around. There were several doe with growing fawns and some yearling males like Geno. He noticed there were only a few larger males. Not even many herd males. There were several yearling doe. He could understand how this happened.

“Man had been here,” he said as a fact.

“Yes,” Relnor said with sadness. “Many of the males died when Man came. Most did not know what to do so they ran into the open.”

He felt like asking him why their herd leader did not teach them what to do but decided to skip it. He noted Geno walked into the meadow and drew the attention of a few yearling males. One came up

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