leave,” he told Faline and the fawns. “Man is getting too close. We are going to run into the trees and run away from the meadow. I will go first. The rest of you keep quiet. If I say run, you all run and do not look behind you.”

Faline and his daughter nodded they understood. “He slowly stood up and looked around. There was a crashing noise near him. Something was trying to move through the forest. It was very noisy. It must be Man.

“Go,” he told Faline who led the twins out and leaped into the bushes. He thought he saw something move in the distance. He put all his strength into his legs and ran after Faline. He leaped three times and then quickly changed direction like his Father taught him to do near Man.

“WHAMMM,” came from close behind. He heard something pass near him like an angry swarm of bees.

“Run,” he yelled. He leaped to the left trying to get whoever was behind him to follow him and not Faline.

“OOOOYAAAHAAAHHEY,” he heard from behind.

He kept running and changing direction as he went. He ran until he could hear nothing from behind him. He stopped near a thick grove of trees. He sank down to the ground and looked at himself. Nothing looked hurt. He looked carefully at the forest around him while taking in great quantities of air through his nose. The burnt smell came. He also heard many Men banging on something and yelling loudly. It sounded like they were trying to drive deer toward the meadow. The noise went on for a while and then stopped. He heard no more sounds of killing sticks.

He did not move from his spot. He stayed still all day until it was well after dark. He had not heard any sound from the meadow since the great light was overhead. Only when it was completely dark did he get up and move back toward Faline’s thicket. As he moved back, he called out to her. He got back to her thicket and waited. Thankfully, she and both fawns showed up a little while later. None of them looked hurt.

“Are you alright,” Faline asked sniffing him over carefully.

“I am fine,” he said. “Man tried to surround the meadow and chase the deer into it. It did not work because I heard only the one sound of a killing stick. The others must have run far enough away to avoid Man.”

“That is good,” she said. “I hope Geno and Gurri are alright.”

“We taught them well enough,” he told her.

“Will Man be back?” she asked.

“We will know in the morning. This time at the first sound of Man in the Meadow, we will leave. In the meantime, we will eat in the forest and avoid the meadow until Man goes.”

The next morning and the morning after that, they had to run again into the forest as Man tried to chase deer into the meadow. Each time they hid deep in the woods where Man could not find them. During this time, he heard only three sounds from the killing sticks, so Man did not find many deer to kill. After that, Man left. He waited two days with no sound on the meadow before he went back to feed there at night.

He saw Filon there along with Celon, Atlan, and Delon there and most of the herd males. All were standing apart. Fights were breaking out all over. The smell from the females was strong and that made him uneasy around the other males. As he walked through the meadow, he came to a spot that had lots of blood and the scent of a dead deer. He smelled the scent, but other than the fact it was a male, he could not recognize who died.

“Man did not find many deer,” Filon told him from a distant. He was formal and direct. He also looked agitated as all males get at this time. “Running away from the meadow worked well. Man could not get behind us to chase us.”

“I am glad so many listened to what I said,” he told him with relief.

“I think the herd will break up after tonight,” Filon said. “The scents from the doe are getting stronger. The fights are getting fiercer.”

“I know,” it is The Season again. “I am going to take Faline into the forest. Have you selected your doe?”

“Yes, I think I will have at least two doe that will have my fawns in the spring.”

“Good,” he said and felt himself starting to get agitated at all the males around him. “I am leaving,” he said to everyone. Be careful if Man comes back. I will see you after The Season.”

He quickly walked off the meadow wanting nothing to do with the herd. It was like this every Season. All he wanted to do is find Faline and go with her. He went back to Faline’s thicket and called the twins to him.

“Your mother and I have to go away for a while. You are big enough to be on your own. Eat in the trees near here,” he told them firmly. “Drink in the small stream. Do not go into the meadow. There is great danger there. Your Mother and I will be back soon.”

“Yes Father,” Lina said. Eta just nodded.

“When we get back I will start teaching you about the forest,” he told them. The both smiled openly because now he was starting to treat them as big deer.

He then started to smell at Faline’s tail. “She was almost ready to breed, but not yet.

“Faline come,” he said and they both ran off into the forest.

She ran ahead of him her white tail up and her scent flowing back to him. This was the time he always felt closest to her. He watched her run occasional turning her head and smiling at him. Her sleek body and beautiful face made the urges building inside of him even greater. She stopped by a near some trees and lay down. He lay next to her. She leaned on him and her scent filled his noise causing his body to quiver.

“Thank you again for staying with me,” he whispered to her.

“You are the only male I have ever wanted,” she told him.

Later that night they got up and chased each other around the forest like fawns again. She ran from him but always allowed him to catch her. By first light, they were both exhausted and lay down in the open. When she emptied herself near him, he could smell the strong scent of a doe almost ready to breed. They lay down on the grass and rested. It was well after the greater light rose that she stood up.

“Come with me,” she told him.

He got up and she raised her tail. From her back and her legs came the overpowering scent of a doe ready to breed. He ran his nose against the soft fur of his hindquarters. As he did, she suddenly stopped and spread her legs and arched her back. It was an invitation. An invitation he immediately accepted.

Sometime later, when he regained his senses they lay down on some grass and rested. The scent of a doe ready to breed was gone and replaced by the smell of a doe that was well bred. For the third time, she accepted him as her mate and he was content. He let the other males chase doe and then forget about them. To him, this was much better. He knew over the next few days, all the doe would be breeding and so the next group of fawns would be born in the spring. Life always went on his Father had taught him. It would go on with or without him, but it would go on. All he could do was try to leave his mark on the forest as so many had done in the past and would do in the seasons to come.

It was three days later that he and Faline returned to the thicket and the two fawns. Both were sleeping during the day. Both looked healthy. Both growing fawns slept closely together. No predator had come around that he could smell. He rested nearby with Faline still lying close to him.

Now that The Season had spent its effects on the herd, it was time to start what he promised. He took both Lina and Eta out for a walk with their mother. He started with showing the young doe how to walk quietly. How to look where they put their feet so they do not step on twigs or anything else that would give their location away. They walked slowly at first to let the fawns try to walk quietly. At first, it was difficult. Both of them tripped over things and stumbled. That was how both Geno and Gurri started to learn, and even himself when he learned from his Father. He also taught them how to smell and what each smell was. There was much to learn. Both seemed eager to learn. Lina asked lots of question and even quiet Eta asked a few.

He had done this for only a few days when he smelled a familiar scent near the trees and hill near his Father’s old cave. He listed and barely heard someone coming up from behind. Even Faline did not hear it.

“You are getting very good, my son,” he called out.

quite a handsome male. His appearance surprised him. He figured he stay with Geno came out of the forest and kissed his mother and younger sisters. He walked carefully. He rack was smaller than his, but nice looking for a late yearling. He looked Relnor’s herd until winter.

“I decided to come back to help out in case Man came back,” he said. “Gurri and Kelo are staying with that herd. I think Kelo thinks he will be a senior male in that herd and I was showing him how to fight until The Season came on us. I hope it is no surprise to you that Gurri and Kelo are a pair now.”

“I am glad,” Faline said. “What about you and those two

doe.”

Geno smiled and looked a bit embarrassed. “I mated with both during the Season. One of the herd males tried to push me aside, but I took care of him quickly. He will not do that again. Both doe wanted me and so I took both. It was tiring, but I enjoyed myself. It was funny, however, after The Season, they both seemed to lose interest in me. Since Gurri was teaching the herd what to do near Man, I decided to come back here. I see you are teaching my

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