CHAPTER NINE: LEADERS

 

Gurri watched her parents and sisters leave the forest. They ran across the open field toward the hill her Grandfather used to live on. That meant she was alone, which was fine with her. Geno was still here, but in her mind, that meant she was still alone. She turned back to Kelo and smiled at him.

“Let us go,” she said and raised her white tail and ran into the cover of the trees.

He saw Kelo take a large breath through his nose smelling her scent. She had no practically strong feelings for Kelo, but he seemed to care about her, and he listened to her. Despite what her Father and brother said, that was still a rarity. Tino and his friends had ignored her and they were now gone. Although she did not like to see any deer killed by Man, she felt some satisfaction after she told them to run away and they insulted her. At least the yearlings and some of the two and three season deer heeded her advice and were now alive. Even Relnor did not seem to mind when she spoke up.

As the days went on, the males finished scrapping the velvet off their racks. About the same time, she could smell the doe starting to put out scent. She did it too. She did not want to, but her body did it anyway. That was the signal for the males to start their fights. While she and Kelo were out eating, she saw Geno and his two doe, Margo and Edgi walk on the open field to eat. Both does were putting out scent and it did not go unnoticed by the other males. One of the three season males came up and started to sniff at Edgi’s tail. The male was larger than Geno but not as large as Kelo. He tried to nudge her aside and away from Geno. Her brother turned back quickly and put his head down ready to fight.

“Watch this,” she told Kelo.

“The other male is bigger than Geno and heavier,” Kelo said obviously thinking the bigger male would win.

The male charged Geno head down. Geno did the same. They met with a resounding knock they could easily hear. Both males looked stunned, but Geno recovered first and went at the male hitting him hard and forcing him back. The male backed up, shook his head, and then charge again. This time Geno did not follow through with his charge and pulled away letting the male rush past him. As the male went by him, Geno lunged at the deer’s exposed flank running his rack along his side. She knew her brother could have gutted the male seriously hurting him. Instead, he only scrapped his rack leaving several dark welts along the side. The pain was enough for the other male to keep on running now bleeding lightly. The male was not seriously hurt. Geno watched him go, did nothing, and went back to his two doe. She saw the other, larger males look at the fight. Her brother may be a yearling, but a yearling that others should leave alone.

“I never saw that in a fight before,” Kelo said.

She turned and smiled at him. “I know; that is my Father’s teaching. All of us know how to fight. After The Season, you should have Geno teach you some of what he knows,” she suggested.

“Maybe I will,” Kelo said.

That is what she liked about Kelo. He did not know like Geno and she did, but he was not stupid and arrogant. He would listen and learn.

Fortunately, none of the older males in the herd challenged Kelo for her. A few males came close to sniff at her tail, but Kelo always made them run away by just dropping his head. She started feeling more comfortable around this male. Man did not come back to the open field, which was good. As the days went on, she started feeling closer to Kelo than ever before. She knew that was The Season working itself with her. Her body also started putting out more and different scents. They slept close together at night. She found his scent overpowering at times. It seemed that Kelo would be the father of her fawn in the spring. Looking around the forest, she knew that other than Geno, Relnor, and those two males that were always near him, Kelo was the best male in the forest. He also did not seem interested in other doe like Geno. The next morning after Kelo got up and emptied himself, she could smell the scent of a male ready to breed.

“Come with me,” she told him. “It is time for us go and be alone.”

She led him deep into the forest where the trees were so thick, their overhead canopies blotted out the greater light. The forest was cool and damp. There were only a few openings among the trees and not much grass grew in these openings, but it was enough for them to eat. There were several small streams nearby. She looked and found a nice thicket like her mother’s near such a small opening. She could smell no predators and not many deer came near here. This would be a good place to give birth to a fawn. She would remember this place in the future. She marked the location with her own scent and then lay down on the cool layer of leaves.

Kelo came in very close and looked at her. “I do feel for you,” he told her and then kissed her on the mouth. He then nuzzled her gently not just on her face, but along her back, especially by her tail.

“I feel for you,” she told him. At that moment she and did feel an almost overpowering urge here with this male.

They fell asleep but she woke up midway through the day. The urges were now overpowering, almost guiding her in what to do. She got up and emptied herself near their thicket. Kelo came over and smelled her. She then walked away from him a few steps and then braced her front and back legs. She felt ready for something. She raised her tail. Kelo came up from her back and got on top of her.

She then let Kelo do the rest.

He did it that time and a two other times over the next day. This was what they meant by breeding. It went on and then suddenly the great overpowering urge stopped. Although the two of them stayed together, she did not allow him to couple with her again. That was over. It was the next day they decided to go back to the herd. Before they left she marked the place well.

“Remember this place,” she told Kelo gently. “When the time comes, I will have my fawns here.”

He said nothing but only kissed her again. They both walked back out into the forest closer to the open field. By now, The Season had spent its fury. One of the first deer she saw was her brother who was with his two doe, but not nearly as close to them as before. She went over to him.

“Are you well, Geno,” she asked?

He took a smell of her and nodded. “Yes, it was a good Season. I bred both Margo and Edgi, but now they both seem less interest in me. How are you?”

“I am fine,” she said. She knew her scent would tell Geno everything he needed to know. “Now that The Season is over, and before your racks drop off, I was hoping you could teach Kelo some of the things Father taught you about fighting.”

He looked at her mate and shrugged. “I do not mind, we can start tonight if you want too.”

“I would like that,” Kelo said gratefully.

“We must now be very careful,” Geno said. “Both Grandfather and Father told us after The Season would come the hunts. We must watch to see if Man comes back.”

“I know,” she said. “I just hope the others will listen to us if Man comes back.

That night she watched as Kelo and Geno sparred in the open field. Kelo was bigger than Geno and stronger, yet he had problems in pushing Geno back. Geno would change his position, change his stance, and always managed to throw Kelo off balance. This frustrated Kelo who knew he should win, but he could not. Then Geno would show him what he did wrong. This continued for a few more nights before Geno stopped one night and called her over.

“You are learning,” he told Kelo. It has been harder to push you back now that you can change position quickly. In any case, the lessons must end. I am going back to our old forest.”

“I thought you were happy here,” she said.

“I was,” he said sadly. “Neither Margo nor Edgi want anything to do with me anymore. Their feelings vanished with The Season. I am going to go back and help Father with the herd before Man shows up.”

“You can help here,” she told him.

“You know what Father taught as well as I do, Gurri,” he told her. “You have a large mate who this herd respects. You will do well here. I can help Father back at our old herd.”

She could argue with him, but his feelings for this place only ran as deep as his feelings for the two doe. If they were gone, he would be gone also.

“Very well, brother,” she said calmly “I will do the best I can. I just hope I can get the others to listen.”

“They will,” Geno said.

“You should tell Relnor,” she said.

“I already have,” he whispered. “I do not think he liked it, but there is little he can do. I have made up my mind to go.”

The following night, she watched her brother go like her parents. Other than Kelo, she was alone here now.

Relnor did not like the fact Geno went and started to ignore her. The younger deer still gathered around her at times to listen to her teach the lessons her Father taught her. This was not exactly what she wanted, but she knew she did not want to go back to her old herd. She knew she they would ignore her there. Here at least some of the deer would listen to her.

It was a few days later that she woke one morning to a funny smell. It smelled burnt. It smelled familiar when suddenly she realized what it was. It was smoke. She jumped to her feet and looked around. It was light and the smell was coming from the open field.

Kelo opened his eyes looking at her wondering

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