breath.

“WHAMMMM...WHAMMMM...WHAMMMM,” he heard from the side of him. It was toward the direction his family had run.

He wanted to go, but he was too tired. His back also hurt and he was bleeding. He lay down on the ground and hoped no one else came after him. Fortunately, there were no more sounds of hunting for the rest of the day.

That night, after it was dark, he went off toward where his family had gone. His back hurt, but the bleeding had stopped. He needed to find more of the healing leaves before he got a fever. He looked through the forest smelling as he went. He had no idea where they could be now. He went towards the direction of his Father’s cave. When he was sure no Man or dog was around, he called out loudly. Almost immediately, he heard another deer call out a ways away. It was Geno’s voice. He started toward it. He bellowed twice more before he found his son moving through the forest, alone. He noticed he was limping slightly.

“Geno,” he called out and ran up to his son. They met and he nuzzled him like a fawn. “What happened?” he asked.

“After you left we ran but the wind was in from our backs. I could see or smell nothing in front of us. As we got closer to the hills, I saw movement in the trees. I told mother and my sisters to go another way and I turned away. I leaped twice and the turned to my left quickly. I am glad I did.”

Geno turned and showed his father his white bushy tail. The end of it was gone and the rest covered in blood. The killing stick had cut away the tip of his tail.

Geno gave a grin. “If I had not turned quickly, the killing stick would have hit me in the flank and I would be dead. Your teachings and Grandfather’s save me.”

He embraced his son. As he did, his son looked at him. “You have been attacked by dogs,” he said.

“Yes two of them,” he told him and explained what happened. “My Father taught me how to fight dogs so we are both alive because of him. Now, where are your mother and sisters?”

“I do not know,” his son said. “After I turned and Man hit me I ran in a different direction from them hoping to lead Man and his dogs away. I have not seen them since.”

Inside his heart glowed. His son had done the right things when it counted. He had learned his lessons. “Let us go find them,” he said. He then looked at his son and said as sincerely as he could, “I am proud of you, my son. I could not have done better. You are ready to take your place in the herd.”

Geno just nodded. They went looking in the forest, but he could not find a scent. Later after the lesser light rose, he called out to Faline.

A short while later he heard her reply. Both he and Geno walked quickly toward the sound. In the distance, he could hear other deer, both males, and doe, calling out. Some of them had survived. They looked and found Faline and Lina resting in cover. Eta was not there.”

“I do not know where she is,” Faline sobbed. “After Man used his killing sticks, we all separated. I found Lina, but not Eta. I was afraid to call out to her.”

“I will go look for her,” he said. “Geno can stay here.”

“No, Father,” you should stay here and I will go. I am not hurt as much as you are. If we get separated, or there is more hunting, I will meet you at Mother’s thicket or Grandfather’s cave.”

Before he could say a word, Geno was off disappearing quietly into the trees and darkness.

He nodded and lay down next to Faline and Lina. If was then his mate noticed his injuries. “Does it hurt badly?” she asked.

“Some,” he admitted. “I will get some of the healing leaves when Man leaves,” he said looking in the direction Geno had gone. “He has grown, Faline. Our son has grown up.”

“I know, and he is alive and well because of you as we are too,” Faline said and nuzzled him, as did Lina.

During the rest of the night, he would hear Geno call out to Eta from time to time, but there was no response from his daughter. The calling stopped after a while and there was just silence until just before the greater light appeared. He heard and then smelled Geno approach. His son walked into the tress they were lying in. He had his head down and he looked awful. Faline next to him froze.

“What happened, my son,” he asked.

“I found Eta,” he said. “She was lying in the bushes not far from where Man used his killing sticks on her. She was hit in the shoulder. She managed to run a while, but she fell.” He then looked up, his face full of dread. “Eta is gone,” he barely stammered out. “By the time I found her, the scavengers were already there. I chased them away, but there was nothing more I could do so I just came back.”

“Eta,” Faline cried out and buried her head in his side. Lina was also sobbing.

Geno looked like he would burst out crying. He quickly got up and went over to his son. His own heart was breaking.

“There was nothing you could do, my son, he told him. “The rest of us survived.”

He turned and wandered off. He felt too filled with sorrow to stay. Only when he was alone did he let his feeling out.

Once the day came, there were fewer sounds of the killing sticks. When they heard sounds, they were coming from Relnor’s herd. He could only hope Gurri would be all right. They remained in place staying as still as possible until well after dark. They had to travel toward the hills to find water, but they managed to find enough nourishment to satisfy them.

He looked around. They were near the hill where his Father died. If they went ahead, they would come to the open meadow that they need to cross to get to Relnor’s herd. This looked like another good place to hide for a while. He also saw no deer around them. When the great light rose, they all stayed there.

That day they heard no sounds of killing stick, nor did they hear the barking of dogs. It was quiet all around them. He stayed still and did not move even at night. After the next day with no sounds from Man or dog, he decided it was safe to go back to his meadow. That night they all traveled back to Faline’s thicket where they ate and drank. After another day passed in quiet, he decided it was time to return to the meadow.

That night, he and Geno crept carefully onto the meadow and looked around. The smell of death from those killed still filled the air around them. There were several places on the meadow where it was obvious a deer had died. There were the prints of both Man and dog everywhere. The worse was the lingering putrid smell of Man that covered the meadow. Both his son and he waited to see if any of the herd came. He saw a couple of herd males come on to the meadow. A few doe with this year’s fawns came. None of them stayed long, just long enough to eat and drink. It was late in the night when he saw Filon enter the meadow. He went over to him.

“Why, Bambi?” was the first thing he said to him. “I have seen Man hunt before, but not like this. He went around the forest using his killing stick on every deer he could see. I do not know how many I heard die, some very near me. I saw one herd male Carlan run down and torn at by the dogs. Man only came after the dogs finished with him and the deer was bleeding to death. It was only then Man used his killing stick on the poor male. I know the dogs smelled me, but Man was too busy with Carlan and left me alone.”

“Man did not kill just deer,” he said and told Filon about the fox he found.

“This was bad,” Filon said. “We have to do something different next year. We lost maybe one deer out of three.”

“I know,” he said. “My daughter Eta is dead.”

“I am sorry, Bambi,” Filon said. “I do not know who is alive or dead.”

“Next time we will need to spread the herd out father from the meadow,” he said thinking aloud. “Man and his dogs stayed near the meadow and the deer that stayed near the meadow died.”

“That is good to know,” Filon said. “The dogs chased me deep into the forest into a place I have never seen before. I think Man called them back, but it took me a while to find my way back.”

“This was worse than anything my Father ever told me about,” he said. “The only thing to do now is to see who comes back.”

Man and his dogs did not return. Man left them in peace, but it took a while for deer to trust enough to come back. As the seer returned, he saw most of the doe and fawns were all right. A few fawns came back alone without mothers. He could only hope they survive the winter. There were many fewer herd males than before saw. Only Atlan and Filon returned from his senior males. All the others had gone. The yearlings were mostly unhurt. Man likes his deer bigger so he would hunt them next year.

No one talked to him about the hunts. Most were still in shock at what happened. Almost all the deer had stories of almost being killed by either the dogs or Man. All were still scared. No one criticized him about him leading the herd, but inside, he knew he should have been able to do better. He promised himself he would do so next Season. He had to. If there was another hunt like this, the herd would be gone.

Time went by and they forest remained quiet. Another season had passed. Soon their racks loosen and fell out ending the killing for this season. There would now be peace. The main thing now would be to use this time to put on enough weight to last through winter. Slowly the herd came back, what was left of it, and things

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