Chapter 1: Hard Learning

The noise had been constant for days. The Man animals that had made the Man path two summers ago were back, only this time they stayed for much longer. The noise and the smells were so strong that only in the dead of night did Bambi lead the herd onto the far side of the meadow to eat. After many days of noise, the Stanger had brought Bambi the herd header, Bambi's mate Faline, his mate Claris, his son Stabo and Bambi's daughter Gina with him. They looked over the activity on the far side of the meadow. Already the Man animals had torn up the ground and other Men had raised what looked like thin branchless trees in the air for some reason. The Man path had been widened; pieces of wood lay everywhere. The killing sticks had not been used so far, but they all knew that would not last. The putrid scent of Man lingered on the meadow. Well after the noise had stopped for the evening, they went out into the small area of trees that protruded into the meadow that provided them with cover as they watched the work of Man continue. The difference about this activity was in the past the Man caves had come and gone, these look like they were going to stay.

"Does this mean Man has come to stay, Father," Stabo looked up at him his deep black eyes showing fear.

"Yes, my son," he answered quietly. "It looks like Man has come back here to stay."

"Then the meadow is lost to us," Bambi said in realization.

"Unless we go only during late night," he answered. "Remember, they only come after us during the Season.

"The others will not want to come onto the meadow even at night with the scent of Man around," Claris said. "I do not like even being here. I remember the last time this happen during last Season; poor Ducas and Flaco now gone like the others."

"And how many others next time," Faline added in.

"Indeed," the Stranger answered and looked at his scarred left side.

"Father, will we have to leave and go to another forest?" Gina asked the question that was on all their minds.

Bambi looked down at his daughter now just over a year old and living on her own. She looked like a stocky version of Faline. Not sleek looking, but charming in her own way. "I do not know, Bambi told her calmly. "The others will need to have a say. I will call a gathering and we will decide."

"First I must talk to someone else," the Stranger said. "He should be there now."

Bambi nodded. "Yes, he is your friend, but not mine. Just be careful."

"May I go with you," Stabo asked.

He looked at his son. Normally he would have said no, but he could see the first signs of the antlers he would grow by the Season and the fact he was getting as big as he was. It was time he learned about this and other things.

"Yes, son, but you will stay close to me at all times. If I say run, you run back to our thicket as fast as you can, and you do not look back."

"Yes, Father," he said meekly.

We need to go back to Ata at the thicket. Greta and Stena will be hungry by now," Claris said looking not too please at where he was going.

Faline nodded and started back. Bambi, who wanted nothing to do with his friend, followed closely.

He led his son down around the far side of the meadow and then up the hill. He could feel the eyes of the others on him and his son. The badger and bobcat were out hunting. He could smell the coyote too.

"Do you smell them, my son?" he asked.

"The bobcat, badger and coyote are nearby. I do not think they will attack both of us." His son answered while stepping lightly over the ground. He was still not as quiet as he was, but he was learning. Soon he would be able to vanish like a light breeze. Something only Bambi, Faline, Claris and he could do.

They walked up the hill until they caught another scent. This one smelled of wet fur, fat and dead meat."

"That is the scent of a bear," he told his son. "If you ever smell that, you run as fast as you can. A badger may be able to kill you with effort, so can a pack of coyotes, but a bear can break your back with one blow. You must never allow one to catch you."

"Yes, Father," his son said.

They climbed the hill until they came to a familiar stand of trees. He remembered the hours of pain he had spent there two winters ago as he recovered from being hit by Man. He had almost died there and would have if the bear had not helped him. He owed the bear his life and that is why he had come to help repay that debt.

"Friend Bear," he called out. "It is Stranger."

"I was wondering what foolish deer would come to visit me," the voice called out from the side. In the darkness he saw a black mound start to move and pick its way through the trees and bushes until the huge body stood not more than five lengths from him. Stabo pulled back mostly by reflex, but he did not run.

"This is my son, Stabo," he said formally.

The bear looked at both of them with his glowing red eyes studying them as if sizing them up for a meal. "Yes, you smell like your Father," the bear growled. "Tell me, Boy, are you afraid of me?"

"Stabo looked at the huge mound for a second before stammering…" I…I am afraid of what you can do to me, yes."

The bear nodded approval. "He is smart," the bear said. "Now why are you here?"

"Man has come back to the meadow," he told him. "You heard the noise. Well it looks like he is going to stay. The meadow and the forest may not be safe for any of us."

"And you came to warn me, Thank You," the bear said.

"I still owe you much," he added.

"Will your herd leave?" the bear asked.

"I do not know. Bambi will call a gathering and a decision will be made. I know Man will come after us, at the time of the Season, but he will also come after you and your kind sooner."

"True," the bear said sounding reluctant. "I will go over the hill to the other forest. Man is only there at times during the fall." Then the bear look at him and his injured side. "How are you doing?"

He actually got closer to the bear and presented his side to him almost inviting attack. "I am still not as fast as I was, but I am faster than when I was here. You might have some problems running me down."

"I can see it is healing better than I thought it would. You are lucky Stranger, you should be dead. Well I see day will come soon, you better get back. Please to meet you young Stabo. Listen to your father. He has a lot of wisdom you could learn."

"Yes, Friend Bear," Stabo called out and then added unexpectedly "Can I learn from you too?"

That comment surprised him and the bear. "Why would you want to do that?" the bear asked.

"My Father says you are wise like he, my mother, Bambi and Faline. I have learned much from all of them. I was thinking I could learn much from you."

The bear actually grinned and looked directly at him. "Perhaps one day near winter," the bear said again looking Stabo over carefully. "Do not come back here without your father," the bear warned him. "Sometimes there are other bears here and they would kill you without question."

"I understand," Stabo said with a slight bow of his head, "Thank you."

Stabo left, but the bear held up a paw for a second so he stayed in place. "Did you know he would ask that?"

He shook his head no. "No, lately he has a habit of surprising me and his mother. He is smart, especially for someone his age, but he is not reckless. He has his own ways, he is stubborn, and he does not act like the other deer. He is living by himself up the hill on the other side of the meadow. Sometimes he does worry me."

"So he is just like his father and mother," the bear told him.

It was his turn to smile. "Yes, he is" he said. "I must go now, stay healthy."

"You too," the bear answered and went back to his den.

He caught up with his son who was walking slowly waiting for him. They walked silently until they were back on the other side of the meadow near the stream. There Stabo stopped and smelled the air.

"I smell nothing." Stabo said.

He could only smell a lingering scent of Man. It was not fresh and it was not near them. "Nothing fresh," he repeated. Then he stopped and looked at his son. "Did you mean that about learning from the bear? It is very dangerous. I still do not trust him completely."

"Only if I am convinced he will not have me for a meal," Stabo added. "He could have had you for a meal as you told me, but he did not. I was thinking he might show the same behavior toward me."

"Listen to me," he said sternly to his son. "He could have had me for a meal, but he did not, mostly because of the way we felt about each other and our places in the forest. One day he may feel about you the same way he feels about me, but for now do as he says and do not try and meet him without me being there. Right now there is enough to learn from me and the others."

"Including how to fight in that strange way you have?" Stabo asked him politely.

"Wait a while until your antlers are bigger, then I will teach you what I have learned. For now you are learning fast, I hope not too fast to make you reckless. Other deer thought they were wise. Most of them have their heads in a Man cave. I do not want you to follow them."

Stabo looked him directly into his eyes. He was respectful of him as his father and a major male in the herd, but he wasn't afraid of him. "As Bambi said, the more you know, the longer you live," Stabo repeated the lesson. "I intend to learn all I can, because I intend live to be a very old deer. I want to have many children with a doe that I care for like you care for mother. I cannot do that lying dead in the meadow."

He was surprised how far Stabo had come and how fast he had done it. He could only hope he did not get too sure of himself and get careless. "I hope you do have a long life and many children and the care of a beautiful doe. I also hope you do not have to pay the price I did to get them."

Stabo walked up and nuzzled the side of his neck in affection. "I am tired," Stabo said with a yawn. I will go to my bedding place."

"God day, my son," he said. "If you need me, you know where I am at."

With that they both took different paths home.

He walked back to their thicket. He saw Bambi standing at the cave entrance with Faline lying down with Greta lying next to her. He saw in the thicket Claris was still feeding little Stena.

"You had success?" Bambi asked.

"Yes, the bear knows," he said plainly.

Bambi studied him as closely as the bear. "And what else?"the big deer asked.

He told him of Stabo's talk with the bear and himself.

"Stabo is getting as strange as you," Bambi said.

Just then the noise from the meadow started up again, he could hear the sound. Then he thought he heard some shouting then: "KAAABAMMMMMMM"

"That was a big killing stick," he said. "It is too early to be for us."

They waited for a while, nothing happened. Even the Man animal noise stopped.

"COOOMMMMMMMMEEEEE," He heard a deer bellow. It was Stabo. They all recognized it. Claris shot to her feet as did Faline. He quickly turned.

"You stay with Stena," he told Claris. "The fawn is still too young to be without a mother. "It did not sound like he was hurt. I will go."

He took off and Bambi was just behind him. They did not run. Instead that walked constantly testing the air. He knew about where Stabo lived, but did not want to run and expose themselves. Both he and Bambi moved as silently as the Old Owl. He heard nothing more from Stabo. They moved through the forest, there were other deer around, but they stayed bedded down. Bambi and he picked quietly through the trees not saying a word. Then he picked up a scent of Man coming from the meadow. The breeze brought it to him and it was strong. Both Bambi and he froze. Then his nose picked up another scent and it was also close. It was Stabo's.

He looked around and saw nothing in the trees then he heard a crack, like someone broke a twig. He dropped low and faced the sound. He saw a brown mound with a white chest also low to the ground. It was maybe ten lengths away. Stabo did not look hurt. He motioned for him to stay still.

Both Bambi and he waited. They saw nothing come through the trees, heard no movement in the forest. The scent of Man did not change. All three of them stayed put. Then he heard shouting from ahead and then the sound of something being dragged. There was now more than one Man scent.

After a short time the scent of Man got weaker and the dragging noise got further away. None of them moved until they heard and smelled nothing. Then he and Bambi slowly got up and made their way to Stabo.

"What happened?" he asked his son.

"Back when we get to the cave," Stabo gasped sounding out of breath. He could clearly tell something had shaken Stabo badly. His body was still twitching and it wasn't from running. They moved quietly until they were back at Bambi's cave. As they approached, Claris smelled them got up and ran over and kissed Stabo on the side of his face like a fawn.

"What happened," he wanted to know.

Stabo made a couple of attempts to try and tell his tale and nothing came out. Finally he just spat it out."Marro is dead," Stabo said

He knew Marro, who was a year old male near the same age as Stabo and Gena.

"What happened?" Bambi asked.

Stabo swallowed hard and went on. "I had just lain down in my bedding place and I heard the Man animals come back to life. I did not think about it, but a little while later I heard the killing stick."

"We all heard it," he said.

"I then heard the sound of crashing through the woods and the sounds of pain coming from a deer. It seemed to stop near me. I checked the air and went to look. I saw Marro lying on the ground near your bedding place close to the old trees and Friend Owl. When I got to him he was still breathing, but he had a huge open wound in his side in the middle of his flank."

Stabo stopped obviously shaking hard.

"Please go on," Bambi told him.

"I tried to talk to him, but only blood was coming out of his mouth. He looked at me as if asking me to do something, but I did not know what to do. That is when I called you. I was hoping you might be able to help him. Right after that I heard movement in the forest by the meadow and I smelled two scents of Man. They were coming toward me. I then knew if you came, you would walk into the Men, so I looked at Marro and I knew he wanted me to stay, and then the Man scents got stronger and you were coming so all I could say to Marro was I am sorry, and I had to leave. I ran away toward the cave. I got away and then I heard shouting from the Men and then …." his voice trailed off.

He walked up and rubbed Stabo's side. "Finish your story," he said.

"I heard Marro scream as the Men killed him," he said now almost in tears. "He was dead and I left him. I then ran toward the cave and saw you and Bambi. The Man scent was still strong so I broke a twig to warn you and got down low. I was going to call to warn you, but you told me not to call with Man so close. All I know is Marro is dead and I could do nothing. Father, I thought you said Man only comes for us near the Season."

He looked at Bambi and then at Claris who like Stabo was almost in tears. She started to go toward him again no doubt to comfort him. He felt that was the wrong thing to do.

"Stop Claris," he said loudly. She did and looked at him wondering why he did that. "He does not need to be mothered. He is almost an adult, and today he learned a valuable lesson. He must live with it like the rest of us have."

He walked up to Stabo and looked him in the eyes, not as his father, but as a herd male and leader. "I am sorry you had to see that, but all of us have seen that before. You did the right thing in not staying with Marro. The only thing that would have done is gotten you killed also. Once blood comes out of the mouth, there is nothing to be done, that deer would have died anyway no matter what any of us would have done."

"But Father the way he looked at me," Stabo said.

"It does not matter," he said loudly. "Marro made a mistake in going into the meadow or too near the meadow in the light. It was a mistake that killed him. Most times Man waits until the Season to come for us, but in this case Man did not. This is why we always avoid Man. You also made a mistake. You should never call any deer to someplace where Man may be. That will just get more of us killed. I am glad you saw what would happen and tried to find us to warn us, but you should have never called us to begin with. After you smelled Man coming near you, you should have run away, come back here and told us. That is a mistake you cannot repeat. Do you understand me, Stabo?"

Stabo looked taken back at his harsh tone, but he had to learn or next time it might be his son or someone else being killed. Finally all Stabo could do is just nod.

"Good," he said and then lowered his voice. "Remember this day. It is something I saw when I was you age when I lived with Man. Death is never pretty, but it is final. You told me this morning you want to live to be a very old deer. Well this is how you do it. You learn by watching others die and learning from their mistakes. Now do not go back to your bedding area today. Go up the stream and sleep near the open pond. Come back here after dark when Bambi calls for a gathering of the herd. Now go, the rest of us here must sleep."

Stabo looked at him for a moment and then slowly backed away and started to walk up the stream toward the small pond. As he left he looked at Bambi. Bambi took a deep breath and went back into the cave with Faline and Greta. He followed Claris back to the thicket and lay next to Stena. Claris came and lay on her other side.

"That was hard on Stabo," she said looking at him with those green eyes.

"I know, but he has to learn or next time it could be one of us or him," he said. "He will not sleep much today, I know I did not," but he will become wiser."

They spent the day trying to rest and sleep. The smell of burning deer meat coming up from the meadow did not help matters any."

Chapter 2: Decisions

Just after darkness fell and the lesser light rose, Bambi came out of his cave and called as loudly as he could. "Here…..all come here."

He called several times. He and Claris got up and after she fed Stena they both walked toward the small clearing near the pond. As herd leader, Bambi and Faline went first, but he and Claris were directly behind them. As a higher ranked male he took position near Bambi, but not in front of him. He saw Veron, Bambi son from two years ago take his place with the younger males, and Stabo and Gina take their place in the back with the all the yearlings from last year. Ronno took his place near him, but there were few other older male deer. Both Ducas and Flaco had not survived the hunts last Season so their places were empty. Other young males would come up and take their place soon. Friend Owl came over and rested on a tree. He was looking old and even grayer than before. He had to ask himself how much longer he would be able to come.

One by one they all came. Jolo came forward to stand near Ronno. He was a four season male that had come last winter from the forest through which Man had built his path. He was large, heavily muscled, and looked he have a large rack come the Season. He was a senior male in that forest herd before it broke up. Most of the deer had fled that forest and gone to other places. A few had come here. No one objected and it was nice to have someone other than Ronno take position next to him. After seeing most were here, Bambi began.

"As you all know, Man is looking to live near the meadow for much longer than before. What happened to poor Marro could very well happen to any of us if we either go near, or on the meadow after light. This means we can only visit the meadow at night. What we need to decide is if we can safety stay here, of if we need to go elsewhere. I have called you all here to decide what we should do."

"I saw Marro hit," Jolo said. "He was not on the meadow, but was standing in the forest about five lengths from the edge of the meadow. Somehow a Man saw him and used his killing stick on him. I was close enough to see him hit. It could have very easily been me."

Bambi nodded his head in appreciation. "Thank you Jolo, that is good to know."

"I assume you all smelled what happened afterwards," Jolo added and went silent. No one spoke about the scent of burning deer meat.

"This means we will have to stay well away from the meadow while Man is here," Bambi went on. "I feel we can still use the meadow at night if we stay well away from the Man animals and the Man caves."

"I agree with Bambi," he spoke up. "What I do not know is if Man will stay all the time or will go away in the winter. That will have to be seen. The question is will we be able to safely get enough food to prepare for the winter?"

"I do not see how," Ronno said. "I do not like being on the meadow even at night. Man has a long reach, and I do not want to feel it touch me. We need to use the meadow to preserve what food we have in the forest for winter. I no longer see how we can do this. I feel we need to go back to our old forest. There was much food there and Man only came during the Season."

"There was much food there before the fire," Faline spoke up.

"So we can stay here and have Man kill us, or go back to the old forest and maybe starve during the winter," Ronno replied. "This is not a good choice."

"It is the only choice we have," Bambi said not trying to hide his frustration.

"It is not, Father," he heard Veron's voice call out. "I feel there is another choice. Some of us can go live in the forest where Man has put his path."

Everyone turned and stared at him mostly in disbelief. Finally Jolo spoke up "We all left that place because Man came and it was no longer safe to stay."

"Not for a large herd, but a few of us could live there and that would see the demand for food here become less," Veron said.

He had to admit to himself he never considered that choice. Veron's idea did make sense only who would want to live there. In any case it sounded like they were going to split up the herd. Something his instinct told him was the wrong thing to do.

"I would rather stay here," Claris spoke up. "We know the danger, and many of us know how to avoid the danger. I do not think we need a new forest. There is plenty of food here."

That took him by surprised. Although Claris had her own opinions on many things, she had always discussed things with him first. Not tonight. He was not sure he agreed with her. It was then he noticed something else. At the end of the open clearing he noticed most of the yearlings were leaving the open space and going off on their own. Both Stabo and Gina left with maybe a dozen others. He wondered what that was all about. He saw Bambi notice it too. There were many other private discussions going on among the herd. He walked over to Bambi.

"I am not sure I like this," he said.

"It sounds like the herd will break up," Bambi said in a low voice. "I think some will go to the old forest, some will stay here, and some will go to the forest with the Man Path.

"I think we need to give them more time to decide," he told Bambi.

"Yes, and we need to feed before the first light," Bambi replied.

"Friends!" Bambi called out loudly. All the conversation stopped. "To break up the herd is a hard thing to do. We must think about this. I will ask you all to be here tomorrow night with your decision. Now we need to feed on the meadow."

"I agree," Ronno said and started walking to the meadow with Marol his doe and their young male fawn. The others started to follow them. The yearlings still had not come back. Bambi's son Veron had also gone.

Claris came over to him and nuzzled her nose against his. 'You seem troubled,"

"I am," he said. "I think splitting the herd is a bad idea, but it is not up to me or you. Everyone must decide this for themselves. Let us eat and talk later."

Claris nodded and followed him onto the meadow. They ate and drank their fill and as the first sign of light appeared, everyone left the meadow far behind. When they returned to their thicket Claris fed Stena again and then led her off into the forest. At that age fawns could not control their bodies as adults could and he did not want her fouling their resting area with waste. He also releaved himself away from their sleeping place and then came back. A short while later Claris and Stena retuned. Claris lay down next to him and then little Stena wiggled in between them. It was warm and safe there. As soon as she lay still, he nuzzled his daughter who licked the side of his face. He always liked doing that, Then Claris did the same. Stena yawn once and promptly fell asleep. She was almost as beautiful to look at as Claris.

"I worry about her," he whispered in Claris' ear.

"I know," she said and nuzzled him on his mouth. He did the same. It always brought on that warm feeling of delight he had always felt near her.

"Did you mean what you said about staying here?" he asked.

"Of course," she said as if wondering why he even asked. "There is plenty of food here. I am not afraid of the meadow as long as we are back deep in the forest by the first light. This is the only place I have ever known. My mother came from the old forest, but I was born here. This is where I belong."

"How is your mother?" he wanted to know. She was the older doe Ata they often left their fawns with.

"She is fine, but I think she is still lonely. I think she still misses father. He was killed when I was a fawn. It was right after the Old Prince died and Bambi became herd leader."

"She does get along well with Faline. She is not that old. I am surprised she never took up with any of the older males."

"Not many left," Claris said almost in a moan. "Ronno is the oldest and she never liked him. That leaves you and Bambi."

"I never thought about it like that," he had to admit. "So you want to stay?"

"Yes," she repeated.

"Even though what that may mean for our children?" he said wanting to make sure Claris fully understood the possible consequences. He had no desire to see his own children die in the meadow.

"Yes," she said without hesitation. "We can teach them to avoid Man."

That seemed to end the argument on what they would do. If Claris stayed, he would stay with her as long as they lived. He also had no illusions about his own fate if they stayed. How long would it be before some Man came to finish with him what they tried to do two Seasons ago? No sense dwelling on that. He was alive today and today was all that counted. He had the bear to thank for that. He decided to change the subject.

"Did you see Stabo, Gena, and most of the yearlings leave the gathering?" he asked.

Claris nodded, "Yes, and they were not on the meadow with us to eat. Also Veron and many of the second season males and doe were not there. The older deer were. Faline also noticed it and was not happy."

"My feeling is we will find out tonight," he said and yawned as widely as Stena. "Pleasant sleep," he said gently to Claris and nuzzled her face again. She did likewise and they both fell fast asleep.

That night after the last trace of the greater light had vanished and the noise from the Man animals had stopped, Bambi again called the herd together. This time even more of the herd came so it was crowded by the pond. All came and took their positions.

"It is time for a decision," he said flatly. "I will ask of you how many would like to go back to the old forest.

"I and Marol will go," Ronno spoke up first. "At least there we may be able to use the meadow more than here."

"Anyone else?" Bambi asked.

"Me," Ata spoke up. "I am getting old and I rather die there than here."

He felt Claris start to lurch forward, but stopped. She saw her swallow hard and drop her head. "Mother," was all she said in a low whisper.

There a were a few more voices, most from some of the older does, the three four-year males and five four-year females also indicated they wanted to go back.

"Thank you," Bambi said. "I and Faline will also go, but we will wait until mid summer when the fawns are bigger and can make the trip more easily."

Both Claris and he looked at each other. It was hard to imagine the forest without Bambi and Faline. For the longest time they were their only friends. The forest was going to get lonelier again. There was nothing to be done about it. To him it felt like the end of the age was upon them.

"Father," Veron spoke up and stepped forward. "Many of us have decided to go to the other forest with the Man Path. We will live there."

"No," Jolo called out. "If you go there, you will die there. Any deer that goes near one of the Man animal as it goes down the path dies. I have seen it."

"There are no Man animals at night," Veron replied. "It will be no worse than staying here with Man on the meadow at all times."

He didn't know if Jolo was angry because they were going to take over his old home, or if he was angry because he felt they were being extremely foolish. "Suit yourself," he said with distain. "I will not go with you."

"I understand," Veron said and dipped his head in a mark of respect. Bambi had lowered his head like Claris had when her mother said she would leave. The herd was not just breaking up. Families were breaking up also."

"If I may speak," he heard Stabo say. Usually yearlings kept quiet at gatherings until they were older and wiser."

"Go ahead," Bambi said. "This affects all of us, even the young."

"The yearlings all talked it over and we have all decided to go with Veron," Stabo announced. Immediately, a dozen yearlings started nodding their head in approval including Gena.

All he could do is lower his head and shake it in disapproval. This was becoming worse than he could imagine. He felt his world was falling apart and there was nothing he could do to stop it. It was going to be a much different forest after they all left. He looked at Claris who now had tears running down her eyes. Her family was going away.

"If that is your decision, then I wish all of you good luck," Bambi said "I feel we will all need it. Those who have not spoken will be staying here in this forest?"

Jolo and stepped forward. "I will stay here," he said simply.

Finally he felt he had to say something. "Claris and I will also stay here," he said loudly."I must tell you I feel breaking up the herd like this may cause some bad times, but I understand it is everyone's own decision. I hope we do not pay too high a price for this."

Most of the three-year old deer all motioned that they would be staying in this forest. The dangers of the known were less than the dangers of the unknown. One herd had become three in less than a night."

Is there anyone else who wants to say anything more?" Bambi asked.

Everyone was silent, more like stunned at what had just happened. Even the forest had become deadly quiet.

"Let us go eat," Bambi said.

He tried to eat, but the grass had no taste for him that night. Even Claris only ate a little. They did not speak, that would come later when they bedded down to rest. Instead he spent a while looking at the Man caves at the far end of the meadow. They were getting larger. Soon many Men would come and bring their killing sticks. Men were to blame for this. If they had stayed away, none of this would have happened. He felt the anger build up in him again. Man had taken from him so much, and now after he had found a home, Man was causing that to break up. He wished fire from the sky would come and burn Man like he burned deer. It was then he saw Bambi and Jolo walk over toward him.

"Can we speak to you alone?" Bambi asked.

Claris took Stena back toward the other doe. He walked toward the far side of the meadow. When he was sure they could not be overheard he stopped. Both Bambi and Jolo looked serious, Jolo looked even afraid, something was not right.

"Speak," he said.

"You know what this means," Bambi said.

"Three herds, only one leader," he said.

"You always were smart," Bambi said. "I will take those back to the old forest. That means no one will be here for the other herds."

"Except you," Jolo added.

It took him a second to realize what they meant. "You want me to be herd leader in this forest?" he asked not believing it.

"Who else," Bambi said. "I asked you before to take over if anything happened to me. Well, something is going to happen to me. I am leaving. You are the strongest, the wisest, and know more about how to avoid Man than anyone. Who else should be herd leader?"

"I will not challenge you for leader," Jolo said. "I have seen your actions and heard your advice. It is better than mine."

"Thank you," he said and bowed his head. "What of the herd going to the other forest.

"The only ones from that forest who are going back with Veron are not that strong or wise, they cannot be leaders," Jolo said factually. "The yearlings are still too young to lead and Veron is the leader of his age group. Veron will more than likely be the leader over there even though he is too young. I also have to tell you anyone that goes with them I feel will not live long."

He could see the effects of Jolo's words on Bambi. Both his son and daughter were going. He could tell this was tearing at him. This was all coming too fast for him. He needed to think.

"Too much, too quickly," he said. "I need to think how we can make the best of this. Bambi, I would like to see you, Jolo, Veron and Stabo in the small clearing right after dark tomorrow to see how we can make this work."

"I will be there," Bambi said. Jolo nodded.

Now all he had to do was think of something to tell them.

Despite all that had occurred, he and Claris did not exchange too many words other than what he told her about what Bambi had said. Claris was stunned and hid her expressions from him. He could not tell if Claris was happy she would be the mate of the herd leader or afraid because of what he told her about past herd leaders he knew and how they all died. She rested fitfully. He couldn't sleep at all. There was no good way to do what had to be done, yet it had to be done. It was late in the day before his fatigue finally overcame him.

Just after dark, Bambi and he walked silently toward the small clearing. Bambi was looking to him for a clue about what he was going to say, but he realized he had to tell all of them the same thing at the same time for this to succeed. They walked into the small clearing with the others already there. Jolo with his full rack starting to grow in was by far the tallest. Veron, with his smaller rack was shorter than Jolo, but was going to be heavier. Stabo was the smallest and youngest of all. They all looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and anxiousness.

"Thank you all for coming," he started. "Although I do not like what is going to happen to the herd, the decision is made and we have to live with it. What is important now is how to prepare all three herds to best survive the coming Season and winter. There is enough food to supply us all, and I think that will not be a problem. What will be a problem is how to avoid Man. Man is coming into the forest in increasing numbers and he will come after us. Because of my past, I have knowledge that has helped Bambi and others avoid Man. Most of the time this works, sometimes it does not," he said and looked at his scarred side.

"Bambi is an experienced leader and will have no problem with the herd going back to the old forest. Veron, you will most likely be herd leader of the group going into the forest by the Man path. To be honest with you, you are still too young to do this, but there is no one else. You will need help." With that he stopped and looked directly at his son.

"Stabo, you can help him like I help Bambi, but you need to know how. I will be herd leader in this forest; however if something happens to me, then Jolo will need to take over here, and he also needs to know how to avoid Man. I must therefore teach both Stabo and Jolo what I know about Man. It might also help Bambi and Veron to know this, but the main thing with you Veron is that Bambi has to teach you how to be a herd leader. Unfortunately we do not have much time to do any of this, so we need to start now. Do any of you have any questions?"

That was a lot to be said quickly, but everyone, even Bambi was still letting him take charge. No one said a word.

"Very well here is how we start. I am going to do something I have only done twice before. I am going to tell you the full story of my time with Man and how I gained this knowledge." He looked at Stabo. "I only told your mother and the bear this story, because I did not want to upset the rest of you. Afterwards I will teach Jolo and Stabo all the tricks I have learned about Man. Bambi will teach Veron what he knows about being a herd leader. We will do this every night until you are all ready to leave for the new forest. Do you all agree?"

"I do not like this," Bambi said looking at Veron, "but Stranger I know you are correct."

"Thank you, Father, for giving us this knowledge," Stabo added.

"Do not thank me," he said loudly. "I am doing you no favors with this."

With that he lay down as did the others. He collected his thoughts and started his tale at the beginning.

Chapter 3: Higher Education

It was late when he got back to his clearing. The light was already bright and the Man animals were busy working in the meadow. He was exhausted. His talk with Bambi, Veron, Jolo and Stabo had taken all of the night and into the day, but he had finished it. Even though he had not eaten, he was not hungry in the slightest. What little thirst he had he had quenched in the stream. Bambi had already heard most of his story, so he showed almost no emotion to his tale. When he was done, Stabo, Veron and Jolo looked almost stunned. They did not even attempt to ask a question. What bothered him the most was the way his son looked at him. It was a mixture of fear and disbelief. He could only hope they understood. He had come back alone. The four others just lay in the clearing after he was done. It must have shown on him. Faline had gotten up at his approach thinking Bambi was with him. He could see she was going to ask him were Bambi was, yet she took one look at him and went silently back into her cave.

He law down next to Claris and Stena. Even through sleep was the last thing on his mind, the exhaustion of last night and the fact he hadn't slept much the previous night weight down upon him like a great rock. He felt himself falling into a deep sleep. Even though he knew he had awakened Claris, she had said nothing to him.

He awoke well after dark, alone. He was hungry and very thirsty and he felt his insides were ready to explode. He got up quickly and moved away from their bedding area and let the waste flow out of him. It seemed particularly noxious like the poisons in his body he had created by telling his tale were flowing out of him. He then moved quickly out onto the meadow. As expected the herd was there eating. He found Claris and starting eating the grass next to her.

"I am sorry if I woke you," he told her.

She looked up from eating and looked into his eyes, her green eyes still blazing. "I was going to ask you about what had happened, but I saw the look on Faline's face and knew to leave you alone. What happened last night?"

"I told the others my whole story," he explained. "They had to know if the herd was going to split up and survive. I will now teach them all I know. Stabo can help Veron, in the new forest. Bambi will learn to see Man as I see Man, and Jolo will know what to do. . . ."

"In case something happens to you," Claris interrupted. "I hate when you think like that. It is almost as if you are already dead."

"I know, I am sorry, he said turning away from her, "but I have to start thinking about the good of the herd and that comes before me. This is not what I wanted, but it is what will happen. For that reason, they had to know, so I told them. I just hope they don't dislike me for it."

"I always felt pity at what happened to you, but I could never hate you," she said and nuzzled him on his neck.

"Thank you," he said and nuzzled her back. "I do not know what I do here without you."

He saw Bambi, Veron, Jolo and Stabo standing together off to the side. He had finished eating. It was time to start the training. He walked over to the four of them who all stood firmly in place.

"Are we ready to begin again?" he asked them.

"I will take Veron, you take Stabo and Jolo," Bambi said and walked away.

"Come with me," he told the other two and they walked off into the meadow. When they were far away from the others he stopped and turned and faced the Man caves in the distance.

"Both of you turn and face the Man Caves," he ordered.

Both did as he said and when they were looking right at them he added. "Now what do you feel?"

"I feel some fear of what Man can do," Stabo said.

"That is always a good thing, but what do you feel on your body?"

Both of them looked at him like they though he was crazy. "The wind," he said curtly. "How do you feel the wind?"

"I feel the wind on my tail," Jolo said. "Stabo nodded his approval."

"Correct and here is what to remember. When the wind is on your tale, you never approach Man, especially if you think he had dogs. With the wind at your tale, they will always smell you, before you can smell them. With the wind in your face, you will smell them, before they can smell you. You must always approach Man with the wind in your face. If you do not have the wind in your face, then go someplace until you can feel the wind in your face and approach. Never walk toward Man with the wind at your back. It is a sure way to die."

"Why is that Father?" Stabo asked.

"Because the wind carries your scent like a stream carries water. Remember how at times we can smell Man on the meadow and sometimes we cannot. It is because of the wind. When the wind blows from the meadow, it carries the scent of Man to us. When the wind blows from the hills, it carries our scent to Man and his dogs." Do you understand? This is something you must remember if you plan to live long around Man.

"What happens if the wind blows on our flanks?" Jolo asked.

Then you cannot be sure who will smell who first. Remember, Man cannot smell us, only his dogs can. Man can see us, and if he can see us he can kill us. This is why when Man comes; the best thing to do is to run deep into the forest where he and his dogs cannot find you."

"But man does not see well at night, correct?" Stabo added.

"Yes, but his dogs can see well at night and can smell well at night," he said and waited for more questions, but there were none.

"Come with me, I want to show you something," he said and led them to the place the forest sticks out into the meadow. They reached it and he took them several lengths into the trees so they could still see most of the meadow.

"If you must watch Man, or what Man is doing, do it only from a place like this. Here we can see the meadow, but it would be hard for Man to see us. Even when you stand here, stand near a tree or a bush so you are partly hidden. Never stand in the open, even inside the forest with Man about. I did that once and you see what happened."

He turned around and showed them the scars that ran along the back half of his left side. "I almost died from this. Poor Marro did die. If you have to hide, lie down behind some bushes or trees that are close together. Again it is hard for Man to see you. The only time you do not try and hide is when you hear dogs. They can find you no matter where you hide. When you hear dogs, you run deep into the forest until you do not hear them anymore. You never run near any deer with dogs behind you. You will lead Man and his killing sticks to the others and more of us will die." Do you understand what I am saying?"

"I have heard that sometimes the dogs will come without Man," Jolo said.

"Yes, that is true. If there are not many and you have a rack, you can fight the dogs by using your antlers on them, but many dogs will attack you at once. That is why they are so dangerous. One dog is not a danger. Many dogs are."

He stopped and looked at both of them wondering if either one understood. They both seem to understand. They didn't ask any more questions. He wasn't sure if that was good or bad, so he went on to another point and continued until it was near light.

By the time he had come back the light was growing. He could see Bambi walk from the open space. Faline and Claris were already bedded down with the fawns. "How did it work out?" he asked Bambi.

"Veron wants to learn, he is just too young. He has not seen enough to completely understand. It took my Father almost a full season to teach me, and I still did not learn everything. How is it with Stabo and Jolo?"

"The same," he said. "We will do more again tonight."

With that he went back to Claris and Stena and slept soundly again.

They continued, night after night for many rising of the lesser light. He told Stabo and Jolo everything he could remember. He showed them how to disappear without a trace. He showed them how to circle around a Man to get him off your trail. Also, there was how to avoid Man when they hunt in groups. He then showed them how to watch Man without being seen. Another important thing was how to run away from Man in the open which meant never run in a straight line. Night after night he showed them and repeated what he said and asked questions about what he said. He talked to them until he could tell both Stabo and Jolo were tired of listening to him and he still went on. Both Stabo and Jolo seemed to understand, but the proof would come when Man tried to hunt them. Sometimes Bambi and Veron would come with them and learn. Bambi also taught Stabo and Jolo on how to be a herd leader.

When their antlers got bigger, he showed them mock combat. Most important was how to shift your enemy's weight to force him down. Next came how to kick an enemy and how to trip him. Even Bambi listened to him. This was his odd way of fighting he saw while living with man. By the time of high summer everyone was exhausted by their nightly get togethers. Finally Bambi said it was time for them to go. He took them all into the meadow for one final lesson.

"I have taught you everything I can," he told the four of them. I will know when winter comes if your listened well enough."

"How is that Father?" Stabo asked.

"If you listened, you will be alive. If you did not, you will be dead," he told them

He turned to face them and made the most serious face possible. "Although we played this as a game, this is not a game. If you do this wrong, if you make a mistake, it is not you get to do it again the next night. You will be lying dead in the meadow or the forest with blood pouring out of your bodies. Then Man will come, cut off your head and put it in their Man cave. Then they will eat your body. All the time they will be happy and enjoy themselves, because killing deer is fun for them."

Even Bambi swallowed hard. That was the one thing they had to understand. To make a mistake around Man is to die, and die horribly.

"Understand this," he said as seriously as he could. "Man does not need to kill us like the bear does, or the coyote does. They kill for food and so they can live, Man has all the food he needs. I have seen this myself. He can get all the food, all the meat he wants just for the asking. He kills us not to live, but for fun. That is why he does not belong in the forest like we belong. We are here for a reason, Man is not. I wish I could change that, but I cannot. That is the last thing I want to teach you. You are now on your own. I wish you good fortune."

With that he turned and walked away to the other side of the meadow and into the forest. He didn't feel like being with any of the others. His insides were a mixture of accomplishment because of what he did, fear because he might have done it improperly, and dread at the consequence of what would happen if he was wrong. Part of him was happy he had shown others what he knows, and part of him was sorry at what might happen.

A familiar scent crossed his nose and he smiled. "I smell you my friend. Have you been watching for long?"

"I have been watching you teach the others," the bear's growly voice said from behind some trees. "The wind was blowing from the meadow so I heard what you told them. I think now I understand your purpose in being here."

That made him curious, "What is that?"

"You are here to teach them what you know, so that others can be taught and maybe make life better for all."

"I hope it was worth it, I did the best I could," he said with a shrug. "Then again we both remember what happened the last time I did my best."

"Yes, but as in last time others were saved because of the pain you took on yourself. That is why you belong here and why I will not eat you. The herd is breaking up now, correct?"

"Yes, Bambi and a few will go to the old forest down the stream. I will stay here with some others, and a few will live in the forest with the Man path. I am afraid the hunting will not be good around here for your kind this winter."

"I can go elsewhere," the bear said."Stay alive, Stranger."

"You too," he answered and started to walk the long way around the meadow.

When he got back to the small thicket Claris and Stena were standing.

"Pa Pa, are you hurt?" Stena asked. Her voice was growing stronger.

He leaned over and rubbed her tiny mouth with his tongue. "No I am not hurt, I am just tired. I have been teaching your brother." He looked up at Claris. "Do I look that bad?" he asked.

"You look like you are carrying the entire forest on your back," she said and rubbed his cheek. Again he felt warm and happy inside.

That night was the time of parting. Ronno and Marol, Bambi and Faline, Ate, and the others all gathered just after darkness."

After all this time there was little more to say. He kissed Gretna on the cheek and then Faline, he then nuzzled Bambi. Claris and her mother embraced. There were words of goodbye and good luck. Then he said good bye to his son, Veron, and Gena, and off they went. Although he knew his son would be nearby, he wondered if he would ever see Bambi and Faline again. He suddenly realized just how much he would miss them and just as suddenly realized just how many were depended on him now to lead them. It gave him a cold feeling in his stomachs. As soon as they were all out of sight and smell, Jolo came up to him.

"Herd Leader," what do you want us to do?"

He cringed, but spoke as clearly as he could. "For now we change nothing. We eat on the meadow at night. We hide in the forest by day. Stay away from the meadow during the day or you may end up like Marro. Jolo and I will watch the Man caves to we see if Man is getting ready to hunt in the forest. In that case, I will call you all here and we will decide what to do. Does anyone have any questions?

None did, why should they? The old leader was gone, the new leader was here. That was the Way of All Things. Nothing lasts forever. Not even him.

Chapter 4: Adjustments

It was two mornings after Bambi and the others had left that the noise started. It was loud and came from the area where the new Man caves were. There seemed to be a lot of shouting like the last time many Men came here. As before the Men seemed to shout the same thing at the same time. It started just before the greater light was overhead and went on for the rest of the day. Toward nightfall he could smell the burning meat smell coming from the meadow. He did not know who it belonged to, but it didn't smell like deer.

"As soon as it is dark, Jolo and I will go look and see what is happening," he told Claris as they lay together near Stena. She was sleeping next to him but no longer between them. She looked past her mother and asked him. "Can I come with you Father?"

He was not sure about that. He looked at Claris and said nothing. Claris nodded and added. "We will all come."

"Very well," he said. "One thing Stena you stay next to your mother. If she starts to run, you run with her. You run and you do not look back. Do you understand this, because it is very important?"

"Is because like what you told Stabo, if I do not run fast I might die?" she said that in all seriousness.

He looked at Claris who seemed as surprised as he was. Stena seemed to be trying to understand at an early age. Usually fawns are almost a full season old before they can fully understand the dangers of Man. "Yes," he told her. "It is exactly like I told Stabo. It is time you learn about Man."

"Thank you, Father. I want you to teach me like you teach Stabo and Jolo." She seemed happy she was being treated like a big deer and not a helpless fawn.

They waited until after dark when Jolo came to his thicket to see if he had anything to do. "Tonight I want to look at the Man caves," he told him.

"The noise from today," he said. "You think they are there for us this time?"

"No," he said. "It is not the Season yet. Sometimes Man comes for the birds that live in the meadow. Let us be off, Claris and Stena will come with us."

Jolo shot a glance at Stena, he could tell he was about as happy with this as he was. "We all must learn sometime," he said and left for that place in the forest he could view the meadow.

As they moved all of them walked silently except for Stena who would occasionally break a twig. She also was asking all sorts of questions. Finally as they got near to the place he stopped.

"Stena, look how your mother walks; do you see how she does not step on branches or anything else that makes noise? You must not make noise around Man, or he will hear you. Also do not talk anymore. Sometimes Man or his dogs can hear our voices."

Stena started to say something and then stopped. All she did was nod her head and started to try and pick her way around branches and other things on the forest floor. It made her slower, but that was fine with him. No one learns all of this in one night.

They walked slowly until they came to that place in the forest they all knew well by now. As he looked through the few trees, he could see the Man cave brightly lit up from fires on the ground and from lights inside. Many Men were sitting on their rocks and smoking at their mouths. They could also see dogs lying on the ground. The wind was blowing across the meadow, so the dogs could not smell them from this distance.

He motioned all of them to come close to where he stood so he could whisper. "We need to wait for Man to go inside their caves to sleep. Then maybe we can use the meadow."

He got down on his legs to lie down. Claris lay next to him, but Stena lay next to Jolo who did not seem to mind. They waited and watched. When the lesser light was nearly over head, the Men put out the fires and all went inside their caves. He waited until all the lights in the caves went out before he got up.

"I think we can use the meadow now, but I am not sure," he said in a low voice. "I want all of you to go back into the forest. I am going to step out on the meadow. I know Man cannot see me, but the dogs may smell me and make a noise. If you hear the dogs bark loudly or see lights go on, you all run back to the cave and wait for me."

The all nodded and went deeper into the woods. He slowly walked out onto the meadow. The wind was blowing across the meadow so his scent was not carried to the dogs. He stepped out and started to chew on some grass. At first all seem alright, then he felt the wind change and blew over his tale. A little while later one of the dogs began to bark, followed soon by others. He had to go. He ran into the forest until he was sure the dogs were not chasing him and then made his way back to his thicket. The others were already there.

"Did the dogs smell you, Father?" Stena asked. "We heard the dogs bark and we ran back here."

"We heard no killing stick," Jolo said.

"I left before Man could see me. You all did the right thing," he said mostly to make sure Stena understood.

"We cannot use the meadow. We will have to feed in the forest," he told them.

"Many of the others are in the clearing," Jolo added.

"Fine, we will eat there tonight," he said and led them back to the small clearing.

He told the others to eat in the forest and not to go to the meadow until he told them it was safe. They ate and drank their fill. By then the first light of the morning was in the sky. They all went back to their resting places.

"You did well tonight," he told Stena. "You must learn how to walk quietly. Last night it did not matter. It might matter soon."

"Yes, Father," was all she said.

"Practice as you walk around with your mother. You must learn not to make a noise as you move through the forest."

With that they all lay down to sleep together. It wasn't much later when they starting hearing the killing sticks. Stena had not heard them often so every time one went off she would cringe. That continued well into the day. They did not get any sleep until the greater light was well past overhead.

This went on for three days and then one morning stooped. That night they all went to look again and saw the Man caves were empty and there were no lights. There was no fire, no dogs and no Men. It was safe on the meadow again. With no men around it was time for him to do something he wanted to do since Man came.

He waited until after they ate on the meadow that night. "I am going to leave and go to the forest were Stabo and Veron went and see how they are doing. I want to do this now before the Season gets closer and Man comes back for us. Jolo, I leave you here."

"Can I come, Father?" Stena asked.

"Not this time," he said, "maybe when you are older."

"Be careful," Claris said and nuzzled him on his cheek.

"I try to be," he said and left them there.

He went around the stream side of the meadow. The side their thicket was on because he did not want to walk close to the Man caves. As he moved he could feel the eyes of some of the hunters look on him, but he was too big for most of them to attack. They kept their distance and so did he. He walked until he was at the side of the meadow the Man caves were at and he looked at them closer. These caves were bigger. The Man cave he had grown up in was only so high that a Man could reach up his arm and touch the top of the Cave. These caves looked much taller and much bigger than his cave. Many Men could stay here and in the Season that means many Men with killing sticks.

He came to the end of his forest. The trees and bushes stopped and there was a hill over which lay the other forest. There was an open space between his forest and the other forest. It was covered only in grass. The gap was not much, but he would be in the open. He smelled the air and other than the three coyotes following him, he smelled nothing out of place. He smelled no dogs and no Men. He decided to run, but not run in a straight line. He darted out and ran one way and then quickly changed direction and ran a different way, all the while getting close to the other forest. He did this four times before he ran into the trees of the other forest. By the time he got there, his rear left leg was hurting where he had been hit by Man. It still had not healed completely. As soon as he was sure he was safely in the other forest he stopped and started to smell, looking for the scent of other deer. He picked up the scent from some waste and followed it toward the Man path. Then he smelled other deer near him. He came to a small clearing and saw several deer eating in it. He walked into the herd. Several of them stopped eating and came up to him.

"Stranger is that you?" one of the three season males asked. He remembered his name was Kelor

"Yes," he answered. "I am looking for Veron and Stabo."

"They ate here and went to look at the Man path," Kelor told him. "Veron told the rest of us to stay here."

"Can you show me the way they went?" he asked.

Kelor took him to the end of the clearing and pointed to where they had gone into the forest. He leaned over and could smell three scents from Veron, Stabo and Gina. All the scents were fresh. "If you see them, tell them I am here looking for them."

He followed the scents which was not hard. They were using an old deer path. He walked taking in large qualities of air. He had no idea what hunters were present, and he wanted to find them, before they found him. He moved for a while and then the scents got strong. He quietly approached and he could just see the opening in the trees the Man path made when he heard breaking of branches as deer started to run. They must have heard him. He stopped and let out a low bleat they should all know. They all approached him from different ways.

"Father," Stabo said. "Sorry we heard you, but did not smell you so we ran because we were not sure who it was."

"You all did the right thing," he said. "When in doubt, run, we can always talk later."

"Veron broke into a smile. "You know you are starting to sound like my Father. Have you heard anything from him?"

"No, and I do not expect to until after the Season or even Winter," he said. "How goes things over here.

"Things are fine," Veron said. "We found five two season females and one male that came back. They said the forest they went too was crowded and they felt there was more food here."

"We have looked around and found lots of small clearings, but no large meadow except at the end of the forest," Gina told him.

"Do you have enough food to last the winter?" he asked.

"Yes," Stabo said. "I would feel better if we knew what was on the other side of the Man path. If we found some more clearings it would make things easier."

"Any bears or other hunters?" he wanted to know.

"No, so far just the raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, mice, moles, ground squirrels, and birds," Veron answered. "There are small hunters like ferrets, owls, and others, but nothing large."

He looked up in the open space of the Man path at the sky starting to lighten. "Morning is coming; let us find a place to lie down for the day."

"Gina and I have a place, Stabo said. "Veron is nearby."

He looked at the two of them standing close together. That was not unexpected, but he did not think it would happen until next year. Usually one of the larger three season males would drive Stabo off until he got fully grown and that would not happen until next year. His rack while nice was not big yet. Veron was going to have a big rack like his father. He would need to be particularly careful. He followed his son back to his bedding area where he and Gina slept next to each other and he slept alone. Veron disappeared into the forest. There he slept until nightfall.

He spent the next night looking around their forest noting numbers. The thing that got him was even the two season males and the two three season males seem to go along with anything Veron said. There were no arguments, no questioning. Everyone seemed happy. The deer accepted Veron as leader. He doubt this would last as the Season came on. He waited until the four of them were together before he spoke up to them.

"I will leave early tomorrow night to go back. I do not want to leave your mother alone for long. I need to explain something mostly to Stabo and Gina."

Both of them peaked up their ears. "Stabo, you are not going to be big enough to fight for Gina this Season. You are still not fully grown and your rack is not grown. One of the larger male could force you away."

Stabo looked shocked at what he was saying. "I can fight Father," Stabo said angrily. "You taught me."

That was what he was afraid of. "I taught you how to fight a deer of your own size. The three season males are simply too large for you and Gina is too good looking of a doe for them not to be interested in her."

"Are you saying I should allow a male to have her, NO!" Stabo said and stamped his foot.

"I do not want another male," Gina spoke up.

"NO I am not, now listen," he said tersely. "When you both feel the Season coming on, you must both leave the herd. Get far away from the other deer so they will not smell you. The older deer will not come after you if they cannot find you. You both leave and stay away from the herd and from each other until the Season passes and you Stabo lose your antlers. After that all will be fine. Next year when you are fully grown and have a grown rack, then you can fight anyone that challenges you for Gina. Besides, Stabo, you are also too young to be a father. I myself was a three season male before I could fight well enough to breed with a doe and I was a four season male when I met your mother. It is not that I do not care what you two feel for each other, but I have lived long enough to know better. This is not the time for you to join together."

Then he turned to Veron. "As herd leader you will be expected to breed with a doe this Season. Pick a good one. Do not worry if you do not feel for the doe like your Father and Mother feel for each other. That will come in time. You will meet the right doe and you will know it. Also once the Season starts one of the three seaon males may challenge you. If so you must beat him, but don't kill him. During the Season deer act differently. Once the Season starts, deer do not think the same. Even Bambi and I moved apart during the Season because we got angry at each other."

"I remember," Veron said."

"Good," he told them. "That is the best advice I can give all of you."

Gina still looked shocked and Stabo was still angry. Veron only nodded his head in acceptance. Finally Stabo got a hold of his temper. "Very well, Father, Gina and I will leave the herd when we feel the Season coming on, but we will go together."

That was about all he could expect, "You are both old enough to do as you want. I can only tell you what I think is best, just stay away from the larger males. They can hurt you, or even kill you Stabo."

Stabo did not look convinced. Only Veron spoke up. "Very well, I will do as you say. I hope you are right about finding a doe that I want."

"I am," he said and smiled. "As for this forest, you have all done as well as I think you could have. I am proud of you all and I think Bambi would be proud of you. I only hope things turn out well this for you this winter. If you need me, you know where to find me."

Both seemed please at his words, but he could tell he had put Stabo and Gina off. They all spent the rest of the night looking over the forest and eating their fill. He slept by himself in the morning.

Early the next night he walked alone to the edge of the forest where he could see his forest in the distance over the small hill. After it was fully dark and he smelled the air many time for any unfamiliar scents. Then he ran back to his forest the same way he ran here. It took a while and his left leg hurt again, but he made it with no problems. For once something had gone right. He only hoped Stabo and Greta would listen to him. He would know for sure in the spring.

It was an easy trip back to his thicket. He stopped along to way to see Friend Owl. He had not visited the old fellow since early spring when he started training the others.

"Hello Friend Owl," he called up.

"Stranger," he heard from a nearby tree. It was the owl and he looked tired. His feathers were even grayer and his face was almost pure white. "Sorry, I have not been feeling well lately," he said.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he wanted to know.

"No I am just getting old. It is getting hard to catch mice, but I am still here. Where have you been?"

He told the Owl where he been and what he seen. The Owl took it all in like he always did and when he was done he said. "I think you did the right thing with Stabo and Gena, not that I think they will listen. I am glad things are working out for them. Now how is the herd leader doing?"

"As well as can be expected," he said. "We need now to get ready for the Season and the return of Man," he said.

"Man has made one big nest over by the edge of the meadow," the Old Owl told him." This does not look well for you deer."

"I know," he said walking off. "I have to get back to my thicket with Claris. I will talk with you later."

He was never sure what the Owl said in return, but it sounded to him like, "perhaps."

It was near dawn when he got back to his thicket as he got closer a familiar scent came to his nose. "It smelled like Faline, but it was slightly different. He then smelled Claris and another deer he did not recognize. He got into the bush and slipped quietly toward his thicket. He saw Claris, Stena, a deer that looked like Faline, and then Faline walked out of her cave. There was also another fawn from this year playing around that he did not know. Jolo was also there with a large frown on his face. He approached from the rear and when he was about ten lengths away Claris turned around quickly.

"Stanger," she called out almost in a plea. "Come here please; Bambi has returned and it is terrible."