Chapter 5: The Return

The Stranger stood next to Claris trying to take it all in. Faline was there, along with some younger doe that looked like Faline, Jolo, Stena, Gerta, another male fawn he did not know, and inside the cave was Bambi. He was lying down and it looked like he had been beaten badly by another deer. He had cuts along his front and his flanks. No antler wounds, it was still too early in the season for that. Bambi looked like he had been kicked repeatedly. It was all too much to take in at one glance.

He first turned to Faline, "Who is the doe and fawn?" he asked.

"I am Gurri," the younger doe said in that same tone of voice that Faline spoke with. "This is my son Balo."

"You were Faline's and Bambi's first daughter" he asked remembering what Bambi told him about the other forest.

'Yes," she said. "I came back with Mother and Father, after the fight with Geno."

"Geno, Bambi's son?" he repeated looking inside at the injured deer lying in the cave. "Bambi's son did this to him?"

Both Faline and Gurri seemed to break out into tears together. "Yes," Faline sobbed. "My own son did this to his Father."

He was aghast. He could never imagine him trying to hurt Bambi, but his own child did this to his father. Why, this was not the Season. Deer didn't fight like this at this time. "Why?" was all he could get out his confused mind?

Gurri stepped forward and tried to explain. "After Mother and Father left with most of the herd after the fire, my brother resented it. He felt his Father had abandoned him. The older deer knew this and made it rough on Geno. They chased him, teased him, and beat on him. That went on until he was a three season male and then he took revenge on them. He was strong like his Father. His rack was huge, more like Bambi's Father the Old Prince. He beat them. He beat all of them. He did not just beat them, but beat them so badly that they were injured. One male died later in the winter because he could move around to find food. After he beat them he took their does and bred with them. He did not care for any of them; he did it to show his strength. He then made it known he was herd leader and anyone who objected would get the same treatment. When Father came back with the others he was so mad he attacked Father without warning. He hit him with his hoofs and his rack, even though it was still in velvet. Father would not hit back at his own son. Geno hit his Father until Mother stepped in and stopped it."

All he could do was stand there and shake his head. "So you came back here," he said.

"Yes, Gurri went on. "I was looking to come here anyway. Geno is big, Geno is strong, but Geno is not as wise like Father. Just after the last Season, he led us onto the meadow. I and my mate Delor told him it was not safe, but Geno would not listen because he smelled nothing of Man and also because he never took advise from others. We came onto the meadow, and Man was there and used his killing sticks on us. Delor was hit and died nearly in the same place as Bambi's own mother did. I have been trying to leave with Balo ever since, but Balo was too small to travel. When Father and Mother came back, I came with them. Geno did not like it, but he would not strike me even though he wanted to. Mother stood in the way and even Geno would not strike his own Mother. All he wanted was Father gone. Geno saw Father as a challenge to his leadership."

That was darkness to him. He looked back at Claris and Stena who also seem to have tears in their eyes. He then noticed none of the others had come back.

"The others," he asked Faline.

"Geno told them they were welcome to stay as long as they accepted Geno was herd leader," Faline said in sobs. "Ronno and Marol said that was fine with them and so did the others. I think Ronno was happy to see Bambi beaten. He always had anger against Bambi ever since he tried to take me from him and Bambi beat him."

"He beat Ronno," Gurri said angrily. "But he did not injure him."

"No," Faline said in another sob. "Bambi never tried to injure anyone. Not even his own son."

They all now looked at him and he realized as herd leader this was his decision on what to do next. What he saw he thought was impossible, but impossible was standing in front of him. He couldn't waste time. That would be considered a weakness; a decision was needed now. "Jolo, please come here."

Jolo who stood apart came in until he was only a length away.

He spoke loudly and with authority. "Bambi and Faline are welcomed back to the herd. Gurri and Balo are also welcomed to the herd. They may stay as long as they want."

"I understand and I agree," Jolo said.

"Has Man come back to the meadow?" he wanted to know.

Jolo reported calmly, "I have watched from the hidden place and I see no lights, dogs or Men at the Man caves. We have used the meadow at night. In fact we just came back from the meadow, all except Bambi who has a problem walking."

"Jolo has been a big help to Balo, Mother, and me," Gurri added.

He was glad to hear that. Jolo was taking over well as a senior herd male. "Thank you my friend," he said and rubbed Jolo's neck in affection.

"I did what the herd leader asked me to do," he said simply.

"And you did it well," he said and went back to Claris.

"What about Stabo, Gina and Veron and the others in the Man path forest?" Claris asked him.

"They are all fine and doing well," he said loudly enough to be heard even by Bambi. "For now it is late, the light is getting brighter. We need to rest. We will look at this again tonight."

Jolo came over and whispered in his ear. "I think you should look at Bambi now. He is not well I believe, but he will not admit it."

He nodded and motioned to Faline and walked into Bambi's cave something he rarely did even after he and Faline left. This was Bambi's place.

Bambi was lying on his legs, He saw several cuts and they were turning red. He rubbed his head with his nose and felt the heat. He was getting a fever. It was then he realized Bambi could die from this unless something was done soon.

"My friend, how are you?" he said trying to show his concern.

"I will be better soon," the familiar deep voice replied, but it was weak.

"Bambi, you are ill. You need help. I know a plant the bear showed me after I was hit by Man. He told me to eat a few leaves from this plant every day. They are bitter, but they helped me heal. I know where these plants grow in the forest near here. I will take Faline and the others to show them where they are. You have to get better and you have to eat. You know what will happen if you do not."

"Perhaps that is best," he said. "A beaten herd leader is not needed by the herd any longer."

"That is stupid," he growled seeing where this was going. "There is a difference in being beaten and not fighting back. I think you should have wiped the ground with your son. You are not weak. I have spared with you too many times to know that."

"He was my first born," Bambi coughed. "The one I wanted to take over after me and now this."

"Listen, I can still use your help and you are still my friend," he told him with sincerity "I am going to get this plant and I am going to show the others where it is. I will leave the fawns with you until I get back."

"I will watch them," he said and turned his body so he could see out the cave better.

"Try and get some water in you," he said and left.

He left the cave and looked around. All of them were all standing near him waiting for him to tell them to do something. He hoped he was doing the right thing. "Stena, Gerta, Balo, come here," he said.

Stena and Gerta came at once. Bolo hung back looking unsure about the new big deer. "I have to take your mothers to a place I know where they can get something to make Bambi well. I need you to stay here and help Bambi. Do not leave the thicket. Do you understand me?"

"Yes Father," Stena said. "Will you be gone long?"

"No," he answered. "While I am gone I also want you to help Bambi if he gets up. You are all big now. You get on either side of him and help him stand. He needs to drink from the stream."

"I will try, Father," Stena said.

"That is all I can ask of you," he told them then faced the others. "I know a plant the bear showed me when I was hit by Man. You eat a few leaves a day and it helped heal me. I need to give some to Bambi. He has a fever and we must help him now. I need you to come with me quickly to where the plant is so you can get these leaves for him. The fawns will take care of Bambi while we are gone."

"I will come," Jolo and Claris said together. Faline and Gurri nodded.

He looked again at the fawns. "Remember what I said." he told them firmly and then took off into the forest.

He ran through the forest with the others behind him. Normally he did not run because it made too much noise. Man could easily follow, but Man was not in the meadow and he did not sense any scent of Man so he ran. He led them past the smaller opening in the forest and past the pond to a stand of large pine trees. He could smell the pine in the air just like near where the bear lived. In a small opening near some bushes he found the plant he wanted. It smelled exactly like the one the bear had showed him. He could only hope it help Bambi as well as it helped him.

"Here," he said and showed the others the plant. "He used his teeth to cut off a branch of many leaves and held it in his mouth. "See that Bambi eats about this many leaves every day," he showed them. "Can you all find this bush again if I am someplace else?"

"Yes I know it," Faline said. "I never saw it grow here before. My old Aunt Ena told me about it in the old forest."

"Now let us hurry back to the cave," he said and ran off with the others behind him.

When they got back they saw an interesting site. Bambi was trying to drink but his legs were shaking. Both Stena and Gerta were on either side of him trying to hold him steady as he drank. They were having problems because Bambi was so much heavier than they were. Balo stood like a tree against Bambi's back to make sure he did not fall that way. Bambi managed to get several mouths full of water then stood up.

He came over and offered the leaves to him. "These are bitter, but they should help you. Try and eat them,"

Bambi ate the leaves off the branch he was holding. He made at face at the first leaf, but ate all of them.

"Do you think you can eat some grass," he asked.

"Too far to the meadow," Bambi said. It was obviously tiring for him to stand.

"There is grass behind the cave," Faline said. "You can eat that."

"Need it for winter," Bambi told them.

"It will grow back before winter," he pointed out. "Right now you need it so eat it."

Bambi walked behind the cave and started eating on the grass. Bambi only ate for a short while before he heard a great growling noise coming from inside him. Bambi's tail shot upward exposing the white underside. He lurched forward and bounded into the trees for a second. They then heard a groan and the sound of Bambi's waste being emptied onto the ground. A little while later he came back. He looked embarrassed, but continued eating. After a while he limped back to his cave and lay down again. He went to sleep almost immediately.

"He may sleep for a while," he told the others. "I know I did." He then looked at Gerta and Gurri. "You Father may need some help over the next few days. He will be weak, but I hope he will be back to normal soon." It was then he realized the day was far along and he was tired from his trip last night and the events of today. "We will discuss this more tonight," he told all of them and went back to his thicket. Claris lay on one side of him and Stena lay on the other side."

"I will help Bambi, if I can," Stena said.

"I know you will," he said and nuzzled her cheek. "You and your brother have done well and I am proud of you both of you. For now let us sleep."

He noticed Jolo had bedded down not far away from Gurri and Balo. That may prove interesting in the future.

Over the next few days, Bambi began to improve. He got up and moved around more, but he could tell his muscles were still tight and hard to move. He told him how he had gone through the same thing. It was not long before Bambi could walk to the meadow at night, but he and Faline ate alone. Bambi also did not talk with many deer including him. When he did speak to him it was formal like a member of the herd would talk to the herd leader. This bothered him. When Bambi was herd leader he and Claris had paid him his proper respect when they were with the herd, but he always treated Bambi more as a friend and not just the herd leader. Something was bothering Bambi on the inside and being the tight lipped sometime arrogant deer that Bambi could be, he knew he could not expect Bambi to come to him.

As the days went on he noticed Gurri was staying closer to Jolo. He looked at them. Yes, he was tall, strong and wise. He had never had a doe he cared about. Jolo had bred doe during the Season like he had done before meeting Claris. As he thought about it there was almost a flash of light in his head. One of the things he had always wondered about was why Bambi pushed him and Claris together when he first got here. Bambi had never explained. Now he understood. If relations were close between males and doe, there would be stronger within the herd. Making him stronger made the herd stronger.

After the two of them had fed, he walked over to Jolo. Gurri walked away thinking he wanted to talk to him about the herd. In a way she was right.

"May I ask you something?" he asked the large deer watching Gurri walk away.

'Of course," he said with a slight bow.

"Do you like Gurri?"

"Yes," Jolo said warily. "Do you or Bambi object?"

"I will not speak for Bambi," he said. "As for me, I do not object. Does she like you?"

"I think so, she has never told me to go away. I have fun around Balo. He will sometime make mock charges at me and I will push him away. I think she is lonely after Delor died."

"Good," he said with a smile. "I will tell you one thing and that is ask her if she feels for you. She will tell you."

"What about Bambi?" Jolo asked as if unsure.

"If Bambi or Faline wanted to say something about Gurri and you, I can promise you they would. Besides Gurri is a four season doe and is the same age as you. She is old enough to know what she wants. Like I said, ask her. I will talk to Bambi."

With that he left him alone. It was getting toward day. Although he could see no sign of Man, he still did not want the herd to be in the open in the light. He called to the herd for them to leave the meadow. All of them followed his instructions and within a short while the meadow was empty of deer again.

He noticed Jolo and Curri walked away from the others. He saw Balo running around with Stena. As they got back to the cave he told Claris he wanted to talk alone with Bambi for a while. The he walked up to the old deer who was hardly limping now.

"Can I talk to you alone?" he asked Bambi. He thought any doe with them would only get in the way of this conversation.

Bambi nodded and followed him. When they got far away Bambi asked "What can I do for the herd leader."

"First off stop talking to me like you are some yearling," he said seriously. "When you were herd leader Claris and I paid you and Faline respect when we were with the others, but when we were alone I always treated you as if you were my friend. You always gave me advice as if you were my friend, not just the herd leader. You are still my friend and nothing that has happened is going to change that."

Bambi bowed his head. "I am sorry, but lately I feel useless. I have no purpose here."

He was shocked. No purpose, how can that be? "What do you mean; you are the wisest deer I know. If nothing else you can still offer me advice in case I start to do something stupid."

"You have not done anything stupid since I have been back," Bambi told him head still down. "You seem to be as wise as I ever was."

"And I learned this from who," he interrupted. "I learned that watching you. I took up with Claris on your advice and it was the best thing I ever done. No my friend, you are far from useless. "

With that Bambi raised his head. "But look at me. I am a beaten deer."

Now we were getting to the point. Beaten senior males leave the herd, live alone, and usually die soon afterward. "No you are not beaten. You did not fight back and yes that was a mistake. I know you could have beaten your son into the ground if you had wanted too. You have only been pushed back not beaten."

"But I feel weak and tired," Bambi's said his voice also sounding strained.

'Like I did when I came back from the bear; do you remember how you got me my strength back? You and I would go off alone and have mock combat. You would push me down and I pushed back and over time I got stronger. Well I am going to do the same to you. After feeding every night we are going to come alone to the clearing and I will spar with you alone. You will push back and get stronger and when you are strong enough I hope you go back and beat some sense into your son."

"No, the others will beat him in time. He will be run out and mostly likely die soon afterwards. I do not want to go back there; I just want to feel useful. Otherwise I might as well walk alone into the meadow in the morning."

That shocked him most of all. Bambi being dead would solve no one problem's except his. "NO!" he shouted. Even Bambi took a step back. "I will not see your head going up in some Man cave. You are going to be of use to me here along with Jolo. By the way, I hoped you noticed Jolo and Gurri are a couple."

Bambi smiled for the first time. "That was the one thing that made me feel happy. They would be good for each other."

"Then tell Jolo and Gurri, in the same way you did for me and Claris. You see I finally understand why you did that too."

"Maybe I can be of some use," Bambi muttered and walked back with him to the cave.

Chapter 6: Uninvited Guests

The late summer passed with no further interruptions by Man. The grasses grew tall and there were no major problems. In fact, this was one of the most peaceful times, other than winter, he could remember since arriving in the forest. The only annoyance was that it tended to rain more than before. His thicket protected him from the worse of the rain, but all of them got soaking wet on more than one occasion. The herd fed at night, the fawns grew larger, and his rack finally filled out. Claris told him it looked about the same size as last year. Jolo and Bambi had similar racks, but Claris always told him, in private, his rack was slightly larger. All that mean to him was that some Man would want to have his head mounted in this cave for enjoyment even more. They heard nothing more from either the old forest, or from Veron and his son Stabo. As far as he was concerned, no word from them meant nothing bad had happened.

His main task had been to make sure the others in the herd, especially this year's fawns, had put on enough weight to get them through the winter. With Man off the meadow, this was fairly easy to do. He himself felt built out and ready for both the Season and winter. He knew no male in the forest would challenge him either for Claris or his position as herd leader. Being honest with himself, the only two deer that could even try to challenge were Bambi and Jolo, and neither were interested.

Bambi had talked to both Jolo and Gurri and it now seemed for sure they become a pair during the Season. Balo did not seem to mind the large male deer around him and his mother. Both Stena and Gerta pestered their parents about learning more about the forest and he was glad to teach them. What made him even gladder was this time alone with Bambi. After Bambi lost his fever and his cuts healed, his strength came back. What little that may have been lost was regained during their nightly sparing matches. One of the best ways to build up strength was to have a deer as big or bigger than you try and push you down and you push back. It soon became clear to him that any weakness Bambi had was more in his head than in his body. He also worked out with Jolo continuing to show him his tricks. Although he never said anything to Claris, he felt that if anything did happen to Bambi and him, Jolo be a fine herd leader.

It was on the day his velvet start to itch that things changed. He heard noises from the meadow, Man noises. They were not very loud and it sounded like there were only a few Men there. He didn't think they had come for them, but he also heard many dogs. That night all of them visited their old location to watch the other end of the Meadow.

There only seem to be a few lights on in the Man cave and there were many dogs on the outside lying down. It be impossible to use the meadow tonight.

"Not many Men, but why so many dogs," Jolo asked.

He noticed something else. These dogs were different. They was larger, barked louder and acted differently than the other dogs he had known."

"My Father told me of dogs like these," Bambi said. "He said they were the bad dogs because they behaved more like the wolves that use to live near here. Man uses them to hunt larger animals than us."

"The bear," he said out loud. "They are here for the bear."

He remembered the time of the season. The bear might not be alone now and any other bear would kill him in an instant if they could. Yet he knew he must try and warn the bear. There was a way to do this, but last time he tried this, it almost killed him.

"Look, I want you all to go back to the cave and thicket. I cannot go to the bear now, he may not be alone and any other bear would kill a deer on sight. I am going to call to the bear instead."

"No," Claris said loudly. "Last time you called someone like that you almost died. I will not go through that again."

"Last time I didn't see all the Men, now I can. It was also day and now it is night. Man may hear me and come after me, but I will see him before he can get close to me. If they do come after me, I will need to run fast and far away from the cave and the rest of you. I cannot do that if all of you are with me, so I ask you to go back."

"I can call him," Bambi said.

"He knows my voice," he told Bambi. "I must do this. I am alive because of him. I will not let him be killed without warning."

He could tell the others were not happy with his plan, and he was not keen on it either, but he decided he had to do something. First Jolo, Gurri and Balo left and then Bambi and Faline did. Only Claris and Stena remained.

"Do not do this?" Claris asked tenderly.

"I came back to you because of the bear," he answered with equal tenderness. "I will not let him die. Now both of you leave."

Reluctantly she and Stena left. He waited a while to allow them to get far away and then took in a deep breath.

"BBBBBBEEEEEAAAARRRRRR," he called out at the top of his lungs.

He waited until he caught his breath and then called out again, "BBBBEEEEAAAARRRR."

He then waited. He called three more times. There was almost no movement from the Man cave. The dogs barked louder, but no lights went on. No one seemed to be interested in him this time. Then he saw it. He saw a large black mound running down the hill, only he was not alone. Another mound slightly smaller followed him. He ran down to near where the trees ended before the meadow. He took a chance and stepped into the open of the meadow so they could see him. The bear stopped. He did not need to see those red eyes to tell he was mad at him for disturbing him. He pointed his body toward the man Cave.

"THEY COME FOR YOU!" He shouted as loud as he could.

The bear looked at the camp and looked back at him. The other bear was starting to get closer.

"Thank you," he heard faintly in the wind. The two bears started running up the hill. They would know what to do. He then heard the dogs start to bark loudly. They must have gotten the scent of the bears. He saw a light come on in the Man cave. He turned and ran as fast as he could into the deep forest. He took the long way back to the cave to make sure no one followed him home. He got back near morning. The others were waiting.

"Did you warn the bear again," Bambi asked.

"Yes, and he was not alone," he said. I am going to go to the clearing and eat something. No one goes near the meadow until Man leaves," he said to Jolo.

After he finished eating and drinking the cool water and washing himself off, he came back to his thicket. By now they were all bedded down. He took his usual place between Stena and Claris. They said nothing and he went to sleep.

As the morning passed he heard dogs barking again, but this barking was louder and deeper than before. He head them move across the meadow and disappear up the hill on the far side. The dogs no doubt picked up the scent trail the bears made last night and followed it. He was sure by now the two of them were over the hill into the next forest. The bears were as safe as they could get. He dozed back to sleep for some time and then he heard the dogs bark again. The noise seemed closer this time. It did not concern him at first, but as the day went on then barking always got closer. Then he heard stick breaks and bushes trampled through. That was close near the stream as the bottom of the small hill. He got up and stood in the small opening in front of Bambi's cave.

"HERE. . . HERE. . . . HERE . . .," he heard the dogs barked. The noises were getting closer.

"Get up," he said loudly.

"Bambi ran out of his cave in moments Jolo, Gurri and Balo were near him, followed a moment later by Claris and Stena. Only Faline and Gerta remained in the cave and they were standing.

"Listen," he said. They all heard the increasing noise of branches breaking. Dogs had never come up here before.

"Wind at our tails," Jolo said out loud. "They smell us."

"Just then he saw the outline of a large dog at the edge of his vision. He was definitely coming toward them.

"Doe and fawns run to the clearing," Bambi said out loud, "Now!"

The dogs smelled them. They did not get the bear so they decided on something else. The dogs were coming here after them. The doe hesitated for a second and then Gurri bounded off with Balo right behind her. Faline, Gerta, Claris and Stena followed in short order.

"We got to give them a change to get away. We can charge the dogs and then run after the doe," Bambi said.

Jolo looked at him as if he has lost his mind, but both he and Bambi had charged dogs before when they got too close. He saw four large dogs and making their way up to them. There were other dogs further away, but these four were the closest. They had not been seen yet.

"Get you rack under the dog and lift with all you might and throw the dog as far as you can." Bambi said quickly. Use your hoofs to kick them. That hurts them a lot."

He nodded. Jolo seemed at a lost. He had never fought a dog. Jolo had no idea what to do.

"Jolo," he ordered. "Run back with the doe and fawns. If the dogs get by us, you will have to protect them," he said.

Jolo was a mixture of fear and confusion. He did not know what to do which meant he would likely die here. "GO NOW!" he yelled and kicked him lightly with his rear hoof. The brought him back to his senses. Jolo took off like a frighten rabbit.

"Two deer and four dogs," Bambi muttered. "I hope Man is not with them."

"We charge them once and then run," he said out loud. "We can out run those dogs in the forest. We run toward the Old Owl's tree and away from the clearing."

Bambi nodded and lowered his head eyes still on the dogs that were still following their scent. He did the same.

One large dog finally seemed to catch sight of them and ran directly at them. Bambi sprung forward dropping his head. The dog saw him only an instant before Bambi hit him. Bambi scooped the dog up with his rack and threw him in the air a short way. He took the second dog that came up behind the first and did the same. The impact was like hitting Kragus again. His head rang. That dog was heavy yet he managed to throw him in the air. The dog hit the ground with a squeal. Meanwhile the others two dogs ran by the first two and tried to jump on their backs. He reared up and kicked out with his front legs hitting the dog in the face. Another squeal as the dog flew away bleeding from the mouth. The other dog had avoided Bambi's kick and jumped on his back and started to bite. He turned quick and aimed his rear hoofs and kicked up. He missed Bambi and hit the dog in the face with both hoofs. There was a loud crunch and the dog flew off. He could see the bite marks bleed on Bambi's back. By now one the dogs had regained his footing. He charged forward throwing the dog wildly into the air.

"AAAYYYY," he heard and looked up. Two Men holding killing sticks were coming up the hill. One of them started to bring his killing stick up.

"BACK," he yelled and pulled away and started to run. He then turned quickly and lurched forward.

"KKKKKAAAAABOOOOOMMM," he heard followed an instant later by dirt falling on his hindquarters

He ran behind the rock of Bambi's cave. He looked up. Bambi was in front of him, while tail up and running into the forest at full speed. He ran behind then. Suddenly Bambi changed direction. He did the same thing and ran even harder.

"KKKKAAABBBOOOOM," came again. This time he felt something fly between Bambi and him like a large Bee. A tree in front of him seemed to burst open. He changed directions again and lost sight of Bambi. He ran a few leaps and then changed direction again. He could hear the dogs yelping behind him.

"UNTER BACCC DOW,"he heard one of the Men shout. The barking stop, but he didn't.

He kept on running at full and changing direction every few leaps until he saw the tall tree of the Old Owl. At that point he was getting exhausted but he ran directly for it. He reached it as he ran out of breath. He started to breathe in heavily. His chest wheezed. A few seconds later he heard the bush move and Bambi almost ran by him. Bambi stopped, put his head close to the ground and also started to breathe heavily. They stood there next to each other for a while just trying to get their wind back. His heart was pounding in his ears.

"What is going on. . ." he heard the Old Owl started to say from above. He stopped and suddenly screeched out. "Bambi you are bleeding on your back."

He walked over and looked at Bambi; other than the bite and claw marks on his back, he looked fine. The bleeding wasn't serious, but it was enough for the dogs to track. He turned and looked back the way they came. He could still hear barking in the distance, but it was not close to them. Bambi recovered enough to look him over.

"There is a claw mark on your neck, but I see nothing else."

"Men fired at us two times with their killing sticks and did not hit us." he said to Bambi and the Owl. "Turning quickly does work," he said.

"We are alive," Bambi gasped.

"After a few more breaths he said out loud. "We cannot go back to the cave. Man might still be there with his dogs. He will leave after dark unless he builds a fire. Then he may stay there all night."

"He might still follow us," Bambi said. "With me bleeding, the dogs can track me. Stranger you go off back to the clearing and I will lead Man away from you and the others."

"No," he said. "If Man was after us we hear him and the dogs. I can hear them, but they are not getting louder." He looked up at the Old Owl. "Friend Owl can you see anything?"

"I see nothing, Stranger, but my eyes are not as clear as they used to be."

"We can go up the hill," Bambi told him. "Once we get near the top we can walk until we see the stream flowing from the other forest. We walk down to the stream and can follow that to the clearing. Man will have a hard time following us."

"I just hope the others are smart enough not to return to the cave," he said.

Bambi nodded and then looked up at the Old Owl, "Friend Owl can you fly to the clearing?"

"Yes, that will not take me long," the old boy said.

"If you see Faline and the others, tell them not to go back to the cave or the thicket. Stay in the clearing unless Man comes. If you see any of the herd, tell them the meadow and my cave are not safe."

"I will tell them," the Owl said and flew off.

"Let us go, it will be a while before we get there," Bambi said and walked off. "He followed him closely.

Bambi led him on a long round-about way through places in the forest he had not been to before. From near the top of the hill he could see the other forest in the distance. It was further away than the Man path forest, but looked much bigger. Between their forest and the other forest it was all open space. Any deer there could be seen from as far as anyone could see. They stayed inside their forest until the hill went down toward the small stream flowing from the other forest in the distance. From there the stream flowed into the pond, through the clearing, and down the small hill to the meadow below where it joined the stream from Bambi's old forest.

They followed the stream until they came to the clearing near dark. By now they were sure no one was on their trail. They came into the clearing that was by now crowded by other members of the herd. As they approach both Claris and Faline came out to meet them. They all nuzzled each other happy they were still alive. He went to stand in the middle along with Bambi and Jolo.

"Man came today to the cave and the thicket. We will check on it tonight, but while man is in the meadow, we cannot go there. Man is hunting anything that is large. They could not find the bear so they came after us instead. Bambi and I managed to stop them for now, but they will be back. Soon the herd will split up because of the Season. Then we must be extra careful. You fawns must stay off the meadow. When the herd breaks up, I think it be best if all the new fawns stayed here in the clearing until after the Season. I do not think you are big enough for Man to want to kill, but I am not going to take that chance. I will call to you fawns and then you go to the clearing and stay there until the Season is over. You larger deer already know better what to do. We are coming to the Season and Man knows this., so be careful all of you."

There were murmurings, but no complaints. He then called, "Stena, Gerta, Balo" come here. The he said loudly enough to be heard by everyone. "When the herd breaks up, you three will stay with the rest of the new fawns here until after the Season. You will not go back to the cave and thicket. If the meadow becomes safe, I, Jolo or Bambi will tell you. Otherwise you eat here. If Man comes toward here, you must lead the others fawns away. Go whatever direction you do not hear the Man noise from. If Man does come here, one of us will try and get back. Do not wait for us. As soon as you smell or hear Man or his dogs, you run."

"Yes, Father," Stena answered meekly.

Now the rest of you, find what food you can in the forest and stay well hidden, while you wait for the Season to begin."

He waited for comments and they were none. "I will see you after the Season," he told the others and walked out of the clearing with Bambi and Jolo and the rest behind him.

When he got well away Jolo came up to him. "I am sorry, I did not know what to do," he said meekly.

"You will know next time," he said before adding a silent, "I hope."

"I do not smell any smoke," he said to Bambi. "I think Man is gone from the cave."

"One way to be sure," Bambi said and followed him back to their homes. No man was there, for now.

Chapter 7:The Season Returns

They returned to their homes. Man was not there, but the remains of Man were. There was blood from the dogs and from Bambi. There was the scent of Man lingering and the smell of the killing sticks. There was also a large slit dug into the ground where the killing stick had hit behind him tearing the ground open.

"Come here," he said to the fawns. They all gathered around him looking at the opening in the ground. "That is what a killing stick does," he told them. "If it hits you, can you see what would happen?"

"It tear us to pieces," Gerta said.

"Come look at this," Bambi said from behind the rock outcropping of his small cave. All of them walked over. A few lengths into the forest they came to a large tree that also had a gaping hole in it. It was larger than his leg. He could see the sap running into the opening.

"This is where Man used his killing stick again, and here is what it did," Bambi told them. "Think what it will do to one of us."

"It kills us in an instant," Balo spoke up for one of the few times he had ever heard him talk.

"Yes," Bambi said. "It would kill one of us in an instant."

"Man used his killing stick twice on you and Bambi?" Stena asked.

"Yes," he answered.

"How did you live?" she asked. "I did not think Man missed with his killing sticks."

He wondered about that himself. Were they lucky, or was what he heard from the Old Buck in his first forest correct? "Remember what I said to you before, if you must run from Man never run in a straight line and turn quickly several times as you run?"

"The fawns nodded.

"That is what Bambi and I did and Man did not hit us. However, do not think that will work all the time. I will admit to you, we were lucky."

"You were both very lucky," Claris said as they walked back to their thicket. "You were also both very brave to protect us." She then kissed him openly in front of the others. Faline did the same with Bambi. The warm intense feeling inside his body made him feel it was almost worth it. When they both went back to their thicket they were alone. Stena, Gerta, and Balo had going back to the clearing to talk to the other fawns.

She snuggled in closer to her, the warm feeling and the desire to breed Claris only increased, but she was not yet ready. Instead she talked to him some more. "You want a male or a doe this time."

"I like a son," he said. "I am getting old enough where I have to admit that I will only be herd leader for a few more Seasons before I get too old. I like to have a son who can take my place when the time comes."

He saw her face darken. Claris never liked to think that one day they would all die and pass from here. He had seen so much death before that he knew better. He had always felt whether by some Man killing him, or a bear or some other animal killing him, or dying from disease or sickness during winter, or some deer finally beating him and killing him; sooner or later he was going to die. If he was real lucky or smart he might die of old age like Bambi's father did. He was actually surprised he ever made it this long, but he had.

"We shall see," was all she said. "Then she changed the subject. "You know Stena asked me a lot of questions about the Season. She wanted to know what I felt during the Season. She wanted to know if she would feel the same thing."

"A bit young for that," he said.

"Not really," Claris told him. "I felt an attachment for an older male when I was a fawn, but it vanished. He had another older doe and was not the slightest bit interested."

"Why, does she feel an attachment for a male," he wanted to know.

"She said she likes to be with Balo, but he is too young to understand."

That was the first time he heard about that. First Stabo and Gena and now Stena and Balo; his family and Bambi's family seem to be getting joined together. "We will have to watch that next Season," he said. "In the meantime I know a doe that is not too young and understands fine what happens in the Season."

The next few days the males finished scrapping the velvet off their antlers. It did not seem as hard to do as last year. When they were done, Jolo, Bambi , and him has large nice racks. The doe also starting to emit that scent letting him know the time of the Season was near. He also started again to feel uncomfortable around Bambi and Jolo, but the feeling was not as strong as last year when he and Bambi almost came to blows. When the last of the velvet was gone, he knew it was time to say goodbye until after the Season.

He was woken soon after he fell asleep the next morning when he heard a noise coming from the base of the hill. It sounded like another deer, but why would a deer be so close to the meadow during daylight. The noise got louder. This deer was in a hurry. He got up and walked into the small clearing. Bambi was also coming out of his cave.

"Ho," he heard from the bottom of the hill. It was one of the three year old males running up to meet them. It was Sinno, not a large, but a respectable three year old. He ran up almost exhausted. He ran into the small opening neat Bambi's cave.

"Sinno, what is wrong?" he asked. Bambi and Jolo were standing nearby by them.

The young male was exhausted, yet there was something else. The eyes, the eyes were full of fear.

"Stranger there is another Strange deer in the forest," he gasped. "He does not belong to this herd. I saw him in the forest near where the stream to the old forest comes toward the meadow. He came over and knocked me down. He said he kill me if I did not tell him where the herd leader was. He also asked about Gurri. Then he let me up and walked away. I ran here to tell you."

"Someone comes," Jolo said looking down the hill. "Some deer I do not know. He is big."

"You you led him right to us," he said out loud. "Leave Sinno, this is my problem," he said trying not to show anger at his stupidity.

The three year old turned and bounded away like dogs were on his tail. He watched as a large rack came up the hill. There was a large deer that went with the rack. He was the same size as he was. He walked like a herd leader and seemed to take no notice any of them were here. As he got closer, Gurri called out. "Krono, he is one of the lead males in Geno's herd."

He walked into the middle of the clearing and watched the large male approach. The male was unafraid of them there and walked into his clearing like he already owned it.

"I am Krono," he said with an air of command. "I knew that fool lead me to you all. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the new herd leader here. Geno the herd leader in the old forest sent me over to take over leadership in the forest."

"Is that so," he said. "Well you can go back to Geno and tell him I am herd leader here and you and him can take a long walk on the meadow for all I care."

The new comer did not blink an eye. "Well then I will just have to kill you," he said and lowered his head as he did he looked to the side and saw Gurri and the others and stopped. "I see Gurri there and there is the old beaten stag Bambi," he said. "Geno asked me to breed with Gurri and run Bambi off. I will do that after I kill you," he said and lower his head again.

He lowered his head. This deer was big and strong, but was he smart? He was about to try a fake charge on him when he heard."

"Not this time," Bambi growled like a bear and in an instant a brown blur flew past him straight at Krono. Krono shifted his weight and went to meet him, but Bambi got under his antlers and lifted his head as he crashed into him. The noise was like a killing stick going off. Bambi stood there, as steady as the rocks in his cave. Krono went flying backward at least three lengths. He got his legs under him and got up and Bambi flew at him again. This time Krono charged also. They met with a terrible crash. Both looked stunned, but Bambi looked to recover first. He dropped his head again and pushed hard on Krono pushing him back. Krono dug in his back legs and pushed Bambi back and Krono went to get under his antler and lift Bambi off the ground. He was only able to move the huge deer a bit before Bambi brought his rack down on top of Krono smashing his head onto the ground.

In a second Bambi pulled back and then lowered his head got under Krono and picked the big deer up almost flipping him over. He went crashing against a tree. Bambi was on him in a second pounding him on this flank with his hoofs.

"Beaten old stag," Bambi growled again and stomped on Krono.

"Breed my daughter." Bambi yelled and stomped on Krono again. "

"Kill my friends," Bambi yelled a third time and stomped even harder. This time he could hear a cracking sound from inside Krono.

"Bambi stop!" Faline called out. "He is beaten."

Bambi turned quickly to face them; the normally dark piercing eyes were flushed with red. For the first time since he had known him, Bambi looked ready to kill.

"No my Friend," he called out. "You have won."

Bambi turned back to Krono who was still lying on the ground fighting for air. He could see a light trickle of blood from his forehead and coming out of his mouth. He thought Bambi was going to start stomping him again, but instead he lowered his antlers and slashed the side of the big male.

"DUROOOO," screamed Krono

Bambi did not cut deeply enough to gut Krono, but he did gash him badly. Krono have scars for the rest of his life. After that he was just limp on the ground.

"GET UP!" Bambi yelled and just about lifted the deer back onto his feet with his rack. Krono was as wobbly as a new fawn on his feet and he looked to be out of his head. Bambi hit Krono hard across the face with his hoof to knock some sense back into him. Then Bambi looked deeply into Krono's eyes with his black and red eyes. It reminded him of the bear getting ready to eat.

"Leave!" he told him. "Do not come back. If I see you, smell you, or even hear you again, I will kill you myself without warning. You tell my son that he is no leader here. We have our own herd leader, and Gurri has her own mate. Geno gets to say nothing about this. If he wants to come back to see how his old beaten father is doing, tell him his father is still strong enough to pound you into the dirt. Now go, before I do kill you."

Krono staggered. As a help Bambi kicked him in the tail to hurry him along on his way. Then he turned around and looked back at all of them. It was only then he realized what he had done. He stood up straight and closed his eyes realizing he had broken the rules for the herd. He walked timidly up to them and lowered his head.

"I am sorry." he said almost in a moan. "I lost my temper. Krono came to challenge you for herd leader and challenge Jolo for Gurri. I should have let you both handle him, but he got me so mad I lost my head. I am sorry," he repeated and started to walk away.

"Stop, my friend," he said and walked up to him and gently lifted his head with his own rack. He looked at Bambi with a large smile on his face.

"Geno needed to be sent a message, it is only best his father send it to him. You owe me no apology. In fact you have my thanks." With that he rubbed his forehead with his nose.

By then Gurri had walked up to her father and licked the side of his face like a fawn would. "Thank you, Father." she said.

He then turned to look at the three fawns all standing together with their mouths gaping open yet speechless. None of them had even see a hard deer battle before and it suddenly dawned on them exactly what it meant. "Listen to me," he said not as their father or friend, but as the herd leader. He was hash and direct. "Sometimes you have to fight to do the right thing. What Bambi did was wrong because Krono came to challenge me and Jolo. However since Geno, Bambi's son sent Krono, it was only right that Bambi should send him back. For this reason Bambi did nothing wrong."

The fawns looked still in shock. "I told you before when the herd broke up for the Season, I wanted you and the other fawns to live in the clearing until the Season was over. I want you to go there now. The rest of this year's fawns will join you soon. I will call them. You watch them and then run if Man comes near. We are close to the time when Man will come to our forest to kill deer. I do not want any of you near the meadow now."

"Should we call, if Man comes near," Stena asked.

"No, do not call, just run toward a place where you do not hear or smell Man. Wait there until well after dark. It will be up to you three to keep the others safe. Can you do this?"

All three nodded understanding if somewhat reluctantly. Stena seemed ready for this, the others he was not sure about.

"Good, now leave," he said and watched them all walk up the stream. When they were gone he dropped his air of authority.

With that he took a deep breath and made a long deep call to the forest "FFFAAAWWWNNNSSS," he bellowed three times. That should keep them safe. The others were on their own.

"I will see the rest of you after the season," he told them all and looked back at Claris who was beaming. "Come, Claris," he said and they both walk toward the bedding area they marked as belonging to them in the Season.

"After the Season," Jolo repeated and he and Gurri walked away down the hill. He knew Bambi and Faline stayed near their cave at all times.

They found their bedding area and cleaned it and made it comfortable for the next few days. It was under some very old oak trees near the Old Owl's tree. By the time they were done it was getting near nightfall. It had been an eventful day. They both got up and ate some leaves near their bedding area. Although the scent coming from Claris was very strong, it was still not the scent of a doe ready to breed.

"I thought Bambi would kill Krono," Claris said standing there. "I have never seen him that angry."

"Nor have I," he answered. "If he had killed him, I don't think I would have minded. When a deer comes up to you and says he is going to kill you, then usually the only way to stop him is to kill him or beat him so badly he is almost dead. That deer was strong, but I think I could have taken him. He was not smart. He made that fight into a test of strength like Kragus did. Bambi used leverage against him and easily won, but he could have done other things. I think he was so enraged he didn't think about what he had learned. That is bad. You must always think. It is the only thing that keeps us alive."

"For which I am very happy," she said with those green eyes sparkling.

He went over and kissed her like he had in the old days with passion and affection. She returned the kiss and again both of them knew why they had chosen life's path together. He was convinced Bambi had been right, they were meant to be together. They spent the night playing like fawns again, chasing each other around and jumping on each other. It was a pleasant release from the tensions he had felt most of this year. It was also one of the few times he could relax without being herd leader. It was morning when they went to sleep. They did not sleep long before Claris got up.

She looked down at him eyes beaming. "I think we will try to have that son you wanted" she said softly and turned away from him. Her scent drove him up. She was now a doe ready to breed. He sniffed at her tale and he felt the pressure build up inside until he felt ready to explode. Claris raised her tail and hunched her back ready to receive him. He complied with vigor as that pressure exploded out of him as it had done before.

Chapter 8: The Hunting

After two days of fun both he and Claris felt the Season pass. Although he was still very attracted to her, she made no more attempts to couple with him. The Season had spent its passion with them. He only hoped the results would be as he wanted. He would know in the spring. They made their way back to the clearing to check on the fawns. They approached down wind and quietly. In the clearing were a dozen fawns all sleeping silently and alone, except two. Off to one side he saw two fawns lying together. It was Balo and Stena. He walked silently to the edge of the clearing and took in a deep breath through his nose. He then motioned Claris to follow him away from the fawns.

"You do not think," Claris started to say and then stopped.

"There was no scent of breeding deer," he told her. "Balo is too young to do anything, but they do obviously like each other."

'They are far too young for that," she said.

"For making fawns, yes, they are too young. To like each other, no they are not. Remember Bambi and Faline were close before Bambi had her as a mate. Soon it will be winter. After that they will be on their own and we will have no say in their lives. Now come, away, they and the others are sleeping, we will bother them later. Besides I do not think we should go back to the cave quite yet. It appears that our children have a tendency to find mates too soon."

He and Claris spent part of the day washing in the stream to remove the stronger scents of the Season off of them. After dark they tried to sneak up on the fawns, but one of them saw them and announced their coming. In a way he was pleased, if they could not sneak up on the fawns, then Man would have no chance.

"I am glad to see you are all safe," he told them. "Your parents will be along shortly to get you. Stay here until then. "Stena, you may come with me now."

Stena came over and said simply, "If you do not mind, Father, I will stay here until the others leave and then join you and Mother in the thicket."

"As you wish," he said and both of them left.

They went to the cave and quietly went back to their thicket. He saw no sign of Bambi, Faline, Jolo or Gurri. They went on past the thicket and went onto the meadow. They cautiously approached and saw several deer on the meadow. There were no light coming from the man cave. There was no scent of Man in the air. It was a good time to eat their fill. As it got closer to day, he saw other deer come on to the meadow in pairs or alone. Most deer only paired doing the Season. Only a few of the larger or older deer would be together for the rest of the year.

As they finished they were joined by Jolo and Gurri. "It was a good Season," Jolo said. "There were no problems from Man, and I heard few fight between males."

"Good," he said looking at the darken Man caves. "We must watch closely, I do not expect Man to stay away for long. As soon as Man returns I will call the herd together in the clearing and we will make plans to avoid the hunt."

"I understand," Jolo told him.

"We are going to get Balo now," Gurri added."

"I just saw the fawns, they are all fine," he said. "Having them stay together was a good idea."

Both Gurri and Jolo made a slight bow and went back up the stream toward the clearing. He stayed on the meadow looking at those who entered. By near morning most had come down. As the lesser light set he saw Bambi and Faline enter from behind them.

"It looks to have been a good Season ," he said.

"Few fights," Bambi added then stopped and looked at the Man cave. "Look at the Man path." he said with concern. He turned and saw two pair of bright eyes coming down the path heading straight for them.

"Leave the meadow," he called out loudly. The few other deer stopped and ran into the forest. The four of them did likewise.

There was noise on the meadow that morning. It was the familiar noise of Man making things as before. By now he was use to it but it meant the hunt would soon begin. Bambi soon came back with Greta and Stena followed them She came right up to them and reported, "The other fawns are now gone and are back with their mothers. We lost no one. Even the Coyotes and the Badgers stayed away from so many fawns so close together."

"Good,' he said like a herd leader. "You did well, Stena. Go rest because Man is back."

"I like to talk to Mother alone, if you do not mind," she said with a little apprehension.

"Go with your mother to the thicket. I want to stay here for a while and listen to the meadow. When you are done, call me," he said and walked away.

He stood at the edge of the open area and listened to the noise. There was no yelling together as before. It was just the banging sound of things being made. That made him think this was not the Men who hunt, but the Men who prepare the hunt for others. Soon Bambi came up and stood by him.

"Man is back, but I think no hunt today," he told him.

"Then there will be one tomorrow," Bambi answered. "Are you going to call a gathering?"

"Tonight," he said. "I think Man will again try and get up in the hills and try and chase us again onto the meadow where they will kill us. I think I know a way to stop them."

"How" Bambi wanted to know?

When you took me to the top of the hill we saw the other forest, but you also showed me the trees up there. If we get the deer up there, there are enough trees to hide in. There is also food up there in the open space we can use at night. Man will find it difficult to get behind us to chase us."

Bambi looked at him for a second and then nodded. "It may work, it is better than getting chased and then killed."

"You think it is worth a try?" he asked.

"Yes," came the simple reply. "That is something not even my Father tried. You are different Stranger."

"Father," he heard Stena call.

"Rest now, plan later," he said and went back to his thicket. Neither Stena nor Claris said anything to him.

It was after dark and the noise from the meadow had stopped when he called the herd together again into the clearing. This meeting was well attended. Even the Old Owl and some of the squirrels and possums came and tried not to get trampled underfoot. He explained his plan to them. He then finished up with the following.

Bambi, Jolo and I will watch the Men in the meadow. When it seems like they want to start hunting we will call to you. That may start as soon as tomorrow, At that point all of you will go up the hill and stay near the top. When Man does try and chase the animals, he will not be able to forces us onto the meadow. Remember this; even if Man is behind you, do not allow yourselves to be chased onto the meadow. To do so is to die."

"We have never done this before," an older doe called out. "Will this save us?"

"I hope so, but I have never done this myself," he said calmly. "I do know very well what happens when Man chases animals onto the meadow. We saw that last Season and several of us died there."

A younger male asked, "Can we eat the grass in the open area past the top of the hill? Is it like the meadow?"

"We should, but that open spot is not as well watered as the meadow. I would not go too far from the trees and I would test the air for the presence of man. The grass should be good enough to eat."

There were no more questions. With that he decided to go to the meadow and watch from his place of hiding. Jolo, Gurri, Bambi, and Faline insisted on coming with him as did the fawns. Finally even Claris decided to come. He rather would have done this alone since he would be harder to see with only him, but it be a good lesson for the fawns. They all went to their watching place.

There were only two lights shining in the man cave. What got his attention was that as before, Man had built the smaller caves near the end of the meadow from where they could easily view all of it. He saw no dogs, there was no shouting. Other than the lights it was quiet. The wind blew in the wrong direction to smell any man scent, but it did not seem there were many Men there. Later on all the lights went out and it was quiet.

"Do we try and eat on the meadow?" Jolo asked him. "I see no dogs to warn the Men."

"I hear nothing and I do not smell anything." Bambi added. "I think it is safe."

He had to agree, but they could always be wrong.

"We eat near the trees," he told them. "All of you watch the Man caves. If you see any lights go on, if you see men come out of the caves, if you hear any loud and unfamiliar noise, you all run. Do not run together, run into the forest and we will all meet next to Bambi's cave."

They all nodded approval and they all went out on the meadow together and then spread out quickly. They ate just as quickly. A few of the herd also join them and together they ate and drank their fill before the first streaks of red appeared in the distance. It was then he heard Jolo bleat loudly a warning. He looked up and saw many pairs of glowing eyes travel down the Man path toward them.

"Run," he called out.

The herd scattered in a dozen different directions. He stopped a few lengths into the forest and called out his warning to the herd. It was picked up by Jolo and Bambi. By then the many Man animals had stopped and he saw many Men get out all carrying the killing sticks. They would hunt today it seemed to him. He raced back to the cave and found the others already there.

"We need to go to the top of the hill," he told them. "Man has come in large numbers and he has come here to kill."

They all traveled quickly up the stream, past the clearing and the pond and beyond until the stream flowed into the open. They climbed the hill and got to the top. By then, all of them were worn out.

"Spread out and keep low," he told them.

"He and Claris took cover under a tall stand of pine trees. He saw Bambi and Faline a distance away behind bushes. The three fawns found a small hollow in the ground and bedded down. He lost sight of Gurri and Jolo. He could hear the footsteps of other deer running up the hill. He could also smell the other deer nearby. It appeared the herd had done what he asked them, he only hoped he was correct.

As they lay down, Claris snuggled up close to him and lay against his side. It was a pleasant way to spend the day avoiding man.

"So what did Stena and you talk about?" he asked. He had not had a chance to talk with Claris alone for a while.

Claris seemed to smile openly. "She told me that she had slept with Balo during the Season, and that nothing happened. Balo did not try and couple with her. She told me she liked the feeling of him lying next to her. She told me it made her feel warm inside. I told her lying next you did the same thing to me. Then she asked me how I felt, and I told her we had been together and I hoped I would have another fawn in the spring. Finally she told me she was happy for us and that she would try and do the same thing next Season."

"So our little fawn is not so little anymore," he said. "The only thing is that Balo will not be big enough to challenge anyone for Stena. "

"So she will either have to run away with Balo when the Season starts where the other males cannot find her, or she will have to do what I did that first season and kick hard any male that got near her. It did work for me before a deer I was interested in showed up."

"That deer is still interested in you," he told her and nuzzled the back of her neck. "Now let us sleep, we will need it.

They did not sleep for long. Soon they heard Men tramping through the forest and up the hill. The wind was from the other forest so he could not smell them well. They got closer and was beginning to wonder if had made a mistake coming here when they stopped.

"AAAYYYYYAAAAAA," they stared to yell and make other noises by beating on something.

"AAAYYYAAA," they repeated and soon it became obvious was that they were walking away from them.

The yelling and banging got less and less. There were only two sounds of the killing sticks. They actually managed to get sleep that day. That night they ate in the open area near the trees. The food was good, but they had to walk a distance to get to water. Still no deer were missing. They decided to stay up here again for the next day and night.

The next day the men repeated their yelling but it was in the forest on the other side of the meadow near the bear. Again there were few noises from killing sticks. At night they ate in the open space and drank down at the stream.

On the following day they again heard Man near them, but he sounded like he was walking up the stream and through the clearing. Nothing came near them. That was the last they heard of Man. Where there were no noises on the next day, the herd decided to go back to their normal places. All he heard were praises that no one was killed this Season. He was happy and so were the rest. After dark they walked down the stream. It was getting toward morning when they were getting back to the cave and thicket. As they approached the clearing where Bambi's cave was a strange smell caught his nose. It was awful smelling and hurt his nose to smell it.

"Skunk, has been nearby," Bambi said. "We do not get many of them, but there are a few around."

"I can smell nothing, but skunk," he said.

"It is awful," Jolo said and he and Gurri, walked into the small clear along with Faline and Gerta. Balso was walking with Stena. As Jolo and Gurri were about to walk by Bambi's cave they stopped suddenly and both their white tails shot up into the air.

"RUN!" Bambi yelled out.

As he and Claris turned he saw figures get up. Seconds later the air was filled with. WHAMMM, WHAMMM, WHAMMM, WHAMMMM, WHAMMMMM. He lunged back into the forest behind him. He lost sight of everyone else. All he knew was Claris was next to him. "WHAMM, WHAMMMM, WHAMMM he heard again. They ran changing directions several times. They both ran back to the clearing and hid in the trees. As he stopped he looked at Claris.

"Are you hit," he asked and looked her over. Thankfully she was unhurt.

"Are you hit," she asked and looked him over. "No you are fine."

"I lost sight of the others," he said.

They waited hidden straining their ears and noses to pick up anything of Man, but there was nothing. It was a while later when he saw Balo and Stena walk into the clearing. Balo came out first with Stena lagging behind obviously hurt. The both got up and ran over."

"Stranger, Stena has been hit," Balo said almost in tears.

As he looked at his daughter she turned her side toward them. Down the length of her side was a long red streak, still bleeding.

"I turned, but not fast enough," she said. Her voice was labored.

"Lie down," he told his daughter and she did. He looked at her side. The wound ran down her side like his wound had, but there was only one. It was not deep. He saw blood, but little else and it was not bleeding badly. Near her left rear hindquarter the streak ended and he saw it. A small black stone was under the skin. He remembered what the bear had told him when he had been hit in much the same way. The stone had to come out. The bear had taken them out with his claws, and it almost killed him. He had no claws, but he did have something almost as good, but he shuttered at the thought of what he was going to have to do.

He got down on his knees and looked his daughter in the face.

"Stena, there is a Man stone still in you. That stone has to come out or you will sicken and die. It is like when the bear saved me after I had been hit. I think I can take the stone out with my antler, but it is going to hurt worse than being hit. It will hurt you worse than anything you have ever felt. Can you understand this?"

"You take out the stone or I die," she gasped still breathing hard.

"Yes, and while I am doing this, no matter how much I hurt you, you must try and stay still.

She nodded and he looked at him. He used his short point on top of his forehead. He tilted his head and placed his antler next to the black object. As he touched her skin she tensed up and let out a yell.

"You must be still," he said. Now prepare yourself.

He looked up at Claris who was already shedding tears. He looked at Balo who was already crying. He own eyes were misty, but he could not stop He put his right center point next to the stone and when he was sure he was in the right position he lunged in penetrating her side and then brought his head up quickly to lift it out,

"AAAHHHOOOOOO, Stena screamed, and her legs stiffed and then she went completely limp. For a moment he thought he had killed her, but she started to breathe again. He looked down and although the wound was bleeding, he saw no stone.

"It is out," he told her. "It cannot hurt you anylonger. Now you must rest and recover your strength." He then rubbed her face with his nose. "I am so sorry. I did not want to hurt you like that."

"Pa-pa," she said weakly like a little fawn.

He put his head next to hers." Yes, my daughter."

She licked his face. "Thank you, Pa-pa," she said and seemed to fall asleep in front of them.

He turned his head away and sobbed uncontrollably for a while not wanting the others to see. He was brought back by Balo asking," Have you seen my mother?"

He blinked several time. There were still things he must do.

"No I have not seen you mother. I am going to go back toward the cave and look. I want you all to stay here."

Claris came over to him to block his way. "Not until after dark," she said. "I cannot lose you too," she said her eyes still full of tears. She was right; the other had to look out for themselves for now."