Chapter 9: Strange Company

He woke lying on his unhurt side. The grass he lay on was filled with the stench of blood, his blood. His side throbbed in pulsating pain. He was dizzy, out of breath and completely helpless. He could not move a muscle. He heard the wind blow, the sound of birds in the tress. There was the honk of the larger birds as they flew overhead. There was also a strong scent, but it was no scent of man. It was something else, a smell like dead meat mixed with wet fur. He realized he had smelled it before. It was the scent of a bear and it was close by.

He struggled to move, but the lower part of his body refused to budge. It felt asleep. The scent got so close he could smell the moist, damp, foul, odor of the bear's breath over him.

"Cannot move can you?" he heard the bear growl.

He felt the touch of thick fur on his side and something large loomed over him. He looked up into the black furry face of the bear that towered above him, studying him.

"You brought Man and his dogs to me. That was not kind of you" the bear said. "Why?"

He tried to call up enough strength to speak, "I was hit, Man followed me. I did not know you were here."

"Perhaps, but now what am I going to do with you?" he bear growled and climbed over him. He could see the black underbelly of the huge creature.

"Please, just do it quickly," he said his voice was starting to rattle in his throat. He swallowed hard. "I rather it was you than Man."

The bear paused and turned his face toward him his red eyes glowing. "Yes I think you would," the bear said calmly, almost purring. "No not today. I am afraid all I have for you today is more pain. There are two dark stones in your side. If they do not come out, you will catch fever and die. I can take them out, but this will hurt more than being hit by Man. I am sorry for what I am going to do. No matter how much this hurts, you must try and stay still."

The bear moved over him to stand next to his injured side. He felt the movement of a sharp claw move gently over his side until it stopped. Immediately his body was filled with agony; he stiffened like a tree.

"You must be still," the bear growled. "This will hurt even more."

He felt the claw again only this time it dug into his side. He felt it go into his body and stop. For a second he thought the bear was going to tear him to pieces, but it only went in a short way then out it came quickly. His body was filled with pain. He could not even yell.

"That is one," the bear said. "The other stone is deeper, I can hardly see it, but it must come out. Prepare yourself."

The claws moved toward his hindquarter, his body was racked through with pain piled upon pain. He felt the claw go in, deeper this time. A pulse of utter agony passed through him. A bright light filled his eyes, and then blackness engulfed him.

He came to his senses sometime later, body still racked with pain, but it did not seem so bad as before. He tried to move, but he could not. All he could smell was his own blood and excretions that must have soaked the grass. He was still helpless. He looked to his side. He saw he was lying on fresh green grass. He could see a depression in the grass covered by his own blood and waste. That must be where the bear dragged him. The bear must have moved him, but why? Why had he not used that large claw and broke his neck like he did to Talis. It could not hurt as much as he felt now. At least he would be at peace.

"You are still alive," he head from his other side. "I had to move you from that place of death. The Man stones are no longer in you. Now you must recover your strength. That will take time and soon I will go into my den to begin my long winter's sleep. The others like the fox, badger and coyote have not come to finish you. My scent keeps them away. When I go into my den, I will not be around and they may come in close. If they do and you cannot stand they will tear you to pieces. Do you understand me?"

"He nodded his head and he noticed he did not feel his antlers on his head.

"My antlers," he said.

"They came off as I was moving you. You deer have a strange life. Your greatest protection is your antlers and yet you throw them away every winter. It would like me throwing away my claws and fangs.

"What could he say? He tried to raise his head, but the forest starting spinning and he fell into blackness again.

This time when he awoke he felt hungry and thirsty. The air around him was cool and crisp. He could see the ground was covered in a layer of bright multicolor leaves.

"You woke up again" he heard the bear say. "You are full of surprises. You have lay there for two full days. Now you must get up. You must eat and drink or you will die and you must walk to do that. I cannot help you with this. You must do this on your own."

The bear was right, he was strong, but without food or water he would die slowly. He rolled on his side. As he moved pain shot through him almost as bad as if he had been hit again. It got him to his knees. He was upright again. He pushed down to force himself up. His front came up with no effort, His right rear leg extended, but his left leg lagged, Just using his right leg, he got up on his feet, but the moment he put weight on his left rear leg, it threaten to collapse on him and filled his body with waves of pain. He tried a step and almost fell into the bear that was lying outside a large den he had dug into the side of the hill. He caught himself and steadied his stance. He tried another step, keeping as much weight off his left rear leg as possible. He moved very slowly.

"Come," the bear said and led him to the other side of his den a few lengths. It took him time to get there, but he could move.

"See these green leaves," the bear said and pointed to a bush he was not familiar with. "Eat them, they are bitter but they will help you heal, only eat a few at a time. Next to my den here is a small stream that runs down the hill toward your meadow."

"Meadow," he said out loud. Claris and the others must think he was dead. "I have to get back to my meadow," he said and started to turn around."

"If you try and go down the hill, your side will open and you will bleed out. The others will smell you and finish you off. You have to stay here until you heal."

"But Claris and the others think I am dead," he explained.

"It is better for them to think you are dead than for you to be dead," the bear growled. "It will take time for you to heal, maybe all winter. Here near my den no one comes that can hurt you. You will have grass, and a little further past the trees are acorns and bushes you can eat. It will not be a feast like I have when I eat one of your kind, but it will keep you alive and healing."

Just taking these steps exhausted him. The bear was right, he never make it down the hill in his condition. He had to stay here."Thank you," he said never believing he ever owe his life to a bear. There was one thing that puzzled him.

"I wish to ask you a question?" he said to reclining mountain of muscle and fat.

"Go ahead," he bear said licking his paws.

"I was helpless there. You could have easily killed me and ate my body for your feast. Why did you not do it?"

The bear got up and started for his den. "That answer I will leave you to ponder during the winter. For now it is my time to sleep. I normally get up during winter. If I find you dead, I will eat you. When the wind blows and the snow comes, you can sleep next to my den. The wind does not carry the snow to that side because it is stopped by the two tall pine trees. Stay healthy Stranger. Try and get your leg to move. You will have to learn to run again if you ever want to see that Claris of yours. Good winter." he said and crawled deep into his den.

The winds turned cool and then cold. The grass turned yellow and lost most of its taste. There were still enough leaves, berries and acorns around. He ate the leaves the bear told him about, several a day, and slowly, he healed. He still hobbled around mostly on three legs, but he learned to move better. It seemed to him that his left leg had gotten shorter after being hit, but he realized it was the tightness in his muscles. The muscles would not move so far. The worst part was when he tried to stretch those leg muscles. The pain was awful, but in time slowly diminished. By the first snow fall he could walk slowly, but he could not run. By the second snow fall, he could walk easily, and even trot, but a full run was out of the question. The bear awoke after the second snow and came out of his den at night. He was sleeping and only realized the bear was there when the overpowering scent flooded into his nose

"So I do not have to eat you," the bear said. The bear actually looked to smile.

"No," he said and got up, and walked around.

"And you can walk, very good," the bear complimented. The creature then went up and smelled his side near his wounds. "I smell no sickness in you. I think you will live."

"I live thanks to all you told me," he answered. "A badger got close, but once he smelled you in the den, he ran off."

"Has it been a bad winter?" the bear wanted to know.

"Snow, but not heavy," he said.

"Pity when it is cold and the snow is deep I normally find several of your kind dead." The bear didn't seem to mind if his guest liked his comment or not. "I will go over the mountain. The deer herd over there is not as careful as your herd. I will be back here by the end of day tomorrow.

He did not see the bear until the rising on the lesser light the next day. He came back looking pleased. He could smell the scent of deer on him. The bear had found something to eat.

"I found a sick yearling that died in the snow fall. I ate most of it and left the rest to the others. I am full. I suppose you are happy I didn't have to kill it?"

"As I said before, I rather see you than Man," he told him

"Why do you care who it is in the end?" the bear asked. "Whether it is me, or one of my kind that kills you, whether Man kills you, or the badger, or the coyote. In the end you are just as dead."

"No," he said shaking his head "There is a difference."

The bear motioned him to continue. "For that I would have to tell you a long story that might bore you," he told him.

"Please continue I have time before going back to sleep," the bear told him and lay down in front of his den.

He got down on his legs to rest and told the bear the story he told Claris. He even told the bear about his fight with Kragus and why the others wanted him gone. It took to the time the lesser light passed overhead before he was finished. The bear heard him out only asking one or two questions.

"You tell an interesting story," the bear said yawing. "I think your herd is foolish. We bear don't live in herds, nor do we keep our mates close by. My kind does not get along well with each other like yours does, or at least what you try and do."

"I tried to be of help to them, to warn them about Man, but I guess I failed."

"You did as well as you could," the bear went on. "I can also understand why you dislike man, but I still do not understand what the difference is between me and Man. We both kill your kind for food, yet you hate man and do not hate me."

"This is true, "he told him, "But do you remember when I told you how man gets into his animals and moves?"

The bear nodded silently.

"Well sometime when Man comes back to his cave he brings food with him, enough food to last many days. Man then puts that food in hiding places and then feeds off of it. Some of that food is meat, but it is meat that is already dead. All man has to do is eat it."

"That is interesting," the bear noted. "So Man has someone else kill his food."

"Not only that, but when Man gets together after they kill us, they make merry like a new fawns in a meadow. They enjoy the killing and the eating of our flesh. If man has all the food he wants without killing, and he only kills for enjoyment, then Man is not like us. I eat grass for my food. You eat meat. You kill to eat, but do you do find pleasure in killing?"

"No like you said, I kill for food," the bear replied. "I take no joy in killing your kind. It is necessary."

"Then you know the difference," he added.

"Is that what you mean when you say you rather die by me than Man. You rather die by me because it is the Way of All Things as you say, not because some Man is having fun doing it?"

"Yes," he said almost with relief. Someone finally understood him.

"Then do you know why I did not kill you?" the bear asked him.

He had thought about that and thought he understood. "Because despite our differences, you and I are much alike in the way we look at the forest."

The bear nodded. "This is part of the answer, but not the whole part."

"The other part is that we have a place here. We have a reason to be here. Man does not."

The bear's face seemed to brighten. "That is mostly true, the rest I will tell you later. I can see you are as wise as I heard your herd leader Bambi is. I must go back into my cave. I will see you again at the end of winter."

He went back to being alone. After living with the herd and Claris for a while, he was not use to being alone again. Every day he thought about the herd and wondered about Claris, Bambi, and Faline. Were they right now morning his death, of had they already forgotten the Strange deer that came to live with him. Claris might have found another male by now. Could Bambi keep the others from chasing her out of the forest? Even if he did go back, would they still want him after Kragus? These were the thoughts that chewed at his inner self as much as the bear would have chewed on his outer self. There was nothing to be done to answer this agony of his inner self. He still was not healthy enough to run from danger. He had to heal more.

There was one more light snow and then the sky cleared and the greater light started to shine warmer. On that night he watched the lesser light rise full, has it had done many times since he had been here. He started to see fresh grass try and break through the leaves on the ground. By now he had started to run, but only a little bit. He still could not move quickly, He could turn quickly, but he was still slower than before. The bear could run him down if he wanted to. In the morning the bear came out.

"Well, Stranger, you have survived the winter, I did not think you do it, but I am glad you did. Can you run yet?"

He did a short dash across the opening in front of the bear that went to chase him like a fawn would. It wasn't long before he caught him.

"Slow, but I think fast enough for the others. You are as healed as you are going to get being here. The rest will come later."

"What now?" he asked.

"You stay here for another few days, and then we walk down the hill together. After that it will be up to your herd to take care of you. I can do nothing more for you."

He had waited all winter to hear that.

Chapter 10: Reunion

He looked through the trees as he walked down the hill noting the first place he had met Bambi. He was also at the same place he had seen this forest for first time. Below him the denser oak trees hid from his view the vast expanse of grass. It was likely turning bright spring green from winter brown. His new summer coat was almost fully grown in. His strength had mostly retuned, but there was still stiffness in his left hind leg and that would likely remain for the rest of his life. "I will leave you here," said the bear."Any closer and it will frighten your herd."

He turned and looked into red eyes of the black bear. "Will you tell me now the full reason why you didn't eat me during the winter?"

The bear hesitated and looked him in the eyes. "Besides the fact that you and I are the same, and that we both belong here, I did not eat you because something told me I should not. There is something about you, Stranger. You seem not only to belong here; you seem to have a purpose for being here. A purpose greater than mine or any of the other creatures I know. I do not know what the purpose is, but I am sure there is one. Then he stiffened, "But do not take this as weakness. If I can kill and eat any of your herd, I will do so."

"I understand my friend," he said bowing his head. "That is the Way of All Things. You will forgive me if I tell you I am going to make sure we keep a close watch for you so you will not succeed. "

"I understand," the bear said and he started back up the hill. "You will not have to worry; I am going back over the hill to the other meadow. The food there is better. I will not be back until next winter's sleep."

The bears' words struck him. That was two creatures that told him he had a purpose here. Just what that purpose was and who gave him this purpose he could not understand, yet he felt it was true.

"Stay well, and thank you, my friend for everything you have done," he said watching the large black figure climb up the hill until he was out of sight. He then slowly walked down the hill until he caught a clear site of the meadow. Already the first glow of day lit it.

He sniffed the air. The wind was blowing from across the meadow toward him. The air carried the familiar scent of the oak, the raccoon, the possums and the other creatures of the forest. Then he smelled it; the scent of deer. His own deer herd. He watched from concealment the deer walk carefully out onto the meadow. A lot of yearlings this time were together, including Veron, but he saw familiar faces. Ronno entered the meadow and started to eat. The doe Marol was still next to him with a new fawn. The remainder of the males came onto the meadow all alone. The more mature doe entered the meadow next; all of them had white spotted fawns that could not be very old.

The deer all stood at attention again as Bambi came out with Faline. She was again sporting a new fawn, then the bushes moved behind her and out walked another doe, this one was not stepping lively, but seemed to just walk along. He knew that figure at once, it was Claris. He almost flew into a run to greet her, but he was stopped dead in his tracks. Behind her a new fawn walked timidly out and walked alongside of Claris. His heart almost rose out of his mouth. He hurried the last few lengths to just outside the meadow and stopped. He sniffed the air again; there was so scent of man. He looked over toward the place the Man-machines had been before. The flatten ground was still there, the Man-path was still there and the thin trees without branches were there, but there was no Man-cave.

He took a deep breath and said out loud. "I hope they still do not hate me." With that he stepped out onto the meadow. He walked a few steps. Instantly every deer stopped feeding and stood up to stare at him. He heard a collective gasp from in front of him. He walked into the meadow and held his head up so all could see it was him. They stared at him as if they were all struck dumb.

He swallowed hard and called out, "Greetings."

For a second, he thought they were all going to run away from him. He could not blame them.

Then several started to move. They moved quickly and they moved toward him. He looked toward Bambi who was breaking into a run along with Faline and their fawn. It was Claris who coved the ground running at full. He was afraid if she hit him, both of them might get hurt, but she pulled up and then leaped up on her two hind legs and wrapped her front legs around his neck and rested them on his back. She looked right at him and through a fountain of tears all he heard between the sobs was, "Is it you….It is you." He licked her face and tasted the tears she was crying. He found his own eyes tearing"

"I am back," he told her, his voice choked. "I am not leaving this time."

Next Bambi almost collided with his side rubbed his face along his neck and said in a cracked voice, "You are alive, my friend you are alive."

The others crowded around him pushing him about looking at him in amazement. He was grateful for the chorus of thanks at his return. He shook his body and broke free of them. He was interested in something else. A fawn stood next to Claris. A little male stood under his mother for protection from the crush of bodies. He leaned over and put his face next to the quivering infant. The fawn looked at him for a second as if studying him. Then he raised his head up and started to lick his face. He felt his heart was ready to burst and he wept as much as Claris.

"His name is Stabo," Claris choked through her tears. "At least your son will have a name."

He raised his head and acknowledged the welcome of his herd. He was as filled with happiness as ever he had been in his life. Then he noticed there were several in the heard who did not run to greet him but went back to eating the spring grass. There was still a chill in the air and it was not from the wind.

"My friends," he called to the others around him. "I have been away for a long while. "I thank you for having me back. I would like to speak to Bambi, Faline and Claris today. The rest of you I will talk with later. I have much to learn about what happened while I was gone."

The others seem to understand and left them alone with a series of welcome back and glad you are still alive comments.

"Can we speak alone," he asked the three of them.

Bambi nodded and slowly lead them off the meadow and into the forest. The short climb made his left rear leg sore, but it was getting better. They made their way back to Bambi's cave. He could smell Claris and Stabo had spent their time there while he was gone. Bambi had watched over them.

"So tell us what happened, why are you alive?" Bambi asked.

"I will tell you, but you will not believe it," he said and then told them his story.

If not for the lingering scent of the bear on his fur, he didn't think any of them would have believed him except Claris who spent the time tucked tight against his uninjured side. Stabo drank his mother's milk as did Faline's doe fawn Gina.

"I would think that could never happen, yet here you are," Bambi said as if still not believing it. "None of us thought we would ever see you again. I am glad you are back."

Claris leaned over rubbing his face. "I am very glad," she said softly, her eyes were still watery.

He leaned over, and put his mouth on hers and kissed her for what seem the entire day. He could feel her warmth flowing into to him as his warmth flowed into her. Yes, he was meant to be here with this doe and fawn. Little Stabo finished feeding and wiggled between him and Claris and his tiny head sticking out between him.

"Do the others still want me gone?" he asked Bambi.

"Some still do," he said painfully. "Most are happy to have you back. You called the herd away from Man. Then we all thought you died because of it. Many felt badly afterward and decided that you and Claris were treated unfairly. Many still dislike you both, but enough want you here that I do not have to try and chase you off."

That was a relief for him, especially in the condition he was in now. "That is good, Bambi, because I am not as strong or as fast as I was. You could easily beat me now. I do not know if my strength or speed will ever come back."

"I can see," Bambi said looking at the scars on his left side. "I have never seen a deer hurt so bad and yet still live. You are indeed a strange deer."

"I can see you also took care of Claris," he said. "For that I thank you."

"Bambi let me stay here," Claris added. "When Stabo came he protected us both like we were his own family."

"You are both like my own family. You both are also welcome to stay here," Bambi told them. "This is your home now."

He took a deep breath. Bambi was right. This was his home. He was home, he was with his family, and for the second time in his life, he was content.

The End

For now