screeching of the bats. All hunting for food while trying not to become food. That was the Way of All Things; all became food in the end.
"Hooo," he heard from above. He looked up and saw a great owl looking down at him. He was old, grey, had a pale face, with wide gray eyes. His feathers were ragged and white with age.
"Hello Friend Owl," Claris said looking up at the darken shape.
"I see you are both alive," the owl said looking them over carefully as if not believing it. "Bambi was concerned." His voice was high pitch almost like a scream.
"Thank you," Claris replied. "Where is he now?"
"Him, Faline and Veron are all by the stream with some of the other deer. I sure he won't mind if you both show up."
"Is Kragus among them?" he wanted to know. He had his fill of fighting for one day.
"No one has seen that deer since you wiped his face in the ground," the owl went on. "I'd be careful about him, Stranger. Kragus has a mean streak as wide as the meadow. I would not turn my back on him."
"I do not intend to," he said. "However, if he leaves me alone, I will do likewise."
The owl seemed to shrug his wings. "We can only see what happens. In the meantime, please excuse me. The mice will not catch themselves," the owl said and flapped his wings. He was gone as silent as a light breeze.
He followed Claris for a while before they came across a small brook. The frogs were especially noisy here. They both stopped and drank their fill of the cool water. They also stopped to nibble on some plants. That got rid of his immediate hunger. They followed the stream until his nose picked up the scent of several deer. As they got closer he could see the outlines of Bambi next to Faline and Vernon in the glow of the lesser light. Ronno was standing in the rear. While they were still many lengths away, Bambi tuned and faced them.
"Well, well you both managed to live through it," he said and seemed happy about it.
"Thanks to our Stranger," Claris said.
By now the other deer there: a collection of three males, several females, and their fawns were pulling back away from them, as if they had some illness they could all catch. They wanted nothing to do with either of them. He was sure Claris noticed it too. By now he was use to it, but other than being different, neither of them had done anything to deserve such scorn.
He walked over to Bambi who stood his ground like a rock. "Today Man was not after us," he told him.
"I know," Bambi said. "Do you think it will be safe in the meadow tomorrow?"
"It is not the Season yet," he answered looking into that hard yet calm face. "Man usually waits for the Season to come for us. It is something about our racks, he wants. He wants them full and at their peak and that happens only during or after the Season. To be certain, I would suggest we all go into the meadow now and feed. If we are in the forest when the day comes, Man will have nothing to see. He has a much harder time finding us if we are not out in the open. That is why he uses dogs. They can smell us, Man cannot."
"How can you know anything of this?" one of the males called out. "How can you know about Man?"
Claris turned about sharply. "He knows that and a lot more," she rebuked the male. "If you listen to him maybe you might live longer."
In his entire life, that was the first time anyone ever stood up for him. He suddenly felt the same warm glow inside himself that he felt earlier when she lay next to him. The male did not like be dressed down by a doe and started to rise up. He turned quickly and stepped forward, his side rubbing against hers.
"NO!" he said flatly.
He looked deep into the eyes of the male who was smaller and weaker than him. The male backed away and into the cover of the forest. He then looked down into Claris' green eyes and openly smiled. "Thank you," he said.
She said nothing only rubbed her muzzle against his. The warm feeling suddenly got much stronger.
"He told me part of his story," Bambi said loudly to get everyone's attention. "I believe him and will follow his advice. We will feed now and leave for the forest before the start of the day."
With that Bambi lead the way. He and Claris stayed behind until the others had moved into the meadow. They followed and stopped near a place covered with a rich layer of grass. When they bent over to feed, the other deer moved away. They ate alone and in silence. After they had their fill, Bambi came over to them.
"I am sorry about the others," he said.
"It is their fault, not yours." he told Bambi.
"It is still rude," Bambi went on. "Even Faline is uncomfortable around you both."
What was there to do? Even Bambi could not change what others felt. It was then he recalled what Claris had told him about Bambi and his father. Maybe he had an answer to his question. He wanted to ask then, but was afraid others would laugh at him if they heard it. "May I speak to you alone," he asked the large deer.
Bambi seemed puzzled at his request but walked away and motioned him to follow. "I will be back shortly," he told Claris who also seem puzzled.
He followed the large deer to the end of the meadow before he stopped. "We are alone," he said still wondering what he wanted to say.
"I cannot say what I am about to tell you in front of Claris or any of the other doe. I am ashamed of this, but you must know if you are going to allow me to stay here."
"You do not owe me any explanation," Bambi said in a friendly tone. "I can see into you. Yes, you are strange, but you are also good, despite the deep hurt you carry inside you."
"That comes close to the matter," he went on. "Bambi, in all my wandering, I have never had anyone close to me. I lived apart, only taking part in the Season because something inside me told me I had to. I could not control it Yes I enjoyed it. I chased them and fought the other males who wanted them. I won most of the fights I was in. I lost a few, especially when I was younger."
He stopped for a second, he was having trouble saying this and his chest was tightening up. "Go on," Bambi encouraged.
"With the doe it was always just the feeling of the Season. None of them ever followed me around. None of them had the slightest interest in me afterwards. I never had any of them who cared for me like Faline cares for you. It is easy to see you both feel for each other. No one ever tried to say they cared for me until today, and I do not know what to do. I am also frightened that I will do the wrong thing. You see I did not grow up among my kind like you did. I had to learn as an adult what a deer was: how we spoke, how we lived, what we ate, how we even breed. You are the herd leader. I hear you are wise like your father. What do I need to do? How should I act?"
For moments Bambi looked at him stunned. He wondered if Bambi even understood what he was saying. How could he? How can any deer feel like he did?
Bambi stood there motionless for what felt to be a long while. Then he said in a hushed tone, "My father once told me there was One above us and Man. That One put you here for a reason, but what that reason is, I do not know. There is nothing wrong with you. You grew up your way. I grew up my way. I had my troubles growing up too. My father had to raise me after my mother was killed in a meadow like this. I was awkward, I was slow, Ronno kicked me around a few times before I finally put him in his place when I took Faline. I did not think about it with Faline. I let it happen. That is my advice, let it happen and enjoy what you have together."
All he could do was nod. Had this deer finally understood him? Most deer just jump around, eat, and play. He felt there was more to his place in the world than that, and maybe so did Bambi.
"Thank you for telling me this. It explains much," Bambi said and rubbed his own flank against his in a show of friendship. Bambi looked at the increasing light. "We need to leave in case Man comes back."
"Agreed," he said.
"Bambi barked out a deep loud command to the herd. "Go into the forest now."
He trotted back to Claris who was standing next to Faline saying something. As soon as he approached, Claris broke off whatever she was saying and came after him. Once they passed into the forest and they were alone he stopped and looked back. "Will you come with me?"
She seemed shocked for some reason. "No, not now," she said turning away. "It is still too soon. I have to know you better before I will do that."
He felt deflated, but then he remembered the words 'let it happen.' She was right' they had half a day and a night together. More time was needed.
"I understand," he said in a low voice. "Can I at least see you again on the meadow or in the forest?"
She turned and walked up to him again and muzzled him on his lips. "Of course you can," she told him in a soft airy tone that brought back that warm feeling.
She turned away and quickly vanished into the trees.
He wanted to follow in the worse way. His body urged him on, but instead he turned around and walked the other way toward the nearby hills. There would be other days, he hoped.
Chapter 4: Man Path
It was only a few days after his first day with Claris that it started. The herd was feeding in the meadow near the start of day. By now the grass was at its full and would be this way until after the start of the
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