start of the Season. Eating your fill was easy, and all the deer and other animals were putting on weight and muscle. The heat had increased. It was hot in the open when the greater light was overhead. To go into the open even for a short while meant your body was covered with sweat. It was best to spend the days under cover in the trees and come out only in the cool of the evening and early light.
Most of his visits with Claris took place in the meadow. They kept to the far end away from the others who ate by the stream. After dawn she would go back to her place in the forest and he would go to his. They had just finishing eating when suddenly there was a huge roar. Much louder than the Man killing stick. Much louder than anything he ever heard. The whole world shook with the noise. He saw trees in the distance start to fall down. A column of smoke rose as if from a fire. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. Instantly birds took off into the sky. Squirrels and other tree animals scurried up the branches to the top. Even Friend Owl was shaken from his new sleep and he flew deep in the forest. The noise almost knocked him off his feet. He was paralyzed for a moment along with all the other deer. Then he smelled it on the wind. Acrid, putrid like spoiled fruit. He knew the scent.
He turned and faced the herd some only now getting to their feet. "Man," he bellowed out as loud as he could. He turned to Claris. "Run," he yelled. She took to her heels running like a bear was after her. He ran after her slowly gaining. She slowed to turn her head.
"Do not look back," he yelled out loud enough to be heard across the meadow. She dug in her heels and ran even faster. She was first in the trees, he was right behind her. They both ran as fast as they could until they reached the place they had run to the first day he met her. She stopped and fell sprawling on the ground. He was standing next to her, head down panting, trying to get air into him. There was soon another huge roar, and another one like the first. The ground, trees, and even the rocks were shaking. He thought it might be the end for all of them. He could see even more smoke in the sky. Then he smelled the scent of burning wood. There was fire in the forest. Claris smelled it too.
"What do we do?" she tried to say through her wheezing.
"If the fire smell gets stronger, we will have to flee deeper into the forest toward the hills," he panted.
"I have never been that deep in the forest," she said looking scared."Are we going to die?"
"Not now we are not," he said to reassure her. "What happens later, I do not know. If there are more huge roars the whole world may end."
"Then I am glad I am with you," she said. Then she looked away toward the far end of the now hidden meadow. "I hope the others are alright."
"Bambi is wise, he will guide them. For now rest," he said and lay down beside her. "Try not to sleep, but keep your nose in the air. At the first scent of Man we run into the deep forest as fast and as far as we can. Do not look back after me. I will be alright."
"No," she told him."I go with you."
They lay awake until the greater light was directly overhead. There were no more loud roars. Soon he could hear the birds again, and saw the raccoons and possums come down from the trees. Even the insects came back to buzz around their ears. Then there was another noise, not as loud as the roar, but constant like a huge animal growling about looking for food. The noise did not get louder and the scent of Man did not get stronger. Soon even the smoke smell vanished. Both of them spent the time chewing their cud from this morning. After that they were both so tired they could not hold their heads up any more and they lay on the ground asleep. After the setting of the greater light, the growling stopped. All was quiet once more in the forest.
It was near dark when they woke. After they relieved themselves, they started back toward the other side of the meadow where they had met Bambi before. The air was still and no scent could he smell other than those familiar to him. A possum mother carrying four babies asked if they knew what was happening. He had to tell her no. Claris made for the big oak tree and the owl. Maybe he would know. He was there looking like he was waiting for them."
"Greetings Friend Owl," Claris said again. "You know what is happening?"
"Never in all my days have I seen anything like it. Huge animals are at the edge of the meadow. They seem to be eating rock, dirt, and trees. Men are with them in fact Men seem to be in them.
"These creatures are eating Man?" he asked. That made no sense to him. Man only ate, he was never eaten.
"No, no," the owl said with a hoot. "They seem to be getting in and out of the huge animals."
He nodded, that was familiar. "Yes, I have seen that before. Man has some animals that move. Men get in and out of them, but they are not eaten. I saw it, but never understood how."
He could see the owl has no idea what he was talking about. The owl listened then spoke out. "Bambi has called for a gathering in the deep thicket. He wants to see you. He even asked me to come."
"I do not know this place," he told the owl.
"I do" Claris, cut in. "I will take you, but I do not think they will be happy to see us."
"Bambi will be happy," the owl said poignantly, "and so will I. I cannot be expected to know everything that happens."
"Lead on," he said to Claris and the owl." Inwardly he had a bad feeling about this.
The trip to the deep thicket took until the lesser light was high in the sky. The thicket was much smaller than the meadow and it was crowded with deer, rabbits, raccoons, possums, and a collection of the other forest creatures.
"I brought them," the owl called out from above. "I brought the Stranger and Claris."
"Come forward," Bambi called to them. "They both walked close together through the herd. He saw the look on their faces that ranged from disapproval to disgust. The deer parted around them like they did not even want to be touched by them. He took a deep breath and kept reminding himself they were here for Bambi and only for Bambi. Claris walked straight ahead not turning to face any of them. They walked up and both dipped their heads as a show of respect for the herd leader.
Bambi stepped out into the middle of the group and spoke loudly. "I know what you think of these two, now we need them because there is a great question to be answered. That question is can we go back to the meadow?"
"Why is that a concern?" one of the larger males called out. "We have plenty of food in the forest. We can eat that."
"And what of the snow," Bambi added. "We eat the meadow grass because it is in great supply in the summer until it is covered by the snow, or dies in the winter. Then we eat the grass in the forest because the snow does not cover it as deep. If we eat that grass now, what do we eat when the snow comes?"
Distant murmuring came from the others. Most did not think that far ahead. "No we need the meadow grass and we need it soon. We have to know if the meadow is safe."
"Why not ask the Stanger and his doe" he heard Kragus called from the back. "We can send them out to talk to their friend Man."
He bit his tongue and took another deep breath. He was going to say something, but Bambi beat him to it."Enough Kragus, if you have nothing useful to say then keep quiet."
Then he understood what to do. There was a way to know if the meadow was safe. It might be dangerous, but the others would know one way or the other.
"I must disagree, Bambi," he said respectfully. "Kragus is right, we might need to ask Man or find out from him the answer."
All of them, even Claris, looked at him as if he finally lost his head completely. There were gasps, moans and looks of utter astonishment from the others at his words. He tried to explain. "The only way to know is to go out and look. If these animals are like the others I have seen around Man, if Man is not in them, they do not move. If so, we can use the meadow when Man is not there and that is at night."
"And are you just going to walk out there and ask Man?" Kragus' voice cracked again not even trying to hide his contempt. "Do you want to die, not that I care one bit?"
Claris walked up to him," NO!" she said simply, her eyes getting cloudy.
"No I do not want to die," he said keeping the coldness in his stomach at bay. "Not now at anyway," he said looking squarely at Claris "However if we eat the forest grass now, then many of us will be dead before next spring."
The thicket became as quiet as death. Nothing move or tried to speak. He then stood in the center next to Bambi. "I will need help however. Friend Owl I need your night vision from above to watch for movement of the Man animals. I will need someone to help and to act as a messenger if something happens to me. What about it Kragus, do you want come with me? You are big and brave, care to show it?"
Again there was dead silence from everyone. All turned to the brash young male halfway back in the pack. Finally the big deer backed away. "I am going to die some day, but I see no reason to charge headlong to meet it. I will not go with you."
"Did not think so," he muttered. Bambi heard him turned and smiled. Then he looked directly at him and said. "I will go with you."
A chorus of Nos
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