CHAPTER THREE: EFFORTS
He hurt.
The right and left side of his body hurt. His leg muscles hurt. His back hurt. His head hurt. The only part of his body that did not ache was his tail.
He had spent several nights with his father, Stabo, and Bambi learning how to fight hard. He thought he was good, but both Stabo and Bambi threw him around like a yearling male. One time Bambi had thrown him to the ground and lightly stomped on him just to show him how it feels. The training continued night after night. He strained his muscles to fight back, but Stabo and Bambi always had some counter move that threw him off-balance and they pushed him back. Night after night it was the same. He was slowly being beaten to a pulp by his herd leader and uncle.
They showed him how to kick. Not just kick to beat some male looking to take his doe. They showed him how to kick to cut open a deer like a bear's claws. He practiced kicking against trees, but sometimes rocks. They showed him how to sharpen his hoofs so they could be like sharp claws that cut into any flesh. They then showed him how to use his rack to cut open deer along the flank and rear. The most dangerous thing was how to use his rack to push deep into a deer or other animal's chest so he would quickly bleed to death. More important was how to stop the other deer from doing all that to you. It was exhausting. Many times after the lessons he did not even go back to his bedding place, but just lay down and fell asleep on the spot. The thing that aggravated him more than anything else was that Stabo and Bambi seemed to enjoy doing it to him. It was as if they were trying to beat him up so badly he would not come back. But he kept coming back, mostly out of anger.
"You know I am stronger than you are," Bambi once told him after pushing his head into the dirt.
He struggled to his feet spitting out the dirt. "Yes you are," he snapped back, "FOR NOW!"
"Good," Bambi said and walked away.
His uncle was even worse at times. Stabo was an older deer. Already he could see white hairs on his head and flank. Despite his age, he was powerful. He easily outmaneuvered him many times and pushed him back. Then he told him patiently what he did wrong. Then they do it again, and mostly the same thing happened but it took longer. It was a while before he realized that Stabo was having more and more problems in pushing him back. It was then he started to see the improvement in himself.
It was in late spring when he first noticed his condition. Practice sparing with even much older deer was becoming much easier. He never hurt anyone during these brief sparring matches, but soon, no one tried to spar with him. On the meadow, the herd males were giving him more space. They did not come up to brush him or to spar with him. The few that did he could easily brush aside. After fighting Bambi and his uncle, these other deer were not much of a challenge.
One night near the start of summer, after they finished and he felt he had done particularly well. He had not had his face pushed into the dirt. He had not been kicked. He was still being pushed back, but not nearly so easily. That is when Bambi pulled back and nodded.
"Enough of this for now," he said to the others. "I think it is time for this one to do something for the herd."
"Yes," Stabo said.
"What would you have me do, herd leader?" he asked.
"Sometimes it is necessary for a deer to do things to help the herd leader. One of them is to look for any signs of danger. Not just in the forest, but also nearby in the old forest. Danger can come from anywhere and the best way to avoid it is to find it before it finds us. Right now Stabo, your father, and Juon do that for me when needed. I think it is time for you to start. I want you to do something for me. I want you to go into the old forest and look for any new signs of danger like Man, or new large animals, or anything else that can be a threat to the herd. Mostly look for tracks on the ground. See where the tracks came from and see where they go. Also, I want you to look and see how well the grass, bushes, and trees are growing back. If the herd gets too big here, or we have a hard winter, we will have to send some deer over to the old forest so we all have enough to eat. I want you to do this for me. It will take several days; it is dangerous because we do not know what is there. You must be careful and try not to be seen by anyone. I think you are old enough to do this."
He felt an inward pride they trusted him enough to do this. "I will do what the herd leader asks," he said with glee. "I will start tomorrow night."
"When you get back, come see me and tell me what you find," Bambi said.
"Yes," he said and bowed slightly.
That night, not feeling totally exhausted, he went back to his bedding area. There the three doe waited. They took turns sleeping next to him and he enjoyed it. Inwardly, he looked forward to The Season when he could have all three of them as his mates.
They all settled down next to him and he felt their warmth. Inwardly he was happy, but he had to tell them what Bambi wanted him to do.
"Listen," he said softly. "I have to go away for a while. The herd leader wants me to do something for him. I will leave tomorrow night and I will be gone several nights."
"Do you have to?" Dala complained.
"Yes I do," he said. "It is necessary."
"Why?" Allia asked.
"Because the herd leader asked me," he said flatly. "They have been training me to become a senior male, and part of that duty is to find danger before it can hurt the herd. I am old enough now to do these things so the herd leader asked me to find out."
"Will you be back," Nalene asked.
He smiled, "Of course, nothing is going to keep away from you doe. I will be back."
"We will miss you," Nalene added.
"And I will miss you," he told them sincerely. "I have gotten used to having you three near me when I sleep. I like your scents."
He nuzzled all three of the doe and put his head on the ground and fell into a peaceful sleep.
The next night, as the lesser light rose, he moved to the edge of his forest and looked over the gap of open meadow at the trees of the old forest. Even in the pale moonlight, he could see the trees were barren of leaves. They were just burnt-out stumps.
He sniffed the air and smelling nothing, he ran quickly across the gap never running in a straight line more than a few leaps before changing direction. He ran as fast as he could so he would not be in the open for long. He entered the old forest and its burnt trees and stopped next to the burnt-out remains of several old pines. Although the trees were dead, he did see new grass growing from the ground along with other plants between the dead trees. The ground was green and some short stubby plants were growing, but nothing else was. He tasted the grass, it was not bad and there was a lot of it growing now that light could reach the ground. He kept moving, climbing the hill upwards. Every few lengths, he stop and sniff the air. Besides a faint burnt order that still lingered, there was nothing. He saw birds and a few chipmunks running around, but there were no larger animals. He saw no tracks or smelled any scents on his way up the hill. The most dangerous thing he saw in this part of the old forest was a rabbit.
When he got to the top of the hill the forest stopped. Behind the hill was a large open space. He could not see across it in the dark, but he knew there was another forest in the distance. There was a large herd of deer there. Stabo and his father had told him that deer from that forest had come here to be trained by Stranger. After they finished their training, they went back there along with members of this herd and members of his family to start their own herd. He wondered how they were doing and if could ever work up the nerve to go there himself. Beyond the hill, there was grass as far as he could see. It would be a perfect place to feed deer if it was not completely open. Anyone could see them out there. He walked near along the top of the hill and could see with the trees gone; a herd of deer could not hide here. Man would see them for sure.
He then started to walk down the hill again. The lower he got the more the fire had devastated the forest. He finally got near the meadow. He looked out on the meadow and saw his herd feeding on the grass. His stomach felt a bit empty so he ate the grass he found between the trees. It tasted a little dry and had a burnt smell to it, but it satisfied his needs. He walked on until he came to a stream that ran down a gap between the hill he was on and another hill that rose to his right. He walked forward following the stream. The grass was lush and tasty near the stream. He followed the water until he came to some rocks. Looking into a pile of rocks he saw a small cave. There were no scents around it. He wondered if this was Old Bambi's cave his uncle told him about. The old herd leader used to live in a cave with Faline his mate. There were no scents nearby so he was sure no one was using it now.
He continued past a small pond where he drank from. He remembered this place from his uncle and how the stream came out through the gap in the hills and continued as far as anyone knew. He got to the end of the gap where hills rose to his right and left. The left hill he had come down before on so he went to the right. That hill was steeper and rockier which made it more of a struggle to climb. It would be hard for Man to climb here.
The hard climb tired him. When he got to the top, he saw the first glint of the greater light. This would be a nice place to stay for the rest of the day. He found a nice bed of grass, lay down, and fell asleep easily.
He woke as the greater light was setting. In the dimming light, he could see better and saw that the older burnt trees stood bare, but there was grass on the ground that would feed deer also. Again, there was almost no place to hide here. Even though it was still light he walked among the dead trees along the side of the hill. Again he smelled nothing and other than some small animals, and birds, there was no life around him. There were no large tracks in the dirt. He climbed once more to the top of this hill and looked out. Beyond this ruined forest was open ground as far as he could see. He remembered his mother told him that Old Bambi came from a forest several days walk from here in that direction. She had made the trip to and from there when she was barely older than a fawn. Another large deer herd was there and old Bambi's son Gorro was herd leader. He wondered if he would ever meet them. He continued to walk along this hill until he came to another gap through which the stream from the spring and the stream through the hill flowed. He again remembered his mother told him that if he walked three days along that stream, he would reach Bambi's old forest. He went down the hill, across the gap, and up the next hill, drinking his fill in the stream.
As he climbed this hill something caught his attention immediately. This part of the forest was not burned as badly as the other parts. The fire was not as strong here. He walked and looked around. There was enough cover where a few deer might hide, but it would be easy to find them. There were few birds around here and he wondered why until he saw a large white owl in one of the trees.
The owl turned and looked down at him and seemed to gasp. "Stranger," he chirped. "I thought you were dead."
"I am not Stranger," he called out. "Stranger was my grandfather. I am Stafen, son of Stelar his daughter."
The owl flew down to a lower branch to look at him. "Well, you certainly look like him only a lot younger."
"Thank you," he said. "I certainly try to be like him."
"That is a good thing to be," the owl shrieked. "I am Oswal. I was friends with your grandfather and your mother. What are you doing around here?"
"The herd leader, Young Bambi, sent me here to look over the old forest to see if there was any danger here, or if we could have deer come here to eat if things got too bad in the winter. I see some grass, but most of that will get covered in snow."
"Yes," the owl answered. "Here is the only place in the old forest anyone like you can live."
"Are there any large animals around that are dangerous?" he asked.
"No, there is nothing except the bear in the cave on the hill on the other side of the meadow. There are plenty of mice here and in the big fields over beyond the hills; enough food to raise my brood. My mate and I raise a brood every season."
"Deer do not eat mice," he said. "Grass is what we need. Have you seen anything dangerous around here?" he asked next.
"Just two foxes," Oswal answered. "Most of the other large animals fled during the fire or died here. The crows had a feast for days picking over the dead after the fire. Crows, I hate them. They think they are so smart and will steal your food if you give them half a chance. Thankfully after picking the bones clean they moved on."
That was information he could have done without. At least he found out what he needed to know. He looked back at the owl. "If you want, stop by the herd. We eat on the meadow nightly just past the Man cave, I am sure Stabo would like to see you. If you do see something dangerous, if you can let us know, we would be grateful."
"I can do that," he said. "Well, I have to go catch some mice, my mate and I have a brood of three chicks to feed."
The owl flew off toward the large open fields on the other side of the hills. He kept on walking even though he was starting to see light in the distance. He came to the end of this hill and saw the hill to his right. He knew that hill and he also knew that is where Uttral the bear lived. He had never met her, but he knew Stabo and his mother were friends with her, impossible as that sounds. He did not feel like meeting her and taking the chance that she would not eat him, especially if she had new cubs. Rather than walk down the side of that hill near her den, he decided instead to walk over the hill. Beyond that hill, he knew there was another forest. In that forest was a large deer herd there where Felon was herd leader. He was another deer that had been taught by Stranger and mated with one of Stabo's daughters. He would go that way and look at that herd and ask them what they knew.
He climbed up the far hill but rested at the top. The forest here had burned like the rest of it with little or no growth except grass and bushes. The soil was rockier here. The forest thinned out to nothing and he saw, in the distance, the thick forest of the other deer herd. He noted the ground was completely open past where he was and it was getting lighter. He did not want to cross that open space in daylight. This would be a good place to rest for the night.
The following evening he continued his trip toward the other forest. He saw nothing unusual as he passed. The grass was rough and tasteless. There were no scents of Man or other animals until he got close to the forest. As he got within the closest trees, he came upon a pile of waste on the ground. It was not fresh and smelled like that of a coyote. It was a few days old. That put him on his guard. That was the first sign of a predator he had seen. He walked in the new forest looking for signs of any life. He took in large amounts of air through his nose as he walked to test for scents. He could smell nothing unusual. He changed his direction of walking several times to make sure no one was following. It was just like the others taught him.
In the pale moonlight, he could see the hill he had come down on. He was walking inside the other forest but in the same direction as the hill with Uttral's cave. He knew at the far end of that hill was the Man cave and spring. Beyond those was his forest. He kept walking and shortly started to smell other deer. He walked toward them until he saw four males eating in a small clearing. They were not big. These looked like herd males. All were maybe three or four seasons old. He approached downwind of them and crept slowly toward them. They did not detect him until he was almost on top of them. All of them suddenly stopped eating and looked at him. Lucky for them he was not a bear or he would be eating deer now.
"Greetings," he called out. "I am Stafen from the Man Path forest. I am visiting your forest."
"A little young to be walking about on your own away from your mother," one of the older males sneered.
That got him a bit angry. "My herd leader asked me to look around so I am here. I am not staying."
"Your herd leader," another one said like it was a joke. "Your herd leader has no one else to send here but you. Your herd must be hard up."
He grunted in frustration. "Yes I am young, but I am not inexperienced."
"You are still a fawn drinking from his mother," the older one said this time openly laughing.
He then took a four-legged stance head down slightly and staring at the four deer waiting for one of them to make a move. "I am indeed young," he said slowly. "If you like to see how young, you can try me."
"You little whelp, I will teach you some manners," the four-season male said and dropped his head and charged. He again waited and then sprung around taking the male's front legs out with a sweep of his rear legs. This time he did not hesitate. As soon as the male hit the ground, he was on him driving his head into his flank hard.
"Ooooff," the male grunted and rolled over twice.
He shot back up looking at the other three deer in the clearing. "Anyone else," he grunted.
"STOP!" he heard someone shout from on the other side of the clearing. Into their mists walked an older male, much bigger than these four and even bigger than him. He was heavily muscled and from the scars on his face and flank had been in many fights.
The large deer glared at him. "I am Felon, the herd leader. Just who are you, and why are you here? I also want to know who trained you."
That jogged a memory from his mother. "I remember the name Felon from my mother. You mated with Stabo's daughter Claris, but that was before I was born."
Felon looked at him strangely as not to know what to make of him. "Yes that is true, only how would you know that, young male."
"Because Stabo is my uncle and Stelar is my mother. I am Stranger's grandson."
Felon relaxed then and walked up to him. "Yes, I can see it now," he said smiling.
He bowed his head. "I am sorry about your males, but I do not take insult very well."
"No, you would not," Felon answered.
"Did you see what he did to Gelon?" one of the males said. "You should throw him out of the forest."
Felon turned sharply to face the other males. "I heard what you said to him," he said angrily. "You are lucky I was here or he would have wiped the ground with all of you. The same deer that trained me also trained him. I ought to let you fight him as a lesson in manners."
The other three males immediately turn and fled out of the clearing. Felon just shook his head. "Look Stafen, those males had no right to talk to you like that especially since you are a visitor. They should have come to get me. At the same time, you were a bit testy there. I know you are young and newly trained, but we do not fly off at the first insult. Stranger taught me that."
He took a deep breath realizing the Felon was most likely correct. "I am sorry, but they were rude and I got mad. I will try to keep tighter control over myself."
"Good," the herd leader said nodding his head. "I doubt you will have any more trouble at least with the herd males. Now, why are you here?"
He briefly explained what Bambi had told him he wanted and what he had done up to this time. He also explained why he did not want to walk along the hill at the far side of the meadow.
"So Young Bambi is setting you out on your first trip to look for danger," the big deer said with a grin "That means he and Stabo trust you. They certainly taught you well."
"I hope so. I am also hoping they finish my training before The Season. They were teaching me the real fighting methods when they set me out to look around."
"That, we keep to ourselves," Felon reminded him.
"Yes, Bambi, my uncle, and father made that clear to me several times. That is why I just used the leg sweep on your male. I doubt if I hurt him."
"The only thing you hurt was his pride that a two-season male beat him so easily," Felon laughed.
He walked with the herd leader until they got to a large open clearing. He saw many old tree stumps. This had been a forest before Man cut down the trees. Now it was an open meadow about twice as big as his. In the herd were many deer; many more than was in his herd. He followed Felon into a spot over by a small spring where a dozen large deer stood. Most of them were four and five-season males and bigger than he was. There were two-three season males. This must be the senior male group.
Felon had him stand to his side and introduced him. "This is Stafen from the forest over the hill. He is Stelar's son and Stabo is his uncle. His grandfather was Stranger."
"You are a nice size three-season male," one of the larger deer said.
"I am sorry," he said and bowed his head. "This is only my third spring.
"Woooooo," another male called out. "You are a big one then. Then again they said Stranger was one of the largest deer in all the forests. You certainly take after him."
"He takes after him in other ways," Felon told them. "Gelon was teasing him and when Stafen said he did not like it, that idiot charged him. He buried Gelon's face into the ground along with the rest of him."
All the deer started to laugh. "Serves that fool right," another male said.
He just bowed his head. He felt slightly embarrassed. He promised himself he would not be so quick to anger again.
"Father," one of the herd males called out. He was also big. "Should I get mother and bring her here? She might want to meet Stafen."
"Ahhh," Felon shook his head in disgust. "Sometimes I forget. Yes, go get your mother. Tell her we have a guest from her home forest."
"Yes, Father," he called out and leaped into the woods.
"How long are you here," Felon asked.
"Only one or two more nights," he answered. "My herd leader, Bambi, told me to see if there is any danger around our herd and see if deer could live in the old forest. I was then to get back to him as soon as possible."
"That makes sense," one of the herd males said. "I do not see why you cannot sleep near us during the day."
"Thank you," he said knowing they were showing him favor. He bowed to all of them. "I accept your kind offer."
"He even has good manners," the same male said.
"I would ask Gelon about that," Felon joked and they all laughed again.
"Forgive me for asking, but while I am here, may I ask if you have seen anything that might cause trouble in my forest. I guess if anyone should know it would be the senior males."
"No," Felon said. "Other than Man of course but also we have deaths each season from coyotes, baggers, bears, and foxes. What about in your forest?"
"We do not have much trouble except for Man," he answered. "We have the Man cave in our forest and Man hunts us from there."
"How big is your herd?" one of the males asked.
"Maybe half the size of his herd," he answered. "There were more deer, but after the forest burned, many deer left. I am just glad the flames did not come here."
"So are we," Felon said. "Many deer from Stranger's herd came here especially after all the trouble Balo, Stena, and the others caused."
"I know," he said. "Mother always told me when the herd broke up it hurt Stranger more than anyone."
"Where is he?" he heard a doe call out. Into the clearing walked an older does. Although there was white and gray on her flanks, she was still tall and looked good for an older doe. He remembered Uncle Stabo told him she was a good-looking doe like old Faline. She came into the clearing and looked at him as if studying him.
"Yes, I do see it," she said. The doe came up and kissed him on the side of the mouth. "So you are Stelar's son. You look like your grandfather."
He was beginning to get tired of hearing that, but he smiled. "Thank you, Claris," he told her.
"How are my father and mother?" she asked.
"Your father is fine," he said and then hesitated. He should have realized she did not hear about her mother this far away. "Your mother died the season I was born giving birth to a fawn. I am sorry."
Claris's face drooped. He felt bad, but the truth was the truth. "I did not hear," she said.
"I am sorry I am the bearer of bad news," he said.
"That cannot be helped," Felon told him and went over and rubbed against Claris. Both turned and went back into the forest. He watched them both go until they vanished in the darkness. He then turned quickly. "I should have known she did not hear about her mother," he muttered out loud.
"You could not have known," Felon's son spoke slowly showing some pain. "My name is Mikor, and I welcome you here."
"He is right," the largest male said. "My name is Talar and I also welcome you."
"Thank you both. Again I am sorry I brought sadness here. I think I will go feed in the meadow before the coming of the greater light."
He walked over and filled his stomach with grass, which tasted as delicious as the grass in his home meadow. He found it did not take much to satisfy him. By the time he ate, drank, and emptied himself. He went over by the small spring and lay down in the forest nearby. He slept soundly.
When he woke it was still day. He took a short walk into the forest and looked around. It was just like his forest. The smells were the same. The sound of birds and other animals were the same. The grass and the plants were the same. He could like it here. He could easily live here, but then he remembered his mother, father, and the herd leader waiting for him to return. He also had three doe he wanted to breed. As soon as it was dark and the herd went back to the meadow to feed.
"It was not long before Mikor came up to him."How do you like it here?"
"You have a good herd," he told him looking around. "I see no problems here. Your father is a wise and respected herd leader and he has you as his son."
"Will you leave tonight?" Mikor asked.
"No, I think tomorrow night. I am a bit tired and like to rest here one night. I need to travel to the end of the long hill and then cross into the Man Path forest near the spring and the Man cave. That is best done late at night."
Mikor nodded his agreement. "For now feel free to stay and do not worry about Gelon or the other herd males. They may want to spar with you, but nothing else."
"I do not mind that at all," he said.
That night he told others who asked about his forest and its herd leader. They all heard of Stranger and what he did. When they found he was Stranger's grandson, they treated him with a great deal of respect. He hoped they didn't think he could do the same things Stranger could do. When they asked if he was as strong as Stranger, he went out of his way to deny it. Yes, he was strong and trained, but he was no Stranger as he told the others. He did spar with two of the herd males. It was not practice fighting, just push and shove and to get position. Against the herd deer, he had no problem. Against Mikor and especially Talar, they were stronger than he was. They were also one and three seasons older. He only hoped he would be as strong as them when he was their age. Before he went to sleep he said goodbye to Felon and the others and told them he had a wonderful time.
"You along with Stabo, Bambi, and the others of your herd can come to visit at any time," Felon said.
"And I am sure Bambi and the other would welcome any of you," he said.
While it was still dark he left and got to the edge of the forest just as the greater light appeared. He was not tired and he smelled and heard no danger so he continued to walk well within the forest and totally hidden from outside view by the thick growth of the trees. Again he heard nothing nor smelled nothing that could be a threat. He continued slowly and carefully until he reached the edge of the forest. There across the open space was a smaller hill. Past there were the spring and the Man cave. He was almost home. He settled down, slept, and waited for darkness.
Toward evening the sound of movement caught his attention snapping him awake, He looked out. Out of this forest and running across the open were a large mother bear and her two cubs. They were running toward the hill next to his meadow. He stood up and looked at them. It must be Uttral. He has never met the bear before but knew she was friends with his mother and uncle. On the spur of the moment, he got up quickly and went into the open. He smelled nothing except the bear. Then he called out.
"Uttral," he yelled and showed himself.
The large bear stopped and turned quickly to look at him. She and the cubs started coming toward him quickly but not at a run. As soon as she was in shouting distance he called out.
"Uttral, I am Stafen," he called. "I am Stelar's son. She has told me about you."
The bear stopped many lengths away. He was starting to get nervous. Would she attack him? With her cubs, he could outrun her if necessary.
"You are Stelar's son," she said. "I never met you."
"I know," he said. "I was on my way home after Bambi sent me out to look at things. I saw you and your cubs and just wanted to say hello."
"You are standing far away," she said.
"Yes," he told her. "I was not sure if you wanted to talk or eat."
Even from a distance, he could hear the deep roar of her laugh. "Yes you are like your mother and you look like Stranger."
"Thank you," he said.
He saw the two cubs walking toward him more curious than hungry to eat. "They are nice-looking cubs. I hope they grow up like your father and Stranger did. They got along, I hope we can too."
"I always admired your grandfather and I always liked your mother and uncle. The rest of your deer are too frightened of me to approach. I cannot blame them."
"Well, I am not a threat to you or your cubs. May I talk to you from time to time?"
Yes, but only with your mother and uncle," the huge black bear told him. "They know what time of the season it is safe to approach me. For now, do not come to see me I am not sure my cubs would not try to eat you, small as they are."
"I understand," he said. He did not like standing still in the open so long. "We will talk later, come to the meadow when you are ready. I know my mother and Uncle Stabo would like to see you again."
"I will," she answered. "I must go."
She turned and moved quickly back over the hill with her cubs. He left in a hurry too. Thankfully it was now dark because he still had a ways to travel.