“You will be here when I return, though?” the doe asked in hopes her new friend would not be far.
“I shall be here for you,” he replied. “Now, be swift!”
The doe ran down the mountain with all the speed of the eight winds, returning to her family in the valley below. For once in her life, she had wandered free, and she would bring the herd the joy of a paradise. That hope drove her clumsy legs on until she stopped before her father.
The alpha’s great antlers towered over her. Her father had clashed with many others to claim his status among the herd, and he was the strongest among them. Shame came over the doe as she approached. Despite her discovery, she felt her father’s judgmental glare, but she would change his mind.
“Father! Father!” she cried. “I have found lands with food and pr
