Fire Bringer by David Clement-Davies

Details:

Published in 1999 by Macmillan UK.

I probably read the 2000 edition from Puffin in 2001.

From the Publishers:

In a Scotland beset by Norse invaders, the deer--the Herla--are fighting their own war. A tyrannical new lord of the herd has ended the old way, the yearly play of antlers that ensured a change of leadership. At his command is a corps of young stags, scars on their brows and antlers sharpened for the kill, whose mission is complete dominion over the animal world. But Herla lore promises a hero--a fawn with a strange birthmark whose unique bond with all creatures, including man, will ignite an epic battle and free the Herla forever.

In this grand and gripping book, with its echoes of myth, legend, and gospel, David Clement-Davies has created a classic hero tale set in a society that is at once convincingly animal and a sharp reflection of our own.

First Line:

A lone red deer was grazing across the glen, swaying through the deep tangle of heather that covered the hillside.