Previous: Chapter 23 Next: Chapter 25
Honolulu - Daniel K Inouye International Airport.
Things have not been going quite according to plan. The plan was for ten hours of time boarding, in the air, and arriving in Honolulu. A generous plan, but perfectly doable for the does, following one more ritual change in Nakajima Park, then bid farewell to Sapporo.
But the weather disagreed, and a late spring storm caused a delay in outgoing flights, leaving them waiting for nearly three extra hours in the terminal, with each delay causing the pair further concern. And just at the point it seemed more prudent to turn back, their flight began to board.
Six hours of turbulent flight over the Pacific Ocean and their ten hour estimate was nearly gone before they'd landed.
Nerves over the delay, the flight, and their constant use of the ritual took their tolls, and the urge to itch was growing within Clay.
Conveniently for her, wearing a face mask and gloves onto a plane didn't seem bizarre these days, and for Clay, they would cover any early changes for at least awhile.
They just needed to get out of the airport and find somewhere secluded, quiet, and wooded. Ewa Forest Reserve was all of those things, a thankfully short 30 minute drive away, even if the taxi driver seemed baffled by the two ladies trying to go straight from the airport to the park.
Nithya steps out of the taxi and stands stiffly with her face towards the driver as Clay pays for the pair. Her mask hides her somewhat pained smile as she really wishes the driver would not attempt further small talk.
Only once the car is leaving does she allow herself to relax... Quick glance around, and she unbuckles her belt and drops her pants, revealing her changes gone up to her hips; her legs are covered in fur and shaped in hooved, digitigrade form once again, her long tail swishing anxiously as the car vanishes into the distance.
"Oh thank whatever is up there, I thought he would never leave."
Clay's own mask had started to poke off of her face as she had tried to shoo the taxi driver away, and she most certainly let out an involuntarily bleat while trying to fake a cough so she could better try to cover her face with her gloved hands.
Now, she pulls the mask away to take a deep breath through her muzzle, quickly pulling off the gloves as well, and proceeding to remove the rest of her clothing, letting the changes come without fear now. "Of course we got the taxi driver who thinks himself a tour guide. Can't believe we made it..."
Nithya lets out a nervous laugh even as the changes rapidly creep up her body, having been denied for as long as they have been now. It does't quite feel painful, but certainly less comfortable than usual.
"...n-no kidding. That was... let's not do that again. Ever, if possible."
Clay nods, "Can't always be helped... but... agreed." She steps over to put her hands against Nithya's sides to feel the fur grow against her, only to cringe as the changes hit her legs. Certainly not painful, no, but it does feel almost like a punishment, like the changes did the first time.
"I... I don't think the deer were terribly happy to be held back..."
Nithya winces as the changes shudder through her, much faster than usual, already up to her neck. "Y-yeah. Like... we had to deny it and it felt so wrong to do that..." She swallows and closes her eyes as her face changes, very quickly finishing the change.
Clay practically hears a snap as her legs shift back, nearly stumbling forward were it not for Nithya being there with her. "W-we did use the ritual a lot in Japan... And kept trying to force the transformation longer and longer to be sure we could make the flight. Guess we can't do that indefinitely."
Nithya shudders as her changes come to the expected end. She looks around, and thankfully they are in a spot far enough from the common paths of the park. "We should move deeper into the forest before we consider this. But I agree."
Clay kneels down to gather her clothes together to put into her hiking pack, the two having left Japan fairly light on luggage, save for their hiking packs that they brought as carry-ons. "Yeah... let's get away from the trails. Guess we're back to camping for tonight at least."
Nithya smiles: "Well, that part is certainly no problem. But... yes, I am getting the feeling we should not attempt a ritual right away. Maybe not tonight at all." She looks at the sun slowly creeping downwards behind the trees. "Should have looked up what the wildlife here is like, but guess we will find out."
Clay stands once she finishes packing their discarded clothing away, "All I know is that I saw deer are an invasive species. But otherwise, I don't think there's anything dangerous to worry about." She pauses to look over Nithya once again, blushing beneath her fur, "Well, it will feel nice snuggling under the stars with you, beautiful."
Nithya smiles, cracking her now-longer neck: "Well, you got me there. I certainly won't mind any of that."
Clay hefts her pack up, then half-walks, half-skips forward on her hooves through the grass. Turning to nod to Nithya and extend a hand. "Let's trot together."
Nithya take's Clay's hand in hers with a smile: "Always happy to do that with you, love."
Clay runs alongside Nithya as the two head deeper into the woods, away from the trails and roads, the forest much denser and more humid than the northern pine barrens of Russia.
Before too long, as the sun disappears and the moonlight takes it's place, they find themselves slowing down in a remote bit of clearing perfect for a camp.
Nithya sighs softly as they sit down on the undergrowth, able to finally relax again. The black-maned doe smiles as she looks up: "Think we need tent tonight? It's pretty warm."
Clay hums, glancing around under the starlight, "I think we can do without the tent tonight..." She settles down besides Nithya, leaning against her with a happy sigh, "We're almost home... still a ways to go, but, we've come a pretty long way."
Nithya nuzzles upon Clay's neck: "We're still together, and not caught, and certainly not in Russia anymore."
Clay nods, resting her head atop Nithya's, "Probably only half as many evil deer experimentation labs in Hawaii as in Russia..." She sighs, "Amongst other reasons why I wouldn't want to be there now..."
Nithya mm's softly: "No kidding." She then smiles up at her lover: "But hey, not there anymore, and unless our benefactor forces us back, we're not going either."
Clay hums, "Something tells me she was just as eager to get out of there as we were. At least, out of that temple... and... with us? Or wherever she is now."
Nithya shrugs: "Beats me. Perhaps better we don't know."
Clay chuckles, "Part of me wants to know more... who she was... or, who she is, and what she wants... but maybe you're right. Us poking around trying to find answers cause all of this in the first place."
Nithya nods: "Pretty much. I'm... happy, dare I say, as a deer, so... maybe better not look at the gift cervine in the mouth?"
Clay leans down to give Nithya a kiss, "Okay, I won't look at your mouth then when I can kiss it~"
Nithya blinks with a slight blush on her cheeks, but returns the kiss all the same. "... Sneaky bugger."
Clay giggles, blushing in return, "Couldn't resist. But yeah, you're right. If we can figure out how to live like this, us together... when we're not rushing into the woods in a panic, it does feel like more a blessing than a curse at moments like this."
Nithya smiles softly: "I agree. It feels kinda weird to like this, but... I don't think that's going to stop me anymore..."
Clay hums, looking up at the stars. "Yeah... I was so afraid of this... of us wanting this. I... I mean, I'm pretty sure it's still me in here." She frowns slightly, "Hard to say, when I'm still trying to figure out who I am now... but... I can't deny that this is what I want to be."
Nithya nods, musing: "It's been quite the ride but... I can't quite bring myself to saying I'd avoid the temple if I got a re-do. Being like this, being a doe in the woods... It feels so good."
Clay lets out a breath into the humid air, "Y-yeah... I remember that fear in Russia that we might be losing ourselves to this. I guess there's still some fear. But it does feel like the joy of this outweights the fear now."
Nithya touches her hand on Clay's. "Fear... but of the deer, or just our future as deer?"
Clay takes her hand and clasps it in her own. "Maybe the latter... We are the deer, and the deer are us... it's just a matter of figuring out how to live our lives now. I... I want to go home. I don't want to lose the life we had. But it's going to be so different from now on, no matter what. ...I guess that's what scares me."
Nithya nods: "...me too. We can't pretend everything is going to be as before, when... whole lot of things won't be. Our careers will take some adjusting for certain..."
Clay shifts to lay back on the ground amidst the thick undergrowth, her tail wiggling slightly as she shifts to make it more comfortable, a deer bed of sorts, "We already have a bit of a reputation for being weird loners, at least. We'll still have hurdles to get over... and I hope we can still travel like we have, but considering the diffiiculty getting here, we might have have much choice in that."
Nithya nods: "We may need to... want to shift our focus to more local affairs, as it were. Certainly avoid longer plane travel." She lies next to Clay, smiling a bit timidly: "And... live together. Why that thought, after all these years, makes my heart go... I don't know, but it does."
Clay smiles, "Living together is pretty much assured, now. I... I might argue it just makes sense, it's convenient, it's logical considering this condition together. But the truth is probably pretty obvious. I just want to be with you now."
Nithya nods, leaning close with a smile: "Both. I'm sure we can work with both reasons."
Clay snuggles up against Nithya, brushing a hand over her fur. "Both sounds good... I... I want to keep more for us than just the two of us in the woods. But if it were just us, like this... I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be than besides you, love."
Nithya mm's, leaning slightly on top of Clay, smiling: "I'm pretty sure we can find out how to keep what we had before, and make it work with what we have - what we are - now."
Clay wraps her arms around Nithya to draw her closer, playing with her tail, "You're right. We can. A hard road, maybe, but we've always hiked the hard paths."
Nithya smirks: "And now we have hard hooves for those."
Clay giggles, "So the hard hikes will be easier? We'll have to find the harder hikes."
Nithya shrugs: "I mean, we gotta find hikes even more away from people anyway if we want to enjoy ourselves..."
Clay: "Perfect reasons all around." She sighs, "Guess we can explore a bit tomorrow. I don't want to get too far from the roads, but also... I sort of just want to wander a bit. maybe that's the deer instincts speaking again..."
Nithya glances around, then shrugs again: "If it is, then so are mine. We're here, might as well."
Clay nods. "...I don't really think I'm afraid of us losing ourselves. But sometimes, I wonder... when we're actually here, in the woods, fully changed like this... I can feel it. I can feel how different everything is, and it is a little overwhelming. But... it's not as terrifying as it was."
Nithya smiles: "I know what you mean. There is no 'deer side', it's just us, but... just our senses, our instincts, what we feel... it's slightly different. I feel more at home out here than I did before."
Clay lets her gaze linger overhead, then brings her eyes down to Nithya, "Yeah. This just feels right, but it's so strange, yet familiar." She rotates her ears, sniffing at the air, "I guess I didn't spend a lot of time just experiencing everything like this before. And in the hotel, I really couldn't stop focusing on you."
She smirks, "I really still can't, when you're so close and so beautiful."
Nithya blushes as she leans close, her right ear twitching a bit. "...s-stop it. But... not too much."
Clay giggles, leaning her head up to gently nuzzle Nithya's ear. "You know you asked for this~"
Nithya mm's, leaning onto Clay and closing her eyes: "If I did... so did you~."
Clay pulls back to lick Nithya's cheek, "I don't even think I can deny that now."
Nithya giggles, putting her hand on Clay's chest: "Ack! You're horrible, and that's definitely the Clay I know and love!"
Clay grins, "I'm the worst, and it will behoove you to remember that~"
Nithya snorts and turns to grab a bit of Clay's neck fur: "Yes. Yes, you are."
Clay squirms a bit, squeezing Nithya with a laugh, "Oh, but you're not so innocent either, are you~?"
Nithya licks at Clay's ear, a deep and very purposeful wet lick. "Never claimed to be."
Clay breaks into laughter at the feeling, snorting as she squirms, "Ohhh~ Haaaa~ Th-that feels so weird!"
Nithya grins: "We can probably call ourselves even~."
Clay blushes, but grins wide and nods. "For now~. And I'm not going to say it felt bad in the slightest"
Nithya giggles: "Well, there you go~." She squeezes at Clay's waist.
Clay squeezes back, leaning in for a kiss, "I love you, probably because we're both so bad~"
Nithya smiles into the kiss: "Works for me. I love you."
Clay grins, feeling her heart swell at the words once again. "I love you too~"
Previous: Chapter 23 Next: Chapter 25