Previous: Chapter 25 Next: Chapter 27

The Deep Woods of Ewa Forest Reserve - The Following Day.

The two eventually got up from their sleepy cuddles, foraged a bit of breakfast, and packing up, opted for a bit of hiking into the wilderness. Without much need to do the ritual yet, it was easy to just delay it another day, especially with the squeamish bit of unease at the thought of it.

But where as Clay is usually her buoyant and talkative self, after breakfast she's gotten a bit quiet, answering Nithya when she calls, but not adding much extra commentary on her own as they hike.

Eventually, as they hike on deer hooves, she takes a deep breath "...So... It's kinda funny but... I think it really just sunk in... Grappling with this all morning, and maybe it seems like nothing compared to the rest of it but... I'm a woman."

Nithya has noticed Clay but knowing her friend, she'll bring up whatever's bothering her when it's the right time.

So she's not all that surprised when Clay decides to speak, although the topic does make her raise an eyebrow.

"I believe we did establish that much, yes. But what do mean, saying that?"

Clay chuckles, "It's sorta stating the obvious at this point, huh?" She falls quiet for a moment, gathering her thoughts, "It's just... I think a part of me was waiting for the rest of the changes? Like, when is the part that makes me feel different going to kick in? But... It didn't. If anything, I feel more like 'myself' than ever..."

Nithya considers as she walks: "What... what part of making you feel different? We're still us, I think we established that a few times by now."

Clay nods, "We are, yeah. I just thought... I don't know. Being female physically, sure. And I sorta like the idea of dressing up and wearing makeup and being 'pretty', okay. But I thought I would think differently as a woman? Or that something would 'click' and I'd feel more female somehow? I kept waiting for a moment where I would cross some threshold that made me feel different." She's struggling a bit to put her thoughts into words.

Nithya pauses, considering. "I'm sure what would be that different. Do I think all that differently from you, in a way that would come from me having been born a lady? We both love our ancient history just the same."

Clay sighs, laughing, "I know, it's a dumb thought. And of course it makes sense that there's no real difference. I just thought something would make me feel... Off? Like I'd know somehow..." She sighs again, "I sound like an idiot... Sorry. But... I guess it just felt comfortable... It feels good in a way I really didn't think could possibly be the whole change."

"And it's not even just like when we're like this... These deer selves do think differently. Better senses and heightened awareness. Our brains are processing more data and keeping us balanced on hooves and managing a tail and it all feels so... Much. There's a lot. But the woman part just feels like background. Like, it's obvious. Like that part always was and it's not even any different, or... Or even that it put something back in place that I didn't know wasn't where it was supposed to be."

Nithya pauses in her step to look at her friend. The very obviously female doe. "I... if I am honest, I have had difficulty looking at you, as you are right now, and even fully remembering how you looked like before all this went down. Not... probably not in a bad kind of way, just... different, you know."

The black-maned doe shakes her head slightly. "As for the rest... well, no, I do not think there is anything magically all that different whether one is a man or a woman... buck or doe, if you will."

Clay slows her trot as well, blushing a bit at Nithya, "I don't mind that... this is how I'd rather be remembered."

She looks down quietly. "I guess I was expecting the magic? Is that silly? I knew that it was just me... I'm not different. But it still feels like... I don't know. Ha. Something."

Nithya shrugs: "I couldn't really tell you what that something is. You're definitely still you, just with more curves and fur than before." She looks at her friend: "As for it being silly, I don't know."

Clay continues to look over her body, but slowly relaxes her posture and laughs, "Then... Maybe I just wanted to say it? I'm a woman."

Nithya smiles: "That you are, now. And I'm pretty sure you are enjoying the ride."

Clay blushes again, but laughs, "Yeah... I am. I'm just... Overthinking it I guess? I'm a woman... Maybe that's all there is to it?"

Nithya shrugs with a smile: "Doesn't need to be more complicated than that. Can be, but doesn't need to be."

Clay reaches up to run a hand through her red hair, "Sorry... I keep looking for answers and I'm not sure there are any beyond 'This is who I am.'"

Nithya steps closer to touch her hand on Clay's shoulder: "I understand. It's in your, guess both of our, natures to try and make things make sense."

Clay chuckles,turning to face Nithya more directly, "I wish I had answers to a lot of questions. And one I keep asking is 'Why does this all feel so right?'. And I don't have an answer... But I think it would feel that way even without the whole deer thing."

Nithya smiles a bit: "I think that, by itself, is a kind of answer. Consider it this way: had this happened to us in a way where we had a choice on whether or not to keep the changes we got... would we?"

Clay frowns in thought, but not for terribly long before she laughs, "...no. I don't think I would give this up. Not any of it."

Nithya nods shakes her head: "Me neither. I love all of this."

Clay nods, "It can be scary and a pain but, I do too. I love it all."

Nithya laughs: "Yeah, 'convenient' is not a word I would use about our situation."

Clay steps closer to hug Nithya, "Guess nothing good ever comes without some sacrifice, hm?"

Nithya laughs as she hugs: "Or a lot of sacrifice. Nothing is really going to be the same, is it."

Clay shakes her head, "I don't see how it could be. We'll have to do a lot to make this work. But I'm okay with that"

Nithya nods: "Yeah, as am I." She lets go of the hug and starts counting with her fingers: "Gotta move together before anything else makes sense, gotta get all your paperwork sorted out, need to entirely rethink food options..."

Clay adds to the list with her fingers, "Plus figure out how we can manage work, thankfully most of it can be done remote. The department head is definitely gonna chew us out for this trip."

Nithya sighs: "Yeah, that much is true. We're way overtime and overbudget, but that's a tough pill we just gotta swallow."

Clay nods, leaning in to peck Nithya's snout. "But I can deal with all of that hassle. We've been yelled at for worse. This won't be the last time we mess up the accountant's day, it's just not wholly our fault this time."

Nithya hums into the peck: "And conveniently, some time off without any trips is what we might have needed to take anyway, so staying home is not much of an issue..."

Clay smiles, "It'll give us the time to really figure this out. And hey, waking up besides you always makes my day better, and no one can take that away from us."

Nithya smirks: "No one better. I may not have horns but I will still headbutt anyone trying to separate us."

Clay giggles, "We might be able to kick them pretty good too. Or around Christmas maybe we'll grow antlers like reindeer. Either way, we'll manage."

Nithya glances up at the antlers that thankfully aren't there: "Well, I hope we don't get horns. Not that it'd be much weirder than what's already happened, but very inconvenient."

Clay nods, "I can imagine them getting a bit tangled together when we kiss... Definitely a mark against them."

Nithya smirks: "And I don't... I don't know if I want to even imagine growing them each time we change."

Clay reaches up to rub her forehead, "I can imagine the headache... And would we shed them when we did the ritual back? Suddenly adding another reason I'm glad I'm a doe."

Nithya giggles a bit: "Somewhat, yeah... not that I'd want to be male anyway." She pauses, considering. "Although... had it happened like that, if I were a buck, would I hate it or would it too have awakened something in me? No idea."

Clay hums, but ultimately just shrugs, "Can't say... Maybe you'd hate it, so there was no reason for our deer patron to make that change. I'm happy with what we both are now."

Nithya shrugs: "Yeah. Just musing, I'm definitely happy with the right now."

Clay leans in to kiss her once again, "Yeah... Me too. Thanks for listening to my rambling... I'm... Well, I guess I'm not trying to figure this out so much anymore. I guess I'm kinda here with who I am."

Nithya smiles, touching Clay's arms: "I have never minded your rambling, Clay. But yeah, this is who and where we are, now. Might be better use of our thinking to see where to go next."

Clay nods, "And still thinking up a name... If not a deer pun, then..." She shrugs, "I'll have something soon. Plenty of time and plenty of woods to explore."

Nithya nods, smiling as she looks around them: "It is beautiful out here, so something might inspire you soon enough."

Clay smiles, glancing around the dense growth of the Hawaiian rainforest. "One can only hope~"

Nithya shrugs: "And if not, there's always the internet. So you'll be fine."

Clay nods, "I downloaded a few lists onto my phone while we were at the airport in Japan, but didn't see anything that shouted out 'this is me'. But I'll keep looking. It was a lot of names."

Nithya nods: "It's quite the task, yeah. I don't know what I'd settle on if I felt like I need to change it..."

Clay giggles, "As long as you warn me again if I'm about to pick a name that means 'Irritating Itch' in another language, I'll figure something out."

Nithya nods with a grin: "I promise I will warn you if you do that."

Clay: "Then I I can find something that makes me feel good. Thank you for the help with... all of this."

Nithya smiles: "Hey. What are friends for?"

Clay grins wide, "Yeah... I can think of quite a few things, and we've spent the past few weeks putting them all to the test."

Nithya grins: "Sure, but let's leave some of that experimentation for home."

Clay giggles, shaking her butt just a little as she starts to continue walking onwards, "Oh, I suppose I can do that."

Nithya grins as they continue walking, stealing a glance at Clay's rear: "Gotta save something for later, after all~."

Clay wiggles her tail a bit more before letting it settle back into a walking rhythm. "Plenty to look forward to, even with the challenges, don't you worry."

Nithya nods: "I agree. Even if we may not exactly know what's coming."

Clay comes alongside Nithya and extends her hand towards her. "But we know we'll be facing it together. And that's worth a lot to me."

Nithya takes the offered hand: "Yea. We're the most badass pair of magically created does this world has ever seen."

Clay squeezes her hand and grins, "Damn straight we are."

Nithya giggles: "May also be the only ones, but let's not have that distract us."

Clay giggles, "And if we do things right, the rest of the world won't see us. But eh, details."

Nithya grins: "Definitely filed under 'details', that one."

Clay hums, "And no real magic powers to speak of... other than the changing back and forth, but we can make it all work."

Nithya shrugs as she walks forward: "I don't think such abilities were part of the package."

Clay sighs, "Yeah. No shooting lasers or fire balls or such. Just deer stuff. The deer stuff is pretty good at least."

Nithya giggles: "I'd probably freak out if I suddenly grew wings or something."

Clay leans back to spy out Nithya's back, "Hmmm... no, I don't see any wings. I think that's called a Peryton? Spanish, if I remember my mythology correctly."

Nithya hums: "Might have been. But no, probably not this time."

Clay: "Just plain ol' ordinary magical does."

Nithya: "Pretty much."

The two deer engage in their usual travel banter as they continue to hike through the park woods.

Previous: Chapter 25 Next: Chapter 27

Home