Volume 6 - Northern Exchange, Chapter 38 - The Great Flight North

Dried pine needles crunched under paws and hooves. White wings darted silently between the branches overhead. With the ruthless efficiency of a pack of predators, Haru and Froze drove a small herd of sika deer up the hill and deeper into the mountain property. Haru flew ahead to cut off potential routes of escape as Froze chased from behind on all fours, howling and snarling to keep the deer scared.

"Froze! Go left!" Haru called from high in the air.

Froze veered left and Haru swept down low in the path of the herd. Panicked, the herd split down the middle to avoid her. Two deer bolted right and down the hill while two others made a fatal error and turned left and ran uphill into a ravine. Haru swooped around and dropped down behind them, blocking the only exit out of the trap.

Froze caught up on foot, rising to an upright position as she approached. She eyed the two trapped bucks with a wild grin. They were smaller than the white-tailed deer in Canada, but they were wily and nimble and had given the two hunters quite a workout. "Sorry little deer, but us predators gotta eat."

"Don't get cocky, Froze," Haru admonished. "We still gotta take them down. Watch out for their antlers." She pointed a wing to the left. "You take that one, I got the right."

In a flash, Haru darted forward towards the right buck. He jumped and tried to scramble up the steep and crumbling dirt slope, but there was no escape. She pounced on the back of his neck, holding his dangerous antlers away with one leg. Then, with a savage and precise kick from her other talon, she slit his throat. He went down with a thud and a splatter just as an animal scream came from behind.

Froze tackled the other buck from the side. She knocked his legs out from under him, and he crashed heavily to the brush-covered hillside. She finished the deed quickly by ripping out his throat with her teeth.

Haru smiled and gave a thumbs up, one of very few hand gestures she could do with her wings. "Great work, Froze! Thanks for letting me lead. This whole pack-hunting thing is new to me."

"No problem, Haru. You were a good leader, and having your eyes in the sky is useful, eh?"

Tsuen and Kehp were sitting on the living room couch, chatting and drinking tea. "So, you're heading back to Canada in two days? That's so soon, Kehp," Tsuen said with a frown.

"Yah, I'm sorry, Tsuen," the shy sheepgirl replied. "We've got to go back home eventually, after all."

Just then, a loud thud came from the back porch. Kehp and Tsuen each looked at the other, then stood up. They snuck down the hallway to investigate the noise, their hooves gently clopping on the hardwood floor. They turned the corner, looked out through the sliding glass door, and Tsuen screamed.

Haru was looming over a dead deer, with blood splattered up her legs all the way to her thighs, but that wasn't the worst of it. Froze was standing right next to the door, holding a large buck in her arms. Its neck was limp and its eyes were lifeless. Sticky drying blood had painted Froze's entire chest and face a dark crimson.

Tsuen turned and bolted towards the bathroom door, feeling very ill. Kehp was a little less nauseous, but the sight of death still chilled her to the core. She ran after Tsuen to help her if needed.

Froze turned to Haru. "What's their problem?"

Haru shrugged and tilted her head. "Maybe they like other hooved creatures?"

"Maybe. Can you get the door, Haru?"

Haru shook her head. "Nope. There's nowhere inside to gut and clean things this big. Well, maybe the bathing room, but Yuisu would kill me if we did it there. The deck will have to do and we can wash off the blood later."

The butchering process went smoother than expected, thanks to Haru's work experience. Then Haru and Froze divided the meat into plastic bags and loaded them into the fridge. Thankfully, there was enough room in the second refrigerator Yuisu had recently bought. The Exchange Program even reimbursed her for it since it was related to hosting so many liminals.

Froze and Haru washed the deck off with a hose, then went to the bathing room to wash the blood from themselves. As Froze stripped out of her clothes, she said, "They probably won't let me take any of that meat on the plane, eh?"

"Definitely not, " Haru scoffed. "You'll have to leave it here for me and Mara to eat," she said with a grin.

Once Tsuen had calmed down, she and Kehp retreated to Tsuen's room to talk in peace. Over the last couple weeks, Tsuen found she could really connect with Kehp. She could talk even more openly with her than with her girlfriend, Mara.

Kehp was very comfortable around Tsuen as well. Kehp lifted her t-shirt and grabbed her belly. "Tsuen, am I fat?"

Tsuen took one glance at Kehp's midriff and shook her head. "Not at all. You look about right for your height and body type. You're just curvy, and it looks good on you."

"I just don't feel very strong, or confident. I could be more fit, right? "

Tsuen waved a hand dismissively. "Of course. Nearly everyone could be more fit. Even I could stand to exercise more. Mara and I haven't made it to the gym very regularly lately."

Kehp bowed her head. "I'm sorry! That's probably my fault for disrupting your routine."

"It's not a problem, really." Tsuen flicked her tail idly, then said, "Hang on… there's nothing stopping us from exercising right now." She jumped to her hooves. "Let's go for a run!"

Kehp gasped in surprise at Tsuen's sudden exuberance, though it was her normal state when running was involved. "Uh, oh, okay."

After they changed into exercise clothes, Tsuen pulled Kehp along by the hand to the front door. "We can jog downhill to the gate, then walk slow and steady back up to the house. A few of those will get you good and tired!"

Kehp's long fuzzy ears twitched as she imagined all that effort. "And that's what we want?"

"Yep! The best muscle growth is after you get your muscles tired. And muscle growth is what you want, since it'll make you feel strong and confident, but leave those lovely curves alone," Tsuen said with a wink. She could get pretty assertive when helping people with fitness, which was perfect, considering she wanted to be a fitness instructor someday. "Alright, Kehp. Try to keep up with me. You have to push yourself to become a better you!"

Tsuen took off at a slow trot but it felt pretty fast to Kehp, who scrambled to keep up. Kehp's tiny fluffy tail flicked back and forth above her exercise shorts as she ran down the hill after the centaur.

On Froze and Kehp's last night in Japan, Yuisu cooked up a huge dinner. It served as both a farewell party and a way to use up some of the insane amount of deer meat filling her refrigerators.

Froze challenged Haru and Mara to a steak eating contest, but it ended in a draw. They had all refused to stop eating even after they were miserable, so Yuisu forced them to quit before one of them puked it all up.

After dinner, they played some board games for a bit, until Quess stood up and said, "This is too mundane for a proper farewell party." She left the room and returned with bottles of sake and a pot of coffee for Mara. "Let's give Kehp and Froze a proper send-off!" she cheered as she poured drinks for everyone.

The festivities got a little wild from there, and most of the girls didn't get to sleep until after three in the morning.

When the morning arrived, no one was ready for it. Between the hangovers and everyone dreading Froze and Kehp's departure, the mood in the house was pretty low.

Mara climbed up on the couch next to Froze. "Do you really have to go? Isn't Japan cooler than Canada?"

Froze chuckled, but her limp ears showed her true feelings. "Yah, we have to go. The International Exchange Program is for temporary visits, not permanent relocation. I'll miss you, Mara. It was nice hanging out with another high-energy smartass, eh?"

Teardrops gathered at the corners of all six of Mara's eyes as she nodded her head. "Yeah, it was nice. I'll miss you too," she whispered, then pulled Froze into a many-limbed hug and squeezed her tight.

Haru stepped into the room, holding a suitcase against her chest. "Someone else will have to grab the other suitcases. Handles were made for people with hands." Haru was acting tough, but she was dreading this perhaps more than anyone else. Yuisu is accepting and loving, but it's not the same as sharing in the thrill of the hunt. Froze is a kindred spirit…

Froze stood up, lifting Mara with her. "Hey, if you don't let go, I'll just wear you all the way to the airport, but they won't let you through customs."

Mara peered up at Froze's magenta eyes. "Fine, I'll let go. But I refuse to be happy about this!" She dropped to the ground and skittered off down the hallway toward Froze's room. "I'll go get the other suitcases."

Once it was just the two of them in the living room, Haru set the suitcase down and stepped up close to Froze. "Thank you for hunting with me. It reminded me of my time on the force, and I hadn't realized how much I missed that."

Froze grinned, baring one fang. "No problem. I think I needed it too." She held her arms wide. "You look like you could use a hug, Haru. I promise not to tell anyone you got sappy…"

Haru wordlessly stepped forward and wrapped Froze in her big fluffy white wings. Froze squeezed back and the hug turned into a friendly contest of muscle.

"Oof!" Froze gasped as she gave up first. "You've got some real strength, eh?"

Haru slapped Froze on the back and turned away. She said, "Just my wings, mostly," then wiped a tear from her eye.

All the luggage was loaded into the back of Yuisu's little red pickup truck, then everyone in the house gathered on the front porch to say their final farewells.

Quess pulled Kehp and Froze into a big hug. "I know I didn't get to spend much time with you two, but it was fun." She stepped back, then she grinned and raised her eyebrows suggestively. "Especially the pillow fight."

"Oh yah, that was fun," Kehp said quietly. "I think it actually helped me with my anxiety a bit."

Froze slapped her on the back. "Ha! Hard to be afraid of men after seeing how dorky and harmless Yamato was."

Kehp just blushed and looked away, then Tsuen approached. Tears were already in her eyes as she leaned down to hug Kehp. "It was really fun, Kehp. Stay in touch, and make sure to keep up that fitness routine!"

Kehp smiled back through tears of her own and hugged Tsuen tightly. "I will, Tsuen. Thank you. G-goodbye," she stammered as the hug ended.

Suddenly Tsuen's face turned hard and she glared at Froze. "You better take good care of Kehp, Froze!"

Froze wore a wolfish grin and said, "Oh, I plan to!" Then she grabbed Kehp around the waist and swept her into a dramatic kiss. After an instant of surprise, Kehp returned it passionately.

Everyone else blushed at the unexpected display. Mara raised her right hand and front leg. "Uh, am I the only one that had no idea they were that, uh, close?"

Haru, Tsuen, and Yuisu shook their heads, looking just as surprised. Quess smiled knowingly but didn't say anything.

The kiss ended and the two lovers slowly separated. Embarrassed, Kehp looked down at her hooves and fidgeted.

Froze smiled up at the others and said, "So, yah, Kehp and I are dating now." She shrugged and added in a teasing tone, "Sorry for the surprise, but I guess us Canadians are a little more private about these things than you lot."

Yuisu chuckled and said, "Yeah, I guess we are a bit blatant sometimes." She turned and looked at all her homestays. "Are you all set on goodbyes? We've got to get going to the train station so these two can get to the airport on time for their flight."

They all nodded or threw in one more "Goodbye!" for good measure, then Yuisu, Kehp, and Froze climbed into the front of the truck.

As she drove, Yuisu said, "I wanted to say thanks for getting along so well with everyone and being so easy-going. I was worried at first when I heard I'd be adding two strangers to my full house, but it really worked out great."

Kehp was sitting in the middle seat, and she turned and said, "You're welcome, but we should be thanking you. You were a great host, Yuisu, and I had a wonderful time."

Froze nodded and said, "Oh yeah, you did an awesome job. Thank you, Yuisu."

Meanwhile, back at the house, the phone started to ring. Haru walked over and picked it up. "Nakahara residence. Haru speaking."

Agent Will's voice said, "Haru! Just who I wanted to speak to. I have a question for you."

"Okay. What is it?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Well I guess I have a couple. First, Kehp and Froze have left for Canada, right?"

"Yep. They should be getting to the train station about now."

"Perfect. So… you know Yuisu well, and I don't want to get her angry…" He swallowed loudly. "How long should I wait before sending another homestay to live with you girls?"