True Colors

Featuring: Holokai and Fyre

Autumn, Year 1995 of the Next Generation

Shearwater Cove, Tangaroa Island, Hihiri
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Fyre

    After she and Holokai, or Kai as she called him, started becoming friends; she became somewhat of a fan of his. She loved watching him when they hunted. Watching him use his massive claws as he held things. In all honesty, she was developing feelings for him. Not sure of why other than he was the best equine in the herd to her.

    They were quite similar in body, mind, and appearances; other than the claws and the coat color they had spinal trailing fins, To her he was quite the handsome stallion, and she was terrified of ruining their friendship by letting her slight crush show.

    Shaking her head she walked in the waters along the shore, up to her knee joints as she hummed to herself. She had recently hunted and was now relaxing herself. Her ears swilved around as she looked towards the Gatherers, the harvesters, and other hunters. And of course, the occasional warrior team sparring. Her fiery fins gleamed with moisture as she walked, the sounds of the waves in her ears.

    She had her back turned, ignoring everything as she listened and thought. She knew someone may try to sneak up on her but she was perfectly content how she was.

Holokai

    It had been two seasons since Fyre had truly come into Holokai’s life and he would be lying if he said he could live without her friendship. The mare was something to marvel with her quick wit and strength it was not long before Kai was infatuated with the dark creature. While some of his attention had been taken when he announced his candidacy for Chieftain he always seemed to make time for his favorite friend. There had been cooing from the older gatherers, who had nothing better to do than sit and gossip all day, that Fyre and Kai would make a fine match; and he had even thought so on occasion. Not that he would dare speak it aloud. He would not cause a rift in their relationship if it was the last thing he did. He would just keep her close to him whatever way he could.

    So that was what he did. After having counsel with the elders than a meeting with Lo the stallion had decided to go and search for his favorite Hihiri. The huntress would surely be back in the cove at this late hour, turning in her catch or simply bathing in what was left of the sun’s warmth. The waters were cooling with the changing weather so most Hihiri would seek out warm spots to rest once their work was done. He was not surprised when his eyes immediately sought her out across the shallow water. Fyre was hard to miss with her bright scales and dark coat. She was a beacon and he had to push back his excitement at the prospect of having her to himself for a moment. It wasn’t fair for a friend to crave another’s attention so plainly.
    
    He watched for another second as she paused in the shallows, her ears swiveling slowly but her attention clearly far from where she stood. These were the moments that Kai treasured, so he took it in as much as he could before leaving the treeline of the jungle and heading for the water himself. Around him other herd members greeted the roan and he politely dipped his head before heading into the crisp ocean. The sun was setting towards the horizon and he wondered if she was simply admiring its beauty like he was admiring hers. When Holokai got to her rump the stallion reached out his right claw and gently pinched her tail. While his claws could do serious damage this pinch was no more than an annoyance at most. He chortled at his own action before shaking his head. “Did I scare you?” He asked with a quirked brow.

Fyre

    She let out a gasp and turned around, giving him a scowl before snickering. “You, my darling friend. Are mean.” She smiled and stamped a cloven hoof in the water, splashing water at him. She glanced over him, loving whenever that had some forms of alone time to spend together. She stepped closer to him and gave him a small nudge on the cheek with her nose, it was a friendly gesture, but he could easily take it as more in his own mind.
    
    She looked around, noticing the older Gatherers gossiping and gave them a polite nod as she swished her tail to and fro. Her thoughts racing as she tried to keep a handle on her feelings for the stallion. She didn’t even know if he felt the same for her.

    She took a step back, realizing she was lingering a bit close, her dark cheeks hiding the red blush as she waves her fins slightly, showing her embarrassed emotions by the fact they were only half raised.
    
    He knew her well enough to know how she demonstrated her emotions, through her fins and how her tail moved. She spoke softly as she looked up to him, “How are you Kai?” She smiled.

Holokai

    “You, my darling friend. Are mean.” She hissed at him with a joking smile. Kai laughed as she splashed him with a sharp stamp of her foot and he shook a bit of the water away before smirking once more. “Oh no Fyre, if I was mean there would be things ten times worse I could do.” It was an empty threat and she seemed to know that because she rolled her eyes and leaned over to kiss his cheek in greeting. How he wished it meant something more, and he turned his head just enough so as she pulled away he could still feel her close to him.
    
    She glanced back towards the shore as soon as they were apart. His ears jerked back and he too glanced over to see the old mares staring. Holokai let out an impatient breath and turned away, wishing they would mind their own business. He grumbled a quick, “Don’t mind them.” and looked back to Fyre. She looked between them and took a step back, his heart hurt a little at the action but he respected her space by leaning away as well.She was embarrassed by  the spectators and he stepped around her to try and shield the mare as well as he could. She gave him a sof smile and asked how he was doing.

    Kai at once didn’t know how to answer. Heath wise he was perfect but heart wise was a bit more of a mystery. He shrugged. “I’m just fine. Stress has gotten to me a bit but nothing I couldn’t handle.” He answered truthfully. His eyes searched hers for a second before he continued. “What about you Fyre? How are you doing now that you don’t have my butt to boss around while hunting?”

Fyre

    “I miss my hunting buddy.. Honestly.” She swished her tail as she blushed looking to him. “Any way I could help you relax?”  She got a bit closer to him now that the spectators could no longer see their faces, could no longer see their emotions as they continued their conversation.

    Her heart was beating a million miles a minute as she stood there close to him. She could hear her thoughts screaming at her to tell him how she felt. She wanted him to know but she was terrified of telling him. So she stayed silent, her tail shyly curling around one of back legs as she stood there close to him.

    “How are the preparations for trying to be Chieftan”” She asked, nervously trying to change the subject.

Holokai

    Her words were so sincere and he wanted nothing more to tell her exactly what he was thinking but he couldn’t spit out the words. She continued on asking if there was anything she could help him with. Again his mind raged at him to tell the truth but he just let out a tired sigh. “Just distract me.” He whispered to her. It was as close to the honest truth as he could get right then but he would take it.

    Fyre seemed a bit more nervous while she stood by him thinking of a response. He hoped his words were not too big of a request for his friend. She was silent for a long time while her tail swished in the lapping water before curling around her hind leg. She shifted again before seeming to hastily try and change the subject with him. “How are the preparations for trying to be Chieftan” She asked, it was a mundane question and Kai realized, or at least thought, that at this point she had to have figured it out and was just trying to be polite. His chest was thumping and he knew all he could do now was be honest with her.  “The- They are coming along just fine. The elders think- well it doesn’t really matter what they think right now anyway. I don’t really want to talk about it.”

    He looked back towards the sunset that was changing the color of the sky. He stood in a stoic transe for a breath then smiled once more. “It really is beautiful, the colors lighting up the sky.” He fell silent and his inner thoughts ordered him to finish the thought. So with a heavy breath he glanced to Fyre. “So beautiful, just like you.”

Fyre

    She murmured “What do the elders thi- Wait what…” She widened her eyes and glanced over at Kai, her dark pelt not hiding the extreme blush that coated her cheeks. Her ears pushed forwards, perked to attention.

    “Y-You… Think I’m beautiful??” Fyre never stuttered, but this stallion brought that side of her in full force to the surface. She blushed and looked away shyly as she whispered, “M-May I assume… you feel the same way about me that I feel about you Kai? Cause… Like most mares… I find you attractive..” Her voice was quiet compared to the sounds of the waves, but she knew he could hear her perfectly. Like she meant him too.

    Her thoughts were cheering as she spoke, saying things like ‘Way to go!’ and ‘Yay!’

Holokai

    He stepped forward, his heart bursting with relief. He nose reached out and grazed her’s in a more than friendly manner, hoping she would let him. “It’s more than fair to assume that Fyre.” He said throatily. The stallion took a step forward and closed his eyes. “You don’t know how happy I am to hear that because I have had eyes for no other since you became my friend.” His honest words just kept pouring out till he had nothing left to say. “I hope this doesn’t upset you.

Fyre

    “It flatters me..” She stepped forwards and nuzzled noses with his, it was a loving gesture, her tail swishing slowly as she smiled happily, and quite shyly. “I do hope this isn't just our hormones running wild… That these are true feelings.” She murmured as she gave his cheek a gentle kiss,
    
    She decided she liked the closeness between them as she murmured “I believe I can guess this is what the elders thought of us… We would be good together, no?”

Holokai

    “I don’t think it’s just hormones.” He smiled and stepped closer, eyes watching her as he went. “I would just be pining after you, but I’m not. I adore your determination and skill. How you find wonder in the ocean every time you head out to hunt. I like your passion for the herd and how kind you are to others. It is not just some primal urge-” He realized how forward he was sounding so he lowered his ears and took a breath. She smiled at his words and prodded back at him. “I believe I can guess this is what the elders thought of us… We would be good together, no?”

    He sighed with relief before nodding. “I do, truly I do.” Kai let one of his claws brush her side softly. “Let me know what you wish to do Fyre, take time to think about what you want. I don’t want to push you away.” He could hear the nervous colt inside his head. Unsure of what to make of all this. Knowing their attraction was a big change and Kai wasn’t sure where it would go but if she was willing to give it a try he was too.

    The sun had set and already the moon was climbing in the sky. The water was colder than it had been in the light and Holokai just began to realize how long they had been out there. “It’s getting late-” He started, pulling away from her. “We should head back before a shark or something swims into the cove.” It was a lame excuse but one with enough justification for him to turn back towards land and leave the unsure waters. “Um, we could always finish this talk later.” He said in a soft voice. Half of Kai wanted to go home and sleep from the exhaustion of pouring his feelings out while the other part told him he would never be able to rest with this conversation in limbo.

Fyre

    She shivered slightly and looked to him and nodded “Yeah… we had probably be going… Uhm…. would you like to come back to my den? Since I live close to here and it'd be easier to get to… that is.. if you want to.”

    She was quite shy, but she knew she cared a lot for him. She leaned out and nuzzled his neck in a gentle but loving manner. “And I agree with the Elders…” she whispered by his finned ear, blushing vibrantly as she looked quietly to the moon. Her scales glistened like a slowly dying fire, but inside, her fiery feelings for her were alive and well, and she knew for a fact they couldn't be ignored now.

    Especially now that she knew it wasn't just their hormones of the season but actual true feelings that had led up to this moment. Her fins slowly folded against her back, signaling she was at peace and very comfortable around him. Her posture, that too, was relaxed.

Holokai

    Kai bobbed his head, eyeing Fyre. “I would like nothing more than to join you.” He got out of the water and waited for her to join him in the sand. Her scales sparkled in the moonlight and for a second she was silvered in it’s glow. Holokai did not know how he deserved but if she would have him there was nothing more he wanted in life than to make her happy.

    Fyre reached his side and nuzzled his neck whispering to him. “And I agree with the Elders…” She told him. He laughed, perhaps the old ones had it right. Fyre looks so at peace with the world in that moment and he rested his neck upon hers. “Come, let us head back to your home. I will light a fire and we can cook some fish and discuss what to do next.” He waited for her to lead the way; thanking the gods for giving him this opportunity in the first place.

Fyre