A/N: Sooo I apologise for the first scene, I maaaaay have got carried away with the joke but it was too good to re-write :')
This one is also longer than the others xD Yay!
Enjoy :3

Chapter 8

Kai tried to cover his ears with his front legs in an attempt to drown out the loud tweeting, was it too much to ask to have a lay in?! Ray opened an eye as his friends movement jogged him awake, smirking as he realised that Kai's hearing was much more sensitive in this form.

The dual-coloured elk groaned in frustration. "How do you deal with all this noise?!" He whined.

"Erm, kinda used to it?" Ray snickered, lifting his head from the others shoulders and yawning. "Come on, may as well get up now."

The black bull heaved himself to his feet, stretched and gave his friend a playful lick on the head before cantering off with his tail held high towards the lake. Kai stared after him wide eyed, his fur still stood on end where Ray had licked him, the same feeling from last night burning inside him. He pulled himself up and shook his pelt off, some dirt flying around the den as he did so. Kai headed for the lake, eyes still watching his teammate curiously; until he spotted something he'd never expected to see. With Ray's tail still lifted up in the air, the older teen couldn't help but notice the large balls hanging between his legs. He pulled his own tail tighter to his body, suddenly very conscious about his own assets being on show for everyone to see.

Ray had finished drinking and turned his head to see Kai staring. "Is there something on my fur?" He laughed.

Crimson eyes widened nervously. "Err, nothing!" He trotted quickly to the waters edge, plunging his muzzle into the cool liquid to quench his dry mouth.

The Tiger frowned. "No seriously, what is it?" He pushed, curious about his friends behaviour.

Kai swallowed his mouthful of water and raised his antlered head, ears pinned back and rear legs firmly pressed together.

"You err, might wanna lower your tail." He told his friend.

Ray cocked his head to one side. "Whatever for?"

"Because…" If Kai were human he certainly would have been glowing a lovely cherry red by now. "Your crown jewels are on show."

Ray deadpanned, all that fuss over a pair of bollocks? "Kai, we've been turned into animals, who don't wear clothes… they're gonna be on show."

"Wait, you aren't bothered?" The older teen was bemused.

His teammate shook his head. "Not really, nothing I can do about it. Besides, we're both guys; it's not like it's anything you haven't seen before."

Kai still kept his tail firmly in place and turned his rump away from his friend. "Alright nature boy, you keep yours on display." He lifted his nose to the air. "And I'll keep mine to myself."

Ray stared at him, before bursting out laughing. "Good luck with that! How about you just get it over and done with so you don't walk around like you're constipated all the time?" He suggested, mischief dancing in his golden eyes.

"No!" Kai took a few steps back, not liking the look he was being given.

The Neko stepped towards him, smirking hard. "Best get running then, Mr. Modest."

The shorter teen gulped and stood his ground for a few more seconds, hoping that his friend was bluffing; however when Ray took another step forward, Kai let out a squeak and turned tail, galloping along the shoreline with his tail held down tightly. Ray bolted after him, eyes fixated on the light grey rump bounding away from him.

"This isn't funny Ray!" Kai panted, taking a quick glance behind him.

The raven-coloured elk was catching up to him, and fast. Kai skidded to a stop and tried to out manoeuvre his bulkier teammate by turning back on himself.

Ray's hooves brought up dust as he turned just as quickly. "Playing dirty are we?!" He called. "Two can play at that game!"

He pushed his stride farther apart, closing in the distance between them; he spotted a fallen tree nearby and herded his fleeing friend towards it, a cunning plan in place. Kai neared the tree trunk, he couldn't run around it as that would cost him time, he had to jump it! He bunched up his muscles and leaped over it with ease, then turned around to see Ray had stopped on the other side with a huge grin on his snout.

"Ha! You thought you had me, but you were wrong!" Kai bugled triumphantly.

His teammate snorted. "But alas, my sweet innocent friend; it is a win for me." He gestured to Kai's rear end.

Crimson eyes darted to his rump, his tail held high and proud in the air. Kai was mortified, Ray had set him up! The cheeky teen had known that he would have used his tail for that extra little balance. His head snapped back when laughing sounded from the younger teen, eyes narrowing to a scowl; Kai jumped back over the tree and glared at his hysterical friend.

"Enjoy your eyeful?" He growled, eyes holding the slightest hint of amusement.

Ray only laughed harder at that, his legs going weak underneath him and he collapsed onto his side, his belly was beginning to hurt from laughing so much. An idea lit up in Kai's head, he'd get his revenge whilst the other was too busy trying to calm his laughter.

He approached Ray. "I take that as a yes." He rumbled, an evil glint in his eyes. "Then I guess you wouldn't mind taking a closer look?!"

Kai lifted a rear leg over Ray's flank and sat down on his neck, making sure to push his backside as close to the others face as possible.

"Okay! Okay!" The younger male pleaded. "You win! Get off me!" He tried to squirm away from his friends ass.

The weight on his neck disappeared as Kai stood back up, smirking at him playfully. Ray heaved himself up, feeling a little high from the close encounter he'd just had with his former captains testicles.

He shook the dust from his pelt. "I must say, those are some perky assets you have." He commented nonchalantly.

Ray flinched in pain as his words earned him a sharp kick to the shins.

"Watch it Kon." Kai turned away and began walking back to the den. "You might just wake up one morning without yours." He threatened vivaciously.

The raven-coloured bull shook his head, smiling at his friends empty threat as he walked away; Ray's heart fluttered a little as he watched the others hips sway with every step he took.

Kai paused and turned around. "Come on! I'm hungry!"

"Oh!" Ray felt his own hunger stabbing at him, he cantered after his friend. "Follow me, I saw a nice patch of grass yesterday."

"Yummy…" Kai grumbled, eye rolling.

They stared at the green blades of grass, neither one of them wanting to be the first to try it. Ray bent his head down and sniffed the plants, it just smelled like grass to him; nothing about it seemed appetising in the slightest, but they needed to eat.

Kai sighed, his hunger winning him over. "Bon appetite…" He grunted.

He reached down and ripped up a few grass stems with his teeth, chewing carefully on the succulent plants and swallowing.

"Well?" Ray cocked his head to one side.

The older bull smacked his lips. "Well it doesn't taste bad, but it's no five-star cuisine." He commented.

Eyerolling, Ray pulled up a few mouthfuls of grass begrudgingly, he would have rathered a slab of meat right now. The pair grazed for a while; slowly their bellies began to fill and energy returned to their bodies, their troubled minds eased slightly as they had one less thing to worry about. Kai finished his mouthful and laid down to digest his food, watching his friend carry on eating. He took this opportunity to really look at the raven-coloured bull, noticing differences between the pair; Ray was slightly larger than he was, but nowhere near as big as a fully grown male elk. His antlers were bigger too, spanning broadly over his head and forking out into more points. A small amount of jealousy pricked at Kai as he glanced at his own body, he was lithe yet still muscular, but his mane was pitiful compared to the others. He assumed it was because Ray had such long hair in his human form, whereas his was far shorter, although he was able to tie it in a ponytail. Kai flicked his crimson eyes back to his companion, stomach performing a somersault and his heart beat a little faster as he remembered what Ray had said to him the night before.

"Because you're my best friend…" He'd told him.

His gaze softened as a surge of affection for the other washed over him; he couldn't understand how anyone would consider him their best friend, but even after every shitty thing Kai had done to the team, to Ray… The dual-coloured teen suddenly wanted to rush over and hug his friend, to rub his muzzle into the others mane again. Ray's ears twitched as a faint whine sounded from his friend, he stopped eating and looked at him.

"What's wrong?" He asked, noticing the odd look he was receiving.

Kai's eyes widened in embarrassment, his ears pinned back and he shifted awkwardly. "Sorry! …ate too much." He quickly lied.

Ray frowned, still didn't explain the face he had been making. "Okay."

The Tiger shook his pelt, feeling satisfied from his 'meal' he laid down next to his former captain and began to smooth over his fur with his tongue. Kai watched him in amazement, a little shook that Ray had settled into his new form so easily. A yawn tore through him, having a full stomach was making him sleepy; he laid his head on the grass and closed his eyes, only for a moment he told himself. After a short while Ray paused mid-lick, his ears swivelling behind him as he heard a light snore. He swung his head around to see that his teammate had fallen asleep, clearly his restless night had caught up to him. Amber eyes drifted over the soft, slate fur, watching the strands of his mane wave and glisten in the gentle breeze. The closer he looked, the more he noticed small breaks in the others pelt where scars lay; his final battle with Brooklyn had left him pretty beaten up, the rest of the team were so worried about him after he'd collapsed. Ray remembered staying up the entire night Kai had spent in the hospital worried sick, and face-palming hard when he'd turned up in bandages to watch Tyson's match against the troubled blader.

A smile danced its way across his lips, he had always admired the Phoenix for his strength and endurance. He knew very little of his past, but he had an inkling that he'd been through a lot for a kid of his age and because of that, he had to grow up pretty fast. Sometimes when Tyson and Max would play around, they'd convince Ray to join them and on the extremely rare occasion Kai, depending on the game they were playing. However when he did join them, he would usually struggle to let his guard down and fully enjoy himself; Ray was sure he'd never heard him properly belly laugh, and it saddened him that he was always on edge. It was only until they got lost in this damn forest that he had begun to truly see Kai's personality, he found out that he was very particular about his appearance but would get uncomfortable if he received a compliment. He also realised that on the outside he had a hard exterior, but behind those walls he was actually quite sensitive and quick to berate himself if he made a mistake.

Ray tore his eyes away from the sleeping teen and sniffed the air, it was already afternoon and he didn't want to stay away from camp for too long. He heaved himself to his feet, stretching out the tiredness from his body and yawned; he bent his neck and nudged Kai with his nose, breathing in the others sweet scent as he did so.

"Come on sleepy head." He smirked when Kai groaned.

The older bull shifted a little. "Five more minutes…"

"You sound like Tyson." Ray laughed, knowing that comparing them would annoy him.

Kai opened an eye to glare at him. "Get fucked." His lips twitched, betraying his poker face.

The raven-coloured teen eyerolled, he reached forward and pulled on his teammates ear playfully, causing Kai to yelp. Ray turned and bounded away, pausing briefly to see if he was being followed.

"You're in for it now!" Kai growled, shaking his ear and jumping to his feet.

Feeling giddy, Ray spun around and pranced through the trees as his friend gave chase. He weaved between the trunks, being mindful not to catch his antlers on any branches; he could hear the pounding of the others hooves behind him, trying to catch up to him. An idea sprung to the young elks mind and he dashed behind the trunk of a large tree, cantering around it to try and juke the other. Kai cottoned onto him and charged the opposite way, causing Ray to leap into the air as they nearly clashed antlers.

"Thought you'd fooled me did you?!" The crimson eyed teen teased.

"Perhaps." Ray smirked, his weight balanced on his hind legs. "You caught me off guard."

Kai stepped forward. "Should pay more attention then." He mocked.

"Wait for it…" The Tiger told himself, watching the others steps carefully until he was sure he was in range.

"Maybe you should take your own advice." He taunted, bunching the muscles in his legs and leaping forward.

Kai's ears dropped, eyes widened and mouth gaped as he was taken by surprise, he managed to avoid his companions attack by a hair and reared up. As Ray's back hooves hit the ground, he raised his own front legs and clashed them playfully with Kai's, forcing the older teen to step backwards.

Ray laughed. "Do you concede?" He asked as he dropped down to regain his balance, only to rear up again at the other.

Kai mimicked him. "Not a chance! Just because you're bigger doesn't me-eaaah!" He yelped as he lost his footing and slid down a small ridge.

Amber eyes widened as his friend fell, rushing forward to peer over the edge to see if he was okay.

"I swear to god Ray, if I hear you laugh one more time!" Kai barked, eyes blazing.

Ray pursed his lips together, struggling to hold in his laughter as he walked beside his disgruntled friend. "You have to admit, it's pretty funny."

The dual-coloured elk huffed loudly, his head held low and stamping his feet slightly in annoyance. At the bottom of the small ridge he'd fallen down was a huge puddle of mud, and he was covered almost head to toe in it; Ray had laughed so hard he had to pee where he stood.

Amber eyes widened as his friend fell, rushing forward to peer over the edge to see if he was okay. As soon as he caught sight of him his chest heaved with laughter; below him Kai slowly sat up and glared at him, mud dripping down his pelt.

"Instead of standing there laughing, how about getting your arse down here?!" He bellowed.

Ray laughed even harder. "Hahaha, holy shit! Hahaha!" His bladder screamed at him. "Oh god I have to pee so bad now!" He squealed.

"Oh for fucks sake…" Kai stood up in the mud, feeling it sticking to every nook and cranny of his pelt.

He waded to the edge of the puddle and dug his front hooves into the earth, attempting to heave himself out but the mud sucked onto his rear legs. A small thud sounded to his right as Ray jumped down, having recovered from his laughing fit somewhat.

"Need a hand?" His voice wavered in amusement.

Kai glared hard. "Just get me out." He barked.

Sniggering, his teammate took a mouthful of Kai's scruff and heaved. The once dark blue legs slowly eased out of the mud, until the vacuum released and they stumbled onto dry land.

Ray snorted as he made a mental note of never letting Kai live that down, not for as long as he breathed. Due to how steep the ridge was, they had to walk the long way around to get back to the lake and the sun was close to setting by the time they got back. The mud on Kai's pelt was beginning to dry and crack, causing him to feel itchy and uncomfortable; he flicked a rear leg as he walked, trying to get rid of some of it.

"I think you need to go for a swim." Ray looked over the poor teen.

Kai scoffed, still brooding over his little accident. "I guess."

He cantered to edge of the lake, a brief flash of fear washed over him as he remembered the last time he entered it. The Phoenix shook his head and plunged in, feeling the water pulling at the mud clinging to his fur; he waded in further until his hooves no longer touched the bottom, treading at the water he swam around, dunking his head underneath the surface a couple of times. Ray kept a close eye on him, his own memories pricking at his heart even though he knew that he was okay. Relief flooded him as Kai swam back to shore, water dripping from his pelt and running down his slender legs; he shook off some of the excess water, his ears flapping against his head.

Kai inspected his body, happy that the mud was gone, but now he had another problem. "How am I gonna dry myself?" He asked.

Ray snickered. "Use your tongue!"

The dual-coloured teen grimaced, surely that wasn't very hygienic? He swung his head around and began to lick at his flank, the water caught in his pelt being lapped up by his tongue. Amber eyes watched him reach for his back, legs starting to walk in the direction he was facing.

He giggled. "Here, I'll help you out."

Kai stopped what he was doing and whipped his head around to see his friend approach him, bend his head down and begin running his tongue along the top of his shoulders. His heart pounded in his ears as he froze to the spot, completely unsure on how to feel or react to what was happening; half of him wanted to pull away and tell the other he could do it himself, the other half wanted to enjoy the closeness with him.

Ray paused licking briefly. "I'm not doing this by myself you know."

Slate ears flushed warm as he craned his neck, licking the front of his chest, fully aware that every time Ray's tongue ran along his body, sparks shot through his entire being. His eyes slipped closed and he leaned into the touch; once he was happy his chest was somewhat dry, he turned back to his flank to finish what he started. His dark blue muzzle bumped into a black one and his eyes snapped open, crimson eyes meeting amber ones. They gazed at one another in the setting sunlight, neither dared to speak nor move as they felt the others hot breath dancing between them. Kai felt a force pushing him closer to his teammate, his lungs shuddering and heart racing a million miles a minute. Ray's ears twitched and swivelled behind him, picking up a sound from the treetops; he broke their gaze and turned to face the direction that the noise was coming from, eyes narrowing as he tried to pinpoint it. His former captain was left trying to catch his breath, terrified at what he was about to do.

Ray's eyes widened when the source of the noise made it's appearance. "It's a drone!" He shrieked.

Kai felt weak at the knees, this was their chance to be found! "We need to grab it's attention!"

The flying machine swooped into the clearing of the lake, spinning around as it searched; in large red letters on its side read BBA, the pair couldn't believe their eyes.

Ray reared up on his hind legs. "Hey! Down here!" He bugled.

The drone's camera swivelled to face them before flying closer to inspect, the wind from its propellers buffeting at the lake causing small waves to ripple across it. The camera zoomed in on the pair, hovering there for a few moments before tilting away. Ray's heart plummeted, whoever was controlling it didn't recognise them!

"Wait!" Kai bellowed, pushing off and racing after the drone.

The black bull realised that the failing light was concealing their pelt colours, even Kai's was barely noticeable; he chased after his teammate before he went too deep into the forest.

Ray bounded around the other and stopped him dead in his tracks. "Stop!"

"We can't lose it!" Kai panted, trying to get around him.

"It's too dark! They don't know it's us!" He stayed in the others way.

The two-toned elk narrowed his eyes at him. "Get out of the way!" He warned.

Ray shook his head. "There are predators out there Kai! I won't let you get yourself killed!"

Kai stamped his feet with impatience. "Do you want out of this mess or what?!" He jumped to the right and went to carry on following the drone.

"Kai!" Ray growled, finally losing his temper and leaping in front of the other once again, antlers lowered at the older teen. "Go back!"

Crimson eyes stared at him in shock. "B-but…" He stammered, refusing to budge.

The Neko advanced on him, waving his large antlers threateningly at his friend. "Move."

As the pointed ends came close to him, Kai reared up and dodged them. He scowled at his teammate and turned around viciously, stalking back to the lake. Ray kept his head down but watched him carefully as they walked, angry slate ears drooped down sadly as the other realised they weren't going to be found tonight. When they reached the lake Ray lifted his neck and stopped herding Kai, his chest clenching at how close they were to going home. The smaller bull carried on towards the den, dropping himself to the ground roughly and laid his head on one leg, keeping his back to Ray. Nostrils flared as Ray sighed, deciding on giving the brooding teen his space for the night; he stepped into the den and laid down a little way from his friend, disappointment plaguing his heart and mind. They both laid like that for the rest of the evening, neither one of them daring to speak to the other in case an argument started up again. Ray waited a long time for Kai to fall asleep, when he did he briefly lifted his head to look at him sadly before turning back to get comfortable; his eyes slipped shut and sleep came to him easy, dreaming of being back with his friends at the camp.