Raised by Wolves— Chapter IV

A couple weeks went by and life settled into a pattern, which Cloud found both relaxing and dull. Most days were spent helping his mother around the house, exploring and planning, and occasionally dodging the village children aside from Tifa and Mikael, both of whom had turned into friends (although Tifa was still cautious; her father would have skinned Cloud alive if he caught them associating with each other).

Cloud found himself feeling rather thankful to Mikael. Mikael was able to keep Shan and Kelle away and allow Cloud some semblance of normal village life without sneaking around everywhere. However, Mikael couldn't be with Cloud all the time. On those days, Cloud disappeared up into the mountains and caves, exploring and training his body, as well as making a mental map of the area and where the local monsters resided.

He started with small monsters, finding unattended nests and breaking the eggs or killing the baby monsters he found. Even the babies were difficult to kill for Cloud, and he struggled to get stronger and increase his body's endurance and tolerance to pain. It was a slow, laborious process that Cloud loathed.

On the bright side, although Cloud's training progress was slow, small changes were being noticed around Nibelheim. Most remarked upon was that there were fewer younger monsters running about attacking travelers and traders; it was opening up the road to Nibelheim for slightly increased commerce, which allowed more gil to come into circulation in the poor community. Lives were improving, albeit in small ways. And though small, any respite was welcomed by the villagers, even if they had no idea how or why.

It started out as a typical day for Cloud, waking up and having what still felt like a surreal breakfast with his living and breathing mother. He helped clean up the table and quickly left, hopping off the small porch and heading into the village. The blonde still carried the small slingshot and stones, as well as the little knife he'd sharpened into a lethal edge. The lone Odin materia he'd found in the mansion was safely stowed in his pocket.

Cloud, deep in thought on his next move, was abruptly snapped out of his thoughts when multiple voices shouted. The blonde started and immediately looked around. Heart sinking and feeling resigned, he spotted Kelle and Shan leading a group of three village boys about Cloud's age. They were heading straight towards him.

Common sense kicked in with all the force of a runaway chocobo. Cloud spun and took off in a dead sprint like a startled hare. Vaguely surprised at Cloud's new turn of speed, the group of village boys gave chase, Kelle and Shan in the lead. The boys were out of luck, however; Cloud was easily staying ahead and out of reach. All the days of hunting small monsters, on top of Cloud already training himself, were paying off. The boy couldn't help but smile slightly, happy at his progress.

"Maybe it's time I woke Vincent," thought Cloud as he darted off the path and slipped into the thick and dark Nibelheim forest.

One of the boys had given up the chase when Cloud ran up the path leading towards the mansion and mako reactor, and the other two quit when they saw Cloud disappear almost seamlessly into the trees. Shan and Kelle, however, kept on in pursuit and ignored their misgivings. They crashed into a large clearing, assuming they'd cornered the young blonde and would find him trying to hide.

The clearing was empty.

"Are you sure you saw him come this way?" asked Shan warily.

"Positive," growled Kelle, irritated and embarrassed. "Since when has that kid gotten so fast?"

Shan shrugged and began poking around. Kicking at bushes and hoping Cloud would be startled out of hiding, neither he nor Kelle thought to look up.

Cloud rolled his large blue eyes from his perch, high up and directly over Shan's head. He was almost tempted to drop down and land directly on the young teen's shoulders, but refrained. He wasn't strong enough to take on the bigger and brawnier boys just yet… But Gaea was it tempting.

Shan and Kelle eventually gave up, leaving the clearing and muttering words of vengeance under their breath. Once he was sure they were well on their way back to the village, Cloud dropped lightly out of the tree and landed in a cat-like crouch. He stood and decided to head to the mansion; it was still early morning.

It was time to wake Vincent.

A few minutes of light jogging later and Cloud was at the mansion, again feeling old memories try to surge forth. The eight year old shoved them back down, deep into the dark recesses of his mind and promptly ignored them.

He quickly scrambled up the gate and dropped to the other side, managing not to stumble as he landed awkwardly on a stone and slid slightly. Shaking it off and making sure he hadn't tweaked his ankle, Cloud made his way quietly to the window he'd entered through previously.

Taking out the window pane was considerably easier and quicker than the time before. The boy quickly slipped inside through the window, landing lightly in the dust and almost sneezing as puffs of it rose to meet his small nose. He quickly stood and collected the sword he'd found before, retrieving it from its hiding place next to the fireplace with the fire pokers. Cloud pulled out the Odin materia and slotted it into place, immediately feeling safer; he really wasn't comfortable wandering around in the mansion.

That done, he made his way towards the basement. A short time later found him walking down a dark, dusty corridor and expecting Lost Number to pop out at any moment, very aware he didn't have enough strength to kill the beast. However, the corridor came and went without a sign of the monster. Cloud breathed an inward sigh of relief.

At long last, Cloud found himself in the room with the coffins. The eight year old made a beeline for Vincent's coffin, or what he was fairly certain was Vincent's coffin. The spiky-haired blonde set the too large sword down within easy reach and began heaving at the coffin lid. After much pushing and heaving, the reluctant lid finally creaked open and crashed to the floor.

A long, tattered red cape was the only thing Cloud saw before scarlet eyes flicked open and a golden claw shot from the coffin and closed around Cloud's throat, slowly squeezing. The child scrabbled at the claw and kicked up desperately, his short leg managing to connect with Vincent's chin. The red eyes blinked.

The ground made abrupt contact with Cloud's tailbone and he winced, eyes watering slightly. Vincent had released his neck after realizing he held a child by the throat. Cool scarlet eyes stared down at the blonde who was trying to breathe through a slightly crushed windpipe. After regaining his breath a moment later, Cloud looked up at Vincent, taking in the familiar handsome face, red headband, and tattered cape. His hair was the same as when he'd last seen the vampire-like Turk in the future, dark and layered. Cloud briefly found himself wondering how the ex-Turk didn't stink and was still clean despite the many years in a dirty basement within a coffin.

"Who are you?" the deep voice startled Cloud marginally, though he didn't show it.

"Cloud Strife," he replied.

Vincent blinked slowly at him a moment before turning back to his coffin and starting to get in.

"You should leave this place. It's not fit for children," he stated.

Cloud's small hand shot out and caught Valentine's cape.

"I'm much older than I look," commented Cloud, his tone of voice causing the man to turn back and take a closer look.

Red eyes met blue and Vincent withheld his surprise; those large blue eyes were filled with old wounds, dark memories, and a wisdom that shouldn't belong to a normal child. Similar in their darkness to Vincent's own, but different. There was purpose in those eyes, and a soul deep determination that Vincent had never seen before.

"Then how old are you really?" questioned the dark haired ex-Turk.

"Old enough to know who and what you are, Vincent Valentine," stated Cloud.

The scarlet eyes narrowed, suspicion colouring them slightly as they studied the child. The boy was delicate in appearance and quite small for his age. Chocobo-like hair stood up from his head and large blue, innocent-seeming eyes peered out through blonde bangs. His skin was pale and unblemished aside from a smattering of bruises and cuts on his arms. A small, recent-looking scar stood out vividly above his eyebrow.

"If you want to know what happened to Lucrecia and her son, don't crawl back into that coffin," the child continued conversationally, voice quiet as he let go of the tattered red cape. Cloud grabbed his sword and headed for the door, rubbing his sore tailbone though still managing to walk without limping. He paused in the doorway and turned to glance back at Vincent, "Oh. And if you would like a shot at Hojo, I can help with that."

That said, Cloud vacated the room and disappeared through the door.

"Follow the boy," rumbled a voice from deep within Vincent's mind.

"To what end?" questioned Vincent mentally, long accustomed to Chaos's meddling ways and desire to leave the basement's confines.

"Answers to our predicament and your questions," was the immediate answer.

Vincent sighed. The possibility for answers and vengeance on Hojo was hard to turn down, and Vincent's natural curiosity about the world he'd abandoned was starting to rear its head, stretching like a cat that had slept too long in the sun. Pointed gold metal shoes followed the boy out of the basement.

Cloud felt himself smile a little, not hearing Vincent but rather instinctively knowing that he was following. Entering the library, Cloud picked up Vincent's file and turned around to face the man. He held the file out to him. Red eyes blinked, the only way Vincent ever betrayed surprise.

"Project V," prompted Cloud, "I figured you would want to read it. Most of the information in there by Hojo seems accurate, though there may be a few details he exaggerated or fabricated. He can be incredibly lazy when it suits him, apparently," the blonde continued briskly, allowing his real age to show in his speech and mannerisms. He briefly hesitated for a moment before adding softly, "Lucrecia… also seems to have added to the file."

Another slow, red eyed blink. A gold, clawed hand emerged from the red folds of Vincent's cape and took the file.

"Where did you find this?"

"Tucked away and forgotten over there, on the middle shelf."

"How did you know I was in the basement?" asked the ex-Turk.

"Put some information together from some files," Cloud answered, "I read your file, I hope you don't mind…" he trailed off, internally wincing at the automatic lie.

Vincent shrugged. It didn't particularly matter to him one way or the other. He didn't think the child would tell anyone about him, or believe him if they did.

"You said that you knew about Lucrecia," began Vincent, feeling slightly hesitant and unsure, which were emotions rarely acquainted with Vincent.

Cloud blinked, noticing the slight hesitation. "Well, I did basically promise that I would tell him," thought the man-turned-boy. "Are you sure that you want to know?" Cloud asked, voice serious.

Vincent just gave him a level stare, red eyes revealing nothing and yet everything. Cloud sighed.

"Alright, then."

Cloud moved over to the chair and took a seat, seeing no reason to stand uncomfortably for the duration of his explanation. Vincent eyed Cloud's dangling, swinging feet in vague amusement that didn't show on his face. Cloud wriggled slightly, trying to get comfortable in a more adult-like fashion. However, his legs just weren't long enough. With a resigned sigh, Cloud simply pulled his legs up onto the chair and sat cross-legged.

Blue eyes looking up, Cloud noticed Vincent watching him and caught the slight glimmer of amusement in the ex-Turk's scarlet eyes. Cloud raised an eyebrow in return and gave a slightly crooked smile.

"I really am older than I look. Gaea just has a warped sense of humour and no understanding of human time and age," the blonde child said, feeling slightly defensive.

"How did you become like this? Was it Hojo?" Vincent asked, voice blank, though an almost feral growl blurred his voice when he said the scientist's name, sounding like two voices instead of one; Chaos's contribution no doubt.

"I thought you wanted to hear about Lucrecia?" Cloud deflected.

Vincent gave a slight nod, noting the boy's reluctance to give information where his own self was concerned.

"Then Lucrecia's story it is," said Cloud, running a small hand through his pale blonde spikes and making them even messier, "Get comfortable," the eight year old advised.

The vampire-like man said nothing and continued standing where he was, though he leaned against the wall slightly. That was as comfortable as the ex-Turk would get and Cloud accepted it, taking a deep breath before he began.

He started with the current date and informed Vincent about some of the things going on in the world outside Nibelheim, including the war, Shinra's current state, and the rising figures in Shinra's ranks. Vincent listened patiently, absorbing the information and waiting for the boy to work his way up to Lucrecia. After a time, he did.

"How much do you remember about Lucrecia, Vincent?" asked Cloud, "At what point do you have no memories of her?"

Vincent was silent a moment, red eyes distant as he thought back. Images of Lucrecia collapsing frequently and suffering from visions Vincent could not protect her from, of her belly slowly getting larger with Hojo's child, of Vincent finally confronting Hojo about what he'd done to his wife and child. Sudden, blinding pain and darkness closing around him. Blood filling his mouth and lungs. And then nothing.

And somewhere in the nothingness of death, he recalled snatches of pain and brief moments of slight awareness until nothingness claimed him again. Eventually, the ex-Turk became aware of another presence alongside his own, deep in the recesses of his mind and body. He came to recognize it as Chaos, the very being who had killed his father and caused Lucrecia to blame herself. Over the many long years of resting in the coffin, Vincent had come to terms with Chaos and the two beings held a vaguely amicable relationship, though trust was almost non-existent.

Cloud waited patiently, recognizing and empathizing with Vincent's distant gaze and unintentionally losing oneself in old, best forgotten memories. A few minutes of silence passed by before Vincent managed to pull his mind from his memories. His expression was no different, but there was an underlying something that Cloud couldn't seem to pinpoint in the man's face.

"She told me about my father and that she blamed herself. I remember her pregnancy, and that she let Hojo experiment with her unborn child and it caused some complications. And there are some…other things I don't wish to speak of," Vincent said, voice carefully blanked of any emotion.

Blue eyes regarded Vincent carefully, debating on how to inform Vincent of Lucrecia and Sephiroth. He decided on blunt and straightforward.

"Lucrecia is still alive, though has imprisoned herself as atonement for everything that happened. She can't forgive herself and doesn't think she deserves either life or death. So she has placed herself in a limbo of sorts. Her son, Sephiroth, is very much alive. He is strong, and was raised within Shinra. He is their top Soldier and still subject to Hojo's whims. If you want more details, you should go see her," Cloud said, voice quiet. "Her cave is between here and the Gold Saucer, up in the mountain range," he added.

Vincent was silent for many long moments, processing all the information and revelations he had just been given.

"What would you have me do? You are the one who woke me," stated Vincent, "And I owe you for telling me of Lucrecia and giving me the Project V file."

"Well…"

Cloud paused, suddenly looking vaguely uncomfortable. Vincent regarded him carefully, wondering what had the child so discomfited.

"Helping me train would be good, collecting information from Midgar and the outside world since my body is too young right now would be useful, as well," admitted Cloud, unable to bring up becoming…friends with Vincent. That would hopefully come with time. "Though there is no rush. Do what you need to do, I'm not going anywhere for a while," said Cloud wryly, voice quiet.

Vincent gave a slight nod, pushing off from the wall smoothly. He began moving in his graceful, almost supernatural way, heading for the door. He paused, still holding the file, at the door.

"I will return in two weeks," said the ex-TURK.

Cloud nodded and watched as the man disappeared in a red blur. The boy sighed, melancholy settling in. He knew that he and Vincent wouldn't have the same kind of friendship as they had in the future, and was unsure if that would be a good or bad thing. Due to learning what Cloud had just told him and having woken up Valentine so much earlier than before, the man would probably turn out rather different as well. Cloud just didn't know how all of it would work out, for better or worse.

Nothing he could do about it now, though; the die had been cast and gravity was already rolling it along.

Cloud stood outside the mansion, staring blankly into space. A violent wind whipped through the mountain air, causing Cloud's small body to sway slightly and had him lift his arm to shield his eyes. A storm was rolling in, if Cloud was judging the sky correctly. The very air felt bitingly cold and dry, like sharp teeth biting into his flesh and scraping at his eyes.

"Time to head home," he thought.

The storm swept in faster than Cloud had anticipated. Snow spiraled down from the overcast sky, already the mountain paths were being obscured and visibility was near zero.

Cloud kept up a litany of curses within his mind, saving his breath for pushing through the snow. His shorter legs meant that the piling snow would obstruct his way sooner than it would have if he still had his adult legs.

His curses became ever more colorful as the storm intensified.

"Just great," he thought, resigned, "Suppose I'll have to build a shelter and hope I don't freeze."

Cloud quickly dug, the cold snow numbing his fingers and snowflakes catching on his eyelashes, threatening to freeze his eyes shut. His breath fogged the air less and less as he worked, the cold air leaching the warmth from his internal organs and matching it to the air outside his body.

Minutes later, and Cloud was moderately shielded from the snow and wind. He had dug down and built up at roughly ninety degrees to the direction of the wind. Hopefully, he wouldn't get snowed in and buried alive.

"Now, I just have to wait," thought Cloud, curling up on the ground and hugging his knees to his chest as he sat with his back to the snowy wall he'd constructed.

The Lifestream, moments after Cloud was seized by Gaea...

"Isn't there anything we can do?" asked Zack, staring at the spot Cloud had just vanished from.

Aerith sighed, wishing that things were different for their friend, and desperately wishing that she could ease Zack's own pain. A thought abruptly struck her and hope coursed through her.

"Maybe not we, but perhaps..." Aerith trailed off, "I'll be right back!" she said urgently, her normally soft voice quick before she, too, vanished.

Zack stared after her, wondering what Aerith was thinking and what had caused her to rush off. It wasn't long before he found out. A moment later, shorter than it took him to say her name, Aerith was back. Her eyes were excited, the deep green sparkling.

"I have a way that you can help Cloud! Maybe not in the way you hope, but you can be by his side, like a guardian. I only have a few minutes, but I can send back your consciousness before the Planet finishes rewinding events," Aerith said in a rush, hardly pausing to breathe.

"Really?" exclaimed Zack, hoping beyond hope. He'd left Spiky alone too long, dying on him like he did, leaving him to live both their lives. "But how? I thought the Planet only had enough juice to send his consciousness back," he asked, discarding the errant thoughts that had plagued him since his death.

"That's true," explained Aerith hurriedly, stepping closer to Zack, "but that has nothing to do with my Cetra power. And my mother and a few others are willing to lend me strength to get you back there. I don't know what shape you'll take though, we don't have the power to be able to override your past self's mind and swap you in, not to mention we might damage you by attempting it. You might end up as an animal or just a spirit."

"Will I be able to speak with him?" asked Zack, eyes serious.

"I believe so. You two have a strong bond, through life and death. Cloud is also tied to the Lifestream and the Planet, so his sensitivity will aid communication as well, since you've been in the Lifestream for many years," Aerith said.

Zack stood still, taking in the rapid amount of information Aerith just dumped on him. He digested it quickly, as he was trained to do when he was a Soldier, and reached an equally quick conclusion.

"Do it," said Zack, "Before we're out of time. I'm not letting Cloud do this alone."

Aerith nodded, smiling gently. She'd known what her boyfriend would choose.

"Alright, be safe and protect Cloud, will you?" she said, Zack pulling her in for a hug and a lingering kiss.

Aerith stepped back, braid swinging gently as she summoned her power and the power lent to her by her ancestors. She let it envelop Zack, guiding the power to do as she bid. In a single blink, Zack was gone. Her heart clenched, though she knew that she had done the right thing.

And not a moment too soon, she realized. She felt the pull of the Lifestream and the shuddering of the planet as every event and person was rewound, herself included.

"Goodbye, Zack. See you soon," she thought, a sad smile crossing her face before everything vanished, blurring green and white.

Nibelheim, present

Cloud was freezing. He could hardly feel his face, or his fingers. He stood carefully, already stiff from sitting in the snow and cold, though it had only been fifteen minutes at most. He shifted from foot to foot, flapping his arms and stamping his feet to reinvigorate his cold limbs. His core was still fine, but his extremities would suffer for it if he didn't get his blood pumping.

As he was doing his odd impression of the chocobo dance, the wind died down. The blonde frowned. Was he hearing things? The wind picked up again before dying down once more.

There it was again, under the sounds of wind and over the muting properties of falling snow. It sounded like whimpering.

Cautiously, Cloud moved to the roughly hewn entrance of his dugout and peaked outside. At first, he didn't see anything, but as his eyes adjusted he noticed a white lump struggling as more snow clung to it, weighing it down.

Cloud ventured out carefully, keeping an eye on his shelter so he wouldn't get lost in case of a sudden whiteout. He struggled his way through the feet of snow until he reached the struggling ball of white. As he brushed off the snow, dark grey-black fur became visible. Perplexed, Cloud watched as the fur shook itself, flinging snow every which way.

With a sigh, Cloud picked up the fur. The snow was already piling onto it again. Might as well take it into the shelter he made so he could find out what it was.

Once Cloud was within the meager shelter, he resumed brushing off the pile of shivering fur. Cloud wanted to thump his head, repeatedly. The mass of cold, wet fur... was a Nibel wolf puppy, not more than a few months old.

"I hope your mother doesn't come looking for you," said Cloud to the puppy, eight year old voice tired and teeth chattering slightly from cold.

"I hope not, too. My ma is Gongaga-born, no way could she handle this freezing icicle of a town," a voice said cheerily, echoing slightly in Cloud's mind.

Cloud fell on his backside, blue eyes wide.

"Zack?" he whispered, wondering if his mind had cracked again.

"Yo, Spiky!"

"How-? I mean, shouldn't you be… elsewhere?" Cloud asked, struggling to comprehend what his senses were telling him.

"Aerith," said Zack simply, "And some of her Cetra friends and family. She had an idea just after the Lifestream took hold of you. We didn't want you to be alone, not this time around. No pun intended," he finished with a laugh.

Zack wriggled, getting accustomed to his small furry form. He tried to wag his tail, but only succeeded in wagging his hind quarters. Cloud couldn't help the slight smile that grew on his face. It felt nice not to be alone, or at least having someone who knew who and what he truly was. He hadn't realized how taxing it had become, hiding so much of himself from the people he loved.

"Come on, Cloud, it's okay. Cheer up! This time, we will get to finish our adventure together!" Zack said, puppy mouth grinning.

"Yeah, yeah. Calm down, you Puppy," Cloud said, smirking slightly.

"Hey! You promised never to use that nickname!" Zack complained, giving a whine and endeavoring to use his wolf puppy eyes.

"It's not just a nickname anymore, in case you hadn't noticed," Cloud pointed out, lightly flicking Zack's ear.

"Aerith said it was likely to happen, me inhabiting an animal. Somehow I'm not surprised to be in the body of a Nibel wolf," Zack said with a laugh.

"Should we give you another name in this world?" asked Cloud, standing up and moving around in the limited shelter to keep his blood moving and warm.

"I don't mind staying Zack. I doubt it will raise any questions, even when you do meet up with younger me. "Zack" isn't a terribly uncommon name, after all."

"That's true," Cloud said, mind wandering as he considered the implications of having Zack along for everything he still had to do.

Zack shook out his fur again, trying to warm up a bit more before crawling into Cloud's lap. Blinking, Cloud looked down at him curiously, a question in his mako-less eyes.

"Warmth," said Zack simply, circling around a bit more to get comfortable in the eight year old's small lap, "By the way, has anyone ever mentioned that you make an adorable kid?" he continued with a teasing snicker.

"Shut up," mumbled Cloud, lightly flicking Zack's sensitive nose, abruptly feeling embarrassed about being seen in his childhood body.

An odd thought, that. Zack was going to see basically how Cloud grew up, bullies and all. Cloud felt suddenly thankful that Barret, Cid, and Yuffie weren't around to witness his childhood; it was going to be awkward enough with just Zack, who was only slightly better than a bull in a china shop.

"So… Do you have any plans, Cloud? On how to go about changing the future?" asked Zack, tilting up his small puppy head to look at his best friend.

Cloud blinked, distracted for a moment by Zack's eyes staring at him through the face of a tiny Nibel wolf. The eyes were still a striking blue-green and human, far more vibrant than Cloud's own softer blue without mako. Looking closer, Cloud could still see the mako-tint in Zack's eyes, making the green in Zack's blue eyes even more noticeable.

Cloud frowned, ignoring Zack's question.

"I think this wolf puppy was exposed to mako. You still have mako showing in your eyes," said Cloud, "I can't think of another reason for it to be there, since only your spirit was brought back…"

"Seriously?" exclaimed Zack, "Though I guess I can't be too surprised. The mako in this form probably made connecting my spirit to it easier, especially since I lived over half my life in a mako-tainted body anyway. It's familiar," he continued thoughtfully.

"A lot of animals and monsters around Nibelheim, at this time in particular, become tainted by mako. Most of them mutate, but a few simply adjust to it and become stronger than normal. That seems to be the case with this puppy you're inhabiting," Cloud responded, checking over Zack's body for possible mutations or injuries, "Maybe he was born near the reactor…"

They were both silent for a while, listening to the storm outside the snowy little structure. Cloud shivered harshly.

"We should move around a bit," Cloud said, "We are both in bodies that aren't quite sturdy enough to deal with frostbite."

Zack gave a small whine, but climbed off of Cloud's lap. Cloud stood and began moving, stomping his feet and shaking out his arms and hands to get his circulation running faster.

"Why don't you run through some katas or training exercises? If I could, I'd be doing squats," said Zack, romping around in small circles to keep warm.

"You would," said Cloud, shaking his head, a slight smile making its way onto his face.

Obligingly, he began an easy sequence of punches. It felt odd. His mind was completely familiar with the movements, but his body was not. The dichotomy of that left him feeling clumsy and ill-fitting, as though wearing clothes too small in some places and too large in others.

Zack noted this, but didn't say anything. Time and practice would ease Cloud back into familiarity with the movements, especially once muscle memory came into play. Granted, he would have to repeat the process once puberty hit. Zack could recall with painful clarity when he went through it, emphasis on the painful; his elbows, knees, and head seemed magnetically attracted to every sharp and blunt object in his vicinity. Poor Cloud would have to go through all of that again, probably by the time he was fully accustomed to being a child again.

The wolf puppy abruptly cocked his head, ears attentive.

"I think the storm is over!" he said, tongue lolling from his mouth in happiness as he panted lightly, excited at the prospect of getting to leave the snow behind.

Cloud stopped moving, also listening. The blonde stepped out of the shelter, digging and shuffling through the snow that had steadily built up on and around the shelter.

The storm was indeed gone, even the sun had reappeared. It was still achingly cold, but the snow was no longer falling, at least. Zack emerged from the shelter, looking comical as he pushed and jumped through the snow.

"What now?" asked Zack, "Back into Nibelheim?"

Cloud nodded. "I'm not sure how my mom's going to handle me bringing home a Nibel wolf puppy of all things, though," he said wryly, starting the long walk down the mountain with Zack endeavoring to follow in his tracks.

"If she is anything like you, she will certainly fall for my charms," Zack replied airily, somehow managing to convey a smirk though his muzzle as he tromped through the snow on his short four legs.

Cloud turned and stared down at Zack, a frown somewhere between a pout and a glare marring his young face. He couldn't think of a reply, let alone a rebuttal; because, sadly, Zack was right. Cloud would never be able to really deny Zack anything. There was too much history, too much sadness.

"Don't look like that," chided Zack. "Everything that happened was the way things were supposed to go. Because it all happened, you now have the experiences and memories to completely save the Planet and everyone. Not to mention, you get me!" Zack finished cheerily, "We can save Sephiroth and Angeal, maybe even Genesis!"

"Genesis? Angeal?" asked Cloud, "Who are they? I don't—"

Cloud abruptly trailed off, wincing as fractured images blazed through his mind. A tall man, broad and muscular, dressed almost identically to Zack with the buster sword strapped to his back. Black hair in a slicked back version similar to Zack's own, though without the feathered spikiness. White wings.

"Embrace your dreams. If you want to be a hero you need to have dreams… and honor."

The deep voice echoing through his mind resonated through his skull, simultaneously painful and deeply sad. More images forced their way through Cloud's mind, this time of a red-haired man. The man had a black wing and a red coat that reached his calves, his rapier long and elaborate. Another voice with angerhatesorrow.

"Even if the morrow is barren of promises, Nothing shall forestall my return."

Another voice was breaking through, slowly cutting through the images and voices until they scattered.

"Cloud? Cloud! Spike, come on! Come back to me, buddy!" Zack's anxious voice finally pushed the rest of the way through.

Cloud blinked. It felt like he was lying on soft ice, the cold pricking painfully at half of his face.

"When did I fall down?" was his first thought, promptly followed by, "Why did I fall down?"

Zack's insistent whining and nudging of Cloud's head prompted him to push himself up, albeit a little shakily.

"What happened?" asked Zack, "You were fine and then… you weren't…"

"My mind broke again," Cloud said quietly, simply. "It hasn't done that in years, not since geostigma. I think those names you mentioned brought out some of your stronger memories, the ones I was comatose for." Seeing Zack's worried eyes, Cloud gave a shaky smile, "I'm alright," he said, reaching over and scratching Zack's ears.

"No fair!" Zack wriggled, leaning into Cloud's hand, enjoying the scratching far more than he thought he should.

Cloud smirked.

"It's payback for all those years of you ruffling my hair when I was a trooper," the blonde child said.

"Oh, come on! Your hair is impossible to not ruffle at least once. Name one person who has never ruffled your hair," said Zack, hopping and jumping through the snow in order to keep up with Cloud.

Cloud opened his mouth, about to list a number of people, not the least of which included Sephiroth.

"That is or was a friend," Zack quickly clarified, realizing what Cloud was about to say.

Cloud frowned, thinking. A sudden thought had him brightening.

"Vincent!" he exclaimed, a smug smile breaking out onto his face.

"He was a Turk, doesn't count," rebutted Zack.

Zack's denial of Vincent counting started a friendly banter that lasted almost all the way to Nibelheim. Once they reached the outskirts of the town, Cloud stopped, hesitant.

"I don't think bringing a Nibel wolf puppy through the middle of town will endear either of us to anyone here," Cloud said, "We should go around."

Zack gave a nod, feeling a little odd. The last time he had seen Nibelheim, it was being razed to the ground by a mad Sephiroth. He marveled at Cloud's strength; it took a great deal of fortitude to walk in the shadows of tragedy and act normally.

The two carefully skirted around the fringes of the town, Cloud making doubly sure that Zack wasn't spotted. When they finally arrived in front of Cloud's home, the two were almost frozen, limbs numb and lungs tight.

Cloud began climbing the few steps onto the porch before realizing that Zack wasn't following. He turned around and found Zack's small puppy form struggling to get onto the first step, paws slipping from clumsiness and cold.

"I think I'll have to carry you up," said Cloud, looking slightly amused as he joined Zack at the base of the stairs.

"I think so, too," sighed Zack resignedly, head down and ears drooping.

Cloud picked him up, feeling Zack's shivers wrack through his whole body. The blonde carefully went up the steps and opened the door, albeit with some difficulty; it's not easy for an eight year old to open a door while holding a soggy mass of shivering, wet fur.

The two paused in the entryway, Cloud putting Zack on the floor while he struggled out of his shoes. That's how his mother found him.

"Cloud! I was so worried! Are you alright?" Elle exclaimed, enveloping her son in a hug, "That storm blew in and you were still out in the mountains!"

"I'm fine, mom. I'm sorry…" Cloud said quietly, feeling bad for having worried her, returning her hug tightly.

"Well, you're home and safe. That's all that matters," Elle said, a tired smile crinkling her blue eyes. "You should go take a hot—" she trailed off, finally noticing the ball of wet fur near Cloud's feet.

Her eyes widened and she gave a gasp, finally spotting the sopping wet and bedraggled wolf puppy. Zack immediately gave a sloppy puppy grin, tongue lolling out to the side of his mouth while he tried once again to wag his tail.

Elle's eyebrows narrowed with a near audible click, her face morphing into the expression all children know to instinctively fear. Cloud traded a quick worried look with Zack, both simultaneously feeling their stomachs drop.

"Cloud," Elle said, drawing his name out slowly and giving a worryingly sweet, close-eyed smile, "Why is there a wet wolf puppy in my entryway?"

Cloud gulped nervously.

To be continued…..

AN: Sorry for the rather long hiatus, moving and newborn babies make writing surprisingly difficult lol.