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There was really only one expectation of anyone Nibel-born; to be possess the ability to shift.
Nibelheim was the land of the wolves, after all. Its sons and daughters possessed the ability to shift into what was known as their wolf form, and often did so out of necessity—whether to hunt for food, or to stay warm in winter. The ability was a given amongst the locals rather than anything rare or special, making the village a pack rather than an ordinary town.
Only once every decade or so was some unlucky soul be born without the gift.
Cloud Strife was one such soul. His fifth birthday had come and gone, and he’d yet to shift once; a clear indication that it wouldn’t be happening. Most Nibel-born children could shift before they could walk.
“What’s wrong with me?” he asked his mother, wiping furiously at the tears rolling down his cheeks.
The other children had been teasing him again, calling him a reject and a freak. Now that he was five, he had no defense. There was no more hope that he was just a late bloomer. They were right about him all along.
“There’s nothing wrong with you, baby,” she promised, scooping him up and brushing the hair from his forehead. She planted a gentle kiss there, but it did little to make him feel better this time.
“Why can’t I shift like everyone else?”
“Your father…”
His mother paused there, expression haunted. She never talked about him. All Cloud knew of the man was that he had been banished from the village years ago. The topic was strictly forbidden, and naturally one Cloud had always been curious about. Even at his age it was easy to notice the other children had more than one parent.
“What about him, mum?”
She looked around the house, using her sharp senses to ensure no one was in listening range. “He was an outsider.”
“Outsider?” Cloud repeated, confused.
The world was bigger than the village, that much he knew from his lessons. He’d never actually seen an outsider though. It was easier to believe they didn’t really exist than to believe his father was one of them.
“He was a traveling merchant,” she continued somberly. “A foolish man. He thought passing through the mountains would be quicker than going around.”
“But mum, it is quicker.”
“Not for someone without the gift. A lone human could never hope to survive the cold, and winter had just begun.”
He shuddered as if he could feel the chill of a harsh Nibel winter. “What happened?”
She met his curious eyes, her pained expression softening. “I took pity on the man and allowed him to stay with me until it was safe for him to leave. The Alpha warned me not to reveal myself, but the cold…”
“You shifted in front of him?” Cloud guessed, gasping when she nodded. That violated one of the village’s most serious rules. No one born outside the village was supposed to know about the gift. “But why, mum?”
“The fire wasn’t enough. Do you remember how I keep you warm when the storms are too much?”
“You shift and cuddle me,” Cloud responded with a tiny frown. “Is that what you did with my father?”
“Yes,” she admitted quietly. “Eventually the winter passed, but we’d grown…close by then. I shifted back and forth as needed, making sure he was well. He was grateful for my assistance.”
“What happened then?”
“He left. The Alpha warned him not to pass through this way again, and that was the last I saw of him.”
“Does he know about me?”
“No, love. He was gone before even I knew about you.”
Cloud frowned, his young mind not sure what to think. His father was a human. A normal human without the gift. That was better than thinking his father had been a villager who did something unthinkable to get banished, but not by much. It was a lot to wrap his young mind around.
“Does that mean I’m human?”
“Yes, dear. You are.” Tears welled up in his eyes again, his mother brushing them away lightly as they began to fall. “Being human isn’t a bad thing, Cloud. It means you’re special. You’re the only one of your kind in the whole village.”
“Humans aren’t meant to live here. In class—”
“Forget what they said in class. There’s a whole world out there on the other side of the mountain, and it’s filled with humans who can’t shift. Your father told me about it, you know.”
Cloud perked up, but only a little. “He did?”
“Yes. He left some books and maps. I’ll show you when you’re older,” she promised.
“Will I be able to see it? The world?”
“You’ll be able to do anything you want, dear. And if you want to stay, you can do that too. I’ll always be here to keep you warm, and the other children will accept you in time. You’re not the first to be born without the gift. We take care of our own here, and you’re still one of us.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
A promise made too lightly, perhaps.
--
By the time Cloud was 16, he’d grown to resent his mother. Instead of bonding with her intended mate, she’d gotten pregnant with some random outsider. She’d had a human child who was completely useless to the pack. Cloud couldn’t hunt. He couldn’t run with the pack, and was barred from participating in most of their pack traditions.
When the cold was too extreme, he had to cuddle his mother, even after his coming of age.
The village ‘accepted’ him, but barely. He wasn’t ridiculed past a certain age, but he was well aware he was seen by most as a burden. As his mother aged, it was his duty to provide for her, and he couldn’t do that as a human. The responsibility fell on the pack, and while they took care of their own, it was with obvious distaste.
It wasn’t until she was on her deathbed that Cloud began to let go of the shame and frustration that had threatened to consume him through the years.
“I’m sorry,” she told him, her voice strained with effort.
“Mum, please. Save your strength,” he urged her, holding her hand tightly.
“The books. Your father’s books…”
“You told me yesterday. I found them.”
“Midgar,” she whispered, a small smile pulling at her lips. “He called it the city of dreams.”
“Is that where he’s from?” Cloud asked, not truly caring. He just wanted to keep her smiling if he could, after so many years of causing her pain with his bitterness.
“No…”
“But he lives there?”
“He wanted to open a shop there. An item shop.”
Cloud kissed her hand. “Maybe we should go sometime, see if he succeeded.”
“We should, together. I’d like to see him one last time.”
She’d been humoring him, and they both knew it. That night was her last.
The morning after the funeral, Cloud began packing up what he could fit in a single bag, including the books and map his father had left all those years before. Honestly, he wasn’t really interested in finding the man, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t make use of the information in those books and on that map.
“You don’t have to go, Cloud,” Tifa, one of his only friends, practically begged.
“I don’t belong here,” Cloud responded. A fact rather than bitter statement.
“You’re one of us,” she argued.
“Maybe. I’m also one of them,” he mused, shrugging because for the first time in his life, he didn’t care about that truth. “I’m human, Teef, and out there, that’s not a bad thing.”
“It’s not a bad thing here,” Tifa insisted, eyes imploring.
All he could do was smile. “Not to you, and not to me. But to everyone else? I’m still a freak to them, they just don’t say it anymore.”
“That’s not true.”
“You’re a good friend.” He moved in for a hug, laughing softly when she balled her hand into a fist and thumped his chest instead of just allowing it. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too,” she replied, giving in and allowing the hug.
“Just think, by the time I come back, you might be pack Alpha.”
She snorted. “Might be?”
“No one else stands a chance against you,” he muttered in agreement.
The Alpha was getting old, too. Older than his mother had been when the sickness set in. It wouldn’t be much longer until he stepped down, letting the pack Betas duke it out to take the position.
That was one of Nibelheim’s long standing traditions—its strongest wolf would assume the role of leader, under the title Alpha. A few other standout, trustworthy wolves would assume the role of Betas, essentially second-in-commands while everyone else in the pack was considered equal (aside from any stray humans, Cloud thought with a bitter chuckle).
Tifa had only recently been appointed as a pack Beta, but she was easily the strongest fighter of the lot.
“Everyone will welcome you when you come back. I’ll make sure of it,” Tifa said with certainty.
Cloud knew better than to believe in promises these days, but for some reason, he wanted to believe her anyway.
--
Three years passed before Cloud set foot in Midgar.
Between traveling on foot, and having no acceptable form of currency, he’d encountered more than one set back. Not to mention his thick Nibel accent was a hindrance. Time had taken care of that thankfully, and there were always one or two helpful humans in the villages he passed on his way to the coastal city.
He’d taken up a variety of jobs along the way, discovering quickly that while he was useless to his pack, he was quite handy as a human. He couldn’t hunt in the traditional manner, but he’d spent years training himself in other forms of combat out of necessity. What he could do with a sword was apparently quite impressive, as was his ability to forage and gather supplies.
By the time he got to his destination, he was sure he’d made the right decision leaving Nibelheim. Not only did he fit in better, he excelled in many ways. He was fit, and skilled—he’d added a sword to the handful of possessions he carried on his back, and that was the key to adding to the gil he’d managed to save up in his travels.
The Midgar Mercenaries—Soldier, as some people preferred to call the organization.
He’d heard whispers about them in his travels, and that they were frequently looking for an extra hired sword. From the sounds of it, there were a lot of potential jobs, from thug cleanup duties around the city, to monster cleanup missions in its outskirts. Members could pick and choose which jobs to take, which meant he’d never have to do anything he wasn’t comfortable doing.
Frankly, the whole thing sounded a little too good to be true. It was a good starting point though, considering he had nowhere else to be in the city—no other goals aside from providing himself with basic necessities.
That was how he found himself at their headquarters, a very large hand on his elbow stopping him in his tracks before he’d actually made it inside. “Are you lost, little one?” the man asked, having just exited the building.
“No,” Cloud replied, tugging his arm from the man’s grasp. The man actually had a friendly look in his eyes despite his hard features, but it still put Cloud on edge. “I’d appreciate if you didn’t touch me without permission.”
“I’m sorry,” the large man said, brows furrowed with regret. The main door opened behind him, but he remained focused on Cloud. “Are you here to hire someone?”
“I’m looking for work,” he explained, using his thumb to gesture to the sword on his back.
“Work?” the man repeated, almost skeptical as he looked Cloud up and down once.
“Yeah,” the blond said, and not unkindly. Whether it was his size or his face, people frequently assumed he wasn’t a capable fighter. It was a lot of fun proving them wrong. “Just because I’m not your size doesn’t mean I can’t fight.”
“Well, aren’t you precious,” a smooth voice declared, its owner stepping beside the large man. A handsome redhead with amusement etched onto his pretty face. “Angeal, you should know better than to judge a man by his size. Does being massive make you slow?”
“I didn’t mean to assume anything,” the large man, Angeal, directed his words toward Cloud. “I apologize again if I offended you. If you’re looking for work, you’ll need to speak with Kunsel at the front desk. It’s straight ahead when you walk in—there are plenty of jobs to go around.”
“Thank you,” Cloud said sincerely, accepting the hand Angeal offered for a quick shake.
“I’m Angeal, by the way,” the man told him with a kind smile. “This is my partner, Genesis.”
“Cloud,” he responded, smiling a little himself as he watched both men actively refraining from commenting on his name. “It’s nice to meet you both.”
“I certainly hope we’ll be seeing more of you, precious,” Genesis said, tacking on a wink.
Angeal shot him a look that didn’t go unnoticed by Cloud, and then the pair said their goodbyes before headed down the same steps Cloud had just walked up. He stared after them for a moment before shaking his head. They were an interesting pair, he decided. Any other opinions would have to wait until he got to know them better.
After all, if he stuck around like planned, he’d inevitably be running into them again.
Any nerves were forgotten after that conversation, a strange warmth washing over Cloud as he finally entered the building. There was something cozy about the place, he realized immediately, glancing around on instinct.
It was almost den-like, which was entirely unexpected. Even the inns Cloud had frequented on the road hadn’t given off that vibe, yet this place of business did. The room itself almost looked like a lounge, with couches along the wall, fur rugs on the floor, and trophies on the wall. Hunting trophies, if he didn’t know better. More furs, claws, and even some tusks.
Proof of completed jobs, maybe.
Cloud tried to refrain from appearing too curious as he approached the front desk, aware his arrival had drawn some attention. More than a few pairs of eyes had fallen on him, and were watching his every step. It wasn’t like he could blame them. Mercenaries were bound to have enemies, so of course they’d be wary of a stranger walking in.
That or they were making the same assumptions Angeal had—that he was there to hire some help. He didn’t let it bother him, walking with his head held high. The man at the front desk (Kunsel, he assumed) was one of the people watching him, and he was the only one Cloud needed to focus on for now.
“Can I help you?” Kunsel asked the moment he was close enough.
“I’m looking for work,” Cloud replied shortly.
“You know what we do here, right?” Kunsel asked, waiting for Cloud to nod. “You’re not our usual type, but we’re always looking for help. You’ll need to go on a test run before we can talk jobs.”
“Test run?”
“Standard procedure. You do well, then you’re in—you’ll gain access to Class 3 jobs. Do enough of those, you move up to Class 2’s. Same thing to get up to Class 1’s. Those are the best paying jobs. Toughest, too,” he explained, waiting for another nod of understanding. “Zack decides who’s in and out. If he says you’re good, come back to see me for a real assignment.”
“Zack?” Cloud repeated, raising a brow.
“I guess you could say he’s in charge of newcomers.”
“You guess?”
“I can’t get into the details with an outsider,” Kunsel responded apologetically.
Cloud stilled for a moment, the word stirring more than a few unpleasant memories. “I understand. Where do I find him?”
“You don’t. Zack finds you.”
“I just got to the city today. I don’t have a place yet.”
“He’ll find you,” Kunsel said again, like it was that simple.
“Look, if this is your way of sending me off because I’m small, you’re making a big mistake. I can hold my own,” Cloud told him firmly. “I’ve fought off creatures a lot more aggressive than the ones around Midgar.”
“Such as?” a voice asked from behind him.
Cloud’s heart rate picked up as he turned around. Sure, he knew other people were watching and maybe listening, but he hadn’t expected anyone else to interject. Let alone someone with such a commanding tone, like the question was far more than a simple curiosity.
Only one man in the room had the presence to match that voice. A silver haired man with the greenest eyes Cloud had ever seen. His stare was piercing, unnerving Cloud in a way he hadn’t experienced in years.
He found himself looking away without turning away, eyes shifting to the man sitting by Mr. Green Eyes’ side—another attractive man with dark, spiky hair and bright blue eyes. Far less intimidating, though clearly awaiting an answer as well judging by the way he was watching Cloud.
All Cloud could do was stare back for a long moment, rendered speechless under the intensity of the man’s gaze. “Honestly?” he began, shrugging in an attempt to stay nonchalant when he regained his composure. “I doubt you’d believe me if I told you. I’ve been on the road for a few years now, so I’ve seen a lot. Not to mention the creatures around my hometown.”
“Where’re you from?” the dark haired man asked, jumping to his feet.
“You’ve never heard of it.”
“Try me,” the man pressed, raising a challenging brow.
Cloud considered his options carefully. Not once had he spoken of Nibelheim since he’d left. There was always a way to change the subject—something else to talk about so he wouldn’t have to mind his words carefully. Revealing too much was forbidden, and he wasn’t so disgruntled that he wanted to betray his former pack.
This was different though. He wanted to make a home for himself here in Midgar, and he intended to do so by working with these people. By spending time with them. Starting off with a lie felt wrong, especially as he held this particular man’s gaze.
“Nibelheim.”
Their stare-off was interrupted by a single blink. “You’re right, never heard of it.”
“It’s on the other continent,” Cloud responded, figuring that would suffice as an explanation.
“Why come all the way to Midgar then?”
Cloud smiled a little, wishing he had a better answer. “It’s the city of dreams, isn’t it?”
The man eyed him far too seriously before breaking into a wide grin. “It is,” he agreed wholeheartedly, extending a hand to Cloud. “I’m Zack.”
“Oh,” Cloud blinked in surprise, shaking the man’s hand. He tried not to notice how the man's calloused hand lingered a beat too long on his own. “Cloud.”
“Cloud, huh?”
“It’s a Nibel thing,” he explained with a shrug. For every typical name, there was someone named after some part of nature. River, Sky, Snow—he even knew a kid named Leaf. It wasn’t until he left home that he discovered those names weren’t so common.
“It’s cute,” Zack said, winking as he caught Cloud’s eye. Then he turned to look at the silver haired man, the pair exchanging a nod before Zack’s attention was back on Cloud again. “So, how ‘bout we go on that trial run now? I think I’ve got just the right thing for you.”
“Okay,” Cloud agreed, unprepared, but eager.
“You’re only allowed to bring a weapon,” Zack told him, gesturing toward the desk. “You can leave your bag with Kuns.”
He frowned a little, but slid his bag off his shoulder and passed it over the desk to Kunsel. It wasn’t much, but his entire life was in that bag. A few trinkets from his mum, the books from his father—things he’d picked up in his travels. Nothing valuable in a monetary sense, but it was all valuable to him.
“We’re not thieves,” Zack promised, smirking like he knew exactly what Cloud was thinking. “At most, Kuns’ll look through it, but that’s just ‘cause he’s a nosy bastard. He won’t take anything even if you don’t join up.”
“Oi! I’m not nosy,” Kunsel chimed in, shaking his head when Zack sorted. “Part of my job is knowing everyone. It’s not a hobby!”
“Whatever you say, man,” Zack replied fondly.
The exchange might’ve been amusing, except Cloud was too busy mentally cataloguing what was in the bag. Nothing inside would reveal anything about his past, he concluded—he could live with one or two nosy mercenaries looking through it, even if the thought made him uncomfortable.
A gentle nudge snapped him from his thoughts, Zack gesturing for him to follow. “Ever heard of Kalm?”
“No,” Cloud responded, brows furrowed. “What is it?”
“It’s a nearby village. They have us on a recurring contract.”
“To do what?”
“Take care of some creature.”
He came to a halt as they exited the building, wondering if that was all the information he’d be given. It seemed a bit vague. “What kind of creatures?”
“They call ‘em Fangs. Kalm Fangs.”
He frowned at the wording. “What do you call them?”
Zack met his gaze head on. “Wolves.”
“Wolves,” Cloud repeated, the color draining from his face. “You’re joking.”
“Didn’t you say you’ve seen worse than this area has to offer?” Zack teased. “Fangs are the weaklings around these parts.”
“Wolves are…they’re special,” he tried to explain, letting out a disgruntled sigh. Sacred would’ve been the right word, but that would require an explanation. It wasn’t like he could just say well, the great wolf bestowed the gift to shift on my people, soooo we don’t believe in harming any real wolves. “What’re they doing that’s such a problem?”
“They’re going into the town—scaring the locals,” Zack responded, arms folded across his chest. “A kid lost his arm last week.”
Cloud raised both brows, ready to tell this man that meant something was wrong. That wolves wouldn’t act that way if someone hadn’t riled them up. Being so adamant about it would only raise questions though—what he meant and how he knew.
So he settled on a different approach. “This is a trial, right? So I get to decide how this mission’s handled?”
Zack nodded. “And I get to decide if you’re the kinda guy I want workin’ for us,” he added. “I won’t interfere unless it looks like you’re about to die.”
Cloud studied the man carefully, deciding he looked sincere. “I’d rather you didn’t interfere at all.”
“I’d rather you didn’t die on my watch,” he responded with a shrug. “Fangs won’t hesitate to tear you apart. I’m not gonna stand there and watch that happen to you even if you’re not cut out for this line of work.”
“I’m not worried about the Fangs.”
“Overconfidence’ll get you killed.”
“That’s not what this is,” Cloud insisted, brows furrowed. “I know what wolves are capable of.”
Zack eyed him appraisingly. “If you do this right, you won’t hafta worry about me jumping in anyway.”
“Lead the way then,” Cloud replied, ready to do this.
Lead the way. What he hadn’t realized was the way was quite a trip.
--
Two full days. Maybe if he’d been allowed to bring his bag, he wouldn’t have been so surprised by the distance. He would’ve looked at his father’s old maps and realized that while Kalm was the closest dot to Midgar, it was still pretty far on chocobo. Mostly grasslands, too, which made for some pretty uneventful scenery.
Thankfully though, the trip wasn’t terrible. Zack proved to be good company, livening the long trek with all sorts of outrageous stories. Most were about his escapades since becoming a mercenary, and Cloud suspected they were also slightly exaggerated. That didn’t stop him from laughing along as he imagined his newest acquaintance running from a rampant behemoth, only to circle back and launch a surprise assault. This guy was something else.
“I didn’t even know they were real,” Cloud admitted, pulling on the reins of his bird as Zack slowed his to a halt. “What’s up?”
“We’re gettin’ close to our destination,” Zack replied, his expression hardening. “We’ll hafta foot it from here.”
He hopped off his chocobo without delay, holding the reins skeptically. “We can’t just tie them up here. If these wolves are as riled up as you said—”
“If we let them go, they’ll make it back to the stable on their own. No harm done. We’ll grab two more in Kalm when we’re done. Should be safe to walk them through the area if you can get the job done.”
“I’ll get the job done,” Cloud insisted firmly.
“We’ll see about that.”
“Just because I haven’t taken down a behemoth doesn’t mean I can’t handle this.”
Zack just smirked at him, arms folded across his chest as he repeated, “We’ll see about that.”
“There are dragons where I come from,” Cloud said, folding his own arms across his chest. Maybe he had never taken one down alone, but he’d thrown a rock and lived to tell the tale. “This is nothing compared to that.”
“If you say so,” Zack shrugged, looking him up and down slowly. “You didn’t even bring your sword.”
No, he hadn’t. Instead he’d turned back and left it with Kunsel, refusing to take on this mission with any intent to harm the wolves. “I don’t need one,” Cloud responded.
“Even if you’re right about all this, you’ll still need a weapon. Wolves don’t get worked up over nothing.”
“I know. I have a weapon,” he said, pulling out the small dagger he’d sheathed across the small of his back and twirling it in his fingers as Zack snickered. “What? You think it’s too small to do any good?”
“I think you musta been talkin’ about dragonflies insteada dragons.”
“That’d be pretty impressive, too,” Cloud countered easily. “When was the last time you threw a dagger and hit a dragonfly midair?”
Zack actually blinked at that. “You throw that thing?”
“No,” he admitted, unable to hold back a smile when Zack barked out a laugh. “It’s a foraging blade, for gathering mostly, but it’ll do the job if something comes up. Do you see that?” Cloud pointed off the trail they were riding on and toward a wooded area, nothing particularly noteworthy in sight. “It’s too peaceful; I don’t even hear any birds. I don’t know this area well, but that’s weird to me.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Cloud nodded, well aware this man was basically just humoring him at this point. “My gil’s on hunting. They’re probably closing ranks further in the woods.”
“The locals don’t hunt Fangs,” Zack told him, shaking his head. “They know better.”
“Do they know better than to hunt their food?”
“They’ve shared game in these woods for decades now. It’s not like they’re hunting more now than they were a year ago.”
Cloud frowned a bit, believing that much was true. “There has to be something different.”
“That’s for you to figure out. I’m just here to swing a sword when you get jumped by a wolf.”
“So you admit it then,” he realized, grinning as Zack stared at him in confusion. “There’s something to figure out here. It’s not just a mission to kill them all.”
“You’re gonna be a brat if I choose to keep you around, aren’t you?”
Something about how unbothered Zack sounded about that made Cloud smile and admit it, “Yep.”
“You know, normally I’d say we already have enough brats and just call it a day, but there’s somethin’ about you…” The friendliness in Zack’s eyes was gone as he studied Cloud, ultimately shaking his head. “You’re different.”
“I’m nothing special.”
“Maybe not,” Zack agreed easily. “Either way, my gut’s telling me to give you a chance.”
“That’s all I’m asking for.”
“Why do you want this job so bad, anyway?”
“It’s a long story,” Cloud replied, not wanting to get into it just yet. In time, he knew he’d have to reveal more about himself to Zack and the other Soldiers if he intended to stick around, but for now? For now he was still one wrong move away from being jobless. “I’ll tell you about it if you don’t end up tossing me out.”
Zack didn’t look thrilled, but he didn’t look annoyed either. “Fair enough.”
There was probably some type of polite, small talk response to that, but it felt like the conversation was over as far as Cloud was concerned. He kept his foraging dagger close as he moved toward the woods, not needing to say a word or gesture for Zack to follow. The mission had definitely begun now, and that meant trying to forget he was being shadowed.
A few miles in, and there were still no wolves in sight. More notably, there were still no birds or other signs of wildlife. Maybe that was why the beaten path in the distance stood out like a beacon. Even surrounded by trees, the narrow area of treaded grass was obvious. Cloud slowed as he approached it, digging the blunt side of his dagger along one of the trees when he was standing on that path.
Sure enough, birds flew from the tree and all those nearby, their songs anything but peaceful as they scattered in the air. This was a hiding spot, and a poor one at that. Who knew what kind of creatures had been the ones to tread the grass? Wolves were probably just one of the many inhabitants being disturbed out here.
“You’re gonna get yourself killed if you give away our position like that,” Zack warned, his voice a harsh whisper.
Cloud just glared at him, his voice just as hushed, “The birds scattered away from me. I’m not what they were expecting.”
“What were they expecting then?”
“Haven’t figured that out yet,” he shrugged, moving a finger to his lips to cue for silence.
His ears perked right up as he heard shuffling nearby, the sound distinctly coming from the ground rather than the air. Before he could even think, he was moving, darting from tree to tree before finding a decent sized one to hide behind. Zack took the hint without a word, sword in hand as he hovered behind one nearby. All Cloud could do was raise a steady hand at the man, hoping he’d put the damn sword away for now.
The sound they’d heard was too quiet to be the cause of such turmoil. There was definitely something lurking deeper in these woods, but whatever was nearby wasn’t it. A low growl from beyond his hiding spot told him all he needed to know for now.
That kind of growl was unmistakable, and it resonated with him instantly. Wolf.
Cloud stepped out from behind the tree, completely at ease as he stared down what was clearly a Kalm Fang. The creature’s hackles were up, fangs bared and another growl in its throat as it saw Cloud stepping forward. It made no move to attack though, confirming every belief Cloud had come to have about this place. Whatever it was looking for, Cloud wasn’t it.
“Cloud,” Zack called out, brows furrowed as he raised his sword toward the wolf.
That only caused it to growl again, head low as it prepared to leap toward Zack. Zack’s hair was waving wildly in the wind, almost like he had hackles of his own. His face was contorted in a way that surprisingly suited him; aggressive and fierce. If Cloud didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought the rumble in the air was a growl of Zack’s own, shaking him to his core as he moved between the man and the beast.
“Calm down,” Cloud commanded, raising an open palm at both of them. Sure enough, the wolf growled one last time before bowing its head a bit, Zack lowering his sword in turn. “That’s good. Whatever the enemy is, it’s not here right now.”
He moved toward the wolf, marveling a bit as he realized how large it was. An alpha, for sure. That meant its pack was nearby, likely ready to strike if this exchange went awry in any way.
“That’s right,” Cloud muttered, hunching down and extending a tentative hand out to the wolf. It sniffed at him, confirming what Cloud had said; he wasn’t the enemy. “Look at him. He’s starving.”
Because alpha or not, this wolf was far too thin. Starving may have been a slight exaggeration, but there was an entire pack to consider. The leader was bound to be in the best shape.
“Cloud, you need to back away,” Zack said, calm yet commanding.
“It’s okay. They came out because they were hoping to hunt whatever’s been taking their food,” Cloud responded, smiling when the wolf gave his hand a lick. It was marking him, in a way; accepting him. Just like the wolves back home did, even when his own pack didn’t. No doubt it had to do with the Nibel blood in his veins, regardless of his ability to shift. He chanced a glance at Zack, not bothering to pull his hand back from the alpha wolf that was still giving him warm licks. “We need to help them.”
“Yeah, we do,” Zack agreed, letting out an exasperated sigh as he sheathed his blade. “We can’t exactly do that though, when you won’t pull your damn hand back and come here so we can talk this through.”
“He’s not going to hurt me.”
“I know. You may as well be a part of his damn pack now, which is why I need you to come to me. It’s just gonna piss him off if I come any closer.”
Cloud snorted, but realized Zack had a point. He pulled his hand back from the wolf, smiling a bit as it huffed indignantly. “Don’t worry. I’m gonna find a way to help your pack.”
He turned away with confidence, walking over to Zack without delay before it really sunk in. The way Zack was looking at him—clearly it was one of the weirdest displays the man had ever seen. His eyes were practically glowing with confusion, his posture tense and hair still hackled in the wildest way.
“Okay, I know that this is strange, but—”
“What are you?” Zack interjected quietly, assessing Cloud all over again in the most detailed way. Every swoop of his eyes had Cloud’s heart rate accelerating, unsure what to say to a question like that. “Cloud.”
“I don’t understand the question.”
“I don’t buy that.”
“Well, I don’t know what else to say. I’m just a normal person!”
Zack snorted. “Normal, right. Anyone else woulda had their hand bitten off. He’s still watching you like he’s deciding whether or not he should fight me for you.”
“What’re you talking about?” Cloud asked, brows furrowed as he turned to wolf behind him. Sure enough, it was back in that ready-to-jump position, fangs bared as it snarled in Zack’s direction. “Okay, I don’t know what that’s all about, but you need to relax. If he’s going to attack, it’s because he thinks you’re threatening me—not because he wants to fight for me.”
“I need to scent you,” Zack sighed, his gaze turning expectant. “He’s gonna attack if you don’t let me, and then I’ll hafta fight back.”
Cloud stared between the wolf and man, baffled for a moment by the tension in the air before deciding to just go with it for now. He let himself be tugged into Zack’s arms, trying not to be too stiff for the wolven audience even as a hand caressed his cheek before trailing down to his neck. The light touch was startling even as he expected it, Zack’s fingers surprisingly gentle despite the tense air between them.
“You don’t smell like anything outta the ordinary,” Zack noted, nuzzling his face into Cloud’s neck so suddenly that he barely had time to gasp. The man’s hair tickled the side of his face, and the next deep breath Zack took had his face red. “Nice, but…definitely human.”
“I told you,” Cloud all but whispered, mind reeling as he tried to figure out what exactly was happening. Scenting wasn’t a human thing to begin with, and the way Zack used that word felt too familiar—too Nibel, which made no sense. “What are you?”
Zack snorted, fingers digging into Cloud’s side as he pulled back. “Just a guy who knows a thing or two about wolves. We have a regular contract with Kalm, remember?” he said, waiting patiently for Cloud to nod at the words. Zack had told him that before the mission began. “I’ve fought enough of these things to know they don’t get domestic around anything or anyone they don’t consider pack. It’s kinda strange you’d be the exception.”
“I’m not,” Cloud argued calmly, shrugging like he wasn’t freaking out on the inside. “I just don’t run up to them with a sword, that’s all.”
“Yeah, somethin’ tells me that wolf doesn’t let just anyone treat him like a housedog, sword or not.”
Their audience seemed to be multiplying as the two spoke, the rest of the pack slowly making its way out of the woods. Two, then three—before they knew it, there were no less than eight wolves standing by their pack alpha and observing the two humans with what Cloud knew was simple curiosity.
Zack, on the other hand, didn’t seem to see it that way. “We should prob’ly get outta here before they change their mind about you.”
“We can’t leave! We didn’t even find whatever they’re hunting.”
“Yeah, about that,” Zack started, hand on the back of his neck. “It’s already being taken care of.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean this mission was about your personality, not your skills. We already know what’s got the Fangs outta whack.”
Cloud raised a brow. “What is it then?”
“There’s a mine nearby—most the locals work there,” he explained shortly. “We got a report there’s some kinda massive serpent in the area, blocking the path.”
“And all the creatures fled here?”
“Yep. Seph’ll have it taken care of soon enough, and whatever’s roaming around this place will find its way back. Prob’ly some castanets, if I had to guess. They’ll be hangin’ around the water supply a little deeper in.”
That would definitely set the wolves off just as much as having limited food. Cloud hummed in acknowledgment, keeping pace with Zack before he even fully realized they were walking away from the wolves.
“You already knew I wasn’t going to attack them before we even got here,” Cloud started, confused. “What was the point in all this if it was just a personality test?”
“Lots of people say shit like that, but then they’re the first ones to jump for the kill when the mission starts. That’s not what the Mercs are all about,” Zack explained unapologetically. “We’re Soldiers. We don’t attack the innocent, even if there’s good money involved.”
“And you consider the wolves innocent?”
“What they’re doin’ isn’t okay—they can’t be running into town, hurting people,” Zack said, holding Cloud’s stare with too much severity for the blond to even attempt to argue. “But, yeah. If we can find a way to make it stop without hurting them, then that’s what we need to do.”
“So, does that mean I got the job?”
Zack narrowed his gaze momentarily before a big smile spread across his face. “Yeah, you got the job.”
--
Whatever Cloud had been expecting when he first heard about the Midgar Mercenaries and decided to join, he was sure this wasn’t it. Ten missions into his new life, and he still couldn’t shake the feeling that headquarters was basically a den—and if it wasn’t, his mind refused to see the difference. That same warm feeling filled his chest every time he returned from a mission, and it was a feeling he hadn’t experienced since before his mother passed.
“What is it?” Zack asked, nudging him gently as he stood in the doorway.
They’d just gotten back from a mission—together, oddly enough. For whatever reason, Zack seemed to have taken a liking to him after his first mission. Sure, Cloud knew they’d hit it off pretty well, but after they’d returned he quickly realized Zack probably hit it off with everyone.
The guy was too charismatic for his own good. Sure, he was a little intimidating during that first meeting, but that was mostly due to the mystery of it all leading up to their introduction. After that it was all smiles and easy conversation, like they were old friends. If his confident smile and kind words sometimes made Cloud's heart race? Well, that was for him to know and no one else.
“It feels like home,” he admitted with a shrug.
“This is your home now.” Not exactly what he meant, but he couldn’t help smiling at Zack’s easy answer regardless. “So, hey. I’ve gotta few things to take care of back in my room, starting with a shower. Wanna meet up a little later for dinner?”
“Sure.”
A shower didn’t sound so bad to him either after the day they’d had. It wasn’t so much that they’d worked up a swear or done anything difficult—it’d just been a messy fight. There was nothing smellier than dried bits of bloatfloat scattered across their outfits, but at least the mission had paid well.
Cloud followed Zack beyond the lounge, walking through a door on the back side of the room that he hadn’t even noticed the first time he entered the building. It turned out the mercenaries owned the whole building, and most of them had their own rooms hidden beyond that entry lounge. It had come as quite a shock when Cloud was offered his own space, only having to pay a portion of each commission he took.
It was a small room—not even big enough to be called an apartment. He had his own bathroom though, which was more than he’d hoped for anyway. What more could he ask for after leaving Nibelheim without a gil to his name?
“I wonder what Zack sees in him?”
“Must be something. Maybe we can tag along on their next mission and see for ourselves.”
He kept walking, pretending to be oblivious to the hushed gossip as he left the common room. The thing about growing up with wolves was, he’d learned to listen closely to the whispers going on around him. Particularly back in Nibelheim, since he was often on edge as the town’s outcast.
At least the whispers here were just curious—simple questions and speculation. It was a refreshing change of pace. He could understand their curiosities, too. Who was he to them? A stranger who’d somehow won his way into their home. Zack monopolized his time, so he hadn’t exactly had time to get to know most of the others. Only Genesis had bothered to approach him again, usually bringing Angeal along.
By the time he finished his shower and re-entered the lounge, he had decided maybe it was time he just start approaching these people himself. That is, until he heard the next bit of gossip.
“Maybe Zack’s keeping an eye on him for some other reason.”
“It is a little strange how fast it all happened.”
“Cloud, dear,” Genesis waved him over, seeming to notice Cloud’s entry before anyone else. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief, approaching quickly and taking a seat by the redhead. “Don’t be bothered by the chatter. It’s natural for us to be curious about someone we don’t yet know.”
“I guess,” he agreed slowly. “They seem more curious about Zack spending time with me than anything.”
“Well, in all fairness, our fearless leader doesn’t often treat new recruits quite like you.”
Cloud blinked a few times as he processed that, his mouth slightly agape. “Fearless leader?”
Genesis snorted, glancing over at Angeal knowingly. “I told you.”
“It’s not like Zack to hide something like that,” Angeal responded with a deep frown.
“Wait,” Cloud interjected, “you’re kidding, right? There’s no way!”
“Is it truly so hard to believe?”
He opened his mouth to say yes before he really thought about it. No doubt Zack was good with people—he naturally drew them in. He was kind, considerate. Powerful and dependable. Countless other things that stayed on Cloud's mind even when they parted each night.
Still. “I thought it was Sephiroth.”
Another snort. “There’s more to being a leader than being the strongest in the room. Certainly, Sephiroth has his own following among us, but he much prefers Zack hold the reigns. As do we.”
“Being in charge of a group like this means surrendering a certain amount of privacy,” Angeal explained. “Zack gets approached at all hours of the day. This is a close-knit group—our leader needs to be accessible at all hours.”
“Why does he spend so much time with me, then?”
“An interesting question,” Genesis hummed, hand on his chin. “I suspect you’re more intriguing than you realize.”
“Not really. I just thought it was because we were getting along well.”
“Well, that may be a part of it. He’d get bored in a day if you had nothing to talk about.”
“So what else is it? He must have better things to be doing than tagging along on my missions. They’re entry level.”
“Did you know not a single Fang has been spotted since the day you and Zack went on your first mission?”
Cloud’s brows shot up, alarmed. “Are they okay?”
“Yes. There are signs of them outside Kalm still, but they’ve remained out of sight. They’ve never coexisted so well with the humans, even before the most recent incident.”
“Because Sephiroth killed that serpent.”
“Perhaps,” Genesis shrugged. “Perhaps not. Zack told me an interesting tale about that mission.”
“It wasn’t interesting. We didn’t even have to fight.”
“Precisely. Why is that, exactly?”
Cloud narrowed his eyes a little, pretending his heart wasn’t starting to clench anxiously. “What is it you think happened?”
“I think you, my dear, became an ambassador to the wolves. They’ve decided to give the humans a truce. The question is why—or better yet, how? We’ve had ongoing issues with that pack for years.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Or not. Not at all, when he really thought about it. No doubt he’d formed some kind of connection with that pack alpha, but he wouldn’t go so far as to call himself an ambassador. He just knew wolves better than most. He soothed the pack, for now at least. “I don’t think you know how wolves work.”
Genesis’ eyes were dancing at the challenging words. “And you do?”
“That’s enough, Gen.” The booming voice had him stilling where he sat, barely recognizing it as Zack’s. He spun around in his seat, eyes wide as he saw his friend looking more like the ‘fearless leader’ of this group than he’d ever seen. His arms were folded across his chest, posture stiff as he stared down his friend meaningfully before turning his gaze on the rest of the room. “Alright, listen up everyone! Cloud’s one of us now. If you’ve got an issue with that, too bad. I don’t wanna hear another word about it anymore.”
Cloud shrank where he sat, mortified as Zack’s stare flickered over to him. It softened in an instant, the no-nonsense look fading into a smirk as their eyes locked.
What?
What kind of leader made declarations like that? It seemed like a horrible idea, essentially telling everyone to shut up—it was almost like how the Alpha acted in Nibelheim, like their rule was absolute and no one could contest it. Even the way the room reacted, everyone grunting in acknowledgment like it was no big deal.
“Don’t let it get to you,” Zack said, apparently misreading his stunned look. He clapped a hand on Cloud’s back, his grin growing by the second. “When you’ve got a close-knit group like ours, it’s natural to be skeptical about newcomers. That’s why I do all the recruiting myself. They trust me, and I trust you.”
“So you’re not sticking around me to keep an eye on anything?”
“Oh, I’m definitely keeping an eye on you,” he winked, uncaring of the blush spreading across the blond’s face. “Look, it’s not like I said they all had to like you. They just have to accept you’re here to stay, that’s all.”
“You make it sound like it’s no big deal.”
“It’s not. They can still come to me if you do something they don’t think is right, and I’ll address it the way I always do. If you’re in the wrong, you’ll hear it from me—no exceptions.”
“Isn’t that the opposite of what you said though?”
“Nah. All I said was you’re one of us and they have to deal with it. Being one of us doesn’t mean you can get away with breakin’ any rules.”
“Perhaps you should tell him what the rules are,” Genesis suggested, reminding the pair of his presence. Their locked gazes split finally, both eyeing him like they hadn’t quite heard what he said. “Have you already given him the speech?”
“Is that really necessary?” Zack groaned, raking a hand through his hair.
“You do it with everyone else.”
“Yeah, but I’m with him on every mission. I’m not gonna let him break any rules.”
“Zack,” Angeal said firmly. “You can’t be by his side for every mission. If you don’t go over it, I will.”
“Alright, alright! Next time don’t vote me pack leader if you wanna be the one giving speeches and all that.”
Pack leader. Red flags were flying in Cloud’s mind, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to ask what that meant just yet. Not when Zack was looking at him with so much fondness, like the last thing he wanted to do was give him any rules to follow.
He hopped to his feet nonetheless, nodding for Cloud to follow, “C’mon, Spike. I’ll give you the run down in private.”
Cloud’s heart rate picked up a bit as he followed his friend without another word, desperately trying to ignore the amused look Genesis was giving him. Not to mention the curious gazes from around the room still.
“You don’t hafta be nervous,” Zack assured him once they’d stepped into the hall leading out of the common area. They were headed to his room, no doubt, which did nothing to ease his worries. Sure, they’d spent a lot of time together, but never alone behind closed doors. It was always in the field or in the common area. Zack’s hand hovered on the door knob to his room, glancing over at Cloud with a smile. “We’re friends, right?”
“Right,” he agreed easily.
“Then relax.”
Easier said than done. Cloud nodded, inhaling a long breath in an attempt to follow instructions, stepping inside the room behind Zack. What he wasn’t prepared for was the way Zack reached behind him to shut the door right away, paying no mind to how close he had to step into Cloud’s personal space. Once it was shut, he made no attempt to step back, instead surging forward until Cloud’s back was against the door.
They were so close he could feel the warmth of Zack’s breath, caressing his face like a feather as he boxed the blond in. A hand on each side of his head, Zack’s eyes were suddenly deadly serious as they met his, every muscle in his body tensing as he stared down.
“So much for relaxing,” Cloud tried to joke, a hopeful smile pulling at his mouth. It went unreturned this time, and soon became a confused frown. “So…the rules?”
“You already know, so I’m not gonna give you some scripted speech about it. We don’t do this just for gil, and we don’t harm any innocents.”
“Okay? That’s no problem.”
“There’s something else. What you see in this building stays here. Same goes with missions. If you wanna gossip with Gen or whoever else out there, go ahead, but you don’t say a word outside this building. Understand?”
Something told him Zack was expecting him to see something. This wasn’t just some rule made up out of the blue over Angeal’s secret cake ingredient. It was serious. There was something important they were keeping in these walls, and it was only a matter of time before Cloud knew exactly what it was.
“I understand.”
Zack’s hands fell from the wall at his confirmation, and then he took a single step back. “If you have questions, you come to me. That part’s not a rule, but…You’re gonna have questions, and I’d rather be the one to tell you.”
“Why not just tell me now?” he wondered.
“Because I can hear your heart racing from here. You’re scared, and I don’t want you to be. I wanna be the one who calms you down.”
He looked so earnest when he said it, causing Cloud’s heart to clench. How could one person have so many different personalities? One minute he was as friendly as ever—caring and considerate. The next he was stubborn and demanding. The next he was smart and calculating before the big smirk was back on his face like he didn’t have a care in the world.
Or maybe he was all of those things, all at once. There was a reason he was pack leader, after all.
“What am going to see, Zack?” he persisted, desperate for answers from this man. It felt like there was a wall between them now, and he didn't want that. “Please.”
“What was it like back in Nibelheim?” Zack countered.
A harsh tactic, but one that got his point across effectively. Whenever Zack tried to bring up his hometown, he beat around the bush about it. It just wasn’t a subject he could discuss, and so he explained once that he just didn’t like to talk about it. The subject hadn’t been brought up once since then, until now.
Why didn’t Zack want to talk about whatever this was?
--
Ever since Zack warned him not to discuss any Soldier secrets, Cloud felt like he was on the lookout, trying to figure out exactly what it was he wasn’t supposed to be talking about. What it was that might scare him away. All he knew for sure was, Zack needn’t have warned him in the first place—pack secrets were just that. They were to be kept within the pack. Just like he wouldn’t discuss Nibelheim’s secrets, he wouldn’t betray his new pack.
Because that’s what they were, and he grew more sure of this conclusion every single day. They were pack in the exact same sense of the word that he knew from growing up with wolves—but what were they if not wolves as well?
Unfortunately, Zack made it clear he had no interest in just telling him. His ‘friend’ seemed to be avoiding him since giving him the rundown, which hurt worse than knowing there was some kind of secret being kept from him.
Had he imagined the bond they’d formed?
He was still a newcomer, afterall, which was a title no outsider in Nibelheim would ever be granted. Only time would grant him true acceptance. He had to show his worth—to follow the rules and complete missions. To help foster a good reputation for the mercenaries within the community.
The way he’d clicked with Zack though, he thought at least the two of them were beyond that. Now it was like he was just another newcomer in the man’s eyes, and for the first time in his life, he couldn’t shake off the feeling of rejection. It haunted his every day in ways he didn’t care to admit.
“So what should I do?” he asked Genesis, growing more desperate by the day. Of course, the redhead just laughed at him. “You’re not being helpful!”
“Did you truly come to me seeking friendship advice?”
“Um.” Cloud frowned. “Yes?”
“What makes you think I have friends? I’m not even convinced you like me much, dear.”
He snorted at that, not quite able to deny it. “We have an understanding, though.”
“Oh? Do tell me more about this understanding.”
“You try to provoke me with stupid—”
“Witty,” Genesis interjected, raising a brow.
“Witty jabs,” he corrected, “that you think go right over my head. And then I call you out on it.”
“What does any of that have to do with us having an understanding?”
“You respect that I don’t take your shit, and I respect that you keep trying anyway.”
“It’s no wonder you ran Zack off—you’re just as dreadful at friendships as I am.”
“How did I run him off?” Cloud responded, shaking off the insult with practiced ease. “I thought we were getting along great.”
“As did I. I’ve never seen him so drawn to a newcomer. If I didn’t know any better, I’d have called him smitten. The both of you, actually.”
“I wouldn’t go that far," he said, sure it wasn't totally true. On his side maybe, but clearly not Zack's.
“Oh? How far would you go, then? He went on no less than a dozen missions with you. Do you think he extends that courtesy to call newcomers? Zack can take on any mission he chooses—better paying, more difficult tasks than you’re authorized.”
“Yeah, because we were getting along. Not because of anything weird.”
“Perhaps he was simply keeping an eye on you after all. He realized you weren’t a threat and left you to do as you please.”
Cloud’s frown deepened at the thought, refusing to believe that was it. They had a connection, he was sure. Something kept Zack coming back, and something was stopping it from happening now. Even as Zack came and went, he was sure he wasn’t imagining the long looks being cast in his direction as he sped through the room.
“Have you spoken with Sephiroth?” Genesis wondered, amusement written on his face as Cloud’s eyes widened. There was something unsettling about that man—intimidating and threatening. “What would you say if I told you he’s the only one in this little pack who’s visited your hometown?”
“I’d call you a liar. Outsiders don’t come to Nibelheim.”
“A naïve assumption. Just because he wasn’t welcomed doesn’t mean he never visited.”
Cloud had to force himself not to react, ignoring the way the hair on his arms felt like it was standing up as anxiety coursed through him. There was just no way. “If he showed up, he was turned away.”
“Perhaps he didn’t show up as you know him now.”
“There’s only one way he would’ve been accepted,” Cloud insisted, knowing damn well what it was—if he were incognito. In wolf form. He wasn’t about to say that though, and Genesis seemed to be waiting for some kind of elaboration. “If he went unnoticed.”
“Speak with him. Draw your own conclusions.”
Easier said than done. The man was almost always away on a mission, and usually the most difficult ones available. The kind that quickly garnered respect from the rest of the pack, leading to whispers that even a newcomer was privy to hearing.
The time-consuming kind, too.
“It could be another week before he’s back.”
“Good. That gives you time to decide if you truly wish to hear what he has to say.”
Something told Cloud he needed to hear it, even if he might be better off not knowing.
--
Sephiroth didn’t return for more than a week, giving Cloud time to complete three of his own missions in and around the city. He was progressing quickly for a newcomer, racking up almost all the necessary victories to begin taking on Class 2 missions. Apparently it was unheard of—only Zack had advanced so quickly after joining. While he still wasn’t privy to any pack secrets, he was definitely earning his keep and the respect of his peers.
His ‘friend’ still wasn’t really acknowledging him beyond a simple wave or pat on the head before going to and from his own missions, always brushing it off like he was in some kind of hurry whenever Cloud entered the building. It was infuriating, yet he couldn’t bring himself to feel offended.
All he felt was sad. Like he’d lost someone he held dear even though they hadn’t even been friends or acquaintances for very long. It was inexplicable the way his heart still clenched every time.
“You are human,” Sephiroth observed, speaking first when Cloud finally dared to approach him.
“And you’re not,” he concluded, raising a brow when Sephiroth merely nodded. It was strange, he thought, holding the man’s gaze for the first time. His eyes were almost feline, and yet that wasn’t quite right. Not if he’d gone unnoticed around Nibelheim. “How is it possible?”
“I am the product of an experiment gone wrong.”
There were so many questions in Cloud’s mind, but one look told him Sephiroth wouldn’t be elaborating. Not on that subject at least. “You’re a wolf, then?”
“We prefer to call ourselves shifters.”
Cloud blinked a few times. We. “You’re not the only one?”
“I am unique among the pack. My form is complete.”
“And the others?”
“Half-breeds.”
“They’re experiments as well?”
“Some, yes,” Sephiroth responded. “Others were turned via a more conventional method. Others are simply humans who have made themselves our allies.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It is not my place to explain.”
“Why’re you telling me any of this then?” he wondered, mind reeling as he tried to will himself to believe it. There was no doubt in his head that Sephiroth was speaking the truth, but that didn’t make it particularly easy to believe. Not when he grew up believing the gift was granted only to those of Nibel blood. “You said it yourself—I’m just human.”
“I remember you. You were young still, but your scent is the same. Back then you were scared.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“A young boy, ridiculed and run out of town. There was a storm. You had ventured out too far to make it back in time.”
His heart stopped as the memories flooded him, taking grip like it was just yesterday. There was only one storm like that where he’d been too far from home to get to his mother for warmth. It would’ve been the death of him, even in the cave he’d managed to crawl into.
“A wolf found me,” Cloud recalled, tilting his head as he really looked at Sephiroth for the first time. “A silver wolf. I’d never seen one quite like it.”
It had distinct eyes that didn’t quite match those he was used to seeing in his ventures into the woods. He remembered wondering if that was why the wolf was alone, too—if it’d been run off for being different the same way he had.
“Sephiroth,” he murmured, reaching out before he could stop himself. The man caught his hand before he could brush the silver bangs from his eyes, his gaze unimpressed. “I’m sorry. I just…I do. I remember you.”
That didn’t give him the right to touch the man, of course, and so he retracted his hand quickly. It had just been a fleeting thought…He remembered thinking how soft that wolf had been, and how steady its breathing was even when Cloud was on the verge of a panic attack.
“I owe you my life,” Cloud realized.
“You owe me nothing.”
“I only saw you once after that night. I always wondered where you went. You were smaller than the others…I thought maybe you didn’t make it either.”
“I was young still, not yet fully grown. When I realized there was no acceptance to be found in town, I left. You were the one who told me of this city. Do you recall?”
He racked his brain, the details all a bit jumbled. For a while he’d been pretty out of it that night. He’d talked to that wolf like they were old friends when they were cuddled up for warmth, saying anything he could to pass the time before eventually calming down enough to sleep.
“You called it the city of dreams. You mentioned your father.”
Cloud grimaced, not caring to hear about that man. “Yeah, well. I was young.”
“Would you care to hear anything about him?”
“You know him?”
“I did. He passed away nearly three years ago.”
Wow, this man did not know how to beat around the bush. Cloud felt like he’d been punched in the stomach at the news, but not so hard that he wanted to cry. It wasn’t like he had come to Midgar hoping to find the man and reconcile.
“How’d he die?”
“I don’t know all the details. There was an illness; it came on rather suddenly.”
Just like his mother. That thought cut into him more than anything, reopening a wound he thought he’d recovered from the day he left Nibelheim.
“You are upset,” Sephiroth observed, shaking his head slowly. “It was not my intention.”
“No, it’s fine,” Cloud insisted, exhaling a long breath to steady his emotions. “It’s just, that’s around the time my mother died.”
“You cared deeply for her.”
“I was horrible to her for years. I blamed her for me being this way—for mating with a human.”
“For being human?” Sephiroth questioned, Cloud nodding in response. “You still don’t know, then.”
“Know what?”
“Your father was not quite as human as you were lead to believe.”
He shook his head slowly, not sure how to respond. “That’s not possible. They ran him out of town.”
“Am I not proof that other types of wolves exist?”
“But my mom said—”
“He went to that town for the same reason I did. Curiosity. Mating with your mother was not his intent.”
“I don’t want to hear any more about him,” Cloud decided, his temper flaring irrationally. If his father was a wolf, that was even worse. He could’ve petitioned to stay if that were the case, and instead he left anyway. “I didn’t come here to find him, okay? I came here to get a fresh start. I was the town reject there. Here I’m just another person.”
“For now. Soon you will be of age.”
He laughed at that. “How young do you think I am?”
“Not yet twenty.”
“Yeah, and ‘of age’ is eighteen even by Midgar’s standards.”
Sephiroth said nothing at that, apparently done with his part of the conversation.
“Right, well. Thanks for telling me all this,” Cloud started, hand on the back of his neck. “I don’t know why everyone was so set on hiding it from me.”
“Most humans would not believe it when told,” Sephiroth explained. “They would need to see it firsthand.”
“Fair enough. If I didn’t come from where I do, I guess I might’ve wanted to see it first.”
“I’m told it can be a frightful experience for unexpected humans.”
“Do the others know about you and me?” Cloud wondered suddenly.
“They are aware of my travels to your hometown, but know nothing of the private details.”
“Do they know about the town?”
“They do not know it is a town of wolves; just that I went there during my travels as a young shifter. Anything else is all speculation.”
So Zack had no idea—no clue that he was the not the type of human to be afraid of a wolf or shifter of any kind. It was almost a relief to realize it. Was that why he took to avoiding Cloud? Did he think Cloud would be scared off if he knew the truth?
All he could do was guess, his mind already set. No matter what, he had to try talking to Zack. Now that he knew more, maybe he could get through to the man.
“Thanks, Seph,” he said, wishing there was a better way to convey his gratitude. His words got him the smallest smile, which felt like a victory. “For everything.”
--
It was nearly impossible to corner Zack even after finding out more about Soldier, which was entirely too frustrating. He was ready to scream at the man every time he breezed by with that same quick wave like he couldn’t be bothered to utter a ‘hello’.
So, he did the next best thing. “Wait up!” Cloud called out, rushing after Zack as the pack leader made his way out of the lounge. He still had his sword on his back, and his features were etched with stress. Something was bothering him. “Can we talk?”
“Now’s really not the best time, Spike.”
“Will there ever be a good time, then?”
“Uh, prob’ly not tonight. I just got back, and I’ve got a line of guys waiting to get my opinion on shit. Pack politics, y’know?”
“Yeah, I know. More than you realize.”
Zack blinked, raising a brow. “You do?”
“You said I could come to you when I had questions. I have questions now.”
“You do?” Zack repeated, staring at him far more intently now. It took all Cloud’s willpower to hold that gaze, refusing to crumble under the intensity of it. “Right. Let’s go then.”
He trailed after the pack leader, trying to look more confident than he felt. It had all been so simple in his head, but now that it was happening, he couldn’t help feeling nervous. Zack lead them into his room like it was nothing, and he barely made it past the doorway before remembering being pressed up against it—the way Zack had crowded his space and captured his attention so effortlessly.
“Shit,” Zack swore, setting his sword against the wall before plopping down on his mattress. He started removing his gloves next, looking at Cloud expectantly. “So, questions?”
“You’re a shifter.”
“Not exactly a question.”
“Are you an Alpha?”
“If that’s what you call pack leader, then sure. I'm no different than anyone else out there aside from that.”
“And you can shift?”
Zack hesitated a moment before conceding a nod. “Yeah. Did you see someone do it, or did you figure it out yourself?”
“I didn’t see anything,” Cloud admitted, not sure if he was allowed to bring up Sephiroth’s involvement in his discoveries. “I think I knew the moment I came here though. The whole place—it’s like a den. And the way they treat you, even when you’re just goofing around…”
“They respect me.”
“Because you’re the Alpha.”
“How do you even know that word?” Zack responded, kicking off his boots without looking away from the blond.
Cloud found himself glued to the door still, as if Zack were pinning him there again with just his gaze this time. “My hometown…I can’t say much about it. Pack secrets, you know?”
“So, the legend’s true then. Nibelheim is a town of wolves.”
Cloud’s eyes went wide, stunned at how casually Zack reached such a conclusion. “How—”
“You don’t become like me and not do any research. They say that’s where all this began. Shifters and all that. We’re just half-breeds and fakes though. No purebloods around here.”
“I was born human.”
“Maybe.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Cloud wondered, folding his arms across his chest. He wanted to shrink into himself a little, more defensive than he cared to admit as Zack’s stare became more critical. “You smelled me the first day, remember? Just human, you said.”
“Except no one who’s just human would have this kinda power over a half-breed like me.”
“What power?”
“You don’t feel it?” Zack said, sighing as he stood up. “It’s like a current. At first I thought I just needed to keep you close—to get to the bottom of whatever you were hiding and be done with it. Now I’m not so sure.”
Every step closer, Cloud could feel exactly what Zack mentioned. It was a current, and it grew steadier as Zack drew nearer. The Alpha reached out for his hand, smiling a little when Cloud gasped.
“You too, huh?” He shook his head, clearly not sure what to make of the situation. “You could be the downfall of us all.”
“I won’t be. I didn’t come here to cause trouble, I came here to get away from Nibelheim. To find a new home.”
“And?”
“And it feels like home here.”
“Give it a minute and we’ll see if you still feel that way.”
Before Cloud could ask what he meant by that, Zack was looking down, his face hidden by the wild flow of his hair. If it weren’t from the slight grunt, he wouldn’t have known anything was happening at all—not until the hand holding his squeezed a little tighter all of a sudden. The firm grip was different, almost digging into his hand before it was released entirely.
His eyes follow he movement instinctively, growing wider as he realized what was happening. Zack was shifting. There were claws where his fingernails had been, and he found himself unable to keep his hands at his side. He raised them to Zack’s face, cupping it gently even when his friend let out a low growl.
That was the thing about growing up with wolves. It took more than a little growl to scare Cloud.
Zack seemed to accept that fact as the second passed, allowing Cloud to tilt his head back up slowly but surely. He still looked like Zack—the same wild hair, hackled in a familiar way. The same bright eyes piercing him as their gazes met.
Only, he seemed taller somehow. There were fangs where there was usually a playful smirk. A compressed snout where his nose had been, breathing in steadily as Cloud continued to catalog his new features. His ears were jagged and pointier, maybe a bit hairy but that was hard to see with Zack’s regular hair looking so wild.
“You’re not scared?” Zack asked, his voice gruffer than ever.
“Not at all,” he decided easily. “You’re still you.”
“Most the humans in our pack fainted the first time they saw one of us like this.”
“I’m not like most people. I grew up in a town of wolves, remember?”
Zack snorted inelegantly, conceding a nod. “Right, well.” He reached for Cloud’s hand again, clasping it in his own clawed hand. “This is it. There’s no turning back now. No running away. You’re one of us.”
“It’s about time,” Cloud joked, giving Zack’s hand a gentle squeeze. His acceptance had warmed Cloud to the core, filling him with more happiness than he could properly express. Never in his life had anyone told him that. “That means we can hang out again, right?”
“Careful what you wish for, Spike. I might never let you outta my sight now.”
“Anything’s better than you ruffling my hair and walking off without a word.”
Zack laughed, the sound just as musical even in this form. “We’ll see about that. Maybe you are just a human—maybe that’s why you don’t understand.”
“Understand what?”
He watched in awe as Zack began shifting back, captivated by the transformation until it was Zack’s turn to cup his face. There were a lot of things Cloud understood about packs—about wolves and about bonds. It wasn’t until that moment though, that he realized what Zack was trying to say to him.
“Oh,” he muttered, heart fluttering in his chest as Zack stared down fondly.
“Seph seems to think you’re some kind of late bloomer. Like a timebomb, ticking away. He says it’ll cause a frenzy when you go off if I’m not careful.”
“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. They’d never have let me leave Nibelheim if that was the case. I’m just human.”
“I dunno, Spike. There’s something about you,” Zack insisted slowly. “Whatever it is, I’m not letting Seph have you. He said he’d claim you for himself if he had to, and that’s just not gonna happen.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“I’m talkin’ about you and me. We can keep fighting it if you want, but I’m starting to think it’d feel a whole lot better if we just jumped in. No more avoiding each other and no more pretending to just be friends. I want more.”
“You’re the one who was avoiding me, remember?”
“So, you’re in then?”
Cloud snorted, trying not to look too relieved or excited in response to such a ridiculous question. “I guess so.”
He was pretty sure that made them boyfriends.
--
If he was a timebomb, he definitely didn’t go off on time. Story of his life.
His twentieth birthday had come and gone, and while Sephiroth hadn’t mentioned it again, he remembered that being an important year in whatever theory the man had about him. It seemed to put Zack at ease too, his boyfriend not leaving his side once for nearly two days leading up to the pack’s celebration.
It wasn’t until a few extra days had passed that Zack really accepted that nothing was going to happen.
“I told you,” Cloud muttered against his lips. “I’m human.”
“Spike,” Zack groaned, hands gripping at his hips as the blond straddled him. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re definitely somethin’ else.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
“Dunno yet, but no human I’ve ever been with has ever tasted as good as you or smelled as nice.”
“You said I didn’t smell like anything.”
“No, I said you smelled human.”
“So? What’s the difference?”
“Uh, some humans stink. You, on the other hand, smell like cookies or something. I can never put my finger on it.”
“You’re crazy,” Cloud accused, no real heat in his voice.
“Maybe. Or maybe you’re a closet baker—has Angeal been stealing you every time I get caught up in pack business?”
“It’s not stealing if I go to him voluntarily. We’re friends. Plus, Seph’s way better at baking.”
“Have I mentioned how much I love you yet?”
Once or twice in their relationship, yes. A day, that is. “What did I do to get that kind of praise this time?”
“You’re friends with my pack. Everyone adores you.”
“They have to…I’m sleeping with their Alpha.”
“Nah, it’s more than that. I swear, it’s half the reason I bought into Seph’s whole theory. You bring everyone together, y’know?”
“Not really. We’re friends.”
“It’s different. It can get kinda rowdy around here, and all you hafta do is give ‘em a look and that’s it. I’ve gotta tell them off when that happens.”
“They’d rather stop when I give them the glare than hear you lecture, and that’s what happens next if they ignore me.”
Zack sighed in defeat. “You’re more stubborn than anyone I’ve ever met.”
“Well, I’m not denying that,” he shrugged.
“Do they have omegas back in Nibelheim?”
He stiffened in Zack’s lap, hands on his chest as he stared into his boyfriend’s eyes. “Where’d that question come from?”
“I know you don’t like talkin’ about that place, but I’m curious.”
“No,” Cloud answered honestly. “Omegas are a myth. There hasn’t been one born in more than two hundred years—or so the legends say, at least.”
“What if the legend got distorted?”
“What do you mean?”
“It happens sometimes. History is written by the survivors, right?”
“So you’re saying we had omegas and they were killed?”
“Or they got run outta town because the rest of the pack was too dimwitted to realize they weren’t just some human.”
Cloud blinked a few times, processing what Zack was implying. Then he burst into laughter. “Are you insane? Omegas are revered by my people. I can’t get into all the details, but they never would’ve let me go if that were the case. Trust me.”
“Not if they didn’t know,” Zack insisted. “Your father—”
“Zack,” he cringed, not ready to hear more about that man. “Please don’t.”
“I’m just saying, have you ever heard of two wolves mating and having a human child?”
Cloud still wasn’t convinced the man had been a wolf in the first place. “It happens every decade or so.”
“But why? Why would that happen in a town fulla purebloods?”
“It just does,” he shrugged. “I’m not complaining though.”
“Me neither,” Zack agreed. “You being here is the best thing that’s happened to me. To my pack.”
“If I’d been an omega, they probably would’ve forced me to mate with my best friend—the future Alpha of Nibelheim,” Cloud revealed with a shudder. As much as he adored Tifa, he was much happier right where he was at. “I wouldn’t have had a choice.”
Zack gripped him just a little tighter, a low growl in his chest. “That’s not right.”
“Yeah, well, guess we’re lucky I’m not then. It used to be a longstanding tradition for the pack Alpha to mate with an omega though, back when they were born still.”
“Why don’t you think they’re born anymore?”
“Promise not to tell anyone?” Cloud asked quietly, his gaze deadly serious. Thankfully Zack didn’t question it, nodding right away. “It’s an old Nibel legend. Fenrir, the god who bestowed us with the gift, took away our most cherished wolves after a group of hunters committed an unforgiveable crime.”
“What happened?”
“The legend says they passed by an omega wolf—a real wolf, not a shifter. The wolf was caught in a trap and they didn’t think it could be saved so they left it there to die.”
“That’s horrible.”
“No kidding. Wolves are like brethren to us. To leave one of our own to die is just…” Cloud shook his head, repulsed by the idea.
“So, Fenrir found out and took away the omegas?”
“Pretty much, yeah. It started off slowly, since there were already omegas in town. Eventually there were less and less till only the Alpha could have the right to mate with one. Now there are none at all.”
“Our pack would never leave a wolf to die. Not if we could help.”
Cloud smiled a bit. “I know.”
“One last question?” Zack tried, grinning when Cloud gave him a patient nod. “How would you know if you were an omega?”
“Uh, I just would. I’d be able to shift, for one. They say omegas take the form of a pure white wolf, like the snow,” Cloud explained thoughtfully. “You’d definitely smell it, too. It’d be sweeter than some cookie Angeal made. Plus I’d go into heat every few months.”
“That’s a real thing?”
“Uh, yeah,” he muttered, pretending not to notice how Zack seemed to be growing harder beneath him. “I wouldn’t be able to get pregnant like a female omega, but I’d still get the urge to go through the motions—to attract a mate. To please them.”
“You already have that urge, don’t you?” Zack whispered, thumb trailing over his lower lips.
“Maybe. But I’m just a fragile human,” he hummed, grinding down on his boyfriend.
Zack’s eyes were hazy as he leaned forward and stole a kiss, muttering, “I like you fine just the way you are.”
--
Two months later, Cloud was the only one surprised by his sudden heat.