A/N: Disclaimer: I do not in anyway shape or form own FFVII at all. However, this story came into mind and I want to dedicate it to both my Partner DeadlyDragon12, because he's my partner. And to my friend Pinksisa because her birthday is August 17 ( I think ). Anyway, enjoy this story of pure Cloti, filled with steamy action later. If you have a good imagination and a weak stomach, don't read. You've been warned.
One's Soul, is another's Profit
Tree's swayed and danced with the night wind. The leaves twisted and turned with grace, making no noise. The only sound heard was the snapping of weak twigs as they broke from the wind's strong pushes. Green cat like eyes blinked in the dark, watching as a deer leaned down to bite the tip of a blade of grass. The eyes blinked again, the sound of talons scraping in the soft dirt was barely noticable. The buck had never seen his death coming. An inhuman roar echoed throughout the forest before a shadowed creature leapt from the darkness and sank its pearly whites into the deer's soft flesh. The canines had hit they destined spotm right at the pulse of the neck. The powerful jaws pulled violently, and the shocked deer had no time to struggle as the sound of its neck breaking broke the silence. It fell limp, two arms catching the kill. The moon's pale glow revealed the face of a man in his early twenties...or so he looked. Thick sharp fangs jutted from beneath his upper lip. His green eyes turning into a misty blue, as he stood on two legs. He turned his neck to the side before hearing a loud pop, it had been a rough night. He stretched his arms above his head, his sharp talons shaped like moon cresents. Two large black leathery wings moved behind him, the base attached to his back. They fluttered and stretched with him. The man yawned, his golden spikes bouncing. He crouched low before expanding his wings and taking flight, deer in hands. He wore a particular type of armor, made from dragon scales. It was a tough black shirt and pants, abling both his wings and tail to move freely. Thats right, buddy boy had a tail. He landed back down softly, his bare feet brushing against the blades of grass. Three, what looked like, children ran up to him eagerly and excitedly.
" Cloud's back! " one jumped into his arms. The young anthro's of his clan. The clan was family, and was to be treated as such.
" Brother Cloud, this is a big deer! How did you catch it? " one asked, his green eyes shining. Cloud smiled as he ruffled his hair.
" I will teach you to hunt later...eat " he nudged the boy to the animal. The one in his hands was a girl, his neice none the less, so she really was family. He put her down before walking to a group of anthro's just like himself. They were all part of the Mako Origin. Other creatures would be able to tell by their eyes, the rare colors they would show up in was either Green or Blue. Cloud was the only blue eyed mako anthro in the entire clan. And they were the last ones left of the clan. Cloud picked out a particular silver haired anthro from the crowd of other's. There were four other men and three women, the odds for surviving were slim, but Mako's were known for never giving up. They were all dressed in the same armor, the women wearing there's with breastplates and skirts. All of their tales like a dragon's and covered in black scales like their wings. The silver haired anthro smiled as he got to his feet, he had the largest wings and horns grew atop his head, parting his silver hair.
" Cloud...glad to see you have safely returned " he smiled, showing his fangs.
" Sephiroth...my brother...we must speak...alone ". Sephiroth nodded and walked away from the group and deeper into the woods.
" What is wrong Cloud ? "
" We're running out of food in this part of the forest. Thing is, our prey isn't dying out ".
" S'cuse? "
" Our prey is being hunted...by humans... ".
" Have you any idea why? "
" My thoughts are to make us come out of hiding...we are worth how they say ' a pretty penny '...I think we should go to the safety of our Elder halls...it would be better " Cloud said passively. Sephiroth held up a hand to silence him.
" Are you suggesting we run? With our tails between our legs like cowards? "
" I'm suggesting we do what we need to survive. We don't have the option of going straight into battle anymore. With you and I, and the other's...there are only tweleve Mako anthro's left in the world. Our group is it. We should go speak with 'father ' " Cloud whispered. ' Father ' was the Mako dragon which they all got their abilities from. He had created them, their ancestors, and was therefore, basically, their god. Sephiroth shook his head.
" Last I checked, I was alpha male, not you... " Sephiroth growled. Cloud kept silence, like his niece, they were really brothers.
" Don't you want to protect your daughter? Don't you care for her safety? " Sephiroth's hand quicklt closed around his throat, his talons digging into the soft flesh, letting blood spill past his fingertips.
" How could you think I do not care about my daughter's safety? You may be my brother Cloud, but your ideas of surrender are getting on my nerves " he growled.
" I never...said...to give up " Cloud whispered. Sephiroth let him go, Cloud stumbled as he regained his footing. His wings had folded onto his back, staying that way as a sign of respect and fear. To every other race and origin, you were never supposed to give up. To the anthro leader, you better back down. Cloud's eyes drifted to the floor, he wouldn't speak, wouldn't dare argue. Sephiroth's stern expression disappeared as he smiled lightly.
" Anything else? "
"...n...No Sir ".
" Good " Sephiroth turned and walked away, back to his clan. Cloud stayed rooted to the spot.
" If you don't move us to a different route soon...we're all going to starve...thats if the humans don't get to us first " Cloud mumbled to himself.
-+-+
The usual quiet seemed to be disturbed later that night. Cloud's eyes shot open, something was not right. He sat up, removing a child from his chest as he did so. They had after all dubbed him the coolest Anthro they had ever met. Even though, they only knew their clan. The young always felt safe with him, it had been that way for decades. Though he looked twenty, he was nearing seventy. He wouldn't age though for another six hundred years, and even then it would be a little bit. He got to his feet before circling around the sleeping memebers of his clan. He nearly tripped over someone's tail and had to restrain himself from cursing loudly. He walked a bit more forward and heard something click. His head shot straight up, his eyes turning back to their dragon green. He spun around to see something shiney and long sticking out from a few bushes, it smelled or metal copper and...powder? He blinked once as it clicked again before letting out a loud roar of warning to his comrads. All anthro's sat straight up as the sound of a gun rang out and Cloud was sent flying backwards from the shear force. He got straight back on his feet afterwards, glaring at the metal tubing angrily. The bullet crushed into itself when it hit his dragon scales. His teeth suddenly became clearer and talons lengthend. His wings expanded, as well as did the other men's. All of them growled harshley as humans surrounded them, guns ablaze. Cloud sailed through the air towards one human that was holding one of the younglings by the throat, a hand gun in his hand. Cloud knocked him off his feet before tearing out his throat, the vocal cord pulling out with the giant blood mist. He got to his feet and opened his arms for the children to jump into. He used his wings to surround them, protecting them at all costs. He made his way back admist the fireing of guns, giving the children to their mothers. Their wings couldn't support them yet and wouldn't be able to for quite awhile.
" Take your children and fly to the Elder Halls " whether he was alpha male or not, they needed to escape. Sephiroth couldn't blame him for that now, not if he was saving the man's wife and daughter. The women leapt into the air, children in their arms as they began to fly off. Cloud looked around as someone wrapped an arm around his waist and head. A human gunmen bared his neck for another one with a knife. The human's partner raised the blade and brought it down forcefully, where his armor did not protect him. He ducked fast, letting it plunge into the man behind him before throwing the human into a group of other's. Cloud ripped, tore, and shredded these humans to bits. But no matter how many he took out, they never seemed to cease appearing. He roared loudly in fustration, soaked in blood as he was his strength was already weakend from his nearly two months without food. Everything he caught had gone straight to the children and women. He was almost to tempted to rip that deer apart as its blood seeped between his fangs, its taste so deliciously refreshing. Its meat, tender, making his mouth water. He licked his lips where human blood was and spit it back out, these creatures tasted disgusting. He heard so many shots, but ignored them all. He only focused on keeping movement and taking out as many humans as he possibly could. He ended up running into a deeper part of the forest to take a few more out. Gross tasting or not, the carnel beast inside him wanted to rip them apart with his teeth. He walked cautiously back to the chaos, no more gunfire...they had destroyed them all? He sauntered out through the bushes, all the gunfire shots catching up to him. His people lay dead before him, torn and broken. Women had been shot out of the sky, them dead from the shot, their children from the impact of the ground. Some of the men weren't even in one piece, ripped apart by so many gun shots. He saw one of his brother's wings on the blood stained ground, painfully ripped out. He was probably one of the ones that had been ripped to shreds. Cloud ran past the dead bodies to his niece, struggling to get up. She had survived as well so it seems, but her mother did not.
" Uncle! " she cried out, tears leaking from her face. Cloud was nearly there when she was picked up by who he guessed was the host of this little ' death party '. He smiled wickedly as he brought a handgun to the girl's face. He pointed the barrel right beneath her chin.
" Come closer...dare ya ".
" Let her go " Cloud growled angrily, his wings expanding, their tips dangerously sharp. His eyes narrowed as he bared his fangs.
" Women aren't worth much, and children aren't worth shit...but healthy males, who are strong...are. Your probably close to growing your horns, aren't ya?...hmmm...I wonder how much your worth...we'll have to see now won't we? " the man's wicked smile and face carved itself into his heart with his next action. He pulled the trigger, no sympathy or anything. Cloud's eyes widend as a blood mist suddenly spurted out and his niece's eyes rolled into the back of her head. The man let her body crumple to the ground. Cloud lost his mind, roaring like a beast straight from hell as he flew towards this...this...monster! He felt pain as arrowheads pierced through his flesh and stayed hooked within. On the ends were chains, bringing him to the ground. But his armor! Why wasn't it protecting him? He realized that it had vunerable spots...and they were tearing at the membrane of his wings, bringing him to his knees even faster. He felt the clamps of metal cuffs around his ankles and wrists. Someone held his head back, twisting his face away from their's.
" Hey boss...this one's got blue eyes " one of the hunter's noted. The leader of the group was a berly man with a beard down to his chest. He was a bit over weight with rich eating, his skin paler than the moon. He raised his eyebrows at his men.
" Blue eyes huh? Very rare, even for a rare race...I've always wondered what makes the blue eyes so special? I heard many things. It increases your speed and agility, your strength, can make you shape shift. Tell me Anthro...what makes you so damn special? " the man took a few steps forward, his gun brandishing.
" Bite me " Cloud growled as he pulled on all his limbs to free them from the chains. A few humans had no choice but to let go, but enough held on to keep him captured. The man smiled before raising his gun and shooting at Cloud's shoulder. The bullet pierced through the armor and went straight to his skin. Cloud roared half in fury, half in pain. What kind of device was this thing!
" Lesson one Anthro. Do not ever speak to your betters that way...filthy animal...now...either you can tell me what makes you special...or you can tell me where your Elder Halls are...when you do, I will grace you with a quick death ". Cloud blinked his misty blue eyes before allowing them to go green and flicker back. He would never tell them what his eyes meant. He knew what they stood for. It was like finding a rose in a daisy field...it could be done but it was very very rare. His eyes signified he was to be chosen to become a full fledged real dragon. It meant he could do what ' Father ' did now. And he had been the first one born in over three thousand years.
" Are you telling me, that you do not want mercy? " the man asked, raising his gun to Cloud's heart. Cloud looked at him confused, what was that?
" Thomas...he does not understand the meaning of mercy, because he was never taught it. Thats why he did not show any to your men " another man stepped from the forest. He did not have a gun, but looked of equal importance. He was slimmer with muscle tone, and unlike his balding friend, he had a full head of dark hair. It was neatly plastered to his head.
" Jake...what are you doing here! " the man called Thomas spoke angrily. His so called friend put up his hands in defense.
" Let me keep him. He would be a nice...addition...to my little club " the man smiled wickedly, one that made shiver's run down Cloud's spine. He looked from one man to the other.
" I suppose he could...but why? "
" Do you have any idea how much he's worth alive? More than dead I'll tell you that...within three days alone, we could be richer than any man alive. No one could beat us...let me have him...I will put you in charge of breaking his spirit yes, but I want him alive ". Thomas pondered for a moment before putting his gun back in its holster.
" If you can get him to come with you quietly, by all means he's your's " Thomas crossed his arms, a smile spreading across his lips. This would be funny to watch. Cloud watched the man come closer and pulled out a needle, a weird blue liquid inside. Cloud's eyes narrowed and he smiled mentally...come a little closer foolish human. He relaxed in the chains, sending signals to the humans that he had given up and ran out of strength. These people obviously didn't do their research on his kind...he never gave in. Jake was nearly there, a few more steps and...
Cloud pulled on his right arm quick, the chain slipping from the human's grasp. He whipped his weapon around, hitting those who held his other limbs. Three of them fell dead on the impact of the blow, humans were not as tough as they thought they were. The relied to much on their metal made weapons. He was about to use his chain whip to kill this man named Thomas when suddenly he felt pain at the base of his neck. He felt something enter his system, his eyes glancing to the pain and saw that horrible needle, its contents gone. He blinked and yanked the empty needle out, looking around wildly for the man who dared get that close to him and live. Then he saw him, standing not more than thirteen feet, looking quite calm. No one was holding any of his chains, for get that long distance shot, he was going to personally go up and rip his heart out while it was still beating inside his chest. He began to manuver quickly to get to him, but his actions seemed slower. He could see the very particles in the air, stirring as he breathed. His pupils dialated and grew large, absorbing losts of moon light. He blinked to clear it away, but to no avail. He then realized that he was sliding to the floor, his eyes drifting till they were half lidded. Even his thoughts slowed down. He tried to shake his head to clear it, but could no longer move. He watched as Jake stooped low and forcefully opened one of Cloud's eyes completely. He smiled as the dialated eye watched him in curiousity. He pointed out his index finger and watched Cloud's eye follow it. The slightest movement distracted him.
" Come on, lets take him home to meet his new...friends ".
A/N: As I said, its gift, and I hope another big hit. Cloti it is, but Tifa will have to get here a bit later. Because now its going to be pure hell. Happy Birthday early Pinksisa, my offical idea contructor. And to Deadlydragon12, its going to be a good partner ship, to prove it, this is my gift to you. May you both like your present and share...how was it? Different I know but...I must know...no, I'm not getting distracted from Life's tough. I promise.