Hi all! This is my first attempt at any form of final fantasy fic. sort of a mashup of monster rancher and chocobo racing but not an outright crossover. It will include existing characters from 6 through to 15 and locations but mostly follows a group of OCs.
Due to the lack of a general final fantasy subcategory I paired the chocobo series with a final fantasy that has the most characters slated to be in this fic.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own final fantasy, only three OCs (two belong to my boyfriend who is sort of co-writing this with me.) and a couple of locations.
Summary: Demi Alexi dreams of one day being a renowned breeder of unusual coloured Chocobos. To make that dream a reality, she and her pink Chocobo Pasha move into a ranch outside Burgdale town. Along the way, Demi will encounter many people. When a self proclaimed famous rider shows up with a stubborn Chocobo, Demi must conquer her biggest challenge yet. Getting the buck to breed and his rider the skills he needs to be successful.
Key: "Normal person speak" 'Normal person thoughts' ("Letter speak") "Moogle speak" 'Moogle thoughts' and on the off chance I use them, "Summon speak" 'Summon thoughts'.
Chocobo Rancher
1
One fine sunny day, a young woman and her Chocobo were on their way to a farm left by a relative of the girl some ways outside of Burgdale town. The girl, somewhere around 18 years old had long braided dark green hair, equally dark green fox ears and tail. Her eyes were a piercing yet soft yellow. The young Chocobo beside her was an oddly pale fleshy pink colour; a third of the size of a full grown Chocobo. With them travelled a black pigmy Coeurl, striped rather than spotted and no bigger than a German shepherd dog.
Burgdale town had a Chocobo stable and that was the trio's first stop. An elderly couple were inside, apparently the owners. The greenette fox girl was quite nervous about speaking up so her Coeurl let out a very soft roar, almost like a cough. It was enough to grab the elderly woman's attention as she waddled over with a smile.
"Come, come, don't be so shy deary. Can't say I've seen you around these parts. What's your name?"
"D-Demi. Demi Alexi."
The old man tottered over, recognising the family name Demi had.
"Alexi you say? Related to Sabina Alexi by any chance?"
Demi nodded shyly prompting a comforting nudge from the long whiskered feline.
"Y-Yes. She was my aunt on my father's side. I'm on my way to the farm she left to me. I never really knew her to be honest so it was a surprise to know I'd been mentioned in her will."
The old man stroked his long white beard, taking in Demi's appearance with aged brown eyes.
"Sabina was a gentle soul. Never hurt even a Bite Bug in her lifetime. That's a rather unusual Chocobo you have there."
Said flightless bird huddled up to Demi all frightened and confused earning it a pat on the head.
"Its okay, Pasha. Nobody is gonna hurt you."
Demi turned back to the couple, a little more comfortable now. "She's a rare breed, born of a white Chocobo and a red Chocobo. Instead of coming out red or white she was born pink. Ever since Pasha hatched I've wanted to see or maybe even breed other rare and unusual colours."
The elderly couple looked at each other and nodded a minute later.
"We were hoping to retire soon." Started the lady. "You coming here today is a big help. You want to breed Chocobos right?"
"Yes ma'am. More than anything."
"Well we have a few Chocobos here that we'd like you to have with whatever supplies are left. And a Moogle too. She's been a good friend to us but taking it easy doesn't suit her. You can feel free to use the stables here too."
"A-All that for no price? Goodness no, at least let me pay for some of it."
The old lady expected Demi to revoke against getting so much stuff for nothing, liking the girl's spirit. "You're a good girl Demi. I can see why Sabina left the farm to you. I'll let Mogwyn know what's going on. Make yourself comfortable until then dear. No doubt you've all come a long way to get here."
Demi didn't argue this time, following the elderly man through to a house. Pasha stuck to Demi's heels, nervous of her surroundings and all the weird smells. The Coeurl kept equally close, whiskers dancing with each step taken. Demi was treated to some sweet tea and a few biscuits to pass the time waiting for the elderly lady to return. When she came back, a Moogle was hovering not far away, its purple pompom waving around.
"Demi, this is Mogwyn. She'll help you out where Chocobo knowledge is concerned."
Mogwyn pulled a small loop-de-loop and smiled happily. "It's a pleasure to meet you, kupo. I'm sure we'll get along fine and make a success of things, kupo."
Demi nodded with a sweet smile, allowing Mogwyn to sit on her shoulder.
Much as Demi enjoyed the company of her elders, she had to get going. The Chocobos "gifted" to Demi varied from yellow to purple with no sign of the rare black, gold, silver or white Chocobo. These ones were all kind of old but well suited to mountain trips and long treks, meaning Demi could run a hiring firm until she got some young, breedable Chocobos. For now the Chocobos would remain at the stables until Demi could get things sorted. Mogwyn was placed in charge of feeding them.
Demi, Pasha and her Coerl arrived at the farm and it was in a sorry state to say the least. To Demi's glee a tour around the house revealed it to be furnished and well kept. It was pleasant, a stark contrast to the dying ground outside. Demi had seen a gardening store in town, figuring somebody there might know what to do. After having a bite to eat, the trio went back to town and located the flower shop. Inside, a gray haired green eyed cat girl was bustling around tidying shelves. She was around Demi's age and decently attractive. Her bouncy, eager eyes spied a customer at the door, hurrying over to greet Demi.
"Hello and welcome to Chester's Paradise. How can I help you today?"
"Um. Well I'm not sure really. I just moved into the farm outside town and the ground looks quite unhealthy. I'm no expert but it looks like the farm's crop growing days are over."
"Sounds bad all right. Wait here a sec while I go get some stuff. I'm Zaire by the way. Zaire Chester."
"Demi. Demi Alexi."
For now Zaire seemed oblivious to Demi's rare Chocobo, running to the back rooms. She could be heard talking to someone before coming back, tail wagging excitedly.
"Okay let's go and see your super ill farm."
Demi truly hoped that Zaire could help, leading her to the decrepit farmyard. Zaire had to admit, Demi wasn't exaggerating. The farm looked dead, soil cracked and dry.
"Gee you weren't kidding. But I'll get the ground back into growing shape before you know it. Oh my god, your Chocobo is so cute and pink!"
Pasha didn't want any of the attention, hiding behind Demi for protection. So far her Coeurl companion seemed docile and very friendly. Demi left Zaire in the yard to make some drinks and a proper plan of what to do. No more than an hour later Zaire came into the kitchen bursting with excitement.
"Hey Demi, I had a great idea!"
"What is it Zaire?"
"I was thinking we could work together. You obviously plan to run a ranch of some kind and I'm itching to get out of that store. You'll need someone capable and knowledgeable to raise crops."
Demi considered what Zaire hinted toward. The farmhouse had several beds and Demi would feel lonely without proper company.
"I think I get what you're saying, Zaire. Just keep in mind I can't actually pay you any wages right now."
"Fine by me. If it's okay with you, could I sleep here? It would save me having to walk from town every morning and I can start early."
"I'll be glad for the company, Zaire. Feel free to move in at your own pace, there's no particular rush."
Zaire was so excited about her new job she hugged Demi without thinking before running off home to get some stuff. Demi stood shocked for a moment, distracted only by her Coeurl rubbing against her affectionately. A loud purr of content echoed through the kitchen as Demi gave her feline companion a good scratch behind the ear. Looking outside, Demi saw the sky beginning to darken, hoping Zaire would make it back before dark if the girl was staying the night. Demi made sure to check on Pasha in the stable at the farm, finding the young Chocobo had already gone to sleep.
'Can't say I blame her for being tired.' Demi mused.
The journey had been quite exhausting. Returning to the house, it looked like Zaire wouldn't be back until morning. Going through some drawers, Demi found a spare key, figuring she should leave it for Zaire just in case the energetic girl came back very early in the morning.
Over the next couple of days, Demi worked out something of a temporary business. The Chocobos left to her were well suited for the surrounding terrain and still had some years of work left in them. Demi put out an advert saying she had Chocobos for rent, short term for now until she could get more Chocobos. Zaire was making some progress with the fields but it would take a lot of work to get them in top shape. Until then, she had some herbs and other plants growing in pots near the house.
Demi came back from town one day looking exhausted. Zaire stopped tending the soil to run over and see if her boss was ok.
"Gosh Demi, you look like a Gorgonopsid mauled you. What happened?"
"Apparently the Chocobos left to me hate being saddled up. Especially one of the red ones. They'll be back tomorrow if the trip goes well. How are the fields looking?"
Zaire heaved a sigh, wishing she could give good news. "They're resisting pretty much all the methods I've been taught. By the looks of it, we'll need a fair bit of manure to help bring the soil back to life. That or specially made fertilizer."
"Do whatever you deem necessary, Zaire. Just as long as I don't go bankrupt before we've actually started making a go of things."
"Ok then. I'll see if my dad can help. You just rest up and spend some time with Pasha. She's been squawking for you all day."
Demi couldn't argue, heading into the paddock. Pasha almost knocked Demi over she was that happy. The pigmy Coeurl looked up from its place on the porch to see its feathery companion running around like nothing else mattered while Demi sat watching.
Zaire returned in the early evening bearing good news. Her father was able to get some high quality fertilizer at minimal cost. They both spent the remainder of the day relaxing. Tomorrow, Demi hoped to move the Chocobos from the town stable to hers on the ranch. It would make caring for them easier. And Mogwyn could enjoy some freedom too. No doubt the cheerful Moogle was tired of the stuffy stable.
Demi was up quite early the next morning, eager to get things done. After breakfast she set out for the town with Pasha not far behind. By the time they got to the stables, Mogwyn had already prepared the Chocobos for their journey.
"We're ready to go, kupo. I can't wait to see your farm, kupo."
"Well don't expect too much Mogwyn. We're still trying to spruce the place up."
To save her walking back, Demi saddled up the remaining purple Chocobo and mounted it with ease. Pasha kept perfect pace with her elders despite being young. They arrived back at the farm in time to greet two chaps who had the rented Chocobos with them. Demi sent Mogwyn to settle the others down while she dealt with her customers.
The gentlemen with the Chocobos were new to her, having met with different people when the birds were rented. The chap with spiky red hair wore a small smile as he dismounted a red Chocobo. He would've said something to Demi had his mount not nicked the goggles he wore and run off.
"Hey! Come back here with those!" The red head's companion simply shook his shiny bald head.
"Would you like a hand sir?!"
Demi made sure to project her voice far enough for it to be heard but she got no response. Instead, the playful red Chocobo ran behind the others, startling them. Demi suppressed a laugh as the other gentleman was thrown off of the Chocobo he'd arrived on, helping him up hastily.
"Are you okay sir?"
"Fine."
'Short and to the point I see. No chance of a conversation with this guy.' "I'll go give your friend a hand otherwise you'll be here all day."
True to her word, Demi grabbed a bucket of Chocobo feed and shook it loudly. Sure enough the red Chocobo made a beeline for it. The goggles were dropped to the floor, clearly forgotten in the presence of food. Its pursuer staggered over to retrieve his goggles, putting them back on his head. He muttered something under his breath that Demi didn't quite catch.
The Chocobo however heard every syllable, and soon its former rider was sent rocketing across the yard courtesy of a clawed foot kicking him up the backside. With the matter resolved, Demi walked over to where the remaining Chocobos were.
"Is there anything else I can do for you today?" The red haired man staggered to his feet and produced an envelope from his inner jacket pocket and held it out for Demi to take.
"No ma'am. The boss was impressed with the Chocobos we rented. It's likely he'll call on your services again in the future."
Demi took the envelope nervously but forced a smile. "Thank you. Might I ask your names? In case we see each other again."
"Right. I guess our boss never told you who would be bringing the Chocobos back. I'm Reno and baldy over there is Rude."
Said man looked like he wanted to slam Reno into the ground but held himself back in the presence of two women. Demi could just imagine the dirty look Reno was getting from his co-worker behind the black shades Rude wore.
"Well Reno, Rude, it's been a pleasure meeting you. Please give my regards to your boss. I look forward to doing business with him again in the future."
"Will do. Until next time, Miss Alexi."
Once the duo vanished from sight Demi walked over to the fun loving red feathered Chocobo and gave it an affectionate scratch on the neck.
"Don't worry. You can play with Reno again one day. Just try to rein your temper in a bit from now on."
Mogwyn fluttered over and landed on Demi's shoulder. "Might I make a suggestion, kupo?"
"What is it Mogwyn?"
"I think it would be good to hire a groomer, kupo. I'm okay with feeding them, kupo. But it's not easy to brush them with these tiny arms, kupo."
"I'll look into it I promise. Until then they're stuck with me. Let's go and get a nice cool drink."
Zaire finished what she was doing to join Demi and Mogwyn in the kitchen, her face smeared with dirt. Once the girls were sat down, Demi opened the envelope.
Rude and Reno's boss had sent quite a chunky payment, leading Demi to believe the man was more impressed with her Chocobos than Reno let on. There was a letter with the money, informing Demi of a place where she could purchase new Chocobos to train up and rent out. At the bottom it was signed by somebody by the name of R. Shinra.
"R. Shinra? I don't recall meeting anybody by that name yesterday. Any idea Zaire?"
"You're pulling my leg, right? You can't mean to say you've never heard of Shinra corp.?"
Demi shook her head, truly not familiar with the name.
"Geez you are out of the loop. R. Shinra is the head of Shinra corp. and if I recall correctly his name's Rufus. Took over when his dad was killed some years ago. Rufus has changed the company for the better far as we know. Rude and Reno are part of a group called the Turks. They're kinda like a secret police firm owned by Shinra. I'm guessing you met their colleagues yesterday."
Demi could only shrug, wondering what kind of company Rufus Shinra owned. For now, she seriously considered Mogwyn's suggestion of hiring a Chocobo groomer. There was still plenty of daylight left so Demi took one of the Chocobos into town and placed an advert in the paper saying her ranch was in need of an experienced groomer to be hired immediately.
The place mentioned by Rufus was quite some distance away and Demi couldn't really go too far just yet. Thankfully the newsagent had a contact number and address for the business so Demi wrote it down. Arriving home, she picked up the phone to make a call. Zaire busied herself in the garden until the sun had almost set.
Before bed, Demi went to check on the Chocobos, relieved to find them all sleeping in pairs. Seeing Pasha snuggling with the feisty red Chocobo and a purple one made Demi smile widely. The chick would certainly never be lonely unless the others were taken out.
Odd days went by after Demi met Reno and Rude. Thanks to their boss's generous payment, Demi was able to buy several younger Chocobo from a local breeder. They were delivered to her by a lithe young man with an odd dress sense and a monkey tail. He was polite and a little flirty…until Demi's Coeurl had her say and chased him off. He'd been accompanied by a duo called Biggs and Wedge.
Demi received a reply to her advert for a Chocobo groomer that same day but it would take a while for the person interested to get to the ranch. Pasha was happy to see new Chocobos, eagerly trying to make friends. A few of them were mean spirited and kicked at the youngster while others just turned their beak up at her. Demi could only hope they weren't that bad with people. If necessary she would have to try disciplining the giant birds.
A passing traveller donated a skittish Chocobo to Demi in exchange for a simple glass of water. Zaire discovered a neglected tractor at the back of the barn. If the machine was ever to work again it would need serious repairs done. While not wanting to overload Demi with things to do on top of training the new Chocobos, Zaire brought the tractor to her attention. Having it working would certainly help with sorting the fields. Until an engineer could be located, Zaire tinkered with the tractor in between raking the fields and feeding her potted Malbro, Vegg. She was often distracted by the Chocobos making various noises ranging from Kweh to outright squawking.
Pasha kept her distance from the newer birds; finding safety with the red and purple ones who seemed have adopted her as their own. Within a week Demi had sorted out at least some of the attitude problems possessed by the younger Chocobos. Others were less tolerant to her patience and soothing. Mogwyn helped where she could but would often get pecked at or head butted a fair distance. If things carried on, Demi would have to introduce the Chocobos to her pigmy Coeurl on a bad day.
At the start of a new month things were looking somewhat up for the ranch. Demi had successfully tamed most of the new Chocobos and rented them off to whoever needed the birds, trying to avoid sending Pasha's surrogate parents. Training the noisy, smelly beasts had left Demi drained and she accidentally left the paddock gate open, allowing the skittish Chocobo to bolt into the wilderness.
Pushing her tiredness to one side, Demi pursued the runaway bird, leaving Zaire in charge of the ranch, her Coeurl sound asleep. It took the young fox girl hours to find her missing Chocobo but it wasn't alone. An Ahriman was attacking the poor beast. Although she knew it was foolish to do so without any real weapons, Demi distracted the flying monster by lobbing a stone at its single eye. On the ground nearby was a stick, Demi's only visible defence against the winged eyeball.
By a sudden stroke of luck, a blue eyed blonde man came speeding along on a nifty black motorcycle. He would've carried on his way, having only seen the Chocobo at first. Demi used the last ounce of her strength with one final swing to keep the Ahriman at bay, falling to the floor. Just as the beast swooped down to bite her; the rear wheel of a motorcycle smacked it in the face.
Looking up, Demi recognised her saviour as Cloud Strife. She'd seen him on the news a few times via adverts of his delivery service. He wordlessly extended a hand to Demi and she took it without fear. Once on her feet she lassoed the runaway Chocobo that had already caused so much trouble.
"Thank you Mr. Strife." She said with a low bow. "If you hadn't come along I'd hate to think what that beast would've done to us."
"You're the new girl aren't you? Down at the old ranch?"
"Y-Yes."
"Get on. I'll take you and your feathered friend home."
Demi gladly accepted the offer, clambering onto the bike almost clumsily and latched onto Cloud's waist securely. "Ok I'm ready."
Zaire was beyond relieved to see Demi returning with the Chocobo. Seeing Cloud with her almost gave Zaire a heart attack. Mogwyn took the Chocobo into the barn while Demi lingered at Cloud's side.
"Thanks again for the help, Mr. Strife."
"Just Cloud, please. This place looks terrible."
"We're doing what we can to fix it up but it's difficult between the two of us."
Cloud didn't need telling that the girls required help, sighing softly. "You show promise as a breeder, kid. I'll get some folks to help you out."
"You don't have to d…"
"Quit being so modest." Cloud quipped, pulling two cards out of his pocket. "Here's my card and one for a place called Seventh Heaven. If I can't be reached Tifa should be able to help you."
Without another word, Cloud drove off leaving Demi with her mouth agape. She was grateful for help but didn't want anybody going out of their way for her. Who was this Tifa Cloud spoke of? Thinking Zaire might know, Demi approached her.
"Ok cough up. What was Cloud doing with you?"
"If it wasn't for him I'd be dead, Zaire. The Chocobo that ran off was attacked by some flying creature. You weren't seriously thinking I just had a romantic escapade with Cloud were you?"
"Do you honestly know nothing about him? He's a loner by nature. What else was I supposed to think seeing a lone wolf pulling up with you on his bike?"
"Zaire, I highly doubt I'm even Cloud's type. We should expect to see folks coming by in a day or so. Cloud said he'd get some people to help out around here."
"Ok chill. So what'd he give you?" "Two business cards. One's his and the other is for a place called Seventh Heaven. He said something about a person called Tifa and that if I can't reach him, she'd be able to help."
"Seventh Heaven is a bar. Lots of people go there so I'd wager Cloud will put some adverts up around the place."
"Have you ever met this Tifa?"
"No but I hear she's quite nice."
"That's good to know then. I might consider stopping by one day, see for myself what she's like."
For the remainder of the day, Demi relaxed on Zaire's orders. She answered a phone call in the early evening, relieved to hear the person who responded to her advertisement for a groomer would arrive tomorrow but they couldn't give a specific time.
As expected, Zaire couldn't wait to meet her new co-worker, wondering what they were like. Demi already knew the gender of the new recruit, allowing Zaire to fantasise about a strong handsome man helping with things besides the Chocobos. She even verbally assumed the groomer was male, saying she wondered what he was like.
The sky grew dark and the girls went to bed exhausted. Demi had problems sleeping, dreams haunted by what happened earlier in the day. Visions taunted her with the sight of what would've happened if Cloud didn't show up to help. With care to make no noise, Demi went to check on the Chocobos. They were all sleeping peacefully, Demi's Coeurl slumbering nearby. Seeing the birds soundly asleep cured Demi's troubled state of mind so she meandered back to bed. Crawling under the cold sheets, the fox girl allowed her eyes to drift shut as one final thought of wonderment crossed her mind. While she knew the gender of the groomer arriving tomorrow, Demi had been unable to gauge their personality. They'd sounded nice enough over the phone. She'd just have to wait and find out tomorrow.
Pushing the nagging thought to one side, Demi entered the world of dreams, delighted by the vision of Pasha growing up big and strong with a cluster of oddly coloured Chocobo chicks huddled around her ankles. Zaire poked her head into Demi's room, finding the fox girl was dead to the world, a smile on her face. Content that the boss was actually asleep and not wide awake fretting, Zaire returned to her bed, slipping quickly into a peaceful slumber. Outside a storm brewed in the distance, telling of troubles to come in the near future.
And there's the first chapter. Hopefully the layout is easy to read. If not, let me know and I'll make necessary adjustments.
I pray to Bahamut that I've portrayed Cloud correctly (He's not exactly my favourite character.) but to my understanding he's quiet and only speaks if he needs to. For clarification, its advent children Cloud.
I couldn't not pick on Reno. He and Rude will most likely be back in a later chapter. Biggs and Wedge shenanigans are inbound too.
Anyway folks, that's all for now. If you like this story so far, smack that favourite and follow button like a behemoth and please wait patiently for the next chapter. While I do have the full plot written in short draft, putting it into action is taking time. Motivation is pretty hard to come by at the moment.