Three years later
"Excuse me, miss, what can I get for this?" Aerith heard someone ask from behind the counter. And looked over to see a young boy who was pushing some coins across the counter. Five bronze colored coins that couldn't even buy fresh bread, Stale and old bread was all he could get. But from the hopeful look on his face as he stared at the pastries behind her, Aerith just smiled at the boy.
"Depends," she answered, "What do you want? Something chocolatey or fruity?"
"Chocolate!" The boy said.
"Hmm… how about you give me two coins, and I'll get you something with chocolate."
The boy smiled, "Thank you!"
Aerith smiling over his joy, and went over to get him the sweet, "Did you need anything else?"
The boy shook his head, "I was told to get something to eat, but everyone else said I didn't have enough money for food, well except for the old or rotten things."
Aerith didn't want to tell him that he didn't have enough food for anything because he might return the pastry and run out the door. Not to mention that she could hear his stomach growl and didn't want the child to go hungry.
"We have more than enough food," she lied, "so we usually sell things cheaper until we start running low."
The boy handed her the money, "Thank you, miss."
Then he ran out, but she didn't get the silence she expected. Instead, she heard men yelling right outside her shop.
"Thief!" she heard followed by a young boy screaming in pain. A sound that made her run under the counter and out the door.
/
He heard the people whisper as he walked through the village, felt their gazes and saw some fingers point at him and his companions. Outsiders that they didn't trust, especially the two men who had large swords strapped across their backs- men who looked like soldiers that were about ready to slaughter everyone in sight. As for the other two, one was a young woman carrying an armful of furs, and then there was a boy. A boy who never saw the town before, and against Cloud's better judgment he let the boy tag along.
Everything was fine… until the boy's stomach started to growl.
With an awkward laugh, Denzel looked up at them, "could I get something to eat from the market."
"I told you to eat before we left," Cloud hissed in annoyance.
"I did… but I'm hungry again."
"I don't have any money."
"And until we sell these furs we won't have any," the auburn-haired woman said, "could you wait a while, then we can get you a snack later."
"But Cissnei, I don't want to wait, and I have money," Denzel said, "everyone gave me some before we left."
"How much?" Cloud asked.
"Enough for a sweet," Denzel said. Though he didn't know that Cloud could smell it for the lie he was. But before Cloud could tell the boy no, Cissnei smiled and told the boy to run and get something. Denzel was gone before he could stop him.
"Come on Cloud," the other man said, "I'm sure he has enough for something. Otherwise, this will be a valuable lesson."
Cloud glared at his best friend, "he's too young to go off alone."
And with that he walked away, trying to catch up with the boy, who vanished in the crowd. Damn Denzel, where did you go, Cloud thought as he looked around the market. Expecting to see him at one of the food stands that had either ripe fruit or dried meat hanging from it. But Cloud didn't see the brown haired boy.
The crowd was getting too big, and it was getting harder to see through the crowd as families and woman were buying food for the upcoming winter months. Gathering enough to get them through the cold nights.
It's why Cloud and some of his pack members were here. The game was preparing for winter themselves, so they were finding places to hide and not coming out in the open as much. Thus, the werewolf pack needed some supplies, though without a lot of money (they usually didn't need it, being half wolf and all) they were forced to sell furs. That they had to be more careful when they went out to hunt, that they couldn't tear deer apart, they had to turn into their human forms to cut and clean their food so they could get the furs. Meaning they had to aim for the neck while in wolf form and turn human to cut it. A process that made the wolves inpatient, but they knew it was necessary. Though they only had to do this for a few months between the end of summer to the middle of fall. Which was okay with Cloud, he hated being around humans, and he hated how they had to go to this length to survive.
Now if the humans would stop overhunting during the fall, Cloud thought, we wouldn't be so desperate.
But at least the humans weren't hunting wolves, though if Denzel and Yuffie didn't stop seeking out humans because they were curious, the humans might start going after them. It's why he didn't want Denzel to come, and now he was alone in the crowd- and didn't know how to interact with humans- Cloud grew more worried about the orphaned pup.
And when he heard a boy's scream, Cloud's heart fell into his stomach.
Shit!
"Oi!"
"How rude!"
"Ouch!"
Cloud kept hearing people say as he pushed past them and tried to follow the screaming. Though it didn't sound like it was in pain, there was fear in the noise. But oddly enough, he could hear a woman screaming out in pain. Which was followed by yelling from angry men. And sure enough, there was a woman on the ground, protectively protecting a familiar young boy who had tears in his blue eyes.
"Denzel!" Cloud called out, making everyone turn towards him. And the leader of the men pointed a sword at him.
"Who are you?" The blonde asked, in a pompous and demanding tone. A tone rich men used when they were forced to interact with the plebs. And Cloud didn't like how the man how the man talked to him like he was lower than the dirt on his leather boots.
"I'm his guardian," Cloud growled meeting the man's gaze without fear, which seemed to make the man flinch back a bit. It was almost like he wasn't used to someone looking into his eyes without fear, or that Cloud's extremely blue eyes were a bit unsetting to humans.
"Well- well-" the man cleared his throat, and in a deeper and more "intimating" voice the man added, "Your ward is a thief. He stole food from this shop."
The man pointed at the shop behind him at the same time the woman pipped up.
"No, he isn't he paid for that," she hissed, holding the boy tighter in case the man was going to try and beat him again "you just felt like bullying this poor boy."
"But he didn't pay the full price," the man said, "he tried to steal from another stand a few minutes before entering your store. I just wanted to make sure that he wasn't trying to pull something… and low and behold he stole that."
"How? All the food was behind the counter," the woman said, "so how did he steal something I gave him. Explain that Lord Shinra."
Could there have been any more ire in her voice?
"And besides I'm not going to let my future nephew starve," she lied, and then her green eyes shifted towards Cloud- almost making him gasp in surprise- and smiled, "I was wondering where you were love."
Cloud didn't know what to say to the beautiful brown-haired woman. And he tried not to react when she lifted stood and made her way towards him- making sure that Denzel walked with her and she made sure that she was between the men and him.
When she stood in from on Cloud, she threw her arms around his neck, before whispering, "play along," in his ear. Then she backed away and gave him the most dazzling smile he ever seen, and strangely it made his knees go weak. Even the wolf part seemed happy with the attention this woman was giving him.
Cloud smiled down at her and wrapped his arms around her waist that was covered with a dark blue and white dress and a red cloak.
"Denzel didn't give you too much trouble, right?" Cloud asked, "I told him not to cause you stress."
Before she could say anything Lord Shinra growled, making the two men beside him tense up as if they were preparing to stop the young lord if needed. As for Cloud and the green-eyed woman, they both backed away from each other and look over at the three men. Looking at the Lord who seemed about ready to kill them.
Attack me, Cloud thought, freeing one of his hands and wrapped it around the hilt of his sword. The only weapon he could count on while he was in his human form. And comparing that to the thin sword the Lord had… while Cloud had no doubt that he could break it and make sure the Lord wet his pants in fear.
"Miss Gainsborough, what is this man to you?" Lord Shinra asked trying to keep his composure.
"My fiance," She replied, "I met him after he bought grandma Violet's old home. He's a hunter, whom I fell in love with."
All the men looked at her in shock, though Cloud hid it from the other men. As for Denzel he just smiled up at Cloud, it was almost like he knew something but refused to share it.
Though if Cloud thought that was surprising enough, nothing could prepare him for what happened next. Not that he was going to complain, especially not when she reached up and kissed him. Which made the man growl and Cloud heard the other two struggle to hold him back.
And when she broke away to look up at him, she said, "Come inside. I'll get… Denzel another treat."
Cloud would argue or tell her that they don't take charity, but he was in took much shook to do anything else but allow her to drag him inside.
"Good day, Lord Shinra," she said in a hostile tone, as the group past them and entered the small bakery.
"Rufus…" Cloud heard one of the men say, "come on."
Cloud watched as the man left, before turning back to see the woman give Denzel another pastry.
"So… I didn't have enough," Denzel muttered refusing to take the pastry at first.
"Well I'm not going to let a child go hungry, so take it. It's on the house," she said, "does… umm… he wants one too?"
"Oh, his name is Cloud," Denel explained, "and he's not very fond of sweets… then again he's doesn't like anything. Especially hu-"
"Denzel," Cloud warned, "thank the nice lady and let's go. We need to catch up with the others."
And go home, he added to himself.
"Thank you miss," Denzel said finally taking the pastry from her.
"Just call me Aerith," she said, "and come back anytime and I'll make sure that there's a snack for you."
Denzel smiled before both he and Cloud left.
/
"Your face is still red," Denzel said after they returned home, "I bet you're still thinking about Aerith."
Cloud didn't answer.
"This also had to be the second time she helped me," Denzel continued, "the girl in blue that wrapped my leg a few years ago. But you already knew that, didn't you? Because she still smells like wild lilies by the den, only human I've come across that smelled like nature."
Cloud nodded while letting old memories surface. How this kind girl swallowed some of her fear to save a lone pup. Someone he saw as a threat until he saw the torn dress, and saw the fabric on Denzel's leg. It's why he left the girl alone.
And part of his was glad he didn't hurt her, he doubted that anyone else would stick their necks out for a stranger… or feed them.
"Are you sure you didn't want a bite?" Denzel asked, " it's delicious."
"No," Cloud said.
"Maybe next time?"
Yeah, for you there might not be a next time, Cloud thought, if I'm smart I'll make sure you stay with the pack.
After what happened, Cloud was reluctant to let the boy go anywhere near humans. In fact, he didn't want to go near humans again… even though the wolf part wanted Aerith, and Cloud didn't know why.
/
That night, Ifalna found her twenty-one-year-old daughter tending her flowers. She could hear Aerith humming to herself softly, and it was a sound Ifalna hasn't heard in a long time. After the woman's death and Rufus Shinra's constant threats and proposals, Aerith grew depressed, and it was like part of her died. That no matter what she couldn't be truly happy, but at least her kindness never faded.
Because when Aerith came home with a bruise on her arm, her mother flipped. She also demanded that Aerith told her who hit her, but her thoughts scattered when she saw how red her daughter's face was.
Aerith, my darling, what kind of trouble did you get into? Ifalna asked herself. As she watched Aerith pull the weeds, humming a little toon.
"Aerith?" Ifalna asked as she went outside.
Aerith perked up when she heard her mother's voice, and turned her head away from her small garden.
"Yes, mother?" Aerith asked, "did you need something?"
"Did something happen? You came home with a bruise… but… you seem happy? Why?" And who do I need to thank for bringing that soft content smile back?
Aerith thought about it for a while before she said, "happy? I guess I am… though he might have something to do with it."
Ifalna looked confused when she saw her daughter's pale face turn redder, almost as red as her favorite cloak.
Who was this man Aerith was thinking about?
"He?" Ifalna asked.
"Well…" Aerith started before explaining what happened earlier that day, but Ifalna felt like she left out some of the details. Though judging by the look on Aerith's face and how her green eyes twinkled as she explained her interaction with a brown haired boy and his handsome guardian, Ifalna didn't try to get more information out of her. That she would wait and see what happens.
