Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. I do not claim ownership of "Nipala" although I have an email displaying consent from the person who does. I claim ownership of my characters: (Maynard, Miara, Xylara, Hoshiko, Aiden…the list goes on.)

Specimen Alpha

Chapter 9: Dead Meet

Heave..heave..

Nanaki could feel his lungs painfully expanding as he reached the border of the Canyon. He unsheathed his claws in a panic, digging up mounds as big as the Skee-Skees he ate for lunch of the red sand as he sprinted across the canyon. He had to get to grandpa's lab. Bugenhagen would know what to do. It was part of being a grandpa…right?

Upon dashing through the main canyon, he jumped up the red-sanded cliffs and slipped up through the many tunnels the Sanjivs had dug into the canyon all the many years ago. He crept up to the main cliff where Malon and his parents laid, still under the dusty spell of sleep.

Nanaki slid by the cave opening and upon passing that, dashed up the long dusty hill to his grandfather's lab.

Once inside the lab, he collapsed. He was home free…for now.

Bugen saw Nanaki and smiled, "What brings you here my boy?"

As Nanaki collapsed on the ground, Bugen floated right to his aid in haste. The man heaved Nanaki up into his arms, asking what had frightened him so. It was certainly arbitrary that Nanaki would come to his lab when it was barely sunrise and even more alarming that Nanaki appeared to be in a state of panic.

Nanaki heaved and gasped for air, but managed to reply in between heaves, "Nothing…gram…pa…"

Bugen's eyes narrowed skeptically, "Sonny, you gotta tell me. Or else I'll have to tell your father about this. Now, I know there is no room for another mistake on your part but I need to know what's going on."

Nanaki sighed, "Won't you…tell Seto…if I tell you….?"

Bugen laughed and shook his head, "That's not necessarily true. Unless I feel that it's a matter, which presses for immediate attention from your father, I won't tell him. I'm a great confidant."

"No offense gramps.." Nanaki replied, "but I don't trust you."

"Well that's a sad thing son," Bugen placed Nanaki down so he was on his feet, "you might cherish my great secrecy one day."

Nanaki breathed out repeatedly in huffs of anger. How dare grandpa say that he would come to him. That's the first person Nanaki wouldn't come to! First and foremost would always be his mom! He unsheathed his claws and growled at Bugen.

Bugen sat there in the air, seemingly unphased.

Nanaki bore his teeth, attempting to display his superiority over Bugen.

Bugen just laughed, "Nanaki, you think I have a fear of getting growled, slashed and bitten? I've lived through years of your mother doing that to me!"

Nanaki kept feeling a need to tell his grandpa, but he also remembered the last time he didn't heed Aiden's warnings. Upon thinking about it thoroughly he came to the conclusion that nothing too bad happened typically.

Nanaki feverishly replied "I..grandpa…Aiden and Meena are going somewhere out in the world and I don't know where they're going! We wanted to walk around outside again, but Meena got picked up as game in the process by some big blue wolves and.."

Bugenhagen interrupted here, chastising the little cub, "Have you not learned from your first trip outside that going outside the Canyon prematurely is a stupid thing to do!"

Nanaki crouched in fright as Bugen chastised the little cub. "Are you going to tell my father?"

"I don't think that responsibility is mine Nanaki." Bugen replied, pulling off his sunglasses and wiping them clean while simultaneously rubbing his temples.

"But-"

"Nanaki, you want to prove you're smarter than Aiden? Tell your parents. The little cub to recently grace your family does not blind Hoshiko. She is a mother. Her maternal instinct will know to watch after every one her cubs…even Aiden and Meena. So tell her. Tell her and Seto."

Nanaki shivered, but had regained his composure at this time and stood up proudly. "I'll tell them grandpa."

"That's my boy!" Bugen cheered and Nanaki solemnly walked back to the den where he had left his parents earlier this morning.

Upon reaching the den, he saw Seto and Hoshiko had already been awakened. Malon was wailing up a storm, but Hoshiko was licking the pup enough to soothe the cub into a sleep again.

Seto saw Nanaki's troubled look and stared long and hard at him, "What's bothering you son?"

"Nothing…" Nanaki replied, but his ears curled back as he saw Seto turn his face as though to beg Nanaki to repeat himself.

Seto knew.

Hoshiko knew.

No doubt the whole tribe knew. It was the mass communication among the tribe that caused him and Aiden to become public spectacles.

"Are you sure now Nanaki? Have you any idea where your siblings have gone?"

Nanaki shook his head slowly and then hunched over and sighed. He knew Seto knew and was just waiting for Nanaki to incriminate himself by spilling information. He couldn't bear if something happened to the other cubs so he had to throw in the towel.

"As much as Aiden said not to tell you..I can't keep this a secret. Grandpa told me not to keep it from you."

Nanaki didn't hear anything from Seto after that, and looked up to see if Seto was still present, only to find something uplifting.

Seto's lips had curled up towards his ears and his eyes were glowing with pride, "I'm proud of you Nanaki. Come with me. Let's talk."

Seto had never smiled at Nanaki, ever. Aiden had always been the apple of Seto's eye. Seto's massive paws that had scared Nanaki so badly before passed by him and he wasn't afraid.

Nanaki followed closely behind Seto as the two of them strode up to the highest point of the Canyon.

Seto sat down and stared at the horizon. Nanaki sat next to him on the right side and mimicked his father's actions.

"I brought you here Nanaki, because this is where I feel we have the most privacy. At this point in the day, all are asleep. None wake up prior to the sunrise apart from your mother and I. Clearly our cubs have carried on that trait though."

"Dad, Aiden and Meena are in trouble."

"I know son. For the first time in my life though, I am not going to do anything."

"Why would you not do anything father? You're Alpha Male! You don't get much higher and stronger than that!"

"I know son! However, I'm not going to be around forever Nanaki. If Aiden is to come out of his immaturity to be Alpha, he will have to grow up mentally. There is no other way to do so than to place him at the head of a dangerous situation."

"So..you think that Meena will be okay?"

"Meena will be fine. Your brother will be too."

"How do you know?"

Seto smiled at Nanaki with a twinkle in his eye and replied, "They don't set those regulations of the Outer Canyon roaming for nothing. Your brother is strong. He just has to use his head."

Nanaki smiled back at Seto and looked out towards the horizon as the sun rose. The rays of the golden sun shone on Seto's coat causing him to look as though he were glorious.

Seto was right. Aiden would be fine.

It smelled like old yogurt, really old yogurt.

Aiden's nose cringed in disgust as he awoke. He heaved himself up to see several blue wolves huddled around him.

"Whadda baby," one of the laughed, "the little squirt hardly knows what hit'em."

Aiden shook his fur of the dust and dirt and looked around the group of blue wolves and found a golden furred animal in the midst of all the blue. "What happened to me?" he asked.

"Xylara doesn't take kindly to Sanjivs. You've stomped into the wrong territory." Another blue wolf replied.

"Where am I?" Aiden asked.

"The chiller." All wolves replied simultaneously.

"Chiller?"

"It's what the Regrasors call 'jail'." A higher voice replied.

Aiden's heart bounded with happiness. It had to be her.

"Mi..Miara!" he called out into the darkness.

Sure enough, there stood his golden furred princess. She was rather unrecognizable though. Her fur that had once gleamed with a pampered glow was now tattered, matted and unkempt. Her short mane hair had gone from a sweet milk chocolate brown to the kind of grimy brown you'd see on an old Gil coin. Her paws that had once been so dainty were callused and rough. Her claws seemed to be permanently unsheathed, as though she was always on defense. Her beautifully framed face had morphed into a slashed haven of scars. Then her eyes, her eyes were the worst of all.

Those emerald green eyes that had sparkled like the finest blades of grass Aiden had seen had changed to a dull green. There was no life in there at all.

The blue wolves dispersed to make a pathway for Aiden to Miara.

"Aiden?"

Miara's voice resonated and her eyes seemed to get a spark in them.

Aiden smiled and bowed at her, "Greetings Miss Miara."

"Greetings Aiden.." Miara smiled. She wished she could tackle her old friend, but her chains prohibited her from doing so.

He had grown up a lot in the year that had passed between them. His orange fur was refined and shiny. His paws were massive and supported his quiet muscled build. His claws were sharpened enough to slay a SkeeSkee in a swipe of his paw. His red eyes were brilliant and his headdress displayed a vast amount of colorful feathers. He looked the part of an Alpha Male.

"You've changed Miara," Aiden pointed out, stepping close to her, "I had never thought of you as a submissive type."

"Submission is the primary focus of Regrasor Females." Miara replied.

"So what're you here for? Not submitting?" Aiden asked, sitting down beside her.

"No, I'm here because I spoke back to the Alpha." Miara argued.

"So you are here for not submitting," Aiden replied, "just a more fancy way of putting it."

"I guess you could say that.." Miara's ears curled back and she looked down in embarrassment. How could she even try to sound brave around Aiden.

"You don't have to act so macho Miara," Aiden spoke up, "we've all gone through our spunky state of mind. I've grown out of that and am ready to bust out of here."

"What're you hear for?" Miara asked, now bordering on angry.

"To get my sister back," Aiden replied, "and to see you..again."

"Aha! So you have missed me." Miara playfully looked at Aiden expectantly.

"I never said I didn't miss you Miara. I just said you didn't have to act so spunky." Aiden replied calmly.

"I missed you too Aiden." Miara's eyes glowed again.

She had come to see Aiden again. It had to have been destiny! The two of them were meant to be together. He had been thinking about her all along, and she knew it.

Aiden grinned and looked at Miara's chains and smiled, "You've certainly accessorized since I last saw you."

"Quit your cute talk and get me outta these chains will ya?" Miara stomped her foot impatiently.

"Okay, okay." Aiden unsheathed one of his sharpest claws and began scratching away at the metal. If other beasts like him produced the metal chain, there had to be a way to undo it by natural means.

"So, where is your father?" Aiden asked.

"Maynard? He's gone." Miara replied bluntly.

"What do you mean he's gone?"

Aiden was slightly surprised that Maynard would just up and leave. He seemed to cherish Miara so much while abiding in the Sanjiv tribe that Aiden believed the beast would pull Miara into everything that he encountered. It was part of being joined as a family. You go through life together…right?

"Precisely that, he's gone. He dropped me off here and left me while he went out to hunt and he never came back. No doubt he was picked up by a Griffin." Miara hypothesized.

"Why would he be picked up by a Griffin?"

"I don't know. I don't see any reason why a SkeeSkee would haul him off do you?" Miara smarted back.

"Yeah, I suppose he's a little too heavy for a little runt bird to kill him. Griffin makes more sense."

"Of course it does!"

Maynard felt a cool air floating about. This building was much more cooler than any of the dens or holes he had ever lived in. The only problem was the human pulling him around on a chain was pulling him up fifty flights of stairs. What a silly human!

Ever since he had agreed to speak to the humans about the Canyon and the colony tribes surrounding them, he had become a prisoner. Though, he supposed that was really the only way humans knew to maintain control of subjects.

"He seems to be coming to. Shoot him again!" came a voice from his left side.

A small prick was felt on his left side and Maynard's vision began to sway in and out of focus.

Why did they insist on taming a beast by tranquilizers? It seemed trivial if they wished to extract information out of him. What was he to tell them? What was he to say? If only he had not wandered away from the hunting herd.

He would have been back with his home, feeding Miara and watching little cubs grow up while he sat back and admired.

He wondered how Miara was doing. Was she healthy? Was she still stubborn? Had she given Tygrxy a second…or third…or even fourth chance? Was she still even alive or had she been killed due to her insubordination?

"Maynard..right?" a deep, gruff voice exclaimed.

Maynard slipped his eyes open and glared at the human face in front of his.

"Yes." Maynard replied obediently in a raspy old voice.

"Pleasure to meet you sir. My name is Walter Shinra." The human replied and offered his hand as though Maynard would grow opposable thumbs to shake his hand.

"What do you think I am?" Maynard snapped at the cage bars that kept him from the human.

Walter saw the obscure behavior and pulled his hand away to the safety of his coat pocket.

"Obviously you are not a diplomat."

"I never said I was a diplomat. I'm coming to ensure my cub's safety. Your damn mobsters told me that if I refused to comply I would be dead."

"Yes, so I see you have met the Turks then?"

"If it's imperative you know then yes. I have met your dirty scumbags." Maynard snapped back.

"Enough of this criticism. Let's just get this meeting done so you can go back home."

"Okay." Maynard rolled his eyes.

"Where are you from Maynard?"

Maynard's eyes sparkled and his mouth curved into a smirk.

Well folks, there you have it! Chapter 9 is done! Yahoo! Sorry about the year and quite a few months delay folks. I know you all have other lives you have to attend to as do I. I have changed my major in college to English Writing so no doubt I will probably drop this fanfiction into one of my assignments or something. Anyway, you all know the drill! I believe the only person whom reviewed my fanfic is Quirky Rikku. That's okay though. I know she is a faithful reviewer. Thanks Rikku!

Go review!

No flames please 

RedKennypuppy