Cloud had bags under his eyes when they arrived in the harbour the next day. He had tried to remain in bed when Sephiroth returned in the morning, but Fenrir had wanted to play, and he eventually took her out so she would stop bothering both of them.

"I'd just like to point out that it's entirely your fault that you're tired," Sephiroth said as they walked up the dock. "Zack would have been at the helm all night if you hadn't made me relieve him."

Cloud grumbled and shifted Fenrir's basket in his arms. "You could have warned me. Hey, is that Tifa over there?"

Sephiroth glanced to where Cloud was pointing and nodded. "Yes, that's her ship. And it looks like Yuffie and Vincent are back as well." He pointed to Yuffie's swift little ship that was barely more than a sloop and to the massive ship that was even larger than the Black Materia. Chaos was anchored well out in the harbour, but even at the distance, Sephiroth could make out the skeletal forms of the crew crawling over it. Vincent never stayed in the harbour for long; the mere presence of his ship was enough to give most people nightmares. If he had to remain in Regna for more than a week, he anchored it in a cove on the far side of the crescent island where it was out of sight and protected from the elements.

Tifa waved when she saw him looking and mimed getting a drink up at the keep. Sephiroth signalled his affirmative and laughed while Tifa made rude gestures and pointed at Cloud. They were distracted, however, when Aerith came running down the hill to the docks, chased by Tseng.

She headed straight for Tifa, dodging people carrying crates and barrels and leaping over piles of supplies. Tifa stumbled back when Aerith slammed into her, hugging her tightly. For a moment it seemed like a happy reunion, then both Tifa and Tseng were frantically signalling to him to get over there.

Cloud shoved Fenrir's basket into the nearest sailor's hands, then Sephiroth grabbed his hand, though he didn't need any encouragement to run as fast as he could. Despite Cloud's shorter legs, it was a struggle to keep up with him.

"What happened?" Cloud gasped once they had made it over to the dock. That got him a strange look from both Tifa and Tseng, and he blushed and stepped back, letting Sephiroth take over. Sephiroth felt him trembling, however, and squeezed his hand tightly in reassurance.

"What's wrong?"

Aerith was sobbing in Tifa's arms, but she choked out, "Tseng," before reburying her face.

"She got a message this morning from the druids in the Murmurwoods," Tseng explained while he rubbed Aerith's back and stroked her hair. "Someone attacked them and slaughtered the unicorns there."

XXX

Cloud sat awkwardly at the edge of the little group gathered around Aerith and Tseng's kitchen table holding Fenrir's basket on his lap and hoping she remained asleep. He desperately wanted to help, or at least offer a bit of comfort to Aerith, whose tears had finally tapered off, but he had to keep reminding himself that no one there but Sephiroth actually knew him. And how weird would it be for some guy Aerith had met once to be offering hugs and a shoulder to cry on?

So he sat with his hands folded in his lap and did his best to show concern, but not too much. Sephiroth glanced at him every once in a while, but Cloud shook his head each time. He was fine; Sephiroth needed to focus on Aerith and what was going to be done about her family and the dead unicorns. Because something needed to be done.

"We'll set sail for Ravenshore immediately," Sephiroth said. "I'll just take a small ship so we can move faster; we'll find out what happened and who attacked them, then decide what to do from there. I ... I doubt we'll be able to get there quickly enough to help, though."

Aerith nodded her understanding—it seemed that she had already accepted that.

"I can cast Town Portal to take us to Ravenshore, at least," Cloud said quietly, causing every head in the room to swivel towards him.

"Are you a mage?" Tifa demanded to know.

"I use a bit of magic," Cloud replied. He had never really considered himself a mage, though he supposed the description probably fit him.

"Can you get us to Alvar instead?" Sephiroth asked. "Have you been there?"

"Alvar ..." The name rang a bell. "Does it have elves?"

"Yes, it's north of Ravenshore. It's just a couple hours by horse to the Murmurwoods from there."

"Oh, now I remember, the caravan master mentioned it. We didn't pass through, but I set a beacon near it," he said quickly when everyone's faces fell in disappointment. "I wanted to go back."

"Lloyd's Beacon? Do you have a map, Tseng?" While Tseng got up to grab a map, Sephiroth turned back to Cloud. "Are you certain it's still active? We were at sea for nearly seven weeks."

Cloud nodded. "They last about a year before I need to reset them. It's still good."

"A year!?" Tseng gaped at him. He unrolled a large map in the middle of the table. "I'd say you use more than a bit of magic if you can cast beacons that last a year."

Cloud shrugged and looked at the map. "We followed the route on the west side of that lake. I set my beacon just as we were approaching the southern shore."

"That's perfect, Cloud." Sephiroth leaned over and kissed the top of his head. "That's right near where we need to go."

"Kiss him for me, too," Aerith said, her voice cracking from all her tears. "Cloud, thank you so much."

"It was just luck that we passed by that way and that I set a beacon," Cloud said, blushing.

"I'll get a bag packed. Tseng—"

"You're not going. I'll go in your place, but—"

"But nothing, Tseng. I'm barely pregnant, and I'm not sitting here and doing nothing when I could be helping. If you want to help, go fetch my herbs off the tall shelf."

Tseng looked like he was going to protest some more, but changed his mind when Tifa glared at him.

"Honestly, she's pregnant, not an invalid. And what good are any of us going to be if Aerith isn't there to heal? We might as well go by ship in that case. Can you take all five of us?" she asked Cloud.

"Yeah, five is no problem."

"Okay." Sephiroth stood up and grabbed Cloud's hand. "The five of us will go. Get everything you need ready, and we'll meet at the fountain in an hour. I need to go tell Zack that he's in charge."

XXX

A very short hour later, Cloud found himself facing Tifa in front of a large fountain. She looked like she was going to murder every single person who might have had a hand in making Aerith cry. She wore a cutlass on each hip, and had a massive quantity of knives strapped on every available inch of her body. She also wore a pair of red leather gloves with brass studs embedded in the knuckles.

"Sephiroth just went to get horses," Cloud said, feeling slightly intimidated. "He'll be down soon."

"Right, we'll need those if we want to move fast. Oh, we were never actually introduced. Tifa Lockhart." She held out her hand.

He reached out to shake it, unsurprised by her firm grip. "Cloud Strife. Sephiroth told me a bit about you."

"I've heard some rumours about you, too. I never realized Sephiroth had a thing for men. Personally, I didn't think he had a thing for anyone."

Cloud felt his face turn red, causing Tifa to laugh.

"Don't worry, I won't go repeating any of the rumours. I'd hate to embarrass the guy who's helping us out. Thank you, by the way. You have no idea how much the Murmurwoods mean to Aerith. For someone to attack them like that ..." Tifa's face suddenly filled with rage and she punched the side of the fountain, causing the stone to crack.

"This is the main fountain here in Regna, isn't it?" Cloud asked in an attempt to distract her from her anger.

"Yeah."

Cloud pulled off his gloves and scooped up some water, taking a drink. He felt the fountain's magic flowing through him, and took a good look around to memorize his surroundings. "Town Portal," he explained when he noticed Tifa staring at him strangely. "It's a network of magic fountains, really. You have to drink from them in order to be able to portal back to it. It's an easier spell than Lloyd's Beacon, so I figured I might as well use it to get us back here."

"Crazy. I know a bit of healing magic, and that's it. And not like your version of a bit of magic, either. I can only handle minor stuff."

The sound of hoofbeats on the cobblestones drew their attention away from the conversation, and Sephiroth appeared with two stablehands, leading five rugged-looking horses. "Oh good, you found it." Sephiroth smiled at him. "Aerith and Tseng are just behind me. You're sure you can take horses as well?"

"Of course." Cloud was slightly taken aback. "If I say I can do something, I can do it. It's not like I've got to try and impress you."

"I'd say you're right," Tifa whispered in his ear loudly enough for everyone to hear. "The way Zack told it when I ran into him up at the keep is that Sephiroth's the one who's trying to impress you."

"So far, he's got a really big ship going for him."

Tifa burst out laughing, but her face quickly sobered when Aerith came into view, still looking terribly distressed. Cloud got to work quickly as soon as they had all gathered.

"Everyone needs to take a horse—no more than one each. Hold their leads tightly, but don't wrap it around your arm or anything. If it's their first time being teleported, they might panic." He paused and thought for a moment. He knew all of them well, but they didn't know him, and he wasn't sure if that would be good enough. "Since this is my first time teleporting you guys, I want everyone touching me. Just a finger is good enough. You don't have to," he added to Sephiroth.

"Why not?"

"Because there's only so much room with the horses and I know you well enough to not leave half of you behind."

Cloud pulled out the tiny notebook that he kept on him at all times and thought of the peaceful woods by the lake that he had liked so much while holding it flat on his palm. The book opened on its own to a page with a miniature landscape painting. "Everyone ready?"

He felt everyone shuffling around him, making room until four hands were touching his arms. He thought of Sephiroth, picturing him beside him in the woods, then focussed on the five of them travelling through the book. The world went black, and though he was certain it was disorienting for the others, Cloud smiled as he was pulled through the darkness.

"You can let go now, we're here," he said softly, blinking in the dappled sunlight. He snapped the book shut and tucked it safely inside his armour. Oddly enough, the horses didn't seem the slightest bit disturbed by their new location. Then he noticed Aerith murmuring softly to hers, and wondered if she might not have done something to keep them calm.

Sephiroth and Tifa immediately broke out a compass and a detailed map of the Murmurwoods and started muttering to each other. After several minutes, they seemed to reach a decision and the map was put away.

"The village should be a little less than half a league to the northwest," Sephiroth said, pointing in the direction he wanted them to go. "I suggest we go there and look for survivors among the druids and get any updated information from them, then start looking for the unicorns."

"We should keep an eye out while we're travelling," Aerith said softly. "If they were frightened, they will have headed to the stone circle."

"We'll do that. Let's move out."

They rode in silence, not wanting to risk scaring any unicorns that might have been hiding, but they didn't see anything, and after about an hour's ride, Cloud noticed a circle of large stones in a clearing up ahead. The scene seemed peaceful at first glance, but then Cloud noticed that the houses surrounding it had their windows smashed and the doors torn off their hinges. The scent was faint, but Cloud could smell blood in the air.

"Wait back here," Aerith said, "you'll scare them if you go riding up with all your weapons."

Aerith nudged her horse forward and rode into the clearing. To Cloud's surprise, Tseng followed close behind, and Aerith didn't object. He glanced over at Sephiroth and gestured at Tseng.

"This is where Aerith was born," Sephiroth explained quietly. "Tseng's from Alvar—he's a half-elf, though it doesn't really show. The druids are quite used to the boy who stole Aerith away."

"Aerith told me he used to sneak in to see her all the time," Tifa added. "He wasn't allowed in the village, technically, but they made an exception once they realized he wasn't going away and that Aerith liked his visits. Or rather, that Aerith instigated his visits."

"How did they end up in Regna?" Cloud asked, though he kept his eyes trained on the pair who were looking through the damaged houses, searching for survivors.

"Work," Sephiroth said. "The druids tolerated Tseng visiting, but he wasn't allowed to live with them. Aerith chose to leave so she could be with him, and the need for work brought them to Regna."

"Was she exiled?"

"Oh no," Tifa replied. "People leaving to find marriage partners isn't uncommon at all. Even just leaving to learn about the outside world is encouraged. Their child will be given the opportunity to spend time here to learn of the druids, and when Tseng is forty, he'll be considered wise enough to take their vows and join them if he wants."

"Sephiroth!" Tseng's called out from across the clearing. Cloud could just see him waving them over.

They gave the horses a kick and trotted over, past bloodstains and broken staves. Tseng had disappeared into a large building as soon as he had gotten their attention, and Sephiroth swung the door open to reveal a horrifying scene.

It seemed like chaos at first glance, but Cloud quickly realized that the people milling around were doing so with a purpose. Children and the elderly were rushing back and forth, carrying bandages and basins of hot water, while others tended to a dozen or so young adults who were sporting terrible injuries.

Aerith was speaking with a middle-aged woman in a brown robe. Cloud puzzled over where he recognized her from before realizing that she was the woman he had seen on the recordings Professor Gast had made. She was Aerith's biological mother ... Ifalna was her name.

"We sent word to the temple asking for aid," Ifalna was saying. "They've been attacked as well, but they were better able to defend themselves. High Priest Holfnir said he would send clerics and some knights for protection. They should be here soon."

"Okay, what can I do to help in the meantime?" Aerith asked and began rolling up her sleeves.

"We're all right here," Ifalna said, laying a hand on Aerith's arm. "Go find the unicorns. One of the people who attacked us demanded to know where the unicorn king was. We didn't tell him, but I'm certain they would have found him. He'll always appear when the others are in danger."

Aerith's face went white as a sheet, but she nodded. "Okay. But stay safe." She leaned over and kissed her mother's cheek.

"I will, dear." She turned and looked at Cloud then. "You must be the young man who brought our children here so quickly. Thank you."

"It was nothing," Cloud stammered, feeling unnerved by the woman's gaze. Looking into her eyes, he doubted she was entirely human in this world, either.

"Nothing or not, you won't be forgotten." She turned away, causing Cloud to take a relieved gasp of air, and knelt beside one of the injured people. A soft glowing light spread out from her fingers and covered the wound. That was all he had time to see before Sephiroth was tugging at his arm.

"We should move quickly," Aerith said once they were back outside. "If they found the unicorn king, they would have had a real fight on their hands—something more difficult than slaughtering innocents, at least. He's nearly impossible to kill, so if we can find him, we might be able to save him."

Tseng silently helped Aerith onto her horse, then she was off, leaving the others scrambling to follow.

Dusk was beginning to fall, but Aerith seemed to know exactly where she was heading, and she didn't hesitate at all when she came to forks in the path. They followed behind her, though they were forced to slow to a walk, as she led them down into a lush green valley that was darkening quickly.

"Will-o'-the-wisp," Tseng pointed out after a while as they picked their way through some dense brush.

Cloud looked to where he was pointing and saw a small glowing golden light hovering further back in the trees.

"I see them," Aerith said. "They're actually leading us the right way—they're probably frightened as well."

"You're certain it's the right way?" Tseng sounded hesitant.

"Absolutely. And if worst comes to worst, Cloud can teleport us back home, right?"

"Sure," Cloud muttered. The glowing lights were disconcerting; there were far more of them now that Tseng had pointed them out, and they seemed to blink in and out of existence.

"Don't look." Sephiroth rode up beside him once the trees cleared out a bit and kicked his leg.

Cloud gave his head a small shake. "Why not? They seem pretty harmless."

"They're not," Tseng said shortly. "The lights are hypnotic. You lose track of time and distance. They'll lure you off the path and make you lose your way. Once you're thoroughly lost, preferably somewhere dangerous, the lights will go out, leaving you in the dark."

"He's just grumpy because they almost killed him once. Shh, quietly now," Aerith whispered. She stopped her horse and slid off its back, landing silently. "It's just up ahead."

They all dismounted, and Cloud stepped as carefully as he could to avoid making too much noise. Tifa took all the horses and tied them loosely to a tree, then rejoined them. Tseng led the way, moving almost as quietly as Aerith had, until they reached a small clearing with a little pond. A massive white horse lay on its side, and Aerith was crouching beside it, murmuring softly. The beast struggled to rise when they stepped out into the clearing, and Cloud caught a glimpse of a terrible looking wound on its neck that was still bleeding heavily and a beautiful golden horn as thick as his fist at the base, then Aerith pushed it back down.

"Shh, calmly now," she whispered. "They're friends. Here to help. Do you remember Tseng?"

The unicorn looked at Tseng with wild eyes, then lay its head back down as it drew great, shuddering breaths.

Tseng stepped forward without hesitating and set down the bag that he had brought. "What do you need?" he asked as he began pulling out various sacks and jars.

"Give me the white willow bark. Tifa, he says that there are some others hiding nearby. Can you go look? See if you can get them to come here, and take note of the location of any that are hurt or won't move." She forced some bark that Tseng handed her into the unicorn's mouth and held it shut.

"Sure. Should I leave my weapons?"

"Yes, that would be for the best. Sephiroth, I'm going to need you to come help Tseng hold him down. Cloud, set a beacon here."

Cloud turned away from the bloody unicorn and the sight of Tseng and Sephiroth trying to hold the struggling beast down while Aerith attempted to heal its neck. Instead he focussed on the little pond and mossy rocks, and pulled out his book again. It didn't take him long to set the beacon, then he forced himself to turn back and face the others when he was done.

"It's done, what else can I do?"

"Can you cast a light spell?" Tseng asked. "It would help if we could see a bit better."

Cloud could have smacked himself for not thinking of it earlier and he quickly spoke the few simple words that caused a soft light to fill the clearing. All three of them were covered in glistening blood, but the wound on the unicorn looked a lot better, and it wasn't struggling as much.

"Come on, that's it. See? Here's Aerith. She'll keep you safe."

Cloud turned to see Tifa backing into the clearing, coaxing three much smaller unicorns to follow her. Their nostrils flared when they saw him, and he slowly stepped to the side, clearing the way for them to get through.

"I found two more with them," Tifa said once the unicorns had nervously bunched together around Aerith. "One's got a broken leg, and the other wouldn't leave it."

"Okay. I'll get you to show me where they are." Aerith got to her feet and wiped her face, smearing blood all over it. "Sephiroth, can they go to Regna? I'm afraid that whoever did this will come back. They ... they didn't get what they were looking for." She glanced down at the big unicorn that was slowly struggling to its feet.

"Of course. The crescent island has plenty of space for them. I'll speak to Old Loeb about leaving them alone."

"Shit, is that guy still alive?" Tifa asked in wonder. "I haven't seen him in a year at least."

"Old Loeb?" Cloud asked.

"He's a dragon. Lives in a cave on the big crescent island. He doesn't bother with hunting very much anymore."

"Thank you." Aerith gave them a small smile. "I hope it can just be temporary. Cloud, do you think you could take them there?"

"Sure. I ... how intelligent are they?" The big unicorn's head swivelled to look at him with what appeared to be disapproval. "I just need to know to figure out how many I can take at a time."

"Umm, they think differently from humans, but they're just as smart. If you take him first, it would be best." Aerith laid her hand on the big unicorn's flank. "He'll keep the others calm in a strange place."

"Okay." Cloud thought for a moment about how he would manage it.

"I should go with you," Sephiroth said. "You don't want to show up by yourself in the town centre with a bunch of unicorns."

"No, I suppose I don't. All right, I'll take you and the big guy first to get a feel for it, and then I'll probably be able to take these three in one trip."

Their arrival at the town fountain caused quite a stir, and Sephiroth had to call down people from the keep just to keep the crowd at bay. The big unicorn was nervous out of Aerith's presence, and Cloud could only hope that it would be all right once he brought the others.

Zack arrived shortly after them and began arranging for boats to ferry the unicorns across to the other island. Sephiroth would go across as well and speak to the dragon.

"Okay," Cloud said, "I'm going to go back and bring the other three."

"How many times can you do this, Cloud?" Sephiroth asked quietly.

"As many as I need to." Cloud felt badly for hoping that there wouldn't be too many more; that would mean that not many survived. But teleporting just the one unicorn had been a lot more difficult than a group of humans. There was something about the way the creature's mind worked, or perhaps its own innate magical powers drained Cloud of his energy when he cast his Town Portal spell. Still, he was going to do everything he could to save them.

There were two more unicorns in the clearing when Cloud teleported back. Tseng was alone with them, and explained that Aerith and Tifa were out looking for more. Cloud bit his lip nervously, trying to decide how he wanted to do this. Taking all five of them at once would be hard, but if he split them up, that meant more casting for him. He hoped that the big unicorn had been the king Aerith had spoken of, and that it might mean that the others weren't as powerful.

"Thank you for doing this," Tseng said as he helped get the unicorns to gather around him. "I mean, you don't even know us, but ..."

"You're Sephiroth's friends." The words felt twisted in his mouth as he spoke them. Tseng had never been his friend, but he'd do anything for Aerith. "It's reason enough."