If you are faint hearted you might want to skip this chapter, it has the possibility of being emotionally scarring especially if you are fond of Carl…

They had set off early that morning fortunately the snow had ceased falling though it had yet to melt but it was easier to walk in. Carl had been particularly silent brooding about something. They were making good time and no monsters had attacked them. Tifa decided this was because monsters seemed to like him. They stopped for a break about three hours into their walk. Carl sat cross-legged at the base of a tree his eyes closed, he'd had the dream again… maybe Vincent's memories had triggered them again. Tifa heated some soup she had purchased the day before. She offered some to Carl but he shook his head.

"Do you just not eat at all?"

Carl looked at her as if he had just woken up. He blinked a few times looking startled by the question.

"No… I can eat but I don't have to"

"Well good because I was starting to worry you didn't like my cooking"

She smiled but the joke was lost on Carl who simply thought of food as fuel and didn't have time for likes and dislikes when it came to the subject. They were just repacking their equipment when they heard the noise. It started off as a howl but was cut short and loud yelping noises echoed through the air. Carl sprang to his feet panic in his features.

"Élan! Stoic!"

He shouted. The yelps continued then silence. Carl had taken off before anyone could stop him, proving just how much faster he was then the rest of them. He was off like a racing chocobo. Tifa called after him and tried to follow but Vincent stopped her.

"Stay with the group I'll go after him"

Vincent ran after Carl his altered body far faster then a normal human's.

Carl nearly fell at the sight before his eyes. Three men holding guns pointed at poor Élan ruined but still living body.

"What do you want?"

Carl was too shocked to reply he staggered and leant against a tree. The hunters carried about their business a knife appeared in one's hand and he approached Élan's broken body. Carl saw what he planned to do and leapt at the man wrestling his knife away.

"You murderer!" he screamed and shook the man as he felt his head pounding and his muscles tensing and fought the feeling rising inside. But it was too hard; he struggled against it loosing ground.

"Why? He was my friend!" one hunter approached him but he screamed at the man to get away. He was reaching a point of near incoherence. Another hunter approached Élan and was sent flying backwards by Carl's fist. The hunters pulled their guns and pointed them at Carl but he didn't care. A gunshot rang out and the hunters all looked away. He heard voices then the hunters stepped back. He felt someone crouch beside him.

"Carl? Can you here me?"

It was Vincent.

"Just get them away from me please"

He knew his body had altered slightly he could barely see his vision was so clouded but he heard Vincent scaring the hunters away. His whole body was shaking but he hugged Élan's head feeling tears falling from his eyes. Alien thoughts started to invade his mind as he fell deeper into his despair. A sudden pain in his arm caused him to open his eyes. Vincent looked at Carl placidly despite his glowing ultra-violet eyes streaked with tears. He squeezed tighter on Carl's arm. It hurt but it kept Carl from transforming it gave him something to focus on instead of his grief.

"Don't give up Carl"

Carl still wasn't fully himself thoughts crossed his mind on how best to kill Vincent then track those hunters. He looked into Vincent's eyes intent to snarl but something caught him off guard. The sadness and understanding in Vincent's eyes a wash of memories belonging to Vincent came into his mind his grief his sadness. He felt another sensation. Love the love that Vincent had given to Lucrecia the hurt the anger everything Carl was feeling now except one thing. Forgiveness, he felt the transformation stop his emotions spent. He let out a choked sob and buried his face in Élan's fur. Vincent let go of his arm but continued to stare at Carl. Élan whined gently and licked Carl's face. He was suffering and Carl knew it. He had to put him out of his misery but the pain he felt in his heart was just too much to bear. Élan watched him silently begging for what he knew had to come. Vincent watched as Carl lifted one of his hands that now had long talons on the end due to his transformation. He reached around Élan's neck.

"Forgive me my friend"

He drew the talon across his neck. For a split second Élan's eyes widened then relax and went dead. Carl stared as the corpse evaporated. Pieces of Lifestream darted around him like tiny fish, Élan's final goodbye. Carl stared into his lap with a totally dead expression. His world had been turned on its head. Vincent gripped his shoulder he turned his head toward him. His eyes were back to their usual dark purple but this for some reason just made Carl look more hopeless.

"Come on"

Carl barely registered the words

"Why?"

"We have to find Stoic he could be injured nearby"

Carl buried his despair in place of panic. He stood up too quickly and because his body was a little bit into a transformation became light headed and staggered. Vincent looked at Carl, apart from the talons and the fact he had grown six inches he looked almost normal. They searched for a long time until finally they found Stoic. He was lying in a pool of blood that oozed from a wound in his shoulder. Carl knelt beside him and listened to his whimpers. He looked at the wound.

"The bullet is still inside" he took off his coat and turned to Vincent "I'm going to take it out. His natural reflex will be to struggle I need you to hold him down"

Vincent held the wolf down and Carl whispered to Stoic.

"Don't worry I'm going to fix this. It is going to hurt but try not to struggle" the wolf remained silent but closed its eyes. Carl inhaled sharply steadying himself. He raised his hand and plunged his talons into the wound. Immediately the wolf started to struggle. Carl pulled the bullet out the grabbed his coat and put it over the wound to stop the flow of blood.

"Vincent I need you to step back"

Vincent stepped away and watched Carl close his eyes. Light circled Carl coming out of his chest. It twisted around in the air like tissue paper then plunged into Stoic. The wolf went stiff and after a few second the light disappeared. Carl opened his eyes and moved his coat. The wound was gone and Stoic sat up. Carl remained kneeling and Stoic whimpered Vincent saw a tear trek down Carl's face.

"No I didn't it was too late"

He threw both his arms around Stoic's neck and the wolf lean against him. They sat in that pose for a long time then Stoic howled long and low. A dirge for their fallen friend. Vincent let him mourn a while longer then gently said

"The others will be worried"

Carl didn't move just stared into his lap finally he removed his hands from around Stoic's neck.

Vincent looked at him worriedly.

"What do you want to do?"

Carl stirred slightly then growled

"Right now I want to wring the necks of those hunters then destroy their families and burn their homes to the ground"

Vincent looked at him and waited for him to continue. When nothing happened he said.

"Sounds reasonable" Carl looked at him with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. "But somehow I don't think you want to kill humans and that this pain will pass"

Carl stayed silent then a hollow laugh escaped him.

"You know Vincent you sound so sure… It's disturbing"

Carl swallowed feeling dried up from all the tears. Slowly his body changed back to normal his talons shrinking into normal finger nails. He slumped forward. Vincent crouched beside him.

"I touched him when I punched him"

"One of the hunters?"

Carl nodded

"I think my glove is still on Élan" he looked down at his palm "no one precious to him has died… but his daughter… she is sick, he was told they would need medicine made from a Fenrir wolf's blood. He was only trying to save his daughters life and I stopped him. She will die without medical attention"

"So what do you want to do?"

"I… I want to save her"

"Do you know where she lives?"

Carl nodded and started walking Stoic whined after him but he told him to stay. They approached a small house. Vincent knocked on the door and a woman opened it

"Yes?"

"We heard you daughter was ill and my friend thinks he can heal her"

The women stepped aside and let them in. she stared at Carl who belatedly remembered he was drenched in wolf blood. The hunters all started for their guns when the saw him but he didn't even blink. He stared at them until they became uncertain and looked to each other for support. Vincent watched as Carl crouched beside the girl's bed.

"Hello my name is Carl what's yours?"

The little girl coughed then opened her eyes.

"My name is May"

"That is a pretty name. May I heard you were ill"

The little girl nodded

"My lungs won't breath properly but daddy went to get some medicine for me" one of the hunters looked down shame faced. Carl nodded and smiled at the little girl reassuringly.

"May, I want you to close your eyes and count to twenty then you can open them and shout as loud as you can"

"I can't shout very loud"

"That's okay just try your best. You ready?"

The little girl nodded and closed her eyes and started counting. The same energy as before came from Carl's body he put his hands on her chest and the power went threw them. After a few second he removed them and the power receded he waited for her to reach twenty then she shouted

"APPLE!"

She clamped both tiny hands over her mouth and looks amazed.

"Wow May I think that was pretty loud"

The girl stared at him then jumped out of bed and ran to her mother who was crying with joy. Carl got up and started toward the door.

"Wait!"

He froze and turned to face the hunter. A mixture of feeling snaked around inside him unpleasantly. He stared indifferently at the man.

"Thank you… you've saved my daughter how can I ever repay you?"

The hunter put his hand out, Carl stared at it and thought about all the ways he could inflict pain or kill him. The hunter picked up on the vibe as he looked at Carl's tear stained face. Carl looked at May then back at the hunter.

"Just look after her"

He walked out the door before he started to cry, he heard Vincent close it behind them. They walked in silence. Until they reached Stoic who had patiently waited for him. Carl stroked the wolf's shaggy head.

"Go home Stoic. Stay safe"

The wolf bowed its head and bounded away. Carl watched him till he was gone from view.

"Is this… forgiveness?"

Vincent came to his side and looked at him.

"It would seem so"

"Is it always this painful?"

"No not always you get used to it"

"We should get back to the group if we have any hope of killing these remnants"

"You still want to save the humans?"

"It seems that way. I think I understand it better now. Avarice… but at the same time… I know that humans deserve another chance"

Vincent nodded and they walked back to camp. Everyone had settled down for the night and had built camp. Carl couldn't look any of them in the eye. Tifa started when she saw all the blood on Carl but he made no effort to clean it off.

"What happened!?"

Carl looked up and shook his head then slowly turned and climbed a tree. He pulled himself onto a low branch and lay down his back to the rest of the group. Everyone looked at Vincent who solemnly shook his head and sat down by the fire. Using a little snow Vincent wiped some of the wolf blood off his gauntlet, most likely it was Stoics from when he held him down. A grave silence had fallen over the camp. Nanaki sniffed the air and Vincent saw from his expression that he had figured out whose blood it was. Carl lay still as if he had died up on the branch and watched the sun go down and the moon rise. From far away he heard a wolf howl a sad dirge for a fallen friend…