WHAT IF WE HAD A CHANCE…
CHAPTER 14
…TO HELP SOMEONE
They watched closely as the small red cub ran in the middle of the pack.
"You think it belongs with those wolves?" Aerith says.
"Guess so…unless it's a stray…" Cloud said.
The wolves begin to stop and howl and they can hear the cries of a the small cub. The wolves circle the small cub.
"Hey…we should go help." Zack said starting to go down the slope.
"Zack just leave them alone. It's nature we shouldn't interfere." Cloud said.
"We can help!" Zack said.
"No we can't! Those wolves will kill us if we go near it."
"Zack just stay here, I don't want you to get hurt." Aerith pleaded.
Zack too stubborn to listen. He ran down the slope.
"Zack!!!" Cloud ran after him. "Tifa, Aerith just stay here!"
Tifa and Aerith stood close to the slope watching them. The wind blew hard against Zack and Cloud's body.
"Zack!! Can you listen to me!! We have NO control over this!" Cloud yelled.
Sharp rocks pointed out in some parts of the slope. They had to be careful not to step on one. Cloud could see the red cub hissing and its hairs standing on its body. It tail…was it?….Thunder cracked and rain began to pour. The combination of the wind and rain blew into Cloud and Zack's eyes. Cloud shielded his eyes slightly with his arm watching Zack run down the slope. Zack jumped off going in the middle of the wolves. Their ears twitched and they growled deep within their body's. Cloud froze up when he reached the ground by Zack. The cub cried whimpered they were drenched in the heavy rain. The wolves ignored the red cub and started to walk slowly to Cloud and Zack. Zack stood his ground, Cloud's entire body shook. Aerith desperately tried to call for help on her cell phone. No reception. Tifa's main reaction was to go down and help. She knew she could, Aerith held on to Tifa's arm.
"Please! Just stay!" Aerith cried.
The thunder crackled and the wolves looked back and whimpered. The began to follow their trail and let Cloud and Zack be. They had a good look at the cub who looked up at them with big eyes. Its tail curled around its body. Cloud let out a sigh of relief holding his chest. here…." Zack whispered to the cub reaching out his hand.
"Zack just leave it alone…" Cloud said beginning to go up the slope.
"Psst! Psst!" Zack whistled.
"Its not a cat…actually I don't know what that is."
Light filled the sky and the thunder boomed. The cub jumped and hung onto Cloud's leg.
"OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!! MOTHERFU-------------------------------"
A loud roar echoed. Cloud and Zack looked back
"Cloud!!!!" Tifa cried. "S-something is coming."
It was too dark too tell. But Cloud and Zack can see the structure of a huge being. It's red eyes glared back and it stood tall. A long tail wagging back and sickle wings. A creature that inhabits in the heart of Mt. Nibel. Why would it be so far from its home? The beast lowered its long neck and roared loudly. The red cub burred its face in Cloud's jeans.
"Cloud…run when I tell you to…." Zack said quietly.
"We can't outrun that…"
"Stop saying can't and just do it…"
The beast sharply moved its head and eyes glaring at Cloud.
"Run!" Zack grabbed Cloud's hand and they ran for their lives.
The beast's leg went over them and its nose in front of Zack. Its breath waved heavily on them. Tifa slide down the slope, ignoring the sharp edges of the rocks against her skin and leapt onto the beast's back. The beast moved it neck looking at Tifa. She stood still. Her hair in her face. Her body soaked wet. Her finger nails bleeding from gripping onto the beasts hard scales.
"Tifa!!" Cloud cried.
"Well if she can stand up, what am I waiting for!" Zack yelled.
The beast spun around and Cloud and Zack ducked down avoiding its hit. Tifa held on and slipped off of the slippery scaly body. Cloud kicked off the cub and ran to catch Tifa. He slid on the muddy ground and caught her in his body. She clung onto Cloud.
Aerith stood up top, safe. Her hair down and the cell phone close to her ear.
"Damn it! Work!" She cried.
Zack ran over to Cloud and Tifa and Cloud stood up. Tifa still held on to his body. Cloud then felt the small claws of the cub around his ankles. The beast looked back at them. Its footsteps rocked the ground. What could they do? They couldn't go up against that. As the beast came forward a bright ring of light was around the beast's face. It fangs reveled and it looked up to the source of that light. While the beast was being distracted Cloud and the others climbed the sloped. Holding on to whatever they could to reach the top. Cloud was careful of where to plant his foot since that cub was still on him. Aerith reached out her hand and helped them up. They looked down and the bright light was gone. The beast looked around. Guess for the price of being strong, it was dumb…but still deadly….
The beast walked away. Roaring with the thunder. The four of them hugged each other, holding each other. The wind blowing hard. The fire from the camp, has been extinguished. They heard wet foot steps coming closer. It was Vincent.
He held a flash light and he ran to them.
"You okay!?" he said. "Here."
He had a rain coat and he threw it over their heads.
"Thanks…" Cloud said in a crackly voice.
They all shivered from the cold rain drops.
"I came to check up on you and I see you up against that dragon. Good thing I had that flashlight. They hate the light."
Vincent looked at the red cub who was on Cloud's foot. When they stood up Cloud grabbed the cub and put it in his jacket and zippered it closed. The cub licked Cloud's chin and he felt its wet nose.
It would have been a good time to say ahh, but the setting was just unbearable. All they can think about was going home. Vincent opened a huge umbrella and they all got underneath it. They walked home and the cub fell asleep.
"Why can't we have normal holidays?" Cloud sighed.
They laughed at him. More because of his hair. That lost its weird spiky life and dropped down to his eyes.
They went into a shop. Dripping wet a worker went up to them.
"Can we please use your bathroom?" Aerith said.
"Sure…" The worker said paying them no mind afterwards.
Cloud wondered if this place allowed animals inside. I guess so. Cloud and Zack went into the men's bathroom and Tifa and Aerith went into the women's bathroom. Vincent waited for them since he wasn't so dirty unlike them.
Cloud filled his hands with water and washed it on his face. His skull froze from the coldness and he looked at the mirror. He saw that the cubs head was hidden deep inside his jacket. A big plump in his jacket. Cloud let out a breath of air. They were safe.
"I'm ready lets go." Zack sighed and they left.
They met up with Tifa and Aerith. Aerith hugged Zack.
"Don't ever do something stupid like that!" She cried.
"I'm sorry…"
They both sat down by a table. Tifa looked at Cloud with cool eyes. Almost saying an unsaid thank you. Cloud smiled back at her and she did too.
"So what's with the puppy?" Vincent said.
"It was this 'puppy' that got us into that mess." Cloud said.
"So…you gonna keep it?"
Cloud didn't know. He knows his mother won't allow it. She always loved puppies and kittens but Cloud remembers she would get rid of it once they got older. Cloud didn't want that for this puppy. Strange. He felt a weird bond with this puppy. Either that or it just held on tightly to Cloud's chest….
"I don't know. Zack you want to keep it? You're the one willing on saving it." Cloud said.
"Cloud. Think about it, my mom." Zack said.
True. Even though Cloud's mom got rid of older animals Zack's mother HATED them. It was a wonder what that woman loved.
"Okay, Aerith?" Cloud said.
"Sorry, my dad's allergic to animals."
Just his luck. Her parents loved animals, but alas they couldn't keep them because of Aerith's father. Only one person left.
"Tifa?"
"I don't know. I gotta ask my dad about it."
"Well I guess its decided. Tifa you'll take it and if your dad says no…" Cloud sighs. "I guess I can persuade my mom to keep it."
They got up and left the city and on their way to their neighborhood. First Aerith and then Zack went home. Leaving Vincent, Cloud and Tifa.
The rain was light and the night was eerily dark and quiet. They ended up home and the porch lights went on. Cloud passed of the cub to Tifa and she cradled it like a baby. It was fast asleep.
"Good-night Cloud, Vincent."
"Good-night." They said.
They entered their homes and Tifa went up to her father. He looked at her with blank eyes.
"Tifa..?" he said strictly.
"Dad…I found him all alone outside. Can we keep him?" she said, she was still a little wet.
He shook his head.
"I don't Tifa, you sure you can take care of him?"
She looked at her father and smirked at him.
"What a dumb question….sure as long as you take care of him, alright?"
"Thanks daddy." she said and kissed his cheek.
She carried the puppy up to her room and grabbed some water and left over meat. She laid the cub down on her bed and picked up the phone and dialed Cloud's number.
"Hello? Tifa?" Cloud said.
"Hey, my dad said I can keep him." Tifa said.
"Wow, that's great. Vincent she said she's keeping the puppy!" Cloud yelled out.
"Good…don't want no dumb dog running around here…" Tifa heard Vincent's voice in the background.
"So what are you going to name it?"
"I don't know…How does Nanaki sound?"
"Nanaki….what about Red or something. It doesn't matter, its yours now right. Name it Fluffy for all I care." Cloud joked.
Tifa laughed.
"Good-night." she giggled.
"I thought we already said good-night." Cloud laughed.
"I know…I just wanted to say it again." she blushed.
Cloud's body grew hot and he could only let out a deep breath of air.
"Good-night." Cloud said and softly hung up the phone.
He laid flatly on his bed and turned to his back side. His arms folded behind his head. He looked up at the glow-in-the-dark star sticker stuck on his ceiling. His mother pasted them up there when Cloud was about 7. He closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.
Tifa cuddled the cub and the cub let out a small yawn and laid his head on Tifa's pillow.
"Good-night Tifa…" it said….
Author's note: Thanks for the review and I apologize for any "misspellings…"from before for some reason I don't call it misspellings but just typos….sorry I tend to overreact when I can't do simple things…sigh….but I'll try better to point them out. Thanks ayame11midori. And thanks Le Pecore Nere, MakoRain and sarcastic.funn I had a fun time showing the different point of views between each character and their families. And for Gena346, will Yuffie be in the story…..well you know I can't say…..Yet!!!!