because class will be picking up even more and i don't know when the next update will be, here's a much quicker one to help tie us all over.

The ride up north was awkward for Odin. Claire was naturally light and fine to carry, sitting snugly and easily on his back. Deneh trotted beside him, fitting easily into this small flock. Zack was the problem. He sat with his back to Claire, staring out at the smoking Gongaga. It wasn't so much Zack's weight that was bothersome. It was the newly acquired wing that was the problem. Like a newly hatched chick, Zack didn't know what to do with the wing. So he kept it out, stretched and clearly in the open.

And because of that, it kept catching the air, making a slight tug at Odin's gait every time the wind blew against it, bouncing Odin's pace a little each time.

So aggravated was he that his smooth pace kept getting interrupted, he was ready to try and bounced Zack off. He had a wing after all, surely he could fly himself couldn't he? Why did he need to ride with Claire and buffer his stride?

Odin grumbled darkly to himself, opening his eyes as he glared out beside him, trying to distract himself from Zack's unintended annoyance. Three days they've been hiking away from Gongaga, and already they were passing by the Cosmos Canyon. Deneh had no interest in going back, neither did Claire or Zack mention or show any. Like a good bird, Odin walked on, his sharp eyes already catching sight of the river they'd have to cross to go onwards to Rocket Town. Discomfort grew in the bird's chest as he stared ahead at familiar sights and area.

He's forgotten what they'd have to cross to get to Rocket Town.

Odin wondered if he could fly them over. Not a likely option with Deneh, and Zack's own wing. It'd be an strange flight that would work against him more than with him. Unless Zack could fly then he could carry Claire and Deneh just find...

Claire tugged at his reins, stilling him instantly as she stared ahead, her hands shaking slightly.

"Claire?" Zack asked, leaning back a little to look at her from over his shoulder.

"I'm fine," she said, lightly nudging Odin on.

Odin kept quiet, knowing well enough that she wasn't fine. He wasn't either. Its been so long but he remembers it crystal clear. He had been much younger then, as young as a battle scar veteran could be, galloping away with a younger rider, more wild and eager than her father, but just as set. They rode down to this edge so many times; it never crossed either of their minds that they'd be hiking back.

He wondered how it would look.

Would the smoke still be there?

Would the ash still be there?

Would there still be bones?

Odin didn't want to think about it. He almost wanted to see though. Even if it meant grief, he almost wanted to see the damage, without the thick, black smoke fogging everything up; without the fire to burn his eyes with its angry heat. He want to see the last of his home. Odin sped up slightly, hurrying down the familiar trail, not even the jet lag of Zack's wing slowing him down as he moved.

"Odin," Claire warned, tightening her grip on his reins, one hand coming down and gripping his feathers like she always did when she was anxious. He ignored her though, running on, taking in what was new and what still remained. There were more trees than he remembered, but the warmth of the air was the same. The chirp of crickets still sung in the air, the song of birds greeting down at them like old friends, and the lone howl of a wolf sending a strong thrill through Odin as he ran.

For a moment, it felt like it was five years ago. His body strong and as sturdy as ever, barely noticing the weight on his back as he surged as fast as the wind, his feathers, ivory as snow, with hues of green as fresh as leaves fluttering and dancing in his own pushed gust. The earth gave way beneath his strong feet, his claws digging right into it and kicking it back out as he left the dust.

It didn't seem like anything would stop.

Not even the fingers tightening their grip on his neck or the face pressing hard against him, as if trying to hide from the reality they were rushing towards. He didn't notice Deneh speeding up to keep up, or the shift on his back as Zack wrapped an arm around Claire to keep her secure, his wing angled back so not to buffer the chocobo's stride and send him flying back.

The only thing that crossed Odin's mind was how familiar everything was looking.

How he was almost home.

Its been too long since he's been home.

Been too long since he saw Serah.

Been too long since he saw Tifa.

Maybe they were still there. Maybe they were waiting.

The ground started to tilt upwards, up the hill that they had to climb up and dip down into home. They were almost there...

Odin slowed to a stop at the top of the hill, staring down at his home.

It was almost the same.

The two story brick building with the copper red roofs, the buildings themselves coated in colors of yellow, green, and brown. Rows of windows loomed near the top of the buildings, and empty chimneys gaped above them, no smoke drifting out of them. People in black cloaks wandered around the streets, swaying like puppets on strings, all murmuring something together that was loud, he could hear the hum from the top of the hill he stood on. Absently, he could hear Claire suck in a sharp breathe, nearly pulling out some of his feathers from her distress.

"Why is it back up?" she whispered out to the air.

Odin didn't know. He didn't know to be happy or distressed. His dark eyes slid over the village, searching for a familiar home, for their home. He found one where it was located, but his stall was gone. And one shadowy figure slipped out of the building where his mistress used to live. Odin deflated at the sight of it all.

Their home really was gone.

Zack shuddered from where he was on Odin back, leaning into Claire and breathing hard. "I don't like this place," he managed out.

"Is there a quick way to Rocket Town?" Deneh asked, glancing up at Claire.

"There's... a hiking trail we can take. Just a ay through and we'll be there. If its still there."

"Then to Wutai?"

"Then to Wutai," she confirmed, tugging at Odin's reins to turn him towards the trail. He obeyed this time, turning into her tug and slowly walking towards the trail they've only hiked once on a long time ago. A trail she and Cloud had discovered as kids. If it was still there, it would short their trip tremendously. Still, as they slowly walked away from home, Odin's legs shaking slightly from his dash and the discovery of the state; he couldn't turn his eyes away from Nibelheim. From home.

He stared down and down into it. Watching the figures waddle around, murmuring and humming something of a Reunion. Amongst them though, he saw a man he didn't recognize, standing by the mansion Claire loved to climb up all the time. Not dressed in a cloak like all others, he almost toward over them, his figure thick and strong, his skin almost as dark as the cloaks around him, and his arm made of metal. Odin couldn't figure who that was and why was he there, not wearing a cloak of humming about the Reunion like all the other occupants down below.

Claire guided him into the mountainous path, cutting off his gaze down at the man. The chocobo brushed the curiosities away. Who the man was and why he was there was no concern to him.

Nibelheim was no longer a concern to him.

His home really was gone.

Far too gone.

The trail through the mountain to Rocket Town was still there thankfully. More rocks filled it up along with more bones dropped by Nibel wolves that were a pain to step over. Other then that, Deneh concluded that this was an easy hike. And with this easy hike, there was a home at the end of it, waiting for all of them.

Deneh took up the rear of the group, watching them all curiously as they followed Claire as she weaved and lead them on. When they found the narrow slit that was a nearly hidden trail, Claire hopped off Odin, letting Zack stay on as he started to droop more and more on Odin's back, looking very pale and very fidgety. Deneh couldn't figure out what was wrong with Zack for the life of her.

She knew it was relate to the wing looming on his back.

It wasn't natural. If humans were meant to have wings, they'd have wings.

"How are you holding up back there Deneh?" Claire's voice brought the lioness to her senses, making her blink in slight surprise before she shook it off. She had other things to focus on right now. "Fine," she rumbled out. "I can smell a lot of wolves though."

"They won't bother us, no place to fight here."

Indeed it wasn't. Even a dumb wild dog would know that. From Deneh own hunting experience and planning, there were three ways that anyone could attack. Front, back, or from above. Her in the back and Claire up front were capable of fighting back if they charged, and with this limited room, they'd have more challenge moving around like wolves like to do. And wolves can't attack from above. They can't climb as well as cats can. And from above, there's only one shot that a predator can have and would have to decide which was the most dangerous.

None of them were push overs. Any predator could tell.

So none would dare swarm at them here. Or so Deneh believed, thinking more along the lines of how she would have seen the situation. But not all animals thought like she did, so even with Claire's reassurance, she listened well for any others that were in the area. So far, they were alone, the only other sound to hear besides their own steps was the buzz of the upcoming Rocket Town. Once there, a ride up to Wutai.

To think that they were almost done. She was sure there was more to do in Wutai, what she didn't precisely know. All that she did know was that they were almost there. The thought of the journey nearly ending put a skip in the lioness' steps, her flame tipped tail flaring excitedly at the fact. A new home and a new life...

Even if she wasn't able to find Nanaki, she had herself a new pride now. A strange one, and a little troubling one, but it was still a pride that took her in even after she attacked them. A pride that understood.

Claire stopped them when they reached the end, Rocket Town clear in their sights, half a mile away. "The only thing left to do is figure out the wing," Claire mused as she turned to Zack, looking only a little better after the visit to Nibelheim. The color and blush came back to his skin, making him no longer a concerning pale, but sweat still dripped heavily along his forehead, his body trembling as he gripped Odin's feathers tight. The wing loomed over the whole pride, brushing against the rocks, the tips of the giant feathers laying against Claire's shoulder as she frowned up at it.

"Does he need medical help?" Deneh asked her, and she shook her head down at the lioness. "We couldn't get it with the wing sticking out of his currently. He'd be sent to Midgar for Shinra to look over him," Claire explained. "He just got worse when we were close to Nibel..." Claire glanced back at Rocket Town, then looked past it to the hilly plains. "Maybe the father away we are from that place the better he'll get. We'll stay within Rocket's sight, just get farther away from Nibelheim to see if that helps."

"North then?" Deneh asked.

"North," Claire confirmed.

It was colder that to what Claire was used too. Nibelheim may have also been on a chilly side compared to Midgar or Kalm, but the mountains blocked most of that chilly air. Rocket Town and the area around didn't have that pleasure of mountains, they had the open sea behind them, letting all the cold wind from the Icicle Area fly over them. Having not bought anything to help combat against the cold, Claire built a big fire that night, and wrapped their sheets around her and Zack, keeping them both a little close to it for warmth.

Zack has gotten a lot better since they put enough distance between them and her old home. His breathing steadied out and his body stopped shaking a while ago. But he was still out of it. Settling him on the ground, wrapping a sheet around him and then settled in against his torso from the slight curl he was sleeping in, securing that they were sticking close and both had the comfort of the other presence.

For this moment, she felt that they both needed it. Zack for all the drama that's been going on with him and her for the discovery of her rebuilt home, full of cloaked strangers. She had no idea what to think or feel about that sight.

Furious?

Depressed?

Shock?

The last one was a for sure. She wondered if she should even care anymore. She left and put it all behind her, building up her savings by working in Kalm for five years after the incident. She had decided then that what became of Nibelheim wouldn't matter anymore.

Or so she had planned, now after seeing it... She wasn't ok with that sight. She knew that. But should she be mad? Sad? It was Shinra's doing, she could tell that much. Only Shinra would rebuilt Nibelheim and put a lot of strangers there; she bet her money that they were trying to cover up what happened.

Pity for them she'd always know. Always remember. Something like that isn't so easily forgotten, unless she took a blow to the head. She gripped her sheet tighter. She was almost at Wutai. She was almost as far away as she could be from Shinra. It'll be her new home, then she wouldn't have to think about that empire anymore.

But first they needed to figure out Zack's wing before they could get there. Was it ok for Zack to have a wing? Should they chop it off? Could he make it disappear? Was he stuck to forever have it out? Claire glanced back at, seeing it sprawled out behind Zack, twitching slightly with his sleep. Occasionally it curled back up, blanketing over Zack's body with the muscle of it brushed against the back of her head. Whenever this happened, sometimes Claire got the sense that it was Odin behind her instead of the exSOLDIER.

She sighed, leaning her head back till it fell on his strong arm.

Just what were they going to do?

Absently, she listened to their animal comrades. Odin nibbled and grazed on the grass, completely fine with the chill in the air, as was Deneh, prowled up by a near river, catching fish to dine on as her dinner. She had already provided for both humans, now it was a matter of waiting for Zack to wake and eat his, which was keeping warm, wrapped up in foil and resting near the fire to keep the heat.

Zack shifted in his sleep, breathing in deep and releasing, his wing coming back up. Instead of settling over just him, it flopped right on top of Claire's head, hiding the world from her sight. "Zack," she grumbled, wiggling till her head was out and the wing rested like a blanket around her shoulders, keeping her much warmer than before. Turning to glare at the sleeping man curled around her, she sighed, reaching out and running her fingers through his hair, pressing comfortably against his scalp, ignoring the feel of grease and dirt sliding around her finger tips.

"We're almost there," she whispered to the evening air, staring into the fire as she absently rubbed his head, nice and warm with his wing wrapped around her. All thoughts of Niblheim was brushed away, filled by the color of the flames and the fact that they were so close.

They were almost at their new home.

i had to remind myself that from the first chapter, odin and claire rode down to the edge of cosmos canyon; which now lead to them returning to nibelheim, which, originally, wasn't going to be included. but it seems like it should be now that we're hiking up north to rocket town.

in the first chapter, i made the mistake of thinking that nibelheim was in an actual desert area but it has more green than i had thought originally.