Disclaimer: As always, Squall and co. do not belong to me.

Wow. a holiday story? As a sequel to "When Darkness Falls?" What am I thinking? Well, let's just say that I have been bombarded by enough Christmas propaganda in the last couple of weeks to be brainwashed, which is why I have about six holiday stories I'm writing. Eep. I know this story starts out warm and fuzzy, and seems like it should get a much lighter rating, but it does get better. I hope. The final part is definitely R rated. And I apologize if part four of "When Darkness Falls" seemed a little rushed. I've been working on a research paper at the same time.

And I don't know if the FF8 crew would celebrate Christmas, but they do here. Live with it.

MOONBOUND

Part One

Lost and Found

It was a beautiful night. The moon hung full and heavy in the clear sky, outshining the twinkling stars that dotted the heavens in infinite plentitude. The world around her seemed to shine with a pristine brilliance

Beneath her feet, the crust of frost crunched at her passing. It wasn't the snow she longed for, but it was the closest the plains around Winhill would ever receive.

A brisk wind ruffled her fur, but she barely felt it. How she loved this time of year! And yet, it always saddened her, intensifying the feeling of loneliness her life inspired. She would give her soul to spend the upcoming holiday with loved ones, had she any left.

It was a lonely life she led... but she was no longer normal. How could she ever lead a normal life?

Her silent wanderings had taken her to Winhill's fringe. Dare she enter? At this time of night, everyone would be in their warm beds, unaware of what prowled the night. And she loved to see the decorations that the normally subdued town enjoyed. The riot of lights and color would shock anyone used to Winhill's quiet atmosphere.

Warily, she entered the town's limits. No one had ever caught her before, but an animal instinct she couldn't suppress always made her cautious. She knew how fierce she looked; people would be frightened by her and defend themselves accordingly. How could they know she would never hurt them?

Keeping to the shadows, she slunk into the town's heart. Her ears were pricked alertly for any sound, but her eyes drank in the happy sights around her. Oh, to take part in the holidays again! The few hours of "day life" she had weren't enough to satisfy that craving, and those were hours spent with virtual strangers who didn't even know her name. That was when she deigned to spend time with others at all. Her nature had become too solitary to spend time around strangers for long.

But there were those she'd give anything to spend time with. She didn't even know if they were alive now. And if they were, what would they think of her?

She had paused to sniff at a wreath made of pine when her ears caught an eerie sound: a bone-chilling howl that caused the hackles along her spine to rise.

She froze in shock. Whatever it had been, it was a duplicate of her own mournful cry! And it was very near!

The cry sounded again, and she flattened her ears back to her skull. The idiot! It would wake the whole town!

She whirled, paws skittering on the cobblestones, and began to lope away. The howl came again, right outside town this time, and lights began to come on in the homes around her.

Damn! What was it doing? The cry was strange, almost questioning. Was it looking for something? For her? A part of her yearned to throw back her head and howl in reply, but she quickly suppressed it. She had to get out of town, and fast!

A door opened in the house ahead of her, and she skidded to a halt. The person in the doorway was one of the Galbadian soldiers stationed there, and he had a gun.

She spun on her heels, but people had gathered behind her. Their faces were pale with fear, but they were armed. Winhill was prepared to defend itself to the very end.

"Monster," several voices in the crowd whispered.

Her heart sank. They were ready to kill her now. Not that she blamed them. She tucked her tail between her legs and crouched before them, inviting them to make the kill.

Or try, anyway. She had found she was very difficult to destroy.

"It seems harmless," a feminine voice said softly in the crowd.

"Look at those claws! Those teeth! It was probably hunting our children!" a man cried. Several people in the crowd shrank further away from her.

For the fourth time, the howl echoed through the night. But this time, rather than being outside the town, it was. above them?

A dark shape dropped from a roof to her left, into the crowd, which screamed and scattered. Fingers tightened on triggers, but no one wanted to shoot when this new creature was in the middle of the rapidly thinning crowd. It cast her a significant look, then broke into a run.

She followed, using the distraction to make it through the crowd without hurting anyone. She matched the other's pace, rapidly leaving the town behind and heading towards the hills.

Reaching the foothills, it hesitated, and she got her first look at it. And it was examining her just as closely.

She couldn't believe her eyes. The creature looked like her, like a giant wolf with human qualities. Its coat was the same glossy brown, its eyes the same sky blue. It was bigger than she and, she couldn't help but notice, male.

Around its neck it wore a collar of black leather studded with gems that smelled of magic. This is the work of a sorceress, she thought, her hackles rising again.

The male eyed her calmly, as though waiting for something. What did he want? Not to hurt her, obviously, or he wouldn't have rescued her. Then again, it had been his cries that had gotten her in trouble in the first place.

She glanced at the sky, and was surprised at the position of the stars. It was nearly dawn! She needed to get back to her cave!

She turned, conscious of the male's gaze as she left him. There was a soft padding of feet, and the male caught up to her and walked silently beside her. Perhaps, she thought, he wanted to speak to someone like himself.

Or this could be a trap from a sorceress. If so, this young pup would find she had several tricks up her sleeve.

She reached the narrow mouth of her cave and carefully went in. She nearly barked in laughter when the male banged his head on a rocky overhang he hadn't seen.

She was delighted to find the fire she had started before she'd gone out was still burning. Awkwardly, she pushed a few logs into the flames with her hand paws before turning to the male. It was regarding her curiously, which she found annoying. With a sharp jerk of her head, she indicated a pile of blankets to the side. If he was going to change, he could do it there. She went towards the small room in back, and was pleased the male didn't follow.

A part of her had feared he wanted her for more than just to satisfy his curiosity.

The change hit suddenly, sweeping through her body, shriveling her limbs and removing her fur. Her senses dimmed, and the cold that had been comfortable before now chilled her. She quickly pulled on her clothing and made her way to the fire, wondering what had become of her visitor.

Low moans echoed through the chamber, making her realize the change hurt him in a way it didn't affect her. She walked closer warily.

A young man, not even out of his teens, was huddled under the blanket. His fingers were adjusting the collar around his neck until it was tight against his throat. Then he looked up at her with sky blue eyes divided by a distinctive scar.

"Are you Raine?" he whispered.

She stiffened. "How do you know that name?" she asked suspiciously. But as she examined him more closely, she realized the answer was plain on his face.

The sculpt of his face. The eyes, the hair. Her own coloration on Laguna's features.

She dropped to her knees beside him, staring into his eyes. "Squall?"

* * *

Squall. After all these years, her son had come to find her. She wanted to laugh, to jump for joy, to hold the boy in a tight embrace and never let him go. But there was an aloofness to his features that suggested that might not be wise. So instead, she sat down beside him and met his gaze.

"Sorceress Edea couldn't cure you?" Raine asked sadly.

"For a time she did. But. it got free. Now the only thing that can contain it is this collar."

It? she wondered, confused. He obviously didn't mean the transformation. "What are you talking about?"

Now it was Squall's turn to look confused. "The aura," he said matter-of- factly. "The killing rage. Don't you have it?"

Raine's stomach clenched. The killing rage. She'd felt something when Adel had first cursed her, a faint edge of fury that accompanied her change. But that had vanished after Squall's birth.

"Squall?" a voice echoed from the cave mouth. "Are you in here?" Raine's body tensed for flight, but Squall calmly turned to the entrance and called back.

"Down here, Rinoa! And be careful!" A young woman picked her way cautiously to the cave floor, pausing before entering to straighten out her clothing. She smiled when she saw them, then went straight to Squall, holding a bag towards him.

"Your clothes," she said, and Squall took then gratefully and went to the back of the cave. Then the young woman turned to face Raine. "Hello," she greeted warmly.

"Hello. Rinoa, is it? How did you find this cave?" Was her hideout that exposed?

"Tracking device on Squall's collar," Rinoa answered. "Are you Raine Loire?"

Raine nodded, examining the young woman shrewdly. She was pretty, and around Squall's age. Maybe his girlfriend? She was dressed casually in a loose T-shirt that didn't quite hide her unusually flat figure, and a pair of jeans and hiking boots completed the outfit. Raine noticed she walked with a slight limp.

Squall returned, dressed in an outfit consisting mostly of black leather. Raine raised one eyebrow but said nothing.

"How did you find me?" Raine asked. "No one has seen me in ages." But it was nice to have someone to talk to!

"Maybe they haven't seen you, but there have been rumors of a big dog haunting Winhill," Rinoa said. Raine got the impression she was the more talkative of the two. "So Squall thought we should investigate."

"Why did you come?" she whispered. It was like something out of a dream, seeing her son alive and well, and knowing he'd been searching for her. She almost cried, but she composed herself.

"We need help," Squall said bluntly. "My curse is difficult to suppress. Matron - I mean, Edea - believes that by magically examining you, we may find a cure."

Raine's heart almost sank. So he hadn't been searching for her out of love.

"How could that help? I'm still cursed, too," Raine said, trying to hide her disappointment. "And that was years ago."

"You may still carry traces of the spell within you," Rinoa said. "I may be able to see just what Adel did, then reverse it completely in both of you."

"You're a sorceress?" Raine asked suspiciously. Would the world never be free of them?

"I am," Rinoa said, lifting her chin defiantly. "If you would come back to Balamb Garden with us, we would be grateful."

Suddenly Squall smiled, almost shyly. It looked out of place on his hard features. "I would like it if you came with us and spent the holidays at Garden. I promise no one will treat you badly because of your curse, though we ask that you stay hidden at night. I'd like to get to know someone who has lived like this longer than I have. Someone who understands."

Rinoa looked faintly shocked at this speech, and Raine guessed the boy was rarely so vocal. "It would be nice to spend the holidays with people for once," Raine said wistfully. Well, why not? She had nothing better planned. "All right. As long as you promise I won't come as a shock to anyone."

Squall gave her a sickly smile. "Believe me, they've seen worse."

To Be Continued.