Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy Seven or The Story "The Darksword
Trilogy" which I got the Darksword from.
Chapter 13: Time to See Old Enemies
Rueben ran. He ran as fast as he could, and tore off his clothes from his body. Soon only the Darksword and his pants remained, and he changed as he ran. Unlike the forced changes at the full moon, these were subtle and his skin did not tare but altered form. Soon he was his werewolf self and he finally could to let it out. He climbed a tree and screamed a werewolf howl of anger. He felt betrayed, and lost. He jumped down and ran to hunt, to kill, and let it all go.
*****
Aeris bitterly scrubbed Red's blood off her hands.
"Damn him!" she mumbled. Her hands felt raw, and she saw the blood was gone, had been for a bit now. She had just been scrubbing out of rage. She splashed some water on her face. Tifa came over and handed her a towel. Aeris took it and dried her face.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Tifa asked, quietly. Aeris thought for a moment and then nodded. They sat under a tree near the stream, watching cubs playing near them.
"Did you hear what he called me in the cave?" Aeris asked, and Tifa nodded.
"Who couldn't?" she said.
"Well, the thing involved me putting my hands into Red's open sockets. Rueben said it to make me."
"Sick! Is that why you were fighting?"
"No, it was because he called be me that. I thought he really meant it. He even warned me before that he might do something like that, but I really didn't think he would. It made me wonder what else he might do"
"What are you saying, Aeris? You think Rueben might have hurt you?"
"No, not any more, but I was upset! Then after we both finished throwing up, I kind of reacted with out thinking. I told him if he was going to act like that I didn't want to get married. He noticed the ring was gone, and then put a hand on my shoulder asking if I really believed that."
"What did you say after that?"
"I called him a bastard, and a rabid dog. That's when I slapped him."
"Then why did he run away? I've called strangers worse things, and it didn't both them."
"But to Rueben that was a low blow. He never knew his parents, and well, the rabid dog comment.." Aeris said and stopped. She couldn't tell Tifa what he really was, could she?
"Aeris, what is it? Why is that low to Rueben?" Tifa prodded. Aeris glanced at Tifa and then sighed. If she couldn't trust Tifa then whom could she trust?
"Tifa, if I tell you something about Rueben, could you keep it between us? Even away from, Cloud?"
"If it's really that important I would. Now what is it?" she asked. Aeris hesitated and then told Tifa everything she knew about Rueben. She prayed to Planet that Tifa wouldn't bolt. Surprisingly, Tifa only paled slightly, and then soon regained her composure.
"Alright, Rueben, is a werewolf. That explains some things. Why didn't you tell us sooner?"
"We were going to, it just we wanted to wait till the week before the wedding. Rueben said he had to get married in his form in his people's tradition. That involved being in his animal form."
"Do you think he'll come back soon then?"
"I hope so. I wan to say I'm sorry. It just." Aeris was saying, when a howl rang out into the air. Tifa shivered, and saw Aeris had gone pale.
"Was that him, Aeris?" she asked, and Aeris nodded. The Trumlions looked up curiously, and sniffed the air trying to get a scent. Tifa and Aeris got up and walked over to Elder.
"What is it, Elder?" Cloud asked. The Trumlion sniffed the air again and then snorted.
"That's strange. I smell a wolf. There are no wolves here, and Hojo's beast smells of many animals not just one. Hmmm, this scent even smells familiar. Excuse me but I think I'll triple the guards tonight." He said, and padded off the do just that. Tifa sighed and plopped down next to Cloud, who then put his arm around her.
"Elder was telling me about the Trumlions here. Last count was two hundred and twelve."
"Really? That is a lot." Tifa said, and looked up at Aeris. Aeris had slipped back on her ring and was waiting patiently for any sign of Rueben.
*****
Rueben was high in a tree watching a choboco patiently. He had changed back, now that his rage had passed. The choboco warked, and took a drink of water from a nearby pond. Rueben's stomach gave a low growl and he held onto the tree branch to hold him steady for a leap. The choboco would make a nice meal. He was about to leap when a huge beast came crashing threw the bushes. It leaped upon the choboco, and tore it apart. Pieces flew everywhere as it fed. Rueben stared amazed, and watched it. When it was finished, it burped and then began cleaning itself in the pond. Rueben could see that it was the thing Hojo had created. He saw various parts in the body. He leaned down to try and see its head. His branch cracked and he fell to the ground. The beast whipped around and saw him. Rueben stared in shock at it.
"NO, IT CAN"T BE!" Rueben cried. The beast grinned at him and climbed out of the water.
"Hello, Rueben. How have you been?" it asked. It curled its left claw, and two piles of dirt shot out of the ground to form two crude chairs. It gestured for Rueben to sit down. Rueben growled, and stayed where he was in a crouch. The beast grinned, and sat in one of the chairs himself.
"Jonathan, what happened to you?" Rueben asked. His tail swished behind him from side to side in caution.
"I assume you knew I had been captured in the war." The beast said. Rueben nodded.
"Yes, we all knew. When they sent the last survivor of the group back, she told us of your demise."
"Ah, yes. It was quite a unique death. They cut off my head and thrust it into a preservative they had. I was in the middle of changing when they did it." Jonathan said, and ran his right hand along his half bear, half- human face.
"So it left your head in-between forms. But how did you become this?" Rueben asked.
"Hojo. He found my head and attached it to this body."
"I heard you killed Hojo, so why are you killing the Trumlions here?"
"Revenge my old rival. Pure, sweet, beautiful revenge! To see that these Trumlions living here in peace and thriving drives me insane! As I butchered your friend he let it out by accident that you had returned. I knew you would come here soon, so all I had to do was wait."
"Why, Jonathan? You can come back and live with us! I'm sure we can help you!"
"No! You see old rival; you were my best friend as well. I do not want to be viewed as a freak, and shunned. I want to see everything destroyed. Me! You! THE PLANET!"
"Jonathan, listen to reason! If you do that.."
"Enough talk! I will meet you tomorrow in front of the Trumlion's caves, one hour till dusk. Just you and me. Just like old times." Jonathan said, and with that he stalked off. Rueben crouched there watching him go. He shook his head and ran to gather up his clothes.
Chapter 13: Time to See Old Enemies
Rueben ran. He ran as fast as he could, and tore off his clothes from his body. Soon only the Darksword and his pants remained, and he changed as he ran. Unlike the forced changes at the full moon, these were subtle and his skin did not tare but altered form. Soon he was his werewolf self and he finally could to let it out. He climbed a tree and screamed a werewolf howl of anger. He felt betrayed, and lost. He jumped down and ran to hunt, to kill, and let it all go.
*****
Aeris bitterly scrubbed Red's blood off her hands.
"Damn him!" she mumbled. Her hands felt raw, and she saw the blood was gone, had been for a bit now. She had just been scrubbing out of rage. She splashed some water on her face. Tifa came over and handed her a towel. Aeris took it and dried her face.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Tifa asked, quietly. Aeris thought for a moment and then nodded. They sat under a tree near the stream, watching cubs playing near them.
"Did you hear what he called me in the cave?" Aeris asked, and Tifa nodded.
"Who couldn't?" she said.
"Well, the thing involved me putting my hands into Red's open sockets. Rueben said it to make me."
"Sick! Is that why you were fighting?"
"No, it was because he called be me that. I thought he really meant it. He even warned me before that he might do something like that, but I really didn't think he would. It made me wonder what else he might do"
"What are you saying, Aeris? You think Rueben might have hurt you?"
"No, not any more, but I was upset! Then after we both finished throwing up, I kind of reacted with out thinking. I told him if he was going to act like that I didn't want to get married. He noticed the ring was gone, and then put a hand on my shoulder asking if I really believed that."
"What did you say after that?"
"I called him a bastard, and a rabid dog. That's when I slapped him."
"Then why did he run away? I've called strangers worse things, and it didn't both them."
"But to Rueben that was a low blow. He never knew his parents, and well, the rabid dog comment.." Aeris said and stopped. She couldn't tell Tifa what he really was, could she?
"Aeris, what is it? Why is that low to Rueben?" Tifa prodded. Aeris glanced at Tifa and then sighed. If she couldn't trust Tifa then whom could she trust?
"Tifa, if I tell you something about Rueben, could you keep it between us? Even away from, Cloud?"
"If it's really that important I would. Now what is it?" she asked. Aeris hesitated and then told Tifa everything she knew about Rueben. She prayed to Planet that Tifa wouldn't bolt. Surprisingly, Tifa only paled slightly, and then soon regained her composure.
"Alright, Rueben, is a werewolf. That explains some things. Why didn't you tell us sooner?"
"We were going to, it just we wanted to wait till the week before the wedding. Rueben said he had to get married in his form in his people's tradition. That involved being in his animal form."
"Do you think he'll come back soon then?"
"I hope so. I wan to say I'm sorry. It just." Aeris was saying, when a howl rang out into the air. Tifa shivered, and saw Aeris had gone pale.
"Was that him, Aeris?" she asked, and Aeris nodded. The Trumlions looked up curiously, and sniffed the air trying to get a scent. Tifa and Aeris got up and walked over to Elder.
"What is it, Elder?" Cloud asked. The Trumlion sniffed the air again and then snorted.
"That's strange. I smell a wolf. There are no wolves here, and Hojo's beast smells of many animals not just one. Hmmm, this scent even smells familiar. Excuse me but I think I'll triple the guards tonight." He said, and padded off the do just that. Tifa sighed and plopped down next to Cloud, who then put his arm around her.
"Elder was telling me about the Trumlions here. Last count was two hundred and twelve."
"Really? That is a lot." Tifa said, and looked up at Aeris. Aeris had slipped back on her ring and was waiting patiently for any sign of Rueben.
*****
Rueben was high in a tree watching a choboco patiently. He had changed back, now that his rage had passed. The choboco warked, and took a drink of water from a nearby pond. Rueben's stomach gave a low growl and he held onto the tree branch to hold him steady for a leap. The choboco would make a nice meal. He was about to leap when a huge beast came crashing threw the bushes. It leaped upon the choboco, and tore it apart. Pieces flew everywhere as it fed. Rueben stared amazed, and watched it. When it was finished, it burped and then began cleaning itself in the pond. Rueben could see that it was the thing Hojo had created. He saw various parts in the body. He leaned down to try and see its head. His branch cracked and he fell to the ground. The beast whipped around and saw him. Rueben stared in shock at it.
"NO, IT CAN"T BE!" Rueben cried. The beast grinned at him and climbed out of the water.
"Hello, Rueben. How have you been?" it asked. It curled its left claw, and two piles of dirt shot out of the ground to form two crude chairs. It gestured for Rueben to sit down. Rueben growled, and stayed where he was in a crouch. The beast grinned, and sat in one of the chairs himself.
"Jonathan, what happened to you?" Rueben asked. His tail swished behind him from side to side in caution.
"I assume you knew I had been captured in the war." The beast said. Rueben nodded.
"Yes, we all knew. When they sent the last survivor of the group back, she told us of your demise."
"Ah, yes. It was quite a unique death. They cut off my head and thrust it into a preservative they had. I was in the middle of changing when they did it." Jonathan said, and ran his right hand along his half bear, half- human face.
"So it left your head in-between forms. But how did you become this?" Rueben asked.
"Hojo. He found my head and attached it to this body."
"I heard you killed Hojo, so why are you killing the Trumlions here?"
"Revenge my old rival. Pure, sweet, beautiful revenge! To see that these Trumlions living here in peace and thriving drives me insane! As I butchered your friend he let it out by accident that you had returned. I knew you would come here soon, so all I had to do was wait."
"Why, Jonathan? You can come back and live with us! I'm sure we can help you!"
"No! You see old rival; you were my best friend as well. I do not want to be viewed as a freak, and shunned. I want to see everything destroyed. Me! You! THE PLANET!"
"Jonathan, listen to reason! If you do that.."
"Enough talk! I will meet you tomorrow in front of the Trumlion's caves, one hour till dusk. Just you and me. Just like old times." Jonathan said, and with that he stalked off. Rueben crouched there watching him go. He shook his head and ran to gather up his clothes.