"I think it's becoming increasingly clear that these demons aren't just emerging from the Northern Crater anymore…in fact, they're popping up everywhere."

"Mideel is one target at extreme risk, if we don't do something, those people will be completely overrun."

"But all we've done so far is destroyed demon nests. To try and plug the source is a much larger task, and we don't have the power to do that."

"Who can we ask for help?"

"We can ask Yuffie to get her friends…"

"The girl isn't ready to confront them, she will never do it."

"If we explained to her the reasons she might…"

"She's a selfish brat, she won't do anything she doesn't want to."

"I'd appreciate it, Taerk, if you watched your tongue."

Down in the dimly lit basement of the cabin, Meridian, Taerk, Julius, Ern, and Mikau were discussing the matter of the demons. Maps were laid out on the table, various marks and arrows pointing to several places. Meridian pointed to one map, in which there was a large circle on an island. It was marked 'Mideel'.

"Mideel is much too large a matter for us, and as far as I'm concerned, no demons have been emerging there. The same goes for the Northern Crater. If the planet cannot heal itself and close the wound, how can we be expected to do such a thing?" He pointed to another map, this time it was marked 'Midgar'. "This place, however, isn't so out of our reach."

Everyone fell silent. Memories of Midgar were burning in their minds.

After a moment, Julius spoke, frowning darkly. "But what's the point of fighting these things if they'll only keep coming? We have to stop their flow!"

"But we are." Meridian said calmly.

Julius stared at him in confusion.

"Recall that reactors were built in Midgar for the soul purpose of harvesting mako energy. And as we all know, mako comes straight from the heart of the Planet, the lifestream."

Eyes lit up in understanding. Meridian continued. "Several of these were built in different sectors, some have been blown up, destroyed, or shut down." Golden eyes sweeped over the group as the man straightened. "With these abandoned pools of Mako and the city of Midgar completely deserted, it's an excellent spawning place for-"

The hanging lamp flickered and they all looked up at it in confusion. Up above they could hear Yuffie shouting…

"Just what the hell are they doing?" Taerk growled.

--

"Hah! You missed!"

"What the- hey! Dammit, you're cheating!"

"No I'm not. Werewolf, remember?"

"…Oh yeah? Well they didn't call me the Greased Lightning for nothing you know!"

Beatrix was standing on one side of the couch, pinked face and grinning. Yuffie was sitting on the other end of the couch, perched precariously on the armrest like a gargoyle. Her tail swished and she smirked playfully at the younger girl.

Beatrix stuck her tongue out and taunted her. "Pooh, pooh." She said with a wave.

Yuffie's smirk widened and she leaned forward, hunching her back as if to jump…

…And in a flash of black and red, the two ended up on the floor several feet from the couch, Beatrix pinned down by her shoulders. The catgirl grinned down at her victoriously. "How do ya like 'dem kupo nuts?"

The redhead could only blink in astonishment. Then she wheezed.

Yuffie frowned down at her. "What's wrong?"

"You…knocked the breath out of my lungs…" Beatrix coughed.

The ninja climbed off of her quickly, sitting on her rear. She looked down at the younger girl with concern. "Um…you gonna be alright? I didn't break anything did I?"

Beatrix sat up, wincing. "No…no, I'm fine." She stared at Yuffie from the corner of her eyes, "How'd you move so fast?"

Yuffie frowned at her. "What're you talking about?"

"Just now, you moved so fast! I barely had a chance to react."

"All I did was pounce on you."

"You did a lot more than that…" Beatrix muttered, rotating her shoulders.

Yuffie shrugged sheepishly, "Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you or anything."

"Don't worry, really. But still, I wanna know how you did that. Was it something else you learned or what?"

"Look, I'm telling you, all I did was pounce! I didn't try to do anything."

"Well…you must have done it without thinking. Instinctually, y'know?"

Yuffie made a face, "Instinctually? Me?" she shook her head. "No way."

"You're a cat demon, Yuffie!" Beatrix sighed exasperatedly, "Half anyways. You really didn't think you'd be free of instincts now, did you? Not even humans can escape them."

"Well, dammit, what the hell am I supposed to do about it?"

"Nothing. They're instincts. Not something to 'do anything' about."

"Shiva, how lame. You mean I'm going to be licking myself soon, or something?"

Beatrix scowled, looking affronted. "No. You'll just be doing some things without thinking. Things programmed in you from years of generations before you."

"I wasn't born a hanyou, Beatrix."

"That word…you say it like it's a curse."

"And it isn't?"

Beatrix began to look seriously irritated now. "You should be grateful that you've been given a second chance at life! What is it with you humans and squandering things? Judging things as if something gave you a right to?"

Yuffie bristled, her face darkening. "Looking like some freakish monster thing straight from hell isn't my idea of a gift Beatrix. I would have preferred death over this."

"And yet you make no attempts to take your life."

"I want an honorable death, like my ancestors! How can I have that if I look like some kitty hybrid!?"

"You can do great things being what you are now! Power and grace is in your hands, I'm really having trouble seeing the problem in that!"

"You really don't get it do you?" Yuffie stood, angry, "I can't show my face in the world, Beatrix! People will fear and hate me! Do you even know what's that like?"

Beatrix stood as well, her face a light shade of pink, "Yes! As a matter of fact I do!"

"At least you can hide it!" Yuffie half-shouted, growing increasingly furious. "I can't change! I'm stuck like this for the rest of my unnatural life! Get it through your head already! This isn't a gift! This is a curse! I've been banished from my own race! I can never go back into human society again!"

Beatrix matched her anger without fail. "And what the hell do they have to offer you that WE don't!? Are we not 'good enough' for you? What, because I'm not 'human'? Because I have instincts, and succumb to them, that makes me a mindless monster?"

"No!" Yuffie shouted. "That just makes you a disillusioned wannabe werewolf with a horrible Midgaran accent!"

"Wannabe werewolf!? What about you? 'Oh woe is me; I've been given ears, a tail, and power. Whatever shall I do? How ever will I live?' …As far as I'm concerned your just some stupid sappy girl a few shurikens short of a ninja. You hold no integrity, and hold no honor."

And that was all it took.

The lights flickered ominously, and Beatrix stared around in surprise. Glancing at Yuffie, she shirked, slowly stepping back.

The catgirl looked beyond furious. In fact, she looked almost murderous. "Listen to me, you broken popsicle!" she advanced slowly, eyes narrowed intensely. "When I go out into public, and people start running from me in fear because of how horrifying I look, then maybe I'll consider myself lucky. You wanna know why?" Beatrix backed up into the wall, eyes wide. Her teeth were bared and she crouched slightly as if ready to fend off Yuffie any minute. Her fears weren't unfounded. The catgirl continued quietly, now at a low hiss. Her eyes were glowing slightly. "Because when they see me, they won't shoot…they won't throw rocks…they won't try to harm me in anyway. But even then, I'm still alone. Left to stare at myself in a friggin' mirror and see this freak looking back at me. And it'll tear at my heart because I won't be able to run with those people. I'm stuck in this tainted skin…and I don't consider myself lucky for THAT specific reason."

The lights were flickering insanely now. Beatrix's skin prickled as Yuffie neared, the energy rolling off of the catgirl in thick waves and nearly drowning the redhead in their intensity.

The younger girl could see all the frustration and fears Yuffie had been feeling in just the short time with them. She could feel them as they entered her lungs like poison, sucking the life out of her. This wasn't just Yuffie. This was her demon side.

"Yuffie! I'm sorry, I take it back! Please! I mean it, I do!" Beatrix cried frantically, growing increasingly alarmed. The light in the kitchen burst in a shower of sparks and glass, singing the counter and floor as it all fluttered down.

The sound seemed to bring Yuffie out of it.

The lights stopped flickering almost immediately. The catgirl just stood there, breathing heavily like some angry beast, chest heaving as she tried to regain herself. Eyes once again returned to normal, she glanced around dazedly, as if just realizing where she was.

The ninja looked to Beatrix slowly, and the two locked eyes for a second before she looked away in shame. Running a clawed hand through her hair, Yuffie slowly stepped back and turned. "I'm sorry…" she mumbled.

Beatrix watched Yuffie warily as she sat heavily on the couch, burying her face in her hands. There were heavy footfalls as Meridian and the others came up from the basement.

"What's going on?" Meridian demanded, the moment he came into the living room. His eyes flew back and forth between Beatrix and Yuffie.

Beatrix waved him off, "Everything's fine, Meridian…"

He frowned at her, but the girl mouthed silently, "Just go! I can take care of this."

He hesitated, then sighed and waved the others back. "Come on, we've still got planning to do…"

Taerk looked ready to protest, but a look from Meridian silenced him. Julius and Ern looked beyond concerned, and Mikau stared intensely at Yuffie's back, his face unreadable. Reluctantly, they all shuffled out of the room.

When they left, Beatrix slowly went toward the couch, and sat carefully next to Yuffie, who didn't move. "Hey…I'm…sorry if I offended you or anything. I guess I was just being insensitive and selfish and stuff…I didn't mean the things I said, honestly." The girl bit her lip, afraid of the response she would receive.

But Yuffie just shook her head, "No, it was my fault, I was being stupid…not listenin' to you. I should have respected your feelings and stuff…I was being a jerk." Yuffie straightened, her eyes shining with tears. She wiped at them furiously. "Shiva! This is so annoying…it's like I can't keep my eyes dry anymore!"

Beatrix smiled weakly. "You'll get used to it."

Yuffie shrugged halfheartedly. "I guess I'm gonna have to sooner or later, aren't I?"

The younger girl bit her lip again. An awkward silence fell on them both. As far as they both knew, they were still getting to know each other, and after all that had already happened, it seemed there was nothing left but awkward silences.

Beatrix glanced meekly at Yuffie, who was spacing out. She watched her for a moment.

"I've noticed these past few days that you've been trying to…I dunno. Push your limits and stuff."

Yuffie came out of her trance, looking at Beatrix with a raised eyebrow. She knew the girl was leading up to something.

The redhead continued. "And I know that me and you are different," she paused crimson eyes locking onto electric blue ones, "But I think I can help you out."

Yuffie frowned curiously. "And just what do ya have in mind?"

"Two things, mainly." Beatrix said, suddenly cheerful. "I can help you with transformation and your magic powers."

"'Transformation'? My 'magic powers'? Why am I so creeped out by the fact that you know more about this than me?"

Beatrix shrugged, "I may not go on many 'big' missions, but I'm still part of this pack. And if you hang out with Meridian and Ern long enough, you tend to pick stuff up." She raised a pointed finger. "First, transformation. Remember when we told you that the cat you found was a demon in its lesser form? Well you can change into that to, if you really concentrated."

Yuffie blinked rapidly, letting out a low whistle. "Wow…you mean I can change completely into a cat?"

"Yep. But we'll have to save that for later…maybe on the full moon. It seems the best time."

Yuffie smiled wickedly, the possibilities flashing through her mind like bullets. "Jackpot! I bet I could do tons with that!"

Beatrix smiled smugly, her face saying 'I told you it wasn't as bad as you thought'. She raised a second finger, bringing the ninja out of her scheming thoughts. "Second. You're a lightning cat demon, meaning you have certain powers with electricity. I'm sure if you concentrated and called forth the energy in you, you'd be able to use it. …I don't know much about that," she lamented, "But it's a theory me and Ern came up with, and we think it might work. If it doesn't, don't blame me."

"So…what? Just treat the power like materia?"

"The powers in you, so I guess if you can find the source to draw from, that'd make sense."

"Well, the only way to see-"

"Is to try." Beatrix finished. She sat back and grinned. "Go on. Try to do something."

Yuffie stared at her, scandalized. "Are you just expecting me to pull of some trick?"

"It's like you said, the only way to see-"

"Is to try. All right, all right, I'll give it a shot…"

Blushing slightly, Yuffie closed her eyes and tried her hardest to concentrate. Reaching within herself, she mentally searched for some energy source. It was weird, mainly because she usually did this without thinking, but since she didn't know what to draw her power from, she actually had to search for it.

And this was no small task.

Beatrix sat watching her silently the entire time. The minutes ticked by slowly, and eventually, she grew impatient.

"You got it yet?" she asked abruptly, as per her style.

"Wha-? No! I don't!" Yuffie snapped, annoyed at the interruption.

Beatrix sagged a little in her seat, grumbling. "Well sor-ry…"

After another moment, Yuffie cried out excitedly. "There!" she opened her eyes with a snap. They were glowing again.

Beatrix looked at her in alarm. She had been glancing around, bored, when Yuffie had cried out.

"What!? What is it?" she asked anxiously, straightening.

"This." Yuffie said with a grin.

She raised a hand, and an orb of raw electrical energy hovered over palm, glowing and buzzing.

Yuffie's eyes flashed. "Oh this is going to be fun…"

--

Meat, meat, and more meat.

This was dinner at the two-story log cabin. Every day. Yuffie found herself wanting desperately to have salad instead, despite her belief that salad was nothing more than rabbit food.

She groaned at the smell of chicken wafting through the air. "Meat…again." Her tail twitched in irritation as she played idly with an energy ball. Ern was next to her on the couch, watching her with a look of awe. "Why don't you guys ever…eat something else?" she had faltered when she noticed Ern staring at her, and stopped playing with the ball. He glanced at her in alarm and immediately began to pretend he was doing something else.

Julius, who was serving his plate, shrugged. "There isn't anything to hunt out here. Meat makes up most of our diet, so we have to keep eating it."

"And you don't eat anything else?" Yuffie cried, standing. She was getting a little creeped out with Ern staring at her…

Julius squinted one eye in uncertainty. "Uh…" he turned and called to Beatrix, who was sitting on the floor, eating cheerfully. "Hey, don't we have any cereal or candy or something?"

She turned and called back through a mouth full of food. "We got nuts! Lots of nuts!"

Julius shrugged at Yuffie again. "And there ya go."

Yuffie banged her head against a wall. "Ugh…"

--

Late night.

Yuffie was lying on her bed, staring quietly up at the ceiling. It was dark; she hadn't started up the fireplace.

That was because she was using her own light.

A single finger was held up before her, there was a glow of energy at the tip, washing her face in a pale blue light. The catgirl passed the time by tracing pictures in the shadows, watching with fleeting amusement as the pictures quickly faded away. She had been practicing with her powers ever since she first learned how to use them, and though she still couldn't do much, she was now starting to get the hang of using smaller and larger levels of energy.

On a whim, Yuffie drew a cat in the air.

She watched with mixed emotions as the image faded.

Arm growing tired, she dropped it, the light at the tip of her finger extinguishing into the darkness that was now dominant. She rolled onto her side and scowled, fisting the blankets in her hand.

Yuffie didn't know if she could do this anymore. She didn't know if she could survive life as a hanyou.

But at the same time, she liked the idea of what she could do now, the power and ability that had been handed to her, not because she had taken it, but because someone was rewarding her for her kindness. HER kindness. Sure it obviously had its disadvantages, this change, but what if it was like Beatrix said, all she had to do was get used to it.

What if everyone else just got used to it to?

Yuffie liked that idea. She liked it a lot.

There was a creak and Yuffie sat up, her ears perking up as she did so. Narrowing her eyes, she crept out of bed, her bare feet padding across the floorboards soundlessly.

Instinctually, she crouched down low and slinked forward on all fours, pressing her ears against the door cautiously. She heard the sounds of someone eating and frowned. "The heck-" she breathed, sitting back in her gargoyle-like fashion, which she was growing to do more and more.

Tail twitching, she reached up and opened the door.

Slowly it opened, and Yuffie peeked her head out into the dark living room, her pupil slits narrowing to adjust at the light that suddenly invaded her senses. Squinting, she looked to the kitchen, where the light was coming from, and saw a bouncy set of red hair.

"…Beatrix?"

The young girl jumped and swirled around, her eyes wide with surprise. She was hiding something behind her back.

She stared at Yuffie for a moment before regrouping herself. "Yuffie! What are you doing up?"

Yuffie stood and opened the door all the way, leaning against the frame. Crossing her arms, she shot back coolly, "I was about to ask you the same exact thing…"

Beatrix bit her lip and looked at the floor. Yuffie smirked in amusement as she saw the blush gracing the younger girl's cheeks.

"Oh? What dirty little secret have I stumbled upon?" She thought silently.

Beatrix looked up at her shyly. "If I tell you…will you promise to keep it a secret?"

Yuffie shrugged carelessly. "Yeah, sure."

Beatrix frowned. "Swear it on the god you worship, or I won't tell you."

Yuffie frowned to herself. Well that was no fun…of course, she could just say that she didn't worship any god, but Leviathan would most likely make certain her life became a living hell, if she did that. That is, considering, her life hadn't already been turned into one. In which case he'd just make it worse.

So Yuffie conceded to tell the truth and just swear.

At least this way she'd know what Beatrix's secret was.

"I swear on Leviathan, that I will never breath a word of your secret to anyone."

Beatrix nodded, satisfied. Bringing her hands out from behind her back, she placed whatever she had been hiding on the counter. Her blush deepened at the look on Yuffie's face.

"That's your secret?" the catgirl deadpanned, wrinkling her nose.

It was a box of doggy treats.

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Beatrix hissed, grabbing the box and clutching it to her chest. She sighed. "Taerk and Julius would have field day's if they found out I ate these!"

"Where have you been hiding them?" Yuffie asked incredulously, approaching the counter.

Beatrix grinned sheepishly, reaching into the box. "I've been hiding them in the bottom cupboard, way in the back behind all the cleaning stuff, in a plastic bag. No one can smell them except me. I have the best nose."

She bit off a bit of a bone shaped treat and Yuffie shuddered. "Eyech! Grossness…how do you eat that stuff?"

Beatrix shrugged, "I'm not human, remember? And last time I checked, you aren't a full human either, so why don't you try one?"

"No." Yuffie said flatly, leaning away.

The younger girl popped the rest of the treat in her mouth. "Suit yourself."

Silence fell between them. It seemed to happen a lot. Yuffie surmised that was because they talked a lot, which was reasonable. A couple of years ago, she would have begged to differ, but now she was older, and knew the power of silence.

That didn't mean she used it often.

In fact, one could say it was only her last resort tactic.

Then again…lately she had been feeling like she was practically living on last resorts.

"So, I guess you can't sleep?" Beatrix asked insipidly, distracted with another treat.

Yuffie sighed and stretched. "Nah…sleep hasn't come easy lately."

Beatrix set her box of treats on the counter with a sigh of her own. "I know what you mean…"

The catgirl glanced at her curiously. "What's eating you?"

The younger girl groaned, rubbing at her face with her hands. Yuffie raised an eyebrow. Her voice muffled, Beatrix explained, still covering her face.

"My 17th birthday is next month." She said.

Yuffie stiffened at these words; her own experiences filling her head like suffocating black smoke. Her face darkened.

Beatrix leaned against the counter, eyes downcast. "This birthday marks my coming of age,"

Yuffie made a disgusted noise.

The redhead continued as if she hadn't heard it. "For a lycan girl, with no mate, and a pack of nothing but possible suitors-"

The ninja was rattled out of her thoughts. "Wh-what?"

Beatrix didn't answer; instead, she focused on the box of doggy treats. Yuffie leaned in close and asked slowly, "What do you mean by 'suitors', Beatrix?"

"What do you think I mean?" Beatrix snapped, glaring heatedly. "I'm single, and in a month I'm of age. The others are single to and are old enough to choose a mate. You put it together."

Yuffie flapped her mouth uselessly. "But-but that's-!"

"Not right? No offense, Yuffie, but you've still got a lot to learn…"

The ninja tried to say something in her defense, but she found she had nothing of worth to say. So she simply snapped her mouth shut and glared ahead in furious disbelief.

The others…were pedophiles? Would they really try to seduce Beatrix? None of it computed. It didn't seem right. Sure, she hadn't known them for a long time, but still just the idea of it seemed…wrong somehow.

"I'm really happy that you're here, Yuffie."

Yuffie looked up at Beatrix, who was looking away. The redhead whispered quietly, "The others have already been treating me different, and…I'm just glad you're here."

For a moment the catgirl said nothing. Then she nodded, slowly.

"Yeah. I'm…here."

--

"Miss?"

Tifa looked up from what she was doing. "Yes?"

"We'll be reaching the docks soon, the bus will be ready to take all passenger to Icicle Inn."

"Thank you."

The young man left, and Tifa closed the book in her lap with a sigh.

It was her new diary, something she had started while waiting for Cloud back at the villa. She figured putting her thoughts down on paper would help her deal with all the emotions she was feeling, and though it was hard to do, she found she felt a great sense of relief afterwards. So she would try to write, no matter how sensitive the topic was.

It was the only way she could get her emotions out without hurting anyone.

Putting the diary back into the suitcase, Tifa began to put away the few things she had out until the foghorn blew. Flustered, the woman hurried up to the deck of the ship.

A small shore thinned and spread out before them, giving way to the only green plain of grass on the entire Northern Continent. In the distance the haunting outline of Bone Village and the Sleeping Forest could be seen, and even further still were the jagged silhouettes of mountains reaching up into the sky.

Tifa took a deep breath as they neared the docks.

"Here I go…"

--

"We need to make a trip to Icicle Inn, before our food completely runs out."

Back at the cabin, Meridian's announcement stirred up a flurry of response.

"Who's going?"

"Can I go? Please?"

"I've already had my fill of snow. I'm staying."

"Y-you aren't going t-to make me go-go-go again are you?"

Meridian simply raised a hand, calling for silence. "Julius and I will be making the run this time, and if she wishes, Ms. Kisaragi is free to join us."

"Me?" the catgirl balked, sitting up.

"You're leaving me with Taerk and Ern?" Beatrix cried, looking alarmed.

"Mikau will be here to." Julius pointed out.

Beatrix huffed. "He doesn't count. He never talks anyways…"

Meridian explained calmly, his eyes twinkling with what seemed to be amusement. "You and Taerk left the cabin last time. Ern never wants to go out," Ern giggled nervously, "And Mikau left before you and Taerk." His eyes flickered over at Yuffie, who shrank in his gaze, "And Ms. Kisaragi needs to go shopping for her own clothes, since you could not recover any of her belongings out there in the snow when you found her. Though," and at this he smirked, "I'm sure you have more than enough clothes for the both of you."

Beatrix blushed furiously.

Yuffie rubbed her arm. "I…look I dunno if I can go out in public yet."

Julius crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "You know, if you don't go now, you'll be stuck wearing shirts saying things like 'Cucumbers keep me warm at night'."

Yuffie blinked. "You know, maybe if I disguised myself or something…wore a hat and a big long coat…"

Beatrix glared at her and Julius.

"Hey, just what are you guys trying to say?"

--

The day was spent lounging around and talking. It had been decided that they would leave for Icicle Inn the day after tomorrow. When Yuffie asked why, Beatrix explained, and with no small amount of exasperation, "Tomorrow is the full moon, I told you that yesterday!"

And it was then, that the first of Yuffie's fears began to bloom.

The full moon.

Just what did those words entail? Bizarre displays of insanity? Or awe inspiring transformations? What if these people really were 'werewolves'…they certainly smelled like wolves at any rate. Sometimes, they even acted like it, though, in truth, Yuffie refused to believe it. But did her disbelief really make it untrue? Or was she just in denial? And if they really WERE werewolves…

…Then just what would Yuffie do?

-----

A/N: I finished this chapter some two days ago, but I had just only gotten a chance to type it into the computer. I'm sorry for the slow rate this story is taking. I seem to be getting sidetracked with a lot of unimportant things…and I get the feeling that the quality of my writing is beginning to drop. Is it? I don't know, I'm too close to the project to see what's wrong exactly.

If you're wondering just what a Midgaran accent sounds like (at least for this story), it would be something of a cross between British and Brooklyn. Yes, Beatrix and her friends actually have accents…why else would they say stuff like 'bloody hell?' But I also say they talk with a Brooklyn-ish accent, because at times they can sound rather 'American'. So just try to imagine it. …And don't worry if you have trouble doing so, I sometimes have trouble seeing it too.

I'm already several pages into the seventh chapter, hopefully I'll have it done soon.

Oh…and just as a side note…

Fitness exams SUCK.

Reviews are loved. Thanks much for reading.