A/N: This is my first FF:CC fanfic, and I hope it turns out like I want it to. The main characters are based off my characters on FF:CC, and thier abilities. I tried to give each one thier own indevidual personalities to make the story interesting. Enjoy!

Tawny rested her head against the back of her chair, thoughts drifting gently through her head like ghostly apparitions, none being held for very long before drifting on to the next. Her head snapped forward suddenly at the sound of her father's voice addressing her.

"...avan!" Tawny's eyes widened.

"Wh-what?" She asked nervously, hoping to the gods that he hadn't said what she thought he had.

"I said; you are going to be in the next caravan!"

Tawny blanched. "No way. You're joking, right?"

Her father laughed. "Of course not! This is a serious matter."

"I'm no fighter!" Tawny blurted.

"I've seen you fight with the local boys, I know you can handle it." He beamed proudly.

"But-"

"No buts! You're going!" He yelled, rather rudely. "Now go to bed! You leave tomorrow!"

Tawny opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it. She scowled and stomped up the stairs to her bedroom. Tears were fighting their way to her eyes, but she held them back. She collapsed into her bed, sobbing silently. Tawny was just an ordinary Clavat. She was too young to die, only sixteen. To her, it seemed as though her father was condemning her, sending her off to her death. It was true that she could hold her own in a fistfight, but she was no good with a sword, as was expected of all Clavats. Her long, auburn hair clung to her tear-streaked face, and she did her best to wipe the strands away. In the end, she cried herself to sleep.

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A young male Selkie picked up a large crate and deposited it into a wagon pulled by a large, blue animal. His short, silver hair stuck defiantly to his forehead due to his sweating. It was barely sunrise, and he was already working hard to get ready for the next caravan. A red bandanna kept his bangs out of his eyes.

"Riou!" The male looked up to locate a girl about his age, also a Selkie, calling his name. She had longer hair that reached her waist, and was held back with a violet ribbon. She had one large sack of wheat over one shoulder, and another under her other arm.

"I thought I told you to wait for the rest of us before you started loading up." She said with a frown. She deposited the sacks into the wagon and faced the Selkie known as 'Riou'.

He laughed. "Well, I guess I'm a little anxious to get on the road, that's all." He shrugged. "The earlier we get packed, the earlier we leave, the earlier we get back, right, Analee?"

She sighed. "I don't think I'll ever understand you, Riou."

"Go! Get going!"

The two Selkies turned to see a young girl Clavat being thrown out of her house by her father and land on the dusty ground. She was crying and clinging to a stuffed moogle toy. She had long brown hair that was covered for the most part by a white hood. In front of her were a rusty old sword and a leather shield. She looked up at the two with almost pleading eyes, but quickly hardened her expression when she saw the wagon. She turned away and stared at the ground.

"Hmph...I what's with her?" Analee asked rudely, going back to packing the wagon.

Riou stared sympathetically at the girl and walked over to her, offering his hand to help her up. She glanced at it, and turned away, hunching her shoulders and hugging the toy even tighter. A puzzled look spread across his face, and he withdrew his hand. He crouched down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Mmhm..." She nodded weakly.

"Can you stand?"

"Yeah..." She stood up shakily, using his shoulder for support. Riou picked up the sword and shield.

"Are these yours?" He asked, offering them to her. She took them carefully; as if she were afraid they might bite.

"What's your name?"

"Tawny. I-I'm to join your caravan." A wide grin spread across Riou's face.

"So you're our sixth member! Welcome aboard!"

"Six?" She questioned.

"Yeah, I'll introduce you to them when they get their lazy butts out here..." He trailed off, looking around.

"I'm not sure I appreciate the insinuation, Riou." Came a low, calm voice from behind him. Riou jumped in surprise and whirled around. He calmed down and lightly punched the newcomer in the shoulder.

"Zolof! Don't do that, okay? Ya scare the crap outta me every time!" Riou laughed.

Zolof was a Yuke, tall and elegant. His clothes were elaborately designed and dark in color. On his back was a set of small, unusable bat-like wings. The helmet that adorned his head had one twisted horn coming out the left side.

Riou turned back to Tawny. "This is Zolof, Our navigator. He doesn't fight, and stays behind with the wagon when we go collecting Myrrh. He's the smartest Yuke out there!"

"Oh, stop it Riou! You know very well that that's not true." Said the Yuke humorously.

"Um, hello..." Tawny said shyly.

"And this," Riou motioned to Tawny. "Is Tawny, our sixth member!" Tawny blushed a little.

Zolof moved toward her, as if appraising her, putting one hand to the chin of his helmet. "Hmm... A little small, but with a some training, she could be a great asset to our team."

"Riou! Quit chatting, it's time to leave!" Came the voice of Analee from the wagon.

He called back to her. "Just a minute! Don't you want to meet our sixth member?"

She frowned. "What do we need six for?" she said under her breath and crawled into the driver's seat of the wagon.

"Well, we better get going, Analee won't wait for us." Riou said quickly before running for the wagon.

Tawny turned to Zolof. "But if there's six, where are the other two?"

He looked at her, or at lest it seemed that way, considering he was wearing a helmet that covered his eyes, if he had any. "They do not live in town. We will meet up with them soon." He said simply and walked casually to the wagon.

Tawny took a deep breath, squeezed her moogle toy, and followed them.

A/N: Yeah, I know. It seems like Tawny's character changes halfway through the chapter, doesn't it? Actually, she's based off me. She's a strong character emotionally most of the time, but can break down and cry when forced to do something she's not physically capable of doing. She's also shy when meeting new people. Riou and Analee are my two absolute favorite characters to write. Riou has this upbeat, optimistic view of life, while Analee's the complete opposite, impatient and cynical. But she does have a soft side. I'm not sure if I should put in romance later.